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How is the library on the Royal Princess?

islandwoman

By islandwoman,
in Princess Cruises

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islandwoman

islandwoman

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I've been sailing on the Pacific Princess and before that on the Ocean Princess and the old Royal Princess - all former R2 ships with good libraries. In the spring I will be on the Royal for 38 days and I'm wondering whether its library is as good as Princess' small ships or if I need to load up my tablet for the voyage.

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MJSailors

MJSailors

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If the library on the Royal is similar to the library on the Regal (sister ships), I would have to say - what library ?

It is a small narrow room with little selection variety.

Best to fire up your tablet with reading material before your cruise.

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dmwnc1959

dmwnc1959

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dmwnc1959, Are those shelves locked?

 

If I remember correctly the doors to each one of the units opened up and then slid back into "slot" making the doors mostly hidden. That particular picture I posted the doors are open, and I never made it into the library again after taking that picture to notice if the shelves were ever locked.

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pris993

pris993

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One of my favorite things to do on ships is visit the library.. will do so on the Royal in October... I do not travel electronic books...not my thing.

 

Those of us who like read books need to comment on questionnaires how important this is to us..

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tip

tip

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One of my favorite things to do on ships is visit the library.. will do so on the Royal in October... I do not travel electronic books...not my thing.

 

Those of us who like read books need to comment on questionnaires how important this is to us..

 

You are correct. I was on the Royal last month and found the library fairly well-stocked. I would suggest that you get books early as like us, there are many who still enjoy reading real books and the library does a brisk business with many books getting checked out during the first few days. All books are signed out on the honor system. One can only hope that fellow passengers are honest about returning them.

 

For what it is worth, I always go to the local book swap in my community and secure several books before my cruise. When finished I leave them on a table in the library with a sticky that says "free" for others to enjoy. I got through five novels on our most recent cruise (including one read pre-cruise). I joke with me darling wife that it leaves a void in the luggage to fill with souvenirs!

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FritzG

FritzG

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We've been on both ships in the last 2 years, and if you want any choice of books you'd better go there first when you board. By evening the shelves will be nearly empty. I found very little to choose from when we stopped in right after first seating dinner.

 

Is your 38 day cruise a b2b? Our sailings on the Royal and Regal were b2b's, and I found that the last day of the first leg and the morning of turn around day were good times to stock up on books.

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pris993

pris993

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You are correct. I was on the Royal last month and found the library fairly well-stocked. I would suggest that you get books early as like us, there are many who still enjoy reading real books and the library does a brisk business with many books getting checked out during the first few days. All books are signed out on the honor system. One can only hope that fellow passengers are honest about returning them.

 

For what it is worth, I always go to the local book swap in my community and secure several books before my cruise. When finished I leave them on a table in the library with a sticky that says "free" for others to enjoy. I got through five novels on our most recent cruise (including one read pre-cruise). I joke with me darling wife that it leaves a void in the luggage to fill with souvenirs!

 

Thanks... will check it out early, on a 15 day TA... Have found on Celebrity they have libraries a that are only for "decor" not real books any more ...glad that is not true on the Royal.

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jagsfan

jagsfan

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I never thought I'd switch from paper to Kindle, but these days all of my paper reading is newspaper and magazines. I used to pack 10-12 books to read and leave (from a used bookstore), which took up a lot of room. DH would read whatever he could find in the library, which didn't give him a lot of choices. After he stayed up almost all night before the last night, trying to finish a book, he became a changed man. He now has a tablet just for travel reading. And with just my Kindle, I have room for shopping.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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pris993

pris993

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I never thought I'd switch from paper to Kindle, but these days all of my paper reading is newspaper and magazines. I used to pack 10-12 books to read and leave (from a used bookstore), which took up a lot of room. DH would read whatever he could find in the library, which didn't give him a lot of choices. After he stayed up almost all night before the last night, trying to finish a book, he became a changed man. He now has a tablet just for travel reading. And with just my Kindle, I have room for shopping.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Everyone is different, I have a amazon tablet, I only use it if my desk top computer is down... never use it otherwise... still like to read magazines, newspapers and book in old fashion print...

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diane.in.ny

diane.in.ny

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A visit to the library first thing of whatever ship we are on is SOP for us.

 

While I read off a tablet, my husband takes paperbacks to leave behind.

 

On our last cruise, on the Island Princess, there was very little on a shelf that was obviously donated books. Maybe because people know they are and don't return them.

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floridalover5623

floridalover5623

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The dedicated space for the library has definitely been shrunk due to most people using readers & tablets. Occasionally you'll get some decent up to date books & magazines on turn around day, but don't count on it.

Download your own before leaving home take what you need and at least you know that you'll have something to read.

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islandwoman

islandwoman

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Sounds like I need to take a loaded-up e-reader and some paperbacks and visit the ship's library the very first moment I'm onboard and again on turn around day. Last year I took only my e-reader on a 3 week trip to a location that had no library, no bookstore, and no amazon prime delivery. It died the second day of my trip.

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floridalover5623

floridalover5623

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On Royal a few weeks ago...barely any fiction or paperbacks. If you like reading old travel guides, this is the ship for you!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

They should consider removing the so-called library altogether and dedicate the space for something else, for as much good as it serves. ;)

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atsea2006

atsea2006

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Have been on the Royal, twice. And other ships as well. My experience has been that passengers who arrive early, go to the library and take more books than they likely could read and keep them all until the end of their voyage, thus stock is quickly depleted. Maybe the solution is to require passengers to swipe/wand their room cards for each book removed. It might tell and interesting story.

Now I stock up my e-reader with whatever appeals to me - so it doesn't matter whether their library is stocked. The longer the voyage, the better prepared you might want to be.

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