Back from the Royal..just being brutally honest

[Micahs Grandad]

We did the Royal on a TA for our first Princess cruise and thought it was outstanding. No idea though how many people on our cruise though but no lines anywhere.

[janetz]

Everyone's expectations are different. Thank you for your review.

 

For us, the Royal was wonderful. The first buffet we ever enjoyed. MDR food was great. The staff was very good and the ship is stunning. :)

[riclop]

It seems your complaints are with fellow cruisers and not the Royal class of ship and as far as the layout goes you should of learned it after your first cruise.

[deliver42]

This is to the poster that wouldn't go on RCCL's mega ships. The way the traffic flows on a ship has everything to do with how crowded it is. The Oasis felt less crowded than any other ship I've been on, regardless of cruise line.There is so much passenger space that the 6400 passengers don't feel that way. The only times it felt crowded were for the "sales" in the shops, and at the parades, which everyone wants to see. By the way, this is NOT a knock on Princess.

[pablo222]

first i ignored your response but i have to ask…what was your purposes in posting your remark?

 

If anyone posts anything negative about princess, they and their

comments are belittled here.

[EatonDoolittle]

This is to the poster that wouldn't go on RCCL's mega ships. The way the traffic flows on a ship has everything to do with how crowded it is. The Oasis felt less crowded than any other ship I've been on, regardless of cruise line.There is so much passenger space that the 6400 passengers don't feel that way. The only times it felt crowded were for the "sales" in the shops, and at the parades, which everyone wants to see. By the way, this is NOT a knock on Princess.

 

Thanks for this response - it was me.

I have heard the same, frequently.

 

Never say never, but as I said, I am still going to wait for a tempting sale, maybe something last minute.

[Verystormy]

The clam shell issue is the reason we will never do 1, a massive ship cruise. 2, a beach based cruise. More than half a dozen people on a beach to us is a nightmare. Far too many amazing beaches around the world that you can get to yourself to put up with that.

[We2Cruzers]

I had a hunch that this size ship would not suit us. And reading your review has confirmed that. Glad to have your perspective. Thanks again.

[blueseas4me2]

It seems your complaints are with fellow cruisers and not the Royal class of ship and as far as the layout goes you should of learned it after your first cruise.

 

Other than the talking during the movie- what complaints did I have about fellow passengers? I clearly said that everyone was GREAT.

 

Since your own reading comprehension is in question, I don't think you've earned the right to criticize how quickly I learn the layout of a really large ship. :rolleyes:

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. I'm not going to say we're never sailing on the Royal, but I'm not actively looking at any cruises on that ship or any that size. I thought the same thing when the Caribbean Princess first came out, but we overcame our objections to sailing on ones that size when there weren't any other cruises that fit DH's schedule and our budget.

 

For Princess Cays, we like to go over early, swim, walk along the beach, eat lunch as soon as they start serving, swim again, then take an early tender back to the ship--before the hordes start leaving.

[pris993]

Same here. As good as the older ships are the Royal is still better even with the "few" negatives.

 

That sounds promising... hope we feel the same after our cruise, a TA in 2017.... very happy with the old Grand actually, love the Ruby.

 

Miss the main deck on the Royal.... we have cruised Celebrity... very disappointing even with all the fancy modern touches... not like Princess, hope the Royal is not like Celebrity newer ships.

 

We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity by the way.

[srpilo]

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.

 

+1

 

 

Newer and bigger is not always better

Srpilo

[cruzsnooze]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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Having sailed on the Regal I agree, this class of ship is too large. The lines are long and facilities strained for the enormous number of passengers.

[rebeljohn]

We were on the same cruise. The Royal was the largest ship we have ever been on. We found the ship quite beautiful, and the staff was so friendly. We too, were in the HUGE line exiting Princess Cay. I was thinking the same thing, why not have more tenders......Thanks for posting your thoughts on the cruise. I hope to have a review up later in the week.........

[floridalover5623]

Having sailed on the Regal I agree, this class of ship is too large. The lines are long and facilities strained for the enormous number of passengers.

 

I've got to agree with that statement but they still do a good job with the number of people their accommodating on the ship.

[blueseas4me2]

That sounds promising... hope we feel the same after our cruise, a TA in 2017.... very happy with the old Grand actually, love the Ruby.

 

Miss the main deck on the Royal.... we have cruised Celebrity... very disappointing even with all the fancy modern touches... not like Princess, hope the Royal is not like Celebrity newer ships.

 

We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity by the way.

 

I hope I didn't make it sound as though the Regal isn't a lovely ship. Other than the missing full promenade, I think the ship is lovely. The Atrium is breathtaking.

[blueseas4me2]

We were on the same cruise. The Royal was the largest ship we have ever been on. We found the ship quite beautiful, and the staff was so friendly. We too, were in the HUGE line exiting Princess Cay. I was thinking the same thing, why not have more tenders......Thanks for posting your thoughts on the cruise. I hope to have a review up later in the week.........

 

Thanks for speaking up, especially about the long tender line. I don't understand why they were not running a tender from both docks. We were let off on the right side but for some reason they only ran tenders from the left. I've been to Princess Cays many times. In fact, I was there while on the Royal and it was a Spring Break cruise. I've never seen a line as long as this one.

 

I also agree that the staff did a wonderful job considering how taxing their job must be.

[easyboy]

I've got to agree with that statement but they still do a good job with the number of people their accommodating on the ship.

I agree.

[globrcircler]

I recently returned from a near perfect experience on the Regal. I considered it near perfect because I armed myself with honest reviews from CC and set my expectations accordingly. If every report on here was all sunshine and smiles, I would never bother to read. I read CC reviews for honest opinions and useful information.

Carolyn in Texas

[susancruzs]

Great point and excellent observation. I like to read both sides of cruising because there isn't such a thing as absolutely perfect.

 

I'm going on the Regal for the 1st time soon, and I'll onboard for 25 days, plenty of time to check out what people have been saying.

 

I would say the lack of a full promenade will probably bother me a little bit, as I'm an old school cruiser and I love promenade decks.

 

The center stairs, I'll wait and see on those. The issue with the rear dining room isn't new but might a little confusing to cruisers that haven't sailed with Princess. I absolutely hate elevators, always take the stairs so waiting for elevators isn't an issue for me.

Edited April 7, 2016 by susancruzs

[2CatsInFlorida]

Good factual review.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[caribill]

The issue with the rear dining room isn't new but might a little confusing to cruisers that haven't sailed with Princess.

 

I have encountered the same design for accessing the aft dining room on both Carnival and RCCL.

 

I would only be confused if I found a big ship without that type access.

[lolane1]

I just so miss the full promenade and decent aft pool on the big ships

 

I haven't sailed the Royal yet but will this summer. However, I can share your sentiments. My favorite spot has always been the adult aft pool, in a lounger facing the wake. My consolation is that on a Mediterranean cruise that is so port intensive, I will have little time for pool therapy.

[floridalover5623]

I hope I didn't make it sound as though the Regal isn't a lovely ship. Other than the missing full promenade, I think the ship is lovely. The Atrium is breathtaking.

 

Yes it is but also very noisy. They hold to many functions there during the day.

[PrincessLuver]

I hope I didn't make it sound as though the Regal isn't a lovely ship. Other than the missing full promenade, I think the ship is lovely. The Atrium is breathtaking.

 

The Atrium is the favorite part of the Regal for me and I like it because it is spacious, lively, full of activity and energy.....:):)