Why does Royal Princess have such low reviews?

[nikitty]

Hi there - newbie poster here so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place. :)

 

I have been searching for a Christmas cruise for myself and my mother. We wanted somewhere warm with a bit of culture instead of just beaches - thought the Royal Princess leaving December 19th from Ft. Lauderdale might be a good option for the price. I heard it was a new ship so even better! We have sailed with Celebrity twice before so wasn't sure about "jumping ship" to Princess. However, when I checked out the reviews for this vessel it says only 65%? From the reviews I read, a lot of people are complaining about the small balconies - and smaller rooms? But is there anything else I'm missing?

 

Looking at the amazing review from LittleMissMagic, the room looked perfectly fine to me and the ship is beautiful. Some other people indicated that the layout of the ship was bad - not sure what that meant exactly. I will say that my mother has bad knees and issues walking and climbing stairs so I wonder if this would be a dealbreaker.

 

Can a wise CC'er help shed some light on the ship and it's issues? And how it compares to Celebrity? (We had concierge class before and for this we would get a balcony so no premium status for us.) As well, I want to ask about specific cruiselines and how to pick for my Christmas trip -where would I post about that? Every forum seems so specific I don't want to go off topic.

 

TIA! :)

[sunsetbeachgal]

The ship is lovely and we would go out of our way to sail on her again. The critics mainly focus on narrower balcony, lack of center staircase and no outside wraparound promenade deck. The huge pluses are the fantastic piazza with entertainment and activities throughout the day and night, great food options including Alfredo's Italian restaurant (no up charge), expanded buffet and a international cafe. The room size to me is not smaller and the in demand Flat screen TV is a huge improvement.

 

I can't compare to Celebrity, but we just did a Royal Caribbean cruise with our extended family, all of whom cruised on the Royal Princess last summer, and we all preferred the Royal Princess.

Edited April 19, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[Coral]

I personally have not been on the Royal so take my comments into that context.

 

Princess has used the same layout on there last several ships. This is a change from the past so those who were used to all of Princess's Grand and Super Grand ships will find the layout different. Princess cruisers are so used to having the vast majority of their ships the same layout or very similar layout.

 

I am definitely one who doesn't always think the newer the better. In many cases, I prefer the layout or venues from older ships than newer ones. For example - I was not a fan of Club Fusion which Princess used on their newer ships for a nighttime venue. The Royal Princess does not have this room.

 

Princess cruisers are used to larger balconies and the Royal has reduced most balcony sizes on most of their cabins.

 

Since you are new to Princess, you won't be comparing the Royal to older Princess ships so that won't be a problem. You will probably have a different issue - comparing it to Celebrity. People on this board are mixed on that - some love Celebrity ships and others sail Celebrity once and return back to Princess saying they will never stray again.

 

I have cruised many times with a parent who has some mobility problems. We had much better experience on ships that were smaller compared to larger.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Coral

[Cruise Junky]

I haven't reviewed her as I haven't sailed her but she's missing some of the things that are important to us on a cruise. The low reviews are probably from people that also missed those things and didn't realize they weren't there until they sailed on her. Good for you for doing research and asking.

[akeasley]

I really enjoyed the Royal and would sail on her again with no hesistation. Please don't listen to the negativity...personally I think people enjoy complaining and don't hesistate to vent their complaints in their review.

Edited April 19, 2014 by akeasley

[Mikeyto]

I sailed on Royal's Maiden Caribbean Voyage last October and was very impressed with her. As others have indicated though, folks are rating her low mostly because of the smaller balconies, the Center staircase doesn't go all the way up, the Promenade doesn't go all the way around and lack of a 3rd pool (Regal is suppose to have one). Now, I will say that I am in a wheelchair so the Center staircase issue didn't affect me personally, but that didn't cause me any additional pains while using the elevators either. Mostly, because I hardy use the Center ones anyway as I know they are the most used on a ship and I had a forward stateroom. I will point out it is actually there all the way, just hidden, but generally only for Crew use or it would be used for Emergencies. The Grand Atrium was a big plus for me. I spent most of my time onboard there. Lots of good lounges/bars around and of course the expanded IC.

 

As with any ship/itinerary, most everything is objective to each persons perferance. As for me, I will sail Royal again and look forward to Regal at some point as well.

[Cruise Junky]

I really enjoyed the Royal and would sail on her again with no hesistation. Please don't listen to the negativity...personally I think people enjoy complaining and don't hesistate to vent their complaints in their review.

 

OMG that is such a disservice to the OP. It's FACT that Royal is quite different. The OP should do some research and find out what those things are before booking unless you're paying for their cruise :eek:

[Cruise 11]

We just left the gorgeous Royal Princess April 13 and can't wait to sail her again. We were on deck 15 M 702. Perfect location for us . Aft elevators steps away and never crowded. Also used the stairs to access Horizon Court buffet or pool area just one deck up. Very quiet. Cabin was a little smaller and the balcony narrower also. Both were fine for us. Take elevators to deck 7 then go across the ship to access Piazza and restaurants. Whatever you choose have a great cruise!:)

[quincytoo]

We were on the Royal this past Jan and in our ten Princess cruises this was in our top two cruises.

