alexmom

FYI, I organized our M&G on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago (not by choice) and bought nice invitations at Staples. When I boarded, I used the first day's Patter to write an invitation to everyone on the list of officers. We got a really good turn-out with the Maitre d', Hotel Manager, and several others. The Hotel Manager was waving the invitation as she came in. It seemed to make a difference.

Thank you for this tip ! I was wondering who to call for the list of officers but this works better. Our M&G isn't until our first sea day so sending the invites the first day will give plenty of time.

I really hope someone shows up from Princess. I was telling Dave that more than half of our role call is either new to cruising, new to Princess, or both !

Thank you so much for responding. I actually look forward to reading your posts on other threads ! I still can't get over the shawl you crocheted !!

FYI: for any "future" M&G when you have a good lead time...set up a Google docs spreadsheet for sign-up. Post the link and let everyone on your roll call fill in their own info/preferences. Topics on the spreadsheet could include: the M&G, gift exchange, cabin crawl, slot pull or whatever.

All the organizing is done for you and all you have to do is bring the name tags (and ask Princess for a room).;)

Yup, I just took notes on whatever people posted on the roll call with a pen and notepad. I'm so 15th century. My techie geek husband just shakes his head and rolls his eyes !! It isn't that I refuse to learn or am afraid of technology, I just do whatever is fastest for me at the moment ! And frankly, after writing information I can more easily recall the information, which is why I will remember names, who has an anniversary and where they're from. He will not. (Luddite 1, Geek 0) and of course I'm jk about the luddite and the zero !

By the way, does the RR in the retired RRT stand for railroad?? We love railroads and travel Amtrak when we can !

I could never figure out how to post my pictures inline with flikr... whats the secret there?

Honestly, I don't know flikr from a hole in the ground, but I'll bet Dave does !!

I guess the first question I have is this: what will you be taking your pictures with (point and shoot camera, iPhone, other?), and what sharing network will you be downloading them to (I use Flickr). This will help determine the steps for posting them on Cruise Critic, but as a warning I'm only familiar with Flickr.

 

The cabin crawl is easy enough. Have everyone interested in volunteering their cabins for 'show' sign up ahead of time. Have them email you the information that they may not be will to share publicly. You can use your own email address or establish a short-term email address on hotmail for this cruise only. That's what I did.

 

I've always recommended doing the Cabin Crawl on the same morning (day) as your M&G. For my past two Eastern Caribbean cruises I also recommended doing it before the M&G, that way you're not taking up anyone's valuable 'deck time' in the afternoon or trying to get eveyone together for a second time in that same week. It just seemed easier to do everything on that one day.

 

Now for the actual cabin crawl, I found it best to get a list of all the cabins being visited, and once you've determined an initial gathering place (topside at the Trident Grill for instance) work your way from the highest deck forward, and in a zigzag pattern, going down from front to back until you end up at the meeting place for your M&G, where you'll meet up with everyone else. Try to use only one or two of the same types of cabins, and try to keep them as centrally located as possible so that you're not running everyone ragged. Allow at least an hour for the Cabin Crawl, and try to coordinate the ending of the cabin crawl with the beginning of the M&G time.

 

This last cruise that I did on Royal Princes was the first time I had ever organized a M&G. Pretty much all I did was print out the nametags, have them all available on the tables as people entered, and once I greeted everyone pretty much let everyone mingle around. If you're wanting to invite ships officers or entertainment staff you can hand write out invitations and drop them off at the customer service desk on the very first day. If anyone wants to on your Roll Call you can also do a small gift exchange or have door prizes.

 

Here's the info I was given for the fax number of the coordinator for the M&G. You'll need to email her the total number of people that you're expecting. You can also request that a bartender be available for the one hour that you have that venue and people can buy their own drinks.

 

"To set up the actual meet and greet you can email your request not more than 90 days prior to sailing to: Stacey Anderson - (Royal, Dawn & Sun) sanderson@princesscruises.com 661-284-4333.

 

 

A sample email to Stacey might look like this:

 

Dear Stacey Anderson,

 

My name is xxxxx, and I would like to set up a Meet and Greet for our Cruise Critic group on the 12/1/2013 sailing on the Royal Princess as follows:

 

Preferred Venue: Club 6

Preferred Time: 10am

Estimated attendance: xxx

Requesting Dry Snacks & Cash bar

 

My booking number is 123456

 

Please let me know if you need any more info to set this meeting up. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thank you, Your Name

 

 

Princess will e-mail you back with alternatives to your request if there is a conflict of venue/date/time."

