Robkat

8 hours ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

I'm apprehensive as well as super excited. We sail out of Ft Lauderdale to the Caribbean & back to New York in August.

It sounds like you've got yourselves very well sorted!

If you liked the Sky P, you'll find the Enchanted P to be almost identical;  we actually liked it a little bit better than the Sky, although they are so similar, we couldn't tell you why!  Just the overall feeling.

So, there really isn't anything for you to be apprehensive about ... enjoy these new ports of call! 

Have a great trip over and cruise, and maybe we'll see you onboard!

12 hours ago, gsmith2424 said:

I'm on Emerald now and can say yes Causal Dining options do require a reservation (told by staff at each location) which kinda shocked me (this is probably due to the limited space that they have as compared to Royal/Gem class casual options). Tried to get into Gastro on the 2nd night right at opening and nothing was available until 8:30 (all tables were open when we got to Gastro; looked a couple times after but still had 2-3 tables open even after we left after not getting a table). The two that rotate upstairs have both been busy but haven't attempted to go to them yet. This reservation thing on the Emerald has kinda set me back a bit as I've used the casual as a fall back incase nothing was good on the MDR menu. 

 

With that said this hasn't been a normal Princess type crowd on this ship for the May 30-June 9 cruise. We got a lot of younger people on here and kids to the point to where the kids staff is really keeping busy (75-100 kids). Also we got over half the ship that are first timers and probably only 20-25% of the ship is Plat/Elite. With the mix we have on this one the dining trends are a bit different than the last two cruises I've taken on the Sky back in Jan 2023 (Western Caribbean) and Nov 2023 (TA)

 

As for the rotating one upstairs it is themed a little different but not enough to really set them apart from the rest of the buffet. 

Yes, thanks for this info.  Very useful in helping us to plan our first hour onboard! 😅😅

Thanks so much for your review, which we read with great interest as we're boarding the Emerald in just about 2 weeks for the Canada/New England.  We did that same cruise last year on the Caribbean P and we're interested to see how similar (or, what the differences are) between these two ships.

Is it necessary to make reservations for the Gastropub and for Planks/Steamers?  Were they very busy when you went?  Given where Planks/Steamers are located (at the back of the buffet), do you feel they do a good job of making them feel like a nice dining space, as opposed to just an extension of the buffet?

Thanks again and good to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. 

22 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

The weather hasn't (at least for us) been as reliable.

The first 2 or 3 days and last 2 or 3 days have been pretty cool.

This last year we had a lot of rain. It was still a FABULOUS cruise that we want to do again.

The fall works out better for us than the spring but we're looking at doing spring 2025 because of the weather.

Just before Covid Princess did the cruise in February (2020) and that was perfect!!!

Wish they'd repeat that!!!!!

Thanks for your reply.  Good to get input from those of you with experience.  

22 hours ago, SailorJack said:

 

 

We have done this trip twice - both in April and the weather was spectacular both times.  Never done it in  October, but Chamina has.  Maybe she can give you some insight about that time of year.  I would suspect that it would be equally as great or Princess would not schedule the trip for that part of the year..  

 

Chamina?

 

Jack

Thanks for your insight.  Appreciate it.

@Wiseask:  We were just on the Apex in February, followed by 2 Princess cruises, and I'd say that the clothes that both DH and I bring on either line are pretty identical.

DH was overjoyed to say bye bye to bringing a tux, and then subsequently to bringing a jacket on a cruise.  He wears dress pants and a long sleeved dress shirts for the dressier nights, on both X and Princess.  As for me, dressy black pants with various dressy tops for "formal" nights.  As most have said, smart casual dress will be appropriate for all nights.  Nothing wrong, though, with being a little dressier if you feel like it.

15 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

I used to enjoy formal night’s back in the day, but times change.  I think casual is fine with long pants and a nice collared shirt.  No tie, no jacket works just fine.  Here is where I get flamed each and every time.  Shorts and tshirts and ball caps are not appropriate in the MDR at dinner IMHO.