We didn't miss the central stairwells or the wrap around promenade. It is true the Caribe balcony on the Caribbean Princess was much larger then our Marina balcony but felt the Marina balcony was about the same size as the Balconies on the Sapphire Princess ( Aloha decks).

 

The food and service were great and we loved the expanded Horizon Court as well as Alfredos YUM.

 

 

We would cruise the Royal again in a heartbeat and are now looking at the Regal for next Jan.

[CI66774]

Sailed the Royal in December - loved her. Sailing her again soon. By far, the positives outweigh the negatives. I've cruised on lots of cruise lines and ships. She's a beauty - IMHO.

Edited April 19, 2014 by CI66774

[Coral]

I will say that my mother has bad knees and issues walking and climbing stairs so I wonder if this would be a dealbreaker.

 

 

This is the main concern that I have for you mother. Has she sailed a ship of this size? A smaller ship may be a better choice.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Coral

[capriccio]

We had a family group of 12 on the Royal in December -- half of whom had never sailed on Princess before. Everyone had very positive opinions of the ship. I don't know what cabin category you are considering but I will warn you, do not reserve an aft facing suite until they fix the soot/exhaust problem. If you are interested in reserving a suite, be warned that the Owners Suites are misnamed (not nearly as nice as Owners Suites on other ships) and should be re-priced. All that said, we would go on the Royal again but not spend the money for an Owners Suite. We really missed certain aspects of it (the piazza, Alfredos, the expanded/revamped Horizon Court) when we were on the Ruby Princess in February.

[dorisis]

We did a B2B on the Royal in Feb. and came to the conclusion that Princess does not do as good a job on large ships as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. We love Princess smaller ships but not the really big class and especially not the Royal.

 

The Coral and Island which go to the Panama Canal and stop at Caribbean islands might be a better choice.

[hubofhockey]

Sailed the Royal in December - loved her. Sailing her again soon. By far, the positives outweigh the negatives. I've cruised on lots of cruise lines and ships. She's a beauty - IMHO.

 

 

That's the way i feel about our upcoming cruise on the Royal in July. To be honest, we grew a bit tired of the Grand class. I only wish that they could have built off the strengths of the Grand class and added rather than take away some good things and add some good things. The net product seems a minus for Caribbean/Med and plus for Baltic/British Isles.

[Pam in CA]

I've been on every class of Princess ship and have my favorites. The differences between them aren't "make or break" important enough for me although they may be for some people.

 

We LOVED the Royal and the Regal will be a better version of her because they will fix some things that people have been unhappy about. There are some negatives to the Royal but they either didn't affect me or I didn't care about them. The issues are:

 

1. Soot on the aft balconies.

2. Some full suites are smaller than others.

3. No central staircase.

4. No aft pool

5. No wraparound/walkable Promenade deck.

6. Small balconies

7. No Oceanview cabins.

 

I don't book aft balconies nor full suites. The lack of a central staircase is an inconvenience, particularly if you are just a deck or two away from Lido or Promenade, but not a deal breaker for me. Couldn't care less about the aft pool and I don't walk/run on the Promenade deck. There's a walking/running track on top of the ship. I'm not booking balconies from now on because the chairs are too uncomfortable for me to sit on for more than a few minutes. For me, the biggest issue is no oceanview cabins. The price difference between the highest category inside and a balcony is too big for me to justify paying so much extra for a balcony.

 

Pluses are:

 

1. Big, WOW Piazza.

2. Huge Horizon Court with plenty of seating.

3. Larger shower with a footrest/seat and hand-held showerhead.

4. Interactive TV with hundreds of movies on demand for free.

5. The ability to check my folio, Patter, deck plans, etc. on my iPhone for free.

6. Much larger Alfredo's with an expanded menu.

7. Additional for-fee dining options: Crab Shack and Fondue

 

For me, the pluses far outweight the issues. Like any ship or cruise line, some are right for one person but not the next. No ship or cruise line is perfect or right for everyone.

