LIVE - Royal Princess - 10/11/15 to 10/31/15

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to post about your adventures.....:):):)

 

Bob

[blindrid]

Very interested in learning from a first hand cruiser how Princess Cays is doing. We are scheduled to visit there on Dec 7th.

 

IMHO, all of the private islands are sea days' not worth leaving the boat.

[Amtrack Springfield]

Save me a seat by the pool. We get on board on the 21st of October.

[KruzPrincess]

Hello Everyone.

 

We are in beautiful St. Lucia. This is my favorite Caribbean island. I got off the ship this morning and went around to all the shops which are right next to where we dock. I spent $8. I'm a shopaholic and it was good that I left my credit card in the safe on the ship. I really don't need anything, but saw some lovely items. Marty, our shopping host, is at Diamonds International making deals and assisting people. I've never seen such an engaged shopping host.

 

Yesterday was Antigua and I stayed on the ship. We've had lovely WARM weather so far. I have to add that the older I get the less I tolerate hot weather. This 20 day cruise is a test to see if I would enjoy a long and hot cruise to Tahiti. What do you think?

 

Perry Grant is on the ship and playing most nights in Crooners. It's a lovely venue and big. I will try to make it down there to see him soon.

 

As the cruise goes on I will try to find out about Curtis Stone menu items.

 

I am not a morning eater, but I did have a nice egg white omelette in the Horizon Court yesterday. Last night was Brazilian Buffet. Buffet food is pretty good and mostly very well kept and fresh.

 

One thing I want to mention is the library. It is woefully small and understocked. I have a kindle and and iPhone, but I like to read real books. I don't like to bring them with me and always rely on the library. The libary here had two small sections of fiction and about 30 books left by the time I got there on Sunday. If I'd known, I would have brought the Kindle. So a word of warning to those who like to read.....come prepared.

 

I am in a mid-aft mini suite on Aloha. It's very nice size, but the balcony is too small. The footstools are under the chairs and you have to struggle to get them out. Of course, the balcony furniture is very uncomfortable. It's not bad for me alone, but two people would be crowded. Yes, you could do the balcony meal, but it's not roomy. Balcony cabins have a small table and mini's have the larger table.

 

So far, the movies have been Pitch Perfect 2, Age of Ulton (?? am I spelling that right?), Far From the Madding Crowd. No movie tonight as there will be a deck party. Football was on Monday night.

 

Next time I'll make notes, maybe...as I'm sure I wanted to tell you something else.

 

Still enjoying the lovely ship.

[#1Nanna]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, it is much appreciated! I have a question about the "Brazilian buffet". what types of food was offered for this?

[cnd crsr]

Thanks for doing this live from... good to know about the library. I will be sure to load up my reader before we cruise in January.

[The Honey Bees]

Thank you for all you have done to make our upcoming cruise exciting and to raise our anticipation so high! Denny and I definitely need a break as it has been one of those years - one thing after another! We need to feel the cool breeze from standing on the deck of a cruise ship to revive our spirits!

[capriccio]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, it is much appreciated! I have a question about the "Brazilian buffet". what types of food was offered for this?

We too are on these cruises so I hope Lana doesn't mind me answering! The Brazilian buffet included seafood soups, a delicious short rib stew, seafood salads and churassco meats: flank steak, lamb, pork chicken wrapped in bacon and chorizo sausages among others. We enjoyed it. Last night was a Mongolian barbecue in the buffet (of course you can get regular dishes too): fill a bowl with your choice of a dozen different veggies and various spices and then place your order for beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp, scallops (any combination thereof) and rice or noodles. They are all cooked together and brought to your table. It was delicious!

[#1Nanna]

We too are on these cruises so I hope Lana doesn't mind me answering! The Brazilian buffet included seafood soups, a delicious short rib stew, seafood salads and churassco meats: flank steak, lamb, pork chicken wrapped in bacon and chorizo sausages among others. We enjoyed it. Last night was a Mongolian barbecue in the buffet (of course you can get regular dishes too): fill a bowl with your choice of a dozen different veggies and various spices and then place your order for beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp, scallops (any combination thereof) and rice or noodles. They are all cooked together and brought to your table. It was delicious!

 

 

Thank you so much for the response. Sounds sooo yummy! Do they come to your table with meats or all "self serve" in the buffet. Thanks again to both of you for taking the time to share.

[KruzPrincess]

Hello everyone!

