Two more Royal-class ships ordered for Princess Cruises

[floridalover5623]

I am sailing my last cruise with Princess in one week. When/if they include "studio or solo staterooms" I will come back. Just too costly for one person to sail often. Hopefully these new builds will implement this.

 

Probably not since they can still fill the rooms having people pay the extra.

They can't make money without the bodies there to spend it.

[Aquahound]

I miss the Grand Class ships. Spent a week on the Royal and a week on the Regal...I'm not sure bigger is better.

 

My Princess experiences are limited but of the ships I've sailed (Ruby, Caribbean and Regal), my favorite was Caribbean. I was unimpressed with Regal, especially with the lack of a nice lounge that looks out to sea. Not that Skywalkers is all that great but at least it's something.

[IECalCruiser]

Exactly Royal and Regal Princess are measured with 142,714 GT (141,000 GT is just a rough measurement), and Britannia (P&O) measures 143,730 GT.

Maybe in the press release they just gave more precise information on the ship's tonnage - or an additional decck will be installed, or the ships might be slightly longer.

 

Regardless the design and the rooms, are there any significant construction differences between Royal/Regal Princess and P&O's Britannia? E. g. one additional deck or similar??

As I understand, the calculation of tonnage is not that straightforward so that the apparent differences may be meaningless. There is not much difference between the Royal/Regal and Britannia. The Majestic has partially brought back the "layer cake" balcony design of the Grand class ships with extended "Caribe deck style" balcony cabins on Dolphin deck above mini-suites with exposed balconies on Emerald deck. These have been added forward and aft of the lifeboats.

[IECalCruiser]

My Princess experiences are limited but of the ships I've sailed (Ruby, Caribbean and Regal), my favorite was Caribbean. I was unimpressed with Regal, especially with the lack of a nice lounge that looks out to sea. Not that Skywalkers is all that great but at least it's something.

Britannia has the Crow's Nest all the way forward on Lido deck and still manages to fit in the required number of cabins. Wish Princess would do the same on the next new builds.

[IECalCruiser]

I am sailing my last cruise with Princess in one week. When/if they include "studio or solo staterooms" I will come back. Just too costly for one person to sail often. Hopefully these new builds will implement this.

Britannia has some solo inside and balcony cabins. Princess could add these to the new builds. Princess really doesn't cater to the solo passenger on any of their current ships, other than giving you two cruise credits for sailing solo which helps you reach Platinum and Elite faster but not much more. You certainly don't get a price break with the single supplement. Edited April 5, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[WupperAV]

I hope everyone loves them. We and a lot of our friends won't sail on them. It's a nightmare in port and aboard with 4k people. Won't fit under a lot of bridges but I bet they get countries to spend billions raising them. To me it's just crazy to think, 4-4000 passenger ships in Ft Lauderdale at once and how are they going to get through Hollywood on Southwest when they are at full capacity now.. Can't get 3 2000 passenger ones through now without waiting for long lines at the dock, the airport etc.

Edited April 5, 2016 by WupperAV

[nasa1974]

Dave,

 

I stay away from Cruise Critic for a few days and look what happens. You still have the knack of having people read your posts and respond. You have a following. :D

 

The wife and I were talking about trying to sail on the Majestic when she came to the Caribbean but found out after her Med cruise she was going to the China market. Hopefully one of the new ships will be in the Caribbean. Or we might find the time and money to do one of the Med shake downs. ;)

 

Sounds like all is well and when you start cruising again let us know and maybe we can book the same cruise. Missed you the last time. Did you every hear about Larry (#1winelover)?

 

Hope to see some more intriguing posts in the near future.

 

Marty

[Aquahound]

Britannia has the Crow's Nest all the way forward on Lido deck and still manages to fit in the required number of cabins. Wish Princess would do the same on the next new builds.

 

Exactly! Either move the Sanctuary or get rid of it altogether, and replace it with a full service lounge like the Crows Nest on Britannia, and I'd actually like the ship much better.

[dmwnc1959]

Dave,

 

Did you every hear about Larry (#1winelover)?

 

Marty

 

 

Marty, Just reread your post. Yes, I did. We had communicated several times by email and last I read he talked about doing well and was on the way to getting better, or so he was hoping. I later heard he had passed away. He was a truly wonderful and kind person and thought the world of me, though we had never met.

