Going on a different Royal ship of sorts; any questions?

[LMaxwell]

Tomorrow I will be boarding Royal Princess; Princess Cruise Lines. I am taking the opportunity to try their Bon Voyage Experience and view their newest, largest, most contentious and hotly argued about ship while in Port Everglades.

 

For $39 I get Priority boarding, a photo, lunch in MDR with wine, a tour of the ship and if I book a Princess cruise within a certain time frame I would actually get the $39 back as a future OBC (or deducted from price as a credit; I do forget honestly at the moment). I really wish all cruise lines would do this; I'd happily pay the fees and a day of port parking to sample new to me cruises and / or lines. I understand security issues, modern day, yadda yadda, but Princess found a way...

 

I suspect there is a lot of cross shopping between RCI, Princess, and Celebrity in general and wanted to get a little taste for myself since I have never been on a Princess ship.

 

Since this forum has proven to be a really helpful resource to me in my latest wave of RCI I figured I'd see if anyone had anything in particular they wanted an answer to or picture of or just to know how something on Princess may differ from RCI but is not a participant in the Princess forums; just throw it out there, if I can get you an answer I would be pleased to do so.

[cello56]

You do know that RCI has absolutely NOTHING to do with Princess Cruise Lines right? Princess is owned by Carnival Corporation.

[LMaxwell]

Quite well aware. Princess is often cross-shopped with RCI and perhaps others have some questions but may not be active posters on the other boards; if someone here had a particular question I'd get an answer.

[PSCruiser]

A few years back we were sailing on Princess, and took our sister-in-law on the Bon Voyage package. She had a great time, and we thought is was quite a bargain for a really fun day.

Every cruise line should have this program as it's a great promotion to get new cruisers started. Most of the newbies in our group commented on how different a cruise ship is from their perceptions. I think many that haven't cruised picture a ship's interior more like what is seen on a ferry boat.

Have a great time!

[QueensChick]

You're so right! I wish all cruise lines would do this. What a wonderful way to have a look at different cruise lines and ships. Enjoy! :)

[racerxspeedy]

It would be nice to know which ships you have sailed for comparison.

 

Hopefully you can respond back to this thread with your findings. My first cruise was with Princess and I have wondered if they have added anything exciting to their new ships.

 

The pictures of the new ship look amazing. I've read a lot of reviews on the new ship and was shocked to see a lot of lower than expected ratings.

 

Have fun!!

[celebrity]

What a great deal! Wish all the cruise lines did this. I would happily fork over the money for a chance to see what is available and if I " click" with the ship.

[flarad]

Would,love towhead what you think of the ship. Wish I had known about this. We definitely would do this to see a new ship.

 

 

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[Thetrail]

Quite well aware. Princess is often cross-shopped with RCI and perhaps others have some questions but may not be active posters on the other boards; if someone here had a particular question I'd get an answer.

Questions, none actually and you really are posting this on the wrong board...IMHO.....:confused::eek:

[pasodancer]

I also agree that we would LOVE LOVE to do this. What a great idea - hello RCI!!!!

[dplusd]

While I have not sailed the Royal Princess, I do very much like Princess cruise line. The Bon Voyage Experience is a great way to check it out.

 

I'll share my favorite aspects of Princess so maybe you can check them out while onboard. Princess' International Cafe is EXCELLENT, much better than Royal's Cafe Promenade. Check out their great lunchtime salad offering...we never eat lunch at the buffet on Princess. Also, their poolside dining options are terrific...best NY style pizza at sea freshly made and a burger and hot dog grill that is cooked to order.

 

Princess' ship decor is beautiful, similar to Royal. I do give Royal the edge on ship design though. The Princess ships I have sailed have some levels that do not "go-through" the length of ship.

[LMaxwell]

Ships I have been on before; easier to list classes; Sovereign Class (multi), Vision Class (multi), Voyager Class (multi), Oasis class; booked on Freedom class. I have also sailed with Carnival and Celebrity, but a long time ago.

