lor74

Having booked this cruise many months ago, I originally had thoughts of planning surprises for Ro's birthday. I thought that if the meet & great would be on embarkation day, that it would be perfect for a surprise party. It will be on Tuesday morning, so I nixed that idea. My other idea was to try and plan in advance an Effy purchase on board. For many years we have been admiring the signature collection on our trips. They were always too expensive but the prices were slowly dropping. I never got around to calling Princess to try and arrange anything because a local store had a Thanksgiving week sale. Not only was the collection 70% off, but I was also able to use a coupon code on top. I ended up buying a white gold leopard ring in Canadian funds for less than Effy online was offering and much less than the ship. I gave it to her as an early birthday present, and she sure was surprised! So getting back to tonight....we went to the shops and spent some time in the Effy shop looking at different items and their prices...I got a great deal at home 🤑. After looking at the other stores, we went to have dinner. Only half of the buffet was open...which was still more than enough food! We both started with big salads. Mine was an assortment of veg, nuts, seeds, and bread. Hers was veg and poached salmon. I also had a small sampling of hot food...chicken, veal, potatoes, spring roll, quiche, Mac n cheese.....not as big a plate as it sounds, just a little taste of each item. For dessert Ro had fruit. I had 2 different chocolate macadamia cakes....omg they were good! We both had specialty coffees. Next we went back to the shops and bought perfume and a captains hat. We got 20% off with the elite discount. Ro looks good in that hat! The last stop of the night was the casino. With an exchange rate of 20%, I bought a lot of obc. I cashed some out using the slot machines, then played a few hands of let it ride. With lousy cards we didn't stay very long. The casino was packed!

That is it for the first day. I just watched the end of Terminator and am calling it a night. I have my running gear ready to go [emoji106]🏻

I woke up very early and thought about going for a run. The hotel had cards which showed a route around a nearby park. I decided it would be best to wait for sunrise, but by then we were in a tornado warning. From our 11th floor window, I had a very good view of the storm coming in from Miami. The wall of grey quickly took us over and I watched a transformer behind the building explode. They said on the news that thousands of people along the cost had lost power. In the Sarasota area there was damage to buildings and homes. Within an hour the skies had cleared. We checked out around 10:30am and waited a minute for our Uber pickup. When I had checked earlier in the morning the estimated price was $5, but when we actually left there was a surge charge of 1.5x, so it ended up costing $6.79. From the moment we got to the security gates, our boarding experience was "off". We had our passports ready but the guard was insistent on seeing the uber drivers folio...his id was not good enough. Then when we got to the port a sherif was insistent that he go into an awkward parking position to drop us off. It was still before 11am, and there was already a very long line waiting for the doors to open. This line was mixed of first timers and preferred. It was after 11 when the doors finally opened, and there was confusion as to where the lines would separate. When we got through security, every rep we passed was hassling us about seeing both of our health forms. Then when we got to the check in area, it was initially being treated like there were preferred and regular lines, but everyone there was preferred. I do not remember the last time I had to wait in line to get into the Princess terminal. None of this was a big deal and we did not wait very long...it all just felt "off". Once checked in, we were directed to an elite lounge that was not there last year. There was coffee, juice, and a small assortment of pastries. I think it was 11:45am when we boarded. Our first stop was Alfredo's. Ro had a salad and mushroom pesto pizza. I had a minestrone soup and the veal ravioli. The food was very good. Once our order was placed, I went to the CG to reserve for tonight. Unfortunately they only had 8:30pm or later. The guy said that all the b2b people already filled the venue...plus the tables they need to keep for suite passengers. We are going tomorrow at 6:30pm. Next stop was our cabin. I had booked a guaranteed balcony and we are in a deluxe near the aft on Emerald deck. I am so close to the owners suite we had last year...how I miss it so! This is our first experience with the narrow balcony and tiny bathroom...the toilet paper is in an odd location [emoji12]. Our luggage had not arrived yet, but I was ready with my bathing suit in my backpack. The football game is on MUTS, so the Lido deck is busy. I had the pool to myself and did my 50 laps. We had a look at the buffet while passing through...there it is, the lamb...I'm scared! Our muster station is the CG. We got there early enough to get good seating in the wheelhouse. We needed to bring and try on the life jackets. After unpacking, we went to the Outrigger for the sail away. There was supposed to be an informal gathering of the m&g group. I didn't see anything that looked like a gathering. We spoke to random people as we left port. We were 2nd out of 7 to leave. I am relaxing right now in the cabin, watching Terminator Genesis as I type this. Ro is working out. Next stop will be the shops followed by dinner in the HC.

