Princess Ship Design

[Grego]

There's always going to be something that folks find to complain about. Yes, the Promenade Deck doesn't go all the way around, not even as far as the Grand Class ships, but there might be a reason for it other than trying to herd folks inside. One possible reason is that as a safety solution, they moved the survival crafts and davits closer to the quicker access points and that being deck 7. Sure that might seem like a weak excuse, but it might have been one of the significant design considerations.

 

Regardless, the Royal Class ships are really lovely and it might be hard for even the most critical to find fault with the design layout of the Horizon Court/Bistro area and the addition of Alfredo's overlooking the great Piazza area. We have been on 7 voyages on both the Royal and Regal, always in a balcony cabin and don't have a big issue with the smaller area there.

[PrincessLuver]

There's always going to be something that folks find to complain about. Yes, the Promenade Deck doesn't go all the way around, not even as far as the Grand Class ships, but there might be a reason for it other than trying to herd folks inside. One possible reason is that as a safety solution, they moved the survival crafts and davits closer to the quicker access points and that being deck 7. Sure that might seem like a weak excuse, but it might have been one of the significant design considerations.

 

Regardless, the Royal Class ships are really lovely and it might be hard for even the most critical to find fault with the design layout of the Horizon Court/Bistro area and the addition of Alfredo's overlooking the great Piazza area. We have been on 7 voyages on both the Royal and Regal, always in a balcony cabin and don't have a big issue with the smaller area there.

 

We agree.....we have been on the Royal, Regal and Majestic and find them much better in design for passengers then the Grand Class ships and the Royal Class design is our favorite so far......there is no comparison.....I think it is just more old Princess people complaining because they do not like change....feel more connected to sea on Royal class ships then other Princess ships.....:)

[dickinson]

We love the Royal

 

We do too. We miss the promenade but the Royal class has other things we like better.

[luckyinpa]

Some new ships are designed with more of a connection to the sea. MSC Seaside is one example with outside decks and venues. I think some of the newer NCL ships follow the same design concept.

Princess's newest ships (Royal, Regal) have done away with the wraparound promenade deck and are focused on the interior atrium. (I love the Princess Grand class ships.)

 

Has Princess lost the ball on design?

 

 

its all about perspective. my 1st cruise was on NCL breakaway in october (bermuda) and perfect weather and loved being outside in the nice temps. NCL has pretty good outdoor areas

 

2nd trip was in december on the same ship with 2 kids. excluding kids clubs, which they do not do, there was virtually nothing to do inside the ship on the cold rainy days. so now i carefully review ships/weather in choosing one and depending who my companions are. i felt closed in on the bad weather days with nowhere to go.

 

3rd trip i planned to do anthem of the seas because of its winter indoor facilities .i had to cancel that trip but it was replaced by princess regal in october. after looking at the video it appears they have pretty decent indoor spaces to hide on rainy days. the NCL breakaway atrium is a joke and really should be rated for perhaps 50 people. not so on regal. looks soooo much better and i look forward to bad weather days inside the regal.

[Bimmer09]

Be sure to get a video, with sound, of the Love Boat tune playing on the horns when leaving ports. :D

 

Looking forward to a review.

 

Edit: BTW, we really liked the Regal. Different features than other ships, some better, some not. Overall, a plus in our book.

 

ar, I will certainly make an effort to get the horn sounds on video-maybe not as we leave New York as I'll be on our aft balcony and probably out of earshot but I imagine it will be played leaving some of the ports and I'll make a point of being up on deck near the funnel. I'll also try to get the dancing fountains if they are not canceled due to wind. They are one of the features that make me scratch my head. But at least they are not waterparks or rope courses soiling the upper decks. Regal looks very ship-like and has a nice profile.

We chose the itinerary first as we don't cruise as often as we would like to. We needed something between our January 2017 cruise on the Celebrity Reflection and January 2018 on the Crown Princess. The caveat was that we didn't want to fly to Europe this year. New ports with maybe a chance to see some fall foliage and some places that otherwise we wouldn't visit on a land trip. I am not forgetting lobster....

Carol has scant knowledge of the Royal class and I'll let her see it for itself as she makes her own opinions and has different needs when it comes to ship architecture/usage of space. I won't have to be dragged on board screaming (the screaming happens on disembarkation) as waiting on board is good food, service and entertainment and a big new photo opportunity. I have a new camera and lenses.

