cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 #1 Share Posted April 19, 2018 In checking out the deck plans, it looks as though there is no Crooners. [emoji15]. It also looks like the Wheelhouse Bar has been renamed the Crown Grill Bar.......can’t imagine why they would do away with Crooners......head scratcher. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dides Posted April 19, 2018 #2 Share Posted April 19, 2018 In checking out the deck plans, it looks as though there is no Crooners. [emoji15]. It also looks like the Wheelhouse Bar has been renamed the Crown Grill Bar.......can’t imagine why they would do away with Crooners......head scratcher. Yes, it's following the same design principles used for Majestic Princess which was launched last year. The French Bistro replaced Crooners. Sandra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I wasn't aware of that as I haven't paid too mich attention to the Majestic. Question is...WHY?? It's a popular venue, and can't imagine it wasn't generating revenue. I really can't picture another venue that has the same coziness factor, part of the piazza, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted April 19, 2018 #4 Share Posted April 19, 2018 My understanding is that the Sky Princess, like the Majestic Princess, is designed to appeal to the Asian market. Apparently a venue like Crooners has less appeal to people in Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted April 19, 2018 #5 Share Posted April 19, 2018 With the elimination of Crooner's Princess is reaching the break point of packing passengers into limited venues in order to place restaurants in unpleasant locations. Who really wants to dine in an area where bands are playing two decks below? Have you also noticed how limited the seating is around the Retreat Pool? I did notice that Princess Live appears larger and is open to the corridor. Maybe it's been changed to a lounge. In my opinion Royal Class ships are very poorly designed. Wish they would stop building them and come up with a different passenger friendly design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted April 19, 2018 #6 Share Posted April 19, 2018 The sacrifice of open deck area around the Retreat Pool, in order to squeeze in a few more berths.... There are, indeed, new levels of low that even Princess will stoop to. : ( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffa30 Posted April 19, 2018 #7 Share Posted April 19, 2018 My understanding is that the Sky Princess, like the Majestic Princess, is designed to appeal to the Asian market. Apparently a venue like Crooners has less appeal to people in Asia. Where did you hear this? I am impatiently waiting for the 2019/20 itineraries to see where the Sky Princess might be sailing once it leaves the Mediterranean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted April 19, 2018 #8 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Are the deck plans finalized... Or, pending... To be Determined??? I know that other new-builds coming out have not actually finalized their deck plans yet. Still tweaking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 Author #9 Share Posted April 19, 2018 The Grand vs. Royal class issue seems to be a very polarizing one. Thus far we've been able to enjoy both classes for different reasons. We personally give the Royal class the edge because of the additional dining venues and bigger Piazza. If they follow through with some of the changes on the Sky, it may eliminate it for us. Was really hoping they would replace Princess Live! with the Explorer's lounge (or similar venue), so that's strike 1, eliminating Crooners is a huge strike 2, and I've yet to check out the top deck plans so not sure about the Retreat area....hoping it's not strike 3. Someone asked where the Sky would be sailing after it's European Inaugural sailing....my understanding is that it was to spend the spring and summer of 2020 (at least) in the Caribbean. We have friends who are looking forward to booking during that time frame and that's what they were told by the Circle Host last month on the Ruby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenosha Cruiser Posted April 19, 2018 #10 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I'll miss Crooners Bar on the Sky Princess! I wonder if it's elimination has anything to do with Princess dropping happy hour. I always loved going to Crooners Bar on the royal class ships for happy hour. Another disappointment from Princess. The new Sky Princess is scheduled to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday December 1st. It should be sailing the Caribbean starting at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I'll miss Crooners Bar on the Sky Princess! I wonder if it's elimination has anything to do with Princess dropping happy hour. I always loved going to Crooners Bar on the royal class ships for happy hour. Another disappointment from Princess. The new Sky Princess is scheduled to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday December 1st. It should be sailing the Caribbean starting at that time. Hi Ken, anything is possible but, since they didn’t put Crooners on the Majestic - it would seem to be a change in the build design going forward and including the Sky. Up until a few months ago happy hour was alive and well....so who knows:)? It’s not a deal breaker but it sure makes you wonder what the motivation or thinking behind some of the decisions is. If they got rid of the Library, that would at least make sense from a revenue perspective....oh well, I’m still looking forward to the release of the itineraries- checked this am - nothing yet. [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsp Posted April 19, 2018 #12 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Princess bangs on about the end of cruise survey and how important your opinion is. Anyone know a single passenger who prefers Princess Live over Explorers lounge. I've never used Crooners in my life but I'm sure it generates more revenue than a pay restaurant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted April 19, 2018 #13 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Here is a common sense idea, which Princess seems to have little of. Let Sabatini's share the space with a French Bistro. I have never seen Sabatini's full on any Princess ship. Why waste Crooner's lounge space and income? To comment on another post, After sailing 54 days on the Royal over a few years I have never heard even one person say anything good about Princess Live and the fake TV programs. Even their karaoke selections are lame with lots of popular songs missing from their inventory. Princess is too cheap to spend for the rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Flyer Posted April 19, 2018 #14 Share Posted April 19, 2018 My guess is that replacing Crooners with La Mer French bistro is based on what Princess projects would be most profitable. I don’t think it’s based on being another ship geared towards the Asian market because the many other changes to the Majestic are not being made to the Sky. The Majestic was modified exclusively for the Asian market but quickly redeployed to AU/NZ/SP for much of the year which is an indication that Asia wasn’t as profitable as predicted. So it’s doubtful to me that replacing Crooners with La Mer is for the Asian market. Friends & other posts say that La Mer’s open location where passengers frequently pass by was a major factor in not dining there. Ambiance is part of the reason I go to a specialty restaurant & a parade of passing passengers is nothing desirable to me. These are merely my opinions but the bottom line is probably