Sky Princess April 1st Cruise - random jottings.

[Nicole&Pete]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

I have no wish to do a live blog, but thought I would just post random thoughts on our 14 night cruise, as they occur to me. Apologies in advance to non-Brit readers for any parochial content.

The cruise is the first European cruise for Sky in 2023, and comes after an early arrival into Southampton  - already well documented ! After this cruise there will be a short 4 day "booze cruise ", and then Sky goes into dry dock. A staff member confirmed today that Bistro de Mar will be removed during the dry dock.

We drove to Southampton yesterday. Stayed in the Premier Inn City Centre ( not West Quay). Booking ahead, the room cost £62. The weather was miserable, so we bought the meal deal for £25 each, as we did not fancy the (admittedly)short walk into town in the rain . The food was actually pretty good. Unfortunately we got one of the dreaded rooms overlooking the railway line, so a bit noisy.  Car parking at the hotel cost  £10, so overall £122 for the stay. In July we will drive down the same day.

We arrived at the Mayflower terminal at 11am. Dropped off our bags, and my wife. A porter took our cases - I don't carry cash, but gave him £1 or so in loose change from the stash I have in the car for car parks. Seemed happy enough.

Then I drove a short distance to the short stay carpark - handed the car over to Parking4cruises. £135 for 14 days. 5% discount for previous customers.

Worth pointing out that there were enormous queues for CPS at this stage. Three lines of cars, with 20 cars in each line. 

Met up with my wife and went straight through to check in. No one asked us what our check in time was, although we did have an 11am slot. The agent checked our passports onto her iPad,  and then collected and gave us our Medallions. I took the opportunity to ask her about the QR codes that everyone worries about.  Her response was that if someone shows her the code,  she will scan it, out of politeness,  but otherwise the QR code is  not needed. Total time - Five minutes.  

Security was efficient and extremely friendly. We were actually on board the ship by 11:30 !

Cabins not ready so found a seat in the Photo Centre. The central piazza was pretty packed. 

No announcements were made as to when the cabins were ready, but around 12:45 people just seemed to disappear,  so we upped sticks and went to our cabin (standard minisuute).

Then to Alfredos where we shared a pizza,  and had a couple of celebratory glasses of wine. 

Final observations for now:

3960 pax on board, so pretty much full, with quite a lot of children 

Staff are all happy and enthusiastic,  as always. 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

We are on the Sky this summer. If possible could you please let me know what time the shows are on each night?

 

Also as it is sailing out of the UK, are there kettles in the cabins?
 

Thank you 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Nicole&Pete said:

I hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

We are on the Sky this summer. If possible could you please let me know what time the shows are on each night?

 

Also as it is sailing out of the UK, are there kettles in the cabins?
 

Thank you 

Rock Opera is on tonight at 20:00 and 22:15. 

Kettles are in the cabins.

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, wowzz said:

Rock Opera is on tonight at 20:00 and 22:15. 

Kettles are in the cabins.

Great thank you so much

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, nini said:

Actually, when they know your cabin number, they can see if you have Princess Plus, Premium or a drink package and can bill accordingly if needed.

That is of course the case. But, in the past, when we ordered a more expensive drink, by design, by scanning the Medallion at the time of ordering, the server could make sure that we knew that a charge would be incurred. 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, nini said:

Actually, when they know your cabin number, they can see if you have Princess Plus, Premium or a drink package and can bill accordingly if needed.

And if they scan the Medallion, they can see the same.

[Gettingwarmer]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

That is of course the case. But, in the past, when we ordered a more expensive drink, by design, by scanning the Medallion at the time of ordering, the server could make sure that we knew that a charge would be incurred. 

I thought they can see on their pad who you are as they approach and just ask your number to verify. 

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I thought they can see on their pad who you are as they approach and just ask your number to verify. 

The only pads the waiters had were paper pads which they used to write your room number and order details.

[caribill]

2 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I thought they can see on their pad who you are as they approach and just ask your number to verify. 

On our recent cruise they did not use a pad at all, just wrote orders on a pieces of paper and asked for our cabin number.

 

In a crowded room, multiple people will show up on a pad, so it is quicker to ask for your cabin number than to pick you out from multiple photos showing on a pad.

[Gettingwarmer]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

The only pads the waiters had were paper pads which they used to write your room number and order details.

Right, thanks. Let us know if it changes. Enjoy your cruise. 

[Pink-belle]

18 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The only pads the waiters had were paper pads which they used to write your room number and order details.

I guess there could be a number of reasons  why they changed back to the paper ordering systems.  
I hope they don’t go back to the need to sign. 
 

Enjoy your cruise, thanks for sharing your observations when you get the opportunity. 

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, Pink-belle said:

I guess there could be a number of reasons  why they changed back to the paper ordering systems

To be fair, this was only our experience in four venues yesterday,  so may not be ship wide.

[david63]

19 hours ago, wowzz said:

A staff member confirmed today that Bistro de Mar will be removed during the dry dock.

That would appear to be true. Just had an email "flyer" from Princess about Sky being back in the UK and the section on dining does not mention the Bistro.

 

Not that it will be a surprise to anyone but with the Medallion app it is still possible to book a table in the Bistro for cruises after the refit!

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

On our recent cruise they did not use a pad at all, just wrote orders on a pieces of paper and asked for our cabin number.

