Live From The Royal Princess

[TorontoTL]

Thanks for the info on the multi quote, I'd never used it before because I didn't know that function was available.

[dedosr]

A pair of nice evening pictures of Royal Princess as she departed Toulon back on July 18th...

 

 

(Credit pictures to Julien Imbert)

 

Dave, great pictures. One is now my desktop picture as I wait for my turn to be on the Royal Princess;);)

[Northender]

Dave, thanks for posting those beautiful Royal Toulon pics.:D

How beautiful she looks.:):)

[#1winelover]

Mea Culpa. I never noticed that teeny plus sign. :o

Pia,

If that + sign were any smaller it would be merely an "idea!" :)

[lynn_and_rob]

I've been enjoying this live thread since the beginning! Thanks to the current bloggers - lynn and rob, and benny dorm for your time!

Just wondering if you can tell me if there are many gowns and tuxes on formal nights?

We are going to be on our first ever cruise on the August 10th sailing so any info is much appreciated,:)

Linda

 

We were expecting more formal outfits than normal on this cruise, but it actually seems more casual than most. Certainly there were some tuxes, but it didn't look like the pictures from the inaugural cruise from Southampton.

 

Lynn and Rob

[Benny Dorm]

Another few days pass by and I get time to post again. Even with sea days I managed to keep too busy to post!

 

We were due to visit Mykonos yesterday but the God's were against us. As the access to Mykonos is by tender the weather needs to be quite calm. Unfortunately, whilst the sun was shining, the winds were very strong and Captain Draper, after consultation with the authorities, took the decision to not stop at Mykonos for safety reasons. I am sure some people were disappointed but safety has to be the first priority and it is just one of those unfortunate things that occur every now and again whilst cruising.

 

If you thought that you may go stir crazy after a day at sea and then having to "endure" another one immediately afterwards you would be wrong. The crew issued a new Patter with additional entertainment laid on throughout the day to keep the guests busy. Even with the two sea days and a full cruise the ship does not feel overly busy. The only downside is that you are too close to the wonderful selection of food. Pub lunches in the Wheelhouse Bar and Grill and the choice in the HC would have had people doing a few extra laps of the walking/running track or putting on a few extra pounds (guilty). My only saving grace is that, as I do not have a sweet tooth, I do not hit the cakes, desserts and cookies.

 

Today was Istanbul. Although to me the negotiating is annoying it is something that has to be done otherwise you will overpay for everything. We literally picked up a cab out side the port and negotiated a deal with a cab driver to take us to the major sights and drive us from Europe to Asia and back again. All in all we had our driver for 3.5 hours and were escorted by (his brothers son) to the entrances to the major sights we visited (they are within walking distance of each other). The one thing that we gave a miss to was the Grand Bazaar which would be my idea of hell.

 

There are enough people trying to get you to use them as guides or people trying to sell you stuff that I would suggest, unless you are very strong willed and can be quite rude if required, it may be easier to go on a Princess organised tour. I had one guy trying to sell me a book on the history of Istanbul and despite me telling him that I had no interest he would not leave us alone. He even told me that as I was from London he wanted to give me the book as a gift. I politely told him "thank you" and took the book hoping he would move on to another target. Unfortunately not. He then started to tell me how he is a student (at 35 ish?) and could I make a donation in either Turkish Lira, Euros, British Pounds or US Dollars. I handed him his book back and told him a few Anglo Saxon phrases that he was obviously very aware of and at long last he backed off. After that I am afraid that I was just rude to these guys.

 

Anyway, do not let my little story stop you from visiting Istanbul. The Blue Mosque, The Palace are truly historic and beautiful places to visit. The park around the actual palace is very peaceful with some fantastic views. The taxi took us for a drive around the city whilst pointing out the interesting places like the Government buildings, army barracks, etc and also took us across the Bosphorus so that we could visit Asia and then return back to Europe. The cost for the taxi was around $100 and I still don't know if it was a good deal or not but I was more than happy.

 

Tomorrow is Kusadasi which will no doubt involve some shopping for "Genuine Fake" goods. With it only being a short stop, and what with the amount of historical buildings we have already seen, I suspect that the majority of time will be spent shopping with good ole Dad spending the money.

 

As previously mentioned this is out first cruise and we did not know what to expect. It is a great way to see the world and we have already been scanning the future cruise area and I feel a Baltic and Russian cruise coming on n 2014

[#1winelover]

Hi There

 

On our meet and greet which was at on odd time, due to club 6 being so heavily used,

 

result was it was held when wake show was being filmed so no CD or deputy

 

captain was doing weddings or some thing,

 

hotel manager was at meeting with Princess head office staff,

 

however customer relationship manager did come by to say sorry

 

can not stay on way to meeting then explained others were all busy,

 

did meet all later in private, as they would have like to have gotten

 

passenger feed back ,

 

yours Shogun

 

Shogun! Something off-topic I'd like to run by you. Please email me at WLARRYC at MINDSPRING dot COM.

