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17 hours ago, croaziera said:

I am glad you are enjoying the videos of the cruise as I experienced it.  Thank you for the kind words and I know your cruise will be just as amazing.  Captain Kate McCue should return to the Equinox in January sometime.  She is the best Captain I had during my 43 cruises.  You will have a blast!

So glad to hear that Captain Kate will be back.

Were there any standout meals/desserts that you would absolutely recommend? This is very important to DH! 

Thank you so much for posting these- I will be on Equinox in February and these videos are getting me in the mood!

MCazer and Chanbre thanks that is really good advice that probably wouldn't have occurred to me- I'll know to look out for it now. 

Perfect, exactly what I was hoping for.  Thank you both so much for the quick replies 🙂

Hi everyone,

This may seem like a silly question so please bear with me.  I'm looking to purchase an unlimited internet package with my elite 30% discount.  My husband doesn't use the internet as much as I do so I thought the one device package would be best. Before I get it though, I just wanted to make sure that 1 device isn't some sort of misleading semantics- this means one device at a time, not one specific device that can be used the entire time, correct? For example, if I purchase the 1-device unlimited package, can I use the internet on my phone, or tablet, or laptop, as long as I am logged out of the others and not using them simultaneously? Is it an internet login that I can transfer from one device to another? Or will they only activate the internet on say, my phone, and then that's the only device I can use for internet the entire time?

Thank you in advance and again I'm sorry if this seems like it should be an obvious answer!

Hello CCers! Welcome to another of my photo-rich LIVE From instalments.

It's still a few days till we cruise, but I thought I'd start with our trip and adventures in Rome before we board.

I'll be concentrating on pics aboard the ship so people can see what she's like, rather than the ports.

This is our first Med cruise, and we're super excited. Although some of the changes aboard the Majestic aren't to our liking (RIP Crooners!) I'm sure we'll still have a great time.

Stay tuned!

Steve.

Hi CanadianBurger! I was just on the Majestic 7-Day from Rome as well, and saw you quite a few times on the ship. I recognized you from your pictures on the boards but didn't want to bother you :) My husband and I were on our honeymoon and also began with several days in Rome, plus an extra day in Barcelona on the other end.

I experienced many of the same issues as you, particularly with the service at dinner the first night (it really improved quickly) and some of the bartenders who were unfamiliar with drinks that in my opinion are very common and basic. Bellini's was our pre-dinner/evening spot. My husband ordered a White Russian and the bartender had no idea what it was and asked several times if he wanted an Old Fashioned until finally I began to tell him what was in it and Joana swooped in to save the day.

We were also confused and disappointed at the lack of horn sounding upon the first sailaway. We were up on deck with drinks ready to celebrate the exciting first horn and then nothing- my husband, who has only cruised one other time, was confused why I was complaining that it was anti-climactic, but for me it's always the best feeling to hear it and know my journey is beginning

In addition to the mistake in the patter about Harmony, they originally had Alfredo's listed on Deck 7 instead of 6, and corrected it on the 2nd or 3rd day- they had listed it wrong on the paper with available places to eat that we were given upon embarkation as well.

Overall a beautiful ship, the biggest and newest I have ever been on, but I agree that I would not sail on it again. I chose it mainly for the itinerary and timing but I would definitely prefer a ship that has more European or Caribbean themes, more bars and lounges, fewer gaming and shopping spots, and a walking track.

Thank you so much for your review, it was great to read about your experiences which were very similar to ours.

I haven't done it yet myself but I am in less than a month! My soon-to-be husband and I are honeymooning on the new Majestic Princess, and our travel agent suggested Europe for a number of reasons:

1- Zika virus on many Caribbean islands makes us a little nervous about certain honeymoon activities, even if it's just us being paranoid.

2- Fewer children, and I believe the age group on Princess is generally older which we prefer.

3- More of a formal, elegant atmosphere i.e. people dressing up on formal nights.

I'm in for any other advice or wisdom people might share on this thread.

Congratulations by the way!

Congratulations! What a wonderful way to honeymoon!

 

We sailed on the Royal Princess in the Med. right after she came out, everything is sparkling new and I found it very exciting especially since the ship was different from anything I had experienced.

