New Ships

[cruisin36]

No jogging deck?

 

I'm guessing these are the two ships that were discussed about a month or so ago.

 

Thye promenade deck is not the jogging deck - never has been even on the existing ships.

[cruisin36]

Your second sentence is the operative one here. The deal hasn't even been signed yet, as per the Carnival quarterly report. A memorandum isn't a signed deal. I think people are so starved for something new from Princess that they will jump on every little story as it's it's gospel. Last summer, some captain said at a circle party that a new Princess ship was already being built for another line and people jumped on that as word from the mount, and where is that ship?

 

I,m sorry but the info came directly from Tony Yeomans both at our CC M & G and the Sapt Circle party on the Mar 10 and 20 Ruby sailings. They are due out in 2013 and 2014. Hee has seen the preliminary plans. If you have more recent information perhaps you should contact Princess.

[sempronialou]

Thye promenade deck is not the jogging deck - never has been even on the existing ships.

 

Actually it is used for a jogging deck since the jogging/walking track was taken away when the sanctuary was built on some of the ships. I used it to for my morning runs on the CB. There was no other place for me to run.

 

 

I think a lot of this is speculation, rumors, and here say with some parts based on truth. We should just wait and see before getting too ruffled. Whatever will be, will be.

[cruisin36]

Actually it is used for a jogging deck since the jogging/walking track was taken away when the sanctuary was built on some of the ships. I used it to for my morning runs on the CB. There was no other place for me to run.

 

 

I think a lot of this is speculation, rumors, and here say with some parts based on truth. We should just wait and see before getting too ruffled. Whatever will be, will be.

 

You think that the Captain of a princess ship is spreading rumors??? If so, he won't be holding his job very long.

[TorontoTL]

I hate the new big ships,but I like the Princess style so I have no choice.

Princess to build two MegaShips

The parent company of Princess Cruise Lines, Carnival Corp., just announced that Princess will build two new brand new ships of an entirely new class. The two new ships are scheduled to arrive in 2013 and 2014. Both of these ships will come in at 139,000-tons - larger than almost every ship Carnival Corp ship has ever built except for Cunard's Queen Mary 2 at 148,000-tons.

 

Just a few weeks ago Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival Corp., reiterated that Carnival would never build a ship the size of Oasis of the Seas, and in fact Oasis is about 35% larger at 220,000-tons and a berth capacity of 5400 passengers. Still, these new ships actually represent a significant size. The number 139,000-tons is the same as Royal Caribbean's Voyager-class which was the standard bearer of mega-ship status for many years.

What will these new Princess ships be like? At a passenger capacity of 3600 people they will be fairly dense in terms of passenger/space ratio. The Voyager class has a passenger capacity of 3114 for a ship the same size. The larger Queen Mary 2, which boasts 148,000 gross tons, carries almost 1000 fewer guests.

Meanwhile - the cruise line that is most often cited as Princess' nearest competitor, Celebrity, has the Solstice class of ships that comes in at 122,000-tons and a passenger capacity of 2850 berths.

At first blush, it appears that Princess is packing an awful lot of passengers into these new ships for their size, but they are not anywhere close to what Carnival has in its newest ship, Carnival Dream, with 3652 passenger berths on a 130,000-ton ship.

There is a ship standard for comparing the available space onboard a ship called the "passenger space ratio." It is derived by dividing the gross tonnage by the ship's berth capacity. We use the berth capacity because few ships ever sail completely full. On average throughout the industry, most cruise ships sail at 2% to 4% more passengers than the berth capacity.

So, comparing the passenger space ratio on these larger cruise ships we get:

Queen Mary 2: 56.4

Celebrity Solstice: 42.8

Oasis of the Seas: 40.7

The "New" Princess Ships: 38.6

Ruby Princess: 36.6

Carnival Dream: 35.5

The larger the number, the better. It represents the number of square meters available per guest on the ship. Of course, it is a very loose interpretation because it includes the entire ship and does not compare public spaces to staterooms or the crew area, for example. Still, it actually turns out to be a very useful comparator.

