Royal Princess design: badly solsticized

[shepp]

Glass is half-full.

 

From what I've seen, a lot of the Royal's design is indeed an evolution from what's come before, Princess only more so. Sure, there is an X-style cleanness to some of the interior; e.g., Sabatini's has lost the EPCOT-style cliché-Italian touches. But it's still clearly a Princess ship.

 

On the positive side, it looks like some CCers' concerns have been addressed. Much larger and redesigned HC with radically increased seating. MUTS not being in the main pool area (but stuck right near the Sanctuary, and I wonder how that's going to work out). And the Atrium looks absolutely gorgeous.

 

Yes, the ship seems more inward-looking, with additional emphasis on revenue-spinning venues. But it's still, thank goodness, far from the RCCL mall-at-sea schtick. A wrap-around promenade would have been really nice, but at least there is a traditional promenade deck, even if you have to do a 180 at each end.

 

The loss of the aft pool(s) seems like a big one to me. I've already booked the trans-Atlantic (an inside, so balcony design is irrelevant to me), but I'd be more reluctant to book the Royal for warm-weather Caribbean cruises, where things like the aft pool area would matter more to me.

[JimmyVWine]

Don't know if anyone knows the answer to this, but I hoped that the deck plan would clear it up. It didn't. What, exactly, is the mid-ship semi-circular bump-out that runs all the way down from top to bottom. Clearly, the bump out has a function on the Sun and Lido decks. But when you get to the stateroom decks, say, for example, the Riviera Deck, the stateromms jut inward rather than outward, which one might have expected. I was assuming that the mid-ship staterooms would have extra special, big, circular balconies. (Actually, I was expecting to see suites there.) Instead, staterooms such as R420 appear to have smaller balconies, and there is no indication that the semi-circular design is put to any use whatsoever. Any thoughts?

[RickEk]

The problem is not limited to the kyphotic or scoliotic stern.

Oasis class has wrap-around promenade, beautiful forward observation deck, beautiful combination of aquatheatre, terraces and rear viewing areas, plenty of pools and sun deck space.

We don't find all that on the Royal Princess renderings so far.

That's the problem.

 

You're comparing apples and oranges... the Oasis-class is about 80,000 GRT bigger than the Royal Princess, so tack on a Sun-class ship to the Royal and you'll have the same room as on the Oasis. :p

[JimmyVWine]

MUTS not being in the main pool area (but stuck right near the Sanctuary, and I wonder how that's going to work out).

 

My first thought as well. It appears to face away from the Sanctuary, but the speakers surely will be heard (and felt) in the sanctuary. Perhaps this is a ploy to increase the rental of Tina-Turner-cancelling Bose Headphones.

[RickEk]

Don't know if anyone knows the answer to this, but I hoped that the deck plan would clear it up. It didn't. What, exactly, is the mid-ship semi-circular bump-out that runs all the way down from top to bottom. Clearly, the bump out has a function on the Sun and Lido decks. But when you get to the stateroom decks, say, for example, the Riviera Deck, the stateromms jut inward rather than outward, which one might have expected. I was assuming that the mid-ship staterooms would have extra special, big, circular balconies. (Actually, I was expecting to see suites there.) Instead, staterooms such as R420 appear to have smaller balconies, and there is no indication that the semi-circular design is put to any use whatsoever. Any thoughts?

 

Well, it appears that the balcony on R420 is no smaller than any other balcony, while balconies like on R428 are about a 1/3 bigger.

[srpilo]

Well for us the deal breaker is the elimination of the full 360 degree promenade. We normally sail longer cruises with sea days and almost always the reason we don't book Celebrity anymore on the longer cruises is their 180 degree straight promenades, so thank god there's still 15 other full sized Princess ships to sail on, and of course HAL.

 

 

 

Oh well in the big picture, I certainly won't lose any sleep over the Royal

Srpilo

[JimmyVWine]

Well, it appears that the balcony on R420 is no smaller than any other balcony, while balconies like on R428 are about a 1/3 bigger.

 

True. R420 is smaller than its neighbors, but no smaller than a typical mini. But photos of the ship appear to show that the there is actually more room there. So what occupies the space between the end of the balcony and the actual end of the ship?

