What went wrong and why

[sonnenschein]

Only 49% like the new Royal Princess, that does not speak well for the new ship. I been so looking forward sailing on her but changed my mind. It is not only the small balcony size that is holding me back but after reading the CC review I found out that the cabins have been down sized also. I consider that a double "whamy". We always loved the spaciness of our Mini Suite and large Balcony,unfortunally we are not getting that comfort for our money on the new Royal. I like a larger Piazza too, but not at the cost of smaller cabins and balconies

I had trouble reading the CC review,a big square window would overshadow the text by half and only 3 bottom lines were reable, the window was an attempt to make a Royal booking and I was not able to get rid of it, so I just read 3 lines at a time scrolling slowly up. Why does CC permit to have their review covered up like this,at least give us an option to X the window out. Sorry just needed to went and as a Princess Cruise lover shed a tear for the Royal:confused:

[Nomsayin]

I had trouble reading the CC review,a big square window would overshadow the text by half and only 3 bottom lines were reable, the window was an attempt to make a Royal booking and I was not able to get rid of it, so I just read 3 lines at a time scrolling slowly up. Why does CC permit to have their review covered up like this,at least give us an option to X the window out.

 

I was able to remove the window by clicking on the "Close X" in the upper right hand corner.

[margeg]

We also always enjoy the Princess mini suites and have read the Royal reviews. But are willing to try the Royal anyway.

[billco]

Only 49% like the new Royal Princess, that does not speak well for the new ship. I been so looking forward sailing on her but changed my mind. It is not only the small balcony size that is holding me back but after reading the CC review I found out that the cabins have been down sized also. I consider that a double "whamy". We always loved the spaciness of our Mini Suite and large Balcony,unfortunally we are not getting that comfort for our money on the new Royal. I like a larger Piazza too, but not at the cost of smaller cabins and balconies

I had trouble reading the CC review,a big square window would overshadow the text by half and only 3 bottom lines were reable, the window was an attempt to make a Royal booking and I was not able to get rid of it, so I just read 3 lines at a time scrolling slowly up. Why does CC permit to have their review covered up like this,at least give us an option to X the window out. Sorry just needed to went and as a Princess Cruise lover shed a tear for the Royal:confused:

Before I even read the article I noted that 49% of 35 people who took the time to write a review said they loved it. That doesn't seem that bad considering many of the reviews were written on the preview and maiden cruises while there were still a lot of bugs to be ironed out. When we were first considering the Royal, our TA made a big deal about not booking a maiden cruise for that reason.

 

My browser is Chrome and I had no problem with the drop down. It had a close X in the right hand corner.

 

I didn't see a whole lot of negative in the review - smaller cabins, balconies, and the library. Less pool area. All stuff that has been discussed over and over for the past year or so.

 

Only thing that matters is what my wife and I experience on our Royal Princess cruise this October.

 

It's ironic that I have seen some recent posts sharing loving memories of the Love Boat which didn't have a tenth of the amenities now available to cruisers.

[sonnenschein]

I will wait a little bit longer before dismissing the Royal and Regal completly from my cruise schedule,this was just the first impression I got reading reviews, Bilco is right, one should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Because of bad eyesight I have my computers zoom set at 150% to increase the fond which made the X disapear. Thanks for mentioning that the X is actually up in the corner. Next time I reset the fond to elimenate that anoying window.:)

[eandj]

IT's funny how things come around. Twenty years ago, rooms were small. :rolleyes: After growing and adding little "hotel" touches in them for the past few years, this ship builder decides that cruisers can go back to smaller cabins and not be disappointed? And smaller pool decks? yikes

I guess if personal expectations don't meet reality, then you'll hear more cons than pros.

I think Celebrity did a lot better job with their newest class ship.

[AZbeachboy]

I am a bit disappointed it the Caribbean for next year. It seems that only the Regal and Royal will be doing those trips. There is one out of Houston doing the Western Carib which is not somewhere i care to go right now.

 

What makes it a problem is the no window cabins. I prefer a balcony but cannot always afford them. With these two new ships the prices are higher and do not seem to offer the extra alternative to inside cabins.

[SusieS]

We were on the Royal July 5th, Venice to Rome. It was the trip of a lifetime, & we adored the Royal. From the phenomenal music in the Piazza, to the fabulous new food venues, we had a blast.....even with three of us shmooshed into an inside......

[whatcruiseisnext]

I agree with SusieS. We were also on the July 5th Venice to Rome. We loved the Royal. Sure...it is different...but there are many things that are the same as the rest of the Princess family. Many times those who write reviews are ones who want to complain. Some are so sure that they are going to HATE the Royal/Regal that they are setting themselves up for failure before they even experience the ship. There are so many more things to LOVE about the ship that they, by far, outweigh the negatives. If you cancel or don't book on this ship based on what you have negatively read on CC, you are missing out. Try it out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I am not a first time cruiser so I have many, many cruises with which to compare.

