Royal Princess Aft & Caribe-like Balconies - Photo

[5:00_Somewhere]

As I have commented in a few threads, I have been examining every image of the Royal Princess that I could get my hands on in an effort to determine whether there are any cabins with large partially covered and partially uncovered balconies similar to those on the Caribe Deck of the Grand Glass ships. As I have also mentioned, I have a number of pictures upon which I have based my deduction/opinion that the aft Baja and Dolphin Deck balconies appear as if they very well may have this feature. I emphasize, this is merely an educated guess or deduction. But, several people have asked if I would share a picture I mentioned recently. The following is an image I captured from the most recent "Top Deck" video Princess released. This is actually taken from the beginning, during which Mr. Caluri is introducing the video with the ship in the background. I have identified the passenger cabin decks, and have added little red arrows pointing to what I believe are the Aloha and Caribe deck balconies partially overhanging the Baja and Dolphin deck balconies. And, if you look at the deck plans, you will see that the Baja and Dolphin deck balconies are larger than the standard balconies found elsewhere on the Royal Princess, and are larger than the Aloha and Caribe deck balconies above them, respectively.

 

Again, I emphasize that this is NOT definitive and is, admittedly, a little bit blurry, but I believe this photo does suggest that the aft Baja and Dolphin deck balconies will likely have something similar to the Grand Class Caribe-like balcony features we were seeking. So, take it for what it's worth. I'm just posting in the hope that it might help answer others' questions, as it has helped answer some of ours.

 

Happy cruising! :D

 

Edited October 6, 2012 by 5:00_Somewhere

[Go-Bucks!]

It does appear to be as you say. Thanks for the help. This ship looks lovely.

[missymerv]

This is what makes Cruise Critic so awesome. Thanks guys!

[compozer]

Thanks for sharing your research with us. I booked an aft Rivera cabin because I thought the balconies looked larger - I guess I was wrong. Maybe you could figure something else out for me since you seem to know what you are doing. The corner aft suites look like they do not have a stern facing sliding door, just a side one. The aft is the best view from inside so I will be very disappointed if there is not one. Any thoughts??? thanks

[5:00_Somewhere]

Thanks for sharing your research with us. I booked an aft Rivera cabin because I thought the balconies looked larger - I guess I was wrong. Maybe you could figure something else out for me since you seem to know what you are doing. The corner aft suites look like they do not have a stern facing sliding door, just a side one. The aft is the best view from inside so I will be very disappointed if there is not one. Any thoughts??? thanks

 

I'm very glad to offer any assistance.

 

And, Compozer, actually the deck plans do indicate that both Riviera Deck and Marina Deck balconies are larger than the standard. It's just that, based on the model and the photo above, it does not look as if those balconies will be covered at all by the balcony above. Many people prefer nice sunny balconies like this, so this may work out well for you, if that is the case. For us, we just prefer having the option of sun or shade. :)

 

And you hit on one other thing that has puzzled me for sometime about this ship: those aft corner suites. Both the builder's model and the photographs I've seen make it appear almost as if those enormous balconies that round the corner are completely separate from the suites. I'm fairly certain that cannot be the case; they certainly wouldn't "waste" such prime balcony space. But, it also does not look a if those suites have any aft-facing windows at all which, again, seems odd.

Edited October 6, 2012 by 5:00_Somewhere

[Pzazzz]

Has anyone else experienced a change and been notified by Princess on Royal Princess bookings? The Princess site has all the rooms sold (several destinations and times) if you visit it this morning. We know what we booked but cannot see where they moved us.:confused:

[mabones]

That's good to know about the balconies. Do you know if they have come out with any photo's of the forward port or starboard obstructed-view balconies on the Lido Deck, either L110, L114 or L109, L115. I'm curious to see what that Balcony looks like, also.

[mabones]

Pzazzz, were you booked in a Guarantee? If you had already chosen your stateroom, why would they change it?

