Royal Class deluxe balcony sofa bed

[msled]

I am considering a cruise with my parents and just sleeping on the sofa bed in a deluxe balcony cabin on the Royal Princess.  I know that it will be crowded but is it worse than me climbing into an upper bunk?  Can you squeeze past to get to the balcony when it's folded out?  Is it easy to open and close each night?  Does the cabin steward do that just like he would do the bunk?  Anyone have input or pictures to help me with my decision?

Thanks,  Susan

[nattie]

We just spent 11 days on Royal in Deluxe Balcony. I would strongly suggest is vs upper bunk.Yes, it is crowded with couch folded out. No, you cannot squeeze by, you will have to climb over the couch to open the balcony door. Room steward folds and unfolds the couch for you every am and pm. If needed, it is easy to do it yourself too. Unfortunately I dont have pics.

[mum and son]

I'm doing exactly the same thing with my parents on the Majestic in September, but my cabin doesn't offer the upper bunk. The room steward will fold the bed back into a sofa each morning and set up the bed for you each night. There is a good pic somewhere on the internet but I can't find it right now.  I'll keep looking. I figure I'll just fold the bottom of the sofa bed up at night so I can freely access the balcony, and then I will fold it down when I'm ready to go to bed. 

 

The end of the bed also obstructs the minibar and I think the TV would be difficult to view from the sofa bed, but not positive on that one. You can always ask for a mattress topper if the bed is uncomfortable (ask early).

[partybarbie]

I've stayed in two of these cabins.  The three person cabin only has the sofa bed.  The four person cabin has a pull-down from the ceiling.  Even if you used the upper bunk, it completely blocks the balcony, because it doesn't fold down against the wall.  It folds out over the sofa bed.  When the sofa bed is out, the door to the refrigerator is blocked.  Yes you can lift up the end, but it's kind of heavy and awkward to do so.  The television is mounted at the end of the main bed.  You will be able to see it from the sofa bed.  The steward takes care of putting it put and down each day, so no worries there.  There's no dresser in the cabin, just a tiny drawer in the desk, and the two night stands.  It's tight for three people, but doable.  I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures of the cabin. 

[MrsRoper]

Does your description differ if in a mini- suite?  There are four of us and trying to get a sense of functionality when all the beds are in operation.... I assume it’s the same with a touch more space?

[partybarbie]

11 hours ago, MrsRoper said:

Does your description differ if in a mini- suite?  There are four of us and trying to get a sense of functionality when all the beds are in operation.... I assume it’s the same with a touch more space?

 

I've only stayed in one mini-suite, and it was on the Grand Princess.  There was a lot more room.  The sofa bed is a day bed, not a fold out.  The fourth bunk drops down from the ceiling, and runs along the wall above the sofa bed, so the balcony door isn't blocked.  

Edited July 30, 2019 by partybarbie

[nattie]

12 hours ago, MrsRoper said:

Does your description differ if in a mini- suite?  There are four of us and trying to get a sense of functionality when all the beds are in operation.... I assume it’s the same with a touch more space?

We have also stayed in mini on Regal. It is has waay more space, 2 TVs (one aimed at sofa bed), privacy curtain between sofa bed and main "bedroom" area. It also has extra dresser space, larger bathroom with more shelving AND you can access balcony without folding the sofa bed (very tight, but doable). For 3 adults I would absolutely go with Mini. We have 2 adults and 10 yo, so deluxe balcony is still doable for us.

[mum and son]

Here's the link to the deluxe balcony thread with photo of triple set up:  https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/photos/ships/majestic-princess-987/member-3/134324/