Princess Newbie

[Jellifer]

Hi All,

 

Just booked the Royal for the 10 day Southern Caribbean leaving on December 20th.

 

Not travelled Princess before... can someone point me in the right direction for finding the most out about life onboard... travel tips, dining etc - is there a thread somewhere?

 

Got a good solo deal on a BA guarantee - any suggestions on what the worst assignment I could get would be?

 

Thanks in advance

[Astro Flyer]

While you're waiting for replies you could view the Princess Cruise Answer Book :)

 

https://book.princess.com/images/cc/brochure/downloads/Princess_Cruise_Answer_Book.pdf

Edited September 30, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[caribill]

go to princess.com

 

click on the brochures on the bottom right

 

download the "Cruise Answer Book"

 

 

Having booked a GTY in category BA, you will be assigned a cabin in that category or any higher category although it is very likely that you will end up in a BA cabin or one of the deluxe balcony cabins.

 

The cabin assignment could anytime between now and when you sail.

 

Use the "Find Your Princess Roll Call" link at the top of this page to locate and join the roll call for your cruise.

[Grego]

Also go the the Ports of Call postings and look through the threads on the various ports on your itinerary. If it has the same ports as our November 20th voyage to the southern Caribbean, you'll be at Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica, St. Thomas and Princess Cays. Lovely islands and lots of stuff to see and do.

[2BeOnaBoat]

Join your roll call too. You can get specific information about your individual cruise. What others are doing etc.

[skynight]

Hi All,

 

Just booked the Royal for the 10 day Southern Caribbean leaving on December 20th.

Not travelled Princess before... can someone point me in the right direction for finding the most out about life onboard... travel tips, dining etc - is there a thread somewhere?

Got a good solo deal on a BA guarantee - any suggestions on what the worst assignment I could get would be?

Thanks in advance

 

Dining:

Lets start with the MDR’s. One DR is open for breakfast each day and lunch on sea days. The DR is closed for lunch on port days. The Concerto DR, deck 6 mid ship should be open for lunch on boarding day from noon to 1:30. for dinner if you have traditional dining you will be assigned a table, time, and DR. If you have anytime dining you dine when you want, but there are some tips to make it easier. Post back on these boards for tips.

 

Other free dining options:

International Café open 24/7. There is a charge for espresso drinks and you may wish to purchase a coffee card for $33.

Alfredo’s, waiter served individual pizza, calzone, on other items. Open 11am to 11pm

Buffet area including Horizon Ct., Horizon Bistro, Pastry Shop. The Royal Princess has a very nice buffet area. The coffee machines in the buffet brew coffee from grounds. One or more sections are open continuously from 5am until 11pm.

Trident Grill and Prego Pizza by the Lido Pool, open 11am to 11pm.

Pub Lunch served in the Wheelhouse Bar on sea days & I think fish & chips every day.

Room Service.

 

Surcharge Dining includes: Crown Grill & Sabatini’s @ $25pp. Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, menu item priced (no reservations). Crab Shack, buckets of seafood, held in a section of the buffet area, @ $20/pp. There is also the Chef’s Table, and balcony dining options.

Make reservations for surcharge dining once on board by calling the dine line or visiting the restaurant.

[Jellifer]

Thank you all - this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I'll go and download the cruise answer book now.

 

Are there any retreat/cabana areas on board and if so do you need to pre-book?

 

sknight - I have gone for anytime dining. Any tips would be appreciated!

[skynight]

Thank you all - this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I'll go and download the cruise answer book now.

 

Are there any retreat/cabana areas on board and if so do you need to pre-book?

 

sknight - I have gone for anytime dining. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

Retreat Area. Yes, The Sanctuary. The charge is $20/half day morning or afternoon or $30 full day if you book the entire 10 day cruise. It is located on Deck 17 all the way forward. You get your own plush lounge reserved for you. Reservations are only on board. If you want this board early* and go directly there before you go to your cabin. There is also a free adult pool and lounge area just outside The Sanctuary.

*arrive @ the pier around 10:30am. check in. you will then be shown upstairs and seated in a waiting area. boarding starts around noon with priority boarders, then general boarding in the order of arrival. You should be on board by 12:30 or sooner.

 

Anytime Dining, from my Royal experience of Sept. 2014.

The Symphony DR, deck 5 mid ship opens at 5pm for ATD. By 6pm it is full. If you wish to dine early you really have to arrive between 5:30 and 5:45. Since it takes about two hours to dine the next wave of tables do not become available until around 7:30. I would assume you will prefer to share a table and tables to share are easier to get than a table alone. Also, when we were on board doors to the DR on both the port and starboard side were open for entry. The starboard doors did not have as many people.

 

At 7:30 the Concerto DR opens for ATD. If you wish to dine late it is fairly easy to get a table since two DR’s will now be available, doubling the capacity for ATD.

 

 

You can make reservations for ATD by calling the DINE line in the morning.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The Cruise Answer Book that was mentioned a couple of times above has a lot of great info about Princess. The website also will have info about the ship itself.

 

There's also a PDF with info about the various dining options that will be helpful to you.

 

When you first get aboard the ship (and I'm sure you've heard that you'll be able to go directly to your cabin then), there will be the first day Patter in your cabin. It will list what's going on that day, but will also have a summary of which nights are formal dinners and which are smart casual that the MDRs will be following (the specialty restaurants are smart casual, but you can dress up if you like).

 

Very popular is the International Cafe, which is midships in the Piazza on the Plaza deck (unless it's different for the Royal). It's not enclosed, it's a set of display cases and a specialty coffee counter (no charge for the food, unless there's gelato there which does have a charge). There's usually some tables in the area or you can take your plates back to your cabin, a lounge or even the pool area. The best chocolate chip cookies, ever!

[manunia]

Royal/Regal have a separate place for gelato. if you get a coffee card, you can use a punch instead of having it charged on your cruise card.

there is a BOGO hours when you can buy one drink and get the second one for $1 (soda cans are included in the offer), schedule and bar name for it will be posted on a daily paper you would have in your cabin every evening.

if you are a smoker, there is an inside place next to Club 6.

in addition to Chef's table, Royal/Regal have a Wine(something) dinner with surcharge you would need to sign on if you are interested.

[yoyosma]

Try this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2169088&highlight=princess+secrets. A search will turn up one for 2014 and an earlier one as well. The older the post, the less likely it is to be accurate though. Also may threads on what to expect on Royal or Regal. Just page back and look for them. There might even be 1 or 2 on the first page.

 

Welcome to Princess!