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Back from the Royal..just being brutally honest

blueseas4me2

By blueseas4me2,
in Princess Cruises

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Thrak

Thrak

Posted
Posted (edited)
Responding to a couple of the comments:

 

- I did not complain about the cost of the clam shells. $30 is peanuts. I complained about the horrible view it creates for anyone who didn't get onto the first couple tenders to get to the island.

 

- We got to the island as early as possible with a group of 7 people.

 

- I cruised the Royal during spring break 2 yrs ago. This cruise (and Princess Cays) felt much for confined. Princess Cays has changed and we miss the old days.

 

I'm not certain why I was criticized/chastised for sharing my thoughts. We will be platinum on our next cruise. We love Princess. We are just not fans of these huge ships. Maybe a cruise that's not on Spring break will be better.

 

I have to admit that I found a few of the comments pretty snarky and uncalled for. Unfortunately, that seems to happen fairly often in these forums. However, I used to be a gamer and you wouldn't believe the nastiness that happens in gaming forums. :eek:

 

I would really try not to cruise the Caribbean during Spring Break. I know a couple who took their first (and last) cruise there during that period. They have vowed to never cruise again. The issues on Princess Cays sound legitimate to me. I despise filthy restrooms - especially since you said there were attendants. I also noticed that you said you had to fill out forms but the woman who handed over cash didn't have to do so. Sounds as if the cash was put into someone's pocket.

 

Perhaps Princess should put more effort into training shore staff they hire or else insist on higher standards for the people they hire there. I understand from another post here that they aren't really "Princess employees" but, if they are working on the private part of the island and providing services to the passengers in my book that makes them Princess employees. I used to manage a store and I certainly would have fired anybody who was rude to my customers or who pocketed cash. If they fire some folks the others who work for them or who apply might get the idea that "customer service is king" in situations of this sort.

 

It may not do any good but, if enough people have bad experiences on Princess Cays and, if they all then provide feedback to Princess about it, perhaps something would be done to improve the situation.

 

Thanks for posting. Don't worry about the snide comments.

Edited by Thrak
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ChiefSealthCruz

ChiefSealthCruz

Posted
Posted

I've never been to Princess Cays. It was good to see your review of it. The conversation brought up the fact that the employees on the island are not Princess Employees. This fact sets my expectations for interactions with them. Thank-you for taking the time to post your opinions.

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jacketwatch

jacketwatch

Posted
Posted (edited)
Overall, the cruise was GOOD. Weather (not that the cruiseline is responsible) was perfect but a little windy. Food was plentiful and I have no complaints. Everything was delicious.

 

However, I disembarked with a very...perplexed feeling. :rolleyes:

 

It was my second cruise on a Royal class ship. Even so, I never got the hang of the layout. I still accidentally took the aft elevator to the dead end spot by the dining room and I wondered for the 14th time why the elevator doesn't simply LABEL this button as being for that dining room. Seems like it would be an easy fix.

 

I realize it was Spring Break and I have no complaints about the fellow passengers. There were a lot of us. The ship was bursting at the seams and the staff was taxed to their max. Honestly, everyone was great. It was just a lot of people. 4000 people is a lot any way you slice it. For example, it was impossible to be in the pool without someone physically touching you here and there because there's only so much space and, as I said, 4000 people is a lot.

 

I was looking forward to Movies Under the Stars. It was very windy the first few nights. The fountain show got a bunch of chairs (and people) very wet. I can't say anyone was enjoying the show and I wonder why the crew didn't skip it considering the conditions.

 

I guess I did have one fellow passenger complaint. Isn't it common sense to be quiet when others are watching a movie? Shouldn't the parents instruct their children to be respectful? My husband had to go ask a group to please stop talking so loudly.

 

Midway through the week I realized that maybe Royal Class is not for us. I was missing the Grand class ships and wondering why it's a good idea to double the amount of passengers who go on vacation with me.

 

Our visit to Princess Cays ...(for the love of God, is it KEYS or KAYS?)...our day there sealed the deal for us. Oh...MY...GOD. What has Princess done to that island? It used to be our favorite stop. We loved a simple, no-fuss, beach day with lunch provided for us. Now it's just like going to a cheap amusement park with a wave pool.

 

The STAFF for the rental equipment was rude to everyone. Are they employees of Princess? They were consistently awful. Here's how my conversation went:

"Do you have floating chairs to rent?"

