Live From The Royal Princess

[IECalCruiser]

I hope so too Carolyn, 'cause the supermarket in Barcelona is waiting for me and my compatriots.

Pia, Thanks to you we are planning to do the same. Do you know anyone that can recommend some decent reds there?

[gillianrose]

Hi All

 

Been reading the patter public lounges and facilities indoor areas are non smoking so does this mean a smoke free casino

Design issue fault the sockets in the room are to close to the desk top plugs with cable coming from bottom do not fit might just be a UK plug issue using. Plug in shower room

Shower room is small but oddly the wash basin and counter top are big may be could be smaller to give more turning space

Shower looks a few inches bigger but overall feel is not for larger folks

TV not working but have call in so expect it will soon

Mini bar waiting for us but fridge more like an oven will see if it cools down or might need to call for this

Overall past Princess passengers appear to love the ship

Lifts are full but expect this will pass once all onboard

 

No central stair case takes a bit of getting used to as our cabin is mid ship

 

Does "no central staircase" mean that there is no central elevator, either? If so, that's a terrible design flaw, especially for such a large ship.

 

When I called Princess today I was told there is no inside smoking except for the cigar lounge, so that means (yay) that the casino is smoke-free, too.

 

Are the balconies really that small? Don't like the sound of that.

 

Oh well, guess we'll learn more as the days go by. Enjoy your cruise.

[Mom33]

Does "no central staircase" mean that there is no central elevator, either? If so, that's a terrible design flaw, especially for such a large ship.

 

When I called Princess today I was told there is no inside smoking except for the cigar lounge, so that means (yay) that the casino is smoke-free, too.

 

Are the balconies really that small? Don't like the sound of that.

 

Oh well, guess we'll learn more as the days go by. Enjoy your cruise.

 

There are 6 central elevators. There are crew only stairs in the center also to be used during emergencies by the public and by crew at all other times. The balconies come in various sizes. You can see the size differences depicted on the deck plans.:)

[caribill]

Does "no central staircase" mean that there is no central elevator, either? If so, that's a terrible design flaw, especially for such a large ship. There are central elevators (6 of them)

 

When I called Princess today I was told there is no inside smoking except for the cigar lounge, so that means (yay) that the casino is smoke-free, too. Don't get your hopes up. Life froms have posted there is smoking in at least half of the casino.

 

see above in red

[gillianrose]

There are 6 central elevators. There are crew only stairs in the center also to be used during emergencies by the public and by crew at all other times. The balconies come in various sizes. You can see the size differences depicted on the deck plans.:)

 

Glad to read there are central elevators!

[gillianrose]

see above in red

 

I just read the link to the passenger contract which states that there are no indoor smoking areas (except cigar lounge) and I guess the casino is indoors, so it should be fully non-smoking.

[caribill]

I just read the link to the passenger contract which states that there are no indoor smoking areas (except cigar lounge) and I guess the casino is indoors, so it should be fully non-smoking.

 

See post #994 in this thread

[TorontoTL]

Thanks for all your posts Lynn and Rob.

[gillianrose]

See post #994 in this thread

 

On what page? I have no intention of scrolling through all the posts.

 

I just clicked on the link to the passenger contract and read it, plus I telephoned Princess and asked very specifically about smoking.

[Cruise Junky]

On what page? I have no intention of scrolling through all the posts.

 

I just clicked on the link to the passenger contract and read it, plus I telephoned Princess and asked very specifically about smoking.

 

 

Page number won't help you as your setting could be different.

 

Here's Princess's Smoking Policy and there have been enough life from threads with details that there's smoking in the casino.

 

Designated Smoking Areas

Clearly marked “Designated Smoking Areas” are available onboard and include a sufficient number of ashtrays that are emptied regularly. Generally, these areas include cigar lounges, a section of the nightclub and casino, as well as a portion of the open decks. As a safety precaution, passengers are reminded to properly dispose of cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco, which are never to be thrown overboard as this may be sucked back into the ship and cause fires

[Day91]

On what page? I have no intention of scrolling through all the posts.

 

I just clicked on the link to the passenger contract and read it, plus I telephoned Princess and asked very specifically about smoking.

 

Try page 50, guessing you have a default setting of 20 posts per page.

[coo359a2]

On what page? I have no intention of scrolling through all the posts.

 

I just clicked on the link to the passenger contract and read it, plus I telephoned Princess and asked very specifically about smoking.

 

 

This was post #994 by Shogun on the Maiden cruise.

The Casino

The casino is big, however a few issues the tables need to be opened up to give you access to the slots on the far side, access is from one end only, this is the smoking slots section, the slots near the stair case are smoke free, however when in use they is almost no space between the seats to get to a machine, the other issue the machine types are very similar I would like to a better range.

On our cruise the casino was very busy so Princess will be happy.

[coo359a2]

Try page 50, guessing you have a default setting of 20 posts per page.

 

 

It was page 34 for me - have 30 posts per page.

[caribill]

It was page 34 for me - have 30 posts per page.

 

Page 25 for me

[Benny Dorm]

I have just come off of the Royal Princess and am now enjoying a couple of days in Venice.

 

I did see people smoking in the casino but it appeared to be one side only. Away from the majority of the slots but close to the black jack, poker, craps and roulette tables. The good news is that they did have some "no smoking" casino nights.

 

I think that there is only one inside place that you can smoke cigars as these were not allowed in the casino. Churchill's is right next door to the casino and Club 6 so it is a very popular room late at night.

