Live from the Island, 12/20 Christmas in Panama

[Aloha Me]

Familyguy1010 (or anyone else) - Do you know if a magnet will stick to the hallway door going into a cabin? I noticed last time people had things on their doors to better identify them for one reason or another but I never checked to see what they were made of or if they're just using tape.

 

Geo thanks so much for sharing. We will be boarding January 19th and can't wait!

[AmberTeka]

Wow! I love your descriptions of Trivia. My husband is an addict. We NEVER miss an episode of Jeopardy, he is a crossword puzzle fiend and we did pretty well in Trivia on The Crown. We won three times and came in second several times. I have to say that we played usually with one of two Canadian Couples, and meeting them was as much fun as playing and doing well at Trivia.

 

After reading your review,..And it is hard to find a review that even mentions Trivia or other Ship activities,...yet they are a huge part of shipboard life. NOW.I am thinking we have to do the Island Princess. We have been to Panama, but I would love to go to Costa Rica again and see the Canal again.

 

You sound like you are so much fun!!!. I hope you just have the time of your life and just dazzle everyone at Trivia with your vast knowledge!! And I am with Sam...I would take another peek at Jackie's jewels too.She was a classy lady.

[geoherb]

I don't know about magnets sticking to the doors, but they will stick to the walls of the cabins. I bought Sam a seahorse magnet for Christmas. (His beach house is named the Sassy Seahorse.) He stuck it on the wall of our cabin. I used double-stick tape to put a few Christmas cards on our cabin door.

 

We did not have any problems in Fort Lauderdale. There was a bit of a line at the Southwest counter, but it was moving quickly and we only had to wait about 15 minutes. The security lines went more quickly. The terminal was fairly crowded, but we found two seats together at our original gate. Delays caused us to have to switch gates about half an hour before we boarded.

 

Overall we had a great cruise. Our cabin steward (Vicente) was the best we've ever had on Princess. He had the right mix of efficiency and charm. I'm always amazed at the folks who mention they never see their cabin stewards. Our waiter (Tippy) was also very good. She ran the dining room most breakfasts and lunches and always found nice people for us to sit with. We enjoyed great tablemates at our second seating table (167--a table for 10 near the front left corner).

 

My complaints are few. The rough seas did not bother me, but several people told me they or people they were traveling with were feeling queasy. We also had rainy weather a lot of the time. I spent most of the mornings on the lower levels of the ship. I enjoyed the covered pool area (Lotus Pool) in the evenings. A couple down the corridor from us stayed in their cabin most of the time. And they smoked constantly. This was the first time I smelled smoke in our cabin from another cabin. We also had the problem with the toilets not flushing one morning. Fortunately, they fixed them in a couple of hours.

 

I've saved all my Patters and will try to scan them into PDFs.

[Queen3]

OK... home at last.

 

My review of the cruise is mixed.

 

I liked the room sevice. Odered bacon and pineapple just about evey am and got it! Oddly, every time they sent the tray it was different. One morning I got 4 glasses of juice and a tiny pot of coffee... one day I got a HUGE pot of coffee and 4 croissants... yet another day, they sent 2 pots of coffee and a double order of the bacon!

 

Ended up switching to anytime dining. The staff in the main dining area wasn't all that great and they actually made me feel uncomfortable.

 

Service Christmas dinner was horrible. I had to send my very bloody meat back TWICE. It also took nearly an hour for them to serve the meal.

 

It felt to me that Princess is trying cost containment measures on their food. The selection in the dining rooms and Horizon Court was not what I've seen on other cruises. Some of the service was sloppy and poorly pesented. They seem to be getting more Carnival-esque as time passes.

 

I liked my cabin and had a great view of the Canal passage. Of all the ports, I liked Limon and Cartagena the best. Did the All about Limon tou and a private taxi tour in Cartagena.

 

Loved the accupuncture and the woman who did it.

 

I do wish they would vary the menu in the Bayou room and Sabatin i's from time to time.

 

Didn't have any interaction with Richard George other than seeing him on the Wake show each morning. There were a lot of activities that i attended or passed through and they were fun.

 

Pamm

[Pia1913]

 

Didn't have any interaction with Richard George other than seeing him on the Wake show each morning.

