Royal Princess preview cruise Jun 9-11 - review

[billco]

Its almost against cruise critic rules to post on here that you dont like the Royal Princess. You have been warned

Actually, I think it is just against Dave's rules to post in his thread that you don't like the Royal Princess. I respect that, but there have been a lot of posts from people who don't like the Royal Princess in other threads. Though I have three cruises booked on the Royal, there are quite a few things already coming to light that i don't like. Like many have posted about not being able to walk around the ship on the Promenade Deck. Even more depressing to find that one of the few accessible areas on the Promenade Deck is designated smoking. The balconies appear much smaller than I had imagined and I just found there is less storage space in a deluxe balcony than in a standard balcony. Also, it has been stated that the room TVs will not accept external devices. More and more, there appears there is a lot to dislike about this new ship. OTOH, there is a lot to like, too.

[caribill]

• 
  
  • There are no stairs midships above deck 7 - this was another unpleasant surprise for us, as we offset the over-indulgence by never using the elevators. Not sure if this is to get more cabins in, but we don't like it.

This was also a design flaw on the Grand Princess which was corrected on all the later Grand class ships. Very annoying to have to wait for elevators if you are only going up or down for one or two decks.

 

Cabin

• I could only find one socket - not a problem for 2 nights, but I'd expect more rather than fewer on a newer ship. Also, the positioning is unhelpful for UK passengers needing an adaptor. Nowadays many plugs for iPads, smart phones etc come with a USB connector, and there's not enough room to plug it in. Either there are more sockets we didn't find, or somebody didn't think this through.
  

 

This is a big step backward. All previous Princess ships had two USA type sockets at the desk and that was inadequate.

 

• It seemed rather short on drawers space. Again, not an issue for such a short cruise, but not sure about for a longer one.
  

 

It appears from posted pictures that the desk is smaller and has less storage space than on the other Princess ships.

[Mom33]

Thanks for your candid review black_velvet....:) You answered a lot of questions for a lot of people which allows us all to make up our minds as to whether we will enjoy a cruise on the Royal.

 

I can't wait for our cruise!!:D

[eroller]

Actually, I think it is just against Dave's rules to post in his thread that you don't like the Royal Princess.

 

 

I agree. Dave's thread is pretty amazing, and he has spent an incredible amount of time and effort supplying info about RP and generating excitement about the ship. I can understand and respect why he would not want that effort to get railroaded.

 

This being said, while it's important to celebrate the success of RP, it's just as important to point out and discuss the shortfalls. How else can the cruise lines continue to improve? I think those discussions will come naturally on threads like this where people have actually experienced the ship first hand. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm a realist and I like knowing the good along with the bad. I tend not to see things through rose colored glasses but as they actually are. It doesn't mean I don't like the ship, just that I can appreciate its successes and failures.

[dchip]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a balanced and thoughtful review.

 

Cheers, Denise

[BLS]

thank you for the honest review!

Am sorry to realize that there will be no walking around Deck 7. A favorite passtime for us.

We are book on the Oct 9 Transatlantic and always enjoy walking.

 

Mahalo,

Bev

[PescadoAmarillo]

:D :D People should not be afraid to speak their minds. We are all entitled to our opinions, and this site is called "Cruise Critic" after all! I like to think people are intelligent enough to read the good and the bad, and make their own informed decisions about what is and is not important to them.

Agree! I'm sure I'm not alone in that there are several things about the RP that I think I'll like, and several I won't. Assuming we cruise on her as planned in November (never a certainty), I'll be mentioning both on my blog.

 

It's a ship, not a relationship.

[Northender]

T thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thank you.:)

[Solara]

 

Out of all the things you mentioned, what bothers me most is no stairs above Deck 7 midship. I don't understand the rationale behind this? I remember when GRAND PRINCESS was introduced, there was a similar situation as the midship stairs were originally designated "crew only" or something to that effect (it's been many years so I don't remember all the details). This is in part why the elevators are separate from the stairs, and there are two crew elevators right by the midship staircase. Anyway Princess saw fit to upgrade the stairs and make them available to passengers. I can assure you on RP there is a stair tower midship that goes all they way up to the top, but for whatever reason Princess decided to make it crew only. It would have to be there for fire safety and evacuation reasons, and you can see the blank white area on the deck plan behind the midship elevators that goes all the way to Deck 16. I also notice that Rai Caluori chose not to answer this very question on the open Q&A here on CC, even though it was posted very early on. While there are plenty of other ships that have only two stair towers, the set up is a bit different than RP so it's more feasible, and it's very unusual to have a set of elevators without stairs. I could be wrong, but on a mega-ship such as this I only see the lack of a stair option by the elevators as leading to even more crowding on the elevators. Interestingly enough, the Grand Class has the same amount of elevators as the RP, and carries almost 600 fewer passengers.

 

Ernie

 

This was also a design flaw on the Grand Princess which was corrected on all the later Grand class ships. Very annoying to have to wait for elevators if you are only going up or down for one or two decks.

 

I agree of all the things mentioned the lack of midship staircase above deck 7 is the one I have the most problem with too. I was the OP who asked Rai Calouri the question very early on & never got an answer. It really bothered me that he never answered the question. Obviously this is a design flaw. I'm very excited to be sailing on the maiden transatlantic so hopefully I won't also find out that my midship cabin on the starboard side of Deck 8 will have smokers on the Promenade deck smoking below my balcony.

