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

[cruzs4al]

Does anyone know if Kory Simon will still be in Crooners on the Royal Princess in November? He is one of our favorite entertainers in Crooners and would hate to miss him.

 

Al

[dmwnc1959]

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

 

Hi Bob,

 

I wonder if they stocked them at one time? It looks as if there were some in this picture on that display around the column, left hand side under the glass mugs.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/8996340049_a4d1a69108_b.jpg

 

I got one from Ruby Princess last year and was also going to get one from Royal Princess in December. I hope they have them then. :(

[Woobstr112G]

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?

 

Ok I'll cancel the purchase. Holli is doing as well as can be expected. Back and knee are really bothering her. She's a little stubborn when it comes to resting up......

Bob

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

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

 

Hi Joe;

Nice to hear from you. I'm a little bummed about the switch to the boring "white" photo mugs. Being a traditionalist, I was looking forward to adding the black Royal mug to my collection which includes the Emerald, Diamond, Ruby, Golden, and Sapphire. Oh well.

Regards to you and Jak.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Pia1913]

Cannes, France; we’re almost here. I have very little recollection of this area. It’s been a long time since we visited and the last time it was during a Film Festival. This is the only tender port of the entire cruise and we are in no hurry to get off. There was really nothing of interest offered, since all tours go to places we’ve been to many times. Monaco/Monte Carlo is about 1 ½ hours away and we were there in pouring rain not so long ago. Nice too; spent several days there in a hotel overlooking a nude beach. What an awakening! We had thought of returning to St. Paul de Vence, but it’s much too strenuous for Mike at this time. So we will meander about and do some people watching.

　

Since I logged in and out several times yesterday, I haven’t much to add. We watched Silver Linings Playbook on our TV last night; piano player show was not tempting at all. I am ecstatic with the TV and all its choices. We hardly ever see a movie and the offerings on this ship are great. Wouldn’t it be nice if all Princess ships got rid of those antiquated TV guides with the same old stuff?

　

There is hardly anything of interest on board today; not at any hour. Not for us at all. Morning and afternoon; nada. Tonight, “Red 2” on MUTS, 70’s stuff all night in Vista and a double header of the ventriloquist (our friends saw him a few nights ago and said he was awful) and the male vocalist (Paul Baker; they said he was very good). Late night movie in Princess Live is “Amour.” Again.

Our lives must sound very boring to you, but we love cruising and having a wonderful time.

　

Comments:

Kayzmarie: Yes, is was Nessun Dorma

Leslie: Hard to judge 6”5” when one is 5’4” . Or less. I will try to visualize it. On my way there now.

Italian night: Pam commented on it and I must add that for me it was fantastic. I could live on pasta as long as there’s nothing white on it.

Mom 33: Will try to get you a count on movies. Great selection

[ibfern]

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

 

I can only tell you about my former room which I would never book again. I know the folks closer to the corner on dolphin are not having any problems. I would not book any center rear facing rooms because I am sensitive to smells. Hope this helps...

[Kiwi Kruzer]

[kruisey]

Cannes, France; we’re almost here. I have very little recollection of this area. It’s been a long time since we visited and the last time it was during a Film Festival. This is the only tender port of the entire cruise and we are in no hurry to get off. There was really nothing of interest offered, since all tours go to places we’ve been to many times. Monaco/Monte Carlo is about 1 ½ hours away and we were there in pouring rain not so long ago. Nice too; spent several days there in a hotel overlooking a nude beach. What an awakening! We had thought of returning to St. Paul de Vence, but it’s much too strenuous for Mike at this time. So we will meander about and do some people watching.

　

Since I logged in and out several times yesterday, I haven’t much to add. We watched Silver Linings Playbook on our TV last night; piano player show was not tempting at all. I am ecstatic with the TV and all its choices. We hardly ever see a movie and the offerings on this ship are great. Wouldn’t it be nice if all Princess ships got rid of those antiquated TV guides with the same old stuff?

　

There is hardly anything of interest on board today; not at any hour. Not for us at all. Morning and afternoon; nada. Tonight, “Red 2” on MUTS, 70’s stuff all night in Vista and a double header of the ventriloquist (our friends saw him a few nights ago and said he was awful) and the male vocalist (Paul Baker; they said he was very good). Late night movie in Princess Live is “Amour.” Again.

Our lives must sound very boring to you, but we love cruising and having a wonderful time.

　

Comments:

Kayzmarie: Yes, is was Nessun Dorma

Leslie: Hard to judge 6”5” when one is 5’4” . Or less. I will try to visualize it. On my way there now.

Italian night: Pam commented on it and I must add that for me it was fantastic. I could live on pasta as long as there’s nothing white on it.

Mom 33: Will try to get you a count on movies. Great selection

Oh dear Pia you are now going to get numerous requests from guys requesting the name and address of the hotel overlooking the beach in Nice;)Probably you should have just named it in your thread .....Heather:)

[Pam in CA]

FYI, the woman who needed blood right after sailing is fine. From what I heard, she had anemia and recovered quickly. She disembarked in Messina to be checked out and has returned to the ship. At least, that's what I've heard. :)

 

Another sunny day out.

