Overlooked Areas On Princess Ships?

[Jadn13]

I have a few cruises booked over the next couple of years on various Princess ships and I’m curious 

Which areas of the ship do you think are often overlooked or missed by passengers? 
Or
Are there places where you “lounge” that are less discovered? 
 

Thanks All! 
 

 

[AF-1]

Well that is a good question.  One place I've found underutilized was Skywalkers bar on CB.  Everytime I went up there you would see maybe 8 people total.   The views from there are awesome.

[Sea Hag]

All the way forward on Lido deck on Grand Class ships, there's a small, open deck. It's a great place for glacier day viewing and other things. We had one of the obstructed cabins on Lido forward for an Alaska trip, and I can tell you that on that sailing at least this deck was very under utilized. The Grand doesn't have it, but probably most of the rest of that class does. The Ruby for sure has it.

[donswife]

35 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

All the way forward on Lido deck on Grand Class ships, there's a small, open deck. It's a great place for glacier day viewing and other things. We had one of the obstructed cabins on Lido forward for an Alaska trip, and I can tell you that on that sailing at least this deck was very under utilized. The Grand doesn't have it, but probably most of the rest of that class does. The Ruby for sure has it.

 

Are you talking about the one on top of the bridge? It was sure utilized when I was in Alaska on the Crown.  On the ships that have it, the Adagio lounge is usually very quiet.

[BarbinMich]

On a warm-weather cruise on the Royal/Regal, there's a covered, but open-air, area behind the Horizon Court with lounge chairs.  When I used it on our last cruise on the Royal, there was no one else there.  There's a bar back there, as well, if one wants something cold to drink.

[tanyaewa]

I find that the promenade outside deck always has seats available to watch the world go by 

[snoozecrooze]

People often like to mention the Wakeview Bar on Sapphire and Diamond, which is at the back of deck 6 and can be accessed via a quirky circular staircase at the back of Club Fusion on deck 7. 

 

Re: the great viewing area atop the bridge on Grand-class vessels that's been mentioned --

Grand, Sapphire, Diamond make it easier to access because you just walk up, but it's harder to reach on Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, and Ruby if you're unfamiliar with ship layout and the tricks to reach it.

 

If your ship (I believe it's just Crown, Emerald, Ruby) has Adagio Lounge (on the aft of deck 16 next to whichever restaurant is there), it's a great quaint place. 

 

Grand has the One5 Lounge (the ship's own unique version of Skywalkers) and the adjacent wedding chapel. Check out whichever one is open during off-hours and you could have some space to chill.

 

Speaking of Skywalkers, all ships with one (anything in the Grand-class) are great daytime venues for views, reading, etc.

 

As for places to have a sip or a bite, check out the Vines wine bar if your ship has one. It's been mentioned a lot here on CC but whenever I check it out, it's usually so empty. 

 

So my biggest tip for you is to walk all over the ship and explore on your first day! It's one of my favorite things to do and allows you to discover all of the nooks and crannies at the beginning so you have a roadmap for yourself to plan out times in your schedule where you might want to lounge at off-hours.

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, donswife said:

 

Are you talking about the one on top of the bridge? It was sure utilized when I was in Alaska on the Crown.  On the ships that have it, the Adagio lounge is usually very quiet.

Yes, I was. The people on your sailing must have been more proactive than the ones on ours. Hardly anybody ever went there! Funny.

[antmaril]

58 minutes ago, BarbinMich said:

On a warm-weather cruise on the Royal/Regal, there's a covered, but open-air, area behind the Horizon Court with lounge chairs.  When I used it on our last cruise on the Royal, there was no one else there.  There's a bar back there, as well, if one wants something cold to drink.

That is my favorite area on the Regal!  It’s the only thing I don’t love about the Sky Princess - they put a small pool back there.  

[skynight]

 

4 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

I have a few cruises booked over the next couple of years on various Princess ships and I’m curious 
Which areas of the ship do you think are often overlooked or missed by passengers? 
Or
Are there places where you “lounge” that are less discovered? 

Thanks All! 

Let's pin this down. What ships. Not all ships are the same design. What do you mean by lounge? Places indoors to read or outside in the sun or possibly shade. All ships except the Majestic and Pacific  have the Sanctuary a fee area with reserved lounges. 

[Jadn13]

4 minutes ago, skynight said:

 

Let's pin this down. What ships. Not all ships are the same design. What do you mean by lounge? Places indoors to read or outside in the sun or possibly shade. All ships except the Majestic and Pacific  have the Sanctuary a fee area with reserved lounges. 

CB, Sky and Crown

 

 

[mrgame101]

I will agree with Skywalkers, and Adagio Lounge.

 

The ships that have the "Fake" balcony seats in the theater that have 2 rows of 3 we really like!

[capriccio]

9 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

On a warm-weather cruise on the Royal/Regal, there's a covered, but open-air, area behind the Horizon Court with lounge chairs.  When I used it on our last cruise on the Royal, there was no one else there.  There's a bar back there, as well, if one wants something cold to drink.

 

That's the Outrigger Bar area with numerous tables and chairs and (at least the last time we were on the Royal Princess 3 years ago) couches and lounge chairs, all under cover.  In addition to the bar there is self service coffee station and the horizon court is just through the doors.  It is an absolutely fantastic place to watch sail aways.

[leck57]

9 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

On a warm-weather cruise on the Royal/Regal, there's a covered, but open-air, area behind the Horizon Court with lounge chairs.  When I used it on our last cruise on the Royal, there was no one else there.  There's a bar back there, as well, if one wants something cold to drink.

 

This is a great spot and we also often used to take our breakfast out there.

