One discontinued Royal Princess feature they did not mention

[Iamcruzin]

It almost sounds like Princess is aiming at new cruisers instead of their current cruisers who are familiar with 'what to expect' on their ships.

You make a good point. Those poor victims won't know about the free sauna and steam room so they may be willing to pay extra. I also wouldn't be surprised if they start charging for these services on the older ships.

[TorontoTL]

The Lotus Spa always seemed empty on the Caribbean Princess. I don't imagine that charging passengers to take a steam shower will bring in much revenue.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I don't believe that they are going to charge for a steam shower in the change rooms of the gym which is where the email said the steam showers were going to be instead of the dry and wet saunas in the gym change rooms currently.

[Host CJSKIDS]

OK, here is my take on the new builds and I hope not to offend anyone, just to add my take/opinion.

 

Most of the new additions are geared for the female passengers. I do not know of any male passengers who really enjoy the Santuary or plan to enjoy the Enclave at Lotus Spa, Hydropool, Hammam, Caldarium, Laconium, shower experience, heated loungers and two water beds. Sounds just way to over the top.

 

Had the person in charge of ship design actually polled the male passengers separately from the female passengers and then compared the answers, then she would have found a completely different demographic. Even if there was a cruise long charge for the locker/steam/sauna area, the male passengers would be willing to pay for it. It is part and parcel of the men's work out regime

 

This is not meant as sexist as there are many many things on ships that are geared toward women and couples, but there are not many areas that are "just for men"

 

just sayin

 

My husband won't touch the spa but absolutely loves the Sanctuary. We have been fortunate enough to have booked a lounge chair in the Sanctuary on our last few cruises for the week out in the sun and spend a good majority of our time there.

[beshears]

Yes, when we were on Princess year before last, Wheelhouse had LIVE music, and people many people were dancing to their music.

 

I believe at that time the group was called Phoenix River, or something like that. I don't know if they are still with Princess, but they were good.

[bdjam]

What a bunch of negative Nellies! First of all, stop assuming. Has Princess announced there will be no saunas or steam rooms in the gym? Also, there never were views either from the Thermal Suite or the free gym sauna/steam. There is no dance floor in the Wheelhouse, but there is a dance floor in the Vista lounge, Club 6 and out on the open deck. I too prefer the main thread about the Royal, lots of positive vibes and excitement. Let's stop the negativity and wait for the actual travelers' reviews.

While I agree that we shouldn't make assumptions about things that have not been confirmed one way or another (sauna/steam rooms) there's been a lot that's been touted about Royal Princess that doesn't seem to work. Positive vibes and excitement are great for those who feel the ship will fulfill their cruising desires...unfortunately I'm not one of them. Isn't it better to put the negative stuff here so the Positive Pollys can have their own thread?

And it wasn't specifically this thread or the main topic from the OP I was referring to when I mentioned the 'band wagon' posters; it's all the other threads and negative references (with no discussion involved) to a ship that no one has ever set foot on, seen in person, much less know anything about it other than preview videos and deck plans. It's akin to someone hating sushi and all Japanese food, who has never tried it, because they hate raw fish. I can see them now standing out in front of every sushi restaurant in town telling prospective customers how awful it is and whats wrong with it when they've never tried it. No one is waiting to read the first reviews or see the first real pictures before they completely write off this ship. They truly put the 'critic' in Cruise Critic.

It's interesting how it's OK that preview videos and deck plans can engender excitement, but it's not right if they engender disappointment. While some are looking forward to this new allegedly revolutionary design based on what Princess has publicized some of us can clearly see what this "new" design is missing. This ain't going to be no Celebrity.

[bhopal21]

It almost sounds like Princess is aiming at new cruisers instead of their current cruisers who are familiar with 'what to expect' on their ships.

 

Thank you.

 

This is what some of us have been saying for several months now.

 

In their defense, it is not just Princess. Everyone from your telephone company

your internet provider and even your bank had rather attract new customers than retain their loyal ones.