 

Hope this helps so far.

 

Anyone else with tips and advice please feel free to chime in. I'm working a 12hr shift and will be back around 7pm tonight when I get back on shift.

 

:D

WOW, thanks for being so FAST !! The photo I want to include in my post is one from one of yours! It's an aerial shot of the Princess from the front and gives an amazing view of the Marina and Lido balconies right above the bridge.

I've been so blessed to get that amazing balcony for less than $25 more than we were paying for a sideways inside. I want to share the experience with the people on my roll call by having them come to our balcony for sail aways from all 4 ports. It will be like "I'm king of the world" from Titanic or like being at the wheel of the Black Pearl. I want to share the drama and the view, and I think the photo I pulled is perfect. I have it as a jpg and can't figure out how to include it in my roll call post. My husband couldn't either and he makes his living using a computer ! Me, not so much.

I already contacted Stacy and set up a time but I only told her 35 people (I fudged the number) and as of this morning we're at 37. It was a very quiet roll call for a long time but now everyone is coming forward and I couldn't be happier!

I really appreciate the info on the slot pull (I've never even been in a casino or bought a lottery ticket or scratch off but slots are on my bucket list!) Do I need to arrange the slot pull with Princess before we board or can I do it after boarding? I'd have to fudge a number for players. I only had 17 signed up for M&G when I called Stacy 2 weeks ago and now I have 37 !

I will hand write invites to officers and staff. I hope they come. More than half of the people signed up for the M&G are either new cruisers or new to Princess. It would definitely be a win for Princess to have a representative there!

One of the reasons we have such a keen interest in a cabin crawl is because so many of us are totally unfamiliar with Princess, including their different cabin types. I think I would like to do it after the M&G, maybe even a day after. I'm concerned with "taking over" their vacation time when what I'm trying to do is facilitate the social interaction of a bunch of strangers so people feel included and comfortable, not pushed. The one thing I heard over and over again was that those who had cruised at least once before had trouble connecting with others and spent their time by themselves. Unless you bring other couples or family with you, this is what people on our roll call reported. They still love cruising but, if at all possible, I would like this cruise to be different for them.

I chose the time for the M&G to end at 11:30 so maybe people could go do lunch together. I'm working on a sticker system for the name tags that will highlight a persons interests to make the process of getting to know about a shipmate a little easier and quicker.

Thank you so much, Dave for sharing your knowledge and also your encouragement. You are such a positive person !

You attached photos of the Royal to your posts but neither my husband nor I can figure out how to do it.

I'm on the Royal March 30th in L103. I want to share this wonderful Capt Jack Sparrow view on sail aways from all 4 ports and post a jpg of the balcony for people on my roll call so they will want to come share it.

Can you talk me through it?

I'm also organizing the meet & greet. I've made signup sheets for a cabin crawl, slot pull, ping pong, card games, pub lunch and MUTS night (Gravity).

I found out what a slot pull is and what I need to do for it but can you talk me through a cabin crawl? I've done art crawls where you go from studio to studio with a map and the artists bio. I don't see how a map will be possible since signup will be at the M&G.

Do you have any tips to share on the M&G ? I've never been to one and now I'm "organizing" one (LOL). I'm printing name labels and working on some sort of pictorial stickers for people to let others know their interests on a ribbon hanging from their name tag. Too much ?

Thanks, Dave !

When we were there 2-3 different catamarans came and parked out in the bay to off load snorkelers. I call it a jetty because it goes out into to ocean, but it is land that once held a building. The only thing left of the buildings are some knee high pillar thingies. It is very rocky as the land drops off into the ocean. The waves were breaking on the rocks so my husband thinks it would be dangerous to jump into the water there.

The water was amazing clear, even in deeper water, and it was very calm. As much as I love the ocean, I rarely go out very far over my head.

I have heard that, except for Creole Rock off of Grand Case, snorkeling isn't what St. Martin is known for. Bottom line, even with the snorkeling catamarans, Mullet is no Sapphire for snorkeling.

The dive shop closed at Sapphire and the resort owner blocked the parking lot. People still go, if they can find a cab that will drop them off there. Have you ever been to Coki ? We went to Sapphire in 2012 because of your photos. We really wanted to go again but the possibility of getting stranded by cabbies and missing our cruise departure has us taking the tram to Paradise Point.

Maybe you should start a new thread asking Gary and Karysa about snorkeling. Those 2 are my go-to people for information. They truly know it all, and then some !

Are there amentities to rent, food and drink or any water toys? Like small catamarans ,jet ski's stuff like that?