 

Since you haven't been on a Med cruise I would encourage you to go to the Europe boards or use a guidebook such as Rick Steves and do your research on the various ports you will be visiting. There is so much to see and you need to do figure out what tours are most suited to your interests. Don't try to do it all! If possible try not to do day after day of full day tours, trust me it will get tiring and you won't appreciate everything you see. Mix in half day tours and some time on your own to wander around the port town/city if possible. Some of the ports are better suited to this than others, and you can find this specific information on the Europe boards.

 

Good luck!

Great advice, in fact we actually just opted out of our excursion in Florence/Pisa because it was 10 hours and we decided it would be too overwhelming, plus I don't think we'd want to spend so much time off the ship.

I listen to a lot of travel podcasts and recently found Rick Steves' audio tours- seems he has a lot of information on Rome and Florence. I'll definitely look into some Europe travel forums as well to be as prepared as possible, and probably attend as many port lectures as I can!

Thank you so much.

We had our Med cruise on the Emerald last May. The activities were the same as the Caribbean sailings. Food at the buffet also has themes like Asian, German and others. Being a Med cruise made no difference from Caribbean's.

Ours being a Southampton roundtrip Med cruise, majority were from the UK. Unlike on formal nights on Caribbean cruises, most are in their formal attire, tux or suit for men and gowns for ladies.

The sailaway party by the pool at Southampton had a band. Aside from that, we also had a UK-themed sailaway party by the pool at Gibraltar.

Enjoy your honeymoon cruise and Majestic!

I really appreciate the info, and I'm glad that the experiences aren't vastly different. There's something so comforting about cruises, like a home away from home, so it's reassuring to know that it won't be a completely different type of vacation in the Med region.

I hope my upcoming cruise takes a page out of your book as far as the formal nights. Getting dolled up and seeing everyone in their finest is one of my favorite parts of cruising!

Thank you so much for the reply and the good wishes.

Congrats on your upcoming marriage.

 

Since the Majestic has yet to set sail, nobody on these boards has anything but guesses about how much of the ship will be so geared to the Chinese market that it will affect those on the cruises before heading to China.

 

Probably many of the staff from the Purser's Desk to cabin attendants will be Chinese. When I was on another cruise line with a ship heading to China (for a couple of years, not "permanently" as the Majestic will be), the Chinese crew members knew and spoke English better than most crew members on other cruises.

 

Of course there will be plenty of signage in Chinese all around the ship.

 

Also, again from my experience on that other cruise line, is that the boutiques will carry much more high end merchandise than you are used to seeing on a cruise ship.

 

The main difference I can think of between Caribbean cruises and European cruises is that the port lectures will really be about the ports and will not be sales pitches for jewelry shops as such lectures are in the Caribbean.

 

As you are new to Cruise Critic, you should join the roll call for your cruise. Those on the roll call will become your new friends for this voyage. Locate your roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1031

Thanks so much for the reply! I have never sailed on a brand new ship before so it's a little mysterious which makes it that much more exciting.

I will definitely join the roll call- I like how the posters already sort of bond before the cruise and then meet in person. Seems like a very lovely tradition :)

I used to love going to the shopping lectures with my mom when we cruised together as a family, but learning about the ports would be extremely interesting useful. So far it sounds like it's shaping up to be a really wonderful voyage.

Hi everyone!

I have been lurking on these boards for a month or so getting pumped about my honeymoon in April and I figured I'd finally say hello. First I'd just like to say that I love these boards- everyone is so polite and helpful and there is minimal snarkiness considering that it's the internet.

I have been on two other Princess cruises and 10 cruises on another line. I'll be frequenting the boards a lot over the next month and a half as questions or concerns pop up.

I've only ever been on Caribbean cruises before and this is my first European/Med cruise. I was just wondering for those who have been on Princess cruises in that region, how are the activities, food, and vibe different from a Caribbean cruise? Is there still a band at the sailaway party or by the pool playing different kinds of music? Does the food and entertainment tend to reflect the ports of call?

Also, does anyone know whether the Majestic will be more geared for the Chinese market while doing the Mediterannean run, or only once it switches over to its Asian ports?

Thank you so much and I look forward to getting to know all of you!