socram13

Todd McBain was Captain on our first cruise with Princess 2011. Fantastic Captain.

Enjoyed Kelvin Joy on the Emerald years ago! Looking forward to the Coral in December.  

Does anyone know what Mark Turner (previously Entertainments) is doing now? 

Should the Princess Circle host be added to the table?

I don't used a Smartphone normally. The last thing I want to be carrying whilst on a holiday is a device!

Equally, I don't want to miss out either.

Had to update the perfectly good old Android 5 phone I used for strange things such as rare phone calls and an occasional text, to a later one with a later version of the Android system, just to be able to download the Princess medallion App.  What a waste of money.

Has to be the slowest most useless App I've ever come across.  The web based version isn't much better now and yet the old system always worked fine.

However, if you want to 100% guarantee no data charges etc., and have no intention of using it as a mobile phone, simply remove the SIM card and put it in a safe place when on board. The Medallion App should still work on WiFi.

I can see it now.  Everyone in the theatre before the shows, or even sitting at the buffet, glued to their devices instead of chatting to new people.  Oh deep joy.

Will there be 'device free' areas on the ship?

How many will be cheating at Trivia or will they not bother with what was a twice a day essential for us, and where many friends were made? 

Are they installing UISB charge points in the cabins? On my last visit to the USA, the LAX hotel had about 9 USB charge points in the updated room.

For every positive with modern technology, there appears to be a negative.

Thanks for the note above about them still issuing cruise cards.  That is what I'll be using.

Up to regular cruisers to maybe assist in explaining to any newbies  - in the nicest possible way of course, when and if they stray.  Many of us formed lasting friendships just by talking to the staff.

We'll never forget our first World Cruise in 2011 with Warren Smith as CD. On our last night, of a fabulous cruise, with great staff, he confided to us that he'd had no less than 1300 written complaints via head office to deal with, most very petty and most could have been dealt with had the complainants fronted up.

One serial (Australian) complainer, wanted one of the most popular of all the staff thrown off the ship, because he considered her English wasn't good enough (she speaks 5 languages fluently and has a degree, in I think, psychology). Lovely, lovely staff member.

She has since risen though the ranks to be Captain Circle Host and  when we last caught up, Future Cruise Consultant. 

The 'new' staff will have some hard acts to follow and I plead with all cruisers to be kind, considerate and helpful.    

Hopefully, when cruising restarts, someone will start a new list, as no doubt, with all this down time, some staff will inevitably have moved on.  I have no idea how Princess are going to hang on to staff, especially the better ones, after over a year off, and nothing appears to be due to start for at least another couple of months down under.

All we can do is hope but I fully expect a lot of raw recruits on the entertainment staff - and they seemed to have cut down on numbers, even before Covid brought things to a halt. Another cost cutting exercise no doubt.

Those who are in email or regular contact with staff, might like to share their info? 

Thanks for the update.  Good to see so many 'rise from the ranks' so to speak. They seem to have cut back on the number of entertainment staff on board recently.

Fingers crossed that in these lockdown times, we don't lose any of the good ones.  One or two notable absentees from that list, presumably on leave.

Alan & Alana are currently on the Dawn Princess which has just complete a World Cruise (2011), Sydney to Sydney.

Alana won employee of the month August 2011 (justly deserved) as on the longer cruises, with quite a few sea days, she is the ballroom, Latin, Juive, New Vogue dance instructor. Without a doubt she has to be one of the best teachers I have ever come across. By the 100th day of the cruise, with over half the passengers doing the whole thing, there were still up to 100 people a day attending the classes.

She also assisted brother Alan in organising the on board passenger choir, which at its peak had no less than 169 members.

At night, Alana would host a dance practice in the vista lounge, either to recorded music or the orchestra, before the 8:45pm to 11:30pm stint with Alan as singer and quiz assistant.

These two also wrote and took part in a couple of hilarious "radio show" Sherlock Holmes Musical Mysteries - which for my money were as good as or better than several so called comedians we had on board.

I think they are currently still on the Dawn doing the round Australia cruise. (The Dawn is basically Sydney based.)

Next year they are doing the 75 day Circle Pacific on the Dawn rather than the World Cruise (Sun princess).

Fantastic hard working duo and incredibly popular with the passengers, dance beginners particularly, but also experienced dancers.

We love them to bits.