JG&Lcruisingnewbies

Hi, thanks so much for doing the live from. We are on Enchanted on the August Repositioning cruise, Caribbean to NYC, and are loving seeing what you are up to and how you find the ship. We are a family of 3 from the UK and have never cruised outside Europe before! This will be our second cruise with Princess. 1st was on Sky from Southampton. I hear Enchanted is almost identical to Sky which suits us as Sky Princess was fabulous Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you! That would be great if you get a chance. No worries if not though. Enjoy your cruise 😃

i hope you have a fabulous time too 😊 if only we could add the Canada & New England to ours too! maybe one day, when the 11yr old daughter is grown & independent! I’ll look after Enchanted for you and try and post here my thoughts. ive been on Sky and I loved her so I’m confident I’ll like her sister ship.

Recently? Or does that not matter? I’ll ask and see what happens

So it’s probably a no for the Enchanted then. Ah well. I’ll get myself a decent thermos!

Which sailing? We are on a 2 week from the 10th August. We are looking forward to it too. First time sailing from outside Europe and 1st Caribbean cruise ever. Exciting!

I like the flexibility it seems like it will provide. I’d still prefer to reserve our times but if we can’t we can try for a walk in. Or if we forget to reserve or change our mind we can adjust accordingly and I’m happy for those who prefer traditional dining too. I know getting rid of it has been really unpopular. So, as long as they implement this well and the tech works, it could make things less stressful & more flexible

I hope to get a kettle too. On Enchanted Princess in the Caribbean. Not the end of the world if I can’t, but I’ll be sure to ask just incase. We had one on Sky but that was sailing from the UK.

Following! Due to go on the Enchanted in August to the Caribbean i hope you have a fabulous cruise 😃

It looks like she arrives in Civitavecchia 20th October 24 and doesn’t leave until 10th November for a trans Atlantic. So safe to assume that’s when the dry dock is.

Hi, Our first Princess cruise on Sky was Southampton to Norway. Compared to P&O (we are on Arvia right now!) the Sky Princess was notably more relaxed with formal wear (a good thing in our opinion). People wore smart clothes, I saw ladies in long dresses and men in ties, but you won’t see so many black ties or penguin suits or ball gowns. Hubby took a suit jacket and tie on Princess but honestly could have dumped the tie & not been out of place. Dumping the Tie on a P&O would be out of place! We decided basic rule for us for Princess now- be smart but comfortable

We completely agree! We tend to go with being more careful at home before a cruise so that we can get the plus package and not have to worry about totting things up through the Cruise. We don’t drink alcohol but still feel Plus is worth it for the amount we drink. I will try juices, Mocktails, pretty much any non alcoholic drink including the more expensive, but I can. And if I don’t like it I’m not stressing about wasting money either The grats are sorted, which we always pay, internet sorted which we always get for all 3 of us anyway, we use ocean now too. And room delivery so if I don’t want to go out of my cabin I don’t feel like I have to go out to get food to save £ somtimes I get overwhelmed due to my Sensory processing and associated anxiety issues. Which is another reason to pay for plus and not need to think about £ all the time. I’ll save that thinking for the shops! Princess were amazing on our 1st and so far only cruise on Sky to Norway. We had premier package only because it was on offer with our TA and same price as the plus & it was so relaxing to not think about should I, shouldn’t I i appreciate we are lucky to be able to have this attitude though and also get that some prefer to ‘do the maths’. Your own reasons are very valid whatever you decide you need

Packing list: magnetic hooks over the door shoe storage, packing cubes, pop up laundry basket weights for shower curtains to stop me wearing the curtain as a dress when it sticks to me in the shower duct tape WD40 handheld welder 😏 im cruising & I’m ready for ANYTHING 😆

I doubt yours will be as packed as these ones with lots of kids in the med that said this morning is a port day. We didn’t get off the ship today and the pools were lovely and quiet even though the ship is packed, you’ll be able to get a sunbed even with 6000 passengers if you are ok with not being right by the pool. By the pool- very hard to get one. Might be better for you though. I have a post on the go about coping with 6000 passengers on Arivia but it’s got other info you might find helpful from others who have replied to that.

I had the Sirloin and it was lovely. Asked for Medium rare and it was perfect. The Keel and cow is extra cost but good value imo. Service is a step up from the Main dining room (which is still decent) and it was quiet when we went at 6pm. we are trying The Beach house tonight. I’ll let you know if that’s worth it too! It was great on the Ventura. You will find singers all over the ship. The Clubhouse and The 710 Club are very popular and on this ship you need to book spaces in the 710 and they fill up quick. But you will be on a quieter ship. we have had a singer and a ventriloquist in the theatre too. I like the Broadway type shows so have seen 2 of those but not the other shows. Sounds like they were very popular though. no acrobatics here (so far!) which is a shame because I saw some great shows in the Iona Skydome. That one is a little different though. The roof on Iona doesn’t retract so they use the whole centre of the dome for shows with a stage over the pool. it’s really nice to have the retractable roof on Ariva in the Med though! Here are some pics of the horizon paper. you’ll get these in the early evening with all the activities for the next day. Yesterday’s one pictures was a sea day. excuse the creases. They tend to travel with me so I can read them in a lounge or while waiting for a show to start. hopfully you can zoom in ok to read. Obviously you won’t have as many family activities but hopfully it’s a decent example of what you can expect todays one is a port day!