I don't spend much time inside the ship unless it is raining which may well be the case in October. I'll dress for Alaska and be happy if the weather cooperates.

45 days to go.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

And that is without having a full walk-around Promenade deck and with having most balconies about the same size as most balconies on the Royal class.

 

There are a couple of things I like about the non-wraparound promenade deck on the small R ships; they are very wide and have room for teak loungers and most importantly, like the Grand class and Celebritiy S Class, are covered . On the Royal class I will either get fried in the sun or soaked if it rains as there is no cover. That is a bonehead design for me.

Norris

[Sea Hag]

I have to disagree with you there. (OK, I guess I can't really disagree about the best you have personally seen but...)

 

The Sun class ships are much better than the Grand class when it comes to the Promenade. There is no "bump up" at the bow and the Promenade is wide enough to have full loungers and still have lots of room for walkers. Our first cruise was on Sea Princess and we were surprised when we found that not all ships had that wonderful Promenade.

 

The bump up is what I like the best! That open air view from the bump up part is wonderful. :)

[luckyinpa]

Princes isn't alone i this style. Ry Caribbean's Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class are also more interior oriented. Another thing I fault Princess with, even though it's through carnival, is that they are the only cruise line still using sower curtains instead of a closure on their new ships. They have to be kidding.

 

i second the kidding. having never been on princess, when i looked at videos of the cabins i was shocked to see a curtain. even the lowly balconies on the other ship i was on had a nice enclosure.

 

hopefully they are changed and properly cleaned as i'm sure they are 1 dollar each or less

[petefoss]

On the Star going into College Fjord the view was phenomenal on the promenade deck. Nothing in front of you at all!

 

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[Mom33]

There are a couple of things I like about the non-wraparound promenade deck on the small R ships; they are very wide and have room for teak loungers and most importantly, like the Grand class and Celebritiy S Class, are covered . On the Royal class I will either get fried in the sun or soaked if it rains as there is no cover. That is a bonehead design for me.

Norris

 

Have no fear as both Starboard and Port Promenades have the padded loungers and while the sunny side of the ship has no shade, the shady side of the ship has no sun.;) :D.

[Bimmer09]

Have no fear as both Starboard and Port Promenades have the padded loungers and while the sunny side of the ship has no shade, the shady side of the ship has no sun.;) :D.

 

The furniture looks comfy, moreso than a teak lounger, I'll give you that. However wet furniture isn't comfortable at all.

An awning at the least would have been nice, whether permanent or retractable.

Another thing I liked about the Celebrity S class ships-my favorite design to date (with Diamond Princess in 2nd place) is the electronic automatic glass doors onto the promenade deck so you don't have to fight the wind and the heavy wooden door.

Norris

[Nebr.cruiser]

We sailed the Regal last year and we did miss the wrap around promenade--we like to walk it almost every day. I don't care that much about the inside venues; we like to be able to 'see the sea'.

 

Princess is not the only line that is moving to this--I'm sure it is all about revenue. Keep those people inside and spending money!

 

We enjoyed a lot about the Regal, but there were some definitie negatives as well.

[mkazmer]

We have sailed the Royal class on the Regal 3 times after sailing multiple times on the Grand class ships - they both have things to offer that we like - but they all have the Piazza with the International Café which we love and we love the proximity to the dining rooms on these ships from there. On the Grand class ships I love to walk the Promenade deck and climbing the steps forward just adds to the walk. We like the location of the spa and gym on the Grand class ships and the wave pool there as well as the adult aft pool. The Royal class ships have neither of these features.

 

All that said, after cruising many times on many lines, we stick to Princess and the Millenium class Celebrity ships - my husband has mobility issues and these "live" well for us so that we can continue to cruise multiple times a year.

[UpcountryTravelers]

We sailed the Regal last year and we did miss the wrap around promenade--we like to walk it almost every day. I don't care that much about the inside venues; we like to be able to 'see the sea'.

 

Princess is not the only line that is moving to this--I'm sure it is all about revenue. Keep those people inside and spending money!

 

We enjoyed a lot about the Regal, but there were some definite negatives as well.