The other forgotten spot on the Royal are the two open deck areas about mid ship on either side of deck 7. The doors out to these decks are near Crooners, port side, and the shops, starboard. The areas have a few loungers and are rarely found. They are great for any scenic days when you want a lower level view.

[SinbadThePorter]

Probably the most mysterious is the Wake View Bar underneath Club Fusion on the Sapphire and the Diamond. You get to them down a spiral staircase aft on the port side of Club Fusion. On Diamond at least, it may or may not be accessible.

[caribill]

 

9 hours ago, skynight said:

 

All ships except the Majestic and Pacific  have the Sanctuary a fee area with reserved lounges. 

 

The Pacific Princess has its "private spa area" which is its version of the Sanctuary but without the service that the Sanctuary has.

 

It is a fee area with reserved lounges and has a small hot tub pool.

 

[skynight]

15 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

CB, Sky and Crown

Caribbean Princess: Skywalker's, the two Wake View Lounges port and starboard walk through Planks and Steamers to get to them, Crooner's during the day, Outrigger terrace pool area adult only, Lap Pool (Lotus Spa Pool) adult only area limited seating free sauna & steam, The Reef/Morgan's Bar on deck 17 providing very few youth on board or if you have youth of your own nice seating in sun or shade, The Sanctuary (adult) fee area reservations required, anywhere on the promenade deck cushioned chairs.

Crown: Areas highlighted above plus Adagio Lounge

Sky: Have not been on the Sky, but have been on the Royal, expect these areas: Take Five Lounge during the day when not in use for CD activities, window seats by the Princess Live Cafe, Wakeview Pool area, anywhere on deck17 above the main pool area, retreat pool area (adults), The Sanctuary fee area, Crown Grill Bar during the day, one of the 4 patios on the promenade deck. The starboard aft one should have a smoking area.  

[JF - retired RRT]

13 hours ago, mrgame101 said:

I will agree with Skywalkers, and Adagio Lounge.

 

The ships that have the "Fake" balcony seats in the theater that have 2 rows of 3 we really like!

Have to get there early to get one, tho'.

And careful, one of the seats has a "view" of a column. 😱

[mrgame101]

3 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Have to get there early to get one, tho'.

And careful, one of the seats has a "view" of a column. 😱

 

Yes! And despite us telling people who want to sit in that one that you can not see anything. They still insist! Then 30 seconds later leave. 

[Steelers36]

Another idea is typically Crown Grill is unused in the daytime and the tables can be great for playing cards or other games with friends.

[Thrak]

Sapphire Princess: The Wake View Bar.  Most folks don't even know it exists.

 

 

Ships with Adagio: A few folks have mentioned Adagio as a nice, quiet venue but I don't think they've mentioned that you can go out the door in the rear to an outside deck area. The area is all the way aft and is shared by Adagio and Share. I think there are a lot of folks who don't realize that area exists.

 

EDIT: Clarification... People see this area when they are at the aft pool but don't realize it's accessible from Adagio. It's accessible via stairs from Lido Deck.

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Thrak

[dreaminofcruisin]

11 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Sapphire Princess: The Wake View Bar.  Most folks don't even know it exists.

 

Ships with Adagio: A few folks have mentioned Adagio as a nice, quiet venue but I don't think they've mentioned that you can go out the door in the rear to an outside deck area. The area is all the way aft and is shared by Adagio and Share. I think there are a lot of folks who don't realize that area exists.

 

 

We went down to the Wake View bar on the Sapphire last year and the staff told us we weren't allowed to be down there. ☹️

 

Love Adagio!

[Thrak]

1 minute ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

We went down to the Wake View bar on the Sapphire last year and the staff told us we weren't allowed to be down there. ☹️

 

Love Adagio!

 

I think I would have spoken - politely - with a manager and asked why, if I'm "not supposed to be down there", the venue wasn't cordoned off. I don't like being told, "No" by people who may well not know what they are talking about.

 

My wife was once denied a beer under our beverage package because it was only on tap and would be larger than a bottle. (Can't remember exactly but it was something of that sort.) I asked why that was since it was well under the monetary limit. The bartenders  in Wheelhouse said it was a larger amount of beer and it  so it wasn't allowed.

 

I didn't think that was right so, when I was walking around a bit later I stopped at Crooner's and asked if I could speak with a manager. The waitperson said she was "the manager" so I told her what I wanted to know. She quickly backed off and said I needed to speak with an officer (she was actually just a server...). As it happened the person I actually needed to speak with came through a few second later and she pointed him out to me. I - politely - explained my issue and how the terms of the beverage package explicitly stated "any" drink below the price point. He said I was correct and, within 20 minutes, all venues had been issued written instructions regarding the issue. No hassle, no histrionics.

 

The next day the bar server - Juliet - stopped me and my wife and was telling my wife how nice it was to have someone resolve an issue like that without being trying to get anybody in trouble or about it or being all upset and angry. She actually kind of went on about it and made a big point. She said that most people with an issue seemed to get angry and raise their voices and often wanted someone "punished". I just don't think that's the way to go but I do believe in asking "why" something is the way it is when I don't think the person who "told me the rules" is correct.

[richsea]

Nice story, Thrak. Glad it was taken care of, & good to heat the server, who was probably just following the rules as she knew them, acknowledged you. It’s so nice when adults can differ without the drama. 

[dides]

1 hour ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

We went down to the Wake View bar on the Sapphire last year and the staff told us we weren't allowed to be down there. ☹️

 

 

Never seen any staff in the Wake View Bar but they did go to the trouble of lighting it up during our cruise in October 2018