Assessing Royal class ships for the inexperienced Princess cruiser

[Shep_Proudfoot]

Hi. I was on Caribbean Princess nearly a decade ago but otherwise have no experience with Princess. When searching for my future cruises, interesting itineraries for Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess sometimes pop up. But I am leery about them due to mediocre user reviews on CC despite being newer ships. Conversely, the older Royal class ships (mostly) seem to have better reviews on average. Is this just because there are a disproportionate number of reviews during COVID times for the newer ships and no stellar pre-COVID reviews to keep the overall average up, or are there truly differences, negatively speaking, with these newest Royal class ships? The biggest complaints seem to be around cabin size (which seems odd given the tonnage and passenger capacity ratio seems perfectly capable of providing a roomy experience but perhaps a design issue) and general crowding but I’d assume that would apply almost equally to the entire class. 

 

Any thoughts around this? If one books a (mini?) suite does that address the majority of the issues or are there other issues that one needs to be aware of across Royal class ships, or specific ships within the class?

[Yehootu]

No full promenade deck

Very small balconies

Deluxe Balcony rooms have small sofa

Mini is alittle larger than DB, has bathtub and 2 TV's along with curtain partition.

I'm sure others will have more differences.

[memoak]

Balconies are smaller than usual especially on side facing cabins even in suite’s. However the aft penthouse full suites have huge wraparound balconies 

[Lady Arwen]

The most forward deluxe balconies on Lido deck and Marina deck have huge balconies and a love seat.  We have sailed in L101 a few times and loved it.  Also the Club Class minis in that area have huge wrap around balconies.  However, these cabins are not for everyone because of the motion of the ship experienced that far forward.  These cabins are only available on Royal class ships.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lady Arwen

[suekel]

Depending on where you are sailing, I prefer the new Royal Class over the older ones.  Mainly because if it's warm, I want more than one pool.  (2 if you count the Retreat).  There are some Premium Deluxe Balconies on Dolphin that have bigger balconies, but I prefer a front facing Mini.  They say that they are not usable at sea but I rarely find that to be the case.  

[Cruise Raider]

I’ve been on many different ships in the Princess fleet and I absolutely love the Royal Class ships.  
The biggest complaint I hear from others is the balcony is so small but we’ve gotten around that by booking an aft facing premium deluxe balcony or the a stateroom in the middle bump out area of the ship.  There are a few club class minis way up front that have huge balconies.  
 

I also see a common complain is that there is no wrap around promenade deck, which has absolutely no negative impact for me.  I love they have a nice seating area with comfortable furniture outside of crooners or the restaurants there on deck 7, depending on what ship you are on.  For walking, I choose the top decks.  
 

The Royal Class also has a Concierge Lounge for those that are in full suites.  I understand it is fantastic.  
On the Royal Princess, there is a nice, albeit small, section for nonsmokers with a bar that services that section and the Princess theater.  
 

There are so many small areas for seating where you can avoid crowds if you choose.  
 

All of the Royal class ships I have cruised on have either Alfredo’s or GiGi’s pizzerias.  So yummmm!  
 

The Discovery doesn’t have Vines but the the Majestic doesn’t have Crooners.  The Royal has both.  
 

[Wishing on a star]

I will try to give a quick rundown.

 

Reviews have been all over the place, and can change by ship, or even by sailing of the same ship.  This is because of, guess what, staffing, supply, and re-start pains since the shut-down.  Food can vary according to the head executive chef and staff onboard at that time.    I think other cruise lines are seeing the same kind of thing right now. 

 

A min-suite does not change the ships experience  (unless you do Club Class for the dining perks)

Yes, the standard balconies on this ship are small and shallow.

If you want a balcony that is deeper, then look at booking a Premium Balcony, or a Premium Deluxe Balcony.   These will have deeper balconies, but the inside is the same as all other Balcony and Deluxe Balcony cabins.   Look on deck 9, and look at the Aft facing Deluxe Balconies.  (the aft facing deluxe balconies are deeper/larger on some decks than others, check deckplans)   To get a bigger balcony on a mini-suite, you would want to look at the angled balconies at the mid-ship bump-out.  (except the far forward Club Class Mini Suites up on deck 15 and 16, which would not really be usable while underway)

 

The Sky and Enchanted are very very similar.   So, probably not a big factor there.