Thanks.

At Mullet beach.

gnatz is correct, no toys to rent, but I saw several big catamarans that anchored out in the bay and off loaded snorkelers. Maybe try to book an excursion on one.

June to November is hurricane season and September is the worst month ! The rainy season might also be a factor and that peaks in August. I know that the last live posts from the Royal Princess stated the winds on the lower decks were 20 knots and the upper decks were 40 knots ! I'm not sure how the OP knew exactly how many knots, maybe the info was posted in daily ship stats.

I'm going to assume that Mullet Bay will be as perfect this April when we are there as it was in May of 2012. Your kids will love it. Make sure you walk out on the rocky "jetty" on the left side of the beach. My husband got some great photos of my son checking out urchins and other wildlife.

The walk to Maho from Mullet has you on a sidewalk from the time you leave the Mullet parking lot until you cut down through the edge of the resort to the beach. That's where Guy's is. Guy's is not as fancy as Sunset but we liked it a lot.

Ive never been to the other beach you posted or Maho beach. My first time last year in St martens we went to Orient beach, it was nice but it was too commerical and annoying you could not relax people were trying to sell you stuff. it was nice other than that.

 

Next time I am there i am going to Maho beach for sure

There were people trying to sell straw hats at Mullet, but it didn't annoy me. I was more annoyed that I didn't have any extra dollars on me to buy one.

Maho is definitely an experience that you need to have because of the planes. The beach itself is tiny, rocky, crowded, and when I was there in May 2012 there were HUGE drop offs just feet from shore. I had to get out of the water because it was so rough and dangerous.

We were there in late May of 2012 and the water was calm and perfect, but I have also heard about it being rough. I wonder if the storms that rake the area during hurricane season have anything to do with the swells and waves? The caribbean is pretty warm all the time but there must be a rainy season that would affect the surf. I will do some googling and see what I can find out.

They also had 5-10 min performances by an acrobat - who was very good and the dancers singers.

Thank you for answering my entertainment questions and thanks for the review. I am 17 days and 6 hours away from boarding and your review is very helpful to me for planning our sea days.

Do you know what was available at the Horizon Court on the formal nights in the dining room? I just know I can cram more shoes and clothes in our suitcase if I don't have to leave room for suits for my DH and DS for formal nights!!

DS doesn't eat lobster and DH will get his at Crown Grill so if the dinner offering in HC is pretty good on formal nights, maybe I can win this debate.

I second what Karysa said. Mullet Bay beach is absolutely beautiful, and a quick walk to Maho to see the planes. We watched the planes from 11:30 - 2:ish then headed back to front street for some shopping.

I have to agree with both Karysa and gnatz007 and I have actually walked from Mullet to Maho and it was quick and easy and safe. Mullet is beautiful and chairs and umbrellas are very reasonable to rent there.

I know several times, years ago, I remember Gary mentioning this place on the other side of Maho Beach. I have been trying to find information on it and the website the place started looks to be unfinished.

 

I think we will be heading to Mullet Bay and walking back toward Maho to watch the planes come in. From the looks of the map, we will come to Guys Drift Wood Bar before Sunset and thought we just might stop here.

 

Can anyone (or Gary) answer the following questions:

 

1) Do they have a restroom?

 

2) I heard others mention they have food...anyone know what the prices are and what they might have?

 

3) I read they have beach chairs, do they cost?

 

4) Is there plenty enough seating here? It seems like a small place.

 

5) How much do they charge for sodas and mixed tropical drinks? (I hear they are cheaper on beer, but I don't drink beer)

 

6) Is swimming in front of Guys about equivalent to swimming there beside Sunset?

 

7) Is it easy to get a taxi from Guys as it is from Sunset?

 

Thanks in advance. :)

We stopped at Guy's after a 10 minute walk from Mullet Bay Beach and Guy's is pretty small, but so is Maho Beach. Maho is tiny, rocky, crowded and the beach is often badly eroded creating massive drop offs within a few feet from shore.

Guy's was a really cool venue. I didn't see a bathroom but then I had just used the one at the casino as I walked past on my way to Maho. The food was good, we just had burgers, and the waitstaff was so funny and friendly. I don't remember what it cost but I also don't remember having any sticker shock when we got the bill.

There's not a lot of beach chairs anywhere, the beach is too tiny to hold them! I understand that people want to see the planes but to spend a whole day there seems tragic to me after experiencing Mullet Bay.

