alexmom

Our first go on the new Princess ships on the Regal Jan 3:

 

Assuming you still book when you first get on board?

Pricing for 7 day Caribbean cruises?

It's bigger & better right... more chairs, etc...?

It was $149 and worth every penny. Run, don't walk, when you get onboard. The passes are limited to 40 lucky people.

Best. Spa experience. Evah.

Goodness Me, you did have a water scare, more than one. I have seen people in the water with safety vests they can put as much or as little air in as they wish. There are also locals in the water on kayaks, I think partly to help people understand standing on the reef is bad but also to assist folks if need be. On clear days West Bay is bathtub calm, there is a slight current toward the wall but few notice it. The reef comes almost to the shore line, it is tough to get past in spots but you could gradually work yourself up to going out farther, or not. The bottom can be seen for a far distance out.

 

I hope you have clear skies and calm waters. Dec is raining season so it could go either way.

 

Enjoy your visit!

Thanks for not pandering to my fears. I never talk about bad stuff because I'm never looking for coddling, I'm always looking for coping mechanisms. People don't usually get that, that's why I can't believe I posted it to you instead of deleting it ! I must have known subconsciously that you would respond differently.

I finished the rest of the thread last night and everyone is right ! A handful of CC members, with insight and experience, helped DOZENS of people to maximize their short time in Roatan.

I read a lot about the "kayak guys" at the end of the thread and it really helped me see I could be safe. I will also print off the maps. The only downside is having to wait until just before we leave for my Monkey LaLa, since I never consume alcohol at the beach !

I'm really excited to try snorkeling, THANK YOU. I bought my son an underwater camera after seeing mitsugirly's Sapphire beach photos. Maybe I'll get to use it too ! Like most people my age, I'm a little technologically impaired, but I will try to post some photos when we get back. Don't expect any lines or arrows ! It will be a miracle if I can just get them posted !

AS I said in mt first post on this thread WEST END is a small village with Half Moon Bay Beach. WEST BAY is some distance from WEST END. I know it is confusing.

 

Bananarama is on WEST BAY BEACH. The snorkeling right at the resort is not worth getting wet for, never mind ya gotta dodge boats. The good news is if you walk down the beach past Infinity's L shaped dock the snorkeling is grand and boat free. This thread has everything you ever wanted to know about snorkeling WEST BAY.

 

 

An added thought, if what you seek is easy access, safe from boats, reef snorkeling steps from you lounger Tabyana is the answer, not Bananarama.

 

edit ~ what is Bananarama charging an add on for?

I'm only 1/2 way through the thread you directed me to and I am hanging on every word !! I "know" mitsugirly from the Sapphire Beach forum and loved her photos. Now yours too! All of you are awesome ! This is wonderful, but we will be in Roatan December 16th on the Caribbean Princess and I'm hoping the weather is calm before we get there and while we're there.

So nice to know about the boats at Bananarama - that is definitely not what we are looking for. There are 4 ships in port that day, but none of them is the Allure so I'm hoping it won't be too crowded at Tabyana, since that's where the cruise ships dump cruisers.

The added charge at Bananrama was for adding snorkeling equipment and it was only $5 more than the $30 charge for transportation, chair and Monkey Lala ; ) This would be my son's 3rd time snorkeling (first was at Sapphire,second was at Princess Cay - does that even count, LOL !) and I thought maybe I could even try it.

I love the water but I'm not a strong swimmer. I was sucked under by an undertow the very first time I went in the ocean as a girl, my friend's little brother and I got caught in one of the swirly tornado thingies while swinging out over the Red Cedar River (Mike died, I floated up unconscious but alive) and I was pushed off an olympic diving platform at the age of 10 and did sometime in the bottom of the pool before an adult acted. I try not to panic but I'm too aware of how fast things can go badly. I refuse to NOT go in the water, because I really do love it (and I would like to see pretty fish and interesting sea creatures ) and I guess I was hoping if the snorkeling took place in shallower water, I could keep the fear in check (or even totally tamped down!) Holy crap, it is way too easy to tell strangers stuff you haven't even told your family ! I don't know about you but that's enough for me !

Thanks for the info on Roatan

Parrot Tree is not on West Bay Beach. It is on the other side of the island.. If snorkeling is the goal Parrot Tree is not a good choice.. The beach is a man made lagoon.. They have a web site with heaps of pics..

 

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Thanks for the heads up on Parrot Tree, my son would enjoy snorkeling, so it would be a bad choice. Is the snorkeling good at the West End beaches ?? I'm wondering about Bananarama. They have a day pass for cruisers that includes transportation to and from the ship. They also have a snorkeling add on, but if the snorkeling sucks, there's no point to the add on.

Thanks again for your help,

Kristine

Are there resorts on west bay you can book before arriving ?

Someone on our role call suggested a day pass to the Parrot Tree Beach Resort. Does anyone have any information on this resort ??

We tried to book these forward facing Deluxe Balconies on Royal for our Med cruise next year but was told by princess that they are DZ which means your cannot book specific cabins and they are Guarantees. Is this correct what is others experience with booking this cabins?

This is news to me, we were able to book the exact cabins we wanted - but that was then (2013) and maybe it's been changed. As word of these extraordinary cabins got out, maybe Princess has realized all the generated demand has created a "cash cow", and they're trying to figure out how to use them to generate extra income.

I would double check with Princess. I would even ask for management to clarify what the Princess booking agent is saying.

Good luck !

Thanks for your reply!! I am excited for you to be on your cruise right now. Ha ha. I have to wait until the fall, but am also doing the Eastern Carib route.

 

One more question for you - is the deck nice to use in the evenings after the sun has gone down? Or would it be too windy and dark? I just wonder if we will be so busy that we will not get to use it much in the day....

 

Enjoy :)

 

J. Proctor

I got mixed up and thought bigenna was the last post ! Sorry I didn't catch your question. We had plenty of moonlight in March 2014 because the moon was full less than a week after our cruise finished. Early in the cruise it was wonderful to watch the stars. Only 1 day was too windy to keep me out there.

One very important thing at night in the forward cabins is to keep the curtains drawn, you are directly above the bridge and if you let too much light spill out onto your balcony, they will let you know. We were careful and had no visits from the bridge crew, but I'm sure others have.

I hope that helps. You will love the views from the balcony. Someone else wrote about how quiet it is up there - I spent several mornings watching the sun come up and it was like being alone on a big sail boat, quiet with just the soft sound of the bow slicing the water. Yup, I just felt my blood pressure drop a few notches remembering it !

Oh, one more thing I've forgotten to mention in any of my posts. I had brought a small flameless candle with me. Upon reflection, I'd have brought 2 or 3 in various sizes, or just 3 tea lights. Not enough light to bother the bridge but enough to create an "atmosphere".

And back to my original question - has anyone sailed in one of these front obstructed staterooms? Would like an idea of just how obstructed when the door is locked.

 

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Wow, it has been written many, many times - the obstructed balconies are not locked. I was in L103 and L105 on Royal Princess and neither balcony was locked, nor did it even have a locking mechanism.

I spent most of my time on the balconies hanging over them and watching the ocean, in between reading books. I could not see the ocean while I was sitting down reading. I also need to let you know that I was in the Caribbean, not the Atlantic.

The Atlantic can be a beast as winter begins to set in, so besides there being more wind, the wind will be chillier than sailing the warm Caribbean. Having said all this, let me also say that entering and leaving ports in a forward balcony is A-MAZ-ING. Let me reiterate, if your cruise is port heavy, just do it. You won't regret it. If you are talking 3 or fewer ports, meh, maybe spent the money on an Enclave pass - something else on the Royal that gives serious value if you need to relax, detox and disconnect from noise and hustle bustle.

I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise !!

Do you recall what cabin you were originally upgraded to? I thought an upgrade was only to a higher cabin and L101 is the highest cabin, so were you assigned to a Suite? We have M107 in April on the Royal TA, our first time being this far forward.

I don't remember the deck or cabin number but it was a "more expensive" upgrade, it was not a "better upgrade" in my opinion, and that's where the real problem was.

It was most definitely not a suite but was probably a mini-suite. It was on one of the lower decks, so there is no correlation between a cabin on Lido (highest deck) and an upgrade to the same deck.

I loved the forward cabin we had but, I was in the Caribbean not the Atlantic, so check this thread for posts from people who have made that crossing in this cabin. And pay attention to time of year too. The Atlantic can get rough by late September.

Lastly, if you have any port visits on your TA you might want to give some serious thought to keeping your forward cabin. There is nothing quite like these forward cabins when leaving and arriving in port.

Whatever you chose, have an awesome good trip !

Thank you! I understand winds will be fierce at times. Hopefully in March the Carib seas will be calm- but is it quite likely there will be much more rocking or dipping up front on a higher deck? We've never been on a ship this big!

