DRS/NC Posted April 23, 2015 #1 Share Posted April 23, 2015 If you usually book OV cabins, have you cruised w/the Royal or Regal? I'm especially interested to hear from SOLO passengers. I want to do the last Baltic/St. Petersburg cruise in Aug. or Sept. 2016 B2B with TA home. After the port intensive Baltic, I'd like to avoid the long TA flight home. However, as a solo senior, I was shocked at the potential cost! Three weeks in an INSIDE cabin -- yuck! But the cost of a balcony -- yikes! [And yes, I use the cabin a good bit on such a long cruise.] I'll look at other cruise lines, but I'd prefer to stay w/Princess. On such a long trip, I need my Elite perks (laundry & internet). Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofy559 Posted April 24, 2015 #2 Share Posted April 24, 2015 The sideways insides are lovely. I love having a balcony but have sailed these on the Royal with no hesitation. They feel much roomier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted April 24, 2015 #3 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Really strange that the Royal/Regal have no outsides. Should have been no insides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted April 24, 2015 #4 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I was solo in E703 on the Royal on her trans-Atlantic in September. Obstructed view balcony cabin that wasn't obstructed. Paid not a whole lot more than an inside. Well worth it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamcruiser53 Posted April 24, 2015 #5 Share Posted April 24, 2015 We had an inside sideways cabin on the Royal Lido deck and loved it. You could do an inside for the Baltic, then switch to a balcony for the TA (just a thought). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenorus Posted April 24, 2015 #6 Share Posted April 24, 2015 We were on the royal for 20 days. First time ever in an inside cabin and really enjoyed it. Did not miss the balcony at all and yes we also had the sideway inside. Would do it again no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar1950 Posted April 24, 2015 #7 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Really strange that the Royal/Regal have no outsides.Should have been no insides. Ok, I'll bite. How would they have done that?? What would they do with all of that inside space on all of those decks??:confused::cool::D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working 2 Cruise Posted April 24, 2015 #8 Share Posted April 24, 2015 One suggestion... book the cruise as two separate ones... the fares, at least on the TA, are bound to drop.... then, keep watching the fares and call either your TA or Princess to take advantage of the price drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted April 24, 2015 #9 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Ok, I'll bite. How would they have done that?? What would they do with all of that inside space on all of those decks??:confused::cool::D Pipe dream. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eandj Posted April 24, 2015 #10 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I agree with Pam. Check out the obstructed balconies if you will go nuts inside for that long....At least for one part of that long of trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickEk Posted April 24, 2015 #11 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Really strange that the Royal/Regal have no outsides.Should have been no insides. They wanted every outside cabin to have a balcony... Ok, I'll bite. How would they have done that?? What would they do with all of that inside space on all of those decks??:confused::cool::D Well, the original Royal Princess had all outside cabins... no insides. 'Course she's a much smaller ship. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRS/NC Posted April 24, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thanks! I's thought of possibly different cabins for each leg of the B2B. Now, I'll look at OV balcony -- see what that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Day Cruiser Posted April 24, 2015 #13 Share Posted April 24, 2015 If you usually book OV cabins, have you cruised w/the Royal or Regal? I'm especially interested to hear from SOLO passengers. I want to do the last Baltic/St. Petersburg cruise in Aug. or Sept. 2016 B2B with TA home. After the port intensive Baltic, I'd like to avoid the long TA flight home. However, as a solo senior, I was shocked at the potential cost! Three weeks in an INSIDE cabin -- yuck! But the cost of a balcony -- yikes! [And yes, I use the cabin a good bit on such a long cruise.] I'll look at other cruise lines, but I'd prefer to stay w/Princess. On such a long trip, I need my Elite perks (laundry & internet). Any ideas? I did the last Baltic and the TA in 2014 solo. I was in cabin A405. It is one of the sideways cabins. While I would rather be in a balcony, the cost is too high for a single. So I do fine in an inside