[cruzinchris]

After watching the videos and studying the deck plans, I am somewhat excited about the new ship design and amenities. The Piazza is especially impressive, and I like the variety of small food venues that should help to spread passengers around the ship at crowded mealtimes. These eateries might shorten the lines for anytime dining, and that would be a good thing.

 

? Re: The Sanctuary Pool? Would this (small) pool be for the exclusive use of Sanctuary patrons? If so, it's very disappointing to have lost the aft pool that was an adults-only venue.

 

Not rushing to book the Royal but will consider a Caribbean voyage after the ship's been on the high seas for several months.

Chris

[LarryF]

Whether it's sea days or before or after tours in ports, we spend all our time by one of the four pool areas. We only go inside at night for dinner and entertainment. That being said, I am incredibly disappointed that Princess took away the aft pool. A few years ago we started booking an inside cabin on the Rivière deck 4 or 5 doors down from the door that leads out to the aft pool.

 

On the other hand, we've always wanted try out a Celebrity cruise; so it looks like we can stay with Princess and get the Celebrity experience on the Royal!

[RickEk]

 

? Re: The Sanctuary Pool? Would this (small) pool be for the exclusive use of Sanctuary patrons? If so, it's very disappointing to have lost the aft pool that was an adults-only venue.

 

 

Chris

 

No, the Retreat Pool is adults only, but not actually part of the Sanctuary.

[Beopthtuh]

folks are we jumping the gun ,can we remember when the grand class came on line folks didn,t like her ,container ship .block of flats were some of the words said about her ,lets wait and see her in the real life .she may be totally to our liking ,i for one are looking forward to sailing on her:D

[lexyplexy]

Pia,

 

From hanging out on the Princess board now that I have one booked, I see you a lot and you appear to have a lot of experience but I beg to disagree with you on this.

 

Based on what I've been reading about how embarkation is handled, the Elite/Platinum/suite passengers get to embark before the others. That alone gets them the first shot at Sanctuary chairs.

Disappointing because I really want to do the Sanctuary for my entire cruise but I'm afraid that the whole cruise chairs will be gone before I can get there. And I'm not going to get up at a ridiculously early hour to go stand in line every day.

 

Is it going to ruin my trip if I don't get in the Sanctuary - of course not. But I was hoping for a decent shot at it. That and the Ultimate Cruise Ship Tour.

 

We are not Elite/Platinum or suite passengers and on our last cruise which was only our 2nd. We did get on the Ultimate Ship Tour and the Captain's table. So hang in there you do have a shot. Just make sure that it is your first priority when you board.

[littlesteelo]

It is just another floating hotel. Not one place to just sit and watch the ocean. I love to be at sea. But you could be on one of these ships and never really look at the the ocean. I love the small ships where there is a lounge in the front of the ship to sit and watch the ocean or read or had a drink.

 

I don't think we will ever book the new Royal. I see that there is 20 classes or prices for balcony cabins. What is princess thinking.

 

But that is what a cruise ship is. The very definition of a modern cruise ship is a 'floating hotel'. Of course there is much more that just that, but at it's basis that's what it is. A ship which contains a resort hotel.

 

And there are places to sit and watch the ocean. How about one of the bars/lounges inside with the large windows? The prom deck? The entire span of the pool deck, and the Horizon Terrace behind HC at the back? From all of these places you can sit and look at the ocean. I would find it very difficult to 'never really look at the ocean' on any modern cruise ship.

[ChevyCruiser]

Well for us the deal breaker is the elimination of the full 360 degree promenade. We normally sail longer cruises with sea days and almost always the reason we don't book Celebrity anymore on the longer cruises is their 180 degree straight promenades, so thank god there's still 15 other full sized Princess ships to sail on, and of course HAL.

 

 

 

Oh well in the big picture, I certainly won't lose any sleep over the Royal

Srpilo

 

The lack of a 360 degree promenade is pretty much a deal breaker for me too, especially after getting stuck on the NCL Epic without a promenade for a week-long cruise (that whole ship is poorly designed, but that's another story/thread). The wrap-around promenade is one feature that helps my clothes fit just as well at the end of the cruise as they did at the start. I love to walk laps around the promenade in the morning and again in the afternoon.