 

I've sailed on Celebrity and had a number of issues, such as no working toilet for three days and no response or reaction from the Passenger Services Desk, not even a "I'm sorry. We'll check into that." Food is subjective but if a knife can't cut some meat nor can you even stick the prongs of a fork in it, you know it's been literally cooked to the consistency of a hockey puck. A balcony cabin so tiny you could barely move (11" between the end of the bed and the wall.) And other issues. I'm one of those who is unlikely to try Celebrity again because I'm not willing to spend over $2,200 for seven days (for just myself) and chance something similar. :(

[nikitty]

Thanks for the great replies! I tried to create a signature with my sailings before I posted but even though it saved it isn't showing up! I sailed on the Celebrity Summit from Barcelona to Venice in August 2009 and the Reflection from Puerto Rico in December of 2012. We really liked the Summit and the concierge class - the ports were very interesting too as we actually prefer sightseeing and taking in culture rather than sitting on a beach - which is pretty much what our second trip to the Caribbean in 2012 on the Reflection was comprised of. The ship was beautiful but the room wasn't as well appointed and another thing that drove me nuts was the beds were not facing forward. (Is there a term for this?) I know when I go on a train I must sit forward or I feel sick so having the cabin turned in this direction was really disconcerting to me. Is there a way to find out which direction your cabin is facing?

 

The travel agent we are using offered us a balcony on Deck 16 right at the front (L129) - there is a public floor above so I'm not sure how noisy it will be and my mom is worried that water will drip in. (LOL :D:D)

 

Going to reply to some posters now!

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi there - newbie poster here so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place. :)

 

I have been searching for a Christmas cruise for myself and my mother. We wanted somewhere warm with a bit of culture instead of just beaches - thought the Royal Princess leaving December 19th from Ft. Lauderdale might be a good option for the price. I heard it was a new ship so even better! We have sailed with Celebrity twice before so wasn't sure about "jumping ship" to Princess. However, when I checked out the reviews for this vessel it says only 65%? From the reviews I read, a lot of people are complaining about the small balconies - and smaller rooms? But is there anything else I'm missing?

 

Looking at the amazing review from LittleMissMagic, the room looked perfectly fine to me and the ship is beautiful. Some other people indicated that the layout of the ship was bad - not sure what that meant exactly. I will say that my mother has bad knees and issues walking and climbing stairs so I wonder if this would be a dealbreaker.

 

Can a wise CC'er help shed some light on the ship and it's issues? And how it compares to Celebrity? (We had concierge class before and for this we would get a balcony so no premium status for us.) As well, I want to ask about specific cruiselines and how to pick for my Christmas trip -where would I post about that? Every forum seems so specific I don't want to go off topic.

 

TIA! :)

 

 

Lots more info here on the same type thread.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2023948

[cruisingmimi]

Hi nikitty, glad that you are asking sensible and pertinent questions to you and your mother before you book your cruise. I always say to do your homework and you won't have any surprises (or few) or be disappointed.

 

My DH and I just got off Royal April 6th and visited Princess Cays, St. Thomas, and St. Martin for our port stops. Having been there before we didn't book any tours. Princess Cays was a bit of a hassle because it was a tender port and you had to get a ticket to board the boat taking you to the island, about a 10 min. ride. We weren't in a big hurry to get off the ship so had a nice leisurely breakfast and then went to the Symphony dining room on Deck 5 to get our tender tickets. We had to wait an hour before it was our turn! Everyone was complaining because of the long wait and Princess kept making apologies about the wait. I am not sure if this is the typical operation for Princess Cays or there was some kind of delay. I pre-booked the "clam shell" prior to cruising because we don't like to sit in the hot sun. By the time we got to the island and went to the designated spot to find out where we would get our clam shell, that booth said they did not have any left on that side of the island and we had to go to the other end. By the time we got to the booth and they told us where to go to find our "clam" there were only a couple left and not in a location on the beach we wanted to be located. They place the clams close to each other and just take you to one as you come along. I felt that this was disorganized in that we had reserved our clam ahead of time but I guess this may be the way they operate. Unless you are one of the first ones on the tender you may not get to choose your location on the beach. I would not reserve a clam if we were to go back to Princess Cays because there were plenty of shady spots w/ nice chaise lounges to sit on. Rest rooms are on both sides of the island so that was not a problem. The buffet lunch was nice and organized and plenty of food was available as well as cold drinks. Beer, wines, etc. were there as well but not free.

If you do go to Princess Cays remember to bring cash with you as there are lots of vendors selling their wares along the beach and they only take cash.

 

On the whole we loved Royal Princess! Being on a new ship was a nice experience for us as we have not been on a new ship before. We have cruised Princess before. There were two basic negatives to us: 1) 3600 passengers lol; and 2) the elevators, a down right nuisance. The ship is very beautiful, lots of glass and wood, there is no center stairway in the atrium but there are wind around side stairs on both sides of the ship to the piazza. We did not think this was a big deal as others did.

 

We booked an extended balcony and our cabin was located forward on deck 9 (Dolphin). We found this to be a very quiet part of the ship as we were about 8 or 9 cabins on port side from the end of the deck. There was no outside exit on the deck so no one trying to access outside from our cabin. However, we did find that it was a very long walk from forward to aft (even tho it was good exercise). There are only 3 elevator locations on this ship so no matter what, lots of walking. If we wanted to go to Horizon Court for breakfast we would walk to the mid-ship elevator so we would be right outside the Horizon Court. We had traditional second seating dining in Allegro, which was the very aft of the ship on Deck 5. If you took either the midship or mid-aft elevators they only went to deck 6 so you would have to walk down one flight to get to dining room. We would walk to the aft elevator and go directly to deck 5 for dinner. We found this to be rather bizarre also.

