LIVE from the Royal Princess - 30 days, Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale - 9/27 - 10/27

[kayzmarie]

The Tenor: He did 9 selections. Has a good voice but should have sung more recognizable pieces. Out of the nine, #5 was the Ave Maria, #7 was Santa Lucia and #9 was the Pavarotti signature piece ; I don’t recall the name.

 

 

 

...probably Nessun Dorma

Edited October 14, 2013 by kayzmarie

[ibfern]

10-13-13

Amalfi Coast

 

We had a glorious day with Fabrizio, the sky was clear and the air was warm and not too moist. We started at 8am and headed up the back road to Ravello. Along the way we stopped at several lookouts, Vesuvius was spectacular and clear and there were many photo ops.

 

Our first stop was Ravello, a lovely town high above the coast with lovely cobbled streets and squares. We stopped for expresso, sat and just took in the peace of the main square before any of the other groups arrived although it did not last long. The square soon filled up with tourists, mostly from the Princess ship and many friends, I found a wonderful Cameo carving store with quite reasonable prices and had to buy a lovely ring, great deal for $25 euros, the ring is sterling silver.

 

We wondered up and down the small alley like streets and found some goodies, Ceramics, and lots of cute kitties that Meredith would have for sure been feeding! She brings pounds of food to feed stray kitties, a lovely woman who cares about these animals,

 

Next Fabrizio took us to Amalfi, a beautiful town down the mountain and close to the water. Amalfi had a beautiful square with an incredible church that is a definite must see. It's many steps up to the church and totally worth it. Soon the town overwhelmed with tourists and Fabrizio gave us an option of staying longer or continuing on to Positano where we would eat, walk, and shop!

 

The restaurant Da Costantino is a favorite of many people, and today it was very crowded. The 6 of us gathered at a window table with an incredible view of the hills and sea, it was magical. Our guide and friend Fabrizio started serving us food immediately, I didn't realize he was also a waiter! He is quite a stand up guy, very humble and clearly the kind of guest who helps clean the dishes. Anyway the food was wonderful. We started with Bruschetta, then we had the best Caprice Salad with the most tasty tomatoes as if they were fresh from the vine to our table. Next came Pizza, very yummy, followed by pasta, manicotti and a delicious 4 cheese swirl that I have never had. Dessert was fresh fruit with vanilla Gelato, and a lemon cake. The red and white wine flowed freely, as did the water with and without gas. The meal was an event in and of itself! As we left, the owner of the restaurant gave us all a bottle of wine.

 

Next we walked around Positano. We walked down to the beach and then I went back up to shop while Ken walked up and down the hills looking to burn calories from the meal we had just finished. I found a cute dress, had to buy it.

 

We did our tours backward, visiting Sorrento last but this time just a quick drive buy! Said good bye to Fabrizio and will see him tomorrow. Actually today, I am way behind In writing, having too much fun! Today in Calcata was OMG good, will follow up with a report ASAP...

[Sailingpeace]

Hi Pia,

Yup, turkey too in Canada. We had the family dinner yesterday and there was one on the table. Contrary to a popular belief, red wine does go well with it also, and that was on the table too. Ciao!

[trbarton]

Good evening (2348 local time) from the Royal to Princess. We are making our way to Naples after a great day in Messina. I had organized a private excursion to Mt. Etna and Taormina. The views at Mt. Etna were great. Taormina was nice but awhile after we were there a number of excursion busses, both from the Royal and Celebrity Reflection, arrived and it became quite crowded. There were some great picture taking opportunities to be had. After we finished in Taormina, we made our way back to the Royal. One note about private excursions is I've always found it much more enjoyable than riding around in a bus full oof 50 cruisers.

 

When we got back too thee Royal, it was raining a little. We made our way onboard and decided to finally try Alfredo's for lunch. It was somewhat crowded so we had to wait just a minute to be seated. The pizzas and salads were great. The service was also very good. Great staff in Alfredo's. Many of the waiters here also do double duty in the Crown Grill at night.

 

DW bought a piece of merchandise in Facets. She told me the sales person was extremely nice and helpful. Around 2130, I tried the "Smoke House" BBQ at the Trident Grill. The food was good and I received good service from a bar waiter who quickly brought me a beer that I had ordered.

 

Getting ready to turn in now. Tomorrow is another private excursion I organized for the Amalfi Coast with lunch at La Tagliata. Looking forward to the lunch due to the fact we had a fantastic time there in 2011.

