Crowded? Princess Ships

[DeRon]

What feels the most crowded between the new Royal and the Star/Emerald type of ships? When we went on the Caribbean, it felt too crowded.

 

Thoughts?

[custompcsys]

"Feeling crowded" is very subjective. What bothers one person may not bother another at all. Grand class ships like the Caribbean and Star Princess have a capacity of over 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew, but to me, I never got a crowded feeling on them. You could always find a quiet area to sit, enjoy a drink, read, etc. If you go to places like the theater, etc yes, there are going to be a lot of people....kind of hard to avoid.

 

If you are looking for a more intimate experience then you may want to stay with a smaller ship, but the experience will be different as far as entertainment venues, activities, etc. In the end the only way to really know what fits for you is to try it and see.

[jackieo]

The problem for us lies with the Grand class ships which have the extra deck. The Caribbean,the Emerald, the Ruby and the Crown. In warm weather you don't notice this so much. But for us on cool sailings the inside space feels crowded.

[cdngrl]

The problem for us lies with the Grand class ships which have the extra deck. The Caribbean,the Emerald, the Ruby and the Crown. In warm weather you don't notice this so much. But for us on cool sailings the inside space feels crowded.

 

I agree. I much prefer the grand/star/golden that have 500 less of your cruising friends aboard. I also thought it was particularly noticeable on the cool days.

[Pam in CA]

I did not feel that the Royal was crowded at all even with a very full ship. Never had a problem finding a table in the buffet or a seat in the Piazza and the buffet is huge and easy to move around. Given a choice, I'd book the Royal over the Golden or other Grand-class ships.

[-Lew-]

 

I did not feel that the Royal was crowded at all even with a very full ship. Never had a problem finding a table in the buffet or a seat in the Piazza and the buffet is huge and easy to move around. Given a choice, I'd book the Royal over the Golden or other Grand-class ships.

I agree, Pam...

 

The HC on the Royal was fantastic! The layout of the buffet on the Royal/Regal is completely different than on any other Princess ship...and we never had to walk around searching for an available table.

 

I can certainly understand the OP's issues with the CB. We also felt crowded.

 

Lew

[PescadoAmarillo]

I thought the Royal Princess felt less crowded than the Crown, Ruby, Emerald or Caribbean. It's been 3 years since I've been on a standard Grand Class ship, so I can't honestly compare. I think the Royal feels more crowded than the Island, but not in the buffet area.

[f-mattox]

I'm sorry to have to differ with my friend Pam, but I have been on most of the Grand class ships and NONE every felt as crowded as Royal Princess. The larger Grand class ships (Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby) came close, but I will not book Royal Princess again--or Regal either. I agree with Pam that it was always easy to find a seat in the Horizon Court; but the lounges, the open area aft of Horizon Court, and especially the pool areas were always difficult and sometimes impossible to find a comfortable spot.

[Pia1913]

I'm sorry to have to differ with my friend Pam, but I have been on most of the Grand class ships and NONE every felt as crowded as Royal Princess. The larger Grand class ships (Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby) came close, but I will not book Royal Princess again--or Regal either. I agree with Pam that it was always easy to find a seat in the Horizon Court; but the lounges, the open area aft of Horizon Court, and especially the pool areas were always difficult and sometimes impossible to find a comfortable spot.

 

And so I too must differ with you. We spent 30 days on the Royal and never felt crowded. What did we do differently than you? While we spend little time if any at any pool, we do go to all other venues. I really am confused by your statement. :confused:

[f-mattox]

As another poster pointed out, "crowded" is a very subjective term. Obviously what seemed crowded to me did not seem crowded to you.

[Pam in CA]

Often, one cruise is different from the next as it depends on the passengers and demographics. Some cruises have more passengers interested in the pool area than others. I'm not a pool person but if I were, I often saw unused loungers throughout the day. I could usually find a chair on Lido in the shade. And unlike the Grand-class ships, had no problem finding a table or seat in the Piazza. Pia's and my cruise had an older demographic. A Caribbean cruise would have a younger demographic.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Pam in CA

[DeRon]

The problem for us lies with the Grand class ships which have the extra deck. The Caribbean,the Emerald, the Ruby and the Crown.

 

This was SO true for us too. We experienced the Grand... loved it. Then the Star...and loved it! Then on the Caribbean...hmmm..We *really* felt the extra people and the extra deck. 500 more people in the same public spaces is a LOT.

 

It effected us so much, we left Princess thinking things have changed (check my signature). We have such great memories of Princess, that we want to come back...if it doesn't feel crowded. We also love new ships :)

[Astro Flyer]

I'm also one of those who felt that the Royal was not as crowded as other Princess ships. There is sufficient space for everyone to have an uncrowded experience however just like on any other ship if too many people want to do the same thing at the same time it will be crowded.