 

Something of interest is that Elites received a notice a couple of nights ago that there are so many, they are being required to go to a lounge for tender tickets. No being able to disembark when you want.

 

Finally received my laundry back last night. I sent it early in the morning on Thursday, the 10th. Took four days.

 

So there are two Elite perks affected on this cruise.

[ssbeagle]

We had a wonderful tour to Rome yesterday. I booked with RomeCabs. Our driver, Franco, was very knowledgeable and a fantastic driver. We had a comfortable van for 8 people. I had bought our Vatican tickets on line before leaving the US and we didn't have to wait in long lines to get in. We also had a private guide in the Vatican who helped us get through the crowds easier. It was extremely crowded there but worth the visit. We also went to the Capuchin Monks Museum on the Via Veneto. Very interesting and the cost is 4 euros if you are a senior citizen, 5 euros if you aren't (or was it 6).

 

Our weather has been beautiful for the past several days. In Cannes today we tendered to the shore and walked into the town and visited the shopping area. It was a nice walk along the shore.

 

Last night was Liars Club and our deputy CD, Dan was hilarious as ever. I think he was funnier than the comedian that is currently on board (I can't remember his name).

[mamaboss]

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.

 

That is a bummer! Hope they have them by March, I have one from every ship we sailed so far.:(

[Pia1913]

Tough tender port here if you’re a bit mobility challenged. Flight of stairs going down to tender and a roundabout circuitous passage when you return to get on to the tender. Since I saw a whole lot of scooters and walkers, many managed to navigate the maze. Nice weather; not too cool. Started out wearing jacket, but too warm in sun. Weather kept changing; no rain.

In no particular order, and not even recalling who asked, here are a few answers.

1. Capt. Draper is on until January and then Capt. Dino Sagani takes over again. I don’t have a definite time frame.

2. Photo album: Mike said he thought he had seen one; I did an up close and personal observation and saw only Reflections DVD’s. I will ask when the gallery is open.

3. Movies on cabin TV: There are a total of 99 English speaking movies, of which 16 are for kids. There are also movies in Spanish, German and Russian, but I didn’t peruse those.

　

We got off the ship at about 10 and when we got out of the port area there was a tram doing what they called a HOHO schedule. 10 euros per person/full cycle takes 50 minutes. The attendant said next one would arrive in 20 minutes, so we waited. While waiting I told him we wanted to do the full cycle and then hop on and off when we saw where it would stop. No, he replied. You cannot get off. This HOHO, which you now know is not a HOHO, just starts from and ends at the same point. You just stay on and you can’t go around again either. Suddenly, along came one of those big sightseeing buses; double decker, open on top. This is a regular city bus which was going to do a 50 minute circle to Palm Beach. OK, we’ll go to Palm Beach, and this one you could get off and on at will for the same fare, but only for 59 minutes. Cost: 3 euros for both of us. We did enjoy the scenery from up top and never did choose to get off anywhere. Loved the bargain. So now you know what to do if you happen to get to this port.

Afterwards we walked around the waterfront for a while, looking at the big expensive yachts and the little expensive boats. We stopped at a café to people watch; Mike had a beer, I had espresso. BTW, there is no Pepsi in France either. I went into many stores and one had a large bottle of regular Pepsi. Otherwise, Coke only.

　

We spent about 4 hours off the ship; enough for us. Time to just relax and look forward to being back in Barcelona tomorrow. There won’t be any Pepsi there either. :(

What Pam said about Elites and tender tix has happened many times in the past on long trips with so many of us aboard. Just another way of crowd control. Laundry, however, that's a whole other scenario.

Time to go veg now. See you later. And Heather, I don't recall the name of that hotel. ;)

[USNUZULOOSE]

I have been enjoying your posts. But I do have one question. Do all the cities over there basically just carry only coke? Or do they have Dr. Pepper?

[Mom33]

Thanks for the movie info Pia.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[cricketts]

I can only tell you about my former room which I would never book again. I know the folks closer to the corner on dolphin are not having any problems. I would not book any center rear facing rooms because I am sensitive to smells. Hope this helps...

Thanks for the input...I think we'll look into moving over :)

Enjoy your new location and the rest of your trip!

[Woobstr112G]

Good evening from the Royal Princess. We are just leaving Canne. Today we participated in a Princess sponsored excursion to Canne, Monaco, and Monte Carlo. We also had lunch at the Cafe de Paris which is right across from the Hotel de Paris. Canne is a tender port so we met in the Princess Live Venue. Getting off the ship went very smoothly. The overall tendering process went well.

 

In Canne we did a little shopping . After the shopping we sat at a seaside cafe where I enjoyed an adult beverage. When we got to old/new Monaco-Monte Carlo, our guide showed us some wonderful sights where I took a ton of pictures. The lunch involved a fixed menu. The food was quite good. The waiters were however a little stingy with the wine.

 

The ride back to the ship was pretty uneventful. We got lucky and walked right onto a tender that took us back to the ship. As we lifted anchor it began to rain. This reminded me of our 2011 visit where it rained the whole day.