I’m wearing my fire retardant uniform, so have at it.  I’ve heard it all a thousand times before.  lol

👏👏👏👏👏

No flaming whatsoever ... 

We're in utter agreement with your statement.  

We stand in support!

2 hours ago, SailorJack said:

Sounds great! A very romantic story. I did the special dessert once, but once was enough for me.

We also have a 32 day trip coming up and are looking forward to it.  Quite a few more ports and fewer sea days this time around,

 

Jack

Thanks @SailorJack for this entertaining and very interesting review of your cruise.  We've never considered this particular itinerary but your review has us looking at it very seriously.

In 2025, we see that this same itinerary on the Sapphire is offered in both in April and in October.  Do you think the time of year is important for  this cruise, especially weather-wise?  Any other benefits to either of these month options over the other?

Thanks again for a really fun follow-along to your adventures!

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

It was a decent cruise overall. The app was useless for ordering anything, but the app doesn't even exist on other lines so once we got over the frustration of trying to use and just pretended it didn't exist, we were no worse off than we would have been on any line.

 

The food was more good than bad. A few misses, but we didn't go hungry. We really liked the casual dining venues, but can live without the specialty dining when we go back in August.

 

Service and crew were generally great. The only real service problems were the fact that only one person at guest services can handle gift cards which created a big bottle neck with those people with 800 partially gift cards none of which were printed out. Also I felt like the woman at the shore excursion desk was very unsympathetic to our situation and made it seem like we were just idiots because the cruise line had given us the wrong shore excursion ticket. But that all worked out okay in the end.

 

Drinks were certainly good. The ship was a vast improvement over the Emerald. We never had any issues with the internet. I didn't have much luck in the casino, but I rarely do on any cruise ship.

 

Overall, definitely a decent experience. You just learn to avoid and work around most of the mild issues. Not like in the Emerald where the only way to avoid the issues would probably just have been to disembark the ship!

 

This upcoming August cruise was a decent price and is an amazing itinerary, so we decided to stick with it. Still have to actually buy our AARP gift cards and make final payment later today once we are settled in at our friends' place in Brooklyn.

Thanks for your reply.  

We were on Enchanted the week before you, and had a great time.

So, glad to hear that overall, on balance, you enjoyed the cruise.

Hope you enjoy your August cruise.

On 5/9/2024 at 4:02 PM, JamieLogical said:

All of that worked fine, so I am optimistic about being able to work from the ship on August. My husband still hasn't been able to get all of his stuff tested yet though.

 

Wow, I've read all the way to the end of the  Costa Maya/Catch by Rudi post, and it's surprising that you're still considering the 14-day cruise on this ship in August.  

The impression from your review is that you're not very enamoured with this ship or with being back on Princess.  After all your concerns, it certainly seemed like you wouldn't be too keen on doubling your time and experience on her.

13 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Just saw a barefoot man walk up to the Bellini's bar and sit down on one of the stools. This is a bar on deck 7 between Sabatini's and Gigi's, not the pool deck! He was otherwise wearing shorts, a polo shirt, and a baseball cap.

Pretty disgusting and very inappropriate.  

It always strikes me that people are often quite strident in their calls to "ignore what other people are doing, it doesn't affect you".   That's an incorrect argument ... things like this do affect other passengers because it's gross to see, and in many cases, it's also unsanitary.

On our cruise on Enchanted last week, there was a guy sitting at a table in IC, who had slipped his flip flop off and, at first, had his bare foot crossed up on his leg.  DH and I tried to ignore him, and when we came back to our table with our items, he had his foot pressed up on the table. 

Sorry, I'm all about live and let live ... unless it's disgusting AND unsanitary!  We felt like it would have been perfectly appropriate for a Princess employee to ask him to get his bare foot off the table.

Sad that the guy couldn't figure that out himself.

We understand that Princess doesn't want to offend any of their passengers, but there just have to be certain circumstances where they should be able to discreetly (and quickly) advise people when they are offending other passengers.

Rant over ... 

