recent royal princess cruisers?

[cruisehome]

with all the negative reviews on the royal will I be disappointed in booking a cruise on her

 

comments on small balconies and no middle stairway has me worried

 

but the itinerary is perfect

 

what should I do...

 

anyone who has sailed on this ship - comments would be appreicated

[Colo Cruiser]

with all the negative reviews on the royal will I be disappointed in booking a cruise on her

 

comments on small balconies and no middle stairway has me worried

 

but the itinerary is perfect

 

what should I do...

 

anyone who has sailed on this ship - comments would be appreicated

 

 

It sound as though you already are dissappointed.

Take the reviews with a grain of salt.

I think the only big issue is the soot problem, so to avoid that don't book an aft balcony.

Try not to go into it with bad vibes or it will just ruin your cruise before you even get there.

[Mom33]

with all the negative reviews on the royal will I be disappointed in booking a cruise on her

 

comments on small balconies and no middle stairway has me worried

 

but the itinerary is perfect

 

what should I do...

 

anyone who has sailed on this ship - comments would be appreicated

 

Have you read the good reviews? :D What matters most to you when on a cruise? Is this your first Princess cruise? There are larger balconies if the size matters. There is a middle stairway open only for drills and emergencies. If walking forward or aft to access stairs is not your cup of tea, you will have to use the central elevators if you don't feel like walking.

Of course you could book a cabin in the vicinity of the forward or aft elevators and stairs but this would still require walking.

 

In the end, if you feel that your personality fits that of those that give it a poor review, then you might want to rethink your choice. :)

[5:00_Somewhere]

I don't think you will be disappointed. We had one of the huge aft balconies that we were very much looking forward to, and were extremely disappointed about the soot issue in that regard. However, it did NOT "ruin our cruise" by any means. She's a beautiful ship with many, many spectacular venues and amenities, and a fantastic staff and crew. I agree with Colo_Cruiser: take the reviews with a grain of salt and make your own judgments, and try to go into your vacation with a positive attitude and I'll bet you'll have a great time. Happy cruising! :D

[compozer]

We booked one of the aft balcony wrap around owner suites the day they opened bookings. Then the reviews stared coming in and I got really upset. We paid top dollar with it being a Christmas cruise. I went with bad expectations and it was a bad experience but not all with the ship. Let's just say we are done with Christmas cruises. Our balcony was unusable the entire cruise.

 

Then we get a call from friends from across the pond wanted us to join them a month later. Of course we wanted to see them so we booked BUT not a suite.

We had a great time. Yes there were still issues but we did not let it bother us.

 

Book it and have fun.

[sashas_mom]

We loved the Royal. Instead of focusing on what it doesn't have, appreciate all the new features it does have and you will have a wonderful cruise. She is a beautiful ship. And I would sail on her again in a heartbeat. The balconies are fine. We had no issue with it. We could sit out there and enjoy it. Just wish the chairs were more comfortable. Our friends just returned from a cruise on the Royal and had a wonderful time. I feel like it spoiled me in many ways. Haven 't stopped thinking about our cruise on the Royal and it's been 5 months.

[skynight]

I would go. Reviews are good.Just avoid the aft balconies. While there are some disappointing features to long time Princess customers, that is just a small issue.

[CruzinNoony]

The Royal is a beautiful ship! We did the last Med cruise last August with the Transatlantic after, so were on the ship for 28 days. Loved it and are booked on her again this next August.:D

[Pam in CA]

Reviews are personal opinions and you can have two people on the same ship at the same time with polar opposite experiences and opinions.

 

Known are the lack of a central staircase, narrower balconies (about a foot narrower than standard balconies on most other Princess ships), lack of a wraparound Promenade, and soot on aft balconies. If these are really important to you, then you are likely to be disappointed. If you don't have an aft balcony, book a cabin nearer the forward or aft stairs, don't use the Promenade much, and can live with a balcony that can accommodate two chairs and a table, you'll be fine.

 

There are so many really good things about the Royal to like. The Piazza is huge and a "Wow!" with a lot more seating, entertainment and options. The Horizon Court is huge with many more food options and much more seating, and the cabins are beautiful. The showers are larger and have a foot rest and a hand-held sprayer.

 

To be honest, we were on the Sapphire for ten days a couple of weeks ago and found ourselves spoiled by the Royal. I've cruised the Sapphire quite a few times and spent a lot of days on her so she's one of my favorites. But we missed the Royal.

[newparks]

We sailed on the Royals maiden voyage last June. Absolutely loved the ship, 14 of us on sailing on her again this June. Loved all of the pubic areas, she is such a classy ship. when you board her for the first time it really is WOW!!!!

I don't worry about the balconies, we don't spend too much time out there anyway.

[waltd]

Why are you asking? You have already read the reviews and god knows there have been many. No one can decide for you except you.

[dmwnc1959]

Why are you asking? You have already read the reviews and god knows there have been many. No one can decide for you except you.

 

Reassurance? Support? Maybe for the opinions of forum members who didn't write reviews? Last time I checked, that's part of what Cruise Critic is for. ;)

 

:D

[bagney]

We were on the Royal Princess this past December and I had read all of the reviews (negative and positive) however I did not let the negative reviews deter me. The Royal Princess is a BEAUTIFUL ship and our experience was outstanding. I would travel on her again without question. We had a cabin near aft of ship and didn't really miss the center staircase (other than the first day but we adapted easily to using aft or forward staircases).