 

Tomorrow is Barcelona. Since we've been there three times since 2008, we are going to just hang out on the ship. Haven't decided yet what to do for dinner. We may off the dinner menu or head down to Alfredo's.

 

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

 

Bob

[CruisinLow]

Good evening from the Royal Princess. We are just leaving Canne. Today we participated in a Princess sponsored excursion to Canne, Monaco, and Monte Carlo. We also had lunch at the Cafe de Paris which is right across from the Hotel de Paris. Canne is a tender port so we met in the Princess Live Venue. Getting off the ship went very smoothly. The overall tendering process went well.

 

In Canne we did a little shopping . After the shopping we sat at a seaside cafe where I enjoyed an adult beverage. When we got to old/new Monaco-Monte Carlo, our guide showed us some wonderful sights where I took a ton of pictures. The lunch involved a fixed menu. The food was quite good. The waiters were however a little stingy with the wine.

 

The ride back to the ship was pretty uneventful. We got lucky and walked right onto a tender that took us back to the ship. As we lifted anchor it began to rain. This reminded me of our 2011 visit where it rained the whole day.

 

Tomorrow is Barcelona. Since we've been there three times since 2008, we are going to just hang out on the ship. Haven't decided yet what to do for dinner. We may off the dinner menu or head down to Alfredo's.

 

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

 

Bob

 

Bob,

Great to hear from you. Enjoy reading your commentary. Sounds like you and Holli are enjoying yourselves. That is wonderful.

Edited October 15, 2013 by cruisin'low

[Woobstr112G]

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.

 

That is a bummer! Hope they have them by March, I have one from every ship we sailed so far.:(

 

An employee in the Meridian Bay store did tell me they will be getting in more merchandise tomorrow when we are in Barcelona. I'm not holding out much hope the mug situation but I am hoping they will get more magnets as their current supply seems very limited. I'll let you know what I see in the store after tomorrow.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Pia1913]

Just dropping by with some interesting information. Sorry if you already know about this, but I didn’t and wanted to share it with you.

The Spanish government has mandated a 10% VAT tax on all beverage and food sales on board while we are in Spanish waters or ports. This includes all drink purchases at bar locations. Interestingly this is written in the Patter and then goes on to say that the 8% tax will be applied to all food and beverage purchases from 30 minutes prior to arrival to 30 minutes after departure. Now then, is it 8% or 10%? Whichever is correct, this will be in addition to the 15% gratuity on drinks.

It is now 8:30 PM and we're back in our cabin preparing to watch a movie. Haven't chosen one yet.

See you tomorrow.

[love2cruise42]

 

An employee in the Meridian Bay store did tell me they will be getting in more merchandise tomorrow when we are in Barcelona. I'm not holding out much hope the mug situation but I am hoping they will get more magnets as their current supply seems very limited. I'll let you know what I see in the store after tomorrow.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Sounds like your having a good cruise. Tell Holli I said hi.

Thanks for checking on the mugs....sad they don't have the black mugs.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[kayzmarie]

Pia - been wondering about how they can play trivia in Princess Live. From Dave's pictures, it looked like the chairs/seats were in permanent position without tables. So how do they work it for teams of 6?

 

I'm bumping up this question since I don't remember seeing an answer.

[#1winelover]

FYI, the woman who needed blood right after sailing is fine. From what I heard, she had anemia and recovered quickly. She disembarked in Messina to be checked out and has returned to the ship. At least, that's what I've heard. :)

 

Another sunny day out.

 

Something of interest is that Elites received a notice a couple of nights ago that there are so many, they are being required to go to a lounge for tender tickets. No being able to disembark when you want.

 

Finally received my laundry back last night. I sent it early in the morning on Thursday, the 10th. Took four days.

 

So there are two Elite perks affected on this cruise.

I guess I could have predicted the Elite problems. I turn Elite after my 10/29 Maiden Caribbean cruise, so I guess I knew in my heart they would screw it all up about the time I arrived to "enjoy" it! :rolleyes:

Edited October 15, 2013 by #1winelover

[Sunviking]

I'm pretty sure when we sailed from Barcelona in September, 2012, the VAT on shipboard beverage and food purchases was in effect. I think it was 8% then but it was raised to 10%. I guess the Spanish are trying anything they can to increase revenues.

[goinsoon]

We were part of the Red Hot Rubies of

2011 TA fame????:D Even with some of the "negatives" I wish we were there with you all! Continue to enjoy and will follow you across the Atlantic! Best to all!

 

Joe and Mollye

[Anubi]

We were part of the Red Hot Rubies of

2011 TA fame????:D Even with some of the "negatives" I wish we were there with you all! Continue to enjoy and will follow you across the Atlantic! Best to all!

 

Joe and Mollye

 

The RHR were an amazing and unique group of people. Perhaps, one day....;);)

[CruzNut7]

ssbeagle - we sailed together last November on the Emerald. Wonder if you could tell me if Elites get special conditioner and lotion. Other posters have said we do get the special shampoo. Thanks - hope you're winning at trivia:p Bon voyage.