Princess (New) Ships Aren't "Game Changers", Why?

I’ve got the Majestic booked and I’m planning to do the Sun in April (it’s booked but that one may change). I really want to do the Hawaii/Tahiti one next year in August but I also want to go on the Golden before it goes to P&O in 2020 so I’m planning another short local one as well.

 

 

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We’ve got Hawaii booked next year, plenty of sea days on that one

Doesn't anyone else who has cruised for a while find that the new generation of mass market cruise ships--like Royal and Regal, both of which I have sailed on, are just too crowded? I've started doing more land based vacations because of this.

I took a TA plus Baltic on the Regal in 2016, wasn't sure if I would like it. I was very surprised to find I really enjoyed the ship. This past fall I went on the Royal for another transatlantic. I don't mind this class of ship at all and did not feel it was over crowded. The wrap around promenade I missed a little, not enough to make me say, I won't sail this class of ship.

Doesn't anyone else who has cruised for a while find that the new generation of mass market cruise ships--like Royal and Regal, both of which I have sailed on, are just too crowded? I've started doing more land based vacations because of this.

Actually they feel less crowded to me. Perspective I guess.

I have never sailed on the Royal/Regal. I do have a friend who not only cruises more often than I have, but has also cruised on the Royal. He has commented to me that the Royal does seem to be less crowded in the public spaces than the Grand Class ships. He even has a rationale that seems to explain his observation.

Following is a comparison between the Royal Princess and the Ruby Princess (picking a Grand Class ship at random).

• Passenger Capacity:
  
  • Royal Princess: 3,560
    
  • Ruby Princess: 3,080
    

  [*]Gross Tonnage

  • Royal Princess: 141,000
    
  • Ruby Princess: 113,000
    

Now, my understanding is that the "Gross Tonnage" measurement is not a measurement of weight. It is a measurement of cargo carrying capacity. So, it is a measurement of volume or space. If I am incorrect, here, I welcome the insight of more informed correspondents, because this is the crux of my whole argument.

If you divide the gross tonnage of each ship by the passenger capacity, you get a feel for how much space there is per passenger on each ship. The higher that number, the more space per passenger. The more space per passenger, the less crowded the passengers will feel.

• Gross Tonnage per Passenger:
  
  • Royal Princess: 39.6
    
  • Ruby Princess: 36.7
    

The Royal Princess "seems" less crowded than the Ruby Princess because there is more space per passenger.

I know this is not a rigorous proof. I don't have the ability (or the ambition) to parse out total space vs. passenger cabin space vs. passenger public space vs. crew only space. I agree, that to completely prove or disprove this idea such an analysis would be needed.

I know this is not a rigorous proof. I don't have the ability (or the ambition) to parse out total space vs. passenger cabin space vs. passenger public space vs. crew only space. I agree, that to completely prove or disprove this idea such an analysis would be needed.

it's never 100% proof as we really don't have any idea how much tonnage is used in operations, staff quarters, etc. and I don't know if we'll ever get that measurement but it's never a bad comparison. So many variables though.

see revised version below

I have never sailed on the Royal/Regal. . . .

• Gross Tonnage per Passenger:
  
  • Royal Princess: 39.6
    
  • Ruby Princess: 36.7
    

The Royal Princess "seems" less crowded than the Ruby Princess because there is more space per passenger.

 

I know this is not a rigorous proof. I don't have the ability (or the ambition) to parse out total space vs. passenger cabin space vs. passenger public space vs. crew only space. I agree, that to completely prove or disprove this idea such an analysis would be needed.

