New to Princess - what is pool deck area like?

[K2G]

Hello everyone,

 

We are booked on a Princess cruise next year on the Regal Princess.  It's our first time on Princess and we are trying to figure out the pool deck area.  I see that there are some free areas and some pay areas and it appears that there are free areas where you pay for a chair - is this correct? 

 

Is it possible to go up top and just find a chair - not poolside without booking anything?  Would there be chairs available to use or are they normally all booked/taken?

 

Thanks

Kelly

[suekel]

It gets pretty full.  Princess like other cruiselines has chair hogs.  If you don't mind going down a deck to the pool, you can usually get a chair up one deck.  They don't take bookings for the regular pools.  

[Cruise Raider]

I believe all, if not most, Princess ships have an area called the Sanctuary, where you have to pay to get in.  The waiter up there will get you drinks, food, towels, etc.  

the other areas, as far as I’ve seen, and we’ve sailed on Princess extensively, are free for the taking.  Depending on itinerary and events at the pool area (maybe an NFL football game on the big screen), you may have trouble finding a couple of lounge chairs together.  There are a couple of decks with lounge chairs, though and people do vacate their chairs at some point in time.  
On some ships, they have a covered pool area, some do not but have an area with a band, movie screen.  And most have an adult pool area as well.  
It really depends on which ship you choose.  I believe the newer ships have cabana areas that you can rent.  
towels are either provided in your stateroom or right at the pool area.  At night, the main pool area becomes seating for a movie and blankets, popcorn is also provided.  

[skynight]

39 minutes ago, K2G said:

Hello everyone,

 

We are booked on a Princess cruise next year on the Regal Princess.  It's our first time on Princess and we are trying to figure out the pool deck area.  I see that there are some free areas and some pay areas and it appears that there are free areas where you pay for a chair - is this correct? 

 

Is it possible to go up top and just find a chair - not poolside without booking anything?  Would there be chairs available to use or are they normally all booked/taken?

 

Thanks

Kelly

Regal Princess. All lounge chairs by the pools are free. The main Lido deck pool has a rectangular  pool and a plunge pool plus two hot tubs. There are lounge chairs all around in what is seen as the light area on the deck plans. Much of the tan boarded area on the deck plans are comfortable sofas and chairs. The area closest to the elevators has tables and chairs for dining. The Retreat Pool on deck 17 is adults only. There are a few cabanas there which require a fee. All other areas are free. The Sanctuary forward of the Retreat Pool is a reserved lounge area, $40/day, $20/half day, $30/day if entire cruise is booked. No pool in the sanctuary. You have to leave that area if you want to dip. The sanctuary is busy on tropical cruises. On deck 17 aft there is a small dipping pool. Very little shade in lounge chairs around any of the pools. There are also lounge chairs on deck 17 above the main lido pool area. There are 2 hot tubs there. This area may have shade from the structure of the ship and the direction of travel.

Edited June 23, 2021 by skynight

[K2G]

On 6/23/2021 at 10:36 AM, skynight said:

Regal Princess. All lounge chairs by the pools are free. The main Lido deck pool has a rectangular  pool and a plunge pool plus two hot tubs. There are lounge chairs all around in what is seen as the light area on the deck plans. Much of the tan boarded area on the deck plans are comfortable sofas and chairs. The area closest to the elevators has tables and chairs for dining. The Retreat Pool on deck 17 is adults only. There are a few cabanas there which require a fee. All other areas are free. The Sanctuary forward of the Retreat Pool is a reserved lounge area, $40/day, $20/half day, $30/day if entire cruise is booked. No pool in the sanctuary. You have to leave that area if you want to dip. The sanctuary is busy on tropical cruises. On deck 17 aft there is a small dipping pool. Very little shade in lounge chairs around any of the pools. There are also lounge chairs on deck 17 above the main lido pool area. There are 2 hot tubs there. This area may have shade from the structure of the ship and the direction of travel.

Thank you - I appreciate the information!

[AZjohn]

Those damn chair hogs seem to always run loose on every cruise 🙂

Edited June 25, 2021 by AZjohn

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, the main open pools midship, can get very busy.

If that is important to you, then yes, get there early....

Also, if you notice stuff on unoccupied chairs like an hour later, it might be worth it to try to have somebody on staff to move their stuff.   

We love the Sanctuary, but if do not have any priority early boarding, then it might be hard to get loungers in the Sanctuary, as they do fill up quickly on warm weather cruises.

The nice cabana's at the adult retreat pool are also a good option, and I am thinking that they might not become booked as fast.   (I wonder if anyone has had any luck in renting the two loungers in a retreat cabana, and also having access to at least go spend time in the open areas in the Sanctuary???  I do not know policy.)

 

The main mid-ship open pool area also has the huge MUTS screen.  It will be going, with all the sound/audio, all the time.  Different videos, concerts, movies, etc....    They will play recent movies releases at night, which they call Movies Under The Stars. (MUTS)

 

And, on the Regal there is the small AFT pool.  Which the Royal does not have.

This is out behind the Buffett.  There are some table and seating outside of the Buffet.  Out at the pool there are loungers.

 

Of course, all pool areas have a bar right there.

 

You can think about pulling up cruise/tour videos on YouTube.

 

Happy Planning!

[Esprit]

We also sit up on the deck above the pool deck as I like to look out to sea and feel the breeze.

 

Loungers are easier to find too. Usually when people vacate them they take their belongings too.

 

I find getting a drink from a walking waiter takes less time than those sitting down in the pit, as I call it.

[Lucky TGO]

10 hours ago, AZjohn said:

Those damn chair hogs seem to always run loose on every cruise 🙂

Chair Hogs on a Princess cruise ship?? I don’t believe it. Say it ain’t so 😁

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by Lucky TGO

[EDDY0827]

You found my DMIL!

Thanks Capt. Tony!

[Mike45LC]

9 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

The main mid-ship open pool area also has the huge MUTS screen.  It will be going, with all the sound/audio, all the time.  Different videos, concerts, movies, etc....    They will play recent movies releases at night, which they call Movies Under The Stars. (MUTS)

 

I hate this "MUTS" program, which blares loud noise in the pool area day and night.  When it was limited to nights, it was not a problem for me, because I could lounge by the pool and enjoy the pool during the day.  But now, the noise blares all hours.  And the distortion level of the speakers is such that I cannot understand the dialogue even if I were interested in watching whatever it is that is playing.

 

Sometimes, they will give the MUTS a break and have one of the house bands play --I do enjoy steel drum music at the pool while sailing in the Caribbean or Mexico.  

 

Given my preference for a quiet place, I will find a lounge chair a deck (or two) above the pool, usually without a problem.  I do not go out early to grab a lounge chair -- some people will grab chairs as soon as they wake up, reserve them with a towel and a book or two, and then go in for a leisurely breakfast.  Reserving chairs in this fashion is forbidden, but the deck boys are NOT going to risk upsetting passengers by enforcing this rule!  In the days before MUTS, I would remove the towels from long-vacant chairs, freeing them up, but nowadays, I just go find empty chairs in the peaceful upper decks.

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

It all depends on the ship. Some of the ships have three or four different pools. I've never had a hard time finding a lounge chair, but I seldom use the main pool area. On the Grand Princess, for example, I use the Terrace Pool on the stern and it seems a lot less crowded. On the Coral Princess I use the Sun Deck, one deck up from the pool, and never have a hard time getting a lounger.