 

I see the other lines that you have been on.  

If you think the Princess vibe will be for you, then I would say to consider these cruises!

 

The only thing about these ships that I do no like, that they changed after Regal, is that they have closed in the adult Retreat Pool deck, to fit more cabins onboard.  

 

[Mud_Shark]

I prefer the Royal class, but do not travel in mini-suites or suites so have no comment there.  The one thing that is a bit of a drawback to the Royal class is that on Lido deck, where everyone likes to look out as we approach and depart ports or do scenic cruising, most of the observation space is covered by glass, making it not a 100% clear view.  There are a few spaces where you can see out without a high glass barrier, like over top the sea walk and up on the walking track above, but they can get crowded.

[JimmyVWine]

I can't really explain why the older Royal Class ships have higher ratings than the newer ones other than your guess that it might be due to the fact that the majority of passengers sailing on the "newer" Royal Class ships have done so after the re-start and the reviewers are rating the overall experience rather than the ship itself.  The ships are far more similar than dissimilar.  Yes there are differences, (such as replacing Vines in some ships with a Pub) but not enough to drive a whole star rating difference.  So I wouldn't put too much stock in the assumption that the earlier RC ships are "better" than the more recently launched ones.  

 

That said, I love the RC ships for port-intensive cruises but still prefer the Grand Class ships for tropical cruises and ones with lots of sea days.  That is where you really want a bigger balcony, a better designed pool area, a wrap-around Promenade and perhaps a covered pool.  I'd also choose a GC ship over a RC ship for an itinerary that has "scenic cruising" days such as Alaska or the Panama Canal. Better open areas for panoramic viewing.  Not sure what itineraries you are looking at, but if they are port-heavy, don't hesitate to book any RC ship.  If the itinerary is more relaxed, and there is a choice, I would pick a GC ship first.  But I wouldn't skip the cruise entirely if my only option was a RC ship.  I would just strategize and maximize what the ship has to offer, trying to be at the right place at the right time.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 hours ago, Shep_Proudfoot said:

When searching for my future cruises, interesting itineraries for Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess sometimes pop up. But I am leery about them due to mediocre user reviews on CC despite being newer ships.  the older Royal class ships (mostly) seem to have better reviews on average.

which ships do you mean when you say "older Royal Class" ships? Like ancient history or Royal/Regal Princesses? I think Jimmy above is correct: older RC ships have been sailing pre-pandemic, when everything was different from post-pandemic.

 

We were just on Enchanted, which is pretty much identical to Regal Princess (pre-pandemic) - some venues are located in different locations, but in general - about the same ship. We loved both Enchanted and Regal. We get either an inside, a regular obstructed or a deluxe obstructed balconies (not the ones with large balconies). We are pretty happy to just have a balcony, no matter what size they are.

 

My parents' very first cruise was on Regal Princess. They loved it.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Outerdog]

3 hours ago, suekel said:

They say that they are not usable at sea but I rarely find that to be the case.  

 

This is entirely dependent on the sea and wind conditions combined with the ship's heading.

 

If the ship is pushing 20 knots into a 20 knot headwind on a northerly heading off the coast of California, the forward balconies are simply not usable. I mean, you can go out there and duck a lounger under the forward bulkhead, but you're not hosting a get-together in those conditions.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Outerdog said:

I mean, you can go out there and duck a lounger under the forward bulkhead, but you're not hosting a get-together in those conditions

Sometimes I think people don’t appreciate the difference between “usable” and “enjoyable”. I’ve stood at the bow of many ships that had wraparound promenades and let the wind throw back my hair and ripple my clothing. Not once did I ever wish that my balcony offered me that same experience. 

[Shep_Proudfoot]

Thanks all for your insights! Appreciate the wisdom and experience shared.

[minnesotasisu]

On 12/29/2022 at 11:50 AM, Shep_Proudfoot said:

Thanks all for your insights! Appreciate the wisdom and experience shared.

Here is a website I created for some first time cruiser that will be joining on the Sky Princess in February. Although the website is directed at a specific cruise it is still loaded with information about the ship. Since all of the Royal ships are very similar it may help you in learning a bit more about the ships.

https://sites.google.com/view/caribbeancruise2023/home