Live From The Sun!

[3888T6813]

MCManders99,

 

You mentioned you are going to Alaska in May. What day do you sail?

 

Judi

[3888T6813]

chrysalis,

 

Thanks for the explaining how they set up the Sterling. No, the 3888 does not have anything to do with bayliner.

[cruiserforlife]

mkk,

 

The connection is actually not bad but like I said,if it's free,it's for me and this has to be one of the best perks Princess offers to it's repeaters.I easily must be spending at least $20-$25/day of "their" money!

 

Speaking of Elite,they are certainly taking good care of us.We had special canapes delivered to our room tonight on formal night and our freebie one-time bar set-up was in our room waiting for us exactly like I specified on the personalizer.We also had the special tolietries as well.Our free clothes pressing & dry cleaning was done promptly and very well I might add.

 

Our room steward is taking fantastic care of us and like I mentioned before,the $20 I slipped her upon arrival was the best money I could have spent.

 

We are currently waiting for a table to open in PC and have pager in hand.We probably should have made a reservation tonight because right after the Captain spoke,everyone made a mad dash for the dining rooms but no worries,we have all the time in the world.Tonight's menu is Lobster Thermidor among other goodies so we are getting our feed bags on!

 

I LOVE LOBSTER!!!

 

Chat with you all later,

 

John

[rucruizin]

Well, take heart. We have been on a couple cruises with very rough seas, one inparticular the seas were 20-25ft. It was Christams night and the dining rooms as well as all public areas were totally empty. Most of the crew was sick right along with the passengers. All the doors to the outside decks were LOCKED. It felt like we were on a speed boat when the bow of the ship caught air. You could hear things sliding back and forth in other cabins, a couple times followed by a large crash.

 

Fortunately for us we are not bothered at all by the rough seas, all I need is a lullaby and I sleep like a baby. No,not ever bothered by the rough seas but I did get horrible motion sickness while docked in port???? Go figure.

[rucruizin]

I was wondering if you would mind terribly...finding cabin B725, knock on the door and whoever answers...ask them how they like their cabin. See if there is any reason we should try and book a different cabin for our 3/29/05 sailing.

 

Of course I am kidding unless... you're brave like me.

[MCManders99]

MCManders99,

 

You mentioned you are going to Alaska in May. What day do you sail?

 

Judi

 

Yes I am sailing May 23 from Vancouver to Whittier.

[3888T6813]

MCManders99,

 

We are going to take a CruiseTour beginning in Fairbanks on May 10th. We board the ship on the 16th at Whittier and disembark in Vancouver on the 23rd. We will try to post while we are onboard.

 

Judi

[cruiserforlife]

Smoother seas today before we arrive in Antiqua tomorrow.

 

Pools are still closed and we are bummed about that.

 

Otherwise,everything is fine so far.

 

PC dining has been great and we have had the same waiter for the last 2 nights.I thought there would be a drop-off in service but that hasn't been the case and so far we are quite pleased with it.

 

rucruizin,

 

Don't think I'll be knocking on the door but I'll make sure they keep it nice and tidy for you!

[MCManders99]

MCManders99,

 

We are going to take a CruiseTour beginning in Fairbanks on May 10th. We board the ship on the 16th at Whittier and disembark in Vancouver on the 23rd. We will try to post while we are onboard.

 

Judi

 

You don't have to unless you want to. I probably won't be checking the boards as much right before we leave, I'm getting married on Sat May 21 and I'll be a busy bee leading up to that and leaving for Vancouver. But I will look as much as time allows.

[mkk]

Good Morning! Happy Sunday..

I saw on the bridge cam that your seas look calmer today.

Wonder why the pools are still closed? Is it cold or too windy?

That wouldn't bother us..we don't spend much time at the pool on a ship anyway...Hope you had a wonderful breakfast. We always get up and go to the dining room for a nice leisurely breakfast...one of the things we love the most!

 

BTW Is Princess all PC dining for evening meals now or is one dining room still traditional?

 

Have a great day!

[mkk]

Oh..forgot to ask..How was the lobster?

[gypsysue]

I'm hoping the seas are getting better as the week goes on...

 

Can you check on 2 things for me? We leave the 8th of April on the Sun.

First, are there any pepsi products to be found on board, or only coke?

And for beer- is Corona available?

Has anyone tried taking on their own soda and/or bottled water?

The guys will drink anything, but the girls are pretty picky.

