Well Our Bags Are Packed...

[Colo Cruiser]

Bon Voyage and have an incredible cruise!

 

In the photo I didn't see the pump bottles of soap and lotion on the sink?

[susancruzs]

I wonder about that, too although I always bring my own, due to strong scent issues. 🙂 

[hllwdcruiser]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Bon Voyage and have an incredible cruise!

 

In the photo I didn't see the pump bottles of soap and lotion on the sink?

 

Thank you!

The pump bottles are alive and well. The scent is not too strong. We did bring a bar of soap for the shower. 

 

[hllwdcruiser]

I'm attempting to download a video and I'm getting a "download failed -200" error message. Does anyone know a quick fix?

Some observations - the ship seems quiet. Not sure what the capacity is but I'd like to find out. We are seeing a lot more teens and twenty somethings onboard than we normally see and have met a few families who are here on spring break. 

We do miss Crooners. We decided to have a before dinner drink at Good Spirits and Ryan came through with an excellent dirty martini for Steve. He didn't have the ingredients for the watermelon tequila drink (which also has Serrano 🌶) so he made me a yummy Bangkok Mule instead. Let's just say it did the trick. He promised he'd have the watermelon ingredients for me tomorrow. 

[hllwdcruiser]

We wandered through Take Five and it was practically empty pre-dinner but when we revisited later in the evening there was live jazz and a few more tables were occupied. I couldn't help compare it to Crooners where one can rarely find an empty seat, let alone two together. 

For the first time EVER we decided to have our dinner in the buffet to free up our evening. I know many on here love it, but we were completely underwhelmed. We'll be eating the rest of our meals in the MDR.

Speaking of meals - can somebody tell me when you are normally notified about the Winemaker's Dinner? 

The show tonight was the comedian Miguel Washington. He was good but not the best we've seen onboard. We heeded advice and showed up around 45 mins prior to showtime and the theatre was almost empty at that time. It didn't start to fill up until ½ an hour before and still had empty seats at showtime. 

We are loving our cabin. We grabbed some blankets from Lido and had a before bed drink on our balcony. In all honesty, that was the favorite part of my day. Off to sleep now. More tomorrow. 

For those of you who would like to know - current Officers onboard:

[Astro Flyer]

46 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

Speaking of meals - can somebody tell me when you are normally notified about the Winemaker's Dinner? 

We’ve been to 5 of them & as I recall it’s about 2 days before the dinner...we’ve greatly enjoyed each one of them. 🙂

[Doug R.]

22 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I'm hoping that enough of the cruising public in a panic cancel and open up some cabins for upgrades.

 

Seriously though, our bags are packed for an extended land vacation followed by a cruise.  The only thing that will stop us in a knee jerk reaction by a government agency or a travel company.

 

How many people are infected by the seasonal flu every year?  How many people die from the seasonal flu every year?  Where is the panic there?

 

Keep Calm and Cruise On!

It's a miracle!!!! I agree with you 100%

 

To the OP: Bon Voyage!

[TracieABD]

11 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

We wandered through Take Five and it was practically empty pre-dinner but when we revisited later in the evening there was live jazz and a few more tables were occupied. I couldn't help compare it to Crooners where one can rarely find an empty seat, let alone two together. 

For the first time EVER we decided to have our dinner in the buffet to free up our evening. I know many on here love it, but we were completely underwhelmed. We'll be eating the rest of our meals in the MDR.

Speaking of meals - can somebody tell me when you are normally notified about the Winemaker's Dinner? 

The show tonight was the comedian Miguel Washington. He was good but not the best we've seen onboard. We heeded advice and showed up around 45 mins prior to showtime and the theatre was almost empty at that time. It didn't start to fill up until ½ an hour before and still had empty seats at showtime. 

We are loving our cabin. We grabbed some blankets from Lido and had a before bed drink on our balcony. In all honesty, that was the favorite part of my day. Off to sleep now. More tomorrow. 

For those of you who would like to know - current Officers onboard:

Thank you for your updates... I think considering some of the latest developments, you are lucky to be asea.

Forgive me if you already know this, If you want to know the guest numbers and the Elite, Plat, Ruby, Gold, and Blue count, you can always ask the Captains Circle Host(ess). They are normally really kind about tell me, especially if I am live blogging. 

 

I anxiously await your next check in!