 

Bill, (Ozpilot) suggested I chat with you about this topic.

Thanks,

[Shogun]

Hi winelover

You have mail

Yours shogun

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forums mobile app

[Arya3]

We were expecting more formal outfits than normal on this cruise, but it actually seems more casual than most. Certainly there were some tuxes, but it didn't look like the pictures from the inaugural cruise from Southampton.

 

Lynn and Rob

 

Thanks, you're the best. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and look forward to reading more of your LIVE updates:D

 

Linda

[Bentley5700]

Is there a steam room/sauna in the fitness center?

[dmwnc1959]

Is there a steam room/sauna in the fitness center?

 

No. The only steaming facilities are in the Thermal Suite on Deck 5 in The Spa and are an extra charge.

[Mom33]

Another few days pass by and I get time to post again. Even with sea days I managed to keep too busy to post!

 

We were due to visit Mykonos yesterday but the God's were against us. As the access to Mykonos is by tender the weather needs to be quite calm. Unfortunately, whilst the sun was shining, the winds were very strong and Captain Draper, after consultation with the authorities, took the decision to not stop at Mykonos for safety reasons. I am sure some people were disappointed but safety has to be the first priority and it is just one of those unfortunate things that occur every now and again whilst cruising.

 

If you thought that you may go stir crazy after a day at sea and then having to "endure" another one immediately afterwards you would be wrong. The crew issued a new Patter with additional entertainment laid on throughout the day to keep the guests busy. Even with the two sea days and a full cruise the ship does not feel overly busy. The only downside is that you are too close to the wonderful selection of food. Pub lunches in the Wheelhouse Bar and Grill and the choice in the HC would have had people doing a few extra laps of the walking/running track or putting on a few extra pounds (guilty). My only saving grace is that, as I do not have a sweet tooth, I do not hit the cakes, desserts and cookies.

 

Today was Istanbul. Although to me the negotiating is annoying it is something that has to be done otherwise you will overpay for everything. We literally picked up a cab out side the port and negotiated a deal with a cab driver to take us to the major sights and drive us from Europe to Asia and back again. All in all we had our driver for 3.5 hours and were escorted by (his brothers son) to the entrances to the major sights we visited (they are within walking distance of each other). The one thing that we gave a miss to was the Grand Bazaar which would be my idea of hell.

 

There are enough people trying to get you to use them as guides or people trying to sell you stuff that I would suggest, unless you are very strong willed and can be quite rude if required, it may be easier to go on a Princess organised tour. I had one guy trying to sell me a book on the history of Istanbul and despite me telling him that I had no interest he would not leave us alone. He even told me that as I was from London he wanted to give me the book as a gift. I politely told him "thank you" and took the book hoping he would move on to another target. Unfortunately not. He then started to tell me how he is a student (at 35 ish?) and could I make a donation in either Turkish Lira, Euros, British Pounds or US Dollars. I handed him his book back and told him a few Anglo Saxon phrases that he was obviously very aware of and at long last he backed off. After that I am afraid that I was just rude to these guys.

 

Anyway, do not let my little story stop you from visiting Istanbul. The Blue Mosque, The Palace are truly historic and beautiful places to visit. The park around the actual palace is very peaceful with some fantastic views. The taxi took us for a drive around the city whilst pointing out the interesting places like the Government buildings, army barracks, etc and also took us across the Bosphorus so that we could visit Asia and then return back to Europe. The cost for the taxi was around $100 and I still don't know if it was a good deal or not but I was more than happy.

 

Tomorrow is Kusadasi which will no doubt involve some shopping for "Genuine Fake" goods. With it only being a short stop, and what with the amount of historical buildings we have already seen, I suspect that the majority of time will be spent shopping with good ole Dad spending the money.

 

As previously mentioned this is out first cruise and we did not know what to expect. It is a great way to see the world and we have already been scanning the future cruise area and I feel a Baltic and Russian cruise coming on n 2014

 

Thanks for the report Benny. Sorry you missed Mykonos but it's nice to know that there is plenty to do onboard. I will be cruising the Baltics on the Royal next Spring.:D

[Carolyn R]

Dave, I seem to remember something about steam showers in the fitness area?

[dmwnc1959]

Dave, I seem to remember something about steam showers in the fitness area?

 

Yes, that is correct! They do have steam showers in the Fitness Center. :D

 

But unfortunately no steam rooms or saunas up there.

 

.

[chamima]

Yes, that is correct! They do have steam showers in the Fitness Center. :D

 

But unfortunately no steam rooms or saunas up there.

 

.

 

 

 

What is a steam shower?

I've never heard of that. :confused:

[dedosr]

What is a steam shower?