 

Gorgeous ship; nicely decorated and kept immaculate clean.

 

I will go through my photos and list some impressions and differences, plusses and minuses based on my limited time first hand experience.

[39august]

If you can get a look at a balcony cabin, I'd be interested to know if they are any bigger than on some of the other Princess ships. The ones we experienced had no seating area, just the desk and one small club chair. Really cramped.

[LMaxwell]

Questions, none actually and you really are posting this on the wrong board...IMHO.....:confused::eek:

 

Do you get an email whenever I post so you can come in and make some backhand comment? Your new nickname is The Seagull.

[LMaxwell]

If you can get a look at a balcony cabin, I'd be interested to know if they are any bigger than on some of the other Princess ships. The ones we experienced had no seating area, just the desk and one small club chair. Really cramped.

 

I was not able to; I was invited to view a mid-ship Balcony on Riviera deck but just did not have time. A number of people I met did comment on the tight cabins and miniscule balconies however. I do not know the exact square footage but under Member Reviews here you should be able to get some cabin reviews.

[Dave85]

Let me be the 13th to say wow, what an awesome program! I wish other lines did that. Just here in NY, I would have totally done something like that to tour an NCL ship, a Princess ship, and, for the heck of it, a Cunard ship.

 

Hmm, I haven't been on a RCI Vision Class ship, I'd love to tour one of them too! (Although I'm not sure of the last time a Vision Class ship has homeported up here, if ever... I'd probably have to go down to Baltimore to see Grandeur).

Edited April 13, 2014 by Dave85

[racerxspeedy]

I just watched the Royal Princess sail away from FLL. Not the nicest day - but I wouldn't mind being along for the ride. Let me know how the shows, congestion, ship and food compare to RC.

 

Thanks

[LMaxwell]

Some thoughts and comparisons.

 

Terminal 2 is Northport area of Port Everglades; easy access off of 17th Street; turn onto Eisenhower and the garage is RIGHT there. Charges by the hour, max $15 per day. Cheaper off site parking but only cost me $7 for the amount of time I was there and very convenient.

 

Does Princess own Terminal 2 at Port Everglades? It is kind of a dump. Access is easy and check in was fairly quick, it just seemed very old and run down; not nearly as nice as RCI's Port Everglades terminals at least.

 

When you board the ship they scan your card and THEN take your picture. Stupid system. Why not just take the photo back at the terminal when checking in? I watched as this process created a big bottleneck for boarding passengers. Advantage: Royal Caribbean

 

I was actually the 3rd person on the ship. They took the BVE guests before ALL Suite/Elite. There was a handful of TA's being given a guided tour, but I just got on and did my own thing. My friends on the sailing split off to go sign up for The Sanctuary for the week.

 

I was onboard by 11:30 AM and told I could meet at the Deck 6 Concerto dining room for a BVE lunch at noon.

 

I headed for the Lido deck and did a full lap, going through Horizon Court / Bistro / Terrace; went across the pool deck, up to the Retreat and then into the Sanctuary.

 

Some Lido observations and comparisons:

Horizon Terrace is a nice outdoor rear bar / dining area. Generous sized tables, great views. Everything you'd want from an aft deck outdoor area. It is not exposed to sun above. I thought it was great, but other Princess guests said their biggest beef was no rear pool like previous Princess ships. I understand Regal Princess (sister ship) will get the rear pool.

 

Horizon Court / Horizon Bistro - This is the buffet area but not laid out like any buffet I have been to. Seating is on the outer perimeter. Inside of the seatings is the walkways fore - aft. The food stations are in the middle and run port to starboard. This helps keep the walkways clear for those going fore and aft.

 

This also created congestion on the port - starboard food corridors. I was bumped into a lot in a short period of time; it's just a congested area. Food presentation was nice. Choice was abundant. Saw a guy with a small blow torch making Creme Brulee in the pastry section of the buffet which, honestly, blows Royal Caribbeans out of the water. Ignoring the congested design layout, the selection and presentation of food was just better.