[Avalon35]

I am glad that there has been so much discussion about the Royal. The biggest disappointment, which I never expected are those teeny balconies. So, the Royal would be nice if I booked one if those larger angled balconies. But interestingly, overall, the ongoing discussions have made me now want to try Celebrity rather than try to build up loyalty perqs by booking only Princess.

[pjo]

Our family is doing a family reunion cruise over Thanksgiving on the Royal and we have inside closets. Good thing! No worries about small balconies for us.:)

 

We already know we are going to have a great time. We do not let the small stuff bother us. Who cares about a center staircase. And certainly small balconies, or any balconies, are our least concern. My neighbors were on the Royal and loved it. So will we.

 

Paul

[Pam in CA]

You know, there's something "wrong" with every ship when you think about it. Some people like the small ships, others like the large. The Grand doesn't have a central staircase, the Sun-class ships have "cut from the hull" small balconies, many Grand-class ships don't have a true Promenade where you can stroll around the deck or relax in a lounger and watch the waves, some have an IC while others don't, some have Skywalkers while others don't, some have an Adagio Lounge while others don't, some have a Cafe Caribe while others don't, a few have Alfredo's while the rest don't, etc. I could go on and on.

 

If a ship does or doesn't have a feature you like or want doesn't mean it's "wrong." It's just different. Not every ship appeals to or is right for everyone. We have choices.

 

I'm looking forward to my two Royal cruises.

[bdjam]

Before I even read the article I noted that 49% of 35 people who took the time to write a review said they loved it.

A 49% approval rate is pretty low...I'm sure that Princess was expecting more bang for their buck.

You know, there's something "wrong" with every ship when you think about it.

Different ships have different characteristics - many of the things you mention I happen to like and don't consider wrong. With the new twins, Princess promised evolution and they've maybe achieved that with the new features and amentities...but they definitely went backwards with the basics. Like the title of the thread says...something went wrong.

[Mom33]

You know, there's something "wrong" with every ship when you think about it. Some people like the small ships, others like the large. The Grand doesn't have a central staircase, the Sun-class ships have "cut from the hull" small balconies, many Grand-class ships don't have a true Promenade where you can stroll around the deck or relax in a lounger and watch the waves, some have an IC while others don't, some have Skywalkers while others don't, some have an Adagio Lounge while others don't, some have a Cafe Caribe while others don't, a few have Alfredo's while the rest don't, etc. I could go on and on.

 

If a ship does or doesn't have a feature you like or want doesn't mean it's "wrong." It's just different. Not every ship appeals to or is right for everyone. We have choices.

 

I'm looking forward to my two Royal cruises.

 

Great post! We are looking forward to our 2 cruises also. :D

[mountainmaniacs]

I have found that most people that write reviews are mainly people that like to complain and are never satisfied. If more people would post their positive experiences on the Royal she would have better ratings. I'm going to check it out for myself before I make a decision based on what other people have written. Looking forward to my Royal cruise in Nov. :-D

[sunsetbeachgal]

I wrote my review of our cruise on the Royal...5*... Everyone in our family loved the cruise!

 

Agree with prior poster about reviews...many of the two star reviews of the Royal (which probably go into the calculation of member review satisfaction) were from the two day preview cruises...and IMHO I would not place as much credence in these as I would those on the 12 day voyage. Initially DH and I found the ship a bit confusing, as it was different from the other ships, but then once we got accustomed we fell for her!! Had I written my review after two days, it may have been a bit different.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

We were on the maiden voyage of the Royal Princess (from June 16-23) and enjoyed the ship. The ship is beautiful (especially the Piazza) and has some very nice features (such as the Pasty Shop in the Horizon Court). We had an inside cabin (there were two of us) and had adequate room and storage space. Because our stateroom was located near the forward staircase, the absence of a central staircase did not really bother us.

 

It was fun being on a brand new ship with a new design. We had a wonderful time and are booked on the maiden voyage of the Regal Princess in June 2014.

 

I always go on cruises with a very positive attitude and have truly enjoyed every cruise that I have ever taken.

 

Chuck

[riclop]

Try it if you dont like it dont come back, but give it a shot.

[OpalGem]

Yes, I have been reading reviews and it is making me think twice about going on a Princess Caribbean trip next year. Possibly we will try a European trip with Celebrity, although I wanted to get in enough trips to start getting some perks on Princess.