 

Mike:)

[bdjam]

In their defense, it is not just Princess. Everyone from your telephone company

your internet provider and even your bank had rather attract new customers than retain their loyal ones.

 

Mike:)

 

And yet when Princess announced Royal Princess it was all about how it was going to be so attractive to it's loyal passengers... :rolleyes:

[caribill]

Yes, when we were on Princess year before last, Wheelhouse had LIVE music, and people many people were dancing to their music.

 

I believe at that time the group was called Phoenix River, or something like that. I don't know if they are still with Princess, but they were good.

 

Probably "Phoenix Rising."

[dmwnc1959]

And yet when Princess announced Royal Princess it was all about how it was going to be so attractive to it's loyal passengers... :rolleyes:

 

I see her inaugural season Roll Calls in the Mediterranean, transatlantic, and Caribbean are chocked full of loyal Princess Cruises passengers who are quite eager to sail this ship, some who are the most recognizable and respected names on this Cruise Critic forum.

[dmwnc1959]

It's interesting how it's OK that preview videos and deck plans can engender excitement, but it's not right if they engender disappointment. While some are looking forward to this new allegedly revolutionary design based on what Princess has publicized some of us can clearly see what this "new" design is missing. This ain't going to be no Celebrity.

 

Princess Cruises has used the word 'evolutionary', not 'revolutionary'. As with other lines there are those who enjoy the older models and those who enjoy the newest of designs; Millennium-class over Solstice-class, Gem-class over Epic or Breakaway, Statendam-class over the Vista-class 'dam's', Freedom-class over Oasis-class, and the Grand-class over the new Royal-class. If they cruise the 'other' class in the fleet and don't care for it, or have never even set foot on the new class and it simply just doesn't appeal to them, they have several other ships within the fleet to choose from and enjoy. What 'doesn't seem to work' for some may be perfectly acceptable or inconsequential to others. For some it is a 'deal breaker', for others it is a feature that they have never used to begin with.

 

Having just come off the Ruby Princess three months ago there was very little that impressed me, and just as little that I actually enjoyed about that ship. But that's just me. I will however be looking forward to something that isn't just another clone.

 

What's great is that for the foreseeable long term future there will still be a very large fleet of other Princess Cruises ships to enjoy. Don't like the new Royal Princess, then stick with your favorites. People complain all the time they are 'done' with the Caribbean, and so many other Princess Grand-class and Sun-class ships offer unique and exciting destinations for you to try.

 

So go try them. On your favorite class of ship. ;)

 

In the mean time the rest of us will look forward to enjoying a brand new ship with features and amenities we know we can enjoy, on a ship that offers new venues and entertainment not seen on any other ship in the Princess Cruises fleet. And we'll have a wonderful time while some of you are still stewing in your own juices. :cool:

[bhopal21]

I see her inaugural season Roll Calls in the Mediterranean, transatlantic, and Caribbean are chocked full of loyal Princess Cruises passengers who are quite eager to sail this ship, some who are the most recognizable and respected names on this Cruise Critic forum.

 

 

It would be a first for Princess if this were not the case.;)

 

Mike:)

[dmwnc1959]

It would be a first for Princess if this were not the case.;)

 

Mike:)

 

Then Princess Cruises must have done something right with this one too. :D

 

I can't see that it would have attracted as many, or as much attention, if it were #10 in the Grand-class series. Or maybe it would have, just for those who like to yell 'first' from the ship.

 

But being a cruise ship of a brand new design, with brand new features and brand new amenities not found on any Princess Cruises ship, and not just another Grand-class clone, certainly had to have had something to do with it as well. ;)

[hubofhockey]

Then Princess Cruises must have done something right with this one too. :D

 

I can't see that it would have attracted as many, or as much attention, if it were #10 in the Grand-class series. Or maybe it would have, just for those who like to yell 'first' from the ship.