[Pia1913]

 

When I called Princess today I was told there is no inside smoking except for the cigar lounge, so that means (yay) that the casino is smoke-free, too.

 

.

 

Casinos can never be smoke free; only an occasional night. Gamblers smoke. Ask them in Vegas.

 

When Carnival built the Paradise it was totally no smoking. Nobody drank; nobody gambled. We loved it, but they lost money. That's just the way it is.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Casinos can never be smoke free; only an occasional night. Gamblers smoke. Ask them in Vegas.

 

When Carnival built the Paradise it was totally no smoking. Nobody drank; nobody gambled. We loved it, but they lost money. That's just the way it is.

 

We loved it too and I think part of the problem was they alternated eastern and western - just cause we don't smoke doesn't mean we only want to do those ports over and over and over. When they did an 11 and 10 night to southern Caribean the ship was packed and the casino full - they should have tried other destinations:rolleyes:

[chamima]

Casinos can never be smoke free; only an occasional night. Gamblers smoke. Ask them in Vegas.

 

When Carnival built the Paradise it was totally no smoking. Nobody drank; nobody gambled. We loved it, but they lost money. That's just the way it is.

 

 

 

Pia

Celebrity has no smoking in their casinos and I think they do just fine!

[emileg]

Pia

Celebrity has no smoking in their casinos and I think they do just fine!

I can verify that. Celebrity's strict non-smoking policy, including staterooms and casinos, is one reason among many why Celebrity is so popular. There is a smoking area on the port side of the outdoor promenade.

 

Incidentally, no Celebrity ships have a wrap-around promenade. I refused to go on Celebrity for many years for that reason. I have changed my mind and now just walk fore and aft on whichever promenade is shady at the time. I guess I will do the same on the Royal Princess when I board in January.

[Benny Dorm]

In the bazaars at Kusadasi and Istanbul is it necessary to have Turkish Lira? If so, where are ATMs in Kusadasi? We go to

Kusadasi first then Istanbul.

 

It seems to me that if haggling is expected it should be done in local currency not credit cards..perhaps I'm wrong.

 

Any tips on shopping and currency in these two ports would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Ann

 

We found that the shops and cabs in Kusadasi would take Turkish Lira, USD or British Pounds but, as previously mentioned, watch the conversion rate they use to ensure you are not getting a bad deal. They would haggle in any of the above currencies. I am not an expert but my experience led me to believe that you can negotiate to somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the price in the tag. The price on the tags were always in Turkish at the shops we visited so know your conversion rate before leaving the ship.

 

For entrance to the Topaki Palace, rest rooms, drinks, etc. Turkish Lira had to be used. There were quite a few disappointed people unable to get into the Palace as they had no local currency. A little currency exchange business could be a good way to make money!

[lynn_and_rob]

I can verify that. Celebrity's strict non-smoking policy, including staterooms and casinos, is one reason among many why Celebrity is so popular. There is a smoking area on the port side of the outdoor promenade.

 

Incidentally, no Celebrity ships have a wrap-around promenade. I refused to go on Celebrity for many years for that reason. I have changed my mind and now just walk fore and aft on whichever promenade is shady at the time. I guess I will do the same on the Royal Princess when I board in January.

 

Unfortunately on the Royal the promenade doesn't go the whole length of the ship. There's section in the middle (under the Sky Walk) and again in the rear along the outside of the Vista Lounge, but the two areas are not connected by passenger accessible space. The two area on each side are really nice ( very wide and with very nice wooded loungers and I believe padded chairs outside of facets) but are not designed for walking or strolling. I think their main purpose is to provide a place to sit or lounge.

 

Lynn and Rob

[emileg]

Unfortunately on the Royal the promenade doesn't go the whole length of the ship. There's section in the middle (under the Sky Walk) and again in the rear along the outside of the Vista Lounge, but the two areas are not connected by passenger accessible space. The two area on each side are really nice ( very wide and with very nice wooded loungers and I believe padded chairs outside of facets) but are not designed for walking or strolling. I think their main purpose is to provide a place to sit or lounge.

 

Lynn and Rob

Thanks. So, what I think you are saying is that the promenades on the Royal Princess are not suitable for walking, even just fore and aft. Whatever it is, I will cope. Others have discussed the lack of the promenade as a drawback, but the ship has many other nice features to enjoy.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

The Promenade Deck on the Royal is not for walking,

 

its for relaxing on with some nice teak seats,

 

its for watching the world sail by

 

for getting the sea air,

 

for enjoying your cruise on

 

 

etc etc

 

 

yours Shogun

[billco]

Hi There

 

The Promenade Deck on the Royal is not for walking,

 

its for relaxing on with some nice teak seats,

 

its for watching the world sail by

 

for getting the sea air,

 

for enjoying your cruise on

 

 

etc etc

 

 

yours Shogun

Perhaps it would be less confusing if Princess renamed Promenade Deck to something more meaningful like Relaxation Deck or Main Deck as it would be called on a Navy ship.

[emileg]

Perhaps it would be less confusing if Princess renamed Promenade Deck to something more meaningful like Relaxation Deck or Main Deck as it would be called on a Navy ship.

Changing the name of the Promenade Deck sounds like a good idea. A promenade is often defined as "a stroll or walk, especially in a public place..." Or "an area used for such walking." (Dictionary.com). Similarly the same dictionary defines a "promenade deck" as "an upper deck or part of a deck on a passenger ship where passengers can stroll, often covered with a light shade deck."