Live From the Royal Princess 8 Oct. 2016 Transatlantic

[traveling1969]

 

Harry,

 

thank you so very much for doing the live thread! We will be on the Royal on 11/6 sailing - can you tell me who your awesome wait staff is ? Also Do you know if they would be staying on the Royal?

 

I hope that the G&T's are helping Joyce.. with the cold. Looks like it is suppose to be in upper 70's low 80's in Fort Lauderdale and sunny- when you arrive!

 

thank you again for this thread

 

Kathy

Out waiter was Clark and assistant was Pharadorn. Can't guarantee that spelling. Everyone just calls him Dorn. They will both still be on in November but Clark will transfer to the Majesty in the orient. Don't know that I would be excited about going to that ship. Could be a tough assignment.

 

Weather is beautiful here in Fort Lauderdale. We've got enough of everything so we'll stay on and enjoy the empty ship for a while.

 

This was one of the roughest crossings weather-wise we have ever experienced. However, even though the seas were rough, the Royal tamed them and was smooth as silk for the most part. Only exception was when we had 20' swells on the starboard beam. Then we felt the roll and pitch but still it wasn't that bad. Bonine to the rescue!

 

It's been a great cruise and I want to thank all those who posted or just followed along. I see someone has started a "Live from" thread for the next 5 day Western Caribbean cruise. I'll probably keep an eye on that one and post if I have something to offer. So until next time: Bon Voyage!

 

Harry

[patrickmoran]

The stairs opened when we arrived in the Azores, a week after we left. They worked nicely and look like the other stairwells.

[easyboy]

It's been a great cruise and I want to thank all those who posted or just followed along. I see someone has started a "Live from" thread for the next 5 day Western Caribbean cruise. I'll probably keep an eye on that one and post if I have something to offer. So until next time: Bon Voyage!

 

Harry

Thank you Harry for taking us along in your trip by way of your live reports.

[Grumpy69]

How was the internet service? Any improvements following the dry dock?

 

 

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[GonzoWCS]

Thanks for this!

[Arizona cruisers]

How was the internet service? Any improvements following the dry dock?

 

 

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We just returned last night. It was a great cruise - ship in good shape, fantastic food and service. The Internet was horrible for most of the crossing with the bad weather and angry seas. Prior to that it was good.

 

 

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[Raisinette]

Thanks for your updates! My stepson is one of the entertainment staff (he plays drums/percussion) on the Royal Princess for the next four months. We're booked on her Dec. 20th sailing and I can't wait to check the ship out myself. This is a great way to tide me over until then....

 

Bon voyage!

 

If you're still looking at this thread 'Dr Vegas'... please let your stepson know that the live showband (7 musicians including one drummer - him I assume!) was fantastic and very much appreciated. I was in the Princess Theatre every night for whatever entertainment was offered and the band musicians did a great job with each new entertainer. Give him a big thank you from me!

[floridalover5623]

We just returned last night. It was a great cruise - ship in good shape, fantastic food and service. The Internet was horrible for most of the crossing with the bad weather and angry seas. Prior to that it was good.

 

 

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Thanks for your opinion about the food/service. There have been 1 or 2 posts that it was terrible, which I seriously doubt.

My experience is that the Royal has always been a notch or two above the other Princess ships in the food department and have no doubts that it wouldn't continue that way.

[lucksak]

This was our 3 rd. TA. Didn't have great weather ,it didn't take anything away from the cruise.Sip & Sail helped. The staff on the Royal Princess was the best we ever had. Smiling all the time.Big shout out to Jude waiter at Crooners.

I loved the Mardi Gras party in the piazza. The entertainment was great. Loved hearing Paul Baker again.

I found the temperture on the ship generally after the first four days too hot. The only cool place was Club 6.

It was disappointing to have to wait 3 days to have balcony door

,TV and AC fixed. The balcony door was very difficult to open the whole cruise.

The food was great. The headwaiter said the source for the beef is always Argentina.

Anytime I used the infamous center stairs I never came across another person.

The captain on Gala night said the same thing lol. I don't remember ever being offered free cocktails in the piazza except for the Champayne waterfall event. I wonder if it had anything to do with that it was the Captain and his wife's 9 th. wedding anniversary?

We really appreciated there were 10 non US custom officers for disembarkation instead of 2 they had last time in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Only 1 year to wait for Spanish passage TA 2017.

[floridalover5623]

I loved the Mardi Gras party in the piazza. T

 

Did they make masks in the Piazza before the party?

[OLYMPUS]

We too were on this TA, one of many we have taken. Weather wise it was a rough ride across the Atlantic. The food and service was very good though 😊

Our cabin, C311, was delightful. No problems with TV or internet. I noticed a gizmo in the hallway ceiling near our cabin and not being tech savvy, wasn't sure what it was🙄. I used all my free internet minutes as well as my husband's from day one until the last night, right from my cabin. I was using the Princess@Sea app and it connected me instantly to FB and messenger. No minutes lost trying to log on😁

The A/C in our cabin worked perfectly, cool, just like we wanted. The toilet worked with no problems. I would book this cabin again. It was classified as mid-forward and we found it's proximity to the forward elevators a real plus.

