Royal Princess Pictures

[odyzander]

We have never sailed Princess (yet) and to be honest we are Disney Cruise Line people (Young family and all) We booked an Alaskan Princess cruise for price and other reasons. Hoping to have a great time in Alaska (3 weeks!!) but to be honest I never saw myself booking Princess outside this trip or I should say Alaska. This new ship is changing my opinion on that. It really has a classic and elegant feel, yet warm and inviting. We will definately have to see how the service and other things are, but I could see booking this ship in the future!!

[Cruise Junky]

I'm afraid that the balconies (or lack thereof) have sealed the deal for us as well unless I could book one of the corner forward minis on Lido or Marina but the odds are against it. We are balcony people too and if all 3 of us cannot be out there together, it is a deal breaker.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38661462&postcount=4

 

9296 is the size of the balcony we have on Celebrity without paying a lot extra. I don't think that's even possible on Royal. Very disappointing. There's so much I was looking forward to on her :(

[spingal]

The balconies on the Penthouse Suites are ridiculous! They could not be more than 4' deep.

 

Maybe they have the wrong pictures titled.:(

 

Mike

 

I wish they were the wrong pictures. If you look at the interior penthouse suite pictures you can see that the balcony is narrow. Personally I think Princess made a big mistake. My folks love suites because my Dad loves reading in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony. No way that a lounge chair would fit. :eek:

[sjn911]

Very sad about the balconies...but love the ship...as they are small..maybe a solo can get one at a better premium in a few years...Sarah

[MauiLvrs]

Very sad about the balconies......Sarah

There is more bad news...

 

And where is the promenade deck???

There isn't much of one...

You can read about it here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1861150 :(

 

I just showed my husband the picture of the penthouse and regular balconies..I got an immediate and definitive "don't ever book us on this ship" :(

We probably won't book her or her twin either ...

[capriccio]

I wish they were the wrong pictures. If you look at the interior penthouse suite pictures you can see that the balcony is narrow. Personally I think Princess made a big mistake. My folks love suites because my Dad loves reading in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony. No way that a lounge chair would fit. :eek:

 

The alternative on the Royal are the Owners Suites (which are larger than the Penthouse Suites) - since they are aft they have wrap around balconies. The Penthouse suites are 440 sq feet and 72 sq foot balcony and the aft Owner's suites are up 680 sq ft including a wrap around balcony. Much of that larger size is probably balcony which could be as much as 200 sq ft on the Marina, Riviera, Baja and Dolphin decks. We reserved an owners suite just because we like a large balcony and even on the other Princess ships the aft balconies are largest. As an aside, my BIL and SIL will be in the aft facing premium deluxe balcony next door and it has a bigger balcony (81 sq feet on Dolphin deck) than a Penthouse suite!

[5326jan]

The picture of the balcony of the mini-suite is shocking to me. From the look of it, you wouldn't even be able to turn the chair straight out towards the ocean and have room to sit! (Think coach class airline seating:rolleyes:) The ship is beautiful and elegant. I'm sure that I would have a wonderful time sailing on it, but the balconies are a real disappointment. We would also miss the Promenade Deck.:(

[SeagoingMom]

For me, I see SO much that has me excited to board the Royal in November! The Atrium is breathtaking with so many small venues to experience! The Retreat Pool looks like a great place to unwind, although DH and I are considering splurging for the Sanctuary...ahh, a comfy chair, my kindle and a cocktail! As for the balconies, yep they're on the small side, but still big enough to sit and enjoy a beautiful view of the Caribbean! And with so many new places to explore, I doubt we'll be spending too much time on the balcony anyway. (Although, I do love my tea there in the morning!). I'm just excited to be on a brand new ship, enjoying down time with DH! Not a thing to complain about, we'll be on vacation! :D:D

I love your enthusiasm! Have a great cruise, then come back and report!