I've never heard of that. :confused:

 

This is a manufacturers description:

 

 

To summon steam, you simply hit the digital controls in the shower stall. That triggers an electric valve to fill the breadbox-size steam generator with about a gallon of cold water. Then, just like a plug-in teakettle, the generator's electric element brings the water to a boil. A pipe channels the hot vapor to the steam head, or disperser, which fills the stall with tropical moisture that never gets above a safe 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Bentley5700]

This is a manufacturers description:

 

 

To summon steam, you simply hit the digital controls in the shower stall. That triggers an electric valve to fill the breadbox-size steam generator with about a gallon of cold water. Then, just like a plug-in teakettle, the generator's electric element brings the water to a boil. A pipe channels the hot vapor to the steam head, or disperser, which fills the stall with tropical moisture that never gets above a safe 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Everyday, I learn something new.:D

[kelbabykel]

Does anyone know what dining venues are open 24 hours? Aside from room service. Thanks!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Does anyone know what dining venues are open 24 hours? Aside from room service. Thanks!

 

I believe IC is:)

[Mom33]

Julia’s Journey’s is correct. The International Cafe is open 24 hours.:D

[kelbabykel]

Thanks :)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[alexmom]

As a long time teacher and school administrator I would like to chime in and assure you that 3 and 4 year olds do not have the maturity to make certain decisions. Anyone who has supervised very young children on a playground knows that the adults need, in fact must make the safety decisions. Children at this age climb, run, jump and then climb some more. Their climbing on structures is typical behavior, not a disobediance situation. If structures are available it must be expected that children will explore them. Adults must arrange play structures so that the entire area is safe or no child should be alllowed access. Maybe the photos are deceptive and the area is "child proof" and safe for all youngsters.

 

I've been gone for a month taking care of my 93 yr old dad and I was going to get all the way caught up before I posted, but.

 

I remember watching my 3 yr old son walk up the sides of the galley kitchen cupboards like rock climbing Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible !! I would like to say I was able to get to him before he used his legs to propel himself across the counter towards the hamster cage.

 

The truth is I was so astounded and disbelieving of my own eyes that I froze until he actually wrestled the lid off the cage. I had no idea that he could, or would, do this. And so fast, OMG.

 

Bottom line, you have absolutely NO IDEA what your child will do, or even why or how they'll do it!! So how will you warn them not to do it??

 

Just saying...

[lynn_and_rob]

The ship is very smooth, as others have stated. I don't know what was done to make it so smooth, but there are many times you have to look out a window to realize you are moving.

 

We had an odd odor, sort of like a chemical adhesive smell, in our hallway (deck 15 forward port side) for the first few days. Then noticed the maintainence crew working on the A/C unit a few feet down the hall. After that the odor went away. I haven't noticed the smell anywhere else on the ship, though the maintainence crew (the people in green uniforms) are around the ship a lot the last few days, in and out of cabins, working in cabinets along the hallways, etc.

 

We have both noticed very short waits for elevators, even in the mid-ship elevators where there are no additional stairs, it seems like the wait times are very short. Inside the elevators, there are buttons on only one side. I seem to always guess the wrong when getting on. It would have been nice to have them on both sides. Keeps you from having to reach across through a crowd of people to select your floor.

 

As has been previously mentioned, the crew has been great, very happy and helpful. Having been on the Ruby 7 months ago, we have been amazed with the number of crew that have come from the Ruby., including 4 waiters we had in Sabatini's.

 

We have walked passed the Retreat Pool a few times now and have seen at least two cabanas available each time. We're not big pool people, but it doesn't seem too intrusive having the cabanas up against the pool.

 

The ship does not feel crowded at all to us. We have had short waits or no waits at all at just about every venue. We have been able to walk into either the early or late shows in the Princess Theater 5 minutes before show time and find a great seats (center seats mid way up.)

 

Best food we have had so far would be the ravioli in Alfrado's., probably because neither of us were expecting to be impressed by it. We've been back a couple of times now to make sure it wasn't a fluke :)

 

Gelato is a really nice addition, especially being right off of the Atrium. A great place to sit and have a sundae or a cone while watching the activities in the Atrium. Crepes are available on Sea days between 2 and 4 PM.

 

The TVs are flaky. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I'm sure they will get the issues worked out, but right now it's kind of a hit or miss if they will work when you press the power button.

 

DW stopped in Celebrations. 90% of it is candy and about 10% is flowers and other gift items. They have fudge for sale by the piece at the counter, which is what she picked up. Since it was gone before we made it back to the cabin, I'm guessing it was acceptable quality :)

 

DW has been using the gym. She's been using the recumbent bikes and has enjoyed them quite a bit. Only once so far has the gym been so crowded that she had to wait (less than 5 minutes she said) to get to a machine.

 

We've signed up for the ship tour on the last sea day. There are currently 7 people on the list, they take a total of 12.. It should be with fun and interesting.

[lynn_and_rob]

Is there a steam room/sauna in the fitness center?

 

I don't think so. Just asked the DW, who has been using the fitness center, she does not recall seeing one. There are steam rooms and saunas in the Enclave.

 

Lynn and Rob.

[lynn_and_rob]

Julia’s Journey’s is correct. The International Cafe is open 24 hours.:D

 

Most places close at 11 PM. The only place open after that is IC...and room service.

 

Lynn and Rob.