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Wow, thank you all for your suggestions. On Cassamonda's advice, we have decided not to do the Koala park. Tripadvisor had conflicting reports on the Park and it sounds like the excursion will involve some uninteresting motorway driving.

 

We'll look more carefully into the other options everyone has given us.

 

Thanks again!

Btw, there is a very nice up close Koala exhibit at the Taronga zoo and for a fee you can get your picture taken with one. You cannot hold him, but can get your picture with one.

On our recent cruise on the Royal the band played "regular" music. I would guess 60's- 2000's. The piazza was filled with lots of people dancing but they seemed to know how to dance… jitterbug, etc so we did not go out on the dance floor. The band was great, loved their music and people danced. I guess it depends on the band and the passengers on board.

Don't hesitate to get out there and HAVE FUN!! Over the past five years I have taken 7 cruises, some as long as 14 days and have never come back with more than 1 extra pound attached to my hips. I eat whatever I want, drink whatever I want and don't work out, but usually hit the dance floor after the evening show. Lot more fun the fitness room. :)

We spent 5 days in Sydney pre-cruise in January and my favorite thing was the tour of the Opera House. They have an early bird tour, if I remember correctly, I think they were at 9:00 and 9:30. Not only did they give you a discount, but the group was very small (around 8 people) and we were able to go into every venue in the opera house, a few of the most interesting halls close for rehearsal around 10am. The inside was just as fascinating, maybe more, than the outside. Since the opera house is right at the Quay, you could take the ferry across to the Taronga Zoo, if animals are of interest to you. It sits on the harbor just across from the opera house and a combination ticket is available right at the ferry dock. For one price you get a ferry ticket, cable car ticket (the zoo is built on the hillside, and you cable car it up on the way there and make your way down the zoo to the water to ferry back), and the zoo ticket. Sydney is a very lovely city, and the people are terrific. I'm sure you will have a great time no matter what you do.

I like most things about Princess, especially the itineraries and prices. I get nice quality for a reasonable price and get to see places I never in my wildest dreams thought I would go. So no, I don't drink lattes and am perfectly happy to go up to the horizon court and get regular coffee, if it means I can still afford to travel the world while someone cleans my room twice a day and cooks me as many meals as I can eat.

As people have said everything is subjective, some people like big ships, some small ships. Some people hate to be bothered having their picture taken, others love the opportunity to remember what may have been their one and only dream trip. I have never been forced to buy anything and if it keeps the prices lower, I am ok with the current amount of hawking. I think frequent cruisers gravitate to a certain cruise line because they feel that it suits them best. So if execs at CCL take anything away from this thread it will ideas that can be easily solved while fitting in with their business plan.

That being said, I will pile on my two cents worth:

I would love to see one transatlantic voyage a year that stops in Iceland and Greenland. It was on our bucket list and we did the others first and now they don't offer it anymore.

I also agree with bringing back the "Escape Completely" slogan. I thought it was perfect, although with the amount of people that are upset with the internet, I guess escaping is not important to anyone but me.:)

Really? Seemed they always had a live band playing in the atrium during our cruise. I saw many couples dancing every night as we walked to/from the MDR.

My husband and I love to dance and too frequently IMHO the band in the Piazza was playing music most people do not know how to dance to - tango, rhumba, etc. I would love to see some good old fashioned dance music (slow and fast). The kind like they play at weddings to pack the dance floor. Most nights, it was the same 6-8 couples, who were outstanding ballroom dancers, but one night they played some "regular" music and it was packed.

The shuttle I was referring to is strictly for the cruise ship. It leaves at 9:30 from the ship. We asked for an independent disembarkation for 8:30 and when we got off they were waiting for us in the terminal.

http://www.silver-fleet.co.uk/page.aspx?page=southampton-cruise-shuttle-to-and-from-london-and-heathrow&gclid=CJKRsMepq8QCFcOGaQodwLQAug

I don't remember the enigma machine you are referring to, there was so much to see. If you are a real Churchill fan, you can probably spend 8 hours there. We spent about 1 1/2 and got a good flavor for it. I was surprised to see that the complex was not that far underground.

Using deck 7 as a walk through would be preferable if you ask me Donna. We had an aft cabin on Britannia (which also lacked midship stairs above deck 7) and it wasn't a pain at all. However the day we walked to the midship lifts we waited for ages so I would avoid those.

 

I like the sound of Alfredos being complementary. Any recommendations?