 

Enjoy the sun-- it is foggy and supposed to snow in Colorado!

[CruisinChris]

I'm hoping the seas are getting better as the week goes on...

 

Can you check on 2 things for me? We leave the 8th of April on the Sun.

First, are there any pepsi products to be found on board, or only coke?

And for beer- is Corona available?

Has anyone tried taking on their own soda and/or bottled water?

The guys will drink anything, but the girls are pretty picky.

 

Enjoy the sun-- it is foggy and supposed to snow in Colorado!

 

 

No pepsi - coke. (It's rare you find both in the same fountain venue because of the contracts Pepsi and Coke write are almost always exclusive).

 

Corona was dumped two years ago for Dos Equis. Heinekin also has fallen by the wayside and replaced with Becks. This is also part of a contract with a vendor. This happened about 18 months ago or so.

 

You can take your water and soda aboard. Keep in mind that it's bad form to walk around with pepsi cans in public. (or at least it used to be.)

[silkismom]

How do they work the Captn welcome etc w/o just traditional dining? Do they have "3" instead on the first & last seating? We are PC leaving on 27 Feb.

[cruiserforlife]

Crusin'Chris is correct regarding the Coke products and the Corona.Had some free Dos Equis as part of our free one-time bar set-up.

 

We had a case of wine,beer,& water delivered directly to our room rather than haul it trough airports like we've usually done with our wine.We used "Just Because of You" out of Florida and they deliver directly to your stateroom.Good deal and great people to work with.

 

Princess always offers both traditional & PC dining and on the Sun,there is a separate dining room for both.We are liking PC so far and I thought we'd lose the traditional dining "feel" with PC but that hasn't been the case.We have chossen to sit at the same table every night with the same waitstaff although we cannot make a reservation between 6-8pm.

 

Lobster Thermidor was very good last night and I had a double order.My wife had a filet of beef and it was also tasty.I am just buttering up my waiter for the "real" lobster tail night so I can try to break my previous record of 13.

 

Wish me luck!

 

Pools are still closed today and I'm guessing it's because of the wind because the seas are much calmer today...not as many people falling overboard...just kidding!

 

Check in later,gotta go smoke a nice cigar on my balcony.

 

cruiserforlife

[asctony]

Appreciate the daily updates. Hope the seas do get better and you all can get to enjoy the pool deck. Would you please let me know:

1. Captain

2. CD

3. Captain Circle Hostess

Thank you in advance.

Happy Cruising!!

[rucruizin]

Cruiserforlife,

 

man I thought you'd have it in you.

 

I would appreciate them keeping it tidy for us though, thanks.

[judygolfing]

Cruisin'Chris

 

You mentioned "Just Because of You", do they have a web site? Thanks for taking the time to post, sorry about the rough seas, but sounds like you are making the best of it. We will be on the Princess for the March 19th cruise and looking forward to it. Have not sailed Princess before so will be a new experience for us.

 

You really can eat 13 lobster tails? Wow, and they don't blink if you order more than one? My husband loves lobster and it's nice to know you can order more than the one. Any hints on who your servers are in PC, as we plan to use PC also.

 

Again thanks for the reports.

[gypsysue]

I found a phone number for "Just Because of you Bon Voyage gifts"

 

800-882-9707. Of course they are closed since it is Sunday, but tha is a grea idea to have them deliver to your stateroom.

And no worries- I won't do any coke or corona ads- an insulated mug works fine.

sw

[mkk]

Hey Cruiser..Did you enjoy your cigar?

A question...What is the order of the rest of your itinerary?

I know from our friends that they reversed it from original schedule...but did they also re-arrange?

Our friends are supposed to pick up something for us in St Maarten..want to call them on their cell when they get to St Thomas etc...

Hope the pool is now open..looks like the seas have calmed down alot...I'm sitting here doing laundry..so jealous!

Have fun...

 

Gypsy..DH and I are very picky about drinks...like a certain brand of rum and lime coca-cola in the evenings. don't like to wait for room service and the drinks they bring aren't big enough :)..always bring 2 liters of cola and a liter of rum with us..wrapped in bubble wrap..have put it in checked luggage and also in carry-ons with no problem...

Others

(Please don't flame me..we spend plenty on drinks etc on board..over and above our one little drink a day before or after dinner)

MK

[iancal]

CruiserForLife: We have decided to pack very light this year and go with carry on. That means formal attire is out and we do not intend to rent. Were most people dressed up or will we get away with a sports jacket and tie??

