releck97

2 minutes ago, NorthwestCruiser said:

It is some sort of large passenger vessel, I don't have a subscription to Marine Traffic to unlock the IMO number.   Usually the CG vessels will show up in a different color, I'm not really sure what it means that the name is not displayed on marine traffic, my *guess* is that the name has been blanked out on the AIS but the vessel type (passenger) should still be accurate.  When the CG and the Navy want to be sneaky they don't transmit at all, which is a pain but off topic.  (We have a lot of sub and aircraft carrier traffic.)

 

They can't possibly be trying to transfer 2000 people or so at sea, can they?   It would be exciting.   It is a very large vessel (the blocky diagram is based on the programmed ship dimensions.)

It appears to me to be a false ping of the GP itself.

My daughter is on this ship (inside cabin). Food service has been slow and selections have been reduced somewhat, but she says there has been no shortage of food for them. Regardless, they are not very hungry because all they are doing is sitting around in their cabin.

3 hours ago, polmcs said:

Cruises booked through a US TA, or directly with Princess here in the US do not have gratuities included in the cruise fare and those gratuities will be added to your onboard account, unless you get them included under a promo such as best sake ever.

Thank you for the informative reply.

My DW and I are looking at a Sydney-Sydney New Zealand cruise on the Regal in January 2021. This will be our first cruise down under. I've been out of touch for the past couple of weeks and have just started to catch back up (babysitting a mother with dementia). What is the gratuity policy on a non-Australia based ship cruising out of Australia? Is this sale worthwhile if auto-tips are not a "thing"? Thanks for any info and I apologize if this is has already been covered.

Island Princess has a wonderful library! Board games are stored in the library, but because of its size, this is not an issue. Many chairs for reading as well as tables for gaming.

23 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

 

Good to know.  I had been told that if the ship is sailing into the wind it's like riding a motorcycle.  I should have phrased my comment better.  I meant to say it wasn't practical to use the balcony when under way rather than implying there was some rule.  It sounds like it's more a function of wind direction and speed. 

It can be a bit confusing. There is a decal on the balcony door which states that the balcony is not to be used while underway. Our steward told us to be mindful of the wind, but that we could use it whenever we wished. We were fortunate enough to always be sailing with the wind during our cruise!

13 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I don't think you can use the forward facing balconies when under way.

We used ours everyday and night on our 12 day British Isles cruise last summer. Very little wind throughout the cruise and a great place for our daily pre-dinner cocktail parties! We had L108 and M108.

3 hours ago, caribill said:

And sometimes it is open only when in port.

What it is is the roof of the Bridge.

I hardly ever see anyone else out there when I go out there.

The item covered up on that deck (in the background) is the compass. You will see that it is amidships.

2 hours ago, oskidunker said:

How was the upcharged food?

I ordered the filet mignon and was extremely disappointed with it. However, the "free" petite filet on surf and turf night was delicious. This was on the Crown Princess 10 days ago.

Still no new beer list.

My dw and I were surprised to see a full menu today in the DaVinci Dining Room. Our waiter said they rolled it out a couple of months ago.

So sorry to hear about this. This can be very disrupting, especially for afternoon naps.  On a lighter note, be careful what you wish for...you know, when the drumming stops, the bass takes a solo...

2 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just curious, how did you wind up with refundable credit? From what I understand, all of the OBC Princess issues like shareholder benefits, military service OBC and from their promotions is nonrefundable. Did you get it from your TA or is some of the Princess-issued OBC refundable?

Oftentimes, Princess issued OBC is refundable. One example involves a move-down or similar offer.

I guess I can't post the entire address here. It is vinow. Insert this after the www.

https://www.*****/cruise/ship-schedule/

Not a Princess ship at the time, Fairsea (later Fair Princess) in 1980. Princess bought out Sitmar in 1988 and she was re-named. The Princess pizza legacy came over from Sitmar. People would wait forever to get a fresh pie made for them in the pizzeria. That pizza was truly amazing.

20 hours ago, cheezenip said:

 

The thing that stood out the most was the dishes were saltier (i.e., mask the decline in food quality by adding salt).

 

 

This!  Everything was salted to death on our Island Princess cruise a few weeks ago. 

Double post.

Crew mess is extremely varied and nutritious. It takes into account the various cultures and diets of the people serving. Yes, it is cafeteria style. From personal experience, it's certainly not gourmet, but it's not dog food. All members of the staff and crew CAN eat there. Crew does not have the option of eating elsewhere. You will see some staff members and entertainers eating in the Horizon Court at off hours. Staff members do have their own dining room. As for sampling, waiters have told us all of the above. On our October Regal cruise, our waiter told us they were able to sample SOME of the new wines. 

In regards to the pools: They were heated on the Regal in October. As far as I know, the only ships that have covers on pools are the Island and Coral.