They had a dish where eggplant was stuffed with angel hair pasta, and a very good Calzone. The Calzone was very large, good to share with maybe a soup or salad.

We just got off a transatlantic to Southampton and used Silver Fleet's shuttle to get back to London. It was very convenient and efficient. Driver had a card right in the port terminal and off we went. As for London, we stayed at the Renaissance St. Pancras, it's not cheap but we stayed on points. Best part it is VERY convenient to most of the Underground lines. You do not even have to go outside to get to the underground. We bought an Oyster Pass, you can buy it at the kiosk or at the information booth. It is a deposit of 5 pounds for the card and a maximum of 6.40 pounds per day within zone 1 of London (which incorporates all the regular touristy things). Each person needs their own card, when you are done with them you can return them and get your deposit back. We were there a few days and did the 3 day London pass, the Underground was safe, efficient and economical. Never did we wait longer than 90 seconds for a train. The construction and logistics of the system is something to see in and of itself. We did go to the Churchill war rooms and it is worth the trip. It is very near Trafalgar square. You can get a one day London pass and do the following, if you are ambitious: Churchill War Rooms, Apsley house (closed certain days), Big ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and the Thames river hop on hop off. All these things are included in the pass. If you are speedy, you can take the river cruise down to the Tower of London (also in the pass, and skip the line). I did not feel the following were worth the time: Tower Bridge exhibit, HMS Belfast, and the Monument. Hope this helps, have a great time.

We were just on the Royal's Transatlantic this month. We love large ships and obviously it is, but heard many negative comments. A few of them are very true, the biggest one being that there is no center staircase-very inconvenient especially since our cabin was center ship. Another negative in my eyes is the Princess Live theatre instead of the old Explorer's Lounge and no Skywalkers Lounge in the rear of the ship. I liked the new Princess Theatre, but was disappointed that there are no side exits, it makes it very inconvenient because people have to get up for everybody going down their aisle. Plus I think it's a little bit of a safety issue. That being said everything else about this ship is terrific. Crooners and Vines are much larger which they needed, because I have been on ships where they put folding chairs in the aisle outside of Crooners because of the crowd. Horizon Court is amazing! The dining rooms are lovely and the addition of the "wine rooms" in the center is a nice touch. We were fortunate enough to do the winemaker's dinner and the Chef's dinner lumiere and if you get the chance I would take the opportunity. Many people complained about no promenade deck on 7, there are plenty of places to step out or sit outside on that deck, just no place to stroll. I did not miss it because there is a nice walking/jogging path at the top of the ship. It is convenient, unencumbered and is a beautiful view considering the height. I also very much like the way the purser's desk is located, it feels more like a hotel lobby and doesn't take up precious piazza space. The piazza is probably the best part of the new design. It is much larger than their others and encompasses new features such as Bellini's champagne bar, Alfredo's and Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar (where you can get the Crab Margarita). Also be sure to check out the Ocean Walk, very cool. As on all Princess ships I have been on, the food and the staff are terrific, you will have a great time.

Note made to take a collapsible insulated shopping bag with me-I DO need to get something to eat cold for the previous night's tea at the hotel--fussy eater-so your post has reminded me to put this on my list! I could buy another bag if I got to the supermarket and remembered I'd forgotten to bring it, but I have plenty already so why waste money-it's a can of soft drink or some casino credit for me by bringing my own? Thanks for the discreet prompt about a possible problem, now planned for! 54 weeks today to flying to Melbourne to embark, so will be in Melbourne, and getting excited!

 

Crochetcruise :cool:

When we were on the Diamond in January (Australia/NZ), there was no happy hour and, by the way, no wine packages. There was some issue in that part of the world with discounted liquor. On the Royal this month, happy hour was in full swing, but you could not get bottles of wine. Everything else was 2-for-1, cocktails, martinis, beer, wine by the glass, little bottles of Korbel, soda, bottled water, you name it. I also noticed if you liked a drink that was not on the list at Crooner's, most of the time they would make it for you e.g. Mojito, Mai Tai, etc. If you are on the Royal, look for Frankie, he will take care of you.

The above posters are correct, try to board the ship as early as possible. The dine line opens at noon on most cruises, call as soon as it opens. The Chef's Table is never on formal night or, as mentioned above, on a night where you are still in port late. Sometimes the head waiters in the specialty restaurants have a schedule of the dinner schedule for the entire cruise.