[Eppe4]

We got an e-mail late last night and more early this morning. We were in D-726 for our 30 day Royal Transatlantic. They have upgraded our (no upgradeable) cabin to a mini suite on B-416. They are taking out 14 D-4 aft cabins to make way for full suites which are already sold and waitlisted. We and our t/a had 4 conference calls with Princess today however our cabin no longer exists. Good Luck!

[Jemnibabe]

We got an e-mail late last night and more early this morning. We were in D-726 for our 30 day Royal Transatlantic. They have upgraded our (no upgradeable) cabin to a mini suite on B-416. They are taking out 14 D-4 aft cabins to make way for full suites which are already sold and waitlisted. We and our t/a had 4 conference calls with Princess today however our cabin no longer exists. Good Luck!

 

 

Joyce.......do you have any idea which 14 aft cabins they are removing? Since I am in one for our Royal TA, now I am concerned but haven't heard anything yet. Thanks for the information.

Judy

[Eppe4]

Joyce.......do you have any idea which 14 aft cabins they are removing? Since I am in one for our Royal TA, now I am concerned but haven't heard anything yet. Thanks for the information.

Judy

 

Judy,

 

All I can tell you is that they tried to relocate us to a Deluxe aft B-4 on Riviera after we said we didn't want the mini suite, so you might be safe. Actually the lady from Princess was clueless and I'm angry over this. She had no real information, her job was to inform us our cabins don't exist and to move us elsewhere. We would have paid more for the location but they never gave us a chance. For now, we're booked in an MA mini B416. We don't like the location but at this point you either cancel the cruise or take what they have left. It's VERY unfair, but I see a pattern of this coming from Princess lately.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Eppe4

[lovevacadays]

Thanks for posting. It is fun to speculate, isn't it!

 

I can't wait to sail this ship!

[lovevacadays]

We got an e-mail late last night and more early this morning. We were in D-726 for our 30 day Royal Transatlantic. They have upgraded our (no upgradeable) cabin to a mini suite on B-416. They are taking out 14 D-4 aft cabins to make way for full suites which are already sold and waitlisted. We and our t/a had 4 conference calls with Princess today however our cabin no longer exists. Good Luck!

 

Wow! Very interesting. So, I'm not sure if I'm reading this right. Are they changing some of the ship's configuration?

[Eppe4]

Wow! Very interesting. So, I'm not sure if I'm reading this right. Are they changing some of the ship's configuration?

 

Yes, as I wrote they are reconfiguring the back of the ship. All we know is our cabin is gone, there will 14 Deluxe Aft Balcony cabins removed and replaced with full suites. Those suites are already sold and waitlisted. I have no way of making this any clearer to you, but if you don't have one of these cabins, you're not affected.

[5:00_Somewhere]

We got an e-mail late last night and more early this morning. We were in D-726 for our 30 day Royal Transatlantic. They have upgraded our (no upgradeable) cabin to a mini suite on B-416. They are taking out 14 D-4 aft cabins to make way for full suites which are already sold and waitlisted. We and our t/a had 4 conference calls with Princess today however our cabin no longer exists. Good Luck!

 

Thank you for letting us know about this. It is extremely distressing news. I feel horrible for you. Our cabin is in the same position as yours was, but on Baja Deck. We have heard nothing yet about any changes to our reservation as of yet, but if we do we will be cancelling the cruise. There were literally only 4 cabins on this ship that I cared to occupy: ours, yours and their 2 mirror cabins on the opposite side of the ship. If they remove all 4 of these as Deluxe Balcony Cabins, then the Royal will sail without us.

Edited December 22, 2012 by 5:00_Somewhere

[Jemnibabe]

Thank you for letting us know about this. It is extremely distressing news. I feel horrible for you. Our cabin is in the same position as yours was, but on Baja Deck. We have heard nothing yet about any changes to our reservation as of yet, but if we do we will be cancelling the cruise. There were literally only 4 cabins on this ship that I cared to occupy: ours, yours and their 2 mirror cabins on the opposite side of the ship. If they remove all 4 of these as Deluxe Balcony Cabins, then the Royal will sail without us.