 

Hope all are well.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Bob:

 

Thanks for taking your time to post your experiences. Hopefully other people posting while on a cruise will post what time it is which is helpful to people reading the post.

 

Also thanks for using a large font size so some of us don't have to strain our eyes to read it. I've had to increase the zoom level of my PC screen to be able to easily read some of the posts on CC. To other people posting try using "size 4".

 

Tom:)

Edited October 14, 2013 by trbarton

[RNGALNG]

I have been really enjoying my cruise 'with you' around the Med and now getting ready to go across the pond. It is always wonderful to hear from seasoned travelers with Princess and their comments on the newest ship.

 

We have become gym rats. We actually enjoy heading to the gym and working out. I know some of you onboard have also been heading there for a work out.

 

Can someone tell me if the raised the ceiling in the gym so that when on the treadmills and other machines, someone who is 6'5" won't hit his head? Poor hubby has had to stop using those machines as his head pops the tiles up! And it is very hard to duck while trying to use an elliptical or the treadmill!

 

Thank you so much!

Leslie

[slc22]

...Several little things I felt you couldn’t live without. ;)

1. Every elevator has a saying on its carpeted floor.

These are two of them.

a. Whatever you pack there’s always room for memories

b. Those that travel far know much

　

 

Pia, love these sayings, thanks! Will be fun to search for them in a couple months.

 

If you have time, could you see who will be the Captain in December? I'm on the second half of Dave's b2b, so he may be interested, too.

 

Enjoying reading Everyone,s live posts. Thanks to all of you!

[southpawsdakota]

Pam or anyone having trouble sleeping because of noise near their room. If you have an IPHONE with you maybe you can download the "white noise" app. You can keep you phone plugged in all night with the white noise going. I always travel with a small travel white noise machine but I know family members use the app on their IPHONES.

[Pam in CA]

Had a fabulous day in Rome, today. Disembarked the ship at about 7:45am and even with a mix-up on where to meet him, we were off to Rome just after 8am.

 

First stop was at the Colosseum. Our driver pre-arranged tickets and we literally walked in and didn't have even a minute's wait. Right to the elevator and we were up and enjoying the Colosseum within minutes. We spent about half an hour there before leaving. I should say that Rome was packed with tourists and our group wanted a good overview of Rome rather than a couple of places "in depth." From there, we saw the Palentine Hill, Circus Maximus, Via Appia, and on to the Trevi Fountain. Two coins tossed: first to return to Rome, second for good health. From there, to the Pantheon for a half-hour stop, the "Wedding Cake" and Spanish steps. We drove through the Campo di Fiore and stopped at the Navrone. A quick lunch where our guide had made a reservation for the eight of us for lasagna and carbonara for each of us at a restaurant near the Vatican. Then, on to the Vatican where I'd arranged for a private guide. Marcella was fabulous. It was insanely busy/packed but she'd have a word with a guard and he'd open a gate for us and we'd bypass lines of crowds. This happened several times. We first went to the Vatican Museum, then the Sistine Chapel, and then the Basilica. I think the only thing we didn't see was the Roman Forum. We left Rome just after 4pm and fortunately, didn't hit much traffic and were back onboard just after 5pm. A great day with a great group. We had a lot of fun together.

 

Tomorrow is a day off for me. I have nothing planned for Cannes and don't plan to get off the ship.

 

The weather was perfect today: warm, sunny and less humidity than yesterday. I wasn't as exhausted as I was yesterday.

 

My sister stayed on the ship (she doesn't get off) and had a bit of a scare today. The Royal doesn't have any emergency pull cord in the bathroom that other ships do. Today, she was in the bathroom and the door handle fell off. Fortunately, the door wasn't closed but if it was, she could have been locked in there with no way to get help. This could be a bit of a concern for some. Something to think about.

 

Had a drink in the Vista Lounge (a Chairman of the Board for me which is far more alcohol than I normally drink) and then dinner in the buffet, which was very good. It was Italian night and they had everything from pizza to gnocchi to practically every kind of pasta. The food (always subjective) has been excellent on this ship.

 

Tomorrow, I'm sleeping late and recharging my batteries for Barcelona and Montsurrat the next day.

[slc22]

Pia - I forgot not to quote in my reply to you. Will be considerate next time, very sorry.

 

Pam - glad your sister was able to get out! Can you recommend to hotel manager they have implement Pull cords in the HC rooms? Wonder why Royal does not have them?