Also, they do not have the Chef's Table on cruises shorter than 7 days. We were fortunate enough to do the Chef's Table Lumiere on the Royal last month and it was terrific. Worth the price in my estimation, but I am a foodie. Good luck!

We were just there in early May and did not prebook a taxi, we were going to do the train thing. There were six of us and at breakfast we decided timing would be more adventageous for the reason listed above. We walked off the ship and there was a taxi driver with a mini van there (50 steps from the gangway) and we asked how much to drop us in Bruges and he said 50E so we jumped in and on the way made arrangements for him to pick us up in the afternoon. I know we were lucky but, just saying, if you cannot prebook, look around. This guy was inside the gate. Also coming back, there were several taxis in town. This is definitely the way to go. I wish I would remember the company. Anyway, enjoy Bruges it was one of our favorite stops. If you are a beer drinker, make sure you hit the Bottle Shop.

Glad to hear all ended well. We were on the Diamond outside of Singapore in 2013 and a crew member had to be airlifted off the ship. They called for blood donors and this a good thread to remind all of us who want to know because we care, they will not let you donate blood unless you can show your donor card. So packing it with the other 7000 things in your suitcase is a way to help out.

Completely unscientific, but we have always got our best travel bargains Sunday morning (Central Standard Time if it makes a difference). My DH had been searching for RT tickets to Sydney for the Australia/NZ cruise for months and by chance we looked at Princess EZ air one Sunday we found tickets $1000 (each) cheaper than any fare he saw. I can think of 5 or 6 occasions where Sunday was a good to find a bargain.

Two weeks from this very minute I will be on the Royal somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic lamenting which two pastries to choose in the IC. :D

Sorry for your troubles, glad you're back. This thread always is a great way to daydream for a few minutes and get our minds off any complications in our lives. Best wishes.

We took our kids to Alaska when they were slightly younger than your kids. It is still their favorite trip! Probably the only thing they have ever agreed on as brother and sister and they are now well into their twenties. One suggestion, since it is the first cruise for all of you, is to maybe pack some Seabands or ginger tablets. Our son was never seasick, but was ill on our Alaskan cruise. Enjoy! So happy for your family.

Good plan!

Thanks for the info, we are on the 14 day TA and with all those sea days we are going to need a punch card. ;) I was concerned because we were on the Diamond Aus/NZ in January and they did not offer the wine package even though it was 12 days. Appreciate the help.

Do they offer the wine packages on the Royal Princess? Does anyone know the current prices for the silver and gold packages? Thanks in advance.

The only place we ever had the slightest bit of trouble not having a chip card was in the Baltic countries, but even then they had a different way of entering the card. If you have a Charles Scwab debit card, they refund the ATM fees and give you a decent exchange rate, so we just take that along and stop at the first ATM we see.

We can ordinarily get Nobilo Sav Blanc on sale for $8.99-9.99 at home so I can't bring myself to pay up for it. We were just in Australia/New Zealand in January and a wine shop owner convinced us to try the Australian Savignon Blancs. They are entirely different than the New Zealand variety (of which I am a huge fan, btw), they have much less acid and citrus and are more like what we used to get as a French Columbard or Chenin Blanc. Some were very good. Although I highly suggest a crisp NZ Savignon Blanc with spicy food and/or sushi. I do not see my favorite red on the list anymore, which was The Spur, red blend. I do agree with the previous poster about the Chateauneuf du Pape, tastes very much like a nice thick Syrah and is a good price.

We always book a guarantee and have been assigned at various times. We booked a guarantee inside on the Royal and were almost immediately given an IA category in a perfect location with one of those sideways cabins that everyone seems to love (haven't been yet, so ?). Our last cruise we had a guarantee obstructed oceanview and were not assigned until about 10 days out. My TA said that usually they wait until the ship is sold out and then they assign everyone at once. She claimed the later they wait, usually the better cabin you get. Well... although we had a terrific location, our view was completely obstructed by a storage locker, lol. I'd be happy to sleep in Vines if necessary as long as I'm on the ship. Good luck.

We were on the Diamond in Australia/NZ in January and they had a physics professor lecturing on the Big Bang and other physics topics. I wish I could remember his name, but he was wonderful. The first lecture was fairly well attended, but his following grew throughout the cruise. I want to say he gave 5 lectures in total. It was nice to stretch the brain considering I usually have a hard time remembering what day it is when I am cruising.

This will be the first drink I order when I board the Royal on 4/25!