cabin and then can cruise more often. A 405 is a great location except for waiting for the elevator. With no center stairs the elevators can be slow. But that is the only drawback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrzebird Posted April 24, 2015 #14 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thanks! I's thought of possibly different cabins for each leg of the B2B. Now, I'll look at OV balcony -- see what that is. I absolutely loved my sideways, inside cabin on deck 10 (323) on the Royal. Close to everything and an easy walk down the aft stairs. The cabin is roomy and perfect for me, as a solo. Just watch out for the ones that sleep 4. The bunks hang down over the bed and don't recess into the ceiling. Very claustrophobic. The cabin is very roomy, well set out and appointed. The TV is amazing. I like it so much that I booked it for my b2b in October on the Regal. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsqrl Posted April 24, 2015 #15 Share Posted April 24, 2015 If you usually book OV cabins, have you cruised w/the Royal or Regal? I'm especially interested to hear from SOLO passengers. I want to do the last Baltic/St. Petersburg cruise in Aug. or Sept. 2016 B2B with TA home. After the port intensive Baltic, I'd like to avoid the long TA flight home. However, as a solo senior, I was shocked at the potential cost! Three weeks in an INSIDE cabin -- yuck! But the cost of a balcony -- yikes! [And yes, I use the cabin a good bit on such a long cruise.] I'll look at other cruise lines, but I'd prefer to stay w/Princess. On such a long trip, I need my Elite perks (laundry & internet). Any ideas? How do I handle it? I don't sail on either of those ships. People who disagree with Princess's refusal to include oceanview cabins need to man-up and refuse to book on the R twins. Of course, this is pretty easy for me since the price of the cheapest balcony has never even come close to a per diem that approximates what a window cabin would go for. And there's no way I could survive in an interior -- I must have sunlight/a view to the outside. That said, if I were to abandon my convictions for an awesome TA itinerary (such as the Regal's, which are really tempting), I'd wait until the last minute for a flash sale on balconies and hope for the best. If the price never fell to acceptable levels, c'est la guerre. And make no mistake: I am indeed waging guerre with Princess over this no-window-cabin nonsense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo222 Posted April 24, 2015 #16 Share Posted April 24, 2015 That said, if I were to abandon my convictions for an awesome TA itinerary (such as the Regal's, which are really tempting), I'd wait until the last minute for a flash sale on balconies and hope for the best. If the price never fell to acceptable levels, c'est la guerre. And make no mistake: I am indeed waging guerre with Princess over this no-window-cabin nonsense! Or, book an inside with cancel for any reason insurance. Wait for upsell to balcony. If none, cancel. We were looking at an inside for an alaska cruise, as some friends asked us to come along. After drilling down in the princess web site, obstructed was only $50 more than inside. Fine. Then, a few weeks before sailing, princess offered us an upsell to a balcony for $129pp. Again fine. And, way cheaper than booking the balcony at the time we originally booked. Interestingly, if we had booked the inside originally, the balcony upsell was $250pp. So, we pretty much fell into a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susancruzs Posted April 24, 2015 #17 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I sail solo all the time and booking with a TA who handles a large volume really helps. I was onboard the Emerald last year for the Canaries then transatlantic. I would not do the trips individually, Grand Adventures are always less. I was booked on the Fall 2016 Regal but switched to April crossing plus Baltic, saved over two thousand. I booked A217, sideways inside, marked for upgrade. I'm not crazy about the flight home, Copenhagen to Wisc. but the price difference was so drastic, outweighed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnerodb83 Posted April 24, 2015 #18 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Ok, I'll bite. How would they have done that?? What would they do with all of that inside space on all of those decks??:confused::cool::D The original Royal Princess had no inside cabins...granted a much smaller ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindy sails Posted April 25, 2015 #19 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I booked an interior guarantee highest category and was upgraded to a balcony cabin on the Regal. I truly spent more time on the pool decks then the balcony but it was a plus having one. I loved the Regal. The interior cabins especially the side way cabins are really nice. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now