Regal Princess Obstructed View

[mskaufman]

Am looking to book Regal Princess. Is an obstructed view balcony something with no view or is it partially blocked?

[hobbyfarmer2]

Some are barely obstructed at all, others more obstructed.  There is a site with pictures that show the level of obstruction.  I think the URL is cruisedeckplans.com  .

Edited February 7, 2023 by hobbyfarmer2
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[reedprincess]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

Am looking to book Regal Princess. Is an obstructed view balcony something with no view or is it partially blocked?

It ranges from not blocked at all except by Promenade deck/lifeboat below to partially obstructed but still plenty of view. A few have a metal instead of glass railing and thus you need to be standing to see the views. 

Cruise Deck Plans website has tons of photos of the Royal obstructed views... 

Edited February 7, 2023 by reedprincess

[kguerriero]

We booked cabin #E108 on Regal- an obstructed deluxe balcony, for our first cruise when we sailed back in 2019 and loved it! It was right at the front of the ship, and if you can live with hearing the anchor in the morning (it was a great alarm clock for us), I recommend it and the nearby rooms. The value is awesome.

 

Pros:
-Massive deep balcony. Plenty of room for a group of 4 or 5.

-Nice sightlines. The balcony is built into the hull of the ship, so the bottom is steel instead of glass, but you get a full view if you don't mind coming up to the edge. No lifeboats in the way.

-Quiet. Because we were so far forward, we didn't have any neighbors on either side. Didn't ever hear the crew coming or going from the service door either. 

 

Cons:

-Somewhat of a long walk. Not bad if you're burning off the buffet but it's a slog if you forgot your sunglasses.

-Aforementioned anchor. After the initial panic in bed the first morning, we looked forward to hearing it as a sign to start our day!

-Without the glass balcony, you lose some of the water view from inside, but we got our fill being out there and didn't miss it.

-Can get windy at times. You're pretty sheltered if you stay close to the door, but moving further towards the rail can get a little blustery.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

if you do a search of this board with words Regal Balcony Obstructed, you will find a ton of threads with links and pictures.

 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/ov.php?ship=Regal-Princess&cabins=E401-E445

[nattie]

We LOVE obstructed view balconies on the Royal Class ships! Currently we have E432 and E428 booked for our April cruise.

You have to be strategic in picking the cabins out though. The best ones are mid ship on Emerald (some are extended size). They overlook the relaxation deck below and have no life boats blocking the view. If you cant score one of these, look or the one in between the life boats. I second a vote for cruisedeckplans, it is a great resource! 

[Tedferg]

cruisedeckplans also has a feature that allows you to see what is below your cabin. For example, Starboard E407 has Facets below, Duty Free shop. Similar cabin on Port side is above Crooners.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Tedferg

[mskaufman]

9 hours ago, nattie said:

We LOVE obstructed view balconies on the Royal Class ships! Currently we have E432 and E428 booked for our April cruise.

You have to be strategic in picking the cabins out though. The best ones are mid ship on Emerald (some are extended size). They overlook the relaxation deck below and have no life boats blocking the view. If you cant score one of these, look or the one in between the life boats. I second a vote for cruisedeckplans, it is a great resource! 

So, I'm getting a message that I should keep away from an obstructed view guarantee, but if I can pick out the room, I should be fine.

 

[nattie]

15 hours ago, mskaufman said:

So, I'm getting a message that I should keep away from an obstructed view guarantee, but if I can pick out the room, I should be fine.

 

Thats what I would do. I would not generally book a guarantee anyways, but it is particularly important for that room type.

[TN-Mountains]

17 hours ago, mskaufman said:

So, I'm getting a message that I should keep away from an obstructed view guarantee, but if I can pick out the room, I should be fine.

 

As a rule I agree with this, but I'll offer a word of caution on picking the obstructed views...I booked an obstructed balcony similar to what @kguerrierodescribed above.  It had an extra large balcony and the only obstruction was a metal railing instead of a glass railing.  I read lots of reviews, watched youtube videos and decided this was the perfect compromise for me....extra large balcony, great views albeit while standing up, and save lots of $ to put towards shore excursions.  Well a month or so after booking it, Princess decided to designate that room as part of their isolation area and moved me to a different obstructed balcony.    While this was an unacceptable cabin in my eyes, it was the same category room that I reserved so it wasn't a downgrade.  There was one cabin left that had similar obstructions to my original reservation, but I chose to upgrade to an unobstructed balcony.  My upcoming cruise has scenic fjords cruising so being able to see the views and take pictures (unobstructed) form my balcony is a priority.  I didn't want to risk another cabin change into a different, unacceptable-to-me obstructed view.  If I were on a different itinerary, I might have chose to gamble with the obstructed view.  

[TBud]

We have cruised on Royal Caribbean before where even though we did not have adjoining rooms, we were able to open the balcony connector and create an extra large balcony. Does anybody know if E424 and E428 will be able to have the door opened between them? Since they share that angled balcony? TIA!