Chefwoody Posted January 7, 2019 #1 Share Posted January 7, 2019 My wife and I love the aft suites when we cruise. However, after sailing on Royal Princess last month I'm probably never going to again - at least on the Royal class Princess ships. There had been posts complaining of soot on the entire aft section for years... I just never really paid them much mind. The suite itself was beautiful and large (D727). The deck was huge and at least on Dolphin deck had a bit of overhang above to provide some sun shelter mid day. The furnishings were very worn, but she was due for a refurb the following week so I knew it was being addressed. But to be honest, the black oily stains on the carpet and couch will only come back... just like the soot apparently. My issue is this: I saw Enchanted Princess is due out in 2020, and another Royal class ship will follow in 2022. Will Princess ever fix the soot issue?!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 7, 2019 #2 Share Posted January 7, 2019 9 minutes ago, Chefwoody said: My wife and I love the aft suites when we cruise. However, after sailing on Royal Princess last month I'm probably never going to again - at least on the Royal class Princess ships. There had been posts complaining of soot on the entire aft section for years... I just never really paid them much mind. The suite itself was beautiful and large (D727). The deck was huge and at least on Dolphin deck had a bit of overhang above to provide some sun shelter mid day. The furnishings were very worn, but she was due for a refurb the following week so I knew it was being addressed. But to be honest, the black oily stains on the carpet and couch will only come back... just like the soot apparently. My issue is this: I saw Enchanted Princess is due out in 2020, and another Royal class ship will follow in 2022. Will Princess ever fix the soot issue?!. This has been an issue with the Royal/Regal since their inaugural, and still is. I agree, our carpets at the sliders were stained really bad on both ships. I feel bad for Stewart. It just adds a huge burden to his responsibilities. Have not heard anything about the same issue on the Majestic yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare azbirdmom Posted January 7, 2019 #3 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Were you on the Royal in November? Guessing that is the case since the drydock happened the first week in December and we were on the ship immediately after that. We heard from senior staff that they lowered the stacks and did something with the scrubbers (sorry I don't remember the exact terminology used) in preparation for the Alaska cruising season to comply with the stronger environmental rules there. I had wondered if that would solve the soot problem which we also experienced in a big way when cruising in an aft suite on Aloha deck a couple years ago. I hope the changes eliminate that problem as those suites are terrific in every other way. Time will tell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted January 7, 2019 #4 Share Posted January 7, 2019 OP - I am so sorry to hear that everything we experienced ( http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/s....php?t=1956349) in D727 in December 2013 is still a problem in 2018! Since that cruise we have sailed 3 cruises (over 50 days) on the Royal and enjoyed it but we now only chose a mini-suite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortkork Posted January 9, 2019 #5 Share Posted January 9, 2019 We disembarked from the Royal princes on 01/05/19 and were in E731. We had maybe one or two mornings with a few flakes on the table but it was zero issue for us eastbound or westbound. I may be more problematic on the higher decks or maybe cigarette smoke from deck 17, JK. We made the mistake of stepping onto that terrace one time and never went back. We spent a lot of time morning and night on our balcony in white robes and khakis and would choose that cabin again over those above us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hllwdcruiser Posted January 9, 2019 #6 Share Posted January 9, 2019 2 hours ago, mortkork said: We disembarked from the Royal princes on 01/05/19 and were in E731. We had maybe one or two mornings with a few flakes on the table but it was zero issue for us eastbound or westbound. I may be more problematic on the higher decks or maybe cigarette smoke from deck 17, JK. We made the mistake of stepping onto that terrace one time and never went back. We spent a lot of time morning and night on our balcony in white robes and khakis and would choose that cabin again over those above us. Thank you for posting this. I can't imagine that there would be that much difference between D and E decks. We are in D730 on the Regal in February and this thread was beginning to make me nervous. I've read mixed reviews on the soot problem, I'm really hoping it is not a huge issue on our sailing. A few flakes won't bother me but greasy, oily stains definitely will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 9, 2019 #7 Share Posted January 9, 2019 1 hour ago, hllwdcruiser said: Thank you for posting this. I can't imagine that there would be that much difference between D and E decks. We are in D730 on the Regal in February and this thread was beginning to make me nervous. I've read mixed reviews on the soot problem, I'm really hoping it is not a huge issue on our sailing. A few flakes won't bother me but greasy, oily stains definitely will! The aft corner suite balconies especially are only partially covered because the aft is tiered. They get the brunt of the soot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseclan Posted January 9, 2019 #8 Share Posted January 9, 2019 We were on the Regal On a Baltic cruise in the aft suite on dolphin deck. We never had any issues with soot at all. We were concerned when we read about the soot but nothing ever on the balcony at all. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiserkenn Posted January 9, 2019 #9 Share Posted January 9, 2019 10 hours ago, cheeseclan said: We were on the Regal On a Baltic cruise in the aft suite on dolphin deck. We never had any issues with soot at all. We were concerned when we read about the soot but nothing ever on the balcony at all. Great news, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_galt Posted January 9, 2019 #10 Share Posted January 9, 2019 I'll be in D727 (aft PH) on the Sky in December. I've read good and bad about the soot issue on Royal/Regal and hope they took this into consideration when designing the Sky. I knew what I was getting into but I love this location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 9, 2019 #11 Share Posted January 9, 2019 19 minutes ago, john_galt said: I'll be in D727 (aft PH) on the Sky in December. I've read good and bad about the soot issue on Royal/Regal and hope they took this into consideration when designing the Sky. I knew what I was getting into but I love this location. It does not happen all the time but seems to be more than