Princess to Add 19th Ship to Fleet

[Pam in CA]

For folks that travel solo or just a single couple the Royal/Regal sounds fabulous, but for us that value a decent balcony the current trend is troubling.

I do cruise solo and my choice is to either book an inside or a balcony on the Royal. And you always have choices, even if they are not Princess.

[Mom33]

There are many wonderful things about each ship, but please, please find a way to return to bigger balconies ! They are extremely important to us!

 

They are available on the Royal and Regal. We will have one on our Regal cruise.

:D

Edited July 31, 2014 by Mom33

[Mom33]

You should add the words "for now" at the end of your sentence about having choices. It will be interesting to see how the ship assignments shake out in the future.

 

I for one am NOT excited that the only ship running the longer caribbean itineraries for 2016 is the Royal. We sail as a group of at least 4 and love to congregate on one of our balconies to enjoy some beverages and the scenery. We could just barely put four chairs, two on each side facing each other on a standard Aloha/Baja balcony on the grand class ships. I do not see this happening on the Royal balconies.

 

For folks that travel solo or just a single couple the Royal/Regal sounds fabulous, but for us that value a decent balcony the current trend is troubling.

 

I guess only time will tell.

 

You do have choices on Royal and Regal! Book a cabin with the extended balcony. You will have plenty of room for four people. We booked one on our upcoming Regal cruise.

[MauiLvrs]

That's surprising! I thought they'd wait for a while after the Royal and Regal... but it would be nice to have one of those on the West Coast.

 

Or ... send her to Asia and bring the Sapphire back to the west coast!

Edited July 31, 2014 by MauiLvrs

[caribill]

Does anyone know the financial pros to having larger ships in a fleet vs smaller?

 

o The fuel cost/passenger is lower on the larger ships.

 

o The cost of management (Captain, Hotel Director, etc.) is less per passenger on the larger ships.

 

On the other hand, from a potential passenger viewpoint, the biggest disadvantage is that the larger ships cannot go to many of the ports that the small ships can go to. And this is not just small ports. Consider Stockholm where Princess ships other than the Royal and Regal can dock very close to the heart of the city while the Royal this year has to port an hour's ride away from the city and has to tender the passengers to/from shore.

[dchip]

Or ... bring the Sapphire back to the west coast!

 

Now that would make me really happy! We love, love, love the Sapphire and the Diamond. Wouldn't it be lovely to have one of them on the West Coast.

 

Cheers, Denise

[caribill]

Wow impressive! I wonder if once they open they will fix the old locks to be more efficient as well.

 

The old locks were (and still are) very energy efficient because they did not have to use pumps to send water back to be reused. No pumps to maintain. No energy to be used to operate pumps.

 

Natural rainfall in effect provided all the water needed to operate the original locks. There is not enough available water to supply all the needs of the new locks.

[caribill]

Other grand class ship aloha and Baja balconies are 45 sq ft. Royal and regal are 41

 

Ever notice that none of the advertising photos from Princess show the 41 sq.ft. balconies?

[icat2000]

Now that would make me really happy! We love, love, love the Sapphire and the Diamond. Wouldn't it be lovely to have one of them on the West Coast.

 

Cheers, Denise

 

I reckon both of those ships will stay down under. The three girls - Dawn, Sea and Sun are getting at the end of their useful life.

[lovevacadays]

Send Royal or Regal down to Australia. The Princess ships down here are very tired looking and the Sea Princess is a disgrace at the moment.

Went on the Royal last year and loved it, would go again in a heartbeat and if we didn't have to fly for two days to get on a ship, that would be a huge bonus.

Cheers:)

 

It makes me sad to see your post about the Sea Princess being a disgrace. She was the first Princess ship I cruised. That was in 1997 when she was pretty new and there were not the megaships of today. I cruised with my mom. That cruise was my 2nd favorite cruise that I have done. I remember being on the Sea Princess and thinking how incredibly beautiful she was. Back then she had lots of little flickering lights in her ceiling, her colors were in the "peachy" range and the staff was amazing. From what I have seen and read her décor has changed dramatically. I will always have such fond memories of our cruise on her.

 

I would agree... Carnival Corp. would never have approved a new ship if the current new-builds weren't meeting expectations.

