Back from Enchanted TA crossing...some thoughts

[lx200gps]

6 minutes ago, dog said:

For upcoming cruise on Enchanted we booked on app for Crown Grill, Sur le Mer & Sabatinis. Got dates & times we wanted.

I had looked on line weeks ago, but the only time slots showing started at (6:30?) and we always sit when the restaurants first open at 5PM. Best choice of seating etc. Since 6:30 didn't work for us, I chose to wait until we boarded and was met with a stone wall of unavailability.  Based on these various comments, however, we will be re-visiting our reservations again to see if we can e-adjust

[chisoxfan]

We were also on this cruise and thanks for writing as I was in full agreement with your comments.

We were apprehensive about Princess due to a terrible Panama cruise documented years ago on CC.

A few comments...

-being able to order drinks delivered to cabin and covered under drink package is fantastic. RS was amazingly fast.

-Uneven quality of entertainment IMHO. Would love to have a BB King style review as HAL

-crew was universally friendly but their native languages and masking could make communication 

 

We would gladly sign up for this cruise again with a huge nagging caveat-it was confirmed the ship was 50% full so wait times were minimal and spacing optimal. As I commented to my wife several times,

if this cruise was full I can only imagine problems in dining venues, shows, pool areas, etc.

Of course it is hard to be negative regarding a 'what if" but I remain concerned and would seek more comments from cruisers who had experienced a full ship before booking again.

 

ps. just dutifully tried to fill out my Princess survey to offer useful feedback but gave up due to length and IMHO poor structuring of the questions....ie. question to rate the entertainment generically. In my opinion there were several outstanding entertainers and several very poor so offering a single rating really means nothing.

I am afraid like many consumer companies the survey has taken over from understanding the business and talking face to face with passengers. JMHO

 

[villauk]

2 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

We were also on this cruise and thanks for writing as I was in full agreement with your comments.

We were apprehensive about Princess due to a terrible Panama cruise documented years ago on CC.

A few comments...

-being able to order drinks delivered to cabin and covered under drink package is fantastic. RS was amazingly fast.

-Uneven quality of entertainment IMHO. Would love to have a BB King style review as HAL

-crew was universally friendly but their native languages and masking could make communication 

 

We would gladly sign up for this cruise again with a huge nagging caveat-it was confirmed the ship was 50% full so wait times were minimal and spacing optimal. As I commented to my wife several times,

if this cruise was full I can only imagine problems in dining venues, shows, pool areas, etc.

Of course it is hard to be negative regarding a 'what if" but I remain concerned and would seek more comments from cruisers who had experienced a full ship before booking again.

 

ps. just dutifully tried to fill out my Princess survey to offer useful feedback but gave up due to length and IMHO poor structuring of the questions....ie. question to rate the entertainment generically. In my opinion there were several outstanding entertainers and several very poor so offering a single rating really means nothing.

I am afraid like many consumer companies the survey has taken over from understanding the business and talking face to face with passengers. JMHO

 

 

We were on the cruise before you and it did feel crowded sometimes in the Piazza area during the evening. As most of the night entertainment is on just those two decks, it felt like everyone was going backwards and forwards from the theatre end to the Vista Lounge. If there had been bars or a lounge up top, then it would have dispersed the crowds some what - obviously only my opinion and I realise that is a design issue (we’d not noticed this on prior cruises but this was our first Royal class ship). Bistro Sur la Mer was practically empty every time we went by and people were taking items from the IC to the Salty Dog to consume. Gigi’s was always popular.

 

On your survey, did you have a section on your questions about ‘your land tour’? There was no option to say that we hadn’t been on a land portion 🤷‍♀️.

[Ombud]

Ok. Since no one else pointed out a glaring *****? This is the 1st time I have ever seen folding chairs :: Princess Live / Singles & Solos in Take 5 / available for show nights in Piazza (in sundrei store). Seriously?!?!

 

I'm not new to Princess, just new to being offered a folding chair. Nope. I don't do that 

 

Another 1st time: their request. Boarded with 1150 OBC, left with under 35. Almost gone 🤑

now to book one of those fall ones w/o solo supplement (if my repaired or replaced air conditioner doesn't blow my budget)

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Ombud

[dog]

11 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Ok. Since no one else pointed out a glaring *****? This is the 1st time I have ever seen folding chairs :: Princess Live / Singles & Solos in Take 5 / available for show nights in Piazza (in sundrei store). Seriously?!?!