[RickEk]

The lack of a 360 degree promenade is pretty much a deal breaker for me too, especially after getting stuck on the NCL Epic without a promenade for a week-long cruise (that whole ship is poorly designed, but that's another story/thread). The wrap-around promenade is one feature that helps my clothes fit just as well at the end of the cruise as they did at the start. I love to walk laps around the promenade in the morning and again in the afternoon.

 

Well, she does have a nice track up on the Sports deck... looks like that will be my preferred walking destination... :p

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

Elite here and I never booked it once. I don't get on the ship until 1pm.

 

Same here. We always have a balcony....a do-it-yourself Sanctuary, I guess. :)

[lovevacadays]

I hate to hear this. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but I want a cruise ship to look and feel like a cruise ship.

 

I sailed on the Celebrity Solstice one time and found it akin to sailing in an Ikea store. The overall design was cold and unwelcoming. We had a stateroom on the stern and awoke to a fine layer of soot on our balcony every morning. The lawn was a lot of wasted space and it was roped off and "resting" most of our voyage. I was glad when the cruise was over.

 

I also sailed on the NCL's Prison Ship Epic one time as well and will not repeat that mistake. Worst designed cabins and ship I've ever had the misfortune to sail on. To tell you how bad it is, NCL has scrapped the design of the prison-cell cabins on their next ships. Another cruise I was glad when it was over.

 

It's what happens when the artsy fartsy designers get to sit at the big table and everyone else is afraid to shout out that the emperor has no clothes.

 

We learned to take a better look at the ship design and try to visualize life on board. Now we don't book ships like Solstice, The Epic, The Oasis, the Allure etc. They may work for some, but for me I want a ship that looks like a ship, a promenade where I can stroll all the way around the ship and smell the ocean and maybe even see some sea life, a shady deck where I can read a good book, fresh brewed coffee, venues where I don't have to wear earplugs because some twenty-something has cranked the volume up to 10, an MDR where people dress like they are going out for fine dining and not a truck stop, a comfortable/functional/clean cabin, and stairs forward, mid-ship, and aft.

 

You described what I love about the current Princess ships. As much as I want to sail on the Royal I will wait and see what cruisers have to say about her once they sail.

[jeromep]

"I sailed on the Celebrity Solstice one time and found it akin to sailing in an Ikea store. The overall design was cold and unwelcoming"

 

I couldnt agree with you more! We Hated the SOLSTICE. It felt like a "W" hotel...or like an episode of "sprockets" on SNL (

) . There seemed to be a complete disconnect with the ocean. I hate to see Princess ships heading in this direction.

 

Sprockets on SNL. That one had me laughing out loud in the office. Everyone wonderd what I thought was so funny. I'm still laughing.:D

 

I have not yet sailed Celebrity, although based upon my extended family's travels, I will probably get roped into a Celebrity cruise at some point in the future. Then I'll have a basis for comparison.

 

I like the exerior design of the Royal Princess. It looks fast, even though it isn't any faster than any other cruise ship out there. I'd love to know if it uses the azaipod system for propulsion and steering, but that is a technical question and I tend to like the technical aspect of the ships.

 

I am dissapointed to see the Terrace Pool gone. That was a really nice place whether it was shaded by the shopping cart handle as on the Grand Class of if it wasn't, as on the Caribbean Class. But I think the graphics and deck plans of the Royal are decieving to the eye. Even though there is only one pool area, there are still 3 pools on board, Sanctuary and two more in the main area. It looks like Princess has spent a lot of time and money on "waterdisplays" in the main pool area. For all we know, these may be very large pools as compared to the middle of ship pools on the current ships. I think I'll have to be on board to judge that fairly. Also, the overall design of this class of ship is not conducive to having a covered pool in addition to an uncovered pool since the two main pools are located in the same area of the ship. If the abscence of an aft pool becomes a real dealbreaker for passengers, I suspect that Princess will rethink that in the next class of ships. If it become a huge issue with the release of the Royal, they may do a quick redesign of the forthcoming Regal to accomidate an aft pool.

