Why does Royal Princess have such low reviews?

[MauiLvrs]

Positives regarding ship: Very good food. Workers very pleasant. Washers and dryers: reasonable and convenient. Movie selection in cabins, excellent- Pleasant entertainment.

 

But aren't these all true for nearly any Princess ship :confused:

 

Since the Regal is a sister ship to the Royal, people booking on the Regal certainly should have more realistic expectations than what the early Royal bookers had, and for that reason I would not be suprised at all if the Regal get the usual 80+% approval rating despite being identical to the Royal

 

JMHO :)

 

Except when launched the Regal isn't expected to be identical to the Royal as a number of the most critical issues will at least have a band-aid right?

 

So that will likely have a positive impact on the approval rating.

[coolplex]

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! :)

 

The Royal Princess has 41sf balconies on many categories and the interior cabins range from 166sf-175sf. highly controversial.

However, Princess has self serve laundry rooms with irons & anytime dining.

 

The solstice Class ships have larger balconies but no self serve laundry room or anytime dining.

 

I am elite with both cruise lines, so I look at the benefits offered from the loyalty programs, Princess has the better program. Unlimited dry-cleaning & laundry.

[A1A]

The Royal Princess has 41sf balconies on many categories and the interior cabins range from 166sf-175sf. highly controversial.

However, Princess has self serve laundry rooms with irons & anytime dining.

 

The solstice Class ships have larger balconies but no self serve laundry room or anytime dining.

 

I am elite with both cruise lines, so I look at the benefits offered from the loyalty programs, Princess has the better program. Unlimited dry-cleaning & laundry.

 

Having cruised on Celebrity Solstice and Eclipse, I seemed to remember utilizing Celebrity's select dining (anytime). Has this program been discontinued?

Ken

[Iamcruzin]

I have close friends who will be sailing on the Royal in Sept for a Canada/ New England cruise. This will be their first cruise ever so there is a lot riding on this trip. I have not said a word to them about the ship but they know that we love to cruise and we have always raved about Princess. They booked with another couple who has also sailed with Princess so I hope all goes well and that the couple who has sailed Princess before isn't disappointed which may project negativity to my friends who are cruising for the first time. My friends who have booked a balcony won't have anything to compare it to, They won't be using the pool on this itinerary and they probably don't even know what a promenade deck is. I am confident that they will enjoy the food and the beauty of the ship. I think the weather and sea conditions at the time of sailing will probably make or break the deal as to whether or not they enjoy cruising. I don't think the ship will be an influence. I will say one think about this couple they love to tip so the crew will probably tripping over each other just to serve them.

[Ship's Wake]

I think it suffered from failing to deliver on the hype. Add in the soot issue, pool grumbles and the no promenade deck brings it down. Also lot of people were disappointed about no ocean view cabins.

 

I think your comments are spot on.

 

This ship was designed to maximize revenue for Princess. I would imagine in their management's eyes it is a smashing success. No doubt someone has or will be promoted for the results the ship is contributing to the bottom line.

 

From a passenger point of view, more discriminating cruisers who do want the missing features they have come to expect on a cruise ship have to either cruise on other ships or change their liking to what Princess has designed.

[kendon]

I have close friends who will be sailing on the Royal in Sept for a Canada/ New England cruise. This will be their first cruise ever so there is a lot riding on this trip. I have not said a word to them about the ship but they know that we love to cruise and we have always raved about Princess. They booked with another couple who has also sailed with Princess so I hope all goes well and that the couple who has sailed Princess before isn't disappointed which may project negativity to my friends who are cruising for the first time. My friends who have booked a balcony won't have anything to compare it to, They won't be using the pool on this itinerary and they probably don't even know what a promenade deck is. I am confident that they will enjoy the food and the beauty of the ship. I think the weather and sea conditions at the time of sailing will probably make or break the deal as to whether or not they enjoy cruising. I don't think the ship will be an influence. I will say one think about this couple they love to tip so the crew will probably tripping over each other just to serve them.

 

I do believe this ship will be an influence on whether they enjoy cruising or not. They'll love it! :)

[loma linda ca a & j]

we have enjoyed & chuckled reading the reviews of the royal

 

we are grateful to cc reviewers for their honest evaluations

 

however, we are completely satisfied / happy with inside cabins -

really enjoyed being on plaza deck near front elevators, with

casino & theater & gang plank just a few floors away & near

the international cafe & piazza on sapphire this jan & march

 

since these do not exist on royal & regal, we booked a sideways

inside on riviera deck R208 175 sq' so we can still be close to

elevators

we have loved every cruise & believe the regal TA april 2015

will be one of our favorites due to the overall elegance & the

itinerary sailing us to copenhagen for my heritage land trip

to sweden :)

Edited April 22, 2014 by loma linda ca a & j

[Loreni]

The Royal Princess has 41sf balconies on many categories and the interior cabins range from 166sf-175sf. highly controversial.

However, Princess has self serve laundry rooms with irons & anytime dining.

 

The solstice Class ships have larger balconies but no self serve laundry room or anytime dining.

 

I am elite with both cruise lines, so I look at the benefits offered from the loyalty programs, Princess has the better program. Unlimited dry-cleaning & laundry.

