Royal Princess: The shape of things to come for HAL?

[Krazy Kruizers]

those ships of 141,000 and larger are too big for me

[m steve]

because HAL has a niche just like Cunard or Carnival does and if I want to sail on that style of ship, I'll just book Princess. I hope that they make the balcony cabins as big as HALs so I won't need to book a mini suite. Carnival Corp has so many different lines and ships so that they don't have to have the same thing in every sub co. Regardless, it will be a popular ship and will add to Princess' desireability as an alternate to the other lines and be more as a competitor to X or RCL. I would definately book it as we do with other Princess ships. I hope the new royal, Kate, is the godmother.

[x lindsay x]

That video was an excellent sales pitch for me. I absolutely loved the Sanctuary area on board the Caribbean Princess last summer and am very pleased to see an overall expansion of the adults only area. It appears that Princess and Carnival are both really trying to make distinct adults only areas on their newer ships - a good draw for someone like me who doesn't mind those size ships and lines if you can get some quite time by the pool.

[GmaPajama]

This thread is certainly food for thought. While I, personally, would never cruise on one of those huge ships - it's a fact that many people do. I understand Oasis of the Seas is nearly always sold out, and that has to be a money maker for RCL.

 

Should HAL decide to build such a ship, I'd be fine with it - so long as they keep the smaller ships that I so love. Maybe with all the profit from the mega-ships, they could continue with all that is special about the R & S Class ships ... at no extra cost to those of us who choose them.

[jkrislc]

In all honesty, the new ships are designed to serve three purposes: (1) attract the vast majority of the public who haven't cruised, (2) serve as a destination for those tired of the same old ports, and (3) create more revenue generating venues. However, the downside is the the increasing number of berths will outstrip demand, which will make it harder for the cruise lines to keep prices at a premium. While they're doing okay now with pricing on the new builds, they're stealing customers from their older, smaller ships, which means they need to drop those fares.

 

Unless the major cruise lines start retiring a lot of ships, I'm not sure how they're going to fill all these cabins especially when the smaller lines like Oceana are getting into the "big ship" market.

['The Bear']

That's far too large a vessel for us, but that size apparently suits the younger crowd, based on the new-builds ---- 'bigger is better'!

 

The 'bell curve' of the post-war baby boom peaked at 1953. Those people are turning 58 this year, and will be cruising for what ----- another 20 - 25 years. (I'm well past that 1953 group by the way :o) I imagine someone in marketing for HAL realizes that the staid, more experienced cruisers (;)) are a deminishing demographic, and they must plan accordingly!

 

I'm sure that HAL will keep our favourite smaller sized ships in service, and retire them as we retire/disappear :rolleyes:; therefore, Brian, I believe you might be correct in suggesting that this style of ship will be the wave of the future.

[Hlitner]

We think the problem faced by HA and small ship lovers is simply economies of scale. Even the Mega ships still have 2 Captains, 1 Chief Engineer, etc etc. Fuel costs are much lower (per passenger day/mile) on mega ships. The large size also makes it more practical to add more amenities that help maximize on-board revenue. The only way to make smaller ships profitable is to simply increase prices...which works fine for the ultra-luxury lines but is a problem for a mass-market line like HA. Like many HA fans we like to look for smaller ships that have a reasonable price....but that is now becoming difficult. Even the Prinsendam (we love this ship) generally costs a lot more then most newer large ships. In fact, we pay more for a basic outside cabin on the Prinsendam then we pay for nice balcony cabins on large ships.

 

Hank

[ironin]

Have you seen the announcement for Princess' new ship?

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4413#

 

...also a video on the Princess home page:

 

http://www.princess.com/

 

So what do you think - Is this the basis for the HAL newbuild that is in planning for 2014?

 

I don't know if this is the basis for the HAL newbuild, but I'm willing to wager that whatever HAL builds will be larger and carry more passengers than the Signature class. As we can see, Princess is "going large." Both Celebrity's most recent 2 ship classes (Millenium and Solstice) are 10%-30% larger than the Signature class.

