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

[mathan416]

Hello from the Royal,

I must say we were expecting more from the Royal. If you have done the Chef's table on other ships then our advice is to find another way to spend you hard-earned money.

 

 

Harry and Joyce - Wow - I'm sorry to hear this. This is one of the reasons Scott and I want to go on Princess and we were expecting something much better than what you reported.

 

Maybe it's worth writing an email to Rai C. I know I would be if I had this experience.

[ibfern]

Has anyone tried the intranet? Would think they would have posted about the cancellation of the port - among other things!

Was thinking of carrying my Kindle Fire HD with me but maybe just the Patter will handle all I need to know.

Thanks.

 

Yes my kindle fire works great and shows all the activities on board.

[Pia1913]

Sunday in Athens where the day should be sunny with a high of 66. Even though we consider it cool, if there’s no wind it’s quite tolerable. So far too early to tell. We have been here more times than I can recall; last ten years at least ½ dozen or more and in fact many years ago toured the entire country of Greece for several weeks. We will get off a bit later to walk around and see what is anything is open on a Sunday. I’m still on a Pepsi quest.

 

 

　

On board today is Devil wears Prada on MUTS in the afternoon. That’s about it. Tonight at 9:30 there’s “Ye Olde Pub Night” in Vista with the cruise staff and the singers and dancers. In the theater, a female vocalist; Sonia Selbie, and a very late movie (11:30) in Princess Live - “Amour.” Reservations are being taken for a Fondue event in HC for Monday and Tuesday evenings; $20/pp. If attendance is anything like the Crab Shack, we expect to see an empty roped off area.

Dave and Marcia: sorry about what?

Jane: cancellation announcement a lot more effective than a written notice

　

This is all I have to offer right now. There’s a treadmill calling my name. Bye.

[dmwnc1959]

Hi Pia,

 

The 'sorry' was asking/answering the question on Obstructed view balcony pictures. :)

 

I'm wondering if the Crab Shack will get more foot traffic on the T/A (or Caribbean cruise) than it would during a more port intensive itinerary like the current one? I have plans on trying it twice in December and hope it doesn't disappoint.

 

“Ye Olde Pub Night” looks like it would be fun. Let us know if you get the chance to see it. :D

 

LOTS of folks already heading your way ('wheels up' as Bob says) from the Oct. 9th Roll Call, several already in Europe doing pre-cruise trips.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

Also docked in Athens today are Pacific Princess and Discovery, the original Island Princess.

 

[rpbanks]

Hello from the Royal,

 

First, some info for "louden": the restaurant is called La Nuova Torretta at Piazza A. Saffi, 22. They were handing out maps at the exit from the port and you should be able to find it OK. It's about an 8 or 9 block walk from the port.

 

Mykonos was great. It's been 34 years since our last visit there and not surprisingly it's changed quite a bit. Many more deluxe shops and fewer mom and pop type places. Still very nice though. We had a gyro and wine for lunch and enjoyed petting all the local kittys!

 

We attended the Chef's Table Lumiere but I must say it was a disappointment. We did the Chef's Table on the Emerald T/A in the spring and it was much better. First we did the galley (hand washing of course but no white coats). We stood in a small alcove and were given champagne. Before we could enjoy more than a sip we were handed a plate with 4 appetizers with no explanation of what they were. There wasn't a convenient place to set our champagne while we ate. there was NO second pour. On the Emerald, we stood around a galley table and as each appetizer was served we were told about it and given time to savor it. Champagne was continually refilled and following that we toured the galley. There was no galley tour on the Royal. From there to the dining room where we were seated at the Lumiere table. It was quite nice and more amenable to table conversation. The food , while good, was not up to the standard on the Emerald. Wine accompanied each course but once again, no refills and the amount given was meager. I must say we were expecting more from the Royal. If you have done the Chef's table on other ships then our advice is to find another way to spend you hard-earned money.

 

We really enjoyed Istanbul; much cleaner and safer than we had imagined. We took a ship's tour and it was great.

 

As you've heard, we were unable to stop at Kusadasi but we enjoyed the pub lunch and a nice leisurely day at sea. More later. Trying to conserve those internet minutes!

 

PS: a shoutout to others on this cruise. Does anyone know what happened at the trivia in Club 6 after the meet and greet??? DW got a call that evening asking if she would be willing to complete a "Witness Statement" regarding the incident. She was dumbfounded as neither of us were there. When she told them that the reply was "sorry" but nothing else.

 

 

Harry and Joyce

Harry,

 

I sent you an email, did you get it?

 

ron

[funnyfingers]

FYI- Piraeus(Athens) has free wifi in Terminal B just off of the gangway.

 

So bummed we missed out on Kusadasi yesterday, my favorite port stop. No notice, just, "We're outta here!" I don't quite understand why we couldn't wait around for a couple of hours to see if the wind would die down.

 

Loving the Royal! Ship is beautiful. I do miss the center staircase, but I am getting more exercise going to either the forward or aft staircases, now. Wonderful cruise.....