 

CJ

[MauiLvrs]

...many of the two star reviews of the Royal (which probably go into the calculation of member review satisfaction) were from the two day preview cruises...and IMHO I would not place as much credence in these as I would those on the 12 day voyage. ...

Being on the ship longer would only increase my irritation with all that was removed from the ship.:mad:

[johnfas]

Yes, I have been reading reviews and it is making me think twice about going on a Princess Caribbean trip next year. Possibly we will try a European trip with Celebrity, although I wanted to get in enough trips to start getting some perks on Princess.

 

 

 

We have been on RC, Celebrity, Carnival and Princess. Princess is by far our cruise of choice. Some of the the reviews I read (and I read them all), you really have to take with a grain of salt. Some love everything and some love nothing about certain cruise lines. The complainers are just going to complain and pick apart everything. We go on vacation to enjoy ourselves. "Don't sweat the small stuff" is my motto. Go to have fun and relax and you will. If you are just looking for something to go wrong or something to not be perfect then you may as well stay home.

Having been on most of the Princess ships (with layouts similar) wife decided she wanted to see something different so we booked the Royal in January. Like going to the same hotel time after time we are hoping this is a new and fresh experience.

And yes it is nice to get the perks of being a past passenger. If you stick with the newer or just updated ships no matter if its RC, Celebrity or Princess, I am sure you will come away happy!

[MauiLvrs]

... If you stick with the newer or just updated ships no matter if its RC, Celebrity or Princess, I am sure you will come away happy!

I really doubt that...

[Lynda90]

I personally can't wait to board the Royal Princess. The new ship, the new venues, plus everything else that's new! I will wait and form my own opinions and my experience will be exactly that, my experience. I'm not criticizing how anyone else feels; we are all entitled to our own opinions. :p

[dmwnc1959]

This past December in the middle of a pretty bad cruise on Ruby Princess I contacted my travel agent from St. Thomas and told him to expect a cancellation of the Royal Princess cruise I had booked months earlier for Dec 2013. I had read plenty of reviews on Ruby Princess and she was the absolute 'favorite' of a lot of people. I hadn't cruised Princess in a decade and wasn't sure what to expect. But after a lot of below average food (including the highly praised International Cafe and Prego pizza), bad service (from Horizon Court to MDR), and bad customer relations (they just didn't care), I decided to abandon any future cruises with Princess and go back to Celebrity or Holland-America.

 

After I returned something inside told me to wait it out a few weeks. So I called my TA and told him to hold off. Here we are now, more than seven months later, and I'm actually looking forward to spending 14 days on Royal Princess this coming December. It certainly couldn't be any worse than what I experienced on Ruby Princess!

 

What I learned was that my experience and expectations will not necessarily be the same as someone else's (especially whoever wrote those reviews), and to take all reviews with reservations and a bit of skepticism.

 

Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and sometimes you have to throw the wheel away. Same applies to reviews. We unfortunately don't know and can't always take into consideration all of the circumstances that lead that person to write the review the way they did. As someone explained to me, two people on the same ship can be having two completely different experiences at the same time: one stupendous and the other miserable.

 

I'm counting down the days until I find myself stepping onboard Royal Princess and seeing her with my own eyes. Then I'll make up my own mind. But I won't book or cancel a cruise based off of 'reviews'.

 

:D

[JimmyVWine]

If a ship does or doesn't have a feature you like or want doesn't mean it's "wrong." It's just different.

That's true to a point, but at some level I think "different" collides with "wrong". If one ship has Bayou Steak House and another has Crown Grill, they are different. You will find people who favor one or the other and the ship can't have both, so the cruise line must choose. That is the essence of "different". And some people want more showings of shorter shows and some want fewer performances of longer shows. The cruise line is forced to pick and some people will be happy and others upset. That is a "difference". But certain features on Royal are not the result of differences of opinions where a large number of passengers were clamoring for a change and got it to the dissatisfaction of others. No one was asking for smaller cabins or smaller balconies. There are only two ways to come out on the balcony issue. You are either very disappointed about their size or you are indifferent to the change. But no one is happy about the change. Same goes for the missing stairs and the decrease in pools and the absence of an aft pool. You are either upset or indifferent. But no one is saying: "Yes! Finally! Princess really improved on things with these changes." No doubt many will be willing to overlook and overcome these things. But if no one favors these things, aren't they "wrong"? If a restaurant takes the most popular item off the menu and replaces it with something that people either dislike or are indifferent to, did the restaurant create a "different" menu or an inferior one?

 

I have found that most people that write reviews are mainly people that like to complain and are never satisfied.

If this were true, then all ships would have approval percentages like Royal's. But Royal's is well below all other Princess ships (with an admittedly smaller sample size).