Pamm

 

LOL. Guess not, since his name is Richard Joseph. :D

 

Happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

[Pati]

We just got off the Island also. even though it was dreary most of trip we had a great time. first the beds were wonderful. i have had problems with most of their other ships,esp carribean princess last new years. really comfortable bed and i am picky because of a bad back. also for the first time the a/c worked like a jewel. carribean princess was terribly warm all the time even on it's lowest setting. i too noticed a decrease in the princess food especially the horizon court. there were many days i did salad as the other items offered weren't attractive to me..noticed lots of old favorites not in the dining room anymore, beef wellington, french onion soup, chocolate souffles, / they had other nice entrees but some of my fav's weren't there anymore. sad face. but did find some new yummy items. our cabin steward was wonderful but anytime dining staff was hit or miss. some nights it took over 2 hours for our table of 6 to eat! did xmas eve in sabatini's and it was wonderful. we had a really great time that night. the pizza was still a hit. the hamb and fries in the dining room at lunch were awesome. i would still travel with princess again but i did notice lessening of things even since this past january. and yes we were always at the bottom of trivia because of you know who!!!!!!! lol......hmmmmmmm where to go next?!! patti

[Queen3]

Sorry about that... had a "senior moment"!:)

 

LOL. Guess not, since his name is Richard Joseph. :D

 

Happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

[Queen3]

I requested and got escargot one night. I think the key is to order it about 24 hours in advance.

 

The other thing I noticed was the continuing attempts to sell you stuff..everything from even more photos to cameras to beauty teatments. I understand that the staff are under pressure to constantly upsell in order to make quotas.

 

I did take the opportunity to use the express checkout for my luggage and it was $20.00 well spent. The company got my seat assignment and boarding pass. They picked up my suitcase and checked it through to Atlanta. Never had to touch it until I got to Atlanta.

 

All things considered, it wasn't a bad trip but I'm rethinking my next cruise and may not use Princess. If I do, I'll go back to the small ship style of cruising.

 

Pamm

 

 

 

We just got off the Island also. .... i too noticed a decrease in the princess food especially the horizon court. there were many days i did salad as the other items offered weren't attractive to me..noticed lots of old favorites not in the dining room anymore, beef wellington, french onion soup, chocolate souffles, / they had other nice entrees but some of my fav's weren't there anymore. sad face. but did find some new yummy items. our cabin steward was wonderful but anytime dining staff was hit or miss. some nights it took over 2 hours for our table of 6 to eat! did xmas eve in sabatini's and it was wonderful. we had a really great time that night. the pizza was still a hit. the hamb and fries in the dining room at lunch were awesome. i would still travel with princess again but i did notice lessening of things even since this past january. and yes we were always at the bottom of trivia because of you know who!!!!!!! lol......hmmmmmmm where to go next?!! patti

[geoherb]

I noticed the difference in the menus also. Some things I did not miss--like escargots. But I did miss the chocolate hazelnut souffle. That's one of the desserts that would keep me from ordering fruit for dessert.

 

We ate almost every meal in the dining room. The exceptions were room service for breakfast once, Horizon Court for breakfast once, and room service for lunch once. I did receive the bran muffins I wrote in on the room service breakfast card. I did not try for anything else, but on past cruises I've been successful asking for smoked salmon. The lasagna on the room service menu was very good. We enjoyed it the day we got back after the dining room had closed. I tried one slice of pizza and enjoyed it. They topped a slice of cheese pizza with fresh arugula.

 

I need to condense all my notes into a review and try to get that posted this weekend.

[FamilyGuy1010]

I noticed the difference in the menus also. Some things I did not miss--like escargots. But I did miss the chocolate hazelnut souffle. That's one of the desserts that would keep me from ordering fruit for dessert.

 

 

I totally missed the chocolate souffles too. Had i know others felt the same, we could have mounted a protest and threatened mutiny if they didn't produce some for us!;)

 

That said, many of the menu changes are excellent. We always found something good to eat. Our service in traditional dining was very good. We found the food to be good too. To each his own!

 

They had lots of trivia on the ship, by the way. I didn't partake on this trip.

 

I have no clue as to if the doors are magnetic. I believe what i saw hanging on the many decorated doors were secured with tape.

[deborahjo]

To all those just off the Island thank you for your review. I have 46 more days and I will be sitting on her. You make it all that much more exciting for me to look forward to.

[yancycruiser]

Thanks again Geoherb and to all of you who posted your comments after the cruise. Even though our cruise does not begin until January 19, I had to get out our suitcases and throw in something. Now I can say, I have begun the packing process.

 

Happy New Year and the best to all of you on this thread.

 

Don

[Aloha Me]

My thanks as well. Whether pro or con its a cruise and we are so ready. Our last one was 2007 and that's just too much time inbetween. Happy New Year to you all and we'll think of you as we board January 19!

[Aloha Me]

Oh...by the by do the casino slots on the Island still use coins or have they changed over to paper tickets?????

[Loonbeam]

If its the same as the coral, neither. Money was taken from and posted back to my cruise card if I recall. Didn't play much.

Oh...by the by do the casino slots on the Island still use coins or have they changed over to paper tickets?????

[geoherb]

The slots will take paper money but you have to cash out with your cruise card. It was a little bit confusing to me since this was the first time I'd played a machine like that. But I was able to figure out how to get my winnings back. I'd tease people by saying I was up 550. And then I'd wait a few seconds before adding "cents." For the most part, the people I talked with were up a little bit or consistently throwing back any winnings. One woman, for instance, said she was up $350, so she figured it was her lucky night. She ended up with just $50.