 

I never saw a drink station except for self-serve ice and water out by the rear bar but table staff are quick to bring you a drink and they are quick at clearing tables.

 

Silverware (covered by the cloth napkins) are at every table already so no need to carry your own.

 

There are vestibules no matter where you enter the buffet with automatic soap dispensers and large sinks with automatic faucets. This is in addition to the Purell dispensers. NICE TOUCH. Advantage - Princess

 

Walking forward there is plenty of covered areas on the pool decks with tables and servers to bring drinks, take plates, etc.

 

Pool deck itself - Large fountain in the middle looks cool for 5 seconds until you realize...that should have been a pool. I could see the pool area being a mad house on a sea day. That's just my opinion though and did not actually experience that. It IS very nice looking area overall but a potentially bad use of pool space - Advantage - Royal Caribbean

 

Swirls - Your standard soft-serve ice cream machines but houses in a little kiosk with a crew member; open 11am - 11pm. Having a server there makes it fast and efficient. They give nice big waffle cones. No charge. Aft of the pool but on the pool deck; you can get ice cream soaking wet in a bathing suit no problem. Advantage - Princess

 

Prego Pizza and Trident Grill are your outdoor pool areas for pizza, burgers, fries, bratwurst, and a few other off the grill type of foods. I tried a bite of pizza...it tasted like actual pizza you'd order from a pizza place. Clearly superior to Sorretos on RCI. I did not eat at the Trident Grill but having yet a 3rd pool side / wet bathing suit eatery is better than NOT having the option. So there you go. In between the Pizza and Grill is Mermaids Tail Bar. On the pool deck is also Seaview Bar.

 

Note: It was pouring heavily in Fort Lauderdale; water from the pool deck was flooding almost all of the covered areas of the pool deck. I only saw a few puny drains and almost no grading to channel water. The bar areas and food areas were puddled under water. Lots of it. Dangerous. That Future Teak or whatever that synthetic decking all the cruise lines use is far inferior to REAL teak when it comes to slip resistance. Most of time it won't be raining like that on a cruise, I was just surprised how much water got EVERYWHERE it shouldn't. All of the tables in the seating areas had significant water.

 

Retreat Area very relaxing looking; similar to Royal's Solariums (the outdoor ones); maybe a little more low key and smaller.

 

Sancturary - Not cheap. Incredibly gorgeous; killer amenities, private cabanas with real furniture, ceiling fans, lights, snacks, giant flat panel TC, robes, slippers, huge padded loungers...wow. I generally don't like areas like this because they eat up so much space that OTHERWISE could be public space and ease congestion elsewhere, however now having seen it first hand...I kind of get the point that if you spend that money you want an area all your own. I think I still prefer Royal Caribbeans way of not charging extra for a quieter adults area, but I can certainly see the difference in amenities versus costs here. Advantage - You decide

[LMaxwell]

Bon Voyage Lunch - This is held in the Concerto Dining Room. On Royal Princess there are 3 MDR's. One is open on embarkation day. Advantage - Princess. Having the OPTION to go to an MDR for lunch on embarkation day is a great, relaxing way to start a trip. Since we were part of the BVE group we were invited to lunch at noon just when they started letting other guests onboard. The BVE menu is very limited. Choice from two appetizers, choice from two main dish, and a dessert is served, along with bread and your selection of wine (house; white of red). This was touted as a four course meal. Unless bread is a course I don't know:confused:. The food was every bit the equal of Royal Caribbean; very good. Experiencing the MDR on this tour was great because it puts aside fears as to dinner quality and ambiance of the rooms. It was a GORGEOUS dining room. Just beautiful. But since there are three MDR's it is not exceptionally large and so has a nice feeling to it. Our service was prompt. If you like Royal Caribbean MDR, you probably will like Princess too.

[LMaxwell]

Atrium / Piazza

 

This is a mix between the Centrum area and Royal Promenade. If anything it's like a Centrum on steroids.

 

This is the main heart of the ships; decks 5 - 7.