Just got off the Island.  Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin was the IPA. They also had Ballast Point Sculpin. Although not listed, Gulden Draak was available.

11 hours ago, cherylandtk said:

We used to arrive early, say 10:30 or so, and we enjoyed talking to the other cruisers waiting in line and then in the chairs.  We did this from no status, through platinum and then elite.  Within the last couple of years we have found we like arriving after 12:30 to 1 and we essentially just walk right through the boarding process just after the crush of early arrivals. YMMV

I concur. We walked straight on the Island two weeks ago at 12:45. Dropped our bags off at our room, met our steward and were seated in the MDR shortly after 1:00. Previously, I was always a pre-noon kinda person.

12 minutes ago, charlie murphy said:

uninspired!

unless you like to try lite beers. gone are the days of only on light beer choice! O'Gee wiz let me see do i like Bud light, miller lite, Coors light , Michelob ultra, or oh wait -- Heineken light. Do not worry mister! On board a  Princess ship ,  by the end of the cruise or day ( for that matter)  you will realize they all taste like water! gone are the days!

now the rest of the list:

OK , I see it,  Red Stripe in the Caribbean 

 

bud and miller GD are standard and not new. ( boring but "the Standard")  

Grolsh standard on the ship,  everyone seems to like the larger bottle. 

Corona and Dos xx. standard far for Mexico cruise. ( but test better on the beach in cabo or with fish tacos then pool side) 

perononi and Pilsner Erquell ( ok nice additions) 

stella ( import bud, or bud is export stella ) duplicate 

fosters oil can ( is that Foster's lager or ale ) either way . NOT a 10 $ beer. ( retail ( 2 )25 once cans / 4 $ )  I think I paid 10 or 11 $ for Gulden Druuk, on ship over the summer retail ( 20 to 22$ / 4 pack. I was OK at this price point) NOT for Fosters! Fosters 25 oz at 8$ ok I get it. 

Tiger OK . I get it. 

SA, SN, Lagunitas standard supermarket fair for west coasters in the US . 

Bass and Guinness standard and I would but them on the list. 

blue moon ( coors brewing) and Sofie are hardly Belgian BEERS! ( look for gulden druuk on board!) Do Insult the Belgians with these beers~! 

 

5 NEW light beers! oh wait maybe that is also a  bump up to the bottled water selection too! 

 

well don't go on a cruise for a wine or beer bar , bottom line. 

 

 

 

Although i agree with your opinion regarding the uninspired beer list, at least there is now something I will drink. Landside, a bar with this kind of a beer list would definitely not be one I'd be excited about visiting, but I'd order a Lagunitas of Sierra Nevada if I ended up there. Gulden Draak availability is hit and miss on Princess and very pricey.

Nee Nee and Biddy posted this on her Regal review just a few minutes ago. It's not great, but it's certainly an improvement. Looks like it's being rolled out on multiple ships. 

14 minutes ago, Nee Nee and Biddy said:

Thanks for all of the great replies! I should have practiced this at home on a real computer before I left and had to figure out how to do it on a small phone. I can’t seem to reply to anyone, but I do see your posts and I I appreciate them!!! I will figure it out when I get home. 

I purchased the unlimited internet package for $59.99 before the cruise and it is working very well. I did have to go to the Internet Café to get a little help, since my free Elite minutes were showing up but the unlimited plan wasn’t. They fixed everything quickly, but the lines were crazy long tonight. 

We went to the 8:00 show, Sweet Soul Music. I enjoyed it but we were all still a little “happy” from the drinks so that might have helped. I am happy to report that everyone in my group continues to get along and there has been no drama or annoyed people. Of course, the trip is still young, but there does seem to be a lot of good Christmas spirit going around the ship. 

 

After the show, Gemma and I went up to the buffet for some ice water. It is extremely convenient to just walk up one flight of stairs from our room and be at the buffet. Tonight was the Monogolian BBQ night and it smelled amazing. I am so full of food and alcohol that I couldn’t even try anything. I assume my stomach will stretch out soon and I’ll be able to sample more, purely for research purposes. 😉

 

Gemma turned in early in her little bunk bed and the boys are watching some kind of violent and loud movie on the TV that I have no interest in.   Everyone is relaxed and feeling good. It’s hard for me to believe that we are actually on the ship, after waiting so long for this trip. Going on a Princess Cruise for us is kind of like going home.  It’s comfortable and familiar. Tomorrow we will be at Princess Cay at 9. Billy and I have big plans to get up early and watch the sun rise. 

 

Someone asked about the beer menu I think? Here it is: 

Thank you so much! Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for posting! Can you let us know what the beer list looks like? The Royal just debuted the new one yesterday, Curious if it has gone fleet wide.  Thanks again!