 

I'm not new to Princess, just new to being offered a folding chair. Nope. I don't do that 

 

Another 1st time: their request. Boarded with 1150 OBC, left with under 35. Almost gone 🤑

now to book one of those fall ones w/o solo supplement (if my repaired or replaced air conditioner doesn't blow my budget)

 

 

Did not know your full name until now.

[Ombud]

35 minutes ago, dog said:

Did not know your full name until now.

😬 oops! Obviously was still tired after getting home late last night

[chisoxfan]

2 hours ago, villauk said:

 

We were on the cruise before you and it did feel crowded sometimes in the Piazza area during the evening. As most of the night entertainment is on just those two decks, it felt like everyone was going backwards and forwards from the theatre end to the Vista Lounge. If there had been bars or a lounge up top, then it would have dispersed the crowds some what - obviously only my opinion and I realise that is a design issue (we’d not noticed this on prior cruises but this was our first Royal class ship). Bistro Sur la Mer was practically empty every time we went by and people were taking items from the IC to the Salty Dog to consume. Gigi’s was always popular.

 

On your survey, did you have a section on your questions about ‘your land tour’? There was no option to say that we hadn’t been on a land portion 🤷‍♀️.

Yes question on land tour and if you ignore it will not let you move on. This was the time I said 'forget it'. Again would be happy to take a short survey that I felt had relevance but this was not the case in my opinion.  I bet CC posters could cast a meaningful survey if we put our minds to it. 

Agree on your comments on space utilization. The Vista lounge is a big space and  was typically empty when other venues were packed.  Sur la Mer was a big disappointment and seemed always empty.

Just to be clear the cruise was excellent in most regards but can't get the full capacity challenge out of my mind.

 

[PacnGoNow]

58 minutes ago, Ombud said:

😬 oops! Obviously was still tired after getting home late last night

No problem Gayl, I didn’t even notice it. 😆

[Itchy&Scratchy]

did the bathroom have a built-in night light?

[Kay S]

10 hours ago, cruise2relax said:

 

 

·      

·       

 

·         Salty Dog Gastro Pub and Bistro Sur la Mer are both the biggest wastes of space since Curtis Stone’s Share. 

Hahahaha!  We ate at Bistro Sur la Mer on Majestic.  The app would never let me make a reservation, and the place was nearly empty every night.  I finally stopped at the desk and asked if they could squeeze me in and voila!  there was a cancellation!  The place was still half empty and the food was weird.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you for sharing!

[cr8tiv1]

As far as reservations go:  I am very concerned that it is getting more difficult to book when onboard.  1.  Understaffing  2.  Princess Premier (2 free dinners).  3.  DMW

 

What about promotional vouchers?

What about vouchers from travel agents?

What about OBC that is only available once you are onboard (ShareHolders/Military)?

 

Again and again, Princess really doesn't think these things through.  

 

I "pulled" my suite card on my last cruise to get a reservation.  Magically, something was available.

 

[PacnGoNow]

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

As far as reservations go:  I am very concerned that it is getting more difficult to book when onboard.  1.  Understaffing  2.  Princess Premier (2 free dinners).  3.  DMW

 

What about promotional vouchers?

What about vouchers from travel agents?

What about OBC that is only available once you are onboard (ShareHolders/Military)?

 

Again and again, Princess really doesn't think these things through.  

 

I "pulled" my suite card on my last cruise to get a reservation.  Magically, something was available.

 

So true.  They always can work in a suite guest. They once told me they do not book up completely, just so they can accommodate a suite request.  But, that was pre-covid. 
 

[lx200gps]

10 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

As far as reservations go:  I am very concerned that it is getting more difficult to book when onboard.  1.  Understaffing  2.  Princess Premier (2 free dinners).  3.  DMW

 

What about promotional vouchers?

What about vouchers from travel agents?

What about OBC that is only available once you are onboard (ShareHolders/Military)?

 

Again and again, Princess really doesn't think these things through.  

 

I "pulled" my suite card on my last cruise to get a reservation.  Magically, something was available.