Tracie-Lynn

[hllwdcruiser]

13 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

We’ve been to 5 of them & as I recall it’s about 2 days before the dinner...we’ve greatly enjoyed each one of them. 🙂

I hope we hear soon. If they don’t have one this voyage I’d like to book the UBD in its stead. 

[hllwdcruiser]

3 hours ago, TracieABD said:

Thank you for your updates... I think considering some of the latest developments, you are lucky to be asea.

Forgive me if you already know this, If you want to know the guest numbers and the Elite, Plat, Ruby, Gold, and Blue count, you can always ask the Captains Circle Host(ess). They are normally really kind about tell me, especially if I am live blogging. 

 

I anxiously await your next check in!

Tracie-Lynn

Tracie-Lynn, it is seriously an honor to have you following along. I stand in awe of your writing skills and am a fan of all your travel blogs. I’ll definitely take your advice on asking the Captain’s Circle Host and will report back soon. 

[hllwdcruiser]

[Astro Flyer]

10 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

I hope we hear soon. If they don’t have one this voyage I’d like to book the UBD in its stead. 

Hope you’ll hear soon or maybe consider calling the DINE line for any updates.

[hllwdcruiser]

It was a rock and roll evening and I’m not just talking about the band, Static. Usually I sleep well to the motion of the ocean but last night I was awakened several times. Being on deck 17 and all the way forward probably didn’t help much. 
Day 2 started out overcast and chilly. We south Floridians don’t do well in chilly. Nope. Any temp registering under 70 degrees means we get out our winter coats and boots.
Clearly, many Northerners weren’t up for the chill either because I’ve never seen Princess Cays so deserted and only a few brave souls ventured into the water. 

Ok. I ventured into the water. But only because I lugged my snorkeling gear with me and I’ve never been able to snorkel there without being kicked in the face by a fellow cruiser’s fin. 
The sun did finally make an appearance so of course I had to take this obligatory shot:

 

[hllwdcruiser]

There was a bright side to the near hurricane force winds we were experiencing (just a tiny exaggeration)..there was nary a fly to be seen near the barbecue or the fruit offerings. Steve and I were slightly less full from our recent breakfast so we shared a hamburger and hot dog. They were actually pretty good - we don’t usually eat the barbecue mainly because of the aforementioned flies.  

Speaking of winds, I do believe that the retreat pool may be an epic fail. Because of the design, they have effectively built a wind tunnel. Apparently it never gets much better, even in fair weather. 
 

A quick word about our Steward - his name is Edsel and he is amazing, unlike his car namesake. We haven’t had luck with our last few Stewards and what a difference it makes to have a friendly and personable one again. He has 19 cabins assigned to him. It’s no wonder they rarely have time to stop and chat anymore. 
 

Entertainment tonight is the magician. Michael Miskito and Jim Henson Inspired Silliness. Neither appeal so we may try to catch the Yes/No game. We have yet to attend a Princess gameshow so this may be another first. 

We are hyper aware of what is going on in the world of cruising, The Grand, The Royal, The Regal and Ruby but none of it is reflected on this voyage. No one is really mentioning the C/V word and the crew has been super vigilant with “washy washy” at every station. 
 

So far, we are having a fabulous time and have no regrets about not canceling. 
 

Time for an afternoon nap - don’t you just love vacations? 
 

More later!
 

[tawlaw1526]

9 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

There was a bright side to the near hurricane force winds we were experiencing (just a tiny exaggeration)..there was nary a fly to be seen near the barbecue or the fruit offerings. Steve and I were slightly less full from our recent breakfast so we shared a hamburger and hot dog. They were actually pretty good - we don’t usually eat the barbecue mainly because of the aforementioned flies.  

Speaking of winds, I do believe that the retreat pool may be an epic fail. Because of the design, they have effectively built a wind tunnel. Apparently it never gets much better, even in fair weather. 
 

A quick word about our Steward - his name is Edsel and he is amazing, unlike his car namesake. We haven’t had luck with our last few Stewards and what a difference it makes to have a friendly and personable one again. He has 19 cabins assigned to him. It’s no wonder they rarely have time to stop and chat anymore. 
 

Entertainment tonight is the magician. Michael Miskito and Jim Henson Inspired Silliness. Neither appeal so we may try to catch the Yes/No game. We have yet to attend a Princess gameshow so this may be another first. 