13 hours ago, bandp407 said:

We will be taking our first Princess Cruise ( our 41st cruise ) on the Enchanted on May 18. For us too, the ship is our destination. We rarely get off. It’s been great to hear so many lovely reviews. We are truly looking forward to it! Take Five could be our favorite too! 

Well, you've definitely chosen a beauty of a ship for your first Princess cruise. 

As you can see by our sign off, we've been on many cruises on many cruise lines, and for now at least, we're finding that we're most satisfied with Princess.

No cruise or cruise line "has it all" or is perfect, so as long as you aren't looking for those, we think you'll enjoy yourselves!

Have a great upcoming cruise!

Hi @2 to Sea,

Enjoyed your Live From, as we just got off the beautiful Enchanted this morning as well!  So interesting to get someone else's perspective!  

Our experience was quite a bit different from yours, as we've cruised the Caribbean so much over the years, and we live at the beach in Florida, so for us, the ship is the destination and we don't get off at all.  Hearing about your excursions was interesting.

We also loved Take Five, and ended up there most nights.

Thanks for this fun review!  

23 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

For LaGuardia and JFK, I don't see why you would take the ferry to Wall Street. For LaGuardia that takes you out of the way and makes you drive the full length of Manhattan. For JFK, it takes you in the complete opposite direction.

 

PS: I have taken Lyft from the Brooklyn terminal to JFK and LaGuardia without incident. I don't see any need to pay extra for the ferry and go in the wrong direction if you just intend to Uber/Lyft from Wall Street to LGA or JFK.

 

Thanks.  That's good info and exactly what we were looking for.

19 hours ago, Crown Vic said:

Wanna escape Red Hook’s traffic congestion? Hop the ferry to Wall Street and cab/Uber from there. Just a thought…

To get to LaGuardia, which is better: from Red Hook or from the ferry drop off at Wall St?  We've never done either, and we aren't familiar with the geography of it.  Thanks.

4 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Thank you. It is funny we missed it by one week. 
 

You will recognize one of the entertainment crew members from our sky sailing. He said the 12/9 sky sailing was his first there and then they moved him here. He is very funny. 
 

I miss vines but the duo playing in O'Malleys are fantastic. Make sure you see them. 

We'll be sure to spend our fair share of time in O'Malley's as we've got Premier and will definitely take advantage.  

Is O'Malley's open for lunch and dinner most days, but especially on sea days?  Even if you're not having a meal, are people in there just to have a drink and listen to the band?

Congrats on scoring seats in the Sanctuary ... happy places within happy places!  

Thank you for this great review.  Enjoying it so much as we'll be on the Enchanted for the first time next week.

We were on the Sky at the same time as you were back in December (the Porsche cruise, as we've taken to calling it in this household! 😅) and we thought it was funny that we missed being on the Enchanted at the same time by just a week.  Sounds like we're on a similar cruise schedule!

Hope you continue to have a fabulous time this week, and we'll be looking forward to hearing more of your impressions.

5 hours ago, Gimer said:

Just saw this on two Jr. Buffet Wait Tray, stuck on to their Medallion Ordering Device.  One ducks and one with an Alien.  

Oh wow! You're seeing cruising ducks everywhere!  Thanks for posting this ... utterly cute and it made me smile (as the ducks always do).  👍

Whenever we've tried to do the upgrade ourselves online (and this has always been pre-final balance payment), we get a message telling us to contact our travel agent.  The first time, we also tried calling and speaking to a CSR, and they said that if you are working with a TA, the transaction must be done through them.  We did that and the cost was added onto our balance payment.

We're wondering if it would be different if we tried doing it after final payment had been made.  But that hasn't suited our timing so far, so we're left to wonder.

But it was easy doing it through the TA.

@JGmf:  Thanks so much for doing this review of your cruise on the Enchanted.  We'll be sailing on her next month, and then again for a

14-nighter to the ABC's in August, so we really appreciate your insights and, of course, your photos.  

12 hours ago, Gimer said:

Off Crown in January.  Future Cruise Consultant Beulah is a big collector. 

Thank you for posting these photos ... they made me smile so hard when I saw them this morning!  Cuteness overload!