 

But being a cruise ship of a brand new design, with brand new features and brand new amenities not found on any Princess Cruises ship, and not just another Grand-class clone, certainly had to have had something to do with it as well. ;)

 

People internalize too much. They think that just because they don't like the new design that other veteran Princess cruisers won't like it either. I would guess that it is the typical Princess past cruise passenger who is selling out these new ships. I will find it hard to go back to the Grand Clones for the many things the Royal has on it that the Grand clones do not.

[Sunviking]

While I agree that we shouldn't make assumptions about things that have not been confirmed one way or another (sauna/steam rooms) there's been a lot that's been touted about Royal Princess that doesn't seem to work. Positive vibes and excitement are great for those who feel the ship will fulfill their cruising desires...unfortunately I'm not one of them. Isn't it better to put the negative stuff here so the Positive Pollys can have their own thread?

 

It's interesting how it's OK that preview videos and deck plans can engender excitement, but it's not right if they engender disappointment. While some are looking forward to this new allegedly revolutionary design based on what Princess has publicized some of us can clearly see what this "new" design is missing. This ain't going to be no Celebrity.

 

Thank you for expressing very well thoughts I have had. I have found it somewhat disingenuous that people who are very excited about the Royal Princess based strictly on videos and deck plans are quick to criticize folks who based on the same things are not. We each cruise for our own reasons and have things and venues we like. As dmwnc1959 said, it's good that there are plenty of ships from which to choose. Our choice was to try something other than the new Royal transatlantic after seeing its features.

[bhopal21]

People internalize too much. They think that just because they don't like the new design that other veteran Princess cruisers won't like it either. I would guess that it is the typical Princess past cruise passenger who is selling out these new ships. I will find it hard to go back to the Grand Clones for the many things the Royal has on it that the Grand clones do not.

 

I sincerely hope that you are correct and there are many others like that.

 

That should help the pricing on the smaller girls.:D

 

Mike:)

[GHDPeter]

We go on cruises because we love to dancing. Real dancing where you actually hold one another in each others arms--not "shake your bootie" dancing. I have never seen anything but "shake your bootie" music out on the open deck, and, honestly, why would anyone want to get dressed to the nines and go out an dance on an open deck? :confused: It would trash our dance shoes in one evening.

 

I don't know anything about Club 6 and can report after many Princess cruises that there are indeed short spells of time where they ocassionally play real dance music in the Vists Lounge, but the only place we have been able to count on decent (well more or less decent) dance music every night has been in the Wheelhouse.

 

When they stop having nightly dancing on Princess, we will definitely have to find another line. There are changes we can live with, but not having good dancing every night is the deal breaker for us.

 

If you love to dance you should look at P & O UK, I just did a segment of the Aurora's World Voyage and there was dancing every night in the lounge and nightclub ( ballroom style ) plus lessons each day. It was really nice to see some style and class in the night time venues.

[hubofhockey]

I sincerely hope that you are correct and there are many others like that.

 

That should help the pricing on the smaller girls.:D

 

Mike:)

 

I can tell you right now that one of the things I never liked about Princess was that you had to pay for a mini suite to get a sofa in your bedroom. In the Royal Class, you don't. You just pay $80 more for a slightly larger cabin with a sofa. It's about time.

 

Pricing is always a function of demand. Our cruise on the Royal is the second month of the Baltics itineraries and I know it's more than what they were charging for the Emerald (just glad I finally found a TA who offers deep discounts :cool:). But hopefully, after a couple of years, pricing between these two classes is more in line.

 

I have know idea how much we'll enjoy the dueling piano show, the sea walk, the water shows at night, or the new entertainment venues. But I am looking forward to something a bit different and won't lose any sleep over the things people say they are upset that are not continued in this class. I do think Skywalkers, as a whole and as an investment, has been a flop for Princess. I would like to see Princess figure out where they went wrong with this on the Grand clones and either renovate that space or use it differently. I think much of the new design really related to how Princess envisions using their facilities and maybe that's why some of these venues have been left for dead on the Royal.