 

Love or hate the Royal and Regal I agree with you in that if these two were not meeting revenue expectations Princess would not be ordering a third build.

[Loonbeam]

Economies of scale...

 

It doesn't cost as much to add the next 500 pax to a ship as it does the first 500 (or to put it another way, the base costs of operating a 2000 pax ships are not that far off of a 3650). You also have all those extra people on board shopping, drinking and buying excursions, which is where the money is.

 

I'm curious why cruise lines are coming out with bigger and bigger ships. Our favorite ships are Celebrity's Solstice Class ships.....and we'd love to try the Royal or Regal when we find the right itinerary. But we prefer that ships don't get much bigger than these. I assume there must be a financial benefit to having these huge ships, although it seems to me (and I know NOTHING about finances) that they would have to heavily discount rooms to fill up all of these berths. Does anyone know the financial pros to having larger ships in a fleet vs smaller?

 

 

 

 

Michael

[Colo Cruiser]

Love those flickering lights. ;)

[Cruise Junky]

Ever notice that none of the advertising photos from Princess show the 41 sq.ft. balconies?

 

 

not only do they not show the smurf balconies but their TV advertising shows larger balconies, full promenade decks. The pictures they share most often on Facebook show the tiered aft pool yet they continue to pump out Royal clones. They're built for you to spend more time inside parting with your money, no wonder CCL keeps building them. Royal Caribbean is actually inventive, builds new ships with decent size balconies and their stock price is now killing CCL. They must be doing something right.

[Mom33]

not only do they not show the smurf balconies but their TV advertising shows larger balconies, full promenade decks. The pictures they share most often on Facebook show the tiered aft pool yet they continue to pump out Royal clones. They're built for you to spend more time inside parting with your money, no wonder CCL keeps building them. Royal Caribbean is actually inventive, builds new ships with decent size balconies and their stock price is now killing CCL. They must be doing something right.

 

I believe that all the cruise lines are doing something right. They are still in business and building new ships. Must be that people enjoy the cruising lifestyle and the many choices they have in ships and companies to cruise with. Princess may not please you anymore, but there are many cruisers who enjoy the product.

They are a business and they need to make money to stay profitable.

The features they show in their ads exist on their ships.They have every right to include them in their ads.:D

[Woobstr112G]

Or ... send her to Asia and bring the Sapphire back to the west coast!

 

 

We can only hope.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I do cruise solo and my choice is to either book an inside or a balcony on the Royal. And you always have choices, even if they are not Princess.

 

Wow have they got you hooked. You now settle for an inside cabin & convince yourself your fine with it. :D

 

You do have choices on Royal and Regal! Book a cabin with the extended balcony. You will have plenty of room for four people. We booked one on our upcoming Regal cruise.

 

Of course it comes at an extra cost that once was included in every balcony. :rolleyes:

[hubofhockey]

The new ship will include the signature elements that have become synonymous with the Princess Cruises guest experience such as a soaring central atrium hub with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; the adults-only Sanctuary; Movies Under the Stars cinema experience, and 80 percent of all staterooms with balconies. The ship will also include some brand-new innovations to enhance the guest experience even further.

 

They seem pretty general in the press release, and that's a good thing. They aren't pimping gimmicks like the Sea Walk or the silly waste of space fountain. What they mention is the expanded atrium and that is a winner for the new builds.

 

My hope is that they keep the larger atrium concept, keep Alfredos, keep the Enclave, keep Princess Live, and many aspects of the Horizon that they have updated. I also hope they deal with the defects on the Royal, including expanding both the central pools and AFT pools, making the balconies a bit larger, and of course, dealing with the major defect and that is the overcrowded elevators.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

They seem pretty general in the press release, and that's a good thing. They aren't pimping gimmicks like the Sea Walk or the silly waste of space fountain. What they mention is the expanded atrium and that is a winner for the new builds.

 

My hope is that they keep the larger atrium concept, keep Alfredos, keep the Enclave, keep Princess Live, and many aspects of the Horizon that they have updated. I also hope they deal with the defects on the Royal, including expanding both the central pools and AFT pools, making the balconies a bit larger, and of course, dealing with the major defect and that is the overcrowded elevators.[/QUOTE]

 

If they could do that they would have a ship with the features that most dedicated Princess passengers look for. They don't need or want all the fancy features like slide boards, ice skating rinks, etc.-

and bring back the outside cabins without a balcony.