* The plan to exercise 3 times a day is just a slight change from my current normal routine. The early morning running is outside on the track. At home I run outside, but not in the winter. This is one of the benefits of a January Caribbean cruise. Need to take advantage of the opportunity! I have always been a swimmer, so once again I need to take advantage. Going to the gym and doing some weights is the new part of the routine. I do not know if this will happen, I generally do not go to the gym on vacation.

* I heard one of the crew saying there are 850 b2b passengers.

* The wifi is weak. I get 2 bars in the bed and nothing on the balcony. Bit is too slow to actually run a speed test.

Last year Ro (dw) and I sailed on the Regal and it quickly became our favorite ship. We had a great week and I ate every meal like it was my last. If anyone read that “live from”, you may remember that I literally made myself sick by eating too much lamb gyro. When I got home from that trip which was a week on the Regal and a week on the AOS, I had put on 10 pounds!

Coming back on this ship was a very easy decision. I made my booking 7 months ago, when I received an incredible deal for 14 nights in a balcony cabin. It has been a long wait to board her again, but the timing is right, as winter is finally back to normal in Montreal. It is cold outside, get me out of here!

This trip is going to have one main theme: exercise vs food. I have been on a mission to get myself back into shape. It was 2.5yrs ago when I tipped the scales at 300lbs. I finished 2015 at 245lbs. Ro and I made a resolution to be “clean” for the 2 weeks leading up to the trip. Over the past 13 days, we have not had ANYTHING but 3 healthy meals a day. This is the longest I have ever gone “clean”, and wow it has been quite the ride. I have lost another 7 lbs and am loving the feeling of having no bloat. Ro has had similar success and we are both having anxiety about going on the floating buffet! Prior to these 2 weeks, it was my plan to exercise, EAT, and repeat. Now the thought of all this food scares me! It is my intention if my body will cooperate, to exercise 3 times a day. I want to run 5km as soon as I awake, then either do 50 laps in the pool right away or maybe shortly after a light breakfast. A visit to the gym would be scheduled in the late afternoon. I see breakfast as being the easiest meal to eat light...even though I LOVE breakfast! On our last cruise in September, which was on the NCL Getaway, I exercised everyday and did not touch a piece of bacon until day 4. I gained no weight over those 7 days. 14 days on the Regal will be a much harder task. Breakfast aside, it will take a ton of will power to not go overboard if the buffet is as great as it was last year. Good luck to me!

We flew in a day early and are staying at the Crown Plaza cruise port. This is our first time here. We called the hotel from the airport and were picked up by the shuttle in only a few minutes. Moments later we were at the hotel which is very close to both the airport and cruise port. I had made a request for early check-in, and the girl at the front desk was very pleasant and gave us a free upgrade to a room that was ready. It is very large room on the 11 floor with 2 queen beds and a sofa. We can see a Princess ship from the window. The room has very solid wifi at 12mb, and also Direct TV. There is a fridge, microwave, and coffee machine. Ro went to the gym for an hour while I had a nap. Dinner tonight was at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, which is down the street from the hotel. It is a popular place and was almost full by 6pm. Ro had eggplant parm and I had a pizza with broccoli rabe & sausage....I felt less guilty having some bitter greens as part of the meal. We both enjoyed our food. When back at the hotel, we borrowed a stapler so that we could put our luggage tags on and not worry about it tomorrow. This is where I got my limited exercise for the day....I ran down & up 11 flights of stairs. One more sleep till the cruise...it is finally here!

* Since we have already been on this ship, I will not be taking that many pictures. All patters, menus, and food pics will be posted after the cruise.

* Last years pics:

* Feel free to ask any questions about the ship

*tomorrow is Ro's birthday...she is turning 40...you didn't hear it from me!

* I am using a great new app for free long distance and texting over wifi on IOS - Convoi - I highly recommend it.