[dmwnc1959]

People internalize too much. They think that just because they don't like the new design that other veteran Princess cruisers won't like it either. I would guess that it is the typical Princess past cruise passenger who is selling out these new ships. I will find it hard to go back to the Grand Clones for the many things the Royal has on it that the Grand clones do not.

 

I think that once she has sailed for six months and we've passed the end of the year holidays, and a good number of the veteran cruisers have had the opportunity to explore her personally, we'll have heard plenty of opinions on this new flagship. It may be that once is enough for them, or it may be that going back to a Grand-class is a step down. Once the reviews start pouring in and we see pictures of her public rooms filled with passengers we'll get a better idea of how she works and how well she is received.

 

I can't imagine anyone booking 30-night cruises on her literally sight unseen if the preview videos and deck plans weren't convincing of her many offerings. To spend that much money on only the bragging rights to be 'first' would be insane if it weren't for the fact that they knew they would enjoy the ship itself. Otherwise they'd be booking one of her many siblings.

 

The original 'disappointed' thread was started just over a year ago this week. The thread referred to as a home for Positive Pollys was started less than ten weeks ago. We've been hearing the same negativity from the first thread, and its many off-shoots, and from the same people for a year. That gets old after a while. Especially after a year. And that may be part of the reason why some think others are being quick to criticize those who are unhappy with the lack of certain features, when were not. We've heard it for a year now. But hey, freedom of speech and all that. More power to you.

 

As Sunviking said, we all cruise for different reasons. But to continually and incessantly talk down about a ship for a year that's never seen its first paying passenger is beyond reasonable. If you don't like the ship, don't sail on her, and for Pete's sake, move on. We've heard it all already. From this point onwards you're just dwelling in your own misery, and misery loves only the company of those like themselves.

[bdjam]

As Sunviking said, we all cruise for different reasons. But to continually and incessantly talk down about a ship for a year that's never seen its first paying passenger is beyond reasonable. If you don't like the ship, don't sail on her, and for Pete's sake, move on. We've heard it all already. From this point onwards you're just dwelling in your own misery, and misery loves only the company of those like themselves.

 

Oh boy. You know for years I've been called a Princess cheerleader around these boards - can I point them back to this thread and me dwelling in misery next time that happens?

 

I'll throw a bone - I think the interiors of Royal Princess are very nice. They reflect the design sensibilities that Princess is known for - that others call boring - while refreshing them with new decor and color. A lot of what has been detailed in the renderings reminds me of Grand Princess' make over. I think the more expansive spa area is a great design move and the additional places for food and snacks to be a great way to distribute the passenger load and not only provide variety, but help to alleviate crowding. I like the new cabin design and although I think the mirrored walls help to provide a feeling of spaciousness, they new decor is contemporary and appealing. Surprising (or maybe not) that the same people who designed the Sun Class and the Grand Class have also put together this ship.

 

But obviously I think the ship falls short of being evolutionary. Reducing the number of pools and increasing the number of passengers seems to be contrary to providing an escape as does not providing a pool area away from MUTS. While the fitness center looks promising it's already been noted that its location in relation to the spa creates issues for some. Not having the steam/sauna available - which started this whole thread - is also an issue. Overall the ship looks like a clone of other new ships coming online and does nothing to prove any ingenuity in design. The loss of the outdoor promenade has been lamented by many. I would expect an evolutionary product would retain the amenities that are favored and evolve them - not just lop them off. As more details come to light, I'm sure there will be other areas of disappointment for those of us who value the usual Princess product.

 

Those of us who have recognized what we feel to be shortcomings have been commenting for a number of months simply because they've been so obvious from the initial marketing of the design. I don't think the amount of time for disapproval is unreasonable. There could be an approving thread going on for a year as well if it had been started then.