 

We found the food to be very good-excellent most meals in dining room. Horizon Court food was also very good and lots of different choices not found on other ships. They had their own Pastry Shop on Horizon Court and oh my such delectables! You could access Horizon from both sides of the ship and lines moved along pretty well. If you wanted to order an omelet for breakfast you would place your order and they would bring it to your table (some people did stand and wait). All in all we were pleased with selection of food at Horizon Court as compared to other ships we've been on.

 

Alfredo's (free) was wonderful! Best pizza ever. We also ate in British Pub for lunch one day (free) and thought that was so so food. We ate one evening in Crown Grill ($25. pp) and while it was nice don't feel it was worth the extra money.

 

Entertainment was excellent and no complaints here. This is one of our favorite parts of cruising.

 

Lots of places to spread out on pool deck. We had balcony so lots of times enjoyed sitting there and reading or having a glass of wine. As noted, balcony cabins are much smaller than other ships we've been on and the balcony area itself is narrow. There were 2 chairs and small table on it. No big deal if you really want a balcony!

 

Bathroom - same size and configuration as other ships. Our complaint here was the absolutely flimsy towels! Not soft and fluffy but rather giving the impression of being well used for a new ship. Bath robes were also very flimsy and not fluffy either. Again, you felt you were putting on a very old robe!

 

As I noted the elevators are a BIG problem on a ship this size and EVERYONE was complaining. No matter what, you always waited for an elevator and if you wanted to go up and had pressed the up button the elevator didn't stop at your deck but kept on going. Same experience with the down elevators. They tested your patience for sure.

Nikitty, I have bad knees also and trouble navigating stairs so always had to wait for the elevators. When they have the muster on the first day, elevators are not available so you have to walk the stairs. I just take my time and stay to the side and tell people to go ahead of me. Whether this would be a dealbreaker is something you need to think about. I think you would be fine but might suggest a mid to aft cabin rather than forward. It is a very long ship and walking is inevitable on it. Does your mother have a walker or scooter? I would think carefully about your cabin selection if walking is an issue. Generally, I did not find it to be a big problem, walking is good after all the food you eat! lol

 

I would be happy to have you email me if you have any questions you would like answered. My philosophy is that you can make anything work if you really want to! It was a wonderful cruise and a beautiful ship and we did enjoy the Royal.

 

Mary

[sun14]

nikitty,

 

To answer one of your questions, every other cabin in general has rear facing beds. The only way to know is if someone posts about a cabin close to yours and you count from there or perhaps by calling Princess.

 

The Royal, Princess' newest ship, has a 65% approval rating whereas the Reflection, Celebrity's newest, has 90%. This is for a reason as people write reviews to express their opinion, good or bad, and not just to complain. Reflection cruisers are far more pleased with their ship than Royal cruisers and the data clearly shows this.

 

I was on the Royal and while the Piazza is beautiful the ship IMO is a step backwards from previous Princess ships. The Ruby, launched in 2008, has an 85% approval rating and this again is for a reason. Here are some of the concerns expressed by passengers:

Tiny balconies, 3 ½ feet deep, uncomfortable furniture, cannot sit and face the ocean, a poor design compared with the previous Princess ships or Celebrity balconies for that matter.

Not enough elevators, especially in the mid-ship area. The elevators are smaller and the ratio of elevators to passengers is down.

No usable Promenade deck, just a few open areas with no cover (see soot problem below). There is no place to really walk around the outside of ship. Decks 16 and 17 are sun/lounge decks with lots of partitions; the jogging track on 18 is about it but sooty and exposed.

In contrast to the previous class of ships the Retreat pool is higher and windier, hard to sit there when at sea as it has little protection.

No aft pool. This, when combined with the windy Retreat, made the main pool area very crowded on sea days. The second pool in the main area is just a splash pool a little larger than a hot tub. The pools and hot tubs are not sufficient for a 3,600 passenger ship in the Caribbean.

There is a lot of soot all over the aft portion of the ship coming from the stacks above. The tar particles stain furniture and clothes. Princess is aware and working on this.

Fitness center on deck 17 is on the main and only path to the aft elevators, cannot get through unless one walks past the people trying to exercise.

The Spa is located in deck 5 and while nicely decorated it feels like a dungeon with few windows or outside light. The Sauna and Steam rooms, deck 5, are now located far away from the fitness center, deck 17, and are only accessible to Spa customers, not like the previous ships.

The Princess Theater has to do three shows as the theater is not large enough to handle the crowds. The shows are only 30 minutes long and one has to get there pretty early to get a seat.