Very thorough analysis! However, I don't think 3 more G.T.per pax is necessarily going to feel larger. We've been on the Royal twice andI think the fact that the Piazza is at least twice as large in floor areacompared to the one on the older ships is one big reason the ship feels morespacious--it's awe-inspiring IMHO, what with its beautiful curving staircases,lots of "gold" trim, its soaring 3-deck "airiness". I don'tthink the cabins are any larger, except perhaps for the bathroom area. TheVista Lounge is similar to that on the older grand-class ships in its design.The Theater seems larger, visually at least, perhaps because it's decor islight to medium blue, not the coral/red of other older ships. One furtheradvantage is their moving the photo gallery to Deck 6 mid-ship (overlookingPiazza) from Deck 7 aft. So pax can now always move more freely going forwardfrom the Vista Lounge without those "pesky" photo racks impedingone's progress.

Wiki define gross tonnage (GT) as:

Gross tonnage is calculated based on "the moulded volume of all enclosed spaces of the ship" and is used to determine things such as a ship's manning regulations, safety rules, registration fees, and port dues, whereas the older gross register tonnage is a measure of the volume of only certain enclosed spaces.

Using GT divided by number of pax is a gross estimate of space per pax. Also complicating this gross number is that the reported number of pax is the number of lower berths only and neglects the number of upper berths. There is no real way to calculate the space per pax available and so it becomes a perception issue. I will agree though that the large piazza on the new ships is really nice since Princess seems to have increased entertainment in that area most of the time. With all this useless information, have a great cruise no matter the ship or itinerary.

They destroyed the promenade and shrunk the balconies. That was a game changer for me.

I am with you, did 15 day on the Royal ... was not that impressed. just bigger ship... with more cabins... doubt I will go on it again... have been on the Grand Princess about 7 times now, never tire of it... just got off a 10 day to Mexico. Booked the Coral while on board... like the older ships better.

Doesn't anyone else who has cruised for a while find that the new generation of mass market cruise ships--like Royal and Regal, both of which I have sailed on, are just too crowded? I've started doing more land based vacations because of this.

No, I actually found that Royal felt less crowded than Golden.

No, I actually found that Royal felt less crowded than Golden.

What is Golden like? I’ve been on Emerald and Diamond. Is it worth going on before it goes to P&O?

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The PSR (passenger space ratio) of dividing gross tons by passengers is subjective but is a good high level analysis. For instance, HAL has a higher average fleet PSR than Princess does, which makes sense since the S and R class ships are exceptionally large for so few passengers. I also think its interesting to compare other aspects that impact your experience, which may seem silly, but for those that use elevators, the number of Pax per elevator could be a big deal. Also, the number of passengers per crew - not a perfect measurement but still interesting....

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/ship-stats

We've been on the Oasis of the Seas (220,000 tons).

We had over 6300 passengers on our cruise.

It did not seem crowded until we tried going to a non scheduled event. We couldn't get near it.

We needed reservations for the scheduled shows.

Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better.

Also went on Navigator of the Seas (142,000 tons)

We had around 3500 passengers on that cruise.

It felt a lot less crowded.

Great ship.

Going on the Royal Princess soon.

Around the same size as Navigator.

I'll reserve judgement about that one, but if's anything like Navigator, it should be great.

What is Golden like? I’ve been on Emerald and Diamond. Is it worth going on before it goes to P&O?

 

Golden is essentially like the Emerald but with one less passenger deck. There are other differences such as the location of Sabatini's and the lack of the Adagio Lounge.

If there is an itinerary you want to take, then book it because of the itinerary, not because of the ship.

What is Golden like? I’ve been on Emerald and Diamond. Is it worth going on before it goes to P&O?

It's nice enough. Like most cruise ships it has it's good points. We enjoyed our cruise on her. I haven't been on any of the other Grand class ships, just Sun & Dawn (before she went to P&O), and Royal.

It's nice enough. Like most cruise ships it has it's good points. We enjoyed our cruise on her. I haven't been on any of the other Grand class ships, just Sun & Dawn (before she went to P&O), and Royal.

I'm kinda worried about going on the Sun because it gets a lot of bad press and isn't as modern as the Emerald or DIamond. I'm definitely doing the right thing doing it before the Majestic though. I'm also considering a smaller ship. I wish Princess has a smaller ship downudner rather than just the large ones. It'd be good to have that choice on a local itinerary.

