Royal Princess design: badly solsticized

[The Big Booper]

I am one of those bent out of shape because I have cruised Celebrity's new ships (did a 12 day on the Equinox and 7 day on Eclipse) and did not feel my experience aboard was nearly as enjoyable as a similar cruise on Princess. I cruised a second time on the Eclipse, to see if my first experience was off track. Even booked an Aqua class, still I was not impressed. I am elite on both Princess and Celebrity. If I returned to Celebrity it will be on one of their old ships. If I cruise on the Royal, I will wait to read reviews first and look for an itinerary I am really interested in doing. I would love be excited about the new Royal design - unfortunately Princess has copied something that did not work me on Celebrity.

 

Lots of people on the =X= board prefer the M ships over the S ships and vv. Different strokes for different folks. Each class targets different groups.

 

At least you tried the S ships.

[hubofhockey]

I agree Cruzer2012!

 

And, I am not going to bash a, supposedly, somewhat 'solsticized' ship.

 

But, while improving on some positive features... WHY ELIMINATE SO MANY OTHERS??????

 

When I came back to CC here, after quite a while, to look into the Sapphire, I noticed the chatter about the grand new ship, and took a look.

 

The one thing that I immediately noticed... On a ship that huge... ONE pool area???? Really... ONE pool... forget the nice aft pool... forget the two center pool concept, so one can have MUTS, entertainment, etc.. and then another pool for those who wish to avoid that much noise and activity... (while situated to share common service areas) Then, also, on a ship that holds several thousand passengers, the one other pool, and only adult pool is tiny, and is totally commandeered by 6 palapas. REALLY... all of 6 palapas... completely surround the entire pool.

 

While I am not bashing Princess for 'Solsticizing' or for many other things... I have to look at what they are doing and :confused:

 

I see many aspects of this ship, those mentioned here, and several others that are current and ongoing topics of conversation here on CC, that are the typical myopic and narrow shortsided viewpoints of those in power, which is completely at odds with any understanding of passenger desires and comforts.

 

I find that there should be a lot more to cruising than sitting in bars and restaurants (and, of course, casino) But, that seems to be ALL that Princess, in their narrow near-sightedness, can see to offer???? (edited to add: And, PLEASE, do not assume that I am talking about climbing wall and ice rinks... NOT AT ALL)

 

I wonder if the one large pool area could mean the end of daytime movies on the big screen and more use of it to showcase a live poolside band. At night, I suppose the laser light show will be done in between movies. We'll have to wait and see. But it is hard to get around the fact that the upper pool concept is somewhat obnoxious. I haven't seen anyone defend that one.

[terrierjohn]

Huh?!?! What is your point? Is the new Royal Princess somehow flawed, in your view, because you think there are similarities between its design and the design of other cruise ships?

Nope, I was merely giving my opinion of the ships looks, a little top heavy at the front a la Epic, and somewhat Solstice like at the rear, if you think this makes it flawed, so be it.

The basics of cruise ships in general are very similar. It is when you get into the detail that the special nature of each cruise ship is revealed. And there is a corresponding group of travelers who like each cruise ship because of its differences.

I suspect that all cruise ship designers are aiming to produce something that appeals to a majority of passengers, rather than catering to one specific group.

Finally I am quite looking forward to seeing Royal Princess in Venice during our Azura cruise next year; and, since we are now restricted to no fly cruises, I will probably be booking a cruise on its P&O sister when she debuts in 2015.

[ljandiernp]

I would love to be excited about the new Royal Princess. So far I am not. Will wait to read reviews. They will tell us more than any of Princess hype. I am also waiting to see what itineraries they have for the fall of 2014 to see whether I want to go at all..

 

We are going on our 21st Princess cruise in September, we have a couple of FBCs, waiting for something that excites us.

 

Hi, I am right there will you on this one! I have vacationed enough to know that I want to be away from home for about 10 days. This means either a cruise of this length or a departure port where I would enjoy extending my vacation by a few days. Royal's winter 2014 cruises are all 7 days, Eastern Caribbean, out of Ft. Lauderdale. I prefer the Southern, Eastern, then Western Caribbean in that order, want a longer cruise, and have no interest in extending my vacation in Ft Lauderdale; I am not a college student any more, LOL! So while the ship is pretty and I'd enjoy cruising on a new ship (I like the Horizon Court changes), the cruise length and location are more important to me. We are cruising for 10 days in the Southern Caribbean this winter and I can't wait to go!

Does anyone have a sense of the pattern (if there is such a thing) to the itinerary changes of a new ship? For example is it predictable when Royal will do longer cruises or go to the Southern Caribbean?

Laurie

[IECalCruiser]

Hi, I am right there will you on this one! I have vacationed enough to know that I want to be away from home for about 10 days. This means either a cruise of this length or a departure port where I would enjoy extending my vacation by a few days. Royal's winter 2014 cruises are all 7 days, Eastern Caribbean, out of Ft. Lauderdale. I prefer the Southern, Eastern, then Western Caribbean in that order, want a longer cruise, and have no interest in extending my vacation in Ft Lauderdale; I am not a college student any more, LOL! So while the ship is pretty and I'd enjoy cruising on a new ship (I like the Horizon Court changes), the cruise length and location are more important to me. We are cruising for 10 days in the Southern Caribbean this winter and I can't wait to go!