 

We actually have the "Premier" package and had very bit as much trouble booking Specialty dining as others have. When we boarded, we were given two cards with our two pre-assigned included dinners, neither of which were anywhere close to the dates, times and restaurants we wanted. When we visited the various restaurants within minutes of embarking to change those and make our other 4 reservations for the week, we were told that there was very little availability and that the CG in particular was completely sold out. We ended up having to make many compromises in our 6 SD reservations, none of which were the choices we wanted. So yes, something very strange is happening with SD

[AF-1]

Thanks for your review. It was nice to hear positive comments about the ship and Princess

[dreaminofcruisin]

21 hours ago, villauk said:

On your survey, did you have a section on your questions about ‘your land tour’? There was no option to say that we hadn’t been on a land portion 🤷‍♀️.

 

Obviously, no one QA'd that survey. No surprise there. I kept thinking....."Did I miss them asking if I did a land tour?" One would think they would test it out a bit....but as we have seen with the App, that doesn't happen.

I just marked the land tour in the middle and moved on since it wouldn't let you go further otherwise. I did make a comment in the comments section about how they need to fix their survey. Hopefully others do also.

 

[PacnGoNow]

On the Enchanted, does anyone remember the show times?  7 & 9?

 

Also, the covid deck?  Dolphin port forward?

TIA

 

[DCThunder]

I was also on this TA and will add a couple of additional comments:

 

• Marcus (the CD) and Dan (the ED) seemed to go out of their way to come up with some new "events" beyond the usual Trivia. Game Shows, and Bingo.  For instance, they did a "crew talent show" in the Piazza, where 5 different crew members (from behind the scenes departments), performed for the passengers.  They also did a "lip sync" contest, including dressing up in costumes.  It was a nice change of pace from the usual stuff.
• They had a tango dancing couple who performed frequently in the Piazza as well.  They were excellent.  the performers in the Piazza were generally good.
• All three of the production shows (Five Skies, Rock Opera, and the new Spotlight Bar) were performed. I've seen both Five Skies and Rock Opera before, but Spotlight Bar was a debut.  It's very good, but the songs are all fairly recent and not too familiar to me.  It seems like part of the move to attract a younger cruise clientele.  The shows seemed to be well attended and the productions were first rate.  Show times were 7:30 and 9:30p.
• There were at least two matinee performances, one by Hannah Howie (Singer | Hannah Howie) the other by the Barricade Boys. I also enjoyed the performance by the Irish Tenors.  In general, I think the entertainment in the main theatre was very good.  I didn't see the comedians and jugglers, so other can comment on them.
• The downside of the performances in the Piazza is a lack of seating and unless you can snag a place at the balcony rail, it's hard to see whats going on.
• I heard some complaints that the shore destination presentations were somewhat boring, but the couple I attended seemed informative, if a bit pedantic.
• There were some enrichment presentations on how the cruise industry developed beginning in around 1900, the early history of Princess and the importance of The Love Boat, the Cunard Queens (Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2, Queen Mary 2), and sailboat racing with Ted Turner, which were interesting if you are into that sort of thing.
• The casino never seemed too busy and the smell of smoke coming out of it was much less than when I was on Enchanted in April/May.  In the 8:30-9:30 pm time period, many of the table games had the dealers standing around talking to themselves and most slot machines were vacant.  I'm no a poker player, but I never saw anyone sitting at the Texas Hold'em table.  Perhaps that was for later in the evening.  But Bingo in Princess Live! was SRO most of the times I walked past it.
• They finally added a channel on the stateroom TVs where you could get NFL games, but otherwise it was Aussie football, rugby, Premier League, or Champions League, with a little US Open tennis sprinkled in.  While they did put college football and MLB scores on the ribbon behind the bar in the casino, live coverage of those sports was non-existent.  The Ocean Sports Book also didn't offer any action on CFB, only the NFL, MLB, and soccer.

 

Anyway, those are some random thought beyond what others have said.  I enjoyed the cruise, although disembarkation in Brooklyn was a mess, but that's a different thread.  😉

Edited September 19, 2022 by DCThunder

[bradleyr1]

I have seen some comments about concerns with capacity levels.  Those concerns are well justified. 

 

We cruised on Enchanted in August to Northern Europe. The ship was at maximum capacity. 

 

It generally took at least 45 minutes to get a drink in the day or evening (assuming it turned up at all if ordered on the app), 30 minutes to get a coffee at the buffet at breakfast and impossible to get a sun bed after 7am. 

 

In the evening, we reserved the MDR every night but still had to queue with those who did not have reservations.  We could not get any booking at Crown Grill. 