It depends on the cruise and the number of sea days. If you are on a 7-day cruise with two sea days, the CD might put a "needle arts" or "scrapbooking" get-together in the Patter. If they do, it would be non-hosted "bring your own" get-togethers.

 

On every longer cruise with more sea days, there's always been "needle arts," scrapbooking, or other craft get-togethers. Princess used to provide small needlepoint kits (eyeglass cases) but I understand they're not doing that any more. I've been on cruises where the CD organized a number of craft activities and there were contracted teachers onboard, but no longer. :(

 

Here's a photo of our get-together on the Royal T/A last October. People were doing a wide variety of crafts, including needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, jewelry-making, tatting, cross-stitch, etc. They were sharing yarns, needles, patterns and even teaching each other.

 

 

In case you're wondering what I was doing, I crocheted a shawl. :)

 

That shawl is truly beautiful !! You are very, very skilled. It looks so delicate!

I would love to know what kind of music to expect in the atrium area and do they have a magician performing ? I'm like a small child when it comes to magicians, wide eyed and on the edge of my seat (LOL).

I also love accapella singing, like Pentatonics and Delilah. Do they have anything like that?

Who are the comedians on board this month ? If you've seen them, how were they?

Thank you so much for posting live. I don't sail until March 30th so if you want you can wait until you're back to answer my questions. I'll be glued to my monitor waiting for your review anyway!!

Yep, This is my real last name. It's not rare, but there is never many of us in a phone book. Yes we will be on the Royal March 30th.

Maybe you guys can meet each other at the M&G ! It's on 4/1/14 at 10:30 in Club 6.

Thank you! There are 4 that I haven't seen yet. Have you seen Gravity?

Saw Gravity and loved it. It was so beautifully filmed, it was like being there. It kind of took my breath away at times! I can think of no better place to see it than in the middle of nowhere, on the ocean and under the stars !

Goat Cheese Souffle! :D

OK, you sold me !! Now, where on the Royal will I find it? (dining room, IC, specialty restaurant??)

We did Mullet Bay then took a 10 minute walk over to Maho where we found Guy's Driftwood Bar and Grill. We recommend Guy's.

The alcoholic sundaes were pretty tasty, especially the Irish Creme sundae!

 

:D

Thanks for the info and the pretty pictures. I will get my own card for after dinner espressos and dry cappuccinos and still have plenty of punches for crepes and that Nutella thingie you had 2 of on your cruise !!

The Royal is different since it's all 2.75 or one punch. For that you can get plain or a heaping sundae with zillions of toppings. Only thing that's more if you add liquor. My husband had a HUGE banana split;one punch.

This card looks to be the best deal aboard the Royal ! I think I will get 2 cards-one for me and one for them !

It is one punch per order for gelato - three scoops - my daughter and I often shared one gelato order - two separate cups too! - with no problem and still for one punch

Thank you for this information. My husband and I often split an order of ice cream and with 3 scoops, we'll certainly have enough to share

I understand that I can order espresso drinks but I've heard several people claim to order Gelato and sundaes too. Is it 1 punch per order or scoop or milkshake (if they have them!) ??

Just trying to decide whether or not to buy 2 cards or just 1. I will likely only drink 2-3 cappuccinos during the cruise but my DS and DH will consume ice cream at least once a day. Of this, I am certain.

They will hit the free ice cream and have several ice cream desserts in various restaurants and dining rooms but do I need 2 cards or will I have enough punches to get them gelato several times while on a 7 day cruise ?

One bottle of wine per adult can be carried on without paying a corkage fee. If you want to take more you can but all bottles beyond the 2 are subject to a $15 corkage fee each.

 

We usually take a case of water. Slap a luggage label on it and send it through with checked luggage. Same thing for soda if you want that too.

 

Have fun!

We plan on bringing 2 bottles of champagne for sail away mimosas. Will we be allowed to bring on a bottle (59 oz) of OJ ??

All I can say is that there can be strong winds or not. If the ship is traveling at 20 knots into 20 knot winds, the apparent wind on the balcony would be 40 knots. But if the wind is from behind the ship, then the apparent wind on the balcony would be zero. We never left the balcony door open ever unless we were going in and out. It could play havoc with the air conditioning. Note though that when the ship is rolling, the sliding balcony door can swing back and forth. There is no way to lock the door from the outside. While on the balcony we used the ice tongs to hold the door shut.

 

In addition, curtains must be kept closed at night since light from the room could interfere with the view from the bridge.

 

All in all, we loved this stateroom and would book it again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the tips about the ice tongs and the lights ! We will be extra careful !