We are not a fan of the production shows, but found the overall entertainment outstanding, especially the always active Piazza, the exception would be the loud line dancing😏

[floridalover5623]

We too were on this TA, one of many we have taken. Weather wise it was a rough ride across the Atlantic. The food and service was very good though 😊

Our cabin, C311, was delightful. No problems with TV or internet. I noticed a gizmo in the hallway ceiling near our cabin and not being tech savvy, wasn't sure what it was🙄. I used all my free internet minutes as well as my husband's from day one until the last night, right from my cabin. I was using the Princess@Sea app and it connected me instantly to FB and messenger. No minutes lost trying to log on😁

The A/C in our cabin worked perfectly, cool, just like we wanted. The toilet worked with no problems. I would book this cabin again. It was classified as mid-forward and we found it's proximity to the forward elevators a real plus.

We are not a fan of the production shows, but found the overall entertainment outstanding, especially the always active Piazza, the exception would be the loud line dancing😏

Some of the Piazza activities get out of hand with the loud music - not only the line dancing.

[lucksak]

Did they make masks in the Piazza before the party?

 

We made masks in the morning at handicrafts. So much fun.

[floridalover5623]

We made masks in the morning at handicrafts. So much fun.

 

Thanks. Not my thing but the wife participates in all that stuff.

[easyboy]

This was our 3 rd. TA. Didn't have great weather ,it didn't take anything away from the cruise.Sip & Sail helped. The staff on the Royal Princess was the best we ever had. Smiling all the time.Big shout out to Jude waiter at Crooners.

Did you get the chance to see the Bar Flair performance at the Seaview Bar? It was fun to watch.

[lucksak]

Did you get the chance to see the Bar Flair performance at the Seaview Bar? It was fun to watch.

 

Yes we did and it was fun to watch the staff acting like Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail They gave me a huge Gordita. A margarita with a beer. I have seen this drink in Mexico never have ordered one. I gave the beer to my husband. They gave my friend a lemon & lime margarita with a foamy top. The last thing we needed because we had the Sip & Sail. Didn t want to be rude and refuse the drinks. The staff appeared to be enjoying themselves as we were also.

 

Ciao

Ollie

[Lynda90]

Harry, thank you so much for taking us along on your cruise; it was very enjoyable. I, too, was on the inaugural TA as so many of you were. I'll never forget how long the laundry took but even more, was the fun we all had!

Cio, Lynda

[pris993]

Hello again from the Royal Princess. Well, it's almost over:(. Tomorrow is the last sea day then Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Lucky for us we're staying on board for another 5 days so when the luggage comes out tomorrow evening we won't suffer from the usual depression:D.

 

Not much new on board; a few pseudo-sales, ugly weather all day today; rain, rain, and more rain with rough seas and NO SUN. But hey, it never rains in Crooners! Joyce picked up a nasty cold (no noro symptoms though) and stayed in the cabin most of the day. I've been kept busy making G&T runs and picking up a few tidbits here and there; just to keep her strength up. Clocks go back tonight and tomorrow night to get us back to Eastern time so the extra sleep is welcome.

 

I had a little recoup at the poker table last night but Joyce wasn't up to tackling the slots so she'll have to make her comeback tomorrow.

 

We had such a great crew in the MDR that we asked for the same table for the next cruise and so we're all set there. Had my favorite, goat cheese souffle, last night and Joyce tried the always available grilled salmon steak. She said it was the best she had ever had on a cruise ship. Still can't reconcile the fact that the medallions of beef are gone from the always available menu with no other beef (other than a burger) substituted. Other than that major disappointment, the food has been great.

 

Well, time to take Joyce some more liquid medicine. I'll be posting one last time tomorrow so until then, ta ta.

 

Harry

 

How was the weather over all... we are booked on the October 21 crossing in 2017 out of Barcelona... wondering what to expect, realize weather is unpredictable...

[traveling1969]

How was the weather over all... we are booked on the October 21 crossing in 2017 out of Barcelona... wondering what to expect, realize weather is unpredictable...

 

Weather-wise, this TA was the exception rather than the rule. We have done several fall TA's with October being the usual month and the weather is usually quite good with little rain and temps in the 70's. Our trick didn't work this time; we brought our umbrella and it STILL rained. Temps weren't bad though.

 

Harry

[lucksak]

How was the weather over all... we are booked on the October 21 crossing in 2017 out of Barcelona... wondering what to expect, realize weather is unpredictable...

 

It was cool in Rome and sometimes raining Oct. 5-8 th. We were prepared for the rain because we checked the weather forecast just before we left home. Rain didn't last long. I t was cool in the morning and evening. I'm glad I threw in my puffy down jacket at the last minute.It was overcast in Florence Barcelona & Ponta Delgada. Sunny for the most part in Aix de Provence. Wore a light sweather & light scarf. We only sat around the pool 2 of the 9 sea days. We had overcast weather and 12 ft. waves crossing the Atlantic. At one point we were 500 nautical miles away from Tropical Nicole during the crossing. The day before we reached Ft. Lauderdale it was very windy. This was our 3 rd TA . We had warmer sunny weather later in the year on the previous TA.

The weather didn't take anything away from visiting Rome and the 14 day TA. We always sat outside at cafes in Europe except for our last night in Rome. it was a bit too cool.

We our booked for the Royal 2017 Oct. 21 st cruise also. The only thing I will pack different is less bathing suits for me and more casual pants for hubby. He also wants a sweater instead of just his rain jacket.

 

Ciao

Ollie