"$9.95. Fill this out."

I filled out the form and gave my room key. She handed it back.

"Ova there." She nodded her head toward the side of the building.

I walked around and see chairs. "Do I take one of these?"

She grunted something at me.

 

I saw similar exchanges except one lady who wanted two chairs. She asked if she could pay cash and handed the girl $20. No paperwork was filled out for that rental. (hmmmm)

 

The restrooms each had an attendant at the door but they appeared to do nothing. Stalls went without toilet paper and nothing was cleaned while we were there.

 

Sitting on my chair, I was unable to see the water because my view consisted of endless blue clam shells.

cays.jpg

 

I wonder if the $30 Princess is making for each shell is worth spoiling the overall experience of being at a Caribbean beach? They ought to be limiting the number of shells rented and they should be staggered in placement.

 

Then we endured the nightmare of tendering back to the ship. 4000 people and they decided it was a good idea to use only a couple tenders? I've never seen a tender line as long as this one. We got in line just before 2:00 and it was after 3:00 when we boarded. The sun was hot, there was no shade or water in sight. I was concerned for the elderly and for those with young babies. I'm shocked that Princess thinks this is acceptable.

 

Safe to say we will never visit Princess Cays again.

 

I don't think Regal class is for us. It's just too many people and it taxes all the resources. I feel badly for the staff who are working so hard to make the experience good for all these people. By the last day I was yearning for a trip on the Caribbean Princess....sigh.

 

I saw the post about two more Royal class ships and I was sad. We might cruise one of those again...maybe. But it's not our first choice.

 

One more thing: We had a LOVELY dinner at the Crown grill.

Thank you for the review and yes you will find those here who love to take shots at posters from the safety of the internet. :roll eyes:

 

We were recently on the Sapphire and seemed to constantly remind ourselves of what elevators to take to various destinations. Quirky but no big deal for us. I mean we were not in a hurry and got a laugh out of it. Often. :)

 

How many pools does the Royal have? On the sapphire which is a much smaller ship with a max passenger of about 2700 we seemed to have plenty of choices for pool space even on sea days. Does the Royal have a covered pool? we always found space there. I am afraid you can't do much about bring break crowds except to plan around it if its a big factor. One big criticism I have for the NL Getaway is that it has one pool for 4 k guests and on sea days it was jammed.

 

Perhaps Princess needs to do something about people talking loudly while at MUTS. That is rather rude. However often just telling the staff will do the trick. There was one nut on the CCL Legend who's toasted and spewing 4 letter words on the pool deck. I complained as did others I think and I did see this guy several times during the cruise and he was pretty mute. I think he got the message.

 

Too bad about grumpy attendants on shore. I don't know if they are Princess employees or not. Either way mention it on your post cruise review.

 

As for the view being blocked by the clam shells I find that a bit much and from what I saw from the pic you had a nice view. Hey you are on vacation and no vacation will be perfect. Most are pretty good. Enjoy!!

 

Cheers, Larry. :)

Edited by jacketwatch
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LMaxwell Great Review Rare

LMaxwell

Posted
Posted

Larry the Royal has the midship pools and forward of that has the Retreat pool. Neither are covered.

 

There is no aft pool on the Royal either. Also the Spa is in the bowels of the ship and so there is not a top deck Lotus pool.

 

The water feature at the main pools is a huge waste of prime space and yes with any wind at all makes a bit of a mess.

 

On Regal they added am aft pool at least but it is small and is adjacent to a smoking area. Think hot tub sized, not pool.

 

Perhaps these design considerations will be adjusted on recently announced new builds

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jacketwatch

jacketwatch

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Posted
Larry the Royal has the midship pools and forward of that has the Retreat pool. Neither are covered.

 

There is no aft pool on the Royal either. Also the Spa is in the bowels of the ship and so there is not a top deck Lotus pool.

 

The water feature at the main pools is a huge waste of prime space and yes with any wind at all makes a bit of a mess.

 

On Regal they added am aft pool at least but it is small and is adjacent to a smoking area. Think hot tub sized, not pool.

 

Perhaps these design considerations will be adjusted on recently announced new builds

 

Thank you. Seems like the smaller Sapphire has more pool space which is pretty nice really. A huge part of the pool deck one the Getaway is for a water park for kids which is great if you are a kid but becomes cramped for adults especially on sea days.