 

On 5 you have Celebrations (closed in port)

International Cafe - Similar to Royal Promenade but a larger selection of foods

Gelato shop

Vines - Wine bar

Guest Services

Sabatinis - Similar to Giovannis Table; looked out into the atrium area.

On 6 you have the photo gallery, Bellinis Bar, Alfredos - This is also a pizza place, but you sit down and order. Menu looked great, just no time or appetite after sampling other stuff. I think there was no charge?

Casino - I was shocked...SHOCKED how small the Casino was and how sort of in the open it was. It wasn't a closed off room really. It was just sort of there.

Club 6 - Beautiful lounge with small dance floor on one side; not really nautical but a similar vibe to Schooner Bar; I think I'd spend a lot of time there.

Churchills - Indoor Cigar/Cigarette lounge

 

Deck 7 had

Crooners Bar

Future Cruise Desk

Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar

Various shops/gift shops/jewelry/clothing

 

Note: These are just the areas off of the Centrum/Piazza and do not include other lounges, dining rooms, specialty dining, spa, and theater at the fore and aft sections on these decks as well.

 

One thing I noticed...I kept feeling like I was going to trip on the stairs in the atrium. Just a slightly odd spacing and wide steps (on the outside) and almost too narrow on the inside. Watch your step.

[LMaxwell]

Elevators ; lack of stairwells.

 

Someone should be taken behind the woodshed and knocked around a bit over this. I thought it was just a bunch of bad mouthing regarding elevators but I am here to tell you that they are slow / oddly programmed, insufficient in number, and DIMINUTIVE in size. 8 people in an elevator is really the practical limit. I don't know how anyone in a wheelchair or scooter ever gets an elevator. Everyone circles like vultures waiting for where the next elevator will appear and then race for them. You can get caught waiting for an elevator for a while if others rush ahead of you or one (finally) arrives but is full. Never saw anything like this on Royal Caribbean.

 

This is a major design flaw; no guest accessible central staircase and inadequate elevator capacities (and just plain slow) is a recipe for a bad experience. How did they screw up something so fundamental?

[LMaxwell]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, and a major, major Princess advantage; the Laundromats on each deck! Numerous FREE irons (they have dial timers on the wall to make them operate. Washing is $2 per load. Drying is $2 per load. Detergents/bleach/etc is $1.50. No need to send out, no need to pay $25+ for a bag of laundry. No need to worry about harsh chemicals ruining clothes. On a long itinerary a self-service laundromat is a Godsend.

 

I'd go so far as to say if there was a self-service laudromat on RCI I could bring less regular clothes (as I could wash midweek) and I would have more room and be more inclined to bring formal wear. It just makes life easier. Especially the free irons.

[Dave85]

All very interesting, thanks for the comparison!

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

All very interesting, thanks for the comparison!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

Glad you are enjoying this. I still have to look at Photobucket to upgrade my account, then I can add photos here.

[Ourusualbeach]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, and a major, major Princess advantage; the Laundromats on each deck! Numerous FREE irons (they have dial timers on the wall to make them operate. Washing is $2 per load. Drying is $2 per load. Detergents/bleach/etc is $1.50. No need to send out, no need to pay $25+ for a bag of laundry. No need to worry about harsh chemicals ruining clothes. On a long itinerary a self-service laundromat is a Godsend.

 

I'd go so far as to say if there was a self-service laudromat on RCI I could bring less regular clothes (as I could wash midweek) and I would have more room and be more inclined to bring formal wear. It just makes life easier. Especially the free irons.

 

I agree that it would certainly be convenient however I am sure that RCI looked at it from a financial viewpoint. How much space did the self serve laudry use. If it was even the equivalent of one inside cabin would it generate enough revenue to make up for the cabin rate plus the on board spend of those guests.

 

On our last trip we spent a couple of days pre cruise in FLL. Just around the block was a wash/ fold laundry mat. Took all of our cloths in from the first 3 days, picked them up 4 hours later. Best $17.50 spent on hat trip.