 

Only you can decide if these concerns and others are important to you or not. I read a post by dmwnc1959, someone who really liked the Royal, and he had no concerns, stated that:

Small balconies (he gets an inside cabin)

Elevators (he walks forward or aft)

Promenade (he did not use it before)

Pools (he does not use them)

Soot (he did not have a problem during his trip)

Lack of dancing venues (he does not dance)

Fitness or Spa (he does not use them)

 

Mikeyto posted above that “the large atrium was a big plus for him as he spent most of his time onboard there”. If your preferences are like his or dmwnc1959 you will likely enjoy the Royal but if the concerns hit home with you, probably not. In the end all you can do IMO is to read the comments and decide if the Royal fits you or not. :)

[cruisingmimi]

"The travel agent we are using offered us a balcony on Deck 16 right at the front (L129)"

 

I would not select that cabin if it were my choice. Cabin is located on starboard side of ship if that makes a difference to you. We prefer port side but it's a matter of choice. I do not like higher cabins because of motion and The Sanctuary is located above that cabin area. While The Sanctuary is an area that is not as noisy as the pool there may still be noise levels there. I also think you should pick a mid-aft to aft category for your mother's walking issues. What other choices are available for cabins?

[nikitty]

I sailed on Royal's Maiden Caribbean Voyage last October and was very impressed with her. As others have indicated though, folks are rating her low mostly because of the smaller balconies, the Center staircase doesn't go all the way up, the Promenade doesn't go all the way around and lack of a 3rd pool (Regal is suppose to have one). Now, I will say that I am in a wheelchair so the Center staircase issue didn't affect me personally, but that didn't cause me any additional pains while using the elevators either. Mostly, because I hardy use the Center ones anyway as I know they are the most used on a ship and I had a forward stateroom. I will point out it is actually there all the way, just hidden, but generally only for Crew use or it would be used for Emergencies. The Grand Atrium was a big plus for me. I spent most of my time onboard there. Lots of good lounges/bars around and of course the expanded IC.

 

Hi Mikeyto! Thank you so much for your post! It is really helpful to hear from someone with a disability the drawbacks so for you to say the layout didn't cause you any additional pains is a great relief.

 

I haven't reviewed her as I haven't sailed her but she's missing some of the things that are important to us on a cruise. The low reviews are probably from people that also missed those things and didn't realize they weren't there until they sailed on her. Good for you for doing research and asking.

 

Hi Cruise Junky - are there things important to you that are different than what other members have already posted in this thread? A few other posters have mentioned that since I have never sailed with Princess before I won't know what I'm missing. I'm just wondering if they are things that might be missing from Celebrity as well! :) As well - I actually have been doing a TON of research about this ship - which is why I posted here as I didn't really understand why the layout would be such a big deal. But after many people added that it's from the perspective of long-time Princess cruisers, it now makes sense. No amount of research would have enlightened me on this unless there was already a thread which echoed the same remarks.

 

This is the main concern that I have for you mother. Has she sailed a ship of this size? A smaller ship may be a better choice.

 

Hi Coral! I'm not sure how big the ship is in comparison to Celebrity Summit and Reflection. To us, those felt like big ships! :D We felt like we did a lot of walking because our cabin was right near the front (as this one would also be.)

 

I don't know what cabin category you are considering but I will warn you, do not reserve an aft facing suite until they fix the soot/exhaust problem. If you are interested in reserving a suite, be warned that the Owners Suites are misnamed (not nearly as nice as Owners Suites on other ships) and should be re-priced. All that said, we would go on the Royal again but not spend the money for an Owners Suite. We really missed certain aspects of it (the piazza, Alfredos, the expanded/revamped Horizon Court) when we were on the Ruby Princess in February.

 

Hi Capriccio! Our agent gave us the option of a balcony on Deck 16 - BF class (L129). I had a panic at first because I thought AFT meant forward. DOH! :D I am still not sure about the pool upstairs but apparently it is an adult one - very quiet so we should be fine? I usually like being mid-ship because I do get seasick but apparently most of the balcony cabins are sold out.

 

I've been on every class of Princess ship and have my favorites. The differences between them aren't "make or break" important enough for me although they may be for some people.

 

We LOVED the Royal and the Regal will be a better version of her because they will fix some things that people have been unhappy about. There are some negatives to the Royal but they either didn't affect me or I didn't care about them. The issues are:

 

1. Soot on the aft balconies.

2. Some full suites are smaller than others.

3. No central staircase.

4. No aft pool

5. No wraparound/walkable Promenade deck.

6. Small balconies

7. No Oceanview cabins.

 

I don't book aft balconies nor full suites. The lack of a central staircase is an inconvenience, particularly if you are just a deck or two away from Lido or Promenade, but not a deal breaker for me. Couldn't care less about the aft pool and I don't walk/run on the Promenade deck. There's a walking/running track on top of the ship. I'm not booking balconies from now on because the chairs are too uncomfortable for me to sit on for more than a few minutes. For me, the biggest issue is no oceanview cabins. The price difference between the highest category inside and a balcony is too big for me to justify paying so much extra for a balcony.

