Sea Day Cruiser

Happy Birthday, Kruisey. I think I've just gotten email cards.

Carnival no longer does chocolates. Most guests don't actually eat them. I hope Princess continues to offer them though. We take them home and eat them nightly there, a nice little extension of our vacation.

 

 

Same here. We like to do that because it makes the cruise seem to last a little bit longer.

I would think that "Corporate" would also want to have some meals in the main dining room. They should experience the food and service that their passengers normally experience. To not eat in the main dining room is, in my opinion, almost like saying you don't find the food in the main dining room acceptable. Just my honest opinion.

 

 

I agree. If they can't eat the food served to the passengers in the main dining room there must be something seriously wrong.

I don't mind the name or even the up charge and some of the food actually sounds good. But there's no way I'm going to climb up on one of those ugly white chairs and be uncomfortable through a meal. I also think the white tables and chairs ruin the looks of the Wheelhouse which used to be my favorite bar.

Right now it is a trial that is taking place on only one ship. I think it's on the Grand but I'm not sure about that.

I have done a couple of these tours and both times it was with smaller groups and excellent guides. The best guide I have ever had on a tour was on a connoisseur tour in Berlin. The drawback is that they are more expensive so fewer people sign up for them. I have had at least two of them canceled by Princess because not enough people were booked on the tours. If they wait until the last minute to cancel then you're stuck with whatever happens to be available. I have been told by Princess shore excursion people that the connoisseur tours have the best guides. My experience is that that is true.

No, they won't repeat.

Hi @all,

 

 

 

I have heard from some sources that a small aft pool has been added to Royal Princess - is this true?! :confused:

 

Even Douglas Ward mentions it - but in general I see him very critical...

 

 

They added a small pool to the Regal Princess. There are rumors one will be added to the Royal during its dry dock but I don't know if anyone is sure if that is true or not. There is no aft pool on the Royal now.

I have been on more cruises than I care to count, and my cabin has always been ready. I usually board in one of the earliest groups. When I boarded Royal Princess in January they were handing out notes saying that cabins might not be ready but that you could drop your carry-on, etc. and have lunch in the Horizon Court. My cabin was ready anyway. I, too, think the problem is not enough staff. I am definitely not in favor of delaying boarding just to make sure all cabins are ready.

Interesting reading. Thanks for posting this.

What is the Red Coach?

I usually travel alone and prefer to eat dinner alone also. I use anytime dining and don't have trouble getting a table by myself. Usually I go between 7:30 and 8 PM. I also eat in the Crown Grill at least once each cruise and make the reservation for around 7:30.

I have stayed at both the Holiday Inn and the Premier Inn. For 1 or 2 nights before a cruise I would definitely choose the Premier Inn in the future. It isn't fancy, bit it is less expensive, clean, has a restaurant, and is across the street from a large shopping mall. Both are a short cab ride from the train station and the cruise terminal.

Thanks - do you mean that these drinks are no-cost at the buffet?

 

 

Yes. No cost in the Horizon Court.

[quote name='flamomo']It may be just my perception, but it seems like when the current CEO of PCL took over the helm, decent fare deals (supplements of <200%) for solos went away. I used to be able to do TAs in inside, and occasionally OV, cabins for 150-160%,but no more. The ones I have been interested in are a straight 200% from day one, and never a fare decrease during special "sales" for solos or insides and OV, while they are being offered for cabins with 2 pax, and only in balcony or above. She's apparently all about making 'business decisions" that result in upping PCL's bottom line, even if it alienates long term loyal Princess cruisers. Not that we should expect that she cares, because it appears that Princess has no problem filling all the cabins on most cruises.[/QUOTE]

Your perception is the same as my perception. I date a lot of the changes to when the new head of Princess took over. This coming fall will be the first time in five years that I haven't done a B2B European cruise followed by the transatlantic. I'm not going to pay 200% for an inside cabin when I know that other people are getting great deals simply because they're not sailing alone. Especially considering what I see as a real decline in the quality of the Princess product in the last two years. I have loved my transatlantic cruises on the Ruby and the Royal, but this year I will be doing some kind of land vacation instead.

Love the TBGCS!

I did a St. Petersburg tour two years ago with SPB Tours. They, and other Russian tour groups, take care of getting the visas. Your ticket is your visa. SPB is great and they discount their other tours if you are doing the St. Petersburg tour. They also have tours in Tallinn, Helsinki, Berlin, and Stockholm. Their tours are much smaller groups so you don't waste so much time getting everyone on and off the bus.

On the Royal a couple of weeks ago the movies included The Martian, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Antman, and Bridge of Spies. Also The Man from Uncle, Jurassic World, and Walk in the Woods

On the Royal they showed those listed above plus A Walk in the Woods and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

Does RCI give shipboard credit to active and retired military the way Princess and Carnival cruise lines do? This is a question for family members who will be doing their first cruise on RCI. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Talk to your head waiter or the maître de as soon as possible. Or call the dine line but it can be very hard to get through the first day.

Yes. Was there once on a Celebrity ship and would like to go back again.

I was just in an aft cabin to Hawaii and it was okay. It was also very close to the laundry and I never heard any noise at all. I would definitely pick an aft cabin over the front of the ship.

I mentioned previously about Somoan Scenic Tours(Apia).

Their buses were in terrible condition.Our bus had plastic over the seats, so hot, glad we had towels with us to sit on, hard to get up hills, breaks squeeking.And the worst when one of the buses went off the road and was tipped.Shadow didn't offer any discount to those people.

 

 

And her microphone didn't work!

There is no covered pool. And they are not usually heated. Alaska may be different.