 

 

I can suggest you check your Personalizer because I just did and was upgraded to a mini A428 from my aft Deluxe balcony R731. I never heard a word from Princess at all and sure didn't want that location either. But I won't give up the sailing. Good luck.

Judy from SW Florida

[Pam in CA]

Yes, as I wrote they are reconfiguring the back of the ship. All we know is our cabin is gone, there will 14 Deluxe Aft Balcony cabins removed and replaced with full suites. Those suites are already sold and waitlisted. I have no way of making this any clearer to you, but if you don't have one of these cabins, you're not affected.

That's totally bizarre. They double-booked the same space? Based on what? You booked based on the deck plans and were confirmed so how could they book space in suites that aren't on the deck plans and didn't exist? It's worth writing to Alan Buckelew and let him know that the treatment you received was unacceptable.

[wineforhealth]

I'm booked for the TA in D731 and still show the same room.

[wineforhealth]

That's totally bizarre. They double-booked the same space? Based on what? You booked based on the deck plans and were confirmed so how could they book space in suites that aren't on the deck plans and didn't exist? It's worth writing to Alan Buckelew and let him know that the treatment you received was unacceptable.

 

Pam maybe they moved the outer most B4 cabins and those in the inner 2 recieved the suites. Not sure where my room is other than D731 at the moment.

 

no email,phone call or change in the personalizer

[wineforhealth]

Sorry double post

 

Edit B4 for D4

Edited December 22, 2012 by wineforhealth

[Jemnibabe]

I'm booked for the TA in D731 and still show the same room.

 

 

Our room was R731 and we got moved.

Judy from SW Florida

[IECalCruiser]

After these posts I checked my Personalizer and we were moved from Cat D4 D727 to Cat D4 A736. I had booked on Dolphin deck because I wanted one of the larger, half covered balconies that are on Baja and Dolphin deck but not on Aloha. We received no notification from Princess and this cruise has not been transferred to a TA yet. I'm not happy about the reduced balcony size, but at least it is a Cat D4 cabin for now.

 

It looks like Princess realized that the layout of the S2 aft cabins was not good with no room for aft doors to the balcony. Looking at Emerald and Marina deck, what the appear to be doing is not creating new suites but moving their location slightly. They are shifted into the and adjoining Cat D4 aft cabin and a portion of the old cabin is being made into a Balcony/ Balcony along the side of the ship.

 

On Emerald deck the new Deluxe Balconies are now E726 and E727 and the relocated Suites are now E728 and E729. Cat D4 cabins E730, E731, E732, and E733 are apparently unchanged.

 

If you are booked in the middle four Cat D4 cabins you appear to be OK. If you were booked in the outermost cabin on either side you will be moved :(

Edited December 22, 2012 by IECalCruiser

[john_galt]

I've had my eye on the S2 rooms for 2015. This makes them much more attractive. I always thought those D4 rooms were an odd use of valuable real estate.

Edited December 22, 2012 by john_galt

[JerseyGuys]

happened to us also We had cabin D726 and has been moved to E730. As with some of you absolutely no communication from Princess..Not a happy camper here...

Edited December 22, 2012 by JerseyGuys

[Sunviking]

I've had my eye on the S2 rooms for 2015. This makes them much more attractive. I always thought those D4 rooms were an odd use of valuable real estate.

 

I agree with you. We had booked an S2 on the maiden transatlantic and canceled back in August. There were a number of things we didn't like about the Royal as the videos were released, but one of the things we really disliked was that the S2 appeared to be smaller than the former owner's Suites on the other ships and it had no door facing aft. I think that was the tipping point for us. If Princess has now made the cabin a little larger and given it access to the stern via a door, we may try the ship sometime in 2014. I think it's unfortunate that they made that decision at this relatively late date and have had to displace people who were looking forward to their aft deluxe balcony cabins. In our opinion a mini on the side is not an adequate trade-off.