Does anyone have a sense of the pattern (if there is such a thing) to the itinerary changes of a new ship? For example is it predictable when Royal will do longer cruises or go to the Southern Caribbean?

Laurie

With the Regal? joining the Royal in the Fall of 2014 in the Caribbean one of them will need to do a different itinerary but who knows what?

[Mulege]

I have seen that rating. It's a funny reading. The Carnival Extasy is above the Queen Elizabeth, etc.

No, thank you.

 

Since we are on CC I refer you to the CC member ratings. Best overall ships have 4 Solstice class ships in the top 10. No Princess ship are listed.

[JLC@SD]

I wish i could have voted .....I Definitely do not like these.

 

These new-builds are just too big .....including Royal Princess ......:eek:

[pris993]

Since we are on CC I refer you to the CC member ratings. Best overall ships have 4 Solstice class ships in the top 10. No Princess ship are listed.

 

 

That does not mean all people rate the solstice class ship highly. Been on the Eclipse and Equinox. I did a week on the Eclipse and a week on the Ruby, back to back. We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity. Comparing the two back to back, enjoyed the Ruby more. At lot of hype on Celebrity - even in Aqua class, with Blu.

 

For those who love solstice good for them. Not our cup of tea .

[IECalCruiser]

From a recent press release.

 

"As an innovative prototype for a new ground-breaking class of ship, the Royal Princess stands out for its new "future-proof design", not only in terms of layout and state-of-the-art performance, but also because it complies with the most recent regulations in shipping.

 

Among the keystones of this trend are the rational use of space, with the aim of avoiding any wasted tonnage that would otherwise increase operating costs, and energy saving to reduce emissions into the atmosphere and water. The ship will be able to adapt to every possible type of cruise, operating from Alaska to Australia, even in environmentally protected areas where navigation is restricted."

 

There are many items that must be considered when designing a new ship at this point in time and the "Same Old - Same Old" may no longer work. We are booked on the Royal next year and will reserve judgement until then. I am certain there will be features I miss or don't like and others that will, hopefully, be improvements. Time will tell.

[Mulege]

That does not mean all people rate the solstice class ship highly. Been on the Eclipse and Equinox. I did a week on the Eclipse and a week on the Ruby, back to back. We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity. Comparing the two back to back, enjoyed the Ruby more. At lot of hype on Celebrity - even in Aqua class, with Blu.

 

For those who love solstice good for them. Not our cup of tea .

 

I agree not "all" just the majority of the CC ratings are based on member ratings and there are thousands of reviews so it has some merit. I rest my case and am done.

[avalon1025]

I guess if immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Celebrity should be quite flattered by the construction of the Royal

[bdjam]

Yet it still has more style than any of the Princess buffets. Think Olive Garden.

Oh come on, Ernie...you're stretching it...Olive Garden doesn't have buffet.

There are a lot of people who couldn't care less about a promenade deck - complete waste of space.

It's actually not a waste of space - the objective of the "Promenade" deck is to provide an embarkation platform for survival craft. Strolling, loungechairs, etc., are perks.

[dmwnc1959]

It's actually not a waste of space - the objective of the "Promenade" deck is to provide an embarkation platform for survival craft. Strolling, loungechairs, etc., are perks.

 

Apparently nearly 85 percent of those polled care about those 'perks'. :eek:

[Cruise Junky]

Oh come on, Ernie...you're stretching it...Olive Garden doesn't have buffet.

It's actually not a waste of space - the objective of the "Promenade" deck is to provide an embarkation platform for survival craft. Strolling, loungechairs, etc., are perks.

 

They're a complete waste of space for people that don't care if they're there or not ;)

[rdsqrl]

They're a complete waste of space for people that don't care if they're there or not ;)

Right. Just exactly how I feel about the casino.

[bdjam]

They're a complete waste of space for people that don't care if they're there or not ;)

Until you need to abandon ship... :)

Apparently nearly 85 percent of those polled care about those 'perks'.

Polled here you mean? The problem with Cruise Critic polls is that they are not statistically significant. Nearly 85% of those who felt like answering favor the perks. From a totally functional viewpoint, the exterior deck (called Promenade because in the days of the liners people used to do that along them) needs to only be adequate to be used to get people into the life boats.

[dmwnc1959]

From a totally functional viewpoint, the exterior deck (called Promenade because in the days of the liners people used to do that along them) needs to only be adequate to be used to get people into the life boats.

 

Current cruise ship design has come a long way since the old days of the transatlantic liners. Life boats can be suspended from the hull, below the 'promenade deck', and recessed into the hull. The designers of the Norwegian Breakaway have seen fit to build her with a quarter mile long outdoor boardwalk/promenade combining outdoor eating venues, shops, and bars. Same goes for the Carnival Breeze - outdoor eating areas and several spa jacuzzi on the wrap around promenade. Why couldn't Princess have done the same thing?