Queen Mary 2 is the clear winner, and certainly enough the available space onboard is used to give it grandeur. The rooms are large and majestic, much like Grand Central Station in New York with its ten story ceiling but only one ground floor.

Celebrity Solstice is Similar to Queen Mary 2 in terms of using size for grandeur, although the ratio is lower and more space is given over to additional alternative dining spots and special lounges such as the wine bar. Still, Solstice has grandeur with long and tall corridors filled with flowing floor to ceiling drapes.

Royal Caribbean ships are slightly different. They have plenty of size but are not as majestic as the ships listed above. The space is packed with a greater variety of public rooms and onboard attractions. The newer ones have a huge internal horizontal atrium

Oasis of the Seas is unique among all cruise ships. Much of the size is given over to public space including massive open air corridors between the staterooms for Central Park and the Boardwalk. Oasis is one of the least crowded mainstream ships despite its record breaking passenger capacity.

So, what remains to be seen is how well Princess will utilize the space onboard these new ships. Even with the larger passenger capacity they will be more spacious than the latest ships to arrive from Princess, Ruby and Emerald Princess. Plus, Princess innovated the concept of making large ships feel smaller. Sapphire Princess has five separate dining rooms, each of them able to feed just about 400 people at once. That makes the ship feel much smaller than it is, especially compared to Oasis of the Seas which has just one dining room for as many as 2500 diners at the same time.

No matter what, Princess always excels in the ways that are most important to passengers, food, service and destinations. Their staterooms are roomy and their crewmembers are loyal and efficient. Even if these ships are bigger and hold a larger number of passengers, size has its advantages and it is extremely interesting to explore the different ways in which space has been utilized on different ships.

It will be interesting to see what Princess does with these new designs. Of all of the Carnival Corp. ships, their biggest ships; Queen Mary 2 and Grand Princess, for example, tend to have the most interesting designs.

 

Great post!

[argenta01]

If Princess is building 2 new ships, please please please change that horrid dated pink and blue southwestern color scheme that went out back in the the early 80's.

[DanJ]

You think that the Captain of a princess ship is spreading rumors??? If so, he won't be holding his job very long.

 

The fact is the captains don't always have all the inside info, especially when corporate hasn't even finalized a deal that they are actually going to build the ships yet. Even here we have one captain saying the new ships will simply be stretched versions of what's out, so that contradicts what another captain is saying.

[cruisin36]

I apologise for starting this post with alleged misinformation from a Princess captain. I have e mailed him with a link to this thread so he can now have up to date information. I have also sent a copy to Princess corporate offices in California.

[paul929207]

I apologise for starting this post with alleged misinformation from a Princess captain. I have e mailed him with a link to this thread so he can now have up to date information. I have also sent a copy to Princess corporate offices in California.

No Problem

[Woobstr112G]

I would be very unhappy if there were no Promenade deck. Walking around it while at sea is one of the best parts of crusing.....

 

Bob

[argenta01]

I apologise for starting this post with alleged misinformation from a Princess captain. I have e mailed him with a link to this thread so he can now have up to date information. I have also sent a copy to Princess corporate offices in California.

 

Yeah, like Princess could give a rat's azz about anything the passengers have to say.

[cruisin36]

Yeah, like Princess could give a rat's azz about anything the passengers have to say.

 

 

[jean s]

No promenade deck??? That is my favorite spot on the ship. I just love to walk early in the morning and watch the sun rise. It would be a real loss if deck was eliminated. Hopefully Princess is reading this thread and rethinking this decision.

[cruisin36]

Perhaps I need a realty checkup. But - How do CC posters know more about the Princess new build ships than the ship Captains or Princess headquarters does. This does tend to just amaze me.

[paul929207]

Perhaps I need a realty checkup. But - How do CC posters know more about the Princess new build ships than the ship Captains or Princess headquarters does. This does tend to just amaze me.

Six months or a year ago we had a Captain quoted as saying a new ship was already under condtruction. Was he right?

 

Princess is part of a publicly held company. They recently announced that they had signed PRELIMINARY agreement for two new ships. If they are lying, the SEC will be all ovver them. So a Captain knows more than the companies SEC filings?

