Live from the Sky Christmas/New Yrs

[h-sar]

4 hours ago, worldtraveller said:

If you happen to be up on the Sun deck (#17) again, can you take a photo of the hallway area by S110 & S112 as well as the doorways?  I know this is a strange request but last year we were on the Emerald and there was a jutout of some kind by the door which made getting in & out with a wheelchair or walker very difficult even though they were the approved width. We are on the Sky later this year so would like to know in advance if we may have the same issue and if one doorway has the issue but not the other we may need to change people around (my father uses a WC or walker depending on how he is doing and distance we are going).

 

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

I got lucky and the room was being serviced, so got some pics from hall of inside of room 110. 
 

pic one with iPad is 112

 

pics of inside is room are of 110

 

pic of door is 112

 

pic 5 showing cart shows iPad of 110

 

pic 6 shows large glass door going into retreat pool 

 

No jut outs. Hallways are very wide and you should have no problems. In final pic, where hallway goes right, it’s a very wide turn. 

 

 

[Luckiestmanonearth]

48 minutes ago, h-sar said:

Here you go...

 

The first pic shows your cabin 305 with the  iPad. Second and third pics show your hall  coming in from outside, and the iPad showing is your neighbour. 

Final pic is your door. 

Thanks for doing that.  I was wondering if we had a hard wall or a glass wall to the Retreat pool.  Mystery solved

[h-sar]

19 minutes ago, FM said:

Enjoyed reading your trip report so far … you must be on a 10 night + cruise?  The last time we cruised with Princess was over 11 years ago; being Platinum we wanted to try something different for cruising.  So was a bit surprised to see that the closet/bathroom area still has that familiar feel, even on the new Sky Princess … particularly the round curtained shower area!  Are you in a balcony stateroom or mini-suite? 

 

Having cruised with Disney and Celebrity in the last decade, we enjoyed experiencing the different vibe and offerings of these two cruise lines. We returned from our last cruise aboard the Celebrity Edge eight months ago and having read about the new upcoming Sky Princess, decided to put a deposit down for a mini-suite for later this year.  Final payment isn't due till this summer so have plenty of time to see how people view the new Sky Princess.  The ship is more of a destination for us rather than the cruise ports, having visited many of the ports multiple times.  

 

Like the description of the Enclave aboard the Sky … how much is the pass for that area for the duration of the cruise? Did you purchase it on day of embarkation? Is the water quite warm - is it salt or mineral water?

 

Since it appears you are a long time Princess cruiser, do you enjoy the quality of Princess's dining offerings? Would you say that the Crown Grill aboard the Sky is a step above the Keg … or similar to Ruth's Chris?    

 

I am familiar with the Edmonton area and how difficult it is to fly anywhere from YEG inexpensively … which airline did you use to get to FLL? 

 

Anyways, hope you and the family are enjoying your time aboard the Sky.  

 

Thanks

We fly the cheapest airline 😁. Generally turns out to be through Westjet, but through their Delta partner. Parents came down on United as they booked much later. Fares for my family, booked 11 months out, were almost $900 Cdn pp. Bro, who booked in early sept, paid $1450! for direct flight from Vancouver. 

One of the things I love about the enclave is that the aromatherapy pool is hot. I find the hot tubs on princess to be barely lukewarm.

 

for our cruise, the enclave booked online for a couple was 220 per week. On board, for a couple, it was 300 for the week. Best to purchase online prior to the cruise; if that is not possible, you can book upon embarkation. 
 

I find the crown grill to be somewhere between the Keg and Ruth’s.  As far as dining, food is such a subjective thing, but I find that Princess food presentation is heads above any other line I have been on, which includes Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America. There is definitely a pride in ensuring a beautiful presentation. As far as taste, personally speaking, food on Princess is better than what I have experienced on the other lines. The buffet on the Royal class ships is probably the best on the seas.   
 

If you are not looking for flow riders, skating rinks, waterslides, etc., but instead are looking for an elegant atmosphere in which to rest and rejuvenate, the Sky is definitely for you. The service by the crew is second to none. There were a couple of days where it was definitely a hardship to leave the ship to go to the ports. 