Please excuse any iPhone typos [emoji3]

From what you wrote, I think you should go with the better itinerary.

Having been on both ships, imo:

The CB has better food with the exception of the MDR. Chops is excellent, but the CG is the best value at sea.

The CB will have less children...if that matters.

The Allure has more bell n whistles, but they only matter if you use em.

The Allure offers more entertainment.

The Allure has a very large casino.

The CP has better all around service.

Whichever you choose, have fun [emoji3]

And another thank you...great job!

Thanks for the great information, enjoy the rest of the cruise!!!

You guys are right, it could easily have been Noro or something similar. It is very surprising that the staff did not care at all about his condition. On other lines they are very fast to quarantine. As to his personal hygiene, he is a partial germaphobe! Anywho, thanks for the responses....

Sorry to hear that you were sick but thanks for the answer.

Sorry, I have exaggerated the timeline, let me be more specific. There were 2 vomiting sessions, the first being on Monday night, and the 2nd on Tuesday morning. After that he felt so weak and nauseous that he barely ate anything on Tuesday & Wednesday.

Let us not turn this into a forum debating the cause of his illness. I am just curious to know if anyone else out there is aware of others being sick that might mirror his situation.

Thanks

My friend got back last night from the cruise (Nov 15-22), and he just finished telling me the story of how he got violently sick on the 2nd night and after 2 days of vomiting was barely able to function for the rest of the week. He thinks he got sick from the fried brie cheese that was served in dining room. He is aware of another passenger that also got sick and also had the cheese. I am curious to know if anyone on the forums knows of anybody else who was ill on this sailing?

In hindsight, it is easy to assume it was food poisoning and I am telling him to tell his story to customer service. His entire vacation was wasted. While on board when his stomach suddenly turned on him, he didn’t know if it was Noro, motion sickness, food poisoning, etc. Crew in hazmat suits had to clean his bathroom in the middle on the night, and he did go to the infirmary. All they did was give him motion sickness pills and never even followed up with him.

If it was me (with my cruising experience), I would have made an official complaint for sure!

Jfkny, how has the weather been this week? Besides missing that stop, has it been a good cruise?

Great review, thanks for sharing!

Last month on my way back to FLL from the cruise, the 95 going towards MIA had terrible traffic and there were multiple construction zones. I would not stay in FLL

Have a great cruise!

My 2cents:

Devina - haven't been on, but from everything I have read, the "worst" of the 4 choices.

Regal - As a Princess loyalist, this would be my choice based on brand, also for the perks that come with being elite. If it is just adults traveling and you are looking to relax, this is the best option. The Regal wins hands down for buffet dining, the IC, and the CG, but I am no longer a fan of the Princess MDR. Entertainment is not as good as NCL or RCCL. I always have great service on Princess.

Getaway - Just sailed her a few weeks ago, and it completely changed my opinion of NCL. We had a great week. A good choice for adults looking to have fun with or without children. The choose your perk promo adds to the value. I had an inside cabin, and had to sleep with ear plugs because of the water pipes in the ceiling. Service was good all around.

Oasis - Based on my experience on the Allure, a great choice for families. It was nice to have had the experience of sailing on one of these mega ships, but I would not do it again. MDR and Chops aside, I was disappointed in the rest of the food. The entertainment was good, but the ship was too crowded for me. Service was not as good as the others.

Thanks for a great Live From!!!

I faxed my forms in yesterday and without confirmation it had been posted to my account the next time I logged in online [emoji3]

Thanks for the wonderful live from...

I do not remember the specifics, but it was along the lines of colour schemes, room designs, food, etc catering to Asian clientele.

I have read that it is a sister to the regal/royal but the inside is being designed exclusively for the Asian market

No uber in Fort Lauderdale. I used them in Miami last week to get to the port.

3 times and counting...

Unless something has changed, you can basically withdrawn money via the slot machines without a service fee and it will be charged to your account. Any obc on your account can be used to offset it

Don't know, but it made me quite happy

It is so annoying!!! I too was being called multiple times a day. The sad thing is that I spoke to my rep and got some pricing from him, but every time he calls and leaves me a new message, it is the same script being read as if he was calling me for the first time [emoji35]