I've gotta give MSC (Seaside), X (Edge) and NCL (Bliss) credit for introducing new ships with Game Changing design and unique layouts.

 

I'm wondering why Princess and also HAL remain stale with new ship design innovations?

From what I can see the Celebrity Edge seems to be adding more pay for venues and areas that only suite guests have access to. I hope Princess doesn't go in this direction. Those of us who have been complaining about the smaller balconies on the Royal Class ships should be thankful that they don't have the infinite veranda which is basically a big window that opens with no balcony.

I'm kinda worried about going on the Sun because it gets a lot of bad press and isn't as modern as the Emerald or DIamond. I'm definitely doing the right thing doing it before the Majestic though. I'm also considering a smaller ship. I wish Princess has a smaller ship downudner rather than just the large ones. It'd be good to have that choice on a local itinerary.

Sun is a lovely ship. She may not be as modern as most of the others but she has the best Crooners bar and you can usually get a seat at the International Cafe (unlike on Golden). She's a nice size for going into the smaller ports, especially Pacific Island ports.

Sun is a lovely ship. She may not be as modern as most of the others but she has the best Crooners bar and you can usually get a seat at the International Cafe (unlike on Golden). She's a nice size for going into the smaller ports, especially Pacific Island ports.

I’m just doing a two day cruise on the Sun to get my fix as it’s been over a year and waiting until September for the longer one is too far away.

The deck plans look great though.

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Sun is a lovely ship. She may not be as modern as most of the others but she has the best Crooners bar and you can usually get a seat at the International Cafe (unlike on Golden). She's a nice size for going into the smaller ports, especially Pacific Island ports.

I also love the ship.

Given that every Princess cruise has 50's and 60's music nights, I don't think they're even trying to attract Gen-X cruisers never-mind the Millennials.

Younger cruisers on Carnival and NCL. But still favor 60’s music.

I'm 57yrs old and have been listing to my 85yr old parents music on cruise ships for years. When do I get my turn?

I'm 57yrs old and have been listing to my 85yr old parents music on cruise ships for years. When do I get my turn?

Maybe when you have that scooter parked outside your cabin...?

Spouse and I fully agree with your sentiments and we are in out early 70s.

The passenger per gross tonnage ratio is actually used by many companies to compare ships. In general, it works. I find the Royal class much better constructed and designed than any of the earlier classes. Passenger flow areas much better. The for-aft passageway on the Promenade deck of the older ships is a disaster. The theaters are cramped (poor seats with no legroom). Royal and her sisters have maybe the best buffet areas of any large cruise ship. Having sailed on RCI's Oasis class - I say never again, and "never again" to any of the pre-Royal class Princess ships. Big, but YUGELY overcrowded and noisy. Buffet a disaster with periodic announcements to gulf your food down so others can eat. The "R" class Pacific Princess is an ideal size for real cruising. Azamara now has three of these beauties as does Oceania.

Maybe when you have that scooter parked outside your cabin...?

 

Spouse and I fully agree with your sentiments and we are in out early 70s.

 

The passenger per gross tonnage ratio is actually used by many companies to compare ships. In general, it works. I find the Royal class much better constructed and designed than any of the earlier classes. Passenger flow areas much better. The for-aft passageway on the Promenade deck of the older ships is a disaster. The theaters are cramped (poor seats with no legroom). Royal and her sisters have maybe the best buffet areas of any large cruise ship. Having sailed on RCI's Oasis class - I say never again, and "never again" to any of the pre-Royal class Princess ships. Big, but YUGELY overcrowded and noisy. Buffet a disaster with periodic announcements to gulf your food down so others can eat. The "R" class Pacific Princess is an ideal size for real cruising. Azamara now has three of these beauties as does Oceania.

Oceania has 4

I'm 57yrs old and have been listing to my 85yr old parents music on cruise ships for years. When do I get my turn?

You've got me?

I think they'll skip my generation someday. :cool: