LIVE - Royal Princess Transatlantic & Baltic day by day

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

I just read the post regarding your cabin issues. Glad everything worked out. Hope you are enjoying you'd day in Oslo.....:):):)

 

Bob

[GweninTX]

Beautiful day in Oslo !

 

 

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[GweninTX]

I will write up a full day report, but we bought a HOHO bus ticket and have ridden it all day long! Beautiful sun till about 3:00 and now a shower - but inside the bus dry and free wifi - who could ask for more?

 

 

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[Grammyluvs]

So glad you had good weather in Oslo. When we were there, we had the experience you had in Amsterdam and boy was that a cold rain. LOL Can’t wait for your review as we missed a lot due to the weather. To future cruisers be sure and pack rain gear for the Baltics....you never know. Oddly enough our prettiest and warmest days were in St. Petersburg.

[2pbears]

GweninTX, I have been following your trip with great interest as we are boarding the Royal in July for this Baltic cruise. Coincidentally I spent quite a bit of time online yesterday trying to find which cruise terminal we would be docking at in Oslo (there are four options) and I was unable to find it. Can you let me know where you docked if you don't mind. Was it close to City Hall or was a bus or shuttle required to get to the center of town? If so, did Princess offer a shuttle and what was the cost? Sorry for all of the questions but hoping to get first hand information. Thanks so much for doing this review. It is so helpful to those of us who are planning for this trip.

[CTGirl]

Hi Gwen,

 

We got home safe and sound. All our flights went smoothly until we hit Detroit. I was worried about a 1 1/2 hour turn around time but that became a non issue when our flight was delayed for 5 hours due to bad weather. And part of that delay was spent being evacuated to a tunnel during a tornedo warning. I was never so happy to get home.

 

Now I am sitting here reading your live report. I caught up on all the pages and it was so nice to relive the experience through your eyes. We had a wonderful cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting you. I was sorry to see you had so much trouble on turn around day. I know how excited you were to be able to stay in the same cabin but I am happy that it eventually worked out. I hope you continue to have a great cruise in the Baltics. I look forward to reading about it. Please let everyone on the roll call know we miss them.

[dmwnc1959]

2pbears - I can answer one of those questions for you, as this web cam image is from the top of City Hall and you can see Royal Princess docked on the left of the picture...

 

 

 

In this screen shot of Google Maps you can see City Hall indicated by the red marker at Sentrum, and the cruise ship in this image just below the fortress is where Royal Princess docked today....

 

Edited May 13, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[dmwnc1959]

Royal Princess getting ready to leave Oslo...

 

[Astro Flyer]

2pbears - I can answer one of those questions for you, as this web cam image is from the top of City Hall and you can see Royal Princess docked on the left of the picture...

 

 

 

In this screen shot of Google Maps you can see City Hall indicated by the red marker at Sentrum, and the cruise ship in this image just below the fortress is where Royal Princess docked today....

 

 

A couple of years ago I sailed a similar itinerary but had two stops in Oslo...one during the TA to Copenhagen and the other during the Baltic cruise. The first time we were further out of town and walked about 30 minutes to the City Hall (Queen Mary II was at that pier in your photo). The second stop was at the pier near the City Hall but I don't know how they decided which ship got the in town pier.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[dmwnc1959]

A couple of years ago I sailed a similar itinerary but had two stops in Oslo...one during the TA to Copenhagen and the other during the Baltic cruise. The first time we were further out of town and walked about 30 minutes to the City Hall (Queen Mary II was at that pier in your photo). The second stop was at the pier near the City Hall but I don't know how they decided which ship got the in town pier.

 

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth was also in Oslo today and was docked at the other pier you mentioned.

[dmwnc1959]

There she goes...bye Gwen!!!

 

 

 

[2pbears]

2pbears - I can answer one of those questions for you, as this web cam image is from the top of City Hall and you can see Royal Princess docked on the left of the picture...

 

 

 

In this screen shot of Google Maps you can see City Hall indicated by the red marker at Sentrum, and the cruise ship in this image just below the fortress is where Royal Princess docked today....

 

 

dmwnc1959, Thank you so much for that information. That is exactly where I was hoping we would be but because of the Royal's size I was afraid we might have to dock at one of the more distant piers. It looks as though there is only one other ship in port on the day we will be there so I hope we are lucky enough to dock at Akershus.

[Astro Flyer]

dmwnc1959, Thank you so much for that information. That is exactly where I was hoping we would be but because of the Royal's size I was afraid we might have to dock at one of the more distant piers. It looks as though there is only one other ship in port on the day we will be there so I hope we are lucky enough to dock at Akershus.

 

During my visit the larger Queen Mary II was at that pier so not a problem for the Royal Princess. :)

[swanette09]

GweninTX my husband and I are really enjoying you posts each day. We're in Australia and one of the first things we do each morning is check to see what's been happening on the Royal Princess.You're so positive and seem to have so much fun and pack so much into every day.

On our last cruise there were so many people who complained about EVERYTHING that we almost decided to never cruise again. But we're giving it one more go. So we'll be on the Royal Princess on the 8th August for the Scandinavia and Baltic cruise.

We' also appreciate everyone else's posts and the photos. Thanks for the photos etc of the Royal in Oslo. I certainly hope we dock there.

Were glad you kept your cabin- Princess should be looking after you for all the great PR they're getting from your posts. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[GweninTX]

Thanks to all who are following along! The Royal is a full ship now!

 

I woke up up about 7:00 AM and am so glad I did, we were going thru the Fjords coming into Oslo. Quaint little villages and beautiful forests on the shores. Jerry woke up about 8:00 and we went to the HC for breakfast - OMG - where did all these people come from? They certainly were it on the TA! This ship is FULL - no vacant cabins and now my lovely Royal Princess feels crowded for the very first time. We actually had to look for a table for the first time. Getting food wasn't issue, they really have that down pat with all the stations and the Horizon Bistro too. We enjoyed looking out the window as we ate. Jerry went to the room to read on the balcony and I decided I needed an explanation from the Hotel manager about the Chinese fire drill of my room situation so I went to guest services and asked to speak to the hotel manager. I took my letter and the room keys with the wrong cabin on them. I spoke to a nice young man and he was very apologetic. He said he would open a case and get back to me. I will give him a few days. Stay tuned.

 

At 10:00 the Captain came on the PA and said we were cleared to get off. We had watched it all from our balcony. The Cunard line, Queen Elizabeth ship was docked as well as another cruise line I had never heard of. We walked off and bought our HoHo bus ticket very easily with our Chase Sapphire card (chip, but no pin). We had very nice weather, a hint of chill and clouds, but the sun came out in full by the time we got to the Vassa Museum.

 

The Vassa museum was very interesting and well laid out. They also had free wifi in the museum. If you have a code scanner App on your cell phone there are many displays you can scan and listen to a narrative about the display you are seeing. Use your free headphones on your cell phone that you just got with your HOHO bus ride. There are many free scanner apps available for all types of cellphones. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to see it all. The peninsula the museum is on is called the museum peninsula. You can spend all day out there if that is your thing. They take US credit cards for admission with no chip and pin.

 

We then boarded the HOHO bus again and rode it to the pretty park area and central tourist district. The tulips were in full bloom and I posted lots of pictures. We walked to the parliament and theatre area. It was just such a pretty day we could not help but enjoy ourselves. There is a Hard Rock Cafe and a TGIFridays that were full of tourists. If you want to shop there is plenty to choose from. The street is called Bogstadvien and runs quite a ways. I looked at the Glasmaginet department store and it is much like a Bloomingdales. There were quality wool goods to choose from everywhere - but I cannot wear wool myself.

 

The food is horribly expensive and your best. Et is the Deli Deluca which are on many corners. They are like a 7-11 convenience store and have many yummy sandwiches and pastries available. Since it was a gorgeous day and the park was right there, a picnic was in store for us!

 

We then hopped on board the HoHo again when it began to rain about 3:30 PM. We were taken right to the gate to walk thrust for the Royal. There were many shopping in the shops right by the ship. We did not need any trinkets, so just got on board. I never found any place to buy wine, they do not sell it in The convenience stores. I will look harder in Gothenburg tomorrow.

 

We met our new table mates at 6:00 at our new table in the dining room. Had a very good Szechuan shrimp dish. There was supposed to be a singer in the Princess theatre, but she could not perform, so we got the comedian from last night who was very good. We played a while in the casino and I left up $60. Jerry was up $20.

 

We then went to the Vista lounge for the 50's/60's party and dancing. Fun time with the Spectrum show band. The cruise director Sam hosted the Yes/No game in the Princess Live.

 

It is strange for it to still be light when we go to bed. Sunset was 10:15 PM. When we looked out our balcony the pilot boat was picking up their pilot at 11:00 PM.

 

We are getting into Gothenburg, Sweden at 7:00 am. We are going to take the ships shuttle into town. Short stay - all aboard is 1:30 PM. Stay tuned!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Congrats on getting to keep your balcony stateroom!! Your experience was sure a roller coaster, though; thankfully it had a happy ending! Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

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[DoulaAnn]

Gwen, I'm now following you on your Baltic adventure, as we will be doing it later this summer. Thanks for the "tour" of Oslo. We'll look in to the HoHo bus thing. One thing I'm eager to hear more about is the credit card thing and whether the HAVE to be chip and pin. Our credit card companies sounded quite confused when we called them last summer to ask for a chip and pin card for our Mediterranean cruise.

 

Also, am wanting to know what currencies are accepted, since each country has their own up there. It was much easier when we did Spain/France/Italy, as they all accepted Euros.

 

Oh, and congratulations on winning the Chinese Fire Drill and keeping your balcony cabin, even if it meant packing up and unpacking again. And it was nice to hear that your steward helped you so much.

