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This will be the third time the name Royal Princess has been given to a Princess ship.
Debuting in spring of 2013, the new 141,000-ton, 3,600-passenger Royal Princess is the first of two new-generation ships for Princess which are being built by Fincantieri at their Monfalcone, Italy shipyard. The prototype design is an evolution of the lines classic style of ships, while including some new features and expanded signature spaces.
A new design element revealed today is an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed enclosed walkway on the ships starboard side extending more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel. From here passengers can enjoy dramatic views, including to the sea 128 feet below. On the ships port side, passengers will find a similarly-unique cantilevered SeaView bar, featuring cocktails with unbeatable vistas.
Also on her top decks, Royal Princess will feature a new adults-only pool surrounded by seven plush private cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. Two additional pools will flank a tropical island that will offer pool seating by day, and by night will become an outdoor dance club, complete with a dazzling water and light show. Princess signature adults-only haven, The Sanctuary, will be expanded both in size and amenities. The popular poolside theater, Movies Under the Stars, will play a starring role mid-ship with an expanded size and high-definition viewing.
Princess passengers will easily recognize our next ship as a natural progression in our fleet, said Princess President and CEO Alan Buckelew. Were taking the best features of our newest vessels that have been such customer pleasers, and taking them to the next level. Just as the original Royal Princess ushered in a new era for our company with its innovative design, we expect our new Royal Princess to do the same.
Inside the ship, one of the lines hallmark venues, the Piazza atrium, will be significantly expanded. This area will be the multi-faceted social hub of the vessel, combining always-changing quick bites and light meals, beverages, entertainment, shopping and guest services.
All outside staterooms on Royal Princess will have balconies, which means that 80 percent of the ships staterooms will include this desirable feature.
Royal Princess will include 260,000 square feet of inside public space with multiple dining and entertainment venues, as well as other special features and amenities which will be revealed over the coming months. A video preview of Royal Princess is available at http://www.princess.com/royalprincess.
A sister ship to Royal Princess will be launched in spring 2014.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com.
Really reminds me of the Celebrity Solstice sisters.
Larger Version
1. Poor integration of the movie screen. I would have thought that it was added on to a pre-existing ship the way it's just stuck on there. Certainly they could have blended it more with the upper deck architecture.
2. Overall, she's much sleeker than the Grand-class...but not as elegant looking as the Sun-class.
3. Nothing as innovative as the Solstice-class' lawn club. And nothing groundbreaking like RCI's latest.
4. Does not appear to be a wrap-around promenade. Shame, that was always a strong feature on Princess ships. Few new ships have them anymore.
5. Funnel is an improvement over Grand-glass design. Thankfully no fake "pods" up there. but I still don't like the birdcage look. Wish they had brought back an updated version of the original Royal Princess' funnel.
6. No forward observation lounge. They've put two decks of cabins above the bridge ala NCL Epic. Thankfully better integrated. But still a waste of a prime public space.
ROYAL PRINCESS looks like a ship I want to sail. There is some innovation (the SeaWalk) but traditional Princess aspects as well. I'm just hoping the interior design is updated and the cabins are a decent size.
I agree with some others that ROYAL PRINCESS shares many design traits with the Celebrity Solstice Class. In fact it almost looks like Fincantieri blatantly copied several of them. As the saying goes, 'imitation is the best form of flattery'.
Ernie
quote:Originally posted by joe at travelpage:From Princess Flickr page:Larger Version
I really do like this ship!! I have been looking to take a Princess cruise for awhile now but this ship has been the deciding factor for me and I cant wait to sail on her! I cant wait to see more of her.
Bravo Princess!
Cam J
[ 03-16-2011: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]
From my perspective.
Video loooks positive, ship could be good with apparantly a generous amount of inside deck space.
Problems:1. Lack of sliding roof over pool. For active people like me there is no guarantee the weather will be fine and I have always found that is usefull to have this feature.2. The Sanctuary. A pay to use area like this is strongly fueling my desire to look for another cruise line that has the good old all inclusive areas.
two thumbs up!
On another note - I wonder how the people mid-ships towards the top decks are going to like having the walkway just above them and whether or not while on the walkway you can look down into the balconies.
quote:Originally posted by JohnHJ:...while on the walkway you can look down into the balconies.
Or film up-skirt material from a balcony cabin!
quote:Originally posted by JohnHJ:I wonder if we could get that shot compared to this one to see how close they are.
quote:Originally posted by Thad:
Looks the same other than the silly addition of the MUTS screen in front of the funnel. Really poorly integrated.
quote:Originally posted by LeBarryboat:I think Princess wants to maintain the "understated luxury theme" without being the cruise line bragging about all the bells and whistles or gimmicks.
Because, any way you cut it, SeaWalk (service marked and all), is gimmicky. It might end up being a unique and enjoyable feature of Royal Princess -- like the cantilevered hot tubs on RCI vessels -- but 'understated luxury' it does not scream. At least Princess doesn't appear to seek to monetize it by charging admission (akin to a Grand Canyon Skywalk on a much more diminutive and nautical scale). This is partially remedied by the bar taking up the opposite space on the port side.
On an entirely unrelated note, I wonder if the pools will truly be filled to include the overflow area. It provides nicer aesthetics (especially around the cabanas and palm trees), but what about practicalities of ship movement when Royal Princess isn't docked? I have never seen the water level consistently higher than the main pool basin on other ships in the fleet with similar overflow areas.
It's nice to see Princess really marketing this new build, including keeping their Flickr stream up to date.
quote:Originally posted by Fairsky:Nothing as innovative as the Solstice-class' lawn club. And nothing groundbreaking like RCI's latest.
We have not seen the interiors yet!
I don't think Princess are trying to be cutting-edge in terms of ship design like RCI, I see them as kind of 'middle of the road'.
Still, the tonnage is big enough to have some interesting internal spaces, with hopefully double height rooms.
I wonder how long it Will be before P&O gets one of these vessels?
quote:Originally posted by dmwnc1:[QB]. P.S. What is that plateaued deck space on the aft corners behind the lifeboats?
I think Princess have been deliverately vague with the illustration of this area. Maybe it is an outside dining area flowing directly from the main dining room at the stern of the ship. It could also be a suite area though the lack of privacy given the balconies above make this unlikely.
Brad
quote:Originally posted by GregD:I am very curious as to how they will implement the piazza atrium. It seem as if princess says it'll take a more prominent role in the center of the ship._greg
I have read that as well, with Street-style entertainment (jugglers, stilt-walkers, tango dancers, Cocktail (the Tom Cruise movie) styled drink mixing lessons, even Zumba being held in the Piazza. With the International Cafe and various other snack and fine drink venues around the Piazza it has turned the once quiet Atrium into the center of indoor activity during the day. I understand that the street entertainment only lasts for about 15-20 minutes, but the understated elegance that once was Princess has turned this area into a gimmicky version of the Royal Promenade on Royal Caribbean. That's a bit of a shame as I really enjoyed this quiet area to sit, relax, and people watch. On the Sun-class I always loved having a pizza for lunch at the wonderful restaurant-style Pizzaria at the top level of the Atrium (Dolphin Deck?) and look down at the area below me and enjoy the quiet. Not anymore. I am guessing this area on the rest of the fleet is now a beehive of constant, noisy activity.
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