Is the Regal layout really that bad?

[Mom33]

This is the one reason my DW and I would skip the Royal class. We enjoy spending our time sitting on the balcony, usually we opt for the caribe deck lg balconey. During the drill,when you must use the stairs it would seem to be very hectic getting to the two staircases?

 

Just for future reference, you can enjoy the same size balcony on the Royal/Regal ships. They are not all on one deck like the Grand class. We just had one on the Regal. :)

 

There are center stairs for emergencies. They are opened for drills, but not used for regular use.

[bluesea321]

Just for future reference, you can enjoy the same size balcony on the Royal/Regal ships. They are not all on one deck like the Grand class. We just had one on the Regal.

 

Which cabin did you have?

[Mom33]

Which cabin did you have?

 

E433 See my review below :)

[JimmyVWine]

This is the one reason my DW and I would skip the Royal class. We enjoy spending our time sitting on the balcony, usually we opt for the caribe deck lg balconey. During the drill,when you must use the stairs it would seem to be very hectic getting to the two staircases?

 

Just for future reference, you can enjoy the same size balcony on the Royal/Regal ships. We just had one on the Regal....

E433

 

Let's not go crazy here. Your cabin is listed at 243 sq. ft. That is 186 sq. ft for the cabin, leaving 57 sq. ft for the balcony. (Roughly 9 x 6). Much better than the standard 36 sq. ft to be sure. But Caribe Deck balconies on Grand Class ships are 9 x 9 which, at 81 sq. ft, are quite a bit longer. Any Balcony cabin on Royal/Regal that had an 81 sq. ft balcony would have a total square footage of 267. To get that size, you have to move up to a Deluxe Balcony category and get one of the cabins with obstructed steel balconies all the way up front.

Edited February 23, 2015 by JimmyVWine

[Mom33]

Let's not go crazy here. Your cabin is listed at 243 sq. ft. That is 186 sq. ft for the cabin, leaving 57 sq. ft for the balcony. (Roughly 9 x 6). Much better than the standard 36 sq. ft to be sure. But Caribe Deck balconies on Grand Class ships are 9 x 9 which, at 81 sq. ft, are quite a bit longer. Any Balcony cabin on Royal/Regal that had an 81 sq. ft balcony would have a total square footage of 267. To get that size, you have to move up to a Deluxe Balcony category and get one of the cabins with obstructed steel balconies all the way up front.

 

I'm not going crazy here. Our balcony could accommodate 4 chairs with no problem, much like the Caribe and Mini- suite cabins on Grand class ships. I did not take a measuring tape. If indeed, your measurements are more accurate than my eyes and experience having been on the balcony in question, then I will remove caribe like from my post and insert Dolphin minis. However, the sizes quoted go to 252sq. ft for the cabin we had.

The main point is that larger balconies are available. I think that reality is important for cruisers to know.

[2pbears]

We were on the Royal in the Baltics in July and while we really did enjoy the ship, we found the central elevators to be a royal (:rolleyes:) pain. We attributed this not necessarily to the lack of the mid ship stairs but to the larger number of passengers on board and the convenience of the elevators located mid ship. We would sail on the Royal again (or the Regal) but would book a cabin that was aft or mid aft---away from the central elevators. If you are not elevator people you would probably be wise to do the same.

 

That said, for the Baltics I would definitely be inclined to choose the Emerald. We have never sailed on the Emerald but have sailed on the Sapphire which I believe is her sister ship and we loved the layout of the ship. We were locked in to the Royal for the Baltics because of the dates but if we had the choice we would choose a ship that could navigate the Swedish archipelago. We feel that we really missed something there and the long bus ride from where the Royal docked to Stockholm was just wasted time.

 

This is a wonderful itinerary and you will enjoy your cruise no matter which ship you choose but for me, I would choose the Emerald and try the Regal or Royal on different itinerary. JMHO.

[JimmyVWine]

If indeed, your measurements are more accurate than my eyes and experience having been on the balcony in question, then I will remove caribe like from my post and insert Dolphin minis.

 

That would be the better comparison. Your 57 sq. ft balcony would be slightly smaller than, but more comparable to a 63 sq. ft balcony in a Grand Class Dolphin deck Mini Suite. And the largest balcony in that row of "angled balconies" would be 66 sq. ft, which is slightly larger than that. But none come close to a Carive balcony, if one is used to those.

 

I agree that it is important to know that there are 14 Balcony Cabins on Royal and Regal that have balconies that range from 7 to 30 extra square feet of space. Given how few there are, it is especially important to have this information so that people can snag them as quickly as possible.:D

Edited February 23, 2015 by JimmyVWine

[Mom33]

That would be the better comparison. Your 57 sq. ft balcony would be slightly smaller than, but more comparable to a 63 sq. ft balcony in a Grand Class Dolphin deck Mini Suite. And the largest balcony in that row of "angled balconies" would be 66 sq. ft, which is slightly larger than that. But none come close to a Carive balcony, if one is used to those.

 

I agree that it is important to know that there are 14 Balcony Cabins on Royal and Regal that have balconies that range from 7 to 30 extra square feet of space. Given how few there are, it is especially important to have this information so that people can snag them as quickly as possible.:D

 

There are more than 14 extended balconies on the ship Jimmy. They exist on each deck mid-ship and forward and aft. :D

[JimmyVWine]

[/b]

 

There are more than 14 extended balconies on the ship Jimmy. They exist on each deck mid-ship and forward and aft. :D

Oops. I forgot the ones on Dolphin deck. There are 10 there. So the total is 24. Not sure where you are getting "each deck". Caribe, Baja, Aloha, Riviera and Marina have only Mini Suites at the angled extended balcony areas. In the aft areas, there are only Suites and Premium Deluxe Balconies. And the only deck with forward facing cabins is Marina, and those are also Deluxe Balconies, not Balconies. The only Balcony cabins (not "Deluxe" which is a different category and cabin size), with larger balconies are on Emerald and Dolphin. For example, you will see that on Emerald Deck, the cabins change categories at the "E411/E415" border.