[kendon]

No promenade! I hope this is not true.......this is one of my favorite places on any ship. I hope Princess doesn't start eliminating outside space for more cabins and pax. Please Princess say it ain't so. :eek:

 

I AGREE!! What a disappointment. I think I'm not going to like the new ships....

[kimchee1212]

D:

Still hope they bring an entirely new design, concept to the ship, not based on Grand class -_-

Just means carbon copy.

[kendon]

If Princess is building 2 new ships, please please please change that horrid dated pink and blue southwestern color scheme that went out back in the the early 80's.

 

i agree with you there....an updated color scheme is way over due.

[sempronialou]

You think that the Captain of a princess ship is spreading rumors??? If so, he won't be holding his job very long.

 

True, but people hear or see different things and sometimes the information can get turned around even with the best of intentions. I really don't think he's spreading rumors with malicious intent. The captain may have heard or seen something and maybe that wasn't iron clad word or misinformation from someone else. Who knows. Remember the game telephone when someone would whisper something at the beginning and then it gets completely botched when it gets to the last person. That's why I say, take it with a grain of salt. It is fun to speculate what the new ship may look like though.

[Commodore]

I hope Princess w'ont try to compete with this:

Disney designers thinking big for newbuild Dream's features

 

By: Danny KingApril 05, 2010

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Walt Disney Imagineering's video simulation of the world's first cruise ship watercoaster -- complete with a takeoff 150 feet above the ocean's surface -- might have taken place in the comfort of a darkened room 25 miles from the nearest ocean, but that didn't stop at least one reporter in attendance from getting a little dizzy.

 

With Disney Cruise Line's launch of the Disney Dream less than nine months away, the video illustrated the type of fine-tuning graphic artists, illustrators, story creators, computer programmers and other workers are doing to take what previous Disney Cruise passengers may already expect and enhance the experience.

 

That means creating plywood mock-ups of about two dozen Disney characters, ranging from Dumbo to the balloon-floating house from the movie "Up," whose virtual likenesses may adorn the "virtual portholes" in the 150 inside cabins. The portholes are actually video screens that will broadcast feeds from cameras posted outside the ship, but this being Disney, some familiar characters (and, presumably, homes) might occasionally pop into view. The mock-ups are being tested on their ability to amuse kids; the team will eventually choose the half-dozen characters or so that will be featured in the portholes.

 

Imagineering is also trying out what Disney says will be the first interactive, floor-based video game on a cruise ship by bringing in kids to play target contests and virtual board-tilt games, not to mention adults who might work up a sweat jumping over rotating lasers shooting across the 250-square-foot floor.

 

"Most of us are theme-park attraction designers," said Imagineering Senior Show Producer Bob Zalk. "It gives us something new to explore."

 

Meanwhile, a few miles away in North Hollywood, Pixar Animation is tweaking the voice interaction and lifelike movements of Crush, the "Finding Nemo" surfer-turtle character that will interact with diners during the undersea-theme show at the Dream's 700-seat Animator's Palace eatery. The restaurant will have 130 wall-mounted flat-screen monitors for the laid-back sea-turtle to appear on, but Crush won't be completely virtual; a cast member will be offstage, voicing him ("duuude") and controlling his virtual movements.

 

The play-floor, virtual portholes and virtual restaurant host are all being tweaked, tested and fine-tuned as part of the line's efforts to make the 4,000-passenger Dream even more family-friendly than Disney Cruise Line's Magic and Wonder, which both debuted in the late 1990s.

 

Disney is counting on the Dream, which launches in January, to help spur sales within its parks and resorts division, which accounted for about 30% of the parent company's fiscal 2009 revenue and 21% of its operating income.

 

All of which motivates the Imagineering and Pixar teams to make sure the interaction between Disney Dream guests and the technology-driven features is as vibrant as possible.

 

That effort might involve perfecting a hand-held card that can be twisted to "turn" a virtual key to solve a clue in the detective game the Dream will have as part of its Enchanted Art displays or tweaking the graphics that enable Crush to realistically "swim" across the Animator's Palate dining room's monitors.