 

I hate crowds and was very hesitant to move up from smaller ships such as the old Dawn Princess with 700 passengers to a 2500 passenger Grand-class ship. My concerns were unfounded and as cruise lines build larger ships they're finding efficient ways to handle even larger crowds.

[DeRon]

I'm also one of those who felt that the Royal was not as crowded as other Princess ships. There is sufficient space for everyone to have an uncrowded experience however just like on any other ship if too many people want to do the same thing at the same time it will be crowded.

 

I hate crowds and was very hesitant to move up from smaller ships such as the old Dawn Princess with 700 passengers to a 2500 passenger Grand-class ship. My concerns were unfounded and as cruise lines build larger ships they're finding efficient ways to handle even larger crowds.

 

That's a great report!

[caribill]

No matter what the size of the ship, there are going to be times there will be a big crowd because of the number of passengers involved in an activity. Some examples:

 

o Captain's welcome party and Champagne waterfall in the atrium.

o Outside the traditional dining room at the starting times on embarkation day

o When a Princess Theater show lets out, especially if there are passengers waiting for the next show

o By the photo gallery the last evening

o Lines to get off the ship when disembarkation starts in any port.

 

etc.

[2ferfun]

Our last cruise was on the Coral and I dont know if it was way underbooked but it felt WAY less crowded than the Crown or the Golden. It was amazing how empty it felt!

[billco]

Often, one cruise is different from the next as it depends on the passengers and demographics. Some cruises have more passengers interested in the pool area than others. I'm not a pool person but if I were, I often saw unused loungers throughout the day. I could usually find a chair on Lido in the shade. And unlike the Grand-class ships, had no problem finding a table or seat in the Piazza. Pia's and my cruise had an older demographic. A Caribbean cruise would have a younger demographic.

I agree demographics have a lot to do with what venues might be crowded. I took the TRX Fitness class on both the Maiden Transatlantic and Caribbean cruises on Royal Princess. On the Transatlantic, which was an older demographic, I was often the only one in the class. The class on the Caribbean was full with a waiting list. While we never felt the ship was crowded, there were a lot of times where there were no loungers/seats available on the Promenade Deck. I never felt the area aft of Horizon Court was crowded. That was sort of our go to place. There were times mid morning where there were no tables available in the Piazza. Also, a few times where we had to wait to get in the MDR, because we came at 7:00 PM, instead of our usual 6:00.

[shepp]

And so I too must differ with you. We spent 30 days on the Royal and never felt crowded. What did we do differently than you? While we spend little time if any at any pool, we do go to all other venues. I really am confused by your statement. :confused:

 

Except - ahem - at those get-there-an-hour-early-if-your-team-wants-seats trivia games, remember? And the ridiculous idea of holding Zumba in the TV studio.

 

Problem with the Royal, I think, had less to do with too-small public spaces than too few sufficiently large public spaces for all the activities scheduled.

[dorisis]

We did a B2B on Royal and were very disappointed. It DID feel crowded and anytime dining turned out to be totally disorganized. We prefer Island, Coral, Ocean and Pacific. Elevators on Royal were the worst with very long waits at central. Rudest passengers we have ever encountered made the ship seem even worse. Just my opinion.

[Pia1913]

Except - ahem - at those get-there-an-hour-early-if-your-team-wants-seats trivia games, remember? And the ridiculous idea of holding Zumba in the TV studio.

LOL. No worry. You were there. :D

.

 

...

[aquilegia]

I wonder if perception of how crowded it is depends on the mix of people on a particular ship and what areas they like to congregate in? I found the Emerald felt much less crowded than the Crown, which is a similar ship. The Star, which had fewer passengers, also felt more crowded than the Emerald. All the ships were said to be sailing full.

[Aquahound]

What feels the most crowded between the new Royal and the Star/Emerald type of ships? When we went on the Caribbean, it felt too crowded.

 

Thoughts?

 

I haven't been on Royal, but Ruby was the most crowded ship I have ever been on. Caribbean was a close second but for me, Ruby was the worst.

[kendon]

I did not feel that the Royal was crowded at all even with a very full ship. Never had a problem finding a table in the buffet or a seat in the Piazza and the buffet is huge and easy to move around. Given a choice, I'd book the Royal over the Golden or other Grand-class ships.

 

I completely agree! There was SO much more available seating in the buffet on the Royal than any other ship.

[FritzG]

I agree that it varies from cruise to cruise. We've been on the Ruby several times including 3 cruises since January. On the January and the March 15th cruise we didn't feel that it was crowded at all. There were lots of college age passengers on the March 15th cruise, but unless you were at the pool it was probably the least crowded cruise we've taken. We're not pool people so it wasn't a problem for us. The March 20th cruise had lots of families and lots of first time Princess cruisers, and it was very crowded and very congested no matter where we went. I think the itinerary and time of year make a big difference, too.

[JustinPlusLauren]

I didn't feel like the Emerald was crowded at all! It seemed there were enough public spaces and areas for people to go that it didn't feel crowded at all.

 

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