[dmwnc1959]

FYI- Piraeus(Athens) has free wifi in Terminal B just off of the gangway.

 

So bummed we missed out on Kusadasi yesterday, my favorite port stop. No notice, just, "We're outta here!" I don't quite understand why we couldn't wait around for a couple of hours to see if the wind would die down.

 

Loving the Royal! Ship is beautiful. I do miss the center staircase, but I am getting more exercise going to either the forward or aft staircases, now. Wonderful cruise.....

 

Hi funnyfingers,

 

Glad you are enjoying the ship! Hope to hear more from you! :D

 

And I think the Captain was smart in playing it safe. Wasn't it just the other day that Ruby Princess broke it's moorings due to high winds at Kusadasi? And Royal Princess was not the only one to have missed Kusadasi yesterday. The cruise ships Louis Olympia, Silver Spirit, Seven Seas Mariner, and Pacific Princess were all scheduled there yesterday and I'm not sure any of them actually made it to port.

[Pia1913]

Sunday in Piraeus, and just as I expected; nothing is open. Also got faked out, because we were not parked where I thought we’d be. We should have been closer to town, but not a problem. Since we knew we didn’t want to go to the Acropolis area or the Plaka again, we thought we might find a city bus to go nowhere. Once out of the terminal area there was a HOHO tram waiting and for 5 euros each it went around Piraeus; two stops. Good enough for us. We took the whole turnaround just to see what was out there and then continued on to what is the downtown area where of course everything was closed. Other than the newspaper/candy kiosks, cafes and a movie theater, everything locked up tight. No matter. We walked around a bit, visited the movie restrooms and went back to the ship. The stop at the archeological museum was short enough to take photos; museum naturally is closed. BTW, further down the road you can get the big HOHO that goes to the Acropolis, but for that you pay 20+ euros/pp. What we got for 5 was sufficient and would have been the biggest bargain ever, had it not been a Sunday.

　

Dave: nothing wrong with asking about cabins. It is about this ship, after all. I Will try to make the pub night since I too am curious. :)

Jrljel: Accessible to what? What specific question do you have? Do you mean accessible with a wheelchair? Please clarify.

　

Almost 6, almost time for dinner and almost time to leave this port.

See you tomorrow morning.

[Mikeyto]

Yes my kindle fire works great and shows all the activities on board.

 

Great news! Thank you so much!

[bronxgirl25]

Yes my kindle fire works great and shows all the activities on board.

 

 

Does anyone know if an ipad will work the same?

[Pam in CA]

Does anyone know if an ipad will work the same?

Yes.

[dmwnc1959]

Does anyone know if an ipad will work the same?

 

Check out Post #13

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1863152

[jrljel]

Pia, thanks for getting back to me. Yes, I do mean accessible to wheelchairs. I will have two wheelchairs with me when we do our Christmas sailing on the Royal. Thank you.

[Shogun]

Hi Pia

 

Enjoy ye olde pub night, great fun, good stage set up,

 

might be a bit too British unless they change things for more international passenger mix.

 

 

yours Shogun

[bronxgirl25]

Yes.

 

Thank you Pam!!! :D:D:D

[traveling1969]

I don't recall the name of the Maitre'd on the Emerald but the Chef's Table experience there was certainly a cut or two above the Royals.

 

Tonight we did the wine tasting dinner (not sure if that's what it's called but let me tell you it was GREAT!!!). Better food than the CT, plenty of wine and just a very satisfying experience. We had two wines, one white and one red (infinite repours) and limoncello with dessert. The soup was exceptional, the gnocchi sublime, the filet done red, red, red, just the way we like it and the triple mousse for dessert was a delight. My advice: skip the Chef's Table but sign up EARLY for the wine dinner.

 

Now we're off to Venice. See you all there.

 

Harry and Joyce

[hokiefans]

Hi Pia

 

Enjoy ye olde pub night, great fun, good stage set up,

 

might be a bit too British unless they change things for more international passenger mix.

 

 

yours Shogun

 

Hi shogun,

 

I thought it was quite fun and standing room only which was a bit of a problem for those of us at the back on either side near the entrances as people have a habit of standing in the aisle and blocking views.

 

denise

[IECalCruiser]

I don't recall the name of the Maitre'd on the Emerald but the Chef's Table experience there was certainly a cut or two above the Royals.

 

Tonight we did the wine tasting dinner (not sure if that's what it's called but let me tell you it was GREAT!!!). Better food than the CT, plenty of wine and just a very satisfying experience. We had two wines, one white and one red (infinite repours) and limoncello with dessert. The soup was exceptional, the gnocchi sublime, the filet done red, red, red, just the way we like it and the triple mousse for dessert was a delight. My advice: skip the Chef's Table but sign up EARLY for the wine dinner.

 

Now we're off to Venice. See you all there.

 

Harry and Joyce

Harry and Joyce, Thanks for your review of the Winemaker's Dinner. Sounds Great! We will definitely sign up as soon as we can on the Spring TA.