 

Thanks to my fellow cruise passenger for answering questions. I hope everyone posts to make this thread more interesting since we all do different things.

 

And, to those on my upcoming roll call, I look forward to meeting you at the Meet & Greet? I'd say I can't wait, but I don't want to wish these cruise days away!! :)

 

Last night, I did the Mongolian BBQ and loved it. I've had this before on the Coral Princess and was so happy to see it here. You fill your bowls with your veggies and sauces. Most people do one bowl of veggies, but I did two! Eeek. Then, you tell them what meats, noodles and/or rice you want. They give you a ticket and you give it to your buffet wait person. It will be brought to you when it's done! This is the same method they use for made to order omelettes at breakfast. This way, they don't have a big group of people waiting there. Anyway, the noodles in the BBQ were cellophane and I would have preferred another type, but it was still excellent. I look forward to it next week.

 

To answer you questions about self-serve: Most items are self-serv, but they have people who will cut the main meat selections for you. They usually have roast pork and roast beef, but that changes. Other meats and fish are in trays and are self-serv. BTW, salad bars are my thing and they have a very nice one on the Royal.

 

Last night, I went to see a movie in the Vista Lounge as they were setting up for the deck party and no movie on MUTS. I saw Spy with Melissa McCarthy. Lots of people were seeing it.

 

I checked out Perry Grant who is already a big hit here. Crooners has a great piano that is painted with musical notes that are olives...if that makes sense. It is right in a nice space at the upper level of the atrium and you can hear the music everywhere. All the seats in Crooners and nearby were taken. Many people singing along.

 

Also, stopped by the LOVE BOAT DISCO DECK PARTY. People were having fun there. The entertainment staff dressed up like Isaac and and did a dance. Then, they invited passengers to join in for YMCA, etc. Live band and sing along on the MUTS screen. Pretty funny, actually.

 

There are a lot of activities going on on this shop. I wanted to see the show in the Princess Theater and never got there. You can do as much or as little as you want. Even with all that, you can fine some quiet chairs to read.

 

Finally, I have to mention that my bed is DEVINE. I'm sleeping like a baby. I am on of the hardest critics of Princess beds and was worried I wouldn't be sleeping for 20 nights. It's been so nice. Now, if we could just get them to get comfortable balcony furniture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We're in Barbados today. Another lovely day. Weather had predicted storms all week and I haven't seen any rain. Although, the first day or so, the captain did say he was weaving around to find good weather. LOL.

 

Still haven't seen any change to MDR menus.

 

That's it for today.

[FritzG]

I agree, the library is a joke; I suppose Princess assumes that everyone brings a tablet/laptop loaded with books.

There are so few books in the first place. They are signed out on an honor system with a sign up book that is generally ignored. By the second day of our first cruise in August the shelves were almost empty. I went back on turn around day, and I was able to dig 2 books out of the pile on the table.

I was very glad that I had my iPad, but like the OP I much prefer a "real" book.

Edited October 16, 2015 by FritzG

[Garfunkel]

My iPad goes everywhere with me, but not easy to read my Kindle books on it in the sun. So I'd better get some real books too!

Edited October 16, 2015 by Garfunkel

[Steelers0854]

My iPad goes everywhere with me, but not easy to read my Kindle books on it in the sun. So I'd better get some real books too!

 

 

My iPad also goes with me everywhere. I invested in a cheap kindle ($69) so that I could carry it around the ship and if it got wet or if someone borrowed it and forgot to return it I wouldn't be out several hundred dollars. Plus like you said the kindle is very easy to read outside and they will sync between my iPad and kindle and I can read on both.

[Grego]

Invest in the Kindle Paperwhite. It is excellent in the sun and at night with all the lights out because it is backlit.

[buchananglasgow]

Is he in the atrium every night all night , or just for a certain length of time each night. ?

[azbirdmom]

Glad you are having such a nice time Lana. Looking forward to meeting you next week.

[CrowCaw]

Thanks for posting, we'll be joining you there on Wednesday.

[1964pilot]

Thanks for the wonderful reports - I check in several times a week. We will be on the Royal Nov. 30 and I am now questioning my cabin choice. This is our first time on this large of ship and I picked a balcony on the Dolphin. There seems to be several cabins still available here and I was wondering if I will be happy. We love the Caribe and never had this small of balcony.