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stoneharborlady

stoneharborlady

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Posted
To the OP...just ignore the snarky remarks...CC is for people to express their opinions and that is what you did. Every cruise brings different expectations for each person. We are doing the Royal, first time soon, so I appreciate you taking the time to review honestly. I like to read both sides and decide for myself.

 

I guess some people having nothing better to do than read posts and write an argumentative response:rolleyes:

 

 

hillslife is giving good advice. I love reading this forum, but there are some here who have lofty views of themselves, and take every possible chance to belittle others who may have a different view than they do. If you read here long enough, you will begin to recognize them for what they do. Not nice, but it seems to make them feel important. Ignore them.

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Mom33

Mom33

Posted
Posted
HOW DARE YOU criticize ANYTHING about the beloved Princess? Don't you know that the cheerleaders will not stand by and let you get away with this nonsense? :rolleyes:

 

Doesn't Celebrity have cheerleaders? I seem to see a lot of what is happening here, happening on the Celebrity forum too.

 

This habit of calling people cheerleaders because they have good experiences to share is really annoying. Everyone has the right to speak here with out fear of having a differing opinion. :rolleyes:

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Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

Posted
Posted

Hello blueseas4me2

I agree with you on your thoughts about the ship size and the number of people onboard. I've always considered Princess to be one of the more classy "mass market" cruise lines but with that many people something gets lost. The crew mostly do a wonderful job but they are human beings and the work load is obviously a stressor. The interiors of Royal class ships look classic ocean liner stunning... but it's the outer deck & pool areas that are atrocious. No usable aft pool, no promenade, very limited pool options, & that GIANT movie screen protrudes from the ships profile, making her look like an awkward teenager with buck teeth.

 

My favorite ships in the fleet are Crown, Emerald, & Ruby (now that the original Pacific/Island & Dawn/Fair sisters are gone). I've loved every minute on this class of ship and appreciate the HUGE main pools and delightful aft pool. These ships IMHO seem very well designed and have very little crowding.

 

Also I want to acknowledge the nastiness that seems to becoming more common on CC to people who are simply expressing a viewpoint based on their experiences and perceptions. I'm sorry you've had this occur & have experienced it myself recently.

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blueseas4me2

blueseas4me2

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Forgot to say that I also miss the larger balconies available on Grand Class ships, especially on the Caribe deck.

 

The Regal is a beautiful ship overall.

The staff is wonderful.

The beds were comfortable.

The food is varied and delicious.

The buffet is AMAZING.

LOVED the 3:00 happy hour at Crooners.

*NOTE: Happy Hour rules have changed. You are no longer allowed to purchase a beer for now and another for later. They won't give you and unopened beer.

 

We will probably cruise the Royal class again but it won't be during Spring break. (Which is too bad since I'm a teacher.) The issues on Princess Cays are caused by having a lot of people in a small space and trying to please everyone. My friends were with us and it was their first visit to the island. They were completely disappointed in how 'commercial' it feels. I tried to describe how it used to look:

459613132tPNHhp_fs.jpg

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KevintheIrishDJ

KevintheIrishDJ

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Posted
Doesn't Celebrity have cheerleaders? I seem to see a lot of what is happening here, happening on the Celebrity forum too.

 

This habit of calling people cheerleaders because they have good experiences to share is really annoying. Everyone has the right to speak here with out fear of having a differing opinion. :rolleyes:

 

I have had issues with these people when I post things negative. Some get nasty.

 

Pax et bonum,

Kevin Westley T.M.R.F.

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fishywood

fishywood

Posted
Posted

Another review with a hot-button word in the thread title for seemingly no good reason. There is nothing "brutal" about your honest opinion that the Royal-class ships hold too many passengers.

 

(Actually, the only thing "brutal" about this thread is the oversize pictures that force me to scroll left and right to read the text) :rolleyes:

 

As for Princess Cays (and yes, KEYS is the correct pronunciation, though I keep using KAYS like everyone else) I personally have not noticed the crowds, lunch service or return tender lines to be worse in comparison to when I was there on the original Grand-class ships (Grand and Star) versus the newer Grand-plus with around 400 more pax (Ruby and just last week on Emerald). I just walk to the left side past all the clamshells and drag any available lounger as close to the water as I wish. But I do appreciate the observation that the 500+ more on Royal may constitute a breaking point and will be considering the issue should I ever contemplate booking the Royal or Regal (or the three more eventually to follow).

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