lindy sails

No reservations on line. You will need to go directly to the Sanctuary when you board first come first serve. You can reserve a chair for specific days or the week.

On NCL you go to the passenger service desk to purchase a chair for the week. It was $79 last year for the entire week. The Sanctuary in Dec. was $30 a day and I believe $20 for a half day. Both are adult only areas. The Sanctuary is much more serene. NCL definitely has a Vibe.

On the Royal & Regal the adult pool and hot tubs are located right outside the entrance. It was well worth the cost to have a chair reserved no matter what time we arrived.

On the Getaway there was a big bar, regular drink service and fresh fruit was given out plus cold towels.

It had a pretty young crowd the week we sailed. The Sanctuary has more of a spa atmosphere and guests of all ages. The staff will provide bar service and there is a $3.00 service charge for their menu items. We've always enjoyed it. There is more options for getting sun at Vibe. It's more of an open area but there are umbrellas and clam shells. On the Regal the best chairs to get sun were part of the cabanas which you rent. There is a lot of covering for those who do not want direct sun.

NCL Vibe is larger and more seating. We've literally ran to the Sanctuary to purchase a seat since the seating is limited. I'd suggest getting there early they will give you a tour and if your interested you then select your chair. Hope this helps

Can you try downloading the previous photos again?

Hope to see photos of your cabin and balcony. Looking forward to reading more of your review.

Hi Jeannie,

In reading your blog I discovered we were both at the Embassy Suites on 1/3. We disembarked our Regal 14 day cruise on Sunday and flew home on Monday,

Being a die heart Browns fan, I was at Duffy's watching the final game with the Steelers so I missed the ES happy hour. When I returned to ES I went directly to my room to watch the first episode of Downton Abbey. That would have been awesome to run into you and Greg. Maybe next time our paths will cross. Happy cruising and go Broncos!

Linda

Hey Heather-

 

Just a quick update. I may now have more opportunity to travel as a solo. My mom (and travel partner extraordinaire) is gone, and my husband just does not have much vacation time. So, I have been looking into solo travel. As you may (or may not) know, I was a researcher in my past life and I just love to research stuff.

 

 

 

In researching cruise options for solos, I ran across a very well known on-line website for cruise booking. It has about a million (ok, that is an exaggeration) search parameters-- and a place where you can actually just enter "Singles/ Solo Cruisers". Lots of options came up for cruises all over the world. If you look in the right hand column, it tells what is the percentage for the single supplement. Many cruise lines do not have a single supplement, others charge less than 50%.

 

 

 

It did give me lots and lots of food for thought, and I thought I would share this with you.

 

 

 

The lesson here: If you are a solo, Princess is probably not going to be the cruise line for you (or me). I am going to look into Azamara, Oceania, NCL, and maybe even Silver Sea.

 

 

 

I hope you find some great options too!

 

 

 

Good luck!

 

Tracie-Lynn

Thanks for the great research Tracie-Lynn! [emoji3]

I was also on the Regal for the 14 day Christmas and New Year's cruise and it was fabulous! Princess does an awesome job celebrating holidays. I have to agree the ship did not feel crowded and children were kept busy.

I am spoiled and it will be hard not to book the Regal or the Royal. In fact I have already booked next Christmas. Sorry we did not have the opportunity to meet you at the M & G.

Happy New Year Jeannie &

Greg!

I've been following your blog and have loved reading it every day. Karen, her mom Anne , Sheila and I (we met a few years ago on the Christmas Emerald cruise) cruised together again this year on the Regal Christmas/New Years. It was fabulous and so hard to come home to the cold Ohio weather. I'll be cheering on the Broncos on Super Bowl Sunday! Any team that beats New England deserves to win it all. Enjoy those precious days left on your cruise. Love all your photos too! Makes me feel like I'm right there with you.

Cheers!

Linda

I was on the Christmas/New Years cruise and we did not leave the ship. There were over 700 B2B passengers and we gathered in the Princess Theatre. It went fairly quickly except there were a few passengers that were paged several times. They wouldn't begin until everyone was present. There is a TJ Maxx in the Harbor Shops next to Publix and Total Wine. Ross's is across 17 th St in another plaza. If you want to shop at the mall you can jump on the Trolley, UBer or taxi to the Galleria mall. Very nice shopping! Have a wonderful cruise! We loved the

Regal.