 

THANKS ALL

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for the wonderful reports - I check in several times a week. We will be on the Royal Nov. 30 and I am now questioning my cabin choice. This is our first time on this large of ship and I picked a balcony on the Dolphin. There seems to be several cabins still available here and I was wondering if I will be happy. We love the Caribe and never had this small of balcony.

 

THANKS ALL

 

All the balconies on the sides seem to be about the same size. There are some that are a bit larger under the seawalk and probably under the bar. I would not book a cabin under the seawalk myself, though. The extra size wouldn't be worth it to me. Google some images for the Royal and look at the pictures. There are probably people here who have more expertise in the perfect cabin locations. I am really happy with my location which is mid-ship aft. I would choose a cabin with cabins all around, above and below.

[Mom33]

Thanks for the wonderful reports - I check in several times a week. We will be on the Royal Nov. 30 and I am now questioning my cabin choice. This is our first time on this large of ship and I picked a balcony on the Dolphin. There seems to be several cabins still available here and I was wondering if I will be happy. We love the Caribe and never had this small of balcony.

 

THANKS ALL

 

Where on Dolphin are you located? Mid-ship balconies are larger on the Royal and Regal. There is no privacy issue under the Sea Walk on Dolphin deck. I have been in that location. Lido and Marina decks may have issues, although no one that has actually been in those cabins has come back to complain about them. The cabins with larger balconies are over the Promenade area and directly mid ship.:)

[KruzPrincess]

Hey Everyone.

 

We are in St. Kitts today. It looks like a shower could come from time to time, but it's been lovely. It's really hot and humid, though....for me. I went into "town" this morning and bought a birthday gift. It really does just look like a shopping mall of sorts. All jewelry stores one after another. If it weren't so hot I'd have taken a tour. (Once again, I don't tolerate heat very well.) There is a casino left of the cruise terminal. I stopped and donated $10 very quickly. Ha! For those with mobility issues, there is a little cart that will take you from the ship to the the terminal for $1. It's only a short walk, but it may be of assistance for some. This afternoon, there were folk dancers on the pier. We're here with a large Carnival ship. I'm not sure if the do this for all cruises or not.

 

Last night, I went to Movies Under the Sprinkles. It's drizzled on us several times, but not real rain. I saw Aloha. Great cast, but disappointing. They also did the fountain show. It was every 15 minutes from 6pm to 7pm. Then, the movie started at 7:15. It was pretty, but not really a big draw.

 

Today, I tried gelato and it was good. I'm not sure it's worth $3.50, but in all my cruises I'd never tried it before. I really do think they servings on other ships are bigger, but you can get sundaes and such here.

 

The library is still not any better. Today there were about 20 books. I stop by daily to see if anyone returns anything. Yes, I have a kindle....don't care for it and didn't bring it. Next time, I'll know better. Just giving a heads up for people like me who like to read a real book. Some people have donated their books to me, though!! :) Thank you!

 

That's it for today. Tomorrow is St. Thomas, I believe.

[red4lisa]

Thanks for taking us along on your trip so to speak! I'm enjoying your posts. I have been on a smaller ship as a solo cruiser but am curious what is your experience being solo on a big ship. Your posts are making me longing for a cruise.

 

Lisa

[caribill]

 

Today, I tried gelato and it was good. I'm not sure it's worth $3.50, but in all my cruises I'd never tried it before. I really do think they servings on other ships are bigger, but you can get sundaes and such here.

 

 

You can tell the size of the scoops by looking at the size of the spoon in the picture below.

 

[GeorgiaUSA]

FYI

Go to Perry Grant!s FB fan page to see and read about his debut on Princess!

 

Having cruised on the Eclipse and the Royal his entertainment venue on Royal's level 2 of the most beautiful atrium at sea is a far cry from his dingy, cramped corner in Cellar Master's on the Eclipse. It seems his fans were out in full force to welcome him aboard the Royal Princess. I wish him the best and hope to see him on Princess.

 

We'll be on the Royal Princess beginning November 10th. Can someone tell me what time Perry's show starts on the Royal Princess? Can't wait to enjoy him again! :)

 

Kay

"GeorgiaUSA" now retired in South Carolina!)

[Steelers36]

You can tell the size of the scoops by looking at the size of the spoon in the picture below.

 

 

Seeing your picture makes me wonder why they are whacking us for $3.50 on Royal/Regal when it looks like the same thing I've always ordered on Ruby, or Emerald for $1.50? Sheesh!!!