What is New Year's Eve like on a cruise?

[CruisinFinsUp]

Hi, 

We are booked on Crown Princess for the Dec 27, 2019 cruise over New Year's. 

Starting to look forward to it!

 

What should we look forward to in terms of activities, special events and menu please?

 

Thanks!

 

[dickinson]

Formal night, different menu (we had lobster three ways), parties in many locations, and they gave out party hats to men and tiaras to ladies. 

[momphoto]

We were on Royal Princess a few years ago for New Years.  Party hats and favors were given out and they had parties both on deck and in the atrium.  A huge balloon drop was  done at midnight.  It gets busy so if you want a spot to be able to sit you have to get there early.   They also set up screens to show other princess ships around the world and when they reached the new year.  Was a very fun and exciting night and I would definitely do it again.

[jondfk]

As said, it will be a formal night and this is one night that you'll see EVERYONE out and about which can make getting around and finding a place to enjoy more challenging than it might be another night.  

 

Every lounge and entertainment space will be up and running - no idle moments.  

 

We've done a few and have generally enjoyed, do be prepared for the largest crowds you'll see anywhere with the possible exception of the embarkation hall.  

 

 

[rkacruiser]

34 minutes ago, jondfk said:

As said, it will be a formal night and this is one night that you'll see EVERYONE out and about which can make getting around and finding a place to enjoy more challenging than it might be another night.  

 

Every lounge and entertainment space will be up and running - no idle moments.  

 

We've done a few and have generally enjoyed, do be prepared for the largest crowds you'll see anywhere with the possible exception of the embarkation hall.  

 

 

 

This is a very accurate description of what I experienced on Royal Princess, New Year's Eve just past.  There were three different parties.  I chose the Balloon Drop at Midnight in the Piazza.  I was there with hundreds and hundreds of my "closest friends".  Leave your seat?  It's gone.  Bad mistake on my part.  In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed the Party on the open deck or in the Wheelhouse Bar more.

 

I have been fortunate to spend New Year's Eve on other ships--all HAL vessels.  This New Year's Eve--from dinner to the Midnight celebration--was the most disappointing that I have experienced.

 

A positive:  the music supplied in the Piazza was great.  And, I was able to see the balloons drop from the ceiling while seated in a lounge adjacent to the Piazza.  

[dickinson]

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

I have been fortunate to spend New Year's Eve on other ships--all HAL vessels.  This New Year's Eve--from dinner to the Midnight celebration--was the most disappointing that I have experienced.

 

 

 

Why was it the most disappointing?  What was better about the other's on HAL that you experienced?

[rkacruiser]

3 minutes ago, dickinson said:

 

Why was it the most disappointing?  What was better about the other's on HAL that you experienced?

 

I had Anytime Dining.  Could not make an advance reservation for dinner at my preferred time of 8:00 P. M.  I arrived at my assigned Dining Room, was asked "would you like to share a table" and my response was "Yes".  Given a pager and I went to an adjoining lounge to wait.  The pager went off at 9:20 P. M.!  I then was seated at a table for two with a chair and a place seating missing.  Service was lacking and what I ordered was disappointing in all respects:  quality, taste, and plating.  I was glad that I brought my previous glass of wine which I had purchased before I was seated because the Wine Steward did not show for an abnormally length of time.

 

Leaving my rather late dinner, I then discovered the chaos at the Piazza for the Balloon Drop Party.  I finally found a seat near some nice ladies whom I had met previously.  They decided to go elsewhere.  I stayed and their seats had no chance to get "cool".  The Lounge Stewards did their best in trying to serve the multitude, but 2x or 3x more Stewards would have provided better service.  (I preferred sitting at the bar in the Lounge and that was an impossibility throughout this late evening.)

 

In contrast to my experiences on Nieuw Amsterdam, Zaandam, and Prinsendam on New Year's Eve, my NYE experience on Royal Princess ranks last.

[paradiselivin1]

Our first New Year's Eve on board this year, too! Glad to see what people post as suggestions. We've been on at Thanksgiving many times and at Christmas but this year we get both! Enjoy!