I was in E225 last month and loved it. It was a few cabins away from the forward stairs and elevators.

I was on the Regal Christmas/NewYears cruise and had the salmon for lunch on embarkation day.

Stayed in L102. Estimated balcony was approximately 15' x 15'. It was large, but often windy. Also could not see the water unless standing at the front of the balcony, as it is a solid steel railing rather than glass. Next door, 103/104 was a about 3 to 4 feet narrower and slightly shorter in depth, as it rounds out with the ship. L101 and L102 are the same sizes.

Thanks so much!

I was on the Regal the last week of March- 7 day cruise and the 14 day Christmas and New Years cruise. Although there were more extended families on the cruise last month it never felt really crowded nor were there lines. I will say Princess needs to address the chair hogs situation which was bad on both cruises. On other lines pool attendants actually monitored chairs and removed towels after 30 minutes. It's really not fair to hold chairs for hours that are empty.

We had L104. It was smaller than the others but it was still HUGE!

 

 

 

Cheers, Denise

Thanks for letting me know! Cabin 101 has the larger balcony and the cabin is 244sq ft.

I called Princess and the rep said 103 had the larger balcony it is 303 sq ft. I've seen photos of the balcony on cabin 101 and it was huge. Not sure how informed the reps are about the cabins.

Way more than 1 or 2 square feet - it's more than 1/3 smaller.

Thanks! Does anyone know which other balcony is the size of 101?

Does Cabin 103 on the Lido deck have the same size balcony as 101?

I am at the Regal terminal. I purchased a duffle bag last night after reading this thread for the water. My friend did not and the porter took her case of water. I asked my porter and he said they were beginning not to accept the cases of water since they can break. He said I was wise to use the duffle bag for water and soda.

Costa Maya......

Great place. Best to take the shuttle over to town.

Its about a 5-10 minute ride.

Beautiful beach with shops and restaurants.

That is good to hear. We will be there on New Years Day. Thanks!

You have no idea what those words mean to me. Thank you for that.

I began going on Christmas cruises the year after my mother passed away -7 years ago. I always take a few holiday photos along to remind me of all of the good times we shared together. Enjoy the Panama Canal.

By the way I got my cabin assignment yesterday for the Xmas/NYE cruise on the Regal. So I better start packing!

Thank you! I am taking my mom to the Panama Canal... well, a little bit of my mom... and sort of not in her original form... but she will be with me.;)

You are an awesome daughter Tracie!

You sure have that right. My mom and I returned home from the British Isles on July 8. On July 24, she was gone. I am so grateful that my final memories of her are attached to the very things we most cherished: family and travel. And I know that it happened just the way she would have wanted it.

So glad you have those memories! I miss traveling with my mom and so glad we shared that time together. Wishing you the seasons best.

I would guess it does. That is what happened on our Singapore Sapphire cruise. It was sold out for a really long time... and then the move over offer came. First they offered it to people from Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries. Then they offered it to Aussie and New Zealanders. By the time the offer came to us in the US, they had done a lot to sweeten the deal. My TA is pretty well known, and she found out that they needed 4 balcony cabins (I think). Two American couples and two Russian couples took the deal. While I hated to miss Indonesia with my mom, we were wise to take the offer. It really did work out for the best.

I've followed your reviews and have enjoyed them and your writing style. I think it's neat you and your mom travel the world together!

Wow that is the Mack-daddy!

I've learned a lot from reading these posts. I'm also on the 12/20-1/3 Regal cruise. There are several of us who booked gty deluxe balconies without cabin assignments yet. I wonder if the sold out ship has anything to do the cabin assignments.

My friend who only previously sailed RCCL is booked on the Regal Dec. 20th with her two teenagers. She was just called by Princess and was offered $1,500 and upgrade her deluxe balcony M101 if she "abandons ship". The only other time she can go will be school break. She is asking my advice. I am going anyway as it is what I do with DM every year fro Christmas. I don't know if this is a good offer or not. Any advice I can pass along will be appreciated. Thanks![/

 

Is the $1500 in addition to what she paid for her cruise? Plus an upgrade? I'm sure she would like to cruise with you and your DM for the holiday. That would be a tough decision. Although if she is getting an additional $1500 she could book two cruises. Next Christmas and another during one of her school breaks.

Let us know what she decides.

Linda

The Just Suite has our approval!

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Oh wow, the verandah is fabulous!

Bon Voyage! [emoji41]