Princess Patches

According to an email sent out by Princess in September, the Princess@sea Messenger app is supposed to be available for downloading starting November 1. I just checked the Apple and Android stores and do not see it yet.

To answer the OPs other questions. Both Princess@sea and Princess@sea Messenger are free and do not use your internet minutes. You are supposed to download the Messenger app prior to sailing. If you do not download the app prior to sailing, there is "limited" functionality of texting still available to you for free without the app. Limited is defined as the notification area is not visible but you can still text. You can also download the app onboard but you would have to buy an internet package to do so or use your free internet minutes if you are platinum or elite.

If anyone sees the app is available, please post.

They are two different services posters are referring to in this thread:

Princess@sea and Princess@sea Messenger

Princess@sea lets you access your onboard account and the Patter from your smartphone or tablet. You are supposed to be able to also view dining room menus, but that feature is currently not yet available. The ships that have this currently are the Crown, Golden, Regal, and Royal (there may be some others too). You do not need to download an app for this feature.

Princess@sea Messenger allows you to text message, but this feature is not yet available on any ship. The first ship to get it will be the Regal this month. The other ships will follow suit throughout 2015. You do need to download an app for this feature. The apps will be available some time soon from the Apple and Android store.

OV is an obstructed view cabin. OE is a porthole cabin (no obstruction but small porthole window). Since you have a guarantee OE that does not necessarily mean you will get one of those cabins. In all likelihood, you will not get one of those cabins since there are only four of them. It means that you will be at least assigned to that category of cabin OR a higher grade of cabin. You will not be assigned to a lower graded cabin. You will have to wait to see your actual cabin assignment.

I have received an email that says it will have the messagibg feature in my cruise in November on the Regal.

When the text messaging service debuts on the Regal in November, you are supposed to be able to download the free Princess@sea Messenger app from either the Apple or the Android app stores prior to sailing. I am sure you can download it once onboard as well.

I'm sorry but I don't understand. Can we send instant messages to each other now on the Golden?

No, free text messaging (Princess@sea Messenger) debuts in November on the Regal. The other ships will get it throughout 2015. All ships should have it by the end of 2015.

Currently, several ships including the Golden have Princess@sea, which allows access to your onboard account and the Patter from your tablet or smartphone, but not from the TV. All ships will get Princess@sea in the coming months and prior to getting Princess@sea Messenger.

On the Crown, I noticed that while the Princess press release regarding Princess@sea stated you could browse the restaurant menus with their app, that feature was not available on the Crown this month. It had the Patter and your onboard account, but no menus.

Which six ships have it, please. Am I mistaken that this is the program that allows peer to peer phone access without charge?

That is Princess@sea Messenger, which supposedly debuts on the Regal in November. It allows you to text message from your tablet or smartphone for free. No free phone calls. None of the ships have this yet that I know about.

That is exciting news! Do you know what ships already have it at this time or is there a list somewhere as to when / what ships will get it next?

 

 

 

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Royal, Regal, Golden, and Crown have it. I am not sure which other ships have it.

Hi, this will be our first time sailing out of San Pedro. Do they have a Platinum/Elite Lounge? thanks

Lounge was just for elites and not for platinums earlier this month when I boarded. The lounge was practically deserted by comparison to the previous time I went through San Pedro and platinums were allowed in the lounge. Back then, you could not find an empty seat. They have too many platinum passengers now to accommodate them in the lounge.

Crown has Princess@sea and had the Chocolate Journeys desserts.

Yes, the maitre d' is available on embarkation for special requests. It usually starts at about 1:30 (when lunch is over) and runs for about two hours in one of the dining rooms. The time and place for the meeting is usually listed in your Patter, but not always. If not listed, go to the dining room where lunch is being served on embarkation day and ask the greeter.

Golden Princess has the "app" now. We used it this past weekend. It isn't an app at all (at least not in the sense that you have to download anything). It's a webpage on the intranet onboard the ship (golden.princess.com). In fact, the Internet Café computers now have the same opening page. Once registered, you can view the Patter and your folio, ship's venues etc. It was very easy to use. There were a couple of times when I did receive a "Too many users, try again later" message, so there are some teething pains. But I'm sure they'll provide more capacity as more and more people use the system.

This is also available on the Crown now. I used it on the Oct. 4 sailing. It had the Patter and your onboard account info, but did not have any of the menus for the dining venues.

On the Crown two weeks ago, disembarkation started at 7:50 am with the first walk off group.

HAL is doing one this year that is around 40 days on the Maasdam. Also next year on the same ship (50days). Would be awesome for someone that doesn't like to fly and has the time and money. Otherwise, you could combine a TA with a Cunard crossing.

Thanks for that info. Had no idea any cruise line did a Transatlantic roundtrip. I learned something new. It looks like a great itinerary. Would love to do it one day.

Allegro.

I have seen cartons of chocolate milk out at breakfast in the buffet. You could pick some up and put them in the mini fridge for later. In the dining room, you can get hot chocolate at breakfast for free.

I am not sure if you order chocolate milk in the dining room at lunch or dinner whether you will be charged if you are an adult. They used to give it to kids for free, but I do not travel with young kids any longer so not sure about the current status.