[Woobstr112G]

There are some things I don't like and will miss, but there are positives as well. I may not sail on her again (or the Regal), but I had to do my favorite itinerary on a brand new ship.....:):):)

Bob

[JimmyVWine]

The heck with the Promenade and the balconies, the real deal-breaker for me is the hand-painted piano with the ubiquitous Martini olive on it. As long as that eyesore remains, I stand in protest!!:D

[bhopal21]

The heck with the Promenade and the balconies, the real deal-breaker for me is the hand-painted piano with the ubiquitous Martini olive on it. As long as that eyesore remains, I stand in protest!!:D

 

 

It looks like it came from a Michael Godard fire sale.:eek:

 

Mike:)

[JimmyVWine]

It looks like it came from a Michael Godard fire sale.:eek:

 

Mike:)

 

A shame it wasn't consumed in the fire! :cool:

[OnVacation11]

Thanks for posting the link. Did anyone else notice how small the balcony is? There doesn't even seem to be enough room to walk around on it. How are they ever going to be able to do a Balcony Dinner on it. I am in no hurry to sail on this ship, I think I'll stick with the other ships.

 

Very soon the cruise ships' balconies will be the same size as riverboats' balconies - about 2 inches with a romantic name -- Juliette Balconies !

[Tweedy]

Thanks for the link. I'm disappointed in the size of the balconies. They seem so tight and tiny!

[TorontoTL]

A shame it wasn't consumed in the fire! :cool:

 

LOL :p

[u2cruiser]

I really like how they are using past passengers' photos in the corridors. Nice touch. :)

[CI66774]

I think it's apparent that the trend with new ship builds is reducing the size of balconies so that people generate revenue in the paying venues of the ship. You should see the size of the NCL Breakaway's balconies. Take two steps and you're overboard. I booked L108 - a Lido deck mini with a much longer and somewhat wider balcony that wraps around. It also appears the actual cabin is somewhat bigger. But who knows. I really don't miss the Promenade - most newer ships don't have usable ones to walk around. I do love the lovely looking Horizon Court and some of the other venues look really lovely. The kids' areas look nice, too.

[Id rather be diving]

I can't wait to hear from people once they sail on her. As it looks now, we probably won't sail on her because, as many others have stated, we spend a lot of time on our balcony. My husband is retired law enforcement and it's very hard for him to shut his eyes and relax on deck so he loves to sit on the balcony and really relax and take a nap.

 

I will just hope that tons of people will want to book this new girl and they will need people like us to fill our favorite ships: the Emerald, Ruby or Star!:p

[Who Knew]

I think it's apparent that the trend with new ship builds is reducing the size of balconies so that people generate revenue in the paying venues of the ship.

 

I think I am totally naive, lol. I actually thought maybe they did it to give more people a chance to have balconies. Having just typed that out, I can see I am probably way too naive. :)

[John99]

Beautiful ship. Looking at the pictures makes me want to book a Caribbean cruise for this coming winter.

 

John :)

[CI66774]

I think I am totally naive, lol. I actually thought maybe they did it to give more people a chance to have balconies. Having just typed that out, I can see I am probably way too naive. :)

 

That, too. I'm just a cynic. But I agree that, maybe, it was to give more people the opportunity to open their balcony doors and smell the fresh air. I always heard a lot of people complaining about the totally exposed dolphin (and partially exposed other decks) on the other ships. I guess you can't please everyone - so ya got to please yourself!!:D

[kikki21]

The ship is gorgeous in terms of decor but I have to agree that the balcony size is shocking, they aren't very deep at all or long!

 

If I was paying Penthouse suite money - I'd be gutted at the size of balcony but as other posters have said the NCL Breakaway also has small balconies.

 

I think ship designers need to listen to passenger wants a bit more carefully!

Bigger rooms and balconies and a proper promanade deck. I reckon the first next new ship that has this will be an instant winner! :)

[gillianrose]

I think it's apparent that the trend with new ship builds is reducing the size of balconies so that people generate revenue in the paying venues of the ship.

 

That's their reasoning, for sure, but there will be many astute people who will just avoid booking the ship because they would rather cruise on a ship which has more amenities included and more ties to the sea than this one, and don't want further onboard revenue-enhancing "opportunities."

[CI66774]

That's their reasoning, for sure, but there will be many astute people who will just avoid booking the ship because they would rather cruise on a ship which has more amenities included and more ties to the sea than this one, and don't want further onboard revenue-enhancing "opportunities."

 

I'm not disagreeing with you but ships such as RCL's Allure and Oasis of the Seas are most akin to floating cities without real "ties" to the ocean - those are always booked!

[Cruise Junky]

Has anyone been successful in getting the actual Sq. footage of a regular balcony on Royal? I tried a couple of dummy bookings where I got the room size but it didn't include the balcony size like it does for other ships.

 

Thanks