 

Pluses are:

 

1. Big, WOW Piazza.

2. Huge Horizon Court with plenty of seating.

3. Larger shower with a footrest/seat and hand-held showerhead.

4. Interactive TV with hundreds of movies on demand for free.

5. The ability to check my folio, Patter, deck plans, etc. on my iPhone for free.

6. Much larger Alfredo's with an expanded menu.

7. Additional for-fee dining options: Crab Shack and Fondue

 

For me, the pluses far outweight the issues. Like any ship or cruise line, some are right for one person but not the next. No ship or cruise line is perfect or right for everyone.

 

I've sailed on Celebrity and had a number of issues, such as no working toilet for three days and no response or reaction from the Passenger Services Desk, not even a "I'm sorry. We'll check into that." Food is subjective but if a knife can't cut some meat nor can you even stick the prongs of a fork in it, you know it's been literally cooked to the consistency of a hockey puck. A balcony cabin so tiny you could barely move (11" between the end of the bed and the wall.) And other issues. I'm one of those who is unlikely to try Celebrity again because I'm not willing to spend over $2,200 for seven days (for just myself) and chance something similar. :(

 

Thanks Pam for your post! I appreciate the pros and cons - we don't run or use the track and we don't use the pool so those cons are fine for me. My mom actually prefers cultural ports but Europe is just too cold in December so we thought a good option might be this sailing. I actually have scoured every itinerary over Christmas on virtually every cruise line and based on our budget (we don't want to spend over 2500) and our timing (7-10 days) Princess, Celebrity - and also RCCL came up. We ruled out RCCL because there will be a lot more families and we prefer to have a quieter, more relaxing vacation. It's a shame that the balconies are so substandard. I would be ok with a small balcony but if the chairs are uncomfortable, what's the point of paying all that extra money? I would prefer to just have an oceanview but since that isn't an option, not sure I could go into a windowless cabin.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted and hope that more members will post their stories.

 

I really wish there were more options at Christmas. Most of the ships in our price range go to the same exact ports we went to last time (Miami, - San Juan - Saint Thomas - Saint maarten (phillipsburg) St. Maarten) and we'd prefer to see new sights. We weren't overly impressed with the spots either although we thought St. Maarten was lovely - even though it was Christmas Day when we were there and nothing was open.

 

So far we have only been on Celebrity so not sure if there is anything else just as good or better in that same price range which we should also entertain. Norwegian? Holland America? It gets overwhelming. :o

[nikitty]

Hi Mary,

 

Thanks for your very thoughtful reply. It sounds like the tender was a bit of a nightmare. Looking at the itinerary from our travel agent, as well as the Princess website, it doesn't actually show if that port requires a tender or not which is frustrating, so I'm not sure how many of the stops will have this problem. It's always nice to just walk off the ship and be on your way.

 

I'm glad the food was so enjoyable - the towels in the bathroom was something I haven't heard before so that's a new one. Weird they would have old towels on a new ship! My mom would not be happy having to walk a lot so I will see if there is anything available better situated. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself despite the crowds and your mobility issues. My mom does not have a walker or a scooter. She doesn't want to feel "disabled" but she really does need assistance and we get a wheelchair for her on embarkation/disembarkation days.

 

I'd love to chat and will send you a message with my email. Thanks for the kind offer! :)

 

Hi nikitty, glad that you are asking sensible and pertinent questions to you and your mother before you book your cruise. I always say to do your homework and you won't have any surprises (or few) or be disappointed.

 

My DH and I just got off Royal April 6th and visited Princess Cays, St. Thomas, and St. Martin for our port stops. Having been there before we didn't book any tours. Princess Cays was a bit of a hassle because it was a tender port and you had to get a ticket to board the boat taking you to the island, about a 10 min. ride. We weren't in a big hurry to get off the ship so had a nice leisurely breakfast and then went to the Symphony dining room on Deck 5 to get our tender tickets. We had to wait an hour before it was our turn! Everyone was complaining because of the long wait and Princess kept making apologies about the wait. I am not sure if this is the typical operation for Princess Cays or there was some kind of delay. I pre-booked the "clam shell" prior to cruising because we don't like to sit in the hot sun. By the time we got to the island and went to the designated spot to find out where we would get our clam shell, that booth said they did not have any left on that side of the island and we had to go to the other end. By the time we got to the booth and they told us where to go to find our "clam" there were only a couple left and not in a location on the beach we wanted to be located. They place the clams close to each other and just take you to one as you come along. I felt that this was disorganized in that we had reserved our clam ahead of time but I guess this may be the way they operate. Unless you are one of the first ones on the tender you may not get to choose your location on the beach. I would not reserve a clam if we were to go back to Princess Cays because there were plenty of shady spots w/ nice chaise lounges to sit on. Rest rooms are on both sides of the island so that was not a problem. The buffet lunch was nice and organized and plenty of food was available as well as cold drinks. Beer, wines, etc. were there as well but not free.