 

I hope Royal and Regal Princesses are successes for the cruise line as they will help to keep it healthy. And since the newbuilding trend isn't as hot as it was a few years ago, it's likely the "old" Grand ladies will be around for a while. So right, choice is a good thing. But just because we choose to call out what we deem to be shortcomings in this "evolutionary" design doesn't mean we're wrong - because there is no right or wrong when it comes to opinionated choice.

[hubofhockey]

Those of us who have recognized what we feel to be shortcomings have been commenting for a number of months simply because they've been so obvious from the initial marketing of the design. I don't think the amount of time for disapproval is unreasonable. There could be an approving thread going on for a year as well if it had been started then.

 

 

Shortcomings or personal preferences?

 

Do you believe that Princess has shown disrespect for their passenger base by building this class of ship? Isn't this the same passenger base that is booking these ships up at a pretty good pace?

[caribill]

Isn't this the same passenger base that is booking these ships up at a pretty good pace?

 

The question (to be answered in the future) is if this passenger base will book these ships a second time.

 

After the novelty of this ship wears off, how many will pick this ship because they have a great desire to see Princess Cays, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten and see these locations with even more people on shore.

[dmwnc1959]

I'll throw a bone...

 

That is probably the single best, most well rounded, and evenly played description of the ship I have ever read from you. Well done, and thank you.

 

But as hubofhockey said, and others have alluded to elsewhere, are these truly shortcomings or personal preferences? That is strictly in the eye of the individual passenger. Most every single one of the features that have been described as 'shortcomings' I have never used. And I am sure there are many who feel the same way. But the fact that they are not important to some should not take away from the fact that they are important to you and others.

 

And I am sure there are design features that are important to me that are not on Royal Princess that I wish they had incorporated but did not. But I don't dwell on the negative. I find the positive and focus on that. As it has been said before, a ship cannot be all things to all people, and no ship is 100% perfect. At some point in time we have to recognize that this ship is what it is, and nothing is going to change that. It's too late to go back and add or change some of the eliminated features because it would be structurally impossible based on her current design. And I think we have reached a saturation point in cruise ship design where there aren't too many features that one new ship has, that looks like it was taken from another. It's just refined or altered slightly to make it work for that ship.

 

As I've said before I am not a Princess cheerleader, nor the guardian of all things positive on Royal Princess. I just choose not to focus on the aspects that are disappointing to me and look forward to those I know I will enjoy. And if it weren't for this ship, Princess Cruises would have seen the last of me this past December after such a poor experience on Ruby Princess. I'd be looking forward to another cruise on a Millennium-class ship instead.

 

As for the novelty factor of this ship, I'd choose to sail her even without the dancing fountains and SeaWalk. I sailed the eastern Caribbean last year and would do it time and time again because I choose my vacations based on the ship, not the destination. If Royal Princess is as nice as it looks, I will book Regal Princess next December regardless if she is doing eastern or western Caribbean, of which I did the latter three cruises in a row simply because I enjoyed the ship, not the islands.

 

I am glad that in your last post you recognized some of the positive things on Royal Princess, and there are a lot of them. But it does appear that the lack of certain features concerns others enough to where they will stick with the Grand-class sisters since they feel comfortable in them. And that is wonderful, especially since there are so many more of them than there will be of the Royal-class ships by a huge margin.

 

We are 70 days away from her final departure from the shipyard, a few weeks away from sea trials, and many, many, many months until the barrage of reviews and pictures even begins to slow down. Until then I am sure we will continue to hear both sides of the story, from those who have never set foot on her and have absolutely no intentions of doing so, to those who shall be spending a month on her and will get to know her better than any of the rest of us ever will. Either way I will be on her in 261 days and I hope to be able to report back with a review not seen through rose-tinted glasses, but as a person who loves to cruise and loves new experiences. And Royal Princess will certainly fulfill that - shortcomings, personal preferences, and all.

