Royal balcony: small or soot or wind or loss of privacy

[Loreni]

This does not seem like a ship for those who like balconies.

 

Either you have a tiny balcony where you cannot face the sea with your legs extended, or you can try to get one of three special balcony types:

 

those in back, which may be covered in soot,

 

those in the front, which may be windy, or

 

those on the side, which will be visible from the SeaWalk (in some cases people on the SeaWalk can see not only your balcony, but also into your room).

[Cruise Junky]

Pretty much sums it up I think. So disappointing

[need2cruisesoon]

This does not seem like a ship for those who like balconies.

 

Either you have a tiny balcony where you cannot face the sea with your legs extended, or you can try to get one of three special balcony types:

 

those in back, which may be covered in soot,

 

those in the front, which may be windy, or

 

those on the side, which will be visible from the SeaWalk (in some cases people on the SeaWalk can see not only your balcony, but also into your room).

 

It's too bad that princess didn't change some of the architecture for the upcoming Regal. Somebody was asleep at the wheel when they designed these ships.:confused:

[Avalon35]

I look at this as a challenge.. :rolleyes: it has been a major adventure trying to find the "goldilock's" balcony..one that is not too cold or not too hot but just right. It took me quite a few tries to search the deck plans and available cabins to find one that fit my criteria. It was helpful that some folks had already commented where to find them and even some photos. Then when I actually try to book it...people already know which are the good balconies and trust me they are booked a year out. Then I just read on cc about Princess moving cabins even if they are marked do not upgrade or meta upgrade on the Royal or Regal. I am now checking my booking regularly as I don't want them to touch my cabin because any change (unless to a suite) would be a severe "balcony downgrade" even in the same category ..ugh. So I am very grateful for everyone here who takes the time and posts their experiences. Some "experiences" you don't have to take with a grain of salt as it is just fact i.e. small,large, windy, sooty...fact! Thanks to all for keeping up the great postings.

[Loreni]

I look at this as a challenge.. :) it has been a major adventure trying to find the goldilocks balcony that is not too cold or not to how but just right. It took me quite a few tries to search the deck plans and available cabins to find one. The to try to book it..people know which the good ones are and trust me they are booked a year out. Then I read about Princess moving cabins even if they are marked do. It upgrade or meta upgrade on the Royal or Regal.

 

Yes, I also read a thread about someone who booked a special forward mini on the Royal and marked it no upgrade. They said they were "upgraded" anyway while en route to the port, but were lucky enough to get to the pier and get their original room before a VIP poached it. If this is true, finding the goldilocks room is not sufficient. You can still be moved. The key may be to not sail on a ship where so many of the balcony rooms are unacceptable. That way if you are moved against your will, at least the balcony you are moved to will be large enough for you to extend your legs while facing the sea.

[Gettingwarmer]

"I am now checking my booking regularly as I don't want them to touch my cabin because any change (unless to a suite) would be a severe "balcony downgrade" even in the same category ..ugh." Avalon35

 

Exactly my thoughts. I check daily to make sure my deliberately picked cabin (no upgrade) is not "upgraded" to a higher cabin with smaller balcony. The inside of the Royal looks great, the outside not so.

[stag]

We were in E109 which is classified obstructed because the railing panel is steel instead of glass. We studied the deck plan before we booked this room. The balcony is about 4 times bigger than regular balcony. We did not want to be upgraded.

[rkacruiser]

Yes, I agree that the news about this ship is so disappointing. I sailed on the original Royal Princess twice and was looking forward to sailing on Royal Princess the Third. It won't happen.

 

Somebody(ies) at Carnival Shipbuilding in London were not thinking clearly when the design for this Class of ships was being drawn. It makes me wonder if these folks have even been on a cruise and understand what the guests value.

[riclop]

This does not seem like a ship for those who like balconies.

 

Either you have a tiny balcony where you cannot face the sea with your legs extended, or you can try to get one of three special balcony types:

 

those in back, which may be covered in soot,

 

those in the front, which may be windy, or

 

those on the side, which will be visible from the SeaWalk (in some cases people on the SeaWalk can see not only your balcony, but also into your room).

Get an inside room.

[pamcdon]

So sad that some try to ruin it for those that are excited to sail her. Choose another ship.

 

 

Sent from my BNTV400 using Forums mobile app

[Cruise Junky]

So sad that some try to ruin it for those that are excited to sail her. Choose another ship.

 

 

Sent from my BNTV400 using Forums mobile app

 

Hahaha. You've actually read and seen the pictures of the mess on people's balconies? No fear, people are picking different ships alright

[hubofhockey]

So sad that some try to ruin it for those that are excited to sail her. Choose another ship.

 

 

Sent from my BNTV400 using Forums mobile app

 

Maybe more like a warning just to stay away from those cabins.

 

I'm looking forward to my cruise on the Royal, but I would switch out that cabin.

[Katie333]

Agreed this does not seem like the ship for us. :( Balconies are a non issue for some folks, and even for those who like them, they may not be concerned about one of these defiencies.

 

For us, these are all big disappointments and looks like I will be staying away from these new builds.