 

I knew that we could arrange to get any of our favorite dishes through our head waiter for one of the following evenings. There was not anything I missed that much.

 

The last menu change was the hardest for some friends we met the first day at lunch in the dining room. The french toast was gone from the last breakfast menu.

[KangarooCruiser]

Geoherb,

 

Thanks for taking us along with you on the cruise, I really enjoyed your commentaries and helpful info with regard to ports and of course the Island Princess. DW and I are taking the October 20th cruise (I know a long way off!) and am interested in your opinion of the Lotus Pool area. On our previous cruises with Princess we have booked the Sanctuary for the entire trip, but it looks like the Lotus Pool may be a great area to spend relaxing hours?

 

Could you provide some comments - we are not sun lovers, enjoy relative quite time, IPad and IPod (music and reading), are the loungers comfortable, is the temp OK, could you play cards, was the area crowded etc?

 

Again thanks for your time and hope both Sam and yourself enjoyed your trip.

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[A&L_Ont]

Thank-you to all on this cruise for posting while away and at home. I can't wait the next year and a few days to be on this cruise. You gave us a few ideas about what to do in the ports of call.

 

I am also pleased to report that we chose the iteneray that stops in Grand Cayman instead of Jamica. We chose this route for a reason. Jamica would have been a sea day for us and my in-laws have never been there and I could only picture my FIL there:eek:.

 

On a side note we too have noticed that the sea channel wave report is most always is way off the mark. Perhaps they try to make the new cruiser feel like it is not that bad. Glad you all had a nice get away!

 

Happy New Years

Andrew

[Pia1913]

Oh...by the by do the casino slots on the Island still use coins or have they changed over to paper tickets?????

 

You can put money in, but you don't get money out. Or paper receipts either. Very easy to use with your cruise card. Instructions are easy to follow, you select your own pin and go from there. Don't want to confuse you with explanation. You will see for yourself.

[sabookkeeper]

Thank-you to all on this cruise for posting while away and at home. I can't wait the next year and a few days to be on this cruise. You gave us a few ideas about what to do in the ports of call.

 

I am also pleased to report that we chose the iteneray that stops in Grand Cayman instead of Jamica. We chose this route for a reason. Jamica would have been a sea day for us and my in-laws have never been there and I could only picture my FIL there:eek:.

 

On a side note we too have noticed that the sea channel wave report is most always is way off the mark. Perhaps they try to make the new cruiser feel like it is not that bad. Glad you all had a nice get away!

 

Happy New Years

Andrew

Andrew: we are also doing the Panama Canal in February 2012...when are you going?

 

 

Darlene

[A&L_Ont]

Sabookkeeper,

 

We are going on January 8, 2012. When looking at your signature I see that you are going on the Ruby in February, and we will be with her a few weeks later, on February 27th. Take good care of her.

 

Andrew

[marigail]

I will be on the full transit crossing from LA-FT.Lauderdale in March, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word you wrote geoherb. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be selected for the Chef's Table. Also considering the Sanctuary for the whole trip---would love some feedback on that as I've never done it.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write about your trip so that so many could enjoy it!!

 

Marilyn

[Aloha Me]

I will be on the full transit crossing from LA-FT.Lauderdale in March, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word you wrote geoherb. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be selected for the Chef's Table. Also considering the Sanctuary for the whole trip---would love some feedback on that as I've never done it.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write about your trip so that so many could enjoy it!!

 

Marilyn

 

Marilyn there's a thread on the Sanctuary you might like. I got a lot of information from it. Good luck.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1322309&highlight=sanctuary

[marigail]

I actually stumbled across that thread after posting. Sounds kind of unlikely that I'll be fast enough to get spots for the entire cruise, but I sure will try!! The idea of having to line up early in the morning to get in does not appeal, so if I can't get the whole thing, I'll forget it for this trip.

 

Thanks for the insight!

[geoherb]

DW and I are taking the October 20th cruise (I know a long way off!) and am interested in your opinion of the Lotus Pool area. On our previous cruises with Princess we have booked the Sanctuary for the entire trip, but it looks like the Lotus Pool may be a great area to spend relaxing hours?

 

Could you provide some comments - we are not sun lovers, enjoy relative quite time, IPad and IPod (music and reading), are the loungers comfortable, is the temp OK, could you play cards, was the area crowded etc?

The Lotus Pool area was never crowded when I was up there. We tend to stay down below in the morning and early afternoons. The only times we went swimming were early evening--around 5:30 or 6. The temperature was comfortable, but we had overcast days almost the entire cruise. The water temperature was also comfortable--not too cold, not too warm. The loungers are also comfortable, and there are table with chairs where you could play cards.

 

Kids are allowed into the area but not allowed in the pool or hot tubs. I never saw many there except for those who came in for ice cream and then left. The second level of the pool area has the ping pong tables.

 

I really enjoyed that they kept the cover on the whole cruise.