[billco]

If they could do that they would have a ship with the features that most dedicated Princess passengers look for. They don't need or want all the fancy features like slide boards, ice skating rinks, etc.-

Are slide boards or ice skating rinks being considered? The most dedicated Princess passengers going down a slide board would be quite an attraction.

[Mom33]

Wow have they got you hooked. You now settle for an inside cabin & convince yourself your fine with it. :D

 

 

 

Of course it comes at an extra cost that once was included in every balcony. :rolleyes:

 

Oh, didn't you realize that the extra sized balconies on all Princess ships come with an extra cost? :D:D:D The extra size balconies on Dolphin deck and Caribe deck on Grand class ships have much higher costs than the regular sized balconies on the Grand class ships. :rolleyes:

[azdmelani]

Oh, didn't you realize that the extra sized balconies on all Princess ships come with an extra cost? :D:D:D The extra size balconies on Dolphin deck and Caribe deck on Grand class ships have much higher costs than the regular sized balconies on the Grand class ships. :rolleyes:

 

Just booked a DZ balcony for the Regal next year. Sure it doesnt have the glass, but it's pretty big, in a great location and is cheaper than a regular balcony. I'm happy with my choice!

[Cruise Junky]

Oh, didn't you realize that the extra sized balconies on all Princess ships come with an extra cost? :D:D:D The extra size balconies on Dolphin deck and Caribe deck on Grand class ships have much higher costs than the regular sized balconies on the Grand class ships. :rolleyes:

 

Please get your facts right. Caribe balconies can now be had at the BE & BD rate and oversized balconies come with the standard mini suite.

[Loonbeam]

Okay folks.. here's reality.

 

Balconies are non revenue generators - not going to be a priority. Based on loads, they have no problem selling the current ones at decent rates.

 

The promenade is a non-revenue generator - not going to be a priority

 

Mid-ship stairs might bring more people through the atrium and related revenue opps. I can see that being addressed if its not a structural design issue.

 

Aft pool could mean more drinks sold. Maybe (would be a major reengineer)

 

Elevator size increases means people spend less time waiting for them and more time possibly spending money. Maybe if structurally feasible.

 

They are NOT having problems filling the royal class ships. So there is minimal motivation to make expensive design changes.

[Cruise Junky]

Okay folks.. here's reality.

 

Balconies are non revenue generators - not going to be a priority. Based on loads, they have no problem selling the current ones at decent rates.

 

The promenade is a non-revenue generator - not going to be a priority

 

Mid-ship stairs might bring more people through the atrium and related revenue opps. I can see that being addressed if its not a structural design issue.

 

Aft pool could mean more drinks sold. Maybe (would be a major reengineer)

 

Elevator size increases means people spend less time waiting for them and more time possibly spending money. Maybe if structurally feasible.

 

They are NOT having problems filling the royal class ships. So there is minimal motivation to make expensive design changes.

 

 

Which is what i said earlier. These ships are designed to make the passenger spend. It's nice to see RCL can still build ships with decent size balconies and their stock price is through the roof. They can exist but Princess has chosen the cheap route

[Mom33]

Please get your facts right. Caribe balconies can now be had at the BE & BD rate and oversized balconies come with the standard mini suite.

 

If you are referring to the Grand class ships, min-suites on all Grand class ships have oversized balconies and cost way more than a standard balcony. They also have different rates for location.

Caribe deck cabins all have oversized balconies on the grand class ships and they come with higher rates than standard cabins on decks above them. If they have a sale, they may charge regular cabin rates. However, as a rule, the cabins are priced at a premium for the Dolphin and Caribe decks.

 

We have always been in these cabins on our cruises and therefore have the facts straight.

 

We have been on the Royal and we have our facts straight.

We will be on the Regal on an extended balcony in December, that we got at a sale rate. In other words, you can get whatever size balcony you want on the Royal and Regal. If you don't like the price you can wait for a sale.

And that's a fact!