[loliola]

I look at this as a challenge.. :rolleyes: it has been a major adventure trying to find the "goldilock's" balcony..one that is not too cold or not too hot but just right. It took me quite a few tries to search the deck plans and available cabins to find one that fit my criteria. It was helpful that some folks had already commented where to find them and even some photos. Then when I actually try to book it...people already know which are the good balconies and trust me they are booked a year out. Then I just read on cc about Princess moving cabins even if they are marked do not upgrade or meta upgrade on the Royal or Regal. I am now checking my booking regularly as I don't want them to touch my cabin because any change (unless to a suite) would be a severe "balcony downgrade" even in the same category ..ugh. So I am very grateful for everyone here who takes the time and posts their experiences. Some "experiences" you don't have to take with a grain of salt as it is just fact i.e. small,large, windy, sooty...fact! Thanks to all for keeping up the great postings.

 

So which one did you choose?

[need2cruisesoon]

We were in E109 which is classified obstructed because the railing panel is steel instead of glass. We studied the deck plan before we booked this room. The balcony is about 4 times bigger than regular balcony. We did not want to be upgraded.

 

I didn't realize the forward deluxe cabins had larger balconies on the Emerald deck. Very interesting, I will look at these as I am currently booked on a deluxe aft and don't want a soot problem and a small balcony.

 

The balcony looks very private, right?

 

Thanks.

[lovevacadays]

One thing I have noticed in terms of pricing for both the Royal and Regal in 2014 is that there is a very big difference between booking an inside and a balcony. It seems like more of difference than from doing the same thing on the older Princess ships. One would think that if you had to pay so much more per person the balcony experience would be worth it.

[MauiLvrs]

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So which one did you choose?

We choose the Emerald instead of the Regal :eek:

[Cruise Junky]

We choose the Emerald instead of the Regal :eek:

 

Hahaha....me too :)

[seamanfs]

Hahaha....me too :)

 

We did the same!! Love the Emerald and will spend 20 beautiful days on it come February!!!

[CruisinChris]

That E109 balcony look totally claustrophobic to me!! Gives me palpitations just looking at it.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing if the balcony situation will work for me on these ships. I sailed many times in my early Princess days cruising on the Sun class ships and those balconies were probably about the same size, but with steel and steel rods for the front wall, rather than glass. I think we've been spoiled by the other post-Grand ships.

 

That said, balconies have been a hallmark of the Princess line, going all the way back to first Royal, renown for having all outside staterooms and more balconies than any other ship in her day. The line has historically talked up their balconies and I have to believe that the Grand (et al) were designed specifically to have many balconies, and many very spacious ones at that. Even the Island and Coral have fairly large balconies. And in this day and age, with ships so large and passenger loads so high, having that personal space to get away from it all is uber important. A mega ship that shortchanges personal space isn't going to feel comfortable. Given how important balconies are to the Princess experience, and how ingrained they've become as part of their brand image, it is very surprising that they've misjudged their passenger base. They waited a long time for a new build and now they've got a pair of ships that don't seem to fit with the brand or passenger base and that's likely to prove a big problem. I wouldn't be surprised if these ships are put on itineraries (in the future) which attract lots of first timers. Princess seems to be moving toward a first-timer (grow penetration - attract new cruisers) sales strategy with the short cruises anyway.

 

All this aside, I am still excited to sail at Christmas and check out all her wonderful new features, including the adults only pool area and fabulous atrium. I haven't done a live from in a good long while, but I'm planning to this trip.

[Cruiserkenn]

We did the same!! Love the Emerald and will spend 20 beautiful days on it come February!!!

 

Thanks, all, for the Emerald recommendation. I definitely need both a nice, clean balcony and a promenade deck.

 

One of the positive things about these threads is that one can learn how to avoid unpleasant things, such as soot and no promenade. The end result is finding a good ship with a good experience. Ultimately, it is about finding the right, happy ship. It is not about ruining someone else's experience. (The soot would ruin my experience.)

[Alaskanb]

I'm hoping my aft Emerald deck balcony on the Royal will be just right :)

[sabookkeeper]

We cancelled our cruise on the Royal for 2014 because of the balconies. As others have said, Princess dropped the ball here. Personally, the promenade and mid staircase is not a problem for me but we do use our balcony a lot. I am waiting to see the reviews once she starts cruising the Carribean. That will be the real test when it comes to the balcony sizes and the lack of pools. I am not saying that we will never cruise on the Royal or the Regal, if the itinerary and price is right we will consider it but probably in an inside cabin.

[need2cruisesoon]

We cancelled our cruise on the Royal for 2014 because of the balconies. As others have said, Princess dropped the ball here. Personally, the promenade and mid staircase is not a problem for me but we do use our balcony a lot. I am waiting to see the reviews once she starts cruising the Carribean. That will be the real test when it comes to the balcony sizes and the lack of pools. I am not saying that we will never cruise on the Royal or the Regal, if the itinerary and price is right we will consider it but probably in an inside cabin.

 

You cancelled your Royal cruise for '14, I am assuming that was a Caribbean cruise?

I am booked for the Royal next year on a Baltic cruise and seems that a balcony wouldn't be that big of an issue. However, I did just learn that some of the forward deluxe cabins on the Emerald deck have large balconies. So I am considering one of those.

[Iamcruzin]

I remember when the ship was being built and how Princesses boasted about more balconies on this new ship. Who knew that 1/2 would be such a disappointment.