[PunkiC]

For us it is certainly personal preference when it comes to dancing--that's what we like to do every night after dinner. Beyond having a great wood dance floor, good dance music, and decent food, we don't worry much about the details of a ship. Well we do enjoy the stretch, Zumba, ballroom dance, and line dance classes, but getting dressed up and going out dancing in the evening is our primary reason for cruising.

 

We never go to to the pools, only occasionally to the hot tub, never play bingo, go to art auctions and only grab one or two shows per cruise, if that.

 

So, if Princess, cuts out regular ballroom dancing on their new ships, we just pick another ship. They are targeting the mass market and there really aren't that many people these days who really enjoy ballroom dancing, sad to say. :(

[dmwnc1959]

For us it is certainly personal preference when it comes to dancing--that's what we like to do every night after dinner. Beyond having a great wood dance floor, good dance music, and decent food, we don't worry much about the details of a ship. Well we do enjoy the stretch, Zumba, ballroom dance, and line dance classes, but getting dressed up and going out dancing in the evening is our primary reason for cruising.

 

We never go to to the pools, only occasionally to the hot tub, never play bingo, go to art auctions and only grab one or two shows per cruise, if that.

 

So, if Princess, cuts out regular ballroom dancing on their new ships, we just pick another ship. They are targeting the mass market and there really aren't that many people these days who really enjoy ballroom dancing, sad to say. :(

 

I also do not go to Art Auctions or play bingo. I never use the pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, water slides, rock climbing walls, basketball courts, zip lines, nightclubs, or dance floors. I've used the spa three times in 20 years- once when someone dared me to get a manicure, once to get a massage (a waste of money for me), and once to use the Thelassotherapy Pool on Celebrity Galaxy in 1997. I have yet to spend more than five minutes on any promenade deck on any ship, and certainly don't bring books or eBooks on a Kindle to read. I rarely go to shows anymore, Allure of the Seas being the exception to the rule. And I absolutely hate dressing up for dinner. On my last four cruises I didn't even bother to pack any formal wear at all, choosing to dine casually at other venues or in specialty restaurants.

 

But I do love to cruise, and the next one will be notch #49 on my walking stick of life. There are those who have cruised twice as much or more than I, taken cruises around continents that I love reading about but would never seriously consider doing myself. We all cruise for different reasons. We are all entertained and relax differently. And can be on the same ship at the same time having completely different experiences. I pick a ship that suits my needs for the vacation I am considering. If it does not meet those needs, I move on to another ship, or another cruise line.

 

I am sure I have about two more cruises with Princess before I move back to another cruise line, be it Celebrity (most likely) or RCI (Quantum or Allure). And I would love to see what Holland-America has in store for us with their new build set to debut in the Fall of 2015.

 

So many options, so little time. There's something for everyone out there. Go out and find yours. ;)

[bdjam]

Shortcomings or personal preferences?

 

Do you believe that Princess has shown disrespect for their passenger base by building this class of ship? Isn't this the same passenger base that is booking these ships up at a pretty good pace?

Shortcomings in my opinion. If I want to go hang out by a pool that's not screaming with MUTS, where do I go? Forward doesn't work because of the sound bleed. Grand Class ships with an aft pool at least have that option which allows me to escape. If I want to steam after a workout, where do I go? Steam showers don't do it. If I want to walk the previously standard to Princess ships wrap around Promenade, where do I go? I could walk the jogging track I supposed, but that's not quite the same thing.

 

Initial sailings always book heavily - that's why cruise lines are able to charge premiums for them. As mentioned, the proof in the pudding will be with the number of loyal passengers who come back. I don't believe the success of a ship can be gleaned from initial bookings and I don't believe that Princess will call Royal a flop no matter how poorly it sells.

That is probably the single best, most well rounded, and evenly played description of the ship I have ever read from you. Well done, and thank you.

Well thanks a lot, but you're only saying that because I made positive comments.

But as hubofhockey said, and others have alluded to elsewhere, are these truly shortcomings or personal preferences? That is strictly in the eye of the individual passenger. Most every single one of the features that have been described as 'shortcomings' I have never used. And I am sure there are many who feel the same way. But the fact that they are not important to some should not take away from the fact that they are important to you and others.

