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Royal Princess to move to California?


cruzrbachoua
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Interestingly, the Royal-class ships have the best public space-to-passenger ratio in the Princess fleet... :cool:

I was very hesitant to book the gigantic Grand Princess for the first time in 2000 because with 2600 passengers it had nearly 3 times the number of passengers as the old Dawn Princess (Sitmar's Fairwind) and the tonnage increased by 500%. I was shocked that the Grand felt less crowded & I had a similar experience when sailing the Royal for the first time.

 

I think they've done a good job providing sufficient passenger space while increasing the ship's size. There isn't any ship that won't experience crowding when too many passengers want to do anything at the same time. But for me, I can always find a quiet spot somewhere on a ship including on a Royal-class ship.

 

That's merely my experience but others will feel differently & it's good to have choices for each of us to decide our best cruising option. :)

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Skai...that is an interesting take. ..perhaps she was agreeing with me. I had DH read it and he took offense (no prompting from me) so I thought ok I was reading it right but if it was in agreement I am adult enough to say sorry if I read it wrong.

 

On another note can I just throw San Diego into the running. ..I mean we did just build a beautiful new terminal and we have our lovely downtown area, Seaport Village, Balboa park, zoo. All real close for people coming in early before the cruise, plus the airport is right there across the way from the harbor. ..possibly 5-10 min depending on the lights ....I know it's a BIG long shot that princess would home port here but a gal can dream. ..all we have here is HAL...we used to have more. ..[emoji23] Would love if she could add Acapulco back to the itinerary. .never been would like to go 1 time.

 

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Living in Arizona and as one who has lived in the San Diego area, I too would like that.:D

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I was very hesitant to book the gigantic Grand Princess for the first time in 2000 because with 2600 passengers it had nearly 3 times the number of passengers as the old Dawn Princess (Sitmar's Fairwind) and the tonnage increased by 500%. I was shocked that the Grand felt less crowded & I had a similar experience when sailing the Royal for the first time.

 

I think they've done a good job providing sufficient passenger space while increasing the ship's size. There isn't any ship that won't experience crowding when too many passengers want to do anything at the same time. But for me, I can always find a quiet spot somewhere on a ship including on a Royal-class ship.

 

That's merely my experience but others will feel differently & it's good to have choices for each of us to decide our best cruising option. :)

 

Sound words sir.....:):):)

 

Bob

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Interesting. I read her post as being in agreement with you. (Count me in as) "Another Princess vet with absolutely no interest in an NCL cruise."

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of typing for what appears to be a misunderstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

As for the Royal potentially moving to the West Coast...Large pax ships leave me feeling rather bleh.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of my more memorable cruises have been on ships that were <2500 pax -- More intimate, better service, less queuing from embarkation to disembarking to everything in-between, greater public space-to-passenger ratios, simply better quality overall.

 

 

 

 

 

Princess is missing the boat with their strategy of 'keeping up with the Joneses' in the mega-ship arms race in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

Cruising is about being on a ship sailing the seas. The bigger the ship, the less of a tangible connection of sailing the seas. Princess is shrinking the balconies, promenade decks and available pools because they aren't revenue generators. The more time passengers spend in the pools or on their balconies/lower outside decks enjoying the scenery, the less time they are in a location where the ship can generate revenue.

 

 

 

 

 

I like the Grand-class, but I have little interest in the Royal class of ships(other than if offering a heavily discounted fare), and if they're slowly replacing the aging Princess fleet, I may find less and less interest in sailing Princess, when there really won't be much difference between other mainstream lines and the cheapened experience of being packed in with 3600+ passengers on another mega-ship.

 

 

To me,

it feels much more crowded on the Grand than it does on the Royal class ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Cruising is about being on a ship sailing the seas. The bigger the ship, the less of a tangible connection of sailing the seas. Princess is shrinking the balconies, promenade decks and available pools because they aren't revenue generators. The more time passengers spend in the pools or on their balconies/lower outside decks enjoying the scenery, the less time they are in a location where the ship can generate revenue.

this makes a lot of sense to me. i miss the promenade on the sapphire and diamond. sitting in the lounge chairs, watching the ocean. ahhhhh.