 

:(

Edited April 5, 2016 by dmwnc1959

[sunsetbeachgal]

Very sad to hear of #1winelover passing.

[RickEk]

Exactly! Either move the Sanctuary or get rid of it altogether, and replace it with a full service lounge like the Crows Nest on Britannia, and I'd actually like the ship much better.

 

Britannia has both... their Sanctuary is called the Retreat and the Crows Nest is one deck down.

[dmwnc1959]

Hi Dave. Glad to see you posting.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

 

Hi Bob! Hope all is well. :D

 

 

Dave, There are already some tweaks to the public spaces on the Majestic on the Plaza, Fiesta and Promenade decks but names haven't been added to the spaces. This will probably be specific to the China market. The only locations with names are International Cafe, Vines and Bar Piazza on Plaza deck, Bellini's and Alfredo's on Plaza deck and Princess Live and Crown Grill and Bar on Promenade deck. There is no Sabatini's, Gelato, Celebrations, Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar or Crooners shown for now.

 

 

Hi Brian, I should have been more specific and said the four non-China ships. I'm guessing once the Majestic Princess debuts she'll be like the Diamond Princess and will never sail stateside.

 

I would love to see Princess Cruises get rid of The Sanctuary. I wonder if they have done a cost analysis to see if they'd make the same amount of money if there was a really nice bar-lounge there instead? I'd buy more drinks if they did, because I've never had the chance to book The Sanctuary before it sells out.

 

And a few solo-rooms would be great. The cost of a 14-night B2B (adding in r/t airfare, pre-cruise hotel, and all of the onboard expenses like beverage packages, tips, etc) are almost cost prohibitive in my books now. It's easier for me to book a year's worth of concerts and Broadway shows for the same price and spread the joy out over twelve months instead of a single once-a-year splurge.

 

:D

[dmwnc1959]

Dave,

 

I stay away from Cruise Critic for a few days and look what happens. You still have the knack of having people read your posts and respond. You have a following. :D

 

The wife and I were talking about trying to sail on the Majestic when she came to the Caribbean but found out after her Med cruise she was going to the China market. Hopefully one of the new ships will be in the Caribbean. Or we might find the time and money to do one of the Med shake downs. ;)

 

Hope to see some more intriguing posts in the near future.

 

Marty

 

 

Marty,

 

I forget when Royal Princess is supposed to get "fixed" and become more like Regal Princess, but I'm still betting that they'll send one of the new ones to the Caribbean and divert Royal Princess to the west coast after Regal Princess takes over the 10- and 20-day extended sailings. The other new one will end up in Japan and they'll send Sapphire Princess back to the Caribbean. That would at least more most everyone happy!

 

:D

[dmwnc1959]

Very sad to hear of #1winelover passing.

 

 

Indeed it is. He was such a motivator and was always positive in his outlook on things. He'd take the simplest of pleasures - a photograph of a rainbow at sea - and turn it into a message. And like all of us, he loved cruising. I'll definitely miss 'seeing' him around here.

 

:(

[Antonintassie]

We sailed on the Royal as our first cruise and it almost become our last.

Barcelona to Venice it was the ships third or fourth cruise and almost our last .

These ships are to big and clunky we almost gave cruising away as a sick joke.

[dmwnc1959]

We sailed on the Royal as our first cruise and it almost become our last.

Barcelona to Venice it was the ships third or fourth cruise and almost our last .

These ships are to big and clunky we almost gave cruising away as a sick joke.

 

 

As a comparison, my 14-night B2B cruise on Royal Princess in December 2013 were cruises #49 and #50 for me. And my friend Ernie (screen name eroller) has been on over 100 cruises. And then there are those who are one-and-done.

 

Cruises aren't for everyone. They just aren't.

 

And every cruise experience won't be post card picture perfect. Just ask the folks that were on the Anthem of the Seas when it hit that nor'easter gale, or anyone who's ever been on a cruise with a large norovirus outbreak, or those folks that were on Carnival Triumph when it broke down and drifted for five days, or those who have had multiple ports cancelled or their entire cruise cancelled and their dream vacation ruined, or...

 

You get the point.