[Ya Ya Cruiser]

Thanks for the posts on the Sun. We are cruising for the first time on the march 19th sailing and are really looking forward to it. Sorry you are having rough seas - hopefully it will calm down by March. Will look forward to hearing from you as you progress.

 

Can't wait for our turn!

[cruiserforlife]

asctony,

 

The Captain is William Kent, a brit who has a fairly dry sense of humor...don't they all?

The CD is Dan and without consulted our patter,I believe his last name is Gibbons but I'll let you know on that.He is pretty funny and great as far as CD'c go.They have a new show now that takes you behind the scenes of the cruise ship (ie.galley,engine room,etc) which I find fascinating.It's on the Princess channel.

The CC Hostest name is Juliet and I don't remember her last name but I have her card in my room.She just signed her first contract with Princess and she seems very helpful.We were trying to see if my wife would qualify as one of the most traveled but she has only 146 days at sea.There will be no Captains lunch on this cruise,he prefers cocktail party so I'm sure we'll be invited to that.

 

judygolfing,

 

PC has been great so far and we are doing romantic dinners for 2 every night.Our server is Miguel from Mexico and we have requested his table both nights so far and will continue to do so.Great service!

I'm glad gypsysue was able to provide you with JBOY's info,I...both of the girls are great to work with!

 

mkk,

 

Cigar was great,have been smoking at least 2-3/day on my balcony!

Tomorrow is Antiqua,followed by Barbados,St.Kitts,St.Thomas,St.Maarten,then a sea day followed by Princess Cays (yeah!) as long as the seas cooperate.I'm not 100% certain if St.Kitts comes before St.Thomas but I think so.

 

Too much booze I guess!

 

I have no problem with what you decide to bring on board (alcohol) and I really don't think Princess does either.We have always hauled a case of wine through airports but JBOY is a great service and I'm sure we'll continue to use them.

I'm hoping the pools are open now,seas have calmed all the way down but they weren't open this afternoon.I think we're in for smooth sailing now.

 

iancal,

 

Most people were dressed but a sportcoat and tie will make you fit right in.Don't stress out over it,we used to do the whole tux thing but now I just wear a sportcoat through dinner then rip that thing right off for the shows.

 

That's about it for now,will check in later and ask away.

 

The Sun is in beautiful shape and everything is just as good as the last time we sailed Princess back in '03.

[Host Anne]

Hello all from the Sun .... we are sailing buddies of Cruiserforlife altho I haven't seen him since sailaway .... John...we'll see you and Raina in the AM if we don't catch up tonight.

 

I have to agree with John -- so far, we've had a great time. I actually like a little motion so I've gotten my wish although it might be a bit more than most people like. Seas have calmed this evening and I'm sure it will be pretty smooth the rest of the week.

 

Our embarkation went well altho that was not the case for a Canadian friend sailing with us (I'll detail in a review after the cruise) but for any foreigners sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Sun in the next couple of weeks, do NOT get in the line that they say non-US citizens have to get in. There was no reason for it. A land-based Princess staff person really didn't know what they were doing and made the non-US citizens stand in this line for more than 30 minutes. We finally got a supervisor to ask what was happening and it was clearly a case of the staff person did not know what was going on.

 

When you get your Bahamas forms to fill out at the door along with your health questionnaire, fill em out and proceed to security. There is nothing additional required of non-US citizens before you go through security. If someone tells you to wait, IMMEDIATELY ask to see a supervisor.

 

That's been the only negative so far. Food is great, staff is great and our Cruise Critic group is awesome. Everyone showed up for our sailaway gathering and most of us are touring together tomorrow.

 

I won't be posting as much as John but I'll be doing a review shortly after we get off the ship. For those of you on the next sailing -- you'll have a great time!

 

Catch ya later!

[rucruizin]

Ooh, ooh, how about this...

 

I have asked in several posts but no one has really answered me...don't worry you don't have to knock on anyone's door...LOL!

 

Please go up to the Gym/Spa I specifically want to know if there are elliptical trainers/how many? and the DH wants to know how many treadmills. I know we can only use one at a time but on other ships these were the first to be taken. Also is it crowded? Are there seperate mens/womens steam rooms and are there showers and dressing facilities...

 

Pleeease and thank you.