[mum and son]

One NYE on Celebrity they had a huge deck party and filled all of the spas with ice and champagne bottles. It was free flowing all night! A very fun night with great music, dancing and free champagne!

[Ombud]

12 hours ago, momphoto said:

We were on Royal Princess a few years ago for New Years.  Party hats and favors were given out and they had parties both on deck and in the atrium.  A huge balloon drop was  done at midnight.  It gets busy so if you want a spot to be able to sit you have to get there early.   They also set up screens to show other princess ships around the world and when they reached the new year.  Was a very fun and exciting night and I would definitely do it again.

No more balloons onboard

[pris993]

We have done a couple of NYE's on the Grand, enjoyed them all... love we can participate as much as we like, simply walk back to our cabin ... at end of evening.  Love that holiday decor on the ship during the cruise very festive.    Great way to start the new year... nothing like waking up on NY Day as sea for opportunity to reflect on past year and what lies ahead. 

[Aus Traveller]

41 minutes ago, mum and son said:

One NYE on Celebrity they had a huge deck party and filled all of the spas with ice and champagne bottles. It was free flowing all night! A very fun night with great music, dancing and free champagne!

Free-flowing champagne would certainly have made for an active deck party.🙂

[caribill]

And during the day, there may be smaller NYE celebrations on board as it turns mid-night in other parts of the world, for example mid-night in England.

[happy cruzer]

14 hours ago, Ombud said:

No more balloons onboard

I missed this announcement.   No balloons ever??

[Ombud]

5 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

I missed this announcement.   No balloons ever??

I found out when on the Caribbean Princess 7/27/19-8/9/19

[AF-1]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

I found out when on the Caribbean Princess 7/27/19-8/9/19

Did Princess say why they have stopped the Balloon drop?

Edited September 4, 2019 by AF-1

[Dar & Bob]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

I found out when on the Caribbean Princess 7/27/19-8/9/19

Did they give a reason why?  That is kind of the highlight, as one person mentioned you can see it from anywhere in the Piazza.  

 

We have done two NYE cruises on the Regal, the first was amazing.  There was an after party at the adults only pool that finally got called around 3:30 because the bar was getting emptied.  The second one was okay, the weather did not cooperate for much on the upper deck, drizzle off and on and lots of wind.  It also was a 10 day cruise with many people who had young children up late and running through the people dancing in the Piazza, something we didn't experience on the first cruise.  That was not NYE only it was almost every evening.  

 

All in all not sure if we will do another one or not.  The extra $$$ is hard to justify. 

[Ombud]

It's not environmentally friendly per CD

Edited September 4, 2019 by Ombud

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, Ombud said:

No more balloons onboard

 

I question if the Cruise Director knows what he is talking about.  Maybe there were no balloons on his ship currently?  An excuse?  If so, for what reason?

 

On my Coral Princess cruise in August, there was a balloon drop event and it was obviously not New Year's Eve!

[Ombud]

Princess is consistently inconsistent 

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Princess is consistently inconsistent 

 

LOL!  😀

 

Holland America Line is tied with Princess in my experience in this category.

 

Does the size of both of their fleets have anything to do with this phenomenon?  

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Ombud said:

It's not environmentally friendly per CD

 

Helium filled balloons that are released into the air are not environmentally friendly. But crusaders like to have that term apply to all balloons.

 

Just like plastic straws. Being eliminated on cruise ships even though they had always been recycled after use.

 

Has Princess also eliminated the balloons at cabin doors to celebrate birthdays, etc.?

[Ombud]

Is it the helium or the balloon that is not 'environmentally friendly?' Anyway all I can say is what did not happen on my last cruise

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thanks for the info.   Whether or not we have balloons, it sounds like we will have lots of options for a fun time!

[vampiress]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

Is it the helium or the balloon that is not 'environmentally friendly?' Anyway all I can say is what did not happen on my last cruise

both, there is a helium shortage.  https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/05/08/helium-shortage-balloons-parties-mri/1116242001/

and the latex from balloons are a not recyclable.

 

but to be very clear, those balloons did not have helium, or they wouldn't fall, they were just air filled. also because of the helium shortage, helium is very expensive.