Picture of the Royal Balconies

[icat2000]

Princess will soon get the message when they see a reduction in bookings (on Royal or Regal) or bookings that have been made that are now cancelled. I wonder how the bookings are going for the Regal? Only thing that would tempt me to get on either ship would be the itinerary at a reasonable price.

Edited June 17, 2013 by icat2000

[cruisetrail]

What Princess should do is post polls and threads here for our opinions. :) Who better to provide them with feedback? Social media and communities such as CC are a very valuable tool.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594965

[FritzG]

They are a valuable tool, but companies are often too married to the idea that their MBA's and analysts know what people want better than the people know what they want themselves.

 

J C Penney's is a perfect example of a company that thought they would convince people to change their ideas of what they wnt. How well did that work out?

 

I was so eager to sail the new Royal, but we use our balcony every day no matter what the weather so the smaller balconies are a big negative for us.

[rkacruiser]

J C Penney's is a perfect example of a company that thought they would convince people to change their ideas of what they wnt. How well did that work out?

 

I was so eager to sail the new Royal, but we use our balcony every day no matter what the weather so the smaller balconies are a big negative for us.

 

Well said!

 

I agree completely. And, I think I will "escape completely" from my plans to sail on Royal Princess this Winter.

[PhoenixRev]

J C Penney's is a perfect example of a company that thought they would convince people to change their ideas of what they wnt. How well did that work out?

 

I was so eager to sail the new Royal, but we use our balcony every day no matter what the weather so the smaller balconies are a big negative for us.

 

And don't forget the Mother of All "Convince People to Change Their Ideas or What They Want" failures: New Coke.

[Seadiva2]

I think I would be a bit upset if I didn't know the size of the balcony before I booked.

 

 

Hello! I hope I don't faint when I see my balcony size on December 15th. We booked a mini suite M411 that has an angled balcony that is suppose to be 72ft. Is that a decent size for 3 adults? We did have an aft premium balcony room booked, but when my father in-law decided to come, I thought changing to a mini suite would be a better idea. Not sure what to do now. Please help!:eek:

[lovetocruise2020]

I think I would be a bit upset if I didn't know the size of the balcony before I booked.

 

 

OMG that PH balcony is unbelievable. I am NOT used to spending that kind of money for that type of experience.

[bhopal21]

OMG that PH balcony is unbelievable. I am NOT used to spending that kind of money for that type of experience.

 

 

DITTO and will not.:(

 

Mike:)

[hughdm]

We'll still sail Princess, but this is a deal breaker for this class of ship for us.

[lovetocruise2020]

DITTO and will not.:(

 

Mike:)

 

Such a disappointment, as she looks amazing. But paying a huge premium for deluxe/concierge suites, and getting that? There will be a lot of unhappy people mid-ship, who have paid a whole heck of a lot to be there.

Edited June 18, 2013 by surfergirle

[kdkmilwaukee]

Ditto - we just booked a mini suite smack dab in the middle of the ship on the Aloha deck (port side) - A422. I am sick to my stomach looking at these photos :( This, compounded by the reviews that the sky bar literally looks into the mid ship balconies on the few floors below it. Does anyone know if the Aloha deck is among the floors that essentially become fish bowls for patrons of the sky bar?

 

The mini suite balconies on the Ruby and Crown seem to be at least twice to three times as deep as these balconies on the Royal. We use our balcony so often during the cruise...I have no doubt that we will still have an incredible time on the cruise and we are grateful to be spending a week on the Royal next January, but I can't mask my disappointment on balcony size and the lack of privacy that the mid ship balconies have below the sky walk and sky bar.

[2Canucks]

Does anyone have a picture of the Aft "D4" Cabin Balconies on the Royal Princess?? Wondering if any of these D4 cabins have a partially covered balcony?

 

Thank You for any info you can share with us.

 

Pat :)

[Cruise Junky]

Does anyone have a picture of the Aft "D4" Cabin Balconies on the Royal Princess?? Wondering if any of these D4 cabins have a partially covered balcony?

 

Thank You for any info you can share with us.

 

Pat :)

 

I've seen one. They look good but be careful of which deck. Google for Pictures of Royal Princess Aft and you should get some good ones. Baja and Dolphin look really good. Much like the current Caribe. Some of the other decks, not so much.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Cruise Junky

[chamima]

Hi Sailing Sue!

 

Not only are the aft facing Marina Deck cabins fully exposed, they are on the deck directly below the Horizon Terrace.