Thanks again everyone!

My son got seasick on his first cruise and we were in a midship Riviera OV. I was very concerned about being in one of the cabins that was both the most forward and highest cabin on the ship. I brought plenty of Bonine, but we didn't use one tablet. The ship is very stable. We sailed March 30th 2014 and we had good weather and calm seas.

I have no idea if calm seas is the exception or the rule at that time of the year. Maybe someone else will know that.

Always be prepared with the drug of choice for motion sickness. I actually carry a comprehensive first aid kit on all our vacations, land or sea.

At no time during our April cruise was our forward facing balcony too windy to use. One day it was too windy to read my paperback novel, but it was fine for sitting and fine for leaning on the railing and looking out to sea.

It was very quiet. The Sanctuary is above you, but I never noticed any sounds drifting down. I never heard any "chair scraping" sounds from there either, both night and day. There is no machinery to make any noise. The Allure parked next to us in St. Maartin and IT was plenty noisy ! They had a steel band and something else going at the same time and the collision of the two was a little grating !

I spent several days in my cabin and much of that time on my balcony. The first few days after the sunburn, my family brought me plates from the Horizon Court (so very, very convenient) which I ate on my balcony without wind problems.

Several couples from my roll call also came to visit me and enjoyed the balcony too. I can't guarantee that you'll have the same experience with your balcony that I had, but remain positive in your expectation that you will.

I don't know, maybe the reason I was able to enjoy so much balcony time is because my long hair is often pulled back off my face or braided. Sounds a bit silly but when I think about it, the whipping of hair (or flags) in the wind is a classic indicator of wind LOL !

Your wrap around balcony will have different dynamics from front to side. It may be that when it's windy on the side deck it will be fine on the forward deck. And vice versa. I am a glass half full person and I always find the silver lining too. This annoys the heck out of a lot of people, but I sincerely hope it's helping you !!

We are booked into L108 on the port side corner cabin. I am very excited about the cabin and the balcony and hope to be able to use it quite a bit. We always have sailed in minis, but the last short cruise we took was in a full suite on the Golden. I am told that this mini is more roomy than the other cabins so we won't miss the size of the suite so much.

I've not been prone to sea sickness and hope the movement at the bow doesn't change that,

We sailed the Caribbean in April in L103/105 and had nice weather with not much wind. I brought Bonine for my son, who has to take it before getting on a plane and who has experienced sea sickness before. He never used it onboard. I didn't notice movement either. I know I was deeply concerned about excessive movement at the bow but it never happened.

Because of the massive sunburn I got at Princess Cays, I was in our cabin for several days, and I wasn't feeling too good from the sunburn so I'm pretty sure I would have noticed excessive ship movement. I'm not really sure if at certain times of the year the Caribbean gets rough. That could make a big difference, but in April, it wasn't a problem at all.

I am so happy for both of you. I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about our cruise and I really only had one regret, that I didn't slather on sunscreen before we left for Princess Cays.

L103 had flooded when we were at breakfast and in the craziness of throwing personal items in suitcases, and stewards carrying armloads of clothes out of the closets and my husband checking out the iPad and books that got soaked in a briefcase in the bottom of the closet - I forgot about me. even while putting sunscreen on DH &DS, and I paid a terrible price.

I had wanted to stay onboard and go back to the Enclave and use the 7 day pass I'd purchased to the steam rooms, saunas and thalassotherapy pool. I had been there the first night and it was so wonderful. I would not be able to use the Enclave again until our last night. I would not be able to swim laps in the Retreat pool either.

Thank God for that wonderful balcony, and the shelter from the sun provided by Royal herself, as I sat in the shadow cast by her top decks. It saved my cruise. And it will make yours wonderful and memorable too!

I love the Royal Princess. I once referred to her in a post as the sparkling jewel in the Princess crown. Not hyperbole or excessive in any way, she really is lovely.

If you don't mind, I'd like to share some "tips". Get a cafe card and use it in Horizon Court at the coffee shop in the Patisserie. Use it in the International Cafe for ice cream - forget the sundaes, they "junk" up what is already delicious. And use it often, because there are at least a dozen ice cream flavors and decaf mochas are just as delish as regular ones.

If the guy who juggles swords is on board, make sure to go see him ! David Katz the magician too.

They do a "Family Feud" thing too in Princess live and it was a hoot. The entire audience participates from their seats by writing on paper provided by the "hosts", who were hysterically funny.