[caribill]

They're a complete waste of space for people that don't care if they're there or not ;)

 

 

So are all the bars for people who do not drink.

[RickEk]

Current cruise ship design has come a long way since the old days of the transatlantic liners. Life boats can be suspended from the hull, below the 'promenade deck', and recessed into the hull. The designers of the Norwegian Breakaway have seen fit to build her with a quarter mile long outdoor boardwalk/promenade combining outdoor eating venues, shops, and bars. Same goes for the Carnival Breeze - outdoor eating areas and several spa jacuzzi on the wrap around promenade. Why couldn't Princess have done the same thing?

 

Well, I think that Princess' desire to have balconies on all outside cabins dictated the design constraints that led to the current design. If you notice, there are no cabins below Emerald deck on the Royal. Both the Breeze and Breakaway have oceanview cabins (and balconies on the Breeze) below their Promenade decks. And their outside Promenades are actually cantilevered over the lifeboats. (This configuration caused docking problems in certain ports for the Carnival Dream because the lifeboats would have collided with structures on the pier.) The Royal's lower public spaces are congregated on the first three decks and the lifeboats are placed on the Promenade deck. By giving up accomodations on the lower decks, they forced the lifeboats down from Emerald (like on the Grand-class ships) so that they could put balconies on all the Emerald deck cabins. A definite case of "give and take".

[shepp]

Since we are on CC I refer you to the CC member ratings. Best overall ships have 4 Solstice class ships in the top 10. No Princess ship are listed.

 

Yeah, well...while X always does well in the Condé Nast poll, too, so does Princess, while some lines that score well on CC, namely Carnival and NCL, never make it into the upper echelons of the C.N. ratings. Ever.

 

Polls only reflect the tastes of those who participate in them, and it might be reasonable to assume that there are enough Carnival and NCL enthusiasts on CC to push Princess farther down the scale, while Condé Nast Traveler is aimed at a more upscale readership who might not like what NCL has to offer. Certainly the Berlitz Guide ratings, whatever you may think of Douglas Ward, are closer to Condé Nast than to CC. So?

 

All that doesn't mean that doing away with the wonderful aft pool area will make the Royal a "better" ship, any more than adding a water slide and costumed cartoon characters would.

 

None of that means I'm canceling my Royal TA unless circumstances dictate, but from what I can see of the Royal, I'd choose a different ship for a warm-weather sailing like the Caribbean, where I'd prefer to spend my time sitting on the Promenade deck watching the water go by than in the onboard TV studio watching the Wake Show.

[caribill]

I'd prefer to spend my time sitting on the Promenade deck watching the water go by than in the onboard TV studio watching the Wake Show.

 

The TV studio does not appear large enough to seat many of the passengers.

 

There may not be much of a demand to see the wake show live, but Princess has said other activities and entertainment would also be scheduled for that venue and the number of seats may end up being too low for those events.

[hubofhockey]

The TV studio does not appear large enough to seat many of the passengers.

 

There may not be much of a demand to see the wake show live, but Princess has said other activities and entertainment would also be scheduled for that venue and the number of seats may end up being too low for those events.

 

Seating capacity is 280 compared with Explorers of 262. I would assume this venue would be number 4 in terms of rankings of entertainment venues after the theater, vista lounge, and expanded atrium area. How big of an area is needed for the fourth show place?

[IECalCruiser]

Seating capacity is 280 compared with Explorers of 262. I would assume this venue would be number 4 in terms of rankings of entertainment venues after the theater, vista lounge, and expanded atrium area. How big of an area is needed for the fourth show place?

hubofhockey, Thanks for checking the capacities of the two venues. The theater style seating of the new Princess Live is much like the Princess Theater and IMHO is a much better venue for programming such as game shows and entertainers. The Vista Theater will probably be used for activities such as Art Auctions, Trivia and Bingo in the day and a dance venue for the most part in the evening. I was never a great fan of the Explorers Lounge (I might in the minority there) and the Princess Live appears to be an improvement for me.

[caribill]

Seating capacity is 280 compared with Explorers of 262. I would assume this venue would be number 4 in terms of rankings of entertainment venues after the theater, vista lounge, and expanded atrium area. How big of an area is needed for the fourth show place?

 

Most entertainment in Explorers has overflowed into the passageway as well as people standing within Explorers itself.

 

However, with the reduced entertainer offerings with "anytime entertainment", Explorers may never be crowded again.

[bdjam]

Current cruise ship design has come a long way since the old days of the transatlantic liners. Life boats can be suspended from the hull, below the 'promenade deck', and recessed into the hull. The designers of the Norwegian Breakaway have seen fit to build her with a quarter mile long outdoor boardwalk/promenade combining outdoor eating venues, shops, and bars. Same goes for the Carnival Breeze - outdoor eating areas and several spa jacuzzi on the wrap around promenade. Why couldn't Princess have done the same thing?

I'm not questioning that Princess could have done the same thing - although I'm not sure about eating outside on a windy Promenade deck - I'm just saying what the main purpose of the deck is.