 

Here is an aft view of Royal Princess. I've annotated each deck and the cabin numbers (last two digits) are on the sliding glass doors of each stateroom. Hope this helps...

 

 

Does anyone have a picture of the Aft "D4" Cabin Balconies on the Royal Princess?? Wondering if any of these D4 cabins have a partially covered balcony?

 

Thank You for any info you can share with us.

 

Pat :)

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Dave (AGAIN!!!)

Look carefully at the picture.

The balconies on Marina, Riviera, Baja and Dolphin seem to be twice as deep as the others.

Marina and Riviera are open, Baja and Dolphin are half covered, half open (like the old Caribe deck)

 

 

I have a question for anyone who has sailed on the Royal - what is in the middle of all of those aft decks? Dolphin and Emerald have a large, white obstruction but are the other decks open for the adjacent cabins? :confused:

Edited June 18, 2013 by chamima

[Nebr.cruiser]

The new rock-hard chairs on the balconies on my last few cruises have been so uncomfortable, unrelaxing and for me, so unusable that I decided a few months ago to not book balcony cabins in the future. Unless I get an upgrade or astonishing deal, I think my last balcony cabin will be on the Royal in October. I just can't justify the cost for something I can't use or enjoy. On the Diamond last month, the only thing I used the balcony for was to check the outside temp and for one sailaway.

 

I hate the new balcony furniture too. I actually couldn't sit there more than a few minutes. On these little balconies, you'd have to sit upright, no room to lay back and relax.

 

In one of the pictures it looks like the lounge chairs on the pool deck were of the same material. With the tiny balconies, not that interested in this ship.

[Tickled2Trvl]

I hate the new balcony furniture too. I actually couldn't sit there more than a few minutes. On these little balconies, you'd have to sit upright, no room to lay back and relax.

 

In one of the pictures it looks like the lounge chairs on the pool deck were of the same material. With the tiny balconies, not that interested in this ship.

 

I agree with comments on the new balcony furniture, I wonder how many extra pillows our cabin steward will supply us with for some comfort while sitting on our balcony. I am also tempted to find some inflatable pillows in bring along with us..:eek:

[Tuscan]

The balconies on the Royal are a deal breaker for us.

 

I just posted to the "Royal LIVE" thread that, despite being on the upcoming 09/15/13 sailing as part of the Swiss Splendors tour, we will be booking other Princess ships in the future. We love the Ruby, Crown, Emerald, Diamond and Sapphire, etc.

 

We have booked aft-Suites in the past and love the balconies there and in Mini-Suites (which we usually book). This ship simply doesn't offer any balcony appeal.

 

In fact, we are calling our Travel Agent to switch from an MA to an MB just to get out from under that SeaWalk.

[Tee706]

When I read Shogun's post about the guy that was screaming about the suite he booked and being conned, etc., I thought to myself, "Wow, what a jerk." Now after seeing that suite balcony, I think I very easily would have been "that jerk"!!! Simply unbelievable. The ONLY way I would book on the Royal would be if it was an itinerary where I could live with an inside stateroom.

[roe2ship]

To each his/her own. But as CruiseJunky notes, Princess has turned off a large number of potential customers, at least so far as the new ships are concerned. You may enjoy "musical chairs", but saying to my daughter: "Sorry honey. Mommy and I are going to have breakfast on the balcony but you have to stay inside" is not an option. Same goes for cocktails at 4:00. Or watching the sunsets. Or watching dolphins swim by. It is all or nothing in my family and these pictures show quite clearly that it cannot be "all". But that is fine. We are very happy on the Grand Class ships.

 

With enough pre-cruise research, I’m sure one can locate the cabins that have a larger sized balcony for the families that are in desperate need of “all” together moments. But from the sound of your post it appears as if your mind is made up already.

 

Also, a few cc members does not translate into a “large” amount of potential customers. While I agree that the reduced sized balconies are a disappointment, I think those that consider it to be a deal breaker will be in the minority.

[JimmyVWine]

With enough pre-cruise research, I’m sure one can locate the cabins that have a larger sized balcony for the families that are in desperate need of “all” together moments. Locating one of the few suitable cabins from among all cabins is one thing. Having said cabin be available at the time of booking is something else entirely. But from the sound of your post it appears as if your mind is made up already. No, my mind is not made up. But the odds are stacked against me.

 

Also, a few cc members does not translate into a “large” amount of potential customers. I wasn't referring to cc members. Not sure where you derived that. I was referring to people who travel with more than 2 people in their cabin. That is a large percentage and not one that Princess should want to steer away. While I agree that the reduced sized balconies are a disappointment, I think those that consider it to be a deal breaker will be in the minority.