[RickEk]

I hope Princess w'ont try to compete with this:

Disney designers thinking big for newbuild Dream's features

 

By: Danny KingApril 05, 2010

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Walt Disney Imagineering's video simulation of the world's first cruise ship watercoaster -- complete with a takeoff 150 feet above the ocean's surface -- might have taken place in the comfort of a darkened room 25 miles from the nearest ocean, but that didn't stop at least one reporter in attendance from getting a little dizzy.

 

With Disney Cruise Line's launch of the Disney Dream less than nine months away, the video illustrated the type of fine-tuning graphic artists, illustrators, story creators, computer programmers and other workers are doing to take what previous Disney Cruise passengers may already expect and enhance the experience.

 

That means creating plywood mock-ups of about two dozen Disney characters, ranging from Dumbo to the balloon-floating house from the movie "Up," whose virtual likenesses may adorn the "virtual portholes" in the 150 inside cabins. The portholes are actually video screens that will broadcast feeds from cameras posted outside the ship, but this being Disney, some familiar characters (and, presumably, homes) might occasionally pop into view. The mock-ups are being tested on their ability to amuse kids; the team will eventually choose the half-dozen characters or so that will be featured in the portholes.

 

Imagineering is also trying out what Disney says will be the first interactive, floor-based video game on a cruise ship by bringing in kids to play target contests and virtual board-tilt games, not to mention adults who might work up a sweat jumping over rotating lasers shooting across the 250-square-foot floor.

 

"Most of us are theme-park attraction designers," said Imagineering Senior Show Producer Bob Zalk. "It gives us something new to explore."

 

Meanwhile, a few miles away in North Hollywood, Pixar Animation is tweaking the voice interaction and lifelike movements of Crush, the "Finding Nemo" surfer-turtle character that will interact with diners during the undersea-theme show at the Dream's 700-seat Animator's Palace eatery. The restaurant will have 130 wall-mounted flat-screen monitors for the laid-back sea-turtle to appear on, but Crush won't be completely virtual; a cast member will be offstage, voicing him ("duuude") and controlling his virtual movements.

 

The play-floor, virtual portholes and virtual restaurant host are all being tweaked, tested and fine-tuned as part of the line's efforts to make the 4,000-passenger Dream even more family-friendly than Disney Cruise Line's Magic and Wonder, which both debuted in the late 1990s.

 

Disney is counting on the Dream, which launches in January, to help spur sales within its parks and resorts division, which accounted for about 30% of the parent company's fiscal 2009 revenue and 21% of its operating income.

 

All of which motivates the Imagineering and Pixar teams to make sure the interaction between Disney Dream guests and the technology-driven features is as vibrant as possible.

 

That effort might involve perfecting a hand-held card that can be twisted to "turn" a virtual key to solve a clue in the detective game the Dream will have as part of its Enchanted Art displays or tweaking the graphics that enable Crush to realistically "swim" across the Animator's Palate dining room's monitors.

 

The best part of this story is the virtual porthole idea for inside cabins. I think that's a good one... It'd be just like you had a window...

[marinearchit]

I agree, the virtual porthole is a great idea. I also think it would be a nice addition to any other ships, minus the characters swimming by.

I'm actually quite surprised that no one has done something like this before. Even something as simple as simulating sunlight/moonlight behind a thin curtain in inside cabins has yet to been done!:confused:

[caribill]

The best part of this story is the virtual porthole idea for inside cabins. I think that's a good one... It'd be just like you had a window...

 

Can do that now on Princess.

 

a) Turn on the cabin TV

b) Turn it to the channel with the bridge cam view

c) Put a towel over it at night to simulate a curtain

[Redwing55]

I find it interesting how few posts are positive or upbeat about the new ships. They haven't been designed yet folks are focusing on potential negatives. So there are no positive rumors? Like more space per passenger- one post.

Great architecture?

Tasteful decorations?

New Features?

 

I may get slammed, but are so many of you so afraid of new or different things?

Some of you don't like the bigger ships- that's ok- The smaller ones are still sailing and they too get upgrades.

Let's be positive.

[tntornadox]

I believe the great majority of cruisers enjoy the larger ships, but the small ship crowd is more vocal, I think that's why it looks the way it does.