If you do go to Princess Cays remember to bring cash with you as there are lots of vendors selling their wares along the beach and they only take cash.

 

On the whole we loved Royal Princess! Being on a new ship was a nice experience for us as we have not been on a new ship before. We have cruised Princess before. There were two basic negatives to us: 1) 3600 passengers lol; and 2) the elevators, a down right nuisance. The ship is very beautiful, lots of glass and wood, there is no center stairway in the atrium but there are wind around side stairs on both sides of the ship to the piazza. We did not think this was a big deal as others did.

 

We booked an extended balcony and our cabin was located forward on deck 9 (Dolphin). We found this to be a very quiet part of the ship as we were about 8 or 9 cabins on port side from the end of the deck. There was no outside exit on the deck so no one trying to access outside from our cabin. However, we did find that it was a very long walk from forward to aft (even tho it was good exercise). There are only 3 elevator locations on this ship so no matter what, lots of walking. If we wanted to go to Horizon Court for breakfast we would walk to the mid-ship elevator so we would be right outside the Horizon Court. We had traditional second seating dining in Allegro, which was the very aft of the ship on Deck 5. If you took either the midship or mid-aft elevators they only went to deck 6 so you would have to walk down one flight to get to dining room. We would walk to the aft elevator and go directly to deck 5 for dinner. We found this to be rather bizarre also.

 

We found the food to be very good-excellent most meals in dining room. Horizon Court food was also very good and lots of different choices not found on other ships. They had their own Pastry Shop on Horizon Court and oh my such delectables! You could access Horizon from both sides of the ship and lines moved along pretty well. If you wanted to order an omelet for breakfast you would place your order and they would bring it to your table (some people did stand and wait). All in all we were pleased with selection of food at Horizon Court as compared to other ships we've been on.

 

Alfredo's (free) was wonderful! Best pizza ever. We also ate in British Pub for lunch one day (free) and thought that was so so food. We ate one evening in Crown Grill ($25. pp) and while it was nice don't feel it was worth the extra money.

 

Entertainment was excellent and no complaints here. This is one of our favorite parts of cruising.

 

Lots of places to spread out on pool deck. We had balcony so lots of times enjoyed sitting there and reading or having a glass of wine. As noted, balcony cabins are much smaller than other ships we've been on and the balcony area itself is narrow. There were 2 chairs and small table on it. No big deal if you really want a balcony!

 

Bathroom - same size and configuration as other ships. Our complaint here was the absolutely flimsy towels! Not soft and fluffy but rather giving the impression of being well used for a new ship. Bath robes were also very flimsy and not fluffy either. Again, you felt you were putting on a very old robe!

 

As I noted the elevators are a BIG problem on a ship this size and EVERYONE was complaining. No matter what, you always waited for an elevator and if you wanted to go up and had pressed the up button the elevator didn't stop at your deck but kept on going. Same experience with the down elevators. They tested your patience for sure.

Nikitty, I have bad knees also and trouble navigating stairs so always had to wait for the elevators. When they have the muster on the first day, elevators are not available so you have to walk the stairs. I just take my time and stay to the side and tell people to go ahead of me. Whether this would be a dealbreaker is something you need to think about. I think you would be fine but might suggest a mid to aft cabin rather than forward. It is a very long ship and walking is inevitable on it. Does your mother have a walker or scooter? I would think carefully about your cabin selection if walking is an issue. Generally, I did not find it to be a big problem, walking is good after all the food you eat! lol

 

I would be happy to have you email me if you have any questions you would like answered. My philosophy is that you can make anything work if you really want to! It was a wonderful cruise and a beautiful ship and we did enjoy the Royal.

 

Mary

[nikitty]

nikitty,

 

To answer one of your questions, every other cabin in general has rear facing beds. The only way to know is if someone posts about a cabin close to yours and you count from there or perhaps by calling Princess.

 

The Royal, Princess' newest ship, has a 65% approval rating whereas the Reflection, Celebrity's newest, has 90%. This is for a reason as people write reviews to express their opinion, good or bad, and not just to complain. Reflection cruisers are far more pleased with their ship than Royal cruisers and the data clearly shows this.

 

I was on the Royal and while the Piazza is beautiful the ship IMO is a step backwards from previous Princess ships. The Ruby, launched in 2008, has an 85% approval rating and this again is for a reason. Here are some of the concerns expressed by passengers:

Tiny balconies, 3 ½ feet deep, uncomfortable furniture, cannot sit and face the ocean, a poor design compared with the previous Princess ships or Celebrity balconies for that matter.