 

We at at 7.30pm and when we finished at 9 you could not get a seat in the bars or the piazza so just spent time.wandering around hoping someone would leave as we past by. All very frustrating. 

 

Finally, the WiFi was abysmal and unusable - struggled to even open an email most days. 

 

I would not be wary on going on the ship if it is sailing at full capacity. 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

 I've seen both Five Skies and Rock Opera before, but Spotlight Bar was a debut.

were all three appropriate for 10-11 yo children, please?

Excellent review, by the way, thank you!

[DCThunder]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

were all three appropriate for 10-11 yo children, please?

Excellent review, by the way, thank you!

They make an announcement before each show that there are loud noises, flashing lights, and other effects.  Children are told not to sit in the first three rows.  However, nothing in the shows is more than PG-13 at worst.  Rock Opera has a lot of songs from "Greatest Showman" so if your kids like that movie, then they'd probably like it.  All that said, you know your kids best.

 

And thanks for liking my review.

[DCThunder]

I'll add that Spotlight Bar takes place in, a bar of all places.  Characters simulate drinking alcohol and there's some adult themes, but nothing risque by any means.  Check out the Hannah Howie link I posted above.  She has some clips of her performance in the show.  That might help you decide.

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

I was also on this TA and will add a couple of additional comments:

 

• Marcus (the CD) and Dan (the ED) seemed to go out of their way to come up with some new "events" beyond the usual Trivia. Game Shows, and Bingo.  For instance, they did a "crew talent show" in the Piazza, where 5 different crew members (from behind the scenes departments), performed for the passengers.  They also did a "lip sync" contest, including dressing up in costumes.  It was a nice change of pace from the usual stuff.
• They had a tango dancing couple who performed frequently in the Piazza as well.  They were excellent.  the performers in the Piazza were generally good.
• All three of the production shows (Five Skies, Rock Opera, and the new Spotlight Bar) were performed. I've seen both Five Skies and Rock Opera before, but Spotlight Bar was a debut.  It's very good, but the songs are all fairly recent and not too familiar to me.  It seems like part of the move to attract a younger cruise clientele.  The shows seemed to be well attended and the productions were first rate.  Show times were 7:30 and 9:30p.
• There were at least two matinee performances, one by Hannah Howie (Singer | Hannah Howie) the other by the Barricade Boys. I also enjoyed the performance by the Irish Tenors.  In general, I think the entertainment in the main theatre was very good.  I didn't see the comedians and jugglers, so other can comment on them.
• The downside of the performances in the Piazza is a lack of seating and unless you can snag a place at the balcony rail, it's hard to see whats going on.
• I heard some complaints that the shore destination presentations were somewhat boring, but the couple I attended seemed informative, if a bit pedantic.
• There were some enrichment presentations on how the cruise industry developed beginning in around 1900, the early history of Princess and the importance of The Love Boat, the Cunard Queens (Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2, Queen Mary 2), and sailboat racing with Ted Turner, which were interesting if you are into that sort of thing.
• The casino never seemed too busy and the smell of smoke coming out of it was much less than when I was on Enchanted in April/May.  In the 8:30-9:30 pm time period, many of the table games had the dealers standing around talking to themselves and most slot machines were vacant.  I'm no a poker player, but I never saw anyone sitting at the Texas Hold'em table.  Perhaps that was for later in the evening.  But Bingo in Princess Live! was SRO most of the times I walked past it.
• They finally added a channel on the stateroom TVs where you could get NFL games, but otherwise it was Aussie football, rugby, Premier League, or Champions League, with a little US Open tennis sprinkled in.  While they did put college football and MLB scores on the ribbon behind the bar in the casino, live coverage of those sports was non-existent.  The Ocean Sports Book also didn't offer any action on CFB, only the NFL, MLB, and soccer.

 

Anyway, those are some random thought beyond what others have said.  I enjoyed the cruise, although disembarkation in Brooklyn was a mess, but that's a different thread.  😉

Thank you for the review.  Do you know what deck was the quarantine area?

TIA

[DCThunder]

Just now, PacnGoNow said:

Thank you for the review.  Do you know what deck was the quarantine area?

TIA

No, I don't.  I'm not sure there was a centralized quarantine area.  Perhaps others know.

[MissP22]

On 9/18/2022 at 4:50 AM, cruise2relax said:

Good spirits

o   Got the recipe cards

 

Since the recipe cards have returned, what about the shirts to go with them?