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:cool:

 

 

 

Oceania is coming to San Francisco as well. :)

 

Hoping Celebrity as well.

 

 

 

If that happens I might just try Oceania

Hoping for Royal Princess to be a real rumor but it would surprise me.

What's the oldest ship in the fleet? That's what we are getting to replace the Grand. Lol at least that would be my wild guess

 

 

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I would love to see them homeport a Royal-class out of West Virginia or perhaps Pittsburgh, but I think there may be some logistical hurdles that would prevent this from happening. Until that day comes (keeping my fingers crossed!) I'll have to settle for NYC or Baltimore as a drive-to port, or (not really an option any more) fly to Florida as the next best thing to catch one of the big girls. Not sure I'll ever make it back to a Royal-class. The price point when compared to other ships sailing from NYC is just a bit steep and flying adds too much to the cost of the equation.

 

The small ships hold absolutely ZERO interest with me (and that's me, not you, we're all different) as I'd be bored to death. Not that I need to be constantly entertained, I just want to be on a ship that has plenty of options to choose from, and I want those options to be larger with more options (i.e. an International Cafe bigger than a postage stamp, a Lido Deck buffet with lots of menu options, and a multiple venues and restaurants to choose from to relax, eat, and enjoy myself). I can also feel a "connection to the sea" without having to have a full-length promenade deck to walk just by standing (or sitting) at the rail of any outside deck and staring at the ocean and listening to the sounds and seeing the sights in front of me.

 

As for NCL, and most of you that have been on here for a while know how I feel about Royal Princess, I'd jump on a Breakaway-class in a heartbeat if the price and itinerary were right (i.e. cheapo Studio cabin on a 12-night Caribbean). I even had the Anthem of the Seas booked for September in one of those super sweet Solo Studio Balcony Cabins but cancelled it in favor of a great deal I snagged on the Crown Princess. And reflecting on my last experience on this class of ship I really wasn't all that eager to ever sail these ships again (felt horribly crowded, claustrophobic low ceilings, bad service, buffet design is a nightmare, bad shows, bad everything, etc.) but figured I'd give it another shot (at this point you're asking yourself "why?) since the great itinerary was port intensive and the ship has some new features I want to try (the OBC and free internet helps).

 

If the "news" holds true and on Monday the "Left Coast" gets Royal Princess a hearty CONGRATULATIONS is in order to those who have waited so long for their wish to finally come true!!!

 

I'm on the tail end of seeing seven national Broadway tours just this year (all total it's been 27 symphony concerts and Broadway shows in 19 months) and then it's the big countdown to Crown Princess. I now find myself enjoying the shows more than I do cruising so this may be the last one. Hoping Crown Princess doesn't let me down and sends me off with a smile on my face.

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this makes a lot of sense to me. i miss the promenade on the sapphire and diamond. sitting in the lounge chairs, watching the ocean. ahhhhh.

OK the promenade deck of the Royal doesn't go around but they do have a nice sitting area which is underutilized most of the time. The most I've even seen sitting there might be 10 or 12 at once. I don't know why but people seem to avoid it. :confused:

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OK the promenade deck of the Royal doesn't go around but they do have a nice sitting area which is underutilized most of the time. The most I've even seen sitting there might be 10 or 12 at once. I don't know why but people seem to avoid it. :confused:

 

And some people don't know it exists or how to find it.:D shsh.....

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Interestingly, the Royal-class ships have the best public space-to-passenger ratio in the Princess fleet... :cool:

 

Although we have enjoyed a number of cruises on both the Royal and Regal, your space ratio contention is disputable. For instance, "Passenger space ratio (gross tonnage per passenger) is achieved by diving the gross tonnage by the number of passengers (lower birth capacity including solo cabins) (Gross tonnage is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume)". Here are the pertinent numbers from Berlitz:

 

 

Royal 39.6, Regal 39.6, Ruby 36.4, Diamond 42.8, Sapphire 43.3, Golden 41.4, Grand 41.8, Star 41.8, Caribbean 36.2, Pacific 44.1 and Coral 46.4.