 

I tried the laundry once and my clothes came back pretty beat up. I am not sure what kind of garments it is appropriate for. My cotton shirt came back shrunk and faded. So now, I just hand wash a few things when needed. On our 28 day cruise, DH did us the self-serve laundry for socks and underwear with no trouble.

[Ahhh]

Having cruised on Celebrity Solstice and Eclipse, I seemed to remember utilizing Celebrity's select dining (anytime). Has this program been discontinued?

Ken

 

It is very popular, just like Princess's is. I would disagree with another poster about the loyalty programs. I much prefer Celebrity's complimentary drinks and hors each evening for two hours in a designated lounge (or drink vouchers on certain sailings), along with limited dry cleaning and free laundry service coupons, free (limited - $99.95 value) internet minutes, than what Princess offers. Even Royal Caribbean's benefits I find more attractive (3 hr cocktail hour with hors; priority tendering, select seating for shows, etc. +) than Princess's.

 

I am not fond of having most of my clothes laundered on a ship either, for a number of reasons. David

[dmwnc1959]

We spend 25% or more of our time on the Promenade Deck....

 

 

A question that has been brought up several times in the past year, and that no one has answered with specific certainty, is whether or not the discontinuation of traditional walking promenade decks on brand new builds in the result of new shipbuilding regulations involving the placement of lifeboats and lifesaving equipment.

 

I had mentioned in the thread 'Plans for Post-Regal New Shipbuilds' that the brand new NCL ships have a sort of promenade due to the fact that their lifeboats are suspended off of the side of the hull instead of being deck mounted. Increasingly we are seeing more and more brand new builds from the mass market cruise lines with deck mounted lifeboats that result in no walkable promenade. Just today I saw a picture of the new Mein Schiff 3 and from what I can gather by looking at the pictures, she also has no promenade. Even the new Quantum of the Seas-class ships appears to have very little if any walkable promenade deck. It appears that the lifeboats, davits, and associated machinery block most of the area along that deck, similar to what's on the Royal-class.

 

So, is this all of due to new shipbuilding regulations?

 

If this is indeed the case I don't suspect we will ever see 'suitable' walkable promenade decks ever again on large mass market ships.

 

 

.

Edited April 23, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[Carolyn R]

Why is it that people are still saying that the Regal will have changes to the Promenade and midship stairs? The only confirmed change that I have seen is the aft plunge pool on deck 17. Have I missed something?

 

I loved my cruise on the Royal. Were there things I missed? Sure. Namely the wind protected Lotus pool, no free steam/sauna, and....can't think of anything else. The pluses definitely outweighed the minuses. I am booked again this fall.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Carolyn R

[tobyt]

I think that everyone has differing opinions on Royal because if everyone liked the same things life would be pretty boring! I liked the newly designed buffet....oh the options but for us there were many missing item lack of pool space, Crown Grill privacy and most importantly entertainment options that we are planning to try a new line next winter rather than the new Princess ship. The difficult thing about personal opinions is that without knowing what someone else dislikes, loves or needs in a ship than it is all just someone elses needs. I tend to be a list maker and I plan to do a more complete list of what we want to decide our next option. Weigh everything it is really the only way for you to decide what is the deal breaker for your trip!

[Carolyn R]

I think that everyone has differing opinions on Royal because if everyone liked the same things life would be pretty boring! I liked the newly designed buffet....oh the options but for us there were many missing item lack of pool space, Crown Grill privacy and most importantly entertainment options that we are planning to try a new line next winter rather than the new Princess ship. The difficult thing about personal opinions is that without knowing what someone else dislikes, loves or needs in a ship than it is all just someone elses needs. I tend to be a list maker and I plan to do a more complete list of what we want to decide our next option. Weigh everything it is really the only way for you to decide what is the deal breaker for your trip!

 

I am confused. Have you sailed on the Royal and decided not to do so again? If not, throw away your lists and give her a try.

[MauiLvrs]

I am confused. Have you sailed on the Royal and decided not to do so again? If not, throw away your lists and give her a try.

 

Why?

I know what I like and what I don't like.

With my $$$ I'll buy what I like and pass on what I don't like.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[Loreni]

I suppose there is the small chance that if I tried it, I would learn that things that don't seem that important to me (like a larger Piazza and Horizon Court) are actually more enjoyable to me that the loss of the things that have always been key to my enjoyment (like a balcony where I can recline facing the sea and a walkable promenade deck).

 

But how likely is this? I never eat at Horizon Court anymore and that isn't because it is too small. When I cruise, I walk several miles a day on the promenade and I spend hours eating, reading, lounging and looking at the sea from my balcony. Maybe I would learn that sitting inside in a larger Piazza is actually so much better than sitting inside a smaller one, that I would not miss the promenade and balcony.

 

If my time on earth were unlimited, I could try the Royal just in case it really is better. But my time on earth is limited, as is my vacation time. So it should not be confusing that I (or others) would skip the Royal.

 

I also don't like the idea of no central stairs and all the power outages and reports of staterooms being so warm.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Loreni

[tobyt]

We were on Royal in February and it was not a favorite, I would not book that ship again. We had a good time being away from our long winter but in 2015 I think we will be trying a new line, there were for us enough negatives to want to dip our toes, at this point leaning toward X since I have heard there are many aspects which are similar to Princess.

We have loved our Princess cruises but with the lack of entertainment which was huge for us and I think might be fleet wide perhaps a couple of alternative lines will allow Princess to redo some of the entertainment.