[FlorenceItaly]

Enjoying your review.  Thank you.  We are booked on the Enchanted Princess TA April 2021 in S108 and are wondering the hours of the Retreat Bar. 

[h-sar]

Just now, Luckiestmanonearth said:

Thanks for doing that.  I was wondering if we had a hard wall or a glass wall to the Retreat pool.  Mystery solved

You will have both doors. The wooden one with the window is very close to your cabin. If you look in post #300 of the final picture with the large piece of glass at the end of the hallway, that glass is actually a door that goes into the other end of the retreat pool from your cabin, but would be a bit of a further walk for you.

[h-sar]

Just now, FlorenceItaly said:

Enjoying your review.  Thank you.  We are booked on the Enchanted Princess TA April 2021 in S108 and are wondering the hours of the Retreat Bar. 

Just asked. Port days maybe 11:00-6:00; sea days maybe 9:00-6:00 was the response 😃. 

[YEG Cruizr 68]

Does the Enclave on the Sky offer day passes like they did on the Regal?  Or do they only have weekly passes?

[FM]

Thanks very much for your answers to the questions I posed.  Have you tried room service yet? - pretty standard fare?  Also I take it that you had to pick up your Medallions upon check-in due to you residing in Canada?  How is the in-room entertainment options - is there a movie channel? Is formal nights still a big thing on Princess - haven't done formal in years and don't miss it at all.  How did you find Princess Cays - is it worth tendering over (we're big fans of Disney's Castaway Cay)?  

 

Thanks 🙂 

[FlorenceItaly]

2 hours ago, h-sar said:

Just asked. Port days maybe 11:00-6:00; sea days maybe 9:00-6:00 was the response 😃. 

Thank you!  It is possible it will not be open at all since it will most likely not be pool weather on most of the crossing.  We have the drink package and this is the closest bar to our room :).

[h-sar]

Just now, FlorenceItaly said:

Thank you!  It is possible it will not be open at all since it will most likely not be pool weather on most of the crossing.  We have the drink package and this is the closest bar to our room :).

Do you live in Florence?! One My my most favorite cities in the world. Was just there this summer And again next summer. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by h-sar

[FlorenceItaly]

15 minutes ago, h-sar said:

Do you live in Florence?! One My my most favorite cities in the world. Was just there this summer And again next summer. 

No, I do not, oh how I wish, lol.  I just love the city!  I live in South Carolina.

[h-sar]

Went to the captain’s chat and Q&A hosted by CD Adam in the piazza at 10:15 to 1045 this morning. Unbeknownst to me, the kids actually managed to get themselves up early on a sea day, because that is how much they love captain Tuvo.  I think the best comedy I saw on the ship was during his session. Such a funny, genuine human being who truly loves the job that he does. The respect and appreciation that he has for his crew is truly evident. He said that captain Perrin, who evidently became the youngest princess captain at age 39 (years ago), has now moved to Virgin cruises. Makes me sad, because he was my second favorite captain on princess. 

 

Has been a beautiful sea day. I am hoping that it stays that way as we head towards Fort Lauderdale. In previous years, the last sea day, which will be tomorrow, has never had great weather.
 

First came out at 7:45 AM - I slept in for a change which was awesome. Came out to find out every single, and I mean every single, lounger had a towel or property on it. And less than a quarter had a butt in it! 😁

 

There was one space from where someone had moved a lounger (only three left where there should’ve been 4) and a lovely deck attendant was kind enough to bring me one.
 

After the doubleheader of football again yesterday, it was nice to see the new Lion King movie on the screen late this morning. If they insist on playing so much football on this cruise, how about some showing the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, or Neymar? You know, the REAL football 😉😉. I know it would make the male deck crew deliriously happy as well as many of the non American passengers. DH, son, and DD would be ecstatic! 
 

Static came on at 12:30 for live music. It’s been a pretty blissful day in my lounger with a few forays for food and some reconnaissance missions for your requests - which are greatly appreciated as it forces me out of my chair for a few minutes of exercise and justifies the next food run! 