 

After 3 Royal Class cruises, agree completely.

[sloopsailor]

There's always going to be something that folks find to complain about. Yes, the Promenade Deck doesn't go all the way around, not even as far as the Grand Class ships, but there might be a reason for it other than trying to herd folks inside. One possible reason is that as a safety solution, they moved the survival crafts and davits closer to the quicker access points and that being deck 7. Sure that might seem like a weak excuse, but it might have been one of the significant design considerations.

 

I doubt that safety is the reason. Otherwise, why would several of the newest ship designs now feature long, open boardwalks and sun lounge/pool areas lower on the ship than has typically been done in the last decade or so. Both MSC Seaside/Seaview and NCL Leonardo Project designs bring people much closer to the water than almost any large ship before them. I certainly hope it is a trend that will catch on. But unfortunately, some cruise lines, Celebrity with their new Edge class for instance, are building new ships that appear claustrophobic to me, with almost unbroken walls of staterooms from water level to the top deck, with virtually zero opportunities to be closer to the water.

 

I love being on the ocean, and have owned ocean sailing sailboats in my younger years. I want to know the ocean is there, with open vistas everywhere on the ship. That is one of the main reasons I take cruises instead of land vacations. Some people are using the ship more for transportation from port to port, and that openness to the ocean isn't that important to them. I hope in the end the cruise lines try to satisfy both types of cruisers, and not loose a focus on the ocean in favor of forcing people to spend more time inside to make as much revenue from a captive audience as possible.

Edited August 31, 2017 by sloopsailor

[RocketMan275]

Just put some realistically sized balconies on the ship. Not like those on Royal/Regal designed for midgets.

[Daisyloo]

We're going on the Royal in 2019, I'll miss the Promenade.:')

 

There still is a promenade. It just doesn't go all the way around. There are sitting areas on the promenade - midship on either side and also aft on both sides. And we loved sitting on the Lido deck at the very back.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Daisyloo

[Daisyloo]

But not much shade and not much space (maybe 10-20 chairs) on the Royal class ships.

 

Depending on the time of day and the ships direction, we always found shade on one side. And for some reason not many people seemed to use these spaces, so we usually had no trouble getting a seat.

[caribill]

There still is a promenade. It just doesn't go all the way around. There are sitting areas on the promenade - midship on either side and also aft on both sides.

 

It doesn't even go halfway down the side of the ship. Just two non-connected areas.

 

Depending on the time of day and the ships direction, we always found shade on one side. And for some reason not many people seemed to use these spaces, so we usually had no trouble getting a seat.

 

The problem with it not being covered like it is on the Grand Class ships is that you cannot use it in the rain on the Royal Class.

[Ship Drongo]

For us, the Sun class ships are the ideal size. The promenade deck is old world and great for walkers. Unfortunately, economics dictates design and I can't see Princess building ships the size of the Sun class again:(

[Steelers36]

Just put some realistically sized balconies on the ship. Not like those on Royal/Regal designed for midgets.

 

Agree with sentiment, but "little people" would be better. :cool:

[smm0218]

Am I understanding correctly that you are unable to walk completely around the ship, on the Royal Princess, without going inside to get to the other side? No walking/jogging track and no way to just walk around? I'm looking at a UK cruise next year (next year it appears it is Royal Princess instead of Caribbean Princess) and that is a big negative. I spent a lot of time outside in Alaska.

[john watson]

Am I understanding correctly that you are unable to walk completely around the ship, on the Royal Princess, without going inside to get to the other side? No walking/jogging track and no way to just walk around? I'm looking at a UK cruise next year (next year it appears it is Royal Princess instead of Caribbean Princess) and that is a big negative. I spent a lot of time outside in Alaska.

 

What about Pacific Princess?

 

Regards John

[Sea Hag]

Am I understanding correctly that you are unable to walk completely around the ship, on the Royal Princess, without going inside to get to the other side? No walking/jogging track and no way to just walk around? I'm looking at a UK cruise next year (next year it appears it is Royal Princess instead of Caribbean Princess) and that is a big negative. I spent a lot of time outside in Alaska.

There's a jogging track on the sports deck that goes all the way around.

[Sea Hag]

What about Pacific Princess?

 

Regards John

There's a short (at least it looks short) jogging track on deck 10.