Royal Princess Cabin A241

[Jefferson 912]

Hi Friends,

 

I know there are different classes of balcony rooms. As a rookie cruiser, is it worth the cost to have a premium location balcony cabin (mid-ship, deck 12) vs. a lesser location? Any help offered is greatly appreciated.

 

TS

[Keith1010]

You might want to ask about this on the Princess Cruise Line Board.

 

Keith

[MarKay525]

Hi Friends,

I know there are different classes of balcony rooms. As a rookie cruiser, is it worth the cost to have a premium location balcony cabin (mid-ship, deck 12) vs. a lesser location? Any help offered is greatly appreciated.

TS

 

Hi - as a rookie cruiser, you will have nothing to compare to, so it depends on what is important to you in terms of comfort, convenience and budget.

 

The general consensus is that mid-ship is more desirable than forward or aft and the middle decks are better than the highest or lowest decks that have staterooms. This has to do with stability/motion as well as convenience (on most ships). Having staterooms above and below is recommended over having a public area such as the pool, the buffet or a night club above or below you due to the moving of chairs in the middle of the night for cleaning or possibly loud music into the wee hours.

 

Because the Med is very port intensive, some people feel it is not worth paying for a balcony as they will be off the ship most days. Unfortunately the Royal Princess does not have ocean view staterooms, so your choices are Inside or Balcony. The sideways Inside staterooms are supposed to be roomier than the traditional Inside staterooms.

 

Most of the Balcony staterooms on the Royal Princess have what are considered to be very small balconies. A few of the BA class Balcony staterooms on Deck 9 have larger balconies as they are located mid-ship where some of the balconies are extended. These are highly desirable and usually sell out quickly.

 

On the Royal Princess, the balcony staterooms do not have any type of sofa. The Deluxe balconies do have loveseats if that is important to you. (To get a full sofa and a bath tub, you need to book a Mini-suite.)

 

On the Royal Princess stateroom A241 is near the forward elevators. This would give you quick access to the Princess Theater, the Casino and the Lotus Spa. You would have just two decks between you and the Horizon Court/Bistro if you want to grab a snack or dine. Being near the forward elevators is helpful as the central elevators do not go higher than the Promenade Deck (Deck 7). This stateroom is one away from the fire door. Some people say the cleaning carts make a loud noise going over the metal strip at the fire door.

 

I don't know how much more motion you might feel mid-forward on Deck 12. We were mid-ship on Baja on both the Royal Princess and the Regal Princess and it was very stable. And I've never sailed in the Med, so I don't know if that is a factor regarding motion of the ship. You might be able to find out by checking the Europe Ports of Call Board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

As was suggested, if you post on the Princess Forum, you will probably get feedback from people who have been in staterooms in similar locations on either the Royal or the Regal, as the stateroom layouts are the same for both ships. You just might want to add something about other staterooms in your subject heading as well as the ship name and stateroom as you have done here since A241 vs. elsewhere seems to be your question.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

 

Have an absolutely wonderful time on the Royal Princess. She is a beautiful ship. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you take advantage of the free goodies at the International Café and the fantastic desserts in the Horizon Court. And the gelato - not free but worth the cost. (If you purchase a Coffee Card, you can use it to get gelato.)

 

Alfredo's has excellent pizza and pasta for no extra charge. Don't know what time you embark, but this is often a good choice on embarkation day for lunch - the Horizon Court is usually very crowded. If the Crab Shack (seafood dinner in Horizon Court) or the Pub Lunch (British fare on a sea day) are offered, check it out. There is a small charge for the Crab Shack and the Pub Lunch is free - both are a lot of fun. Enjoy the many activities in the Piazza. I could go on and on, but I won't.

 

Happy cruising.

Edited February 22, 2016 by MarKay525