Not enough elevators, especially in the mid-ship area. The elevators are smaller and the ratio of elevators to passengers is down.

No usable Promenade deck, just a few open areas with no cover (see soot problem below). There is no place to really walk around the outside of ship. Decks 16 and 17 are sun/lounge decks with lots of partitions; the jogging track on 18 is about it but sooty and exposed.

In contrast to the previous class of ships the Retreat pool is higher and windier, hard to sit there when at sea as it has little protection.

No aft pool. This, when combined with the windy Retreat, made the main pool area very crowded on sea days. The second pool in the main area is just a splash pool a little larger than a hot tub. The pools and hot tubs are not sufficient for a 3,600 passenger ship in the Caribbean.

There is a lot of soot all over the aft portion of the ship coming from the stacks above. The tar particles stain furniture and clothes. Princess is aware and working on this.

Fitness center on deck 17 is on the main and only path to the aft elevators, cannot get through unless one walks past the people trying to exercise.

The Spa is located in deck 5 and while nicely decorated it feels like a dungeon with few windows or outside light. The Sauna and Steam rooms, deck 5, are now located far away from the fitness center, deck 17, and are only accessible to Spa customers, not like the previous ships.

The Princess Theater has to do three shows as the theater is not large enough to handle the crowds. The shows are only 30 minutes long and one has to get there pretty early to get a seat.

 

Only you can decide if these concerns and others are important to you or not. I read a post by dmwnc1959, someone who really liked the Royal, and he had no concerns, stated that:

Small balconies (he gets an inside cabin)

Elevators (he walks forward or aft)

Promenade (he did not use it before)

Pools (he does not use them)

Soot (he did not have a problem during his trip)

Lack of dancing venues (he does not dance)

Fitness or Spa (he does not use them)

 

Mikeyto posted above that “the large atrium was a big plus for him as he spent most of his time onboard there”. If your preferences are like his or dmwnc1959 you will likely enjoy the Royal but if the concerns hit home with you, probably not. In the end all you can do IMO is to read the comments and decide if the Royal fits you or not. :)

 

It seems smart to consider an inside cabin - my mom really insists on a window though so it seems like we are sticking with a balcony. Now the next issue is port or starboard. I always seem to be on the starboard side so it seems we gravitate to that - but not sure if there are better sights to be had from the port side. I saw there was a bit more to see on the starboard at the beginning and end of the trip but throughout the islands it was better to be on the port side. :)

[nikitty]

"The travel agent we are using offered us a balcony on Deck 16 right at the front (L129)"

 

I would not select that cabin if it were my choice. Cabin is located on starboard side of ship if that makes a difference to you. We prefer port side but it's a matter of choice. I do not like higher cabins because of motion and The Sanctuary is located above that cabin area. While The Sanctuary is an area that is not as noisy as the pool there may still be noise levels there. I also think you should pick a mid-aft to aft category for your mother's walking issues. What other choices are available for cabins?

 

The agent said there wasn't many choices left and she said this was one of the better ones as it was quiet and it wasn't far from the buffet and pool. It does seem very forward though. I'm going to start looking through the Princess site but it still won't tell me which one is forward facing. I'll try to see if I can find other posts of people with pictures of their rooms and room numbers - or maybe that requires another post. :)

[bluesea321]

The agent said there wasn't many choices left and she said this was one of the better ones as it was quiet and it wasn't far from the buffet and pool. It does seem very forward though. I'm going to start looking through the Princess site but it still won't tell me which one is forward facing. I'll try to see if I can find other posts of people with pictures of their rooms and room numbers - or maybe that requires another post. :)

 

nikitty, you agent does not appear to know what he/she is talking about. I just looked at Princess' website and there are tons of balcony cabins available for the December 19 sailing out of FLL, everywhere, mid, forward, aft, on just about any deck. I have done that itinerary on a different Princess ship and enjoyed it very much.

 

Here is a link to the Royal's deck plans:

http://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=RP

 

L129 is about as far from the buffet as you can get (although it is close to the Retreat pool). You can book directly with Princess through their website and see all cabins that are available, just click on the link above and then search for a cruise (or also by phone). While generally the forward section of the ship is quieter, the Lido deck is directly below the Retreat pool. I have not stayed there and do not know if the night/early morning cleaning crew is a noise factor or not.

 

Regarding the Royal in general, as you can see from the posts this ship elicits very different view points. I did not like the Royal anywhere as much as the older Grand class of ships and thus understand the 65% approval rating. My wife and I cruise for the sea connection and very much enjoy the balconies, the promenade, the pools, beach/ports, etc. Those that stay in inside cabins and hang around the Piazza would be more likely to enjoy the Royal as the inside is very nicely done.

 

Are you overwhelmed by all the comments yet? :)