 

I'm no expert, but off the top of my head, I can't think of any cruise line, big or small, who has recently brought out (or plans to bring out) a new class that is not appreciably bigger than their most recent. For example, Oceania's two new ships hold 80%+ more passengers than the original three, one of which is leaving the fleet.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I'm no expert, but off the top of my head, I can't think of any cruise line, big or small, who has recently brought out (or plans to bring out) a new class that is not appreciably bigger than their most recent. For example, Oceania's two new ships hold 80%+ more passengers than the original three, one of which is leaving the fleet.

 

An article in the annual Cruise Travel industry update showed all the new builds ordered or being built and they were all big ships. The small ship lines had bigger ships on the way, like Oceania and Seabourn...still small by most standards but bigger than what they currently operate. Also, new build activity was at a relative low level due to the economy. The Princess ships have been on the books so the announcement by Princess is only new from the standpoint of design, not size.

[RevNeal]

I'm no expert, but off the top of my head, I can't think of any cruise line, big or small, who has recently brought out (or plans to bring out) a new class that is not appreciably bigger than their most recent. For example, Oceania's two new ships hold 80%+ more passengers than the original three, one of which is leaving the fleet.

 

Cunard's m.s. Queen Elizabeth is larger than the Queen Victoria, but both are smaller than the Queen Mary 2 ... which preceded them. :)

 

I know ... that doesn't mean much, but it's still true.

[bepsf]

Cunard's m.s. Queen Elizabeth is larger than the Queen Victoria, but both are smaller than the Queen Mary 2 ... which preceded them. :)

 

I know ... that doesn't mean much, but it's still true.

 

...and from what I hear, the upcoming RCCL ships codenamed "Project Sunshine" will be smaller than their Genesis-Class and Freedom/Voyager-Class predecessors.

[SwissMyst]

Only time will tell!;)

Spaarndam

Leerdam

Obdam

Werkendam

 

Grossdam Any ship that I need to take an elevator to get to the main activity decks is too big for me. I want ships that are no more than 2-3 decks away from what I want to do.

[ironin]

An article in the annual Cruise Travel industry update showed all the new builds ordered or being built and they were all big ships. The small ship lines had bigger ships on the way, like Oceania and Seabourn...still small by most standards but bigger than what they currently operate. Also, new build activity was at a relative low level due to the economy. The Princess ships have been on the books so the announcement by Princess is only new from the standpoint of design, not size.

 

That's what I was thinking - the smaller ship operators are building much larger, even if still smaller, ships. Niche marketing hasn't found a way to trump economic reality, I guess.

 

Cunard's m.s. Queen Elizabeth is larger than the Queen Victoria, but both are smaller than the Queen Mary 2 ... which preceded them. :)

 

I know ... that doesn't mean much, but it's still true.

 

That reminds me, aren't the QE and QV are modified Vista-class ships?

 

...and from what I hear, the upcoming RCCL ships codenamed "Project Sunshine" will be smaller than their Genesis-Class and Freedom/Voyager-Class predecessors.

 

How big are those, though? After I wrote the original post, I remembered NCL said something to the effect they weren't going to build another Epic :eek: any time soon. (Good thing, too, IMO BWDIK?)

[ironin]

Grossdam

How about Götterdämmerungdam? :D

[SwissMyst]

How about Götterdämmerungdam? :D

 

Sadly, I think the Twilight is for the small ships, not the Gotter dam large ones.:( Ho-yo-to-ho!

[bepsf]

That reminds me, aren't the QE and QV are modified Vista-class ships?

 

Quite so - as are Costa Luminosa & Deliziosa.

30 feet longer and slightly different GA's - and the Cunarders have heavier hulls...

[kazu]

I am just glad that we are getting on the Prisendam before she is no longer :eek:

 

I think there is a place for 'niche' markets willing to pay a bit extra.

 

hopefully some clever person looks outside the box and realizes that some of us prefer the smaller ships :confused:

 

Truly if you look at Oceania's new Marina, it is much larger than the other ships in the fleet. Sad, very sad.