I'm not especially impressed when I find a really tiny one, but the littlest ones in the photo are adorable to look at.

Now ... I MUST find one of the ones with the Einstein wild "hair"! 🤞😂

12 hours ago, cruisepest said:

here is a better picture of my duck.

Your ducks are adorable!  They are really cute ones and I like that they're white, not yellow (don't ask me why 😂😂🤔).

Like someone mentioned above, when I first heard of this hiding and finding duck "phenomenon", I wondered why people were so into it.

Then I walked off an elevator and found my first duck ... I was pretty excited!  Then I thought "ooooh, I get it now!".

For some reason though, the 4 I've found, are all a little weird-looking!  They've all got some strange little features!  ( I still like having them though. 👍). 

But your ducks are extremely cute!  

13 hours ago, shiner6 said:

Robcat, Just wondering which part of Florida are you from? I will be in Cocoa beach visiting my sister soon--anywhere near there?

We're in South Florida, so not too close to the Central area (although we do really like finding cruises that leave from Port Canaveral ... it's a nice change from Miami and FLL!)

Enjoy your visit to Cocoa Beach, and if you get a chance over a weekend, you can go to see cruise ships departing from PC.  It can be fun to sit and watch them cruising past you! 

15 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I think we might be in the same situation. Our first TA is to Rome in November also. I  booked another TA from Barcelona to Florida in February.  So, today I stated looking for advice and found this thread. I always take a homemade first aid kit. I do not wear makeup (I have makeup tattoos) lol!  Our hair products are in bar form (they work really well).  Since we limit ourselves to one carryon and 1backpack, we also limit our clothing to mostly Merino wool which can be worn multiple times between laundering. A great site is called Wool & Prince. I take a few silk scarves and jewelry to dress up with. Hope this helps!

Hope you're finding this thread as interesting and as useful as I have!

The idea of makeup tattoos is intriguing ... like eyeliner and such?  

And what is bar products for hair?  Wracking my brain but can't remember ever seeing anything like that.

Oh, and thanks for the Wool and Prince suggestion ... will definitely check it out.

Enjoy your upcoming TA's ... we're really looking forward to them!

5 hours ago, rdsqrl said:

Suggestions From a High-Maintenance Traveler:

 

Shampoo/Conditioner:  I buy 5-oz tubes of Nexxus Therappe Shampoo/Humectress Conditioner (available at Target). That has lasted me for trips up to 4 weeks.  It's not my preferred brand (I'm an Aveda girl) but it treats my hair well with the ship's soft water.

 

Styling:  I use Aveda Invati Thickening Foam and have to take it with me; there's no comparison to anything else! 

 

Hairspray:  Buy in port city

 

My preferred hair spray, Ellnet, is readily available in Europe, along with plenty of high-end stying products.  I wouldn't hesitate to just leave them out and purchase them upon arrival.  Plus, I purchase sunscreen and hand lotion also upon arrival. 

 

Moisturizer:  Lancome (or your preferred brand) free gifts!  They almost always include moisturizer in a perfect size for travel, sometimes eye cream, too.  The secret is buy something and get the free gift every time the promo is offered; that way, I have a stock of little pots of cream ready to go.

 

Foundation:  I ask at the make-up counter (when I'm buying the aforementioned free-gift eligible purchase) for a couple of the tiny little plastic bottles they put foundation samples in.  I fill 'em up at home and take 2-3 with me, depending upon the length of the trip. 

 

Toothpaste:  This is a problem I have.  I run out on every trip, and have a lovely collection of toothpaste containers from random ports around the world.  So my advice here is don't be like me:  bring more than you think you need!  But I never have any trouble finding Crest or its equivalent in some far-flung region.  

 

 

Thanks so much for this great reply!  Very useful info! 

Had to laugh at the "Gift with Purchase" suggestion ... for years, I'd always have store schedules for all my favorite brands of when they were having their promos!  Too bad for me if I ran out of something I liked when a promo wasn't running ... I'd wait to get those goodie bags (and soooo many make-up bags!)