 

I suspect that after the Royal and Regal become fully functional in their new roles as Caribbean itiniary ships Princess will do some ship movement in their system and they will retire some of their older vessels. The Sun class ships are getting pretty old and will probably be the first to go.

 

The interior design photos of the various cabins are classic Princess. They appear to be in warm pastels and seem a little bit lighter than current Princess interior designs, but not gaudy like so many other lines. I guess if the ship doesn't impress the cabins might.

[shepp]

The lack of a 360 degree promenade is pretty much a deal breaker for me too, especially after getting stuck on the NCL Epic without a promenade for a week-long cruise (that whole ship is poorly designed, but that's another story/thread). The wrap-around promenade is one feature that helps my clothes fit just as well at the end of the cruise as they did at the start. I love to walk laps around the promenade in the morning and again in the afternoon.

 

As much as I love to walk the promenade deck all the way around the prow, I can't say that a 270-degree promenade instead of a 360-degree one is that big a deal...especially as on some ships the upstairs forward section is closed off after dark, anyway, which impedes but certainly doesn't ruin our pre-dinner strolls.

[cruisetrail]

As much as I love to walk the promenade deck all the way around the prow, I can't say that a 270-degree promenade instead of a 360-degree one is that big a deal...especially as on some ships the upstairs forward section is closed off after dark, anyway, which impedes but certainly doesn't ruin our pre-dinner strolls.

 

It's still a question if we have a 270-degree promenade on the Royal.

[Cruise Junky]

15 cruises and I swear the only time I've been on the Promenade deck is for a life boat drill. It's honestly amazing to me what some people's priorities are. Isn't it awesome that Princess gives us choices?

 

Someone mentioned earlier that current princess cruisers may not have been the demographic that Royal was aiming for...i agree somewhat, but as a loyal Princess cruiser who was starting to look at Celebrity for a more modern cruise ship, I'm extremely glad that I now don't have too.

 

Some people will miss the aft pool, well that's already gone from Island and Coral unless you want to pay for it. Some will miss Skywalkers and Adagio...while both lovely, they were both completely a waste of space and underutilized.

 

kudos to Princess on their new design, can't wait to sail her.

[cruisetrail]

Deck plans are showing a narrow passage around the stern (not seen in the renderings).

 

 

 

 

 

Is there a passage behind lifeboats?

 

 

 

 

The rendering is not promising at this time.

[cruisetrail]

You're comparing apples and oranges... the Oasis-class is about 80,000 GRT bigger than the Royal Princess, so tack on a Sun-class ship to the Royal and you'll have the same room as on the Oasis. :p

 

Hm..

 

220,000 GRT Oasis has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

90,000 GRT Nieuw Amsterdam has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

The Royal is 30,000 GRT larger than the Grand class.

Isn't extra 30,000 GRT enough to preserve Princess signature features and improve whatever has to be improved?

[Cruise Junky]

Hm..

 

220,000 GRT Oasis has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

90,000 GRT Nieuw Amsterdam has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

The Royal is 30,000 GRT larger than the Grand class.

Isn't extra 30,000 GRT enough to preserve Princess signature features and improve whatever has to be improved?

 

What's wrong with 90% of suites having a balcony giving you sun and sea?? Jesus, there are other princess ships, sail one of those instead.

[Loonbeam]

I can't recall if I said this on this thread or another - do not assume that features that are important to you are important to the target audience (which, honestly is not the folks on this forum).

 

I am sure they COULD have put a full promenade (or anything else), but if their research indicated the space was best used in other ways thats what they are going to do...

 

As an example, the Island Princess has a wrap around promenade. On our Panama Canal cruise, I was hanging out on the back of the promenade for a good hour. 1 passenger maybe 2 passed me taking a walk. Now, this was only a small sample, but it would not surprise me if some of these areas are not used as much as the perception of their use might be. I'm certain Princess did some time and motion studies of various areas on various ships at various times.

 

 

 

Hm..

 

220,000 GRT Oasis has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

90,000 GRT Nieuw Amsterdam has wrap-around promenade, forward and rear viewing areas, spacious upper decks, plenty of sun and sea.

 

The Royal is 30,000 GRT larger than the Grand class.

Isn't extra 30,000 GRT enough to preserve Princess signature features and improve whatever has to be improved?