 

I really do like the smaller ships - Ooesterdam was fine, Zuiderdam was better and the NA is my last choice to try again (too many bumps - ship happens - but not again for a while) ...back to the smaller ships for me while they still sail:):) May HAL realize the benefit of building more or even replacing the Prisendam when her time comes :rolleyes:

[bepsf]

Truly if you look at Oceania's new Marina, it is much larger than the other ships in the fleet. Sad, very sad.

 

She's actually a lovely ship -

She's the size of a HAL R-Class, but w/ a lower passenger capacity than an S-Class.

[Cruise Junky]

Well, it's certainly a fresh look for Princess. It should appeal to a lot of people. The adults-only retreat pool appears to be an extra-cost option, since it's in the cabana area.

 

I still like the nautical lines of HAL ships, and I'm not keen on huge vessels. But something tells me that this basic design will eventually appear in the Holland America fleet.

 

Just to clarify the adult pool is not part of the Sanctuary. The pool is free to use. There will be a cost to rent a Cabana

[ironin]

She's actually a lovely ship -

She's the size of a HAL R-Class, but w/ a lower passenger capacity than an S-Class.

 

I noticed that. I'm very interested in sailing aboard either the Marina or the Riviera. As Riviera's sailings just went on sale today, I imagine they are sold out already ;)

[pris993]

We are Princess fans (and also HA fans) and do welcome the new design. Princess has milked the Grand Class design for many years and its time for something a little differnt. That being said we really love the smaller HA ships for a change in pace,

 

Hank

 

We are Princess, HAL, Celebrity fans. I too welcome a new Princess design, we cruised on the Grand when it was brand new in l998 - that is a long time ago. We do love the smaller Royal Princess - we cruised on her in 2007 to the Eastern Mediterranean and did a Baltic cruise on the original Royal Princes in l997.

 

We have been on the new Celebrity ships - the Equinox in 2009 and will be going on the Rotterdam this year. So we like to try a variety of ships and lines. We are also going on the Cunard Queen Victoria later this month for the first time.

 

We had a great time on the Ruby Princess on a TA a year ago, would love to do another TA on this New Royal Princess -will have to see what the itineraries are like.

 

We are very lucky to have so many options. I do resist Disney, NCL and RCCL though.

[GuyFromOK]

Just to clarify the adult pool is not part of the Sanctuary. The pool is free to use. There will be a cost to rent a Cabana

I look forward to learning more about the Sanctuary. My take on the video clip is that the entire top deck is dedicated to the Sanctuary and the adult only pool may be part of the Sanctuary.

 

It is nice to have choices!

[Cruise Junky]

I look forward to learning more about the Sanctuary. My take on the video clip is that the entire top deck is dedicated to the Sanctuary and the adult only pool may be part of the Sanctuary.

 

It is nice to have choices!

 

I got confirmation from Princess today that the pool is not part of the Sanctuary. It is adult only, and the cabanas will have a charge, but it will be free to use the pool.

 

The whole top deck looks lovely, I can't wait to sail on her

[esther e]

I noticed that. I'm very interested in sailing aboard either the Marina or the Riviera. As Riviera's sailings just went on sale today, I imagine they are sold out already ;)

 

 

But you know how people scoop up staterooms and cancel!;) Have no fear.:)

[signora]

That's far too large a vessel for us' date=' but that size apparently suits the younger crowd, based on the new-builds ---- 'bigger is better'!

 

The 'bell curve' of the post-war baby boom peaked at 1953. Those people are turning 58 this year, and will be cruising for what ----- another 20 - 25 years. (I'm well past that 1953 group by the way :o) I imagine someone in marketing for HAL realizes that the staid, more experienced cruisers (;)) are a deminishing demographic, and they must plan accordingly!

 

I'm sure that HAL will keep our favourite smaller sized ships in service, and retire them as we retire/disappear :rolleyes:; therefore, Brian, I believe you might be correct in suggesting that this style of ship will be the wave of the future.[/quote']

 

We're a bit younger than the average baby boomers, and having cruised on Eurodam last month we prefer to go no bigger! We met a few couples even younger than us who loved the ship as well. I think there is still a niche for a 'smaller' ship, at least not the megas, even with a younger crowd. Here's hoping!