 

 

However, Cruise Mapper has a different take on it: "The ship's "space ratio" (by definition) is the enclosed space (measured in ft3/cubic feet) per passenger. A ship of 45,000 GT (gross tonnage) with capacity 1,000 passengers will have a space ratio 45 (or 45ft3=45000/1000). So if your ship has generally smaller cabins but very large public spaces, she will have a higher space ratio, and the higher the space ratio number, the more guests will enjoy a sense of spaciousness on board." http://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

 

For what its worth, we definitely witness much greater public space availability on the Pacific and Coral than when on other vessels in the Princess fleet.

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Just wondering, why do people here on these forums get so easily offended over seemingly trivial issues, or dogmatic positions? "One person's steak is another person's poison." Yes? So why care whether you agree or not with a position that someone has taken? Why escalate a civil discussion here in to an argument? It's bad for your health. Anyway........

 

But, thumbs up for either San Francisco or San Diego. Great cities, pre and post cruise, easy to get to cruise port from the airport, excellent restaurants, easy to get around to see the local sights, and great cruise port locations. Just my opinion.

 

So, just curious, why do you want to see Acapulco? From what I've read, it's a pretty dangerous city in Mexico. Of course, YMMV. Disclaimer: I have not been there myself. ;)

http://www.sfgate.com/mexico/mexicomix/article/Most-dangerous-places-in-Mexico-mdash-and-where-2481047.php

 

Enjoy your cruise, and if God wills, grant you continued good health, to live and not die before your next cruise.

 

 

 

"I cruise to stay healthy, and to eat a slice of apple pie every day before I die."

Mazatlan was once considered unsafe. We were on a HAL sailing where they cancelled that port months before we left. Right now a lot of Mexico is unsafe and the US is advising not visiting. I am hoping by the time royal comes that Acapulco will be cleaned up, plus the love boat series stopped there and always wanted to go there on a cruise. We have lots of places we hope to see but since we were talking about ships out if California i thought of the love boat and Acapulco.

 

San Diego would be fabulous for us...about a 20 min drive!

 

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Although we have enjoyed a number of cruises on both the Royal and Regal, your space ratio contention is disputable. For instance, "Passenger space ratio (gross tonnage per passenger) is achieved by diving the gross tonnage by the number of passengers (lower birth capacity including solo cabins) (Gross tonnage is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume)". Here are the pertinent numbers from Berlitz:

 

 

Royal 39.6, Regal 39.6, Ruby 36.4, Diamond 42.8, Sapphire 43.3, Golden 41.4, Grand 41.8, Star 41.8, Caribbean 36.2, Pacific 44.1 and Coral 46.4.

 

 

However, Cruise Mapper has a different take on it: "The ship's "space ratio" (by definition) is the enclosed space (measured in ft3/cubic feet) per passenger. A ship of 45,000 GT (gross tonnage) with capacity 1,000 passengers will have a space ratio 45 (or 45ft3=45000/1000). So if your ship has generally smaller cabins but very large public spaces, she will have a higher space ratio, and the higher the space ratio number, the more guests will enjoy a sense of spaciousness on board." http://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

 

For what its worth, we definitely witness much greater public space availability on the Pacific and Coral than when on other vessels in the Princess fleet.

 

FWIW, Cruise Mapper is where I got that information...

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I would love to see them homeport a Royal-class out of West Virginia or perhaps Pittsburgh, but I think there may be some logistical hurdles that would prevent this from happening. Until that day comes (keeping my fingers crossed!) I'll have to settle for NYC or Baltimore as a drive-to port, or (not really an option any more) fly to Florida as the next best thing to catch one of the big girls. Not sure I'll ever make it back to a Royal-class. The price point when compared to other ships sailing from NYC is just a bit steep and flying adds too much to the cost of the equation.