I hope you both have fair weather and smooth sailing on your cruises. Make memories. ; )

We're considering moving into L106 from our aft balcony room when we sail in March. Have a question about the layout of this room or the layout of these cabins in general. Where are the closets? In looking at the pics in this thread, it looks like the closets are along the wall as you enter as opposed to being outside the bath area. Just trying to get a feel for how the layout differs.

 

Also, did anyone who's sailed in these cabins ask the cabin steward to take out he small blue chair? To be honest, I don't think we'd use it much since, so for us it would just be taking up floor space.

 

Thanks. Any info would be appreciated.

I sailed on the Royal in April 2014.

We started in L103 but were moved to L105 because of a water accident in our cabin. L105 is a mini suite like yours. The closets are on the wall opposite the bed as you walk in. They are huge and there is so much other space in the nightstand drawers and even the desk. With the 3 of us, there was plenty of room for ALL our stuff.

The bathroom is very big, has a WONDERFUL tub and is nowhere near the closets. It was on the side of the room opposite the balcony doors.

The desk chair was not an issue for us since the room was so big and the layout so clever. If you really needed it gone, I would place it in the back corner of the balcony. That balcony is so big that you could hold a dance on it. And frankly, the room is too. Check the sq. footage in that room. It is so much bigger than you are imagining.

Please read my reply to a previous poster about her L104 and the forward balconies.

If you move to L106, you are most definitely moving UP. There is no better cabin than the the forward obstructed mini suites. None. I can't even think of one thing that wasn't perfect about it, not one thing that needed changing. I know I sound like I'm exaggerating, but I am quite serious.

We upgraded from a BZ balcony to L104 (BZ) on the Royal this week. We decided even if we couldn't go outside because of wind, we would still have a wonderful view looking out of the balcony door.

 

Our first cruise was on the old Golden Princess which had a wonderful observation lounge at the front of the ship. We love HAL because of the Crows Nest. Now we will have our own little nest.

 

We are doing a 20 day Caribbean itinerary. Being able to be on the balcony coming in and out of port is beyond fabulous. We only have 6 sea days out of 20.

 

Thanks to all of you that have cruised in these balconies and posted info!!!

 

Cheers, Denise

We began in L103 on the Royal doing a 7 day Caribbean in April 2014.

You will be out at that railing every time you leave or enter a port and your reward will be great. We were the last ship into St Thomas and I watched Capt. Tony Draper "parallel park" the Royal ! Amazing !

There was only 1 day where I felt it was too windy to sit and read my book. The balcony is never locked, you have complete access at all times. I spent so much time out on my balcony that I missed a lot of what was going on during the day on the Royal. The quiet peace and spectacular view was very, very difficult to tear myself away from.

There is no downside to booking L101, 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106. We were originally in L103 but got moved into L105 when we had a room "malfunction".

The balcony is HUGE and the location on Lido is ideal. Obviously L103 or 104 will be smaller than the mini suites L105 and 106, but they are sufficiently spacious that we travelled with my 6'4" teenager and my 6'3" husband and 103 never seemed "crowded". L105 was simply palatial and the layout was quite different.

These "obstructed balconies" are the best balconies on the ship. I would recommend them enthusiastically, and without reservation.

Thanks for the quick reply! Both the deluxe at the front of Lido and the deluxe in hull ones on Emerald are still open for the date we picked as are the two BZ (L110 and L114) at the front port side of Lido for $298 per cabin less. Love having the options but just can't decide which we want. Don't think any of the three will be a bad pick.

 

Thanks again!

We were in L103 in March aboard the Royal Princess. It was wonderful ! There was only 1 day where it felt too windy for me to sit and read a book. The balcony is BIG and I was out on it all the time.

The room was big too and very comfortable. I have photos but I never figured out how to add them into posts. My husband can do it sometime this weekend.

I would book this room again in a heartbeat and joyfully await cruising in it again !!

I open invited people from my role call to sail aways from the various ports on our cruise. Everyone was amazed at how much room there was and how wonderful the view is from up and front and center this room is.

L101 or L102 can only be better because they're more centered. And there was no noise from the Sanctuary and no problems with ship movement. It was smooth sailing for my son who suffers from motion sickness. Not one motion sickness pill the entire cruise.

Hi

 

All of the Patters have been scanned to PDF including the Teen schedule. You can find them here.

 

http://imageevent.com/stay_or_go/royalprincesspatters

 

 

Jeff

Very, very helpful to me, thanks !