I was on the Oct. 4 sailing and they showed Maleficient, Godzilla, Million Dollar Arm, Grand Budapest Hotel, the Fault in Our Stars, Chef, Mamma Mia, Edge of Tomorrow, Dawn of Planet of the Apes, Top Gun, and The Sixth Sense, among others.

Actually, your cruise docks in Long Beach. The Queen Mary is right there if you want to tour her. Princess uses San Pedro for most their ships, but some of the California Coastals out of San Francisco and Vancouver have been docking in Long Beach instead of San Pedro.

Is the Chocolate Journey the Norman Love creations? I had heard that Norman Love was to be introduced on the Regal in Novemeber and then rolled out to all ships in January.

 

Patty

Yes, the Chocolate Journey desserts were created by Norman Love. They are already rolling them out on the ships. We had the chocolate hazelnut bar and the chocolate pistachio dome on our two formal nights a couple of weeks ago. They also served the chocolate pops at the Captains's events. The desserts were complimentary. They charge for the chocolate drinks and the chocolate spa treatments.

These chocolate desserts were the best I have eaten on Princess. Do not miss them. I can't wait to try more on my upcoming Christmas Cruise.

This is a fantastic review. Loved all the photos!

We were on the Crown two weeks ago and had Chocolate Journeys desserts on both formal nights. They were incredible and complimentary. I think the dining rooms are worth your trouble for this desserts alone, not to mention the great gelatos they serve that you don't get in the buffet. We always do traditional dining and it usually takes about 1 1/2 hours for the meal for a table of 4 or 6. Ask for a smaller table. It really should not take 2 1/2 hours for the meal service. It can't take 2 1/2 hours in first seating traditional. They have to clear you out for the next group!

I was on the Crown two weeks ago. We had traditional dining. I recommend it if you don't want to wait. I saw long lines at anytime during the peak hours. Several people who had anytime complained to me about 1/2 hour waits. I do not think you could make reservations except for very early or very late in the evening.

My one experience with the anytime dining room was open seating night the evening in San Fran. I thought the maitre d' was disagreeable. We arrived with 3 of our party of 4 and told the maitre d' the fourth would arrive shortly. He told us that he would not seat us until the fourth arrived and told us to stand aside. We left and went to one of the other dining rooms where they seated us promptly.

The dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day and sea days. It is generally closed on port days, but I have noticed two exceptions when it is open for lunch even on port days. If the ship is docked in a port where a lot of passengers do not leave the ship it will be open. It was open in Ensenada on my recent cruise even though we were in port all day. It also can be open when you are in port for only a partial day (San Francisco on a recent cruise) and many people will be eating lunch onboard. It is just dependent on whether they feel there is a need to open the dining room for lunch due to the numbers of passengers that might be eating lunch onboard.

On port days, check the Patter to see if the dining room is open for lunch. It is not always closed on port days.

The main dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day and sea days. It is generally closed on port days, but it is not always closed for lunch on port days.

It is open on port days if they anticipate the need for the dining room due to the estimated number of passengers that will be eating lunch on the ship. On days when the ship is arriving or leaving from a port at around midday, the dining room may be open. The dining room may also be open in a port where a lot of passengers do not get off the ship.

On my recent cruise, the dining room was open the day we ported in Ensenada even though we were in port all day. Many passengers did not get off the ship in Ensenada. On other cruises, the dining room was open when we arrived/departed San Francisco midday. If you like eating lunch in the dining room, then always check the Patter to see if they are serving there even on port days.

I was on the Crown Oct. 4 sailing and my experience was a positive one. I also sailed on the Crown during its inaugural season back in 2006. I was amazed when I boarded at how well the ship had been kept up. It hardly looked different from when I sailed on her in 2006. That is one of the things I think Princess does very well is maintenance of their ships. They are always polishing, replacing carpets, etc. I also did not notice any significant decline in food or dining service. We had traditional dining and our waitstaff was among the best we ever experienced. The food was outstanding as always. We avoid anytime dining due to the waits. We did hear some people complaining about the wait during peak hours at anytime.

We had a mini suite on Dolphin deck and the balcony is spacious. You can easily accommodate four people on this balcony. The cabin service was excellent. The Crown is more crowded than other ships due to the extra deck of cabins. The first show was always packed and you had to get there at least 1/2 hour early. The second show was not crowded at all. You could stroll in 5 minutes before show time and sit down front. The Horizon Court was always packed even at off hours. We avoided the buffet due to crowding. We ate all our meals in the dining room and did not find the service unusually slow. Embarkation and disembarkation was smooth and easy. We were on the ship by noon and got off the ship at 8 am. Other than the crowding in the buffet and at the first show, we had no negatives on this cruise.

Princess makes it very easy for the b2b passengers. If you are in the same cabin, then just leave your belongings there. If you are in a different cabin, they will move your belongings for you. Getting off the ship and going through immigration only took us about 1/2 hour or so. They met us in a lounge and walked us all off together and then back on the ship. You do not have to wait in the normal line when reboarding the ship. The process is streamlined and very easy for the in transit passengers.