that bean counters feel that La Mer will be more profitable than Crooners...follow the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I think having Sabattinis and the new French Bistro share space instead of the Bistro replacing Crooners makes a lot of sense. In terms of Princess Live! vs. The Explorers Lounge....it seems like Princess could make the Live! venue more “friendly” if they are committed to keeping it...more comfortable seating with more access to the seats, drink holders, etc. though it’s still a tough place to play trivia because you can’t write easily. Having said that, we have had some good times with friends in Princess Live! participating in various games, including the Yes or No game, which I won:). My biggest frustration is doing away with Crooners - lives the ambience and routine of meeting up for drinks and socializing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suekel Posted April 19, 2018 #16 Share Posted April 19, 2018 With the elimination of Crooner's Princess is reaching the break point of packing passengers into limited venues in order to place restaurants in unpleasant locations. Who really wants to dine in an area where bands are playing two decks below? Have you also noticed how limited the seating is around the Retreat Pool? I did notice that Princess Live appears larger and is open to the corridor. Maybe it's been changed to a lounge.In my opinion Royal Class ships are very poorly designed. Wish they would stop building them and come up with a different passenger friendly design. I agree on so many levels. Back to an older ship for me. Hated the lack of pools and we only did one event in Princess Live because we hated it. Much prefer doing events in a lounge with comfy seating and tables. And bar service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorontoTL Posted April 19, 2018 #17 Share Posted April 19, 2018 With the elimination of Crooner's Princess is reaching the break point of packing passengers into limited venues in order to place restaurants in unpleasant locations. Who really wants to dine in an area where bands are playing two decks below? Have you also noticed how limited the seating is around the Retreat Pool? I did notice that Princess Live appears larger and is open to the corridor. Maybe it's been changed to a lounge.In my opinion Royal Class ships are very poorly designed. Wish they would stop building them and come up with a different passenger friendly design. If you look at the deck plans closely, there is a second level on the sky deck around the Retreat Pool, the overall space around the pool will be about the same. The addition of the cabins doesn't in fact reduce the deck space around the Retreat, it is just spread out over two decks instead of only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kartgv Posted April 19, 2018 #18 Share Posted April 19, 2018 (edited) We've sailed over 150 nights on Princess, but with the loss of Skywalkers and now Crooners (and even Explorer's Lounge?) on the newer ships, we're seeing fewer and fewer reasons to book any more. Where do they expect you to go for a quiet drink or daytime-at sea relaxation? I love my balcony, but don't want to have to spend all my time there, especially on sea days in cooler climates. It looks like we're limited to the older ships or switching to other cruise lines. Edited April 19, 2018 by Kartgv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffa30 Posted April 19, 2018 #19 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Just done a side by side comparison of the Sky Princess deck plans against those of the Regal Princess and there are a number of subtle differences. There are also names missing for some venues. Unlike some others on CC, we are excited to see what’s in store as we love the Royal Class ships generally. We’re booked on one of the initial two week Mediterranean itineraries and will likely book one of the (hopefully) soon to be released 2019/20 cruises. There are a lot of complaints about Princess at the moment but having sailed on a few other mainstream lines (like we all obviously have), the grass isn’t always greener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseintoheaven Posted April 19, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Just done a side by side comparison of the Sky Princess deck plans against those of the Regal Princess and there are a number of subtle differences. There are also names missing for some venues. Unlike some others on CC, we are excited to see what’s in store as we love the Royal Class ships generally. We’re booked on one of the initial two week Mediterranean itineraries and will likely book one of the (hopefully) soon to be released 2019/20 cruises. There are a lot of complaints about Princess at the moment but having sailed on a few other mainstream lines (like we all obviously have), the grass isn’t always greener. You raise some good points. We actually have sailed exclusively with Princess for the last 4 years or so, but we did sail a handful of times on two other lines prior to that. Despite some of the changes I don’t care for (particularly the demise of Crooners), we always feel “at home” on Princess and do appreciate the things they do well. We are also looking forward to the cruising on the Sky....we’ll just have to find our new “Crooners”! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted April 19, 2018 #21 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Toronto, that may be true, but STiLL fully encloses that pool area ( which I just do NOT get...). at the expense of the deck space around the pool area. At least maybe wind will not be an issue. just being crammed in with no air of view of the sea... not worth the trade-off.... Now, if they had made this a nice adult area with a retractable glass roof... That I might get onboard with. Yes, pun intended. That would make the space usable and enjoyable during all itineraries and conditions... But, then again, Princess wouldn't bother to actually heat the pool or the area.. so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorontoTL Posted April 21, 2018 #22 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Toronto, that may be true, but STiLL fully encloses that pool area ( which I just do NOT get...). at the expense of the deck space around the pool area. At least maybe wind will not be an issue. just being crammed in with no air of view of the sea... not worth the trade-off.... Now, if they had made this a nice adult area with a retractable glass roof... That I might get onboard with. Yes, pun intended. That would make the space usable and enjoyable during all itineraries and conditions... But, then again, Princess wouldn't bother to actually heat the pool or the area.. so.... I agree, I hope it has a covered pool like the Majestic Princess has. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casco Bay Kid Posted April 22, 2018 #23 Share Posted April 22, 2018 No more happy hour. No need for Crooners I guess. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Geegitz Posted April 22, 2018 #24 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Yeah the servers must hate that happy hour is gone. I used to give some nice tips for the good deal on the drinks. I'm sure others did too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Geegitz Posted April 22, 2018 #25 Share Posted April 22, 2018 The sun deck for the retreat pool is now a level above the pool. So you have to go down the stairs to take a dip. The Sanctuary is on the upper deck level also. The also added a hot tub to the sanctuary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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