[wb2868]

Thanks for the review... everyone will have opinions on the ship and I think its important to have everyone's thoughts before we board. I have NEVER been on a Princess ship that I was disappointed in. We have only cruised Carnival besides Princess so even though we don't have a lot to compare to - I'm always happy to be on a ship versus at home working!

[lovevacadays]

Thank you so much for your balanced review. I loved reading it. Very informative. I definitely want to try the Royal. There are so many new things that intrigue me. Plus, it will be nice to see a new "design" However, I am with you I love a full Promenade deck. I spend a good amount of early mornings there plus I love the feel when one is walking on the Promenade. It makes me feel like I am on an ocean liner - just a special feeling to me. I also cannot understand why Princess would not have a center staircase.

 

Thanks again.

[eroller]

I was the OP who asked Rai Calouri the question very early on & never got an answer. It really bothered me that he never answered the question.

 

 

It bothered me as well. Is that the solution, just ignoring the questions that management doesn't want to answer? He probably didn't answer it because there was no good explanation to restrict this staircase to crew only. You think they would have learned from the Grand Class which had the same issue and they went in and corrected it.

[lovevacadays]

Agree! I'm sure I'm not alone in that there are several things about the RP that I think I'll like, and several I won't. Assuming we cruise on her as planned in November (never a certainty), I'll be mentioning both on my blog.

 

It's a ship, not a relationship.

 

It's a ship, not a relationship. Love it!:D

[jean s]

Thanks for the great review. I'm saddened that there is no real promenade deck. I always spend lots of time walking, relaxing and just looking out at the sea. We are booked in February but really disappointed by this poorly thought out design.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Balcony cabin question:

 

are there sofas/love seats in the balcony cabins?

or just the Deluxe Balconies...or none on any balconies on the Royal?

[chamima]

Balcony cabin question:

 

are there sofas/love seats in the balcony cabins?

or just the Deluxe Balconies...or none on any balconies on the Royal?

 

Just the Deluxe Balconies and the suites and mini suites.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Just the Deluxe Balconies and the suites and mini suites.

 

thank you, Karen!

[riclop]

Inside rooms are the same size as the regular balony rooms so why pay all that extra money for a small balcony?? Not worth it.

[Mom33]

Inside rooms are the same size as the regular balony rooms so why pay all that extra money for a small balcony?? Not worth it.

 

It is when there is a power problem or the AC isn't working well. The ability to open the door of your cabin and breathe the fresh salt air is worth every penny.

I like natural light in the room and to see what is going on outside.

[RetiredandLovingit]

To some people it is better. And a lot of people are choosing this ship over others for what is offers, not what it lacks. And for those that think it's not their cup of tea, then don't book it. There are 16 other ships in the fleet.

 

AMEN!!:D:D:D

 

More booking availability for the rest of us.

 

Jim

[riclop]

It is when there is a power problem or the AC isn't working well. The ability to open the door of your cabin and breathe the fresh salt air is worth every penny.

I like natural light in the room and to see what is going on outside.

ac not working well so you will open your balcony door and let hot humid air in . NICE...

[Mom33]

ac not working well so you will open your balcony door and let hot humid air in . NICE...

 

No, I open the door and go out on the balcony.:p

[MauiLvrs]

...More booking availability for the rest of us.

Jim

You all can have our room too:eek:

Thanks for the detailed review outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the RP.

 

We were about ready to book the new Regal and will now book on her smaller sister for less $$$ visiting the same ports.

 

We were wondering at what point in the design process the they lost their marbles. It was disappointing to discover that the new ships promenade didn't include the bow. Discovering that most of the deck is inaccessible to passengers is a deal breaker. We could have dealt with not accessing the front as we did this on the Vision. Not having access to the rest of the deck is just insane. We spend a LOT of time wandering the promenade. These new ships are just an overgrown Pacific Princess:confused: Small boat cruising on a huge ship. IF we wanted to party inside and hang by the pool, we can just go to Tahoe:eek:

 

While we were looking forward to the Skywalk ... she and her new sister just aren't worth the trade-off:(

Thanks again for helping us choose a better cruise;)

 

...After reading the posts from folks who have actually been aboard I'm not so sure that this ship would be a good fit for us.

Yep ... probably not for us either:(

[antsp]

Yet another intelligent comment...not!:rolleyes:

 

Thanks

[Woobstr112G]

Great review. I was onboard for the weekend and have to say I loved the ship. I agree the atrium is something special. A great place to listen to the live music they had there. Also the next morning I found it a lovely place to have coffee.

 

Totally agree with your comments on the Skywalk and it was mentioned by quite a few people. I have added it to the Q&A to see if we get a reply.

 

Regarding plug sockets I took a few pics for info :

 

.

 

There was also one in the bathroom ( US style ) with a safety cover to close when not in use.

 

I liked the wardrobe space and the way that area has been designed.

 

 

A quick question about the cabin televisions. Did you happen to notice if there were any side connections (hdmi, etc). Thanks in advance for your reply.....:):):)

 

Bob