One discontinued Royal Princess feature they did not mention

[yyjguy]

:mad: I would appear that this fantastic feature, that all Princess ships have had for many many years, is no longer available with out paying a steep fee. Correct me if I am wrong, but it would appear that the included relaxation option of saunas and steam rooms has been done away with on this new class of ships. That might be a game changer for me.

[TorontoTL]

They haven't mentioned that there would be no steam and saunas in the change rooms so I wouldn't make that assumption that there won't be in the Royal.

 

I'd say that the change rooms in the new Lotus Spa will have the complimentary steam and saunas like the current ships. In general, Princess has been adding features without removing many things that current passengers enjoy, hopefully that will be the case here too.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

If some one has a face book account drop in on Princess and ask if there are saunas and thermal suite on the Royal Princess good at coming back with answers.

 

yours Shogun

[bdjam]

A quick look at the deck plan is inconclusive - there are large changing rooms outside the fitness center and also at the Lotus Spa, but it doesn't say anything about what's in that space...

[HRPro]

If you watch the spa video, it mentions the Enclave at the Lotus Spa which apparently has the steam rooms, sauna and thermal suites. You can do it separately or in conjunction with a treatment. My guess from the way it is presented that this will not be complimentary, but I could be wrong.

[PescadoAmarillo]

If you watch the spa video, it mentions the Enclave at the Lotus Spa which apparently has the steam rooms, sauna and thermal suites. You can do it separately or in conjunction with a treatment. My guess from the way it is presented that this will not be complimentary, but I could be wrong.

The Enclave is what the new, expanded Thermal Suite is called, and it's definitely not complimentary.

 

I, too, enjoy the complimentary steam room and sauna in the locker rooms.

[PunkiC]

It also appears that they have removed the dance floor from the Wheelhouse. That's a definite deal breaker for us.

[runnerodb83]

The Enclave is what the new, expanded Thermal Suite is called, and it's definitely not complimentary.

 

I, too, enjoy the complimentary steam room and sauna in the locker rooms.

 

pools are fewer, gratis steam sauna are gone, basically these things dont make money and therefore, are either removed and relocated to an area where they can be charged. HIGHLY annoying but par for the industry. on one hand i can appreciate the capacity control that adding a fee creates, on the other hand its really disappointing.

 

im still bent out of shape that they have reduced the pools on the Royal compared to the grand class ships. but there will hopefully only be 2 and i can avoid them and hope the next class of newbuilds is smaller, with more pools, and less 'fluff' (skywalk, pastry area aka carb city, princess live)

[TorontoTL]

Why is everyone assuming that the complimentary steam rooms and saunas are gone from the Royal? Just because the level of detail on the floor plans of the ship don't show it yet doesn't mean that they are eliminated.:confused:

[eroller]

Why is everyone assuming that the complimentary steam rooms and saunas are gone from the Royal? Just because the level of detail on the floor plans of the ship don't show it yet doesn't mean that they are eliminated.:confused:

 

 

 

You are correct, but the recent trend on new ships is to do away with the "free" feature. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Celebrity, Holland America, Cunard, and others have all done it to some degree. All these lines used to offer a fairly nice free steam and sauna (some with beautiful sea views), but all have gone to a more elaborate spa on the new ships where you pay for the use of a "thermal suite". In the process the free steam and sauna have either been eliminated or dumbed down to a single small sauna with no view tucked in the back of a changing room (almost an after thought). Revenue is the name of the game so why offer a free facility when people are willing to pay for it?

 

Time will tell with RP, but I'm guessing at most there will be a small windowless sauna in the changing rooms by the fitness center, if anything.

 

Ernie

[sunsetbeachgal]

Think I prefer the wonderful "Everything Royal Princess" thread...this one has taken on too negative a tone for me for a ship that hasn't even come out yet...

[eroller]

Think I prefer the wonderful "Everything Royal Princess" thread...this one has taken on too negative a tone for me for a ship that hasn't even come out yet...

 

 

Some people may call it negative, but I prefer a realistic approach to what I can and cannot expect on the new ship.

 

No ship is all great or all bad for that matter. Some things about RP are going to be awesome, and others probably not so much ... and yes there will be things that are missed on RP from existing Princess ships. Just like the reviews I read, I prefer a balanced approach. I pretty much discard the 100% cheerleading or 100% hater reviews as useless.

[Steven_&_Daniel]

I wouldn't call it a game changer, but it would be disappointing. We discussed this back in January in the Everything Royal Princess thread.

[antsp]

Discounting the fact the ship is a new design and a novelty, why would you pick the Royal over another grand type ship.

[bdjam]

Discounting the fact the ship is a new design and a novelty, why would you pick the Royal over another grand type ship.

 

I've mentioned that I'm disappointed that this "new class" of ship isn't more evolutionary if not revolutionary...so I wouldn't pick it over another type of Grand Class ship.

[Iamcruzin]

Think I prefer the wonderful "Everything Royal Princess" thread...this one has taken on too negative a tone for me for a ship that hasn't even come out yet...

 

I prefer to live in the wonderful World of Disney but that's not realistic either. Most people like to take a steam or sauna after a workout. How inconvenient would it be to have to go from the fitness center on deck 17 to the Lotus Spa on deck 5?

[Carolyn R]

What a bunch of negative Nellies! First of all, stop assuming. Has Princess announced there will be no saunas or steam rooms in the gym? Also, there never were views either from the Thermal Suite or the free gym sauna/steam. There is no dance floor in the Wheelhouse, but there is a dance floor in the Vista lounge, Club 6 and out on the open deck. I too prefer the main thread about the Royal, lots of positive vibes and excitement. Let's stop the negativity and wait for the actual travelers' reviews.