Shortcomings

And I am sure there are design features that are important to me that are not on Royal Princess that I wish they had incorporated but did not. But I don't dwell on the negative. I find the positive and focus on that. As it has been said before, a ship cannot be all things to all people, and no ship is 100% perfect. At some point in time we have to recognize that this ship is what it is, and nothing is going to change that. It's too late to go back and add or change some of the eliminated features because it would be structurally impossible based on her current design. And I think we have reached a saturation point in cruise ship design where there aren't too many features that one new ship has, that looks like it was taken from another. It's just refined or altered slightly to make it work for that ship.

I don't think I've seen anywhere that you've stated something you enjoyed on the Grand Class has been left off Royal Princess. No one, least of all me, is expecting Princess to go back and redesign the ship - although I would imagine that things that don't work on Royal Princess will be corrected on Regal Princess - but again, that doesn't mean that commenting on what we feel is missing is forbidden.

As I've said before I am not a Princess cheerleader, nor the guardian of all things positive on Royal Princess. I just choose not to focus on the aspects that are disappointing to me and look forward to those I know I will enjoy. And if it weren't for this ship, Princess Cruises would have seen the last of me this past December after such a poor experience on Ruby Princess. I'd be looking forward to another cruise on a Millennium-class ship instead.

Speaking of Ruby Princess, you sure concentrated on the aspects of that ship that you didn't enjoy on the cruise ship rating thread. A ship is a ship and we shouldn't dwell on the negatives. And right - a cruise ship can't be everything to everyone - which is another of Princess' failings...they try to do just that - so those who are enamored with Celebrity should continue to enjoy that product. But I really think that the culture instilled in a cruise line will envelope any of its ships, especially when the design features come from the same minds. My guess is Royal Princess will be much more Ruby-esque than Celebrity-esque.

As for the novelty factor of this ship, I'd choose to sail her even without the dancing fountains and SeaWalk. I sailed the eastern Caribbean last year and would do it time and time again because I choose my vacations based on the ship, not the destination. If Royal Princess is as nice as it looks, I will book Regal Princess next December regardless if she is doing eastern or western Caribbean, of which I did the latter three cruises in a row simply because I enjoyed the ship, not the islands.

 

I am glad that in your last post you recognized some of the positive things on Royal Princess, and there are a lot of them. But it does appear that the lack of certain features concerns others enough to where they will stick with the Grand-class sisters since they feel comfortable in them. And that is wonderful, especially since there are so many more of them than there will be of the Royal-class ships by a huge margin.

Again, I think this is where Princess falls down. They are trying to be the cruise line for everyone. The silly Skywalk for example. Right, it's a novelty and I'm sure that Princess has included it for a little bit of "wow." But what for? I mean how many times are you going to be able to cross that thing and be "wowed?" I'm not advocating that Princess install rock climbing walls or flow riders, but at least those things provide a reason to return and do them again. The Skywalk? Hardly.

 

And really much of what I see as positive in Royal Princess is evolution of the Grand and Sun Class designs.

We are 70 days away from her final departure from the shipyard, a few weeks away from sea trials, and many, many, many months until the barrage of reviews and pictures even begins to slow down. Until then I am sure we will continue to hear both sides of the story, from those who have never set foot on her and have absolutely no intentions of doing so, to those who shall be spending a month on her and will get to know her better than any of the rest of us ever will. Either way I will be on her in 261 days and I hope to be able to report back with a review not seen through rose-tinted glasses, but as a person who loves to cruise and loves new experiences. And Royal Princess will certainly fulfill that - shortcomings, personal preferences, and all.

It will be interesting to hear your thoughts about Royal Princess based on your experience rather than on the renderings and promotional publications. I hope that it is positive - but based on your comments of Ruby Princess, I know that you will come back with honest thoughts based on how you prefer to cruise.