[Mom33]

[/b]

 

There are more than 14 extended balconies on the ship Jimmy. They exist on each deck mid-ship and forward and aft. :D

 

Oops. I forgot the ones on Dolphin deck. There are 10 there. So the total is 24. Not sure where you are getting "each deck". Caribe, Baja, Aloha, Riviera and Marina have only Mini Suites at the angled extended balcony areas. In the aft areas, there are only Suites and Premium Deluxe Balconies. And the only deck with forward facing cabins is Marina, and those are also Deluxe Balconies, not Balconies. The only Balcony cabins (not "Deluxe" which is a different category and cabin size), with larger balconies are on Emerald and Dolphin. For example, you will see that on Emerald Deck, the cabins change categories at the "E411/E415" border.

 

I'm talking extended balconies. They are present on all styles of cabins mid-ship, forward and aft on each passenger deck. There are forward facing cabins on Lido deck also.

 

So, no matter what your preference in cabins, the extended balcony is available.

 

The rest of the port and starboard side cabins have standard balconies and are found on all styles of cabin also.

[hospsafe]

You guys rock!

[JimmyVWine]

I'm talking extended balconies. They are present on all styles of cabins mid-ship, forward and aft on each passenger deck. There are forward facing cabins on Lido deck also.

 

So, no matter what your preference in cabins, the extended balcony is available.

 

The rest of the port and starboard side cabins have standard balconies and are found on all styles of cabin also.

Sorry. I don't know what you mean by an "extended balcony" and I can't find a cabin category with that name. Can you provide an example? I am looking at square footage provided on the website. Balcony cabins are 186 sq. ft in the interior. Take the total square footage and subtract 186 and you have the balcony size. I have checked every Balcony cabin and can only find 24 with larger balconies. I see numerous Premium Balconies cabins and numerous Mini Suite cabins with balconies larger than 36 square feet. But I am only finding 24 Balcony category cabins with larger balconies. I am sure that I must be missing something or else the website is wrong. Which Balcony cabins, besides those on Emerald and Dolphin, mid-ship, have "extended balconies"? Thanks.

 

Edit to add....OK. Now I think I see the problem. The poster you responded to said that they enjoyed hanging out in their Caribe Deck cabin with its larger balcony. From that, I derived that they liked to book Balcony category cabins. When you said that larger balconies were available throughout the ship on all decks, you must have been including Premium Deluxe cabins and Mini Suites as well. I was commenting that if one wants a cabin that is comparable (in size and price) to a Caribe Deck cabin with a larger balcony on Royal/Regal, there are only 24 to choose from. You are apparently saying that there are many more cabins on the ship with larger balconies. We are both right. That said, if a person tells me that they book Balcony level cabins and want a comparable cabin with a large balcony, I wouldn't steer them to a Suite and its larger balcony. Or a Mini Suite.

Edited February 24, 2015 by JimmyVWine

[Mom33]

Sorry. I don't know what you mean by an "extended balcony" and I can't find a cabin category with that name. Can you provide an example? I am looking at square footage provided on the website. Balcony cabins are 186 sq. ft in the interior. Take the total square footage and subtract 186 and you have the balcony size. I have checked every Balcony cabin and can only find 24 with larger balconies. I see numerous Premium Balconies cabins and numerous Mini Suite cabins with balconies larger than 36 square feet. But I am only finding 24 Balcony category cabins with larger balconies. I am sure that I must be missing something or else the website is wrong. Which Balcony cabins, besides those on Emerald and Dolphin, mid-ship, have "extended balconies"? Thanks.

 

Extended balcony is not a cabin category, it is a description of a balcony attached to a cabin whether it be a regular cabin, a mini-suite, or a Deluxe cabin.

[JimmyVWine]

Extended balcony is not a cabin category, it is a description of a balcony attached to a cabin whether it be a regular cabin, a mini-suite, or a Deluxe cabin.

See my edit above. Problem solved, I think.

[bluesea321]

See my edit above. Problem solved, I think.

 

On the Royal/Regal there are a small number of cabins (balcony, deluxe balcony, or mini suites) with larger balconies; they are located forward, aft and under the Seawalk. With the exception of those, the minis on the Regal have the same size balconies (very small) as Balcony or Deluxe Balcony cabins. The full suites on the port and starboard sides have the same depth balconies, they are bigger only in as much as the cabin is wider. The Grand class has way more large size balcony cabins, essentially all cabins on Dolphin and Caribe decks as well as forward and aft.

Edited February 24, 2015 by bluesea321

[caribill]

[quote name='2pbears']

That said, for the Baltics I would definitely be inclined to choose the Emerald. We have never sailed on the Emerald but have sailed on the Sapphire which I believe is her sister ship and we loved the layout of the ship. We were locked in to the Royal for the Baltics because of the dates but if we had the choice we would choose a ship that could navigate the Swedish archipelago. [COLOR=Red]We feel that we really missed something there and the long bus ride from where the Royal docked to Stockholm was just wasted time.[/COLOR][/quote]

Also the fact that Princess charges for that long bus ride to Stockholm.

When the Emerald goes there, there is no extra charge to actually get you to Stockholm.