 

And every ship isn't for every person. There are folks here whose favorite ship above all is the tiny Pacific Princess, or the mid-size Sapphire Princess, or the brand new Royal-class. Heck, there are even folks that post in this forum whose favorite ship isn't even a Princess Cruises ship! Or don't even cruise at all. Or prefer land-based All-Inclusive resorts.

 

I've have really wonderful cruises, and a few 'bad' ones. Even cruises that started off bad ended up wonderful, like my experience on Allure of the Seas. And I had really bad cruises that were enough to make me swear off ever sailing that line again, as in my cruise on Ruby Princess. But I came back, despite reservations, and I'm glad I did. Otherwise I wouldn't have met sooooo many nice people here at Cruise Critic and on Royal Princess.

 

And as many other ships and cruise lines that I've looked at, and made cruise deposits on then cancelled, the Royal-class are the only ships I will ever sail in. But that's just me.

 

:D

[kruisey]

I am a little apprehensive at trying another line due to the wonderful employees on the Princess Ships they always make you feel so welcome.The young person that brings me my pot of tea at bedtime always has a friendly chat.My cabin person is always available even to helping me lock my overfull luggage on departure day.Therefore I do hope they have a few single cabins on the new builds.

[Aquahound]

Britannia has both... their Sanctuary is called the Retreat and the Crows Nest is one deck down.

 

Even better. :) I'm impressed with the Britannia. Other than the ridiculous balconies, it looks like P&O designed the ship much better than Princess. The ship even appears to have a nice promenade deck. It would certainly behoove Princess to follow this model with their next ships.

[IECalCruiser]

Even better. :) I'm impressed with the Britannia. Other than the ridiculous balconies, it looks like P&O designed the ship much better than Princess. The ship even appears to have a nice promenade deck. It would certainly behoove Princess to follow this model with their next ships.

Britannia's Promenade deck is the same as the Royal and Regal. I assume that the portion behind the lifeboats is open as on the Regal.

[dmwnc1959]

Britannia's Promenade deck is the same as the Royal and Regal. I assume that the portion behind the lifeboats is open as on the Regal.

 

 

Correct. The exterior promenade deck on all five ships of this class are, or will all be, the same as what's on Regal Princess. Folks keeping wishing and hoping and maybe this and that, but it won't change. This aspect of the Royal-class is fixed. It's not like adding a wind-break or a new feature to an existing space. You can't extend the width of the promenade deck, and you can't make it longer at either end past what they've done on Regal Princess.

 

:D

[Aquahound]

Britannia's Promenade deck is the same as the Royal and Regal. I assume that the portion behind the lifeboats is open as on the Regal.

 

Oh, ok. So it is crap like on Princess. Darn. When I Google Imaged Britannia promenade deck, it was either misleading or I saw another ship.

[Yankee_]

I wonder if the Costa ships and the P&O ship will be modifications to the current Costa flagship, the 132,500-ton Costa Diadema (Dream)?

 

Tonnage is just a measure of volume. The Royal and Regal are 141,000-ton while the Majestic is 143,000-ton and the new builds will be 143,700-ton. At least part of the 2,000-ton increase in volume on the Majestic is the addition of 60 mini-suites on Emerald deck that extend over the Promenade deck about 9-10 feet. Looks like the will be a little more space added to the new builds somewhere.

 

To be fair, displacement is a measure of how much water is "displaced" by the hull of the ship... and this is directly related to its mass, not necessarily the interior space volume of the ship itself.

 

Of course, generally speaking both are related, but for example if you took out all the pools from the Royal you'd have significantly less displacement and yet have as much volume available. The ship would just sit higher in the water.

 

But never mind my maritime geekiness. :)

[Nezmo]

Well, the the Royal was 141,001 tons when we boarded on 3/13. You should have seen our luggage.

[Aquahound]

Cruise ships aren't measured by displacement. Gross tonnage is a volume measurement.

[IECalCruiser]

To be fair, displacement is a measure of how much water is "displaced" by the hull of the ship... and this is directly related to its mass, not necessarily the interior space volume of the ship itself.

 

Of course, generally speaking both are related, but for example if you took out all the pools from the Royal you'd have significantly less displacement and yet have as much volume available. The ship would just sit higher in the water.

 

But never mind my maritime geekiness. :)

Actually, I believe that tonnage is related to a ship's overall internal volume, and is not a measure of the ship's displacement (mass), but by now the geekiness may have driven everyone else from this thread.