We are hyper aware of what is going on in the world of cruising, The Grand, The Royal, The Regal and Ruby but none of it is reflected on this voyage. No one is really mentioning the C/V word and the crew has been super vigilant with “washy washy” at every station. 
 

So far, we are having a fabulous time and have no regrets about not canceling. 
 

Time for an afternoon nap - don’t you just love vacations? 
 

More later!
 

Thank you so much for the update and the vibe on the ship.   We are scheduled to board Sky next Saturday and we are so stressed trying to make our decision to go or cancel.  

[TracieABD]

6 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

Tracie-Lynn, it is seriously an honor to have you following along. I stand in awe of your writing skills and am a fan of all your travel blogs. I’ll definitely take your advice on asking the Captain’s Circle Host and will report back soon. 

That is the kindest thing I have heard all day... week... month!

Loving the blog.

Sadly, I lack confidence in our 25 day sailing in April. Things are looking a bit grim on our roll call.

 

However, we will hang in as long as we can stand it!

 

In the meantime, 

Sign me-

Your Faithful Follower

[hllwdcruiser]

Good Morning from the beautiful Sky Princess where unfortunately we are not experiencing beautiful weather.  It’s shaping up to be another chilly and dreary day with overcast skies and what feels like gale force winds. Fortunately, it does look like the weather will be better tomorrow in St Thomas. 
The first video is of the retreat pool, the second of the main pool. I’ve added a few shot of the main pool just to show you how empty it is. I took these around 11 AM this morning. It truly amazes me that there are still chair hogs🐷 even in inclement weather. 

[hllwdcruiser]

I did visit our Captain’s Circle Host, Tina, this morning. Thank you, @TracieABD for the advice - she happily gave me the following information:

 

Currently Onboard:

Elite 438

Platinum 687

Ruby 280

Gold 624

Blue 1234

Total: 3,263

Sky Capacity 3,660

 

The ship was almost sold out several weeks prior to our sailing so it seems there were some cancellations but not as many as I expected. 

 

Tina disclosed that she has spent many years of her cruising career on The Grand and has many friends on her now. Seeing her distress took everything to a much more personal level. The virus was brought on to the Grand by a passenger who then exposed everyone working there.  The crew has no choice but to play, as another poster called it, a version of Russian Roulette. 
 

As of this morning they have taken the rolled cutlery off the tables in the buffet  and were handing them out individually. However, the food dishes were still self serve and the salt, pepper and sugar dispensers were still on the tables. I know somebody keeps posting that there are cups and glasses on the tables as well but I have never experienced that on any of my sailings.  I do take a little sugar in my coffee and wish they would go back to the sugar packets. I really do not like the sugar dispensers; the ones I’ve used thus far have been sticky and crusty. 🤢

[Host CJSKIDS]

On 3/7/2020 at 10:38 PM, hllwdcruiser said:

I'm attempting to download a video and I'm getting a "download failed -200" error message. Does anyone know a quick fix?

Some observations - the ship seems quiet. Not sure what the capacity is but I'd like to find out. We are seeing a lot more teens and twenty somethings onboard than we normally see and have met a few families who are here on spring break. 

We do miss Crooners. We decided to have a before dinner drink at Good Spirits and Ryan came through with an excellent dirty martini for Steve. He didn't have the ingredients for the watermelon tequila drink (which also has Serrano 🌶) so he made me a yummy Bangkok Mule instead. Let's just say it did the trick. He promised he'd have the watermelon ingredients for me tomorrow. 

 

Can't wait to hear what you think about the watermelon drink.  Glad the cruise is going well!

[Host CJSKIDS]

A gentle reminder to anyone posting on this wonderful live from thread..

 

hllwdcruiser is taking time out of their cruise to give us great reports from their vacation, let's not hijack the thread with corona virus issues!

 

hllwdcruiser, keep the great pictures and movies and info coming along.  Really enjoying your life from. Hope you enjoy every single day and experience. 

 

If you see Jovie on board (should still be at the coffee bar by Princess live) please tell her Carolyn said hello.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Host CJSKIDS

[hllwdcruiser]

So, onto more happy news. 
 

Tina must be very new to the Royal Class ships because she had never heard of the Winemakers Dinner. Taking @Astro Flyer advice, I asked her to call the dine line to see if it was being held and if so, if we made the cut. I’m happy to report that they are having it tomorrow night and we will be two of the select few attending. I may actually take some food porn to share with you. 