Minority, yes. But a significant number of cruisers? Also yes. Remember that 25% is a minority. But what business would want to frustrate 25% of its customers?

[littlesteelo]

When I read Shogun's post about the guy that was screaming about the suite he booked and being conned, etc., I thought to myself, "Wow, what a jerk." Now after seeing that suite balcony, I think I very easily would have been "that jerk"!!! Simply unbelievable. The ONLY way I would book on the Royal would be if it was an itinerary where I could live with an inside stateroom.

 

The guy is still a jerk. Shouting at the guest services staff does nothing, and is an incredibly obnoxious thing to do. They didn't design the ship.

[Thrak]

Come on people, it's not a catastrophe, if the balcony on the Royal does not suit you, don't book it!!!

 

If we sail on the Royal we'll book an inside. We love the balcony but it's not worth the price for such a tiny little ledge. More likely we just won't sail that ship (or the Regal since I don't doubt it will be the same).

 

We have C752 booked on the Grand for our next cruise. A nice big aft Caribe balcony on the corner. We're looking forward to the extra large balcony with the bit of wrap around. Time spent on the balcony is quality time. :D

[CantanaLobo]

Maybe if Princess called them French balconies, people wouldn't get upset?

 

They sure are tiny. I think if enough people vote with their feet, the next new build after Regal will have bigger balconies.

[RickEk]

I think the issue stems from the design of the ship itself, and it may be something Princess had very little control over.

 

IMO regulations now state that lifeboats cannot be 'embedded' in the side of the ship, as they are with the Grand class, and most other cruise ships pre-2009.

 

To get around this, there are two methods. One is to have the lifeboats hanging off the side. This allows the superstructure to be the same breadth as the hull. Two examples of this are Oasis of the Seas, and Carnival Dream. Carnival had to do this since the Dream class is modified from the Conquest class, which has embedded lifeboats. I am not sure whether this type of setup is permitted any more, since no new designs seem to use it.

 

The other option, and the one most lines are taking, is to simply have a narrower superstructure above the lifeboat deck, and then an overhang to give the desired width for the lido. This is the case on the Solstice class, the Norwegian Breakaway, and the Royal class. The new Quantum class for RCI has this design also.

 

The issue with this can be that the amount of space left for cabins is less, because you need space running down the center for crew areas, elevators/stairwells and machinery spaces. Now obviously the cabin space cannot be reduced, so the space is shaved off the balcony.

 

I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Royal class is simply a modified Grand class design. If you look at the deck plans, the layout is very similar. If that is the case, the reduced width isn't going to help with balcony sizes at all.

 

What they should have done is had the lifeboats half suspended over the water rather than fully sat on the deck as they are now, which would have allowed for extra width in the superstructure.

 

I think this is the most likely scenario. Current regulations mean a lot of design compromises...

[KruzPrincess]

I think the issue stems from the design of the ship itself, and it may be something Princess had very little control over.

 

IMO regulations now state that lifeboats cannot be 'embedded' in the side of the ship, as they are with the Grand class, and most other cruise ships pre-2009.

 

To get around this, there are two methods. One is to have the lifeboats hanging off the side. This allows the superstructure to be the same breadth as the hull. Two examples of this are Oasis of the Seas, and Carnival Dream. Carnival had to do this since the Dream class is modified from the Conquest class, which has embedded lifeboats. I am not sure whether this type of setup is permitted any more, since no new designs seem to use it.

 

The other option, and the one most lines are taking, is to simply have a narrower superstructure above the lifeboat deck, and then an overhang to give the desired width for the lido. This is the case on the Solstice class, the Norwegian Breakaway, and the Royal class. The new Quantum class for RCI has this design also.

 

The issue with this can be that the amount of space left for cabins is less, because you need space running down the center for crew areas, elevators/stairwells and machinery spaces. Now obviously the cabin space cannot be reduced, so the space is shaved off the balcony.

 

I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Royal class is simply a modified Grand class design. If you look at the deck plans, the layout is very similar. If that is the case, the reduced width isn't going to help with balcony sizes at all.

 

What they should have done is had the lifeboats half suspended over the water rather than fully sat on the deck as they are now, which would have allowed for extra width in the superstructure.

 

This is an interesting theory, but Solstice balconies are not tiny and the lower deck balconies are not as obstructed as they are on the Royal. I think this is a design issue. Carnival pretty much did away with the promenade deck on newer ships to give more interior revenue generating space. My guess is that it's about revenue.