[h-sar]

Another tea date with DH just now. The view, the food, the service, the old world nostalgia. Why would I cruise with anyone other than Princess? 

[h-sar]

Ocean Terrace seafood place. We had a specialty dining gift cert left over from our TA (DH hadn’t want to go to Sabatini’s, so kids asked at desk and were able to use it at Ocean T for lunch today). Had they gone over the value of the certificate, they would’ve had to pay extra as OT is pay per item. 
 

Noticed that they do not check to see whose name is on the certificate. Last week, one of my nephews had not wanted to go to crown grill and we were able to use his certificate for my brother whose cabin did not get the promotion from our travel agent as they had booked later. They seem to just check the number of bodies at the table against the number of certificates.

 

Pics of Le Mer menu.

 

Pics of the area outside, around either side of deck 7. Shows the empty seats around the Alfredo’s where we had a 25 minute wait for lunch today and they still were not sitting anyone out there. I think it is just inconvenient for them to go outside as the door is not easy access.

 

2nd last picture is of the 20 minute pool games they had today with males against females.

Edited January 2, 2020 by h-sar

[h-sar]

Yesterday’s taxi ride to Orient Beach was the set rate, inside the port, of $8 per person each way. Taxis are easily available inside the port. I’m all for looking for cheaper deals outside the port, but this isn’t the place to do it. Too far from anywhere and too hot to walk to somewhere cheaper.  

 

There were six ships in port, but it never really felt that crowded around the island. As always in our experience, getting off the ship, St M was one of the hottest ports. Thankfully, when we got to the beach, a little bit of cloud cover and a slight breeze off the water kept it from being excessively hot. It was the perfect beach day. 

 

We had a late start as the kids wanted to sleep in a bit after New Year’s. Very strange to have a 7 AM port right after New Year’s eve. By the time we got to the beach, it was about 11:45. I was surprised that the reservation we had made at the Bikini Bar area for four loungers and 2 umbrellas, in the first row, had been kept for us. I called about three months prior, to make a reservation, after noticing that there were reserved signs on some of the loungers on our stop there last year. I had inquired then and they had said we could phone ahead to the Bikini Bar restaurant for the reservation. I was quite surprised that they did not ask for a reservation payment of any kind. It was really nice to be able to stroll in and still get front row seating. I was fully prepared to have our seats given away. 

 

They gave us a choice of a couple different locations. Cost was $30 x2. Decent bathrooms, good bar vibe, but fairly quiet, good for families. Thick padded loungers. Motorized rentals available. DS did flyboarding there one year. Kids had a bit of food from the restaurant and deemed it very good. I have a feeling, though, that beach food is always going to taste pretty good to them considering the locale😀. Easy to find a cab in parking lot a few feet away. Lots of little cafes and bars around as there’s a cute little village of condos and resorts close by.

[h-sar]

Bikini Beach at Orient 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by h-sar

[h-sar]

For the past few years, we have not gone to the platinum/elite captain’s party. When we first started sailing with princess, in  2006, the parties were held in a lounge with waiters coming around with drinks and appetizers. It was a lovely gathering and a pleasure to attend.When we started sailing the Regal in 2014, due to the size of the platinum elite numbers, the parties started to be held in Princess Theatre with a drink ticket given as you walked in, to be redeemed later at a bar of your choice. As a result of the venue, the event lost its intimate touch and really became nothing more than a promo activity for Princess.
 

We decided to attend this week, mainly because Cpt Tuvo has been such a wonderful person to sail with and we figured we could not miss an opportunity to see him in action. The event last night was exactly what it used to be. It was held in the Vista lounge with the captain and some of the officers greeting us at the door as well as many other officers at various points inside the venue, so you were being greeted every few feet. I got the chance to personally thank the captain for a wonderful voyage and he seemed genuinely appreciative of the comment.
 