[cricketts]

We are on the Royal Princess Inaugural transatlantic passage, and have been on this ship since Barcelona. We have had one problem after another from the beginning, they damaged my luggage beyond repair but refuse to reimburse me for it so I can buy a new bag to carry my stuff home. Instead, they are looking for a cheap replacement in each port and not very successfully. They call me daily to tell me no luck, this upsets me and reminds me of the problems.

 

My bathroom on the first leg was broken for 3 days, we could not use it and this was extremely painful and made those days Impossible. Good grief, when it rains it pours.

 

We moved to rear facing deluxe balcony on the turn around day, the room was nice but the balcony, which was a little larger, was covered In black tar. The following day when we left Venice, I discovered why. Our room, C743, was in the direct line of the exhaust and once we were set sail the room filled with toxic fumes regardless of whether we opened or closed the balcony door. I have bad Asthma, and immediately could not breath, my husband also got ill immediately. We both panicked because we knew the ship was filled. Our friend, a heart specialist came up and told us we needed to move immediately, he indicated this was very bad for our health, he had to leave the room because he also started to get ill.

 

They had one balcony available and we moved late last night into it. It was covered in blood and hair, had not been properly cleaned, had cigarette burns on the carpet along with a lot of blood. I was at the end of my rope. The hazmat team had to come in and clean it at midnight, we did not get to unpack until 12:30 last night! We did not sleep at all and today we are both ill with headaches, and of course very upset.

 

On the last leg of the cruise we had terrible dining room service, we were at a table for 6 and it took several hours to get our food. We had to leave the dining room early, missing dessert, in order to make the show, or trivia. Our server was surly and rude, she kept us waiting for long periods of time between courses. After many days of this we complained but her behavior did not change. It was aggravating to say the least.

 

We cannot reach room service except at 5 am, even the. We wait! One hot tip here is that you can just press the button for service and a speaker phone comes on so you don't need to hold the phone up to your ear while waiting for them to answer.

 

Our new room is having toilet problems as well, so it's not specific to one room, it is probably due to poor suction and smaller pipes. At least that's what DH thinks! At least we get good wifi, so sorry to hear about Pam's poor reception.

 

Good news, we found a great table and wonderful servers at the Concerto dining room. We are eating with good friends we met on last years Diamond cruise and having a great dining experience. It is definitely better than the last segment.

 

Princess offered me compensation for the difference in prices from my deluxe balcony to the regular balcony, not very much money but better than nothing. They also gave us some obc and a dinner at a specialty restaurant. Rather than spend the whole cruise stressing about how disappointing the aft room was, and all the small but annoying bummers, I am moving forward and enjoying myself. My big lesson here is that happiness is all about managing expectations!

 

Pam, when and where is your tech talk?

 

 

Amelia

What a great message about happiness being about managing expectations :)

 

I'm very concerned about the aft cabins, and your comments about C743 underscore why...we are booked in D731 (directly below C743) for the Caribbean...any advice?

Balcony size and privacy are priorities for us.

 

Thanks, Deedee

[billco]

the other night just as we sat down to dinner, Princess asked for a blood donor. My wife donated her pint and Princess gave a nice bottle of wine for her effort.

 

Yesterday morning,I tried to open safe to get money for tour. safe was dead. Called passenger services and had problem fixed in five minutes. Loose battery. Good idea to check.

 

Treadmills available all the time, it seems. Up there at 5:30 am last two mornings. Already a couple people there.

 

Found that jogging track has water fountain. Nice touch.

[gracie65]

 

My sister stayed on the ship (she doesn't get off) and had a bit of a scare today. The Royal doesn't have any emergency pull cord in the bathroom that other ships do. Today, she was in the bathroom and the door handle fell off. Fortunately, the door wasn't closed but if it was, she could have been locked in there with no way to get help. This could be a bit of a concern for some. Something to think about.

 

 

Pam, I can certainly relate to being locked in the bathroom on a cruise ship. Last year I was trapped in ours on The Crown almost as soon as we got to the cabin. I hadn't even locked my door, just shut it. When I went to open nothing. Luckily DH was still on the balcony. It took over two hours for maintenance to get me out. A screw had fallen down in the lock and jammed it. I usually am one to wipe down and spray everyplace you touch as soon as I get in the cabin. I totally forgot to do it and firmly believe this is where I got the noro virus. I was putting my head on the sink trying to imagine I wasn't trapped in such a small area. We were with another couple and I was the only one to get it. I plan to wipe and spray as soon as I get to my cabin and shut and open the door several times before going in.

I do hope your sister is ok and wasn't in there as long as I was.

Have a wonderful cruise and thanks for taking all of us along!!