Thank you so much for doing all the heavy lifting for us. I'll let you know how it went when I get back !

kris

thanks for the details! do you happen to recall the price? was it per day or for the entire cruise?

I keep reading that the price went up to $199 for a 7 day cruise. I know for a fact that they have never sold 1 day passes to the Enclave.

I don't remember the price.

 

I enjoyed the pool area the most but below is what I remember...

 

You check in at the spa and they take your room key in exchange for a wrist band that unlocks the main door to the enclave. It's co-ed. You can grab a robe, slippers and a towel in the changing rooms before entering the enclave.

 

When you enter you see 2 water bed type contraptions to the immediate right. Not sure what they were for. Between them is a door way leading to 4 of the thermal beds. Straight ahead was a steam room. To the left were 4 "showers", you could rinse off after a stem before enter the pool, but the showers had various settings to play with like rain. Continuing past the pool were 4 more thermal beds an aromatherapy steam room and a dry room.

 

The pool had a rain like feature, 2 "spouts" that felt great on the shoulders, 2 area where the water bubbled up and the back of the pool had a metal lounge like feature. The lounge was great but uncomfortable at the same time. I could have fallen asleep if I didn't have to keep moving around.

 

My only 3 complaints were ...

• The noise level - the place is loud. It's a white noise type of loud with the water sounds, but if 2 people were talking everyone was a part of the conversation.
  
• Another complaint was the number of hooks on the wall for robes. It seemed like there were only 6. There were times robes were on the very wet floor. I even lost a pair of slippers once.
  
• Lastly, the refreshing lemon water was back down the hallway and usually empty. You had to leave, go across the hall and get water from the spa waiting area.
  

 

Champagne complaints at best! :)

Thank you so much for answering us, but the robe thing is scary. I'm short and round. Do they come in "plus" sizes or will I be embarrassed? I also assumed we get to wear swimsuits, not just a towel. I hope that is the case !

Do the staff give you some sort of orientation your first time there ?

Are there regular showers available afterwards, as well as a dressing room?

We are sailing March 30th on the Royal. I've organized the M&G and am now working on the slot pull that several people mentioned. I would love to have your spread sheet sent to me at zoeunltd@centurylink.net.

To be honest, I had no idea what a slot pull was when it was mentioned on my roll call ! It sounds like fun, and even though I've never been in a casino before, putting money in a slot machine was on my "bucket list" !!

Does this mean I will have the "beginners luck" to put my shipmates in big winnings??!! (LOL)

Hello,

 

I have a question about the free drinks on the Royal.

 

I am allergic to NutraSweet and I know many commercially available drinks are made with this (i.e. Crystal Light). What are the drinks in the buffet in the beverage dispensers (lemonade, flavored beverages, etc.) made with?

 

Does anyone know?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

carbill is correct, you need to notify Princess when you get on board. I would also go to cruise personalized and make a note of that allergy before sailing.

My husband and I did the Enclave on the 18 Day Transatlantic. It is awesome! It was so relaxing after a long day of sightseeing. The pool has wonderful jets and rollers that you lay on and the water bubbles over you. Stone beds and water beds. It is worth the price. I did not do it when we were on the Royal in January because we were traveling with a couple who were "first time" cruisers and they were not interested. However, we will definitely be doing it next month when we're back on the Royal. In addition, because it's large and they sell only a limited number of passes for the entire cruise - it was not crowded. Love it!

Someone just started a new thread asking about the Enclave so I tacked on a boatload of questions about it too because I'm totally unfamiliar with all the various elements contained in the area.

Is there an order to follow in using the Enclave? Are there some elements you never use together in the same visit? Is it co-ed? Are you issued a special keycard to get in ?

I am also wanting to know about it and I sail on Sunday !

Is there a certain way to proceed with the various elements? Are they used for different effects or reasons ? Are there any that you never use together in the same visit? Is it co-ed?

What are your favorite elements of the Enclave, and why ?

With me not part of any group that gets on board first, do I stand an icicle's chance in you know what of obtaining a pass ??

Are you issued a special key card to get in?

Inquiring minds want to know, and soon. I'm SO excited !!!

We finally got the photo attached but we did it your way, Dave. The easy way just didn't work. It just pasted the line of letters and stuff but no picture. Al thinks it might have something to do with our having an Apple computer.

Thank you again for your help ! Now that people know what a slot pull involves, I have 2 more sign ups this morning !

You're the best, Dave !