 

I don’t know if sailing 400 passengers short of capacity can make that much of a difference but we have not experienced any lines or waiting anywhere on the ship. We went to the anytime MDR just before 6 last night and walked right in. Service was fast and very attentive, reminding me of what it was like when we first started sailing with Princess. If you want photos of what we are, just visit @MaryBethV blog - whom I have to thank for the photo of the grilled seafood bowl with mango salsa. I ordered it as an appetizer and it was amazing. Steve and I both had the prime rib for our main which was perfectly cooked and delicious. We then thoroughly our go to desserts, creme brûlée for me (beyond yummy) and cheesecake for him. 

Prior to dinner we visited Ryan and Lou at Good Spirits and I am happy to report that he had all the ingredients:

I ordered it extra spicy and it sure had a kick! I will definitely order it again. @Host CJSKIDS - thank you for the recommendation- Ryan said he remembers you!
 

We plan to go to Elite Platinum Suite Cocktail hour tonight. Steak Tartare on the menu tonight - one of my favorites. Yes, I’m on this cruise and I eat raw beef. Clearly, I’m a risk taker!

 

@tawlaw1526 - as you can see by my last sentence, we are risk takers. This has been an amazing cruise and we are loving every moment. I wouldn’t hesitate to go on again. But (and that’s a big BUT) we are both retired and have no real responsibilities if we do end up quarantined. We do have a pup but he is being very well taken care of by our daughter. He’s with his best pit bull friend and probably doesn’t miss us at all. The cavalier rules over the pit bull - the latter being the gentlest dog I’ve ever known.
 

Off to lunch. We are a little less full again so time to eat again. 
 

Thanks for following along - more later!

[Justalone]

On 3/7/2020 at 5:18 AM, welly world said:

We leave in 2 weeks. Not even considering cancelling.

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Justalone

[Justalone]

15 minutes ago, hllwdcruiser said:

So, onto more happy news. 
 

Tina must be very new to the Royal Class ships because she had never heard of the Winemakers Dinner. Taking @Astro Flyer advice, I asked her to call the dine line to see if it was being held and if so, if we made the cut. I’m happy to report that they are having it tomorrow night and we will be two of the select few attending. I may actually take some food porn to share with you. 

 

I don’t know if sailing 400 passengers short of capacity can make that much of a difference but we have not experienced any lines or waiting anywhere on the ship. We went to the anytime MDR just before 6 last night and walked right in. Service was fast and very attentive, reminding me of what it was like when we first started sailing with Princess. If you want photos of what we are, just visit @MaryBethV blog - whom I have to thank for the photo of the grilled seafood bowl with mango salsa. I ordered it as an appetizer and it was amazing. Steve and I both had the prime rib for our main which was perfectly cooked and delicious. We then thoroughly our go to desserts, creme brûlée for me (beyond yummy) and cheesecake for him. 

Prior to dinner we visited Ryan and Lou at Good Spirits and I am happy to report that he had all the ingredients:

I ordered it extra spicy and it sure had a kick! I will definitely order it again. @Host CJSKIDS - thank you for the recommendation- Ryan said he remembers you!
 

We plan to go to Elite Platinum Suite Cocktail hour tonight. Steak Tartare on the menu tonight - one of my favorites. Yes, I’m on this cruise and I eat raw beef. Clearly, I’m a risk taker!

 

@tawlaw1526 - as you can see by my last sentence, we are risk takers. This has been an amazing cruise and we are loving every moment. I wouldn’t hesitate to go on again. But (and that’s a big BUT) we are both retired and have no real responsibilities if we do end up quarantined. We do have a pup but he is being very well taken care of by our daughter. He’s with his best pit bull friend and probably doesn’t miss us at all. The cavalier rules over the pit bull - the latter being the gentlest dog I’ve ever known.
 

Off to lunch. We are a little less full again so time to eat again. 
 

Thanks for following along - more later!

Princess allow dogs on board?

Edited March 9, 2020 by Justalone

[USCcruisecrazy]

Excellent review...I'm really enjoying it.  Looking forward to your report back (and maybe a few pics) from the Winemaker's Dinner.  Enjoy!!

[RNCindy]

1 hour ago, Justalone said:

Princess allow dogs on board?

 

She mentioned in her post that her dog is home safe with their daughter and her dog.  A cute pic of them both!