 

Ann

[caribill]

One thing I'm eager to hear more about is the credit card thing and whether the HAVE to be chip and pin. Our credit card companies sounded quite confused when we called them last summer to ask for a chip and pin card for our Mediterranean cruise.

 

 

The no-annual-fee Royal Caribbean credit card comes with the chip and pin feature.

[Mom33]

Enjoy this part of the cruise and thanks for each an every update. :D

[GweninTX]

We got up early this morning - I believe it is only dark for about 5 hours. Keeping the curtains closed are a must if you have a balcony. We were not really very hungry so decided on a muffin and coffee in the International cafe. We were waiting for them to call the shuttles were ready and they were at 8:00 am. We are the biggest ship to ever dock in Gothenburg, Sweden so they were not sure if they would have enough buses to fill the demand.

 

At 8:00 we got on a very nice bus with free wifi - score! The city seems very clean and new as we bus in - takes 30 minutes. We walked 2 blocks to the Paddan boats - we bought tickets for the first ride at 9:05. It cost 160 Kroners per person and they took my credit card - no problem. You could also get a HoHo bus or a cute open air train called the Stinson sightseeing Train. It was a beautiful sunny day and did not cloud up and sprinkle till we were on our way back at 11:30. I highly recommend the boats - bring a warm jacket as the wind off the water is cool.

 

We have had rain every port so far and I cannot say enough times you MUST have a water PROOF jacket with a hood. Unless you have a really good umbrella that withstand high winds - don't bother. I have ruined 2 and they were nice ones, but you need an industrial strength one and my Totes was not!

 

After our bus tour we explored the quaint markets and open air fruit and flower markets. I needed wine and there is only one place to buy wine in Gothenburg. It is about 2 blocks from the Padden boats and is called the System Bolaget. Opens at 10:00 am and took my credit card with no pin. It is on a corner and has a very small aqua sign on the door. Ask for directions. We also went to a McDonalds with free wifi and thought they might have free restrooms. You need Kroners for ALL bathrooms. Luckily another couple had some Kroners and we piggybacked on the open door to theirs in McDonalds.

 

The streets are cobblestone and very uneven and hard to walk on. Worth going into see, but we were here a very short amount of time. I highly recommend the ship shuttle and doing it on your own. Princess tours doing the same thing we did costed triple what we paid. Shuttle was 14 euro per person round trip. We did not have any issues.

 

When we got back to the ship the person who checked our wine said, "You brought back good water" and did not record it in any way. I think you could bring on wine in each port with no issues. I even brought on hard cider which is technically beer and nothing was said.

 

We went to the Horizon Court and had a really good lunch. The food has been excellent and lots of choices. You could also have pub lunch, but we have done it 3 times now. We then played Scattergories in the Club 6. After that I wanted to watch a movie and Jerry wanted to take pics at sail away. We both ended up taking a nap too.

 

About 5:00 we got a call from Herminio and he said that the winemakers dinner was the Mondavi tonight which we had already done. We rescheduled it for the night we are in Tallin as we leave at 5:30, so 7:00 dinner will be great timing!

 

I also got a call from the front desk supervisor and he told us they would like to give us a free dinner in either Sabatini's or the Crown Grill. He said schedule it and tell them it is comped by the front desk. That was very nice for all our trouble. No explanation, but I am sure some people got some coaching!

 

Dinner in the dining room - very good. I had salmon, Jerry had Cioppini. Good key lime pie for dessert. We then went to the Vista Lounge and listened to piano player and comedian, Kory Simon. He was very good. We then decided to read and get to bed early. The Princess theatre had a repeat of the show, Spectacular which we had seen on the TA. We have a very early morning as our tour of Warnemunde and Schwerin leaves at 7:30 am and we meet in Vines at 7:00 am - this is a Cruise Critic tour group led by Michael & Ellen. We are looking forward to lunch in a 560 year old pub! Stay tuned!

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like an excellent day! :)

 

One could only hope that someone received some coaching. :rolleyes:

[2pbears]

Great summary of your day in Gothenburg. You answered a lot of questions that I had been thinking about (cost of ship shuttle, chip and pin card, kroners for bathroom, weather, etc.) You have no idea how helpful you are!

 

So glad you were comped for dinner in the Specialty Restaurant. It was the least they could do for you after the inconvenience.

 

Enjoy Germany tomorrow.

[lizzy77]

Thank you so much for your detailed diary. I am cruising along with you and picking up any tips for our Baltic's and Transatlantic cruises in September on The Royal.

We also have some friends from Australia who are cruising with you so it's been great to hear your adventures.

[homeinboca]

I've been following your amazing adventure! Sounds like a wonderful trip, even with some of the bumps along the way, which tends to happen sometimes when we travel don't they? But you seem to take everything in stride. Thank you so much for sharing.

[dmwnc1959]

Web cam grabs of Royal Princess entering the breakwater at the port of Rostock...

 

Webcams

 

 

Edited May 15, 2014 by dmwnc1959