not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted January 9, 2019 #12 Share Posted January 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said: It does not happen all the time but seems to be more than not. Nearly all ships have soot issues on aft balconies to some extent. This is caused by the nightly cleaning of the diesel engine turbochargers and the boilers. The diesels use ground walnut shells to "sand blast" the soot off the turbocharger blades, and the boilers are cleaned with steam (hence the moist nature of the soot flakes). If possible, the engine and bridge crews will co-ordinate to have the wind blowing on one side of the ship, rather than directly on the bow or stern, to direct the soot over the side as quickly as possible. Some times, the operational constraints or weather conditions don't allow for a turn to one side or the other to move the wind, and the soot just has to go aft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 9, 2019 #13 Share Posted January 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said: Nearly all ships have soot issues on aft balconies to some extent. This is caused by the nightly cleaning of the diesel engine turbochargers and the boilers. The diesels use ground walnut shells to "sand blast" the soot off the turbocharger blades, and the boilers are cleaned with steam (hence the moist nature of the soot flakes). If possible, the engine and bridge crews will co-ordinate to have the wind blowing on one side of the ship, rather than directly on the bow or stern, to direct the soot over the side as quickly as possible. Some times, the operational constraints or weather conditions don't allow for a turn to one side or the other to move the wind, and the soot just has to go aft. It seems to be an inherent design glitch with the Royal/Regal. IMO.......these instances are beyond "the usual" that are seen on other Princess ships and have been going on since the ships were launched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted January 9, 2019 #14 Share Posted January 9, 2019 I would think that the shortening of the Royal's stack so it can clear the bridge in Vancouver could only make the soot problem worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellon1 Posted January 9, 2019 #15 Share Posted January 9, 2019 3 hours ago, chengkp75 said: Nearly all ships have soot issues on aft balconies to some extent. This is caused by the nightly cleaning of the diesel engine turbochargers and the boilers. The diesels use ground walnut shells to "sand blast" the soot off the turbocharger blades, and the boilers are cleaned with steam (hence the moist nature of the soot flakes). If possible, the engine and bridge crews will co-ordinate to have the wind blowing on one side of the ship, rather than directly on the bow or stern, to direct the soot over the side as quickly as possible. Some times, the operational constraints or weather conditions don't allow for a turn to one side or the other to move the wind, and the soot just has to go aft. Never had a problem with aft Grand ships...EVER... Just what we experience in Caribbean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted January 9, 2019 #16 Share Posted January 9, 2019 1 hour ago, mellon1 said: Never had a problem with aft Grand ships...EVER... Just what we experience in Caribbean Nor have we and that includes aft suites on the Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby Princesses on Caribbean and California Coastal cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted January 10, 2019 #17 Share Posted January 10, 2019 The Royal class ships have an extra deck and the shape of the stern is different from other Princess ships. Those factors may cause an eddy in the air flow over the stern which is different than other ships and caused more soot to land on the aft balconies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hllwdcruiser Posted January 10, 2019 #18 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 22 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said: The aft corner suite balconies especially are only partially covered because the aft is tiered. They get the brunt of the soot. Thanks! Weren't you in an aft corner suite on your last sailing on the Regal? Do you think those suite balconies are more prone to the soot or were you referring to all aft balconies? Edited January 10, 2019 by hllwdcruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 10, 2019 #19 Share Posted January 10, 2019 4 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said: Thanks! Weren't you in an aft corner suite on your last sailing on the Regal? Do you think those suite balconies are more prone to the soot or were you referring to all aft balconies? Yes have been in D-726 aft corner suite on both the Regal and the Royal a couple of times. The balcony is huge and not completely covered. I do think the corner suites get the brunt of the soot issues because they are exposed more than the direct aft facing balconies that are in the middle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefwoody Posted January 10, 2019 Author #20 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Great to hear some ideas on the soot issue. Never knew about walnut shells and engine cleaning. However I must add a couple of follow up thoughts related to the Royal class ships. 1. Having sailed many aft suites on multiple cruise lines, I can honestly say I've never had a speck of soot on any of them. 2. The only partial cover available on any of the aft suites is on Dolphin & Baja decks. In my experience it was just enough during most times of the day.. but just barely. Crown's aft suites are nicely appointed in this regard. 3. You're paying premium prices to have a suite class cabin. The deck on the corner suites are in a word amazing!. But the poor stewards that have to clean up the soot both inside and out week after week... we could tell he dreaded checking up on us. In fact, it was perhaps the worst cabin service we've had yet for the most understandable reasons. 4. Should readers of this thread "roll the dice" and book an aft suite on a Royal class ship - I love my privacy and aft facing views. But I don't enjoy smelling diesel and wiping it off my clothes and belongings. It became a big distraction and that's not what a vacation is for. The ship itself is wonderful and full of things to do. I would recommend booking anything but the aft suite and absolutely book your sea days up at the Sanctuary. That was an amazing place to relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiserkenn Posted January 10, 2019 #21 Share Posted January 10, 2019 18 hours ago, capriccio said: Nor have we and that includes aft suites on the Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby Princesses on Caribbean and California Coastal cruises. I agree! Great aft facing suites on Star, Grand, Ruby, Emerald, Golden. No soot! This is one more reason that I stick with the Grand Class ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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