[akeasley]

Don't let negative reviews make you unsure about your cruise. The Royal is a great ship and you'll have lots of fun. The HC is fantastic because of its size, never feels crowded. Rooms are updated and really nice. As Pam said the Piazza is huge and really does have a WoW factor. The Royal has Alfredo's so try that if you've never experienced it before.

 

Have a great time!

[5:00_Somewhere]

I don't think you will be disappointed. We had one of the huge aft balconies that we were very much looking forward to, and were extremely disappointed about the soot issue in that regard. However, it did NOT "ruin our cruise" by any means. She's a beautiful ship with many, many spectacular venues and amenities, and a fantastic staff and crew. I agree with Colo_Cruiser: take the reviews with a grain of salt and make your own judgments, and try to go into your vacation with a positive attitude and I'll bet you'll have a great time. Happy cruising! :D

 

It occurred to me that it might also be informative that we enjoyed the Royal so much (the soot issue notwithstanding), that we have booked a cruise on her twin sister, the Regal (still under construction), for this coming November. We simply chose a different balcony cabin so as not to have to deal with the soot, and are very excited to sail on this class ship again.

Edited March 21, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[johnmik1]

We sailed on Royal last October for 18 nights and have 3 more Royal cruises booked this year.Beautiful ship with many more options than the other Princess ships.

[Fairport]

It occurred to me that it might also be informative that we enjoyed the Royal so much (the soot issue notwithstanding), that we have booked a cruise on her twin sister, the Regal (still under construction), for this coming November. We simply chose a different balcony cabin so as not to have to deal with the soot, and are very excited to sail on this class ship again.

 

We too enjoyed the Royal and have booked a cruise on the Regal in one of the non obstructed "obstructed view" cabins.

[Northender]

She certainly is beautiful. Please decide what is most important to you.

 

comments on small balconies and no middle stairway has me worried

but the itinerary is perfect

Yes the balconies are small for the most part and yes, there is no middle stairway.

 

The small balconies did get some getting used to, but I am one that the no middle stairway did not bother. Like others tho, I will say stay away from aft balconies. The soot was a huge problem for us. So much so that Princess moved our cabin. Princess did what they could for us and it was a nice cruise. You won't be sorry if you sail on the Royal. :)

[Dreamer333]

Reassurance? Support? Maybe for the opinions of forum members who didn't write reviews? Last time I checked, that's part of what Cruise Critic is for. ;)

 

:D

 

Very well said.

 

To the OP, I can't wait for my cruise on the Royal!! I hope you move forward with your planned trip and have a great time!

[Dreamer333]

Known are the lack of a central staircase, narrower balconies (about a foot narrower than standard balconies on most other Princess ships), lack of a wraparound Promenade, and soot on aft balconies. If these are really important to you, then you are likely to be disappointed. If you don't have an aft balcony, book a cabin nearer the forward or aft stairs, don't use the Promenade much, and can live with a balcony that can accommodate two chairs and a table, you'll be fine.

 

Excellent point.

[tere247]

I was hesitant booking this ship for the same reasons. After reading Dave's review (thank you Dave), I kind of got excited about thinking about trying out this new ship. I've been on "S" class ships on Celebrity and figured it couldn't be much different/worse.

 

So, once I got the OK from my oncologist and radiologist, I booked this ship so fast my husband's head spun around. I gave my self 3 weeks to get ready and pack.

 

And Boy......was I surprised.....I couldn't enjoy this ship more. I didn't miss the center staircase, nor the promenade. The smaller balcony wasn't an issue. There was plenty enough room for us. We brought out our glasses of wine, some crackers and some great cheese from the buffet, and sat there and watched the sea go by. We always found someplace to sit/walk, something to do, I even found a great book from the library to read.

 

I found the food to be great......Loved Alfredo's, The Pub Lunch, the buffet (OMG the candied macadamia nuts!!!), and the extra room between the tables for 2 in the main dining room!! The entertainment in the piazza was more active and enjoyable than the other Princess ships we've been on.

 

The in cabin movies were great, enjoyed the shows in the theater. We were even able to get a lounger mid day by the pool a few times.

 

We truly enjoyed ourselves. The ship did not disappoint us one bit. We were pleasantly surprised.

 

This morning I read my emails and got a great offer for the Ruby. I jumped on it. I just hope we're not too spoiled by the Royal.

[5:00_Somewhere]

We too enjoyed the Royal and have booked a cruise on the Regal in one of the non obstructed "obstructed view" cabins.

 

Same for us. The non-obstructed "obstructed view" cabins are the best secret of the Royal/Regal. Shhhhhhh, don't tell. ;)

[minabruuke]

We LOVED the Royal! It is by far my favorite ship thus far. I had no complaints. It was an outstanding cruise despite the poor weather which couldn't even begin to put a damper on our cruise as everything else was absolutely perfect.

[JoAnneNYI]

Can you tell me what some of those are? I'm thinking they are on Emerald deck.

[kendon]

Gorgeous ship and excellent cruise experience. This was my 19th cruise with Princess and one of the best!! Nothing to be worried about...at all. Please post upon your return.