[Mom33]

Hi to those onboard and thanks for your updates. I would appreciate it if someone could give me some info on the Movies on Demand. How extensive is the movie selection? Is it just the movies they show on MUTS or is there a larger selection? Thanks in advance for your reply.:)

[sunsetbeachgal]

We were in a handicapped accessible cabin on the Royal (it was an upgrade) and it did have an emergency cord.

[Shogun]

Hi Mom33

 

The tv system is one of the best features on the Royal,

 

Movies are grouped Family, New, Thriller, Comedy etc, Can not recall

 

full number but may be as high as 40, so not just muts repeated,

 

yours Shogun

[Mom33]

Hi Mom33

 

The tv system is one of the best features on the Royal,

 

Movies are grouped Family, New, Thriller, Comedy etc, Can not recall

 

full number but may be as high as 40, so not just muts repeated,

 

yours Shogun

 

Thanks Shogun!:D

[homeinboca]

Two coins tossed: first to return to Rome, second for good health.

 

Beautiful. I love it!

 

Glad you had a great day in Rome, what an amazing city! Our favorite

 

Ron

[love2cruise42]

Good evening (2309 local time) from the Royal Princess. Getting ready to turn in after a long day. Another long one tomorrow as well. Today I had organized a private tour for Sorrento, The Amalfi Coast, and Positano. The highlight of the day was lunch at La Tagliata. We ate at this wonderful establishment prior in 2011. The 2013 version of our lunch did not disappoint anyone:) Our driver was fantastic When I initially made the reservation I had asked for him. It was so good to have him again. He is the consummate driver/guide.

In Sorrento we wandered around and picked up a few things. We also sampled some tasty Lemonchello. We also did a little shopping in Positano before we made our way to the restaurant.

After we got back to the Royal we hung out and just relaxed. Sometime after sail away I tried the "Smoke House" BBQ (Trident Grill) They had different menu items tonight that had a bit more kick to them.

Tomorrow is Rome and my final private excursion. I'm really excited to finally being on Rome on a day other than a Sunday.

One last thing. Many of you may have heard this but for those that have not, If yu plan to organize an private excursions do not do any soliciting onboard at the Meet & Greet or any other venue. Princess takes this very seriously and can worst case scenario) kick you off the ship.

Take Care All.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Bob.....can you get me a royal mug... I will pay you or ask Holli please.....

 

Thanks, jackie

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Woobstr112G]

Good morning from the Royal Princess (0006 local time). Just getting ready to turn in. Today in Rome, I organized a private excursion to the Vatican. We toured the Museum, Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica (Holli & I did not tour the Basilica). Everything was great and I took a ton of pictures (except in the Chapel). Only real downer was the over the top crowds.

 

After we left the Vatican, we had lunch at a venue suggested by our guide. The food was very good. After lunch, we toured Rome until it was time to return to the ship.

 

Tomorrow Holli & I have a ship sponsored excursion to Monte Carlo and Niece.

 

Not much else to report as I gotta get some sleep.

 

Take Care All…..:):):)

 

Bob

Edited October 14, 2013 by Woobstr112G

[Woobstr112G]

Bob.....can you get me a royal mug... I will pay you or ask Holli please.....

 

Thanks, jackie

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Jackie;

I'll snag a mug for you. One thing though. They aren't selling the traditional Black mugs with an outline of the ship and the stats painted on it. It is now a white photo mug. Do you still want it?

Bob

[love2cruise42]

Jackie;

I'll snag a mug for you. One thing though. They aren't selling the traditional Black mugs with an outline of the ship and the stats painted on it. It is now a white photo mug. Do you still want it?

Bob[/quoteally]

 

Really... Bummer.., liked those black mugs... No that's ok... Hope you are having a good cruise. How's Holli?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[waltd]

Hi Bob and Holli

Enjoying reading about your adventures and also Pia's. Funny about the mugs. I have had a number of the black ones over the years and I'm finding that the print on the mug is wearing off to the point you can't read it. If I had know I guess I would not have used it as much.

 

Have fun guys

 

Joe

[san diego sue]

Joe,

I thought you were on the Transatlantic?

(met you at Judy's house at M&G)We were on the 12 day but had cancelled the transatlantic.

Gloria and Lew

[waltd]

Hi Gloria

No Jak and I had to cancel also. Jaks' job. :(

[san diego sue]

Joe,

See you on Oct 28th, The Golden. See you booked it(your post on CC).

Just booked a suite , after all it is free.

Gloria:D