We had come about 20 minutes early and there were probably still about 60 people in front of us. We managed to get front row seating and waiters came immediately with alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, as well as appetizers. The captain was his usual witty and charming self and three couples were recognized for their number of days. Couple number three was from Florida, of course, and the gentleman was going to be 100 years old in two weeks! How great is that? He looked in pretty good shape. Cannot remember exactly how many days at sea with princess they had, but it was around 1100. Second couple was from the UK and they also had a similar number of sea days. The first place couple was not at the party, but had over 2100 sea days with princess. Each couple received a bottle of champagne and then they drew three more bottles randomly using the invitation cards we had all turned in. Glad we went and that the Sky put the personal touch back into the event.
 

The Asian couple on the dance floor has been dancing up a storm in the piazza every night. Their outfits and dancing skills are incredible. There are about three couples on board that I particularly like to watch on the dance floor. 
 

There are 735 platinum passengers on this cruise and 541 elite.

[h-sar]

This week, we saved a whole buck 89 as a result of my son forgetting to buy his soda card until an hr after sailing. Last week, he bought it immediately upon boarding and paid $1.89 FL tax. Just an FYI 😀. 
 

There has been no pub lunch this week, nor was there last week. Makes me very sad. On the other hand, they have had tea every single day for the last two weeks. Makes me extremely happy.
 

There is also no royal tea in the piazza as there was on the regal and no display of different teas by the international café. Don’t really miss either.

 

Keep getting advertisements in my cabin for the seminar called secrets to a flatter stomach. Are they trying to tell me something? It’s not a secret, you’ve all seen what I’ve been eating, LOL. And I don’t need to attend a seminar to figure out the solution for the secret to a flatter stomach. Don’t cruise. Mystery solved. 👍🏼👍🏼
 

5Skies, one of the two new amazing production shows on the Sky, was shown during the late evening port in St Thomas which was also New Year’s Eve. Good thing we saw it last week, as we weren’t able to attend this week. Seemed like a bad night to have it on. Why not on one of these two sea days? I’m sure it was still standing room only, though. 

[worldtraveller]

22 hours ago, h-sar said:

I got lucky and the room was being serviced, so got some pics from hall of inside of room 110. 
 

pic one with iPad is 112

 

pics of inside is room are of 110

 

pic of door is 112

 

pic 5 showing cart shows iPad of 110

 

pic 6 shows large glass door going into retreat pool 

 

No jut outs. Hallways are very wide and you should have no problems. In final pic, where hallway goes right, it’s a very wide turn. 

 

 

Thanks so much h-sar, this really helps.

 

One other question if you don't mind.  What time does the Enclave open?  Someone had stated that it closed late (like 10pm) but not when it opens.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise

[h-sar]

Just now, worldtraveller said:

Thanks so much h-sar, this really helps.

 

One other question if you don't mind.  What time does the Enclave open?  Someone had stated that it closed late (like 10pm) but not when it opens.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise

8-10

I‘ve gone at 7:45 and it’s been open 

[Luckiestmanonearth]

What was the condition of the beach at Orient?  I had heard that there was a lot of plant life growing in the water as a result of the hurricanes 2 years ago

[kywildcatfanone]

54 minutes ago, h-sar said:

Keep getting advertisements in my cabin for the seminar called secrets to a flatter stomach

In our 2 weeks I threw away the equivalent of 10 pounds of trash advertisements.  I wish they would just move to digital for all of that if they really want to protect the planet.  All printed in color as well. 

[h-sar]

Just now, kywildcatfanone said:

In our 2 weeks I threw away the equivalent of 10 pounds of trash advertisements.  I wish they would just move to digital for all of that if they really want to protect the planet.  All printed in color as well. 

100% agree. I think they are probably afraid that, if they don’t stick with the in your face paper advertisements, they will lose some sales.

[h-sar]

Just now, Luckiestmanonearth said:

What was the condition of the beach at Orient?  I had heard that there was a lot of plant life growing in the water as a result of the hurricanes 2 years ago

on our visit, there was just a little bit of seaweed at the edge of the beach, but nothing significant. The water was pretty clear.

[kywildcatfanone]

3 minutes ago, h-sar said:

100% agree. I think they are probably afraid that, if they don’t stick with the in your face paper advertisements, they will lose some sales.

Yeah, no question that is why they do it.  It's just a shame to me, lots of waste.