 

The small ships hold absolutely ZERO interest with me (and that's me, not you, we're all different) as I'd be bored to death. Not that I need to be constantly entertained, I just want to be on a ship that has plenty of options to choose from, and I want those options to be larger with more options (i.e. an International Cafe bigger than a postage stamp, a Lido Deck buffet with lots of menu options, and a multiple venues and restaurants to choose from to relax, eat, and enjoy myself). I can also feel a "connection to the sea" without having to have a full-length promenade deck to walk just by standing (or sitting) at the rail of any outside deck and staring at the ocean and listening to the sounds and seeing the sights in front of me.

 

As for NCL, and most of you that have been on here for a while know how I feel about Royal Princess, I'd jump on a Breakaway-class in a heartbeat if the price and itinerary were right (i.e. cheapo Studio cabin on a 12-night Caribbean). I even had the Anthem of the Seas booked for September in one of those super sweet Solo Studio Balcony Cabins but cancelled it in favor of a great deal I snagged on the Crown Princess. And reflecting on my last experience on this class of ship I really wasn't all that eager to ever sail these ships again (felt horribly crowded, claustrophobic low ceilings, bad service, buffet design is a nightmare, bad shows, bad everything, etc.) but figured I'd give it another shot (at this point you're asking yourself "why?) since the great itinerary was port intensive and the ship has some new features I want to try (the OBC and free internet helps).

 

If the "news" holds true and on Monday the "Left Coast" gets Royal Princess a hearty CONGRATULATIONS is in order to those who have waited so long for their wish to finally come true!!!

 

I'm on the tail end of seeing seven national Broadway tours just this year (all total it's been 27 symphony concerts and Broadway shows in 19 months) and then it's the big countdown to Crown Princess. I now find myself enjoying the shows more than I do cruising so this may be the last one. Hoping Crown Princess doesn't let me down and sends me off with a smile on my face.

 

I hope you have a great cruise on the Crown. I have sailed her twice and loved it. But, you can't really compare it to the Royal Class. I found them very different with things I loved on each one and nothing that made me feel like I would not want to sail either class again.

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Quote: "As for the Royal potentially moving to the West Coast...Large pax ships leave me feeling rather bleh.

Some of my more memorable cruises have been on ships that were <2500 pax -- More intimate, better service, less queuing from embarkation to disembarking to everything in-between, greater public space-to-passenger ratios, simply better quality overall.

Princess is missing the boat with their strategy of 'keeping up with the Joneses' in the mega-ship arms race in my opinion."

 

 

We are also not interested in the Mega-ships, reason we stopped sailing RCCL. We prefer ships like the Pacific Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess. We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess and Emerald Princess but more for the itinerary than the ship and they were okay. But we are just not interested in the new ships Princess are producing. I would really be disappointed if Princess moved the Coral or Island away from the West Coast.

We have expressed our concerns with Princess when they sold the Ocean Princess and had the Pacific Princess up for sale. I guess we were not the only ones because the Pacific Princess is getting a make over sometime the end of May & beginning of June. We will be on her first cruise from FLL in June 2017, we are excited to see what they have done. Know they have added Club Class, we are in one of the CC mini-suites.

 

It is not a matter of keeping up with the Joneses'. It is flat and simple economics. Large ships are much more efficient, with a lower cost per passenger. Since they are in a competitive business they need to take advantage of cost efficiency where ever possible. It is also the reason why cruise lines with smaller ships have higher fares or have gone out of business.

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It is not a matter of keeping up with the Joneses'. It is flat and simple economics. Large ships are much more efficient, with a lower cost per passenger. Since they are in a competitive business they need to take advantage of cost efficiency where ever possible. It is also the reason why cruise lines with smaller ships have higher fares or have gone out of business.

I also think that's a big factor with smaller ship's & those higher prices are also a result of having higher demand with not enough supply. Another pricing factor is they can go to areas where larger ships cannot go & for some passengers they're willing to pay more for that experience.

 

Reading CC posts smaller ships have a very dedicated following of passengers who much prefer the small ship's experience. Anytime we've considered the Pacific there were premium prices which I'm also seeing for an HAL cruise we're considering on their smaller Prinsendam.

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