[TorontoTL]

What a bunch of negative Nellies! First of all, stop assuming. Has Princess announced there will be no saunas or steam rooms in the gym? Also, there never were views either from the Thermal Suite or the free gym sauna/steam. There is no dance floor in the Wheelhouse, but there is a dance floor in the Vista lounge, Club 6 and out on the open deck. I too prefer the main thread about the Royal, lots of positive vibes and excitement. Let's stop the negativity and wait for the actual travelers' reviews.

 

Here here. Let's stop making assumptions and wait and see what actually happens.

[eroller]

I prefer to live in the wonderful World of Disney but that's not realistic either. Most people like to take a steam or sauna after a workout. How inconvenient would it be to have to go from the fitness center on deck 17 to the Lotus Spa on deck 5?

 

I'm with you! I'm a person that enjoys a daily workout while I'm on a cruise, and it's nice to follow it up by a steam/sauna or even the thermal suite. I'm not sure how I feel about having to trek 10+ decks to use the facilities. There are not many ships I know of that have the fitness center and spa so separated. They sort of go together I think. The forward facing view while working out will be missed as well, but that is something I can live with.

 

Also I see nothing wrong with discussing the positive aspect of a new ship design, as well as possible areas of opportunity. It's part of the fun and yes it's all speculation until the ship comes out, but who cares! Most of us are on CC to discuss ships ... the good and the bad. Sort of the way life works.

[caribill]

There is no dance floor in the Wheelhouse, but there is a dance floor in the Vista lounge, Club 6 and out on the open deck.

 

Wheelhouse had live music to dance to every evening. Club 6 will only have recorded music per the video on entertainment options.

[dmwnc1959]

Wheelhouse had live music to dance to every evening. Club 6 will only have recorded music per the video on entertainment options.

 

Club 6 wasn't designed to replace the Wheelhouse Bar. It was designed, more or less, to replace the evening entertainment of SkyWalkers. Did SkyWalkers have a live band?

[PunkiC]

There is no dance floor in the Wheelhouse, but there is a dance floor in the Vista lounge, Club 6 and out on the open deck.

 

We go on cruises because we love to dancing. Real dancing where you actually hold one another in each others arms--not "shake your bootie" dancing. I have never seen anything but "shake your bootie" music out on the open deck, and, honestly, why would anyone want to get dressed to the nines and go out an dance on an open deck? :confused: It would trash our dance shoes in one evening.

 

I don't know anything about Club 6 and can report after many Princess cruises that there are indeed short spells of time where they ocassionally play real dance music in the Vists Lounge, but the only place we have been able to count on decent (well more or less decent) dance music every night has been in the Wheelhouse.

 

When they stop having nightly dancing on Princess, we will definitely have to find another line. There are changes we can live with, but not having good dancing every night is the deal breaker for us.

[dmwnc1959]

Also I see nothing wrong with discussing the positive aspect of a new ship design, as well as possible areas of opportunity. It's part of the fun and yes it's all speculation until the ship comes out, but who cares! Most of us are on CC to discuss ships ... the good and the bad. Sort of the way life works.

 

Hi Ernie,

 

Discussion doesn't start off like this: :mad: Maybe a :(, but not 'anger'. Then it ceases to be a 'discussion' and more about yelling.

 

And there is a distinct difference between what some do, a civil 'discussion', and that of what others do, and that is incessant whining every time they get the chance to jump on any (and every) anti-Royal Princess thread and post the same whine. Maybe at one point, sometime last year when the other thread was burning up the charts, it was a point of individual concern. But after posting the same concern over, and over, and over, and over....for a year, then it becomes whining. We get it already, some hate the Royal Princess for what's it not, but there are tens of thousands who are already booked who will enjoy the ship for what it is.

 

I'm all for intelligent conversation, and you are one of the best at logically stating both sides of a viewpoint while expressing your own standing, but the constant pounding this ship has received from some of the loyalist (turned haters) is beyond me.

 

As it's been said before, the Royal Princess is not perfect. If someone dislikes it THAT much, then please do not sail her, sail one of the other 16 ships Princess Cruises has to offer that DO have the features you require. If they fail to offer what you want, try Cunard, or Holland-America. But do we really need to hear the same anti-Royal Princess whining, from the same people, on every thread?

 

That, is not discussion.

 

 

What a bunch of negative Nellies!

[caribill]

Club 6 wasn't designed to replace the Wheelhouse Bar. It was designed, more or less, to replace the evening entertainment of SkyWalkers. Did SkyWalkers have a live band?

 

No, Skywalkers did not.

 

The problem is that (at least in advance of the ship actually sailing), there appears to be no replacement of the Wheelhouse Bar as far as a live band with dancing is concerned.

[dmwnc1959]

No, Skywalkers did not.

 

The problem is that (at least in advance of the ship actually sailing), there appears to be no replacement of the Wheelhouse Bar as far as a live band with dancing is concerned.

 

I can't see Princess Cruises completely eliminating live music and dancing. Like you have said, we'll have to wait and see until after we start getting live reports from her sailings in the Med this summer. I'm sure they will re-purpose areas nightly and have dancing with a live band in the other venues like the Vista Lounge, The Piazza, Princess Live!, or topside near the dancing water fountains. Should those venues not suit, and it turns out to be an absolute deal breaker, then there are plenty of other ships and cruise lines that do offer this sort of entertainment. They'll just have to give a pass on trying these new ships in favor of the ones they do like.