Washing onboard I put my clothes in the machine port day morning free to use- just remember to select the number of the machine you are using on the touchscreen opposite to ‘unlock’ it or it will ask you to pay don’t me like me and not read the instructions and stand there looking at a machine for ages trying to work out why it said I had to pay when there is no way to pay 🤦‍♀️ 6 washer and 6 dryers. Deck ten. Looks like most if not all decks with cabins have a laundry room. The morning was great with machines available. Port day afternoon was much busier and hard to get a machine. All worked pretty well though and a decent size

I’m on Arvia now so if you want any info just let me know & I’ll try my best. Don’t know when you are travelling but I'm on a school holiday cruise so more activities for kids and a very full ship! but even if you are travelling at a quieter time I can try and answer any general question 😊

Hi, thanks for the reply. I shall remember about the port bus if I come here again, thanks. definitely no boat service unless they put that on for the return. I dread to think what the return shuttles are like! The queue was bad enough getting on them to return to ship in Valencia. At 2.pm way before all aboard. At that time they did have a constant stream of buses to be fair so you wouldn’t wait for long even if the front 2 or 3 are full We have MSC Fantasia opposite us by Terminal A. Looking at marine traffic I thought we had Celebrity Constellation with us too, because she arrived this morning. but where she is- she’s in what looks to be in a dry dock for regular maintenance. not seen that before.

I haven’t seen mention of the port bus service or a boat service provided by P&O both sound like very good options. When did you travel? Maybe the port bus & boat service doesn’t run in April but I wouldn’t put it past P&O not to mention it too. Because They charge £5 each way per adult & £2.50 per child for the shuttle to town if you are on the saver fare. ‘Free’ for select fare

Hi, in Marseille and not getting off today Note- It was so busy getting off that at 10am they were begging people that had no urgency to get off, please wait in one of the comfortable lounges until a further announcement was made! 11am we just walked into the 6th Street diner. Hardly anyone in. Got a bit busier but not full this was the first time I’d not seen queues down the corridor! much prefer their brunch menu. Lovely! 😋 the ‘app’ says queue opens at 6.30. BUT Queue has opened for brunch/ lunch every day I’ve seen and on a sea day that will be very much needed. pools very nice and quiet and although the golf was being used & each hole being used there were enough clubs to play and wasn’t much waiting. kids clubs is open for afternoon and evening session on a port day. Not morning as well also put washing on today. Other days have been near impossible (deck 10)

I’m on the Arvia and can confirm she sailed into Marseille this morning from Tampa and is in (almost!) dry dock 😊 picture taken from the Crows Nest Bar, Arvia

Hi All, cancelled Altitude skywalk this morning and rebooked for 3 days time. It was very easy to do on the ‘app’ this morning I woke at 5.30am to the sound of the ships Foghorn. It’s still going now so decided with it being damp and not even being able to see the midship ‘hump’ clearly from our Port aft cabin, another day would be better!

That sounds lovely. I know I’m lucky I can travel at all, but I can’t wait until I can travel out of school holidays. I don’t mind kids being onboard at all, it’s the difference between 5000 and 6000 passengers, whatever demographic, that makes a big difference

Oh and I’m doing the high ropes tomorrow. They seem to stagger the release of times to book so I’ve just had to keep checking for a new slot to pop up for 2-3 days time. wish me luck. I’m not sure I can go and ring that bell that hangs over the edge of the ship 🫣 But getting around the course with my daughter will be a challenge. Eek,

inside the ship is REALLY nice and quiet now. even though all aboard is less than 1 hour away. Everyone is outside enjoying the sunshine. Understandable in the 23C heat. But i needed a break. inside a ship on a sunny day for a bit of respite works great. Same works in the reverse if it’s a bit chilly. Wrap up and go outside for a bit. Go play the mini golf when it’s cooler and you’ll not be tripping over others golf clubs or fighting over the last one 😂 I’m probably reminding people why they avoid school holidays. don't blame you. I would if I could! There are a few people onboard who have said they didn’t know it was Easter holidays so the number of passengers, especially kids, has been a shock and impacted their enjoyment. For anyone who doesn’t realise, and really wants to avoid the holidays, your local County Council website will have the school terms listed