[CruisinChris]

Hi Pia

 

Enjoy ye olde pub night, great fun, good stage set up,

 

might be a bit too British unless they change things for more international passenger mix.

 

 

yours Shogun

 

Glad to hear this is back. For years they called it "London Pub Night" and it was a blast. I'm from the US but always enjoyed and could appreciate the British tone (back when Princess was part of P&O it really made sense). Some CDs were bored with it and thought it was oldfashioned and quit doing it. They started doing the crew talent show instead. Not nearly the same or as fun. Fingers crossed that we will have Pub Night in December. So much fun!!

[CruzNut7]

Thanks for the info ladies. Agree an announcement would be better than written - just wondered if they did both.

[dmwnc1959]

Tonight we did the wine tasting dinner...

 

Harry and Joyce

 

THANKS for the great report on the Wine Makers Table! It sounds amazing!!! So far we have nine people from our Roll Call wanting to sign up for the same night. :D

[Pia1913]

Good Morning. I’m going to tell you about Ye Olde Pub Night first, because so far this was the best entertainment yet. IMO and many others too. The Vista stage setting was decorated as an old English Pub and the cruise staff, singers, dancers, band and the CD and her Deputy were all involved. As were we, the audience. There was fun, there were corny jokes, there were games and there was singing and dancing. By us too. Very interactive and a good time had by all.

　

Now for the official good morning for Monday October 7th. Weather forecast is sunny, but not even reaching 60. Captain told us to possibly expect rain. Lots of goings on today some of which is a culinary demo, Ratatouille on MUTS, The Wake Show Live with audience participation, wine tasting and Pub lunch. And that’s just in the morning. This is the first time I have seen a wine tasting at 11:00 AM and for us it will be a short one, since the MTL (most traveled luncheon) is at noon.

　

Somewhere, somehow, my DH will have to find time to visit the “Up to 75% off Sale.” A major conflict with our schedule, since it’s held from 10:00 to 1:00. I have faith in him. ;)

 

 

This afternoon there will be a Navigation @Sea lecture, registration for On Deck for the Cure, Navigational Chart auction, “Chasing Mavericks” in the theater and “Top Gun” on MUTS. Of course there will also be art and bingo sneaking in there as well.

　

Tonight is formal night and the last production show; “Spectacular.” Also tonight will be yesterday’s singer Sonia Selbie and the movie Quartet on MUTS. Later in the evening will be The Marriage Match and the movie “Kon Tiki.”

　

To the person who asked about Baseball playoffs: the answer I received is that if it’s on ESPN it will be seen. Somehow that’s not what you wanted to hear and I’m not sure it’s even correct.

JrlJel; I will go up and look as soon as I can

　

Hooray! We get our hour of sleep back tonight. And now it's time to go. See ya.

[HRPro]

Good Morning. I’m going to tell you about Ye Olde Pub Night first, because so far this was the best entertainment yet. IMO and many others too. The Vista stage setting was decorated as an old English Pub and the cruise staff, singers, dancers, band and the CD and her Deputy were all involved. As were we, the audience. There was fun, there were corny jokes, there were games and there was singing and dancing. By us too. Very interactive and a good time had by all.

　

Now for the official good morning for Monday October 7th. Weather forecast is sunny, but not even reaching 60. Captain told us to possibly expect rain. Lots of goings on today some of which is a culinary demo, Ratatouille on MUTS, The Wake Show Live with audience participation, wine tasting and Pub lunch. And that’s just in the morning. This is the first time I have seen a wine tasting at 11:00 AM and for us it will be a short one, since the MTL (most traveled luncheon) is at noon.

　

Somewhere, somehow, my DH will have to find time to visit the “Up to 75% off Sale.” A major conflict with our schedule, since it’s held from 10:00 to 1:00. I have faith in him. ;)

 

 

This afternoon there will be a Navigation @Sea lecture, registration for On Deck for the Cure, Navigational Chart auction, “Chasing Mavericks” in the theater and “Top Gun” on MUTS. Of course there will also be art and bingo sneaking in there as well.

　

Tonight is formal night and the last production show; “Spectacular.” Also tonight will be yesterday’s singer Sonia Selbie and the movie Quartet on MUTS. Later in the evening will be The Marriage Match and the movie “Kon Tiki.”

　

To the person who asked about Baseball playoffs: the answer I received is that if it’s on ESPN it will be seen. Somehow that’s not what you wanted to hear and I’m not sure it’s even correct.

JrlJel; I will go up and look as soon as I can

　

Hooray! We get our hour of sleep back tonight. And now it's time to go. See ya.

 

Pia, thanks for checking on the MLB playoffs for me--games are on ESPN so that should work. Of course the way the Braves are playing, they may be eliminated before we get on the ship. Ye Olde Pub Night sounds like lots of fun--will look forward to it on the TA. Hope you're bringing that sunshine to Venice--it's pretty soggy here but mild!

 

Susan

[sunsetbeachgal]

Wow...they did not do Pub night when we were on the Royal in July. Must be either something new or something the current CD has started. Either way, sounds like great fun!!