 

In a crowded room, multiple people will show up on a pad, so it is quicker to ask for your cabin number than to pick you out from multiple photos showing on a pad.

A bartender told me that it's easier to ask for a cabin number since there are so many people showing up on his screen at the same time it would take forever to pick out an individual face for each order.

When there's no one around the bar they never ask. 

[CruisingWalter]

18 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

We recently booked the Sky for next year. I’m surprised to read in your post about the ship going into dry dock so soon. Where was the Bistro located that is being removed and do you know if anything is replacing it? 

 

It's in the Piazza, actually a terrible location because it's a causeway. Our friends really enjoyed dinner there last month, but the way it's set up, you don't really get that 'high end experience.'  Some staff mentioned something about a pub type of setting to replace it which would work better in that loud, high traffic area. 

[CruisingWalter]

18 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

True, but she was out of service for a long time during the pandemic shortly after her launch. But, glad to hear she’s being freshened up. 

 

Yes, but not much happened with the ship during that time, other than basic maintenance to keep her running. All ships have to go into dry dock at least every 5 years from what I've read on other maritime sites. "Cruise Industry News" is a great website for all things drydock and new ship construction. 🙂

[CruisingWalter]

5 hours ago, nini said:

Actually, when they know your cabin number, they can see if you have Princess Plus, Premium or a drink package and can bill accordingly if needed.

 

It's kind of bizarre if you look at any of the ipads that are at the bars or other locations. You can see yourself just pop up on the screen when you get close. We were having a conversation with the Future Cruise Desk when I noticed myself and my friend were on his screen. Then some other folks walked in and they popped up on the screen.  They all know exactly who you are before you even say anything. In a way it's bizarre, but in another way, it's nice because they know exactly who you are before you even walk up. 

[Senga]

The medallion is probably close enough to capture the information.

[wowzz]

So, first formal night.

No shorts in sight, no baseball caps either, but lots of elegant dresses, majority of men in tuxedos,  the rest in suits. Admittedly, I didn't go and see what people were wearing in the buffet, but, for this European cruise, formal cruising is alive and well.

The piazza was buzzing, and full of people in formal clothes. Especially nice to see the children dressed up as well.

As to the dining set up. We had a 20:00 reservation in Soleil. Joined a short queue. Although our reservation was for a table for two, we thought we would be helpful and said we would share.  So, shown to an empty table for eight.  And we sat and sat and sat, whilst people behind us in the queue were shown to tables for two. Eventually the waiter took pity on us, and on his own initiative moved us to a two top. Just sheer nincompoopery.

What is the point of having a table for eight left empty ?

Staff were great, (I always like it when the waiter asks if I want a large glass of wine !) food was pretty good, but the seating arrangements were rubbish. It will  be  interesting to see what happens on quieter, non formal nights.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Tomorrow, Vigo, and a stroll through the old town. 

[Lady Arwen]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

So, first formal night.

No shorts in sight, no baseball caps either, but lots of elegant dresses, majority of men in tuxedos,  the rest in suits. Admittedly, I didn't go and see what people were wearing in the buffet, but, for this European cruise, formal cruising is alive and well.

The piazza was buzzing, and full of people in formal clothes. Especially nice to see the children dressed up as well.

As to the dining set up. We had a 20:00 reservation in Soleil. Joined a short queue. Although our reservation was for a table for two, we thought we would be helpful and said we would share.  So, shown to an empty table for eight.  And we sat and sat and sat, whilst people behind us in the queue were shown to tables for two. Eventually the waiter took pity on us, and on his own initiative moved us to a two top. Just sheer nincompoopery.

What is the point of having a table for eight left empty ?

Staff were great, (I always like it when the waiter asks if I want a large glass of wine !) food was pretty good, but the seating arrangements were rubbish. It will  be  interesting to see what happens on quieter, non formal nights.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Tomorrow, Vigo, and a stroll through the old town. 

Thank you so much!  Nice to hear our British and European friends didn’t disappoint us in their choice of attire for the evening.  Such class!  Can’t wait until we board Regal for our British Isles cruise.  Looking forward to following along with you on your adventures.

[Gettingwarmer]

14 minutes ago, wowzz said:

So, shown to an empty table for eight.  And we sat and sat and sat, whilst people behind us in the queue were shown to tables for two. Eventually the waiter took pity on us, and on his own initiative moved us to a two top. Just sheer nincompoopery.

Obviously they had had several tables for two available and no one else wanted to share. You were caught in the wrong place at that time. Luckily you were taken care of. 

[nunyabidness]

57 minutes ago, wowzz said:

We had a 20:00 reservation in Soleil. Joined a short queue. Although our reservation was for a table for two, we thought we would be helpful and said we would share.  So, shown to an empty table for eight.  And we sat and sat and sat, whilst people behind us in the queue were shown to tables for two. Eventually the waiter took pity on us, and on his own initiative moved us to a two top. Just sheer nincompoopery.

What is the point of having a table for eight left empty ?

Apparently everyone, including yourself, had reservations for private tables.  Everyone else wanted private tables as they had reserved, and IME the MDR staff don't ask people with private reservations to share a table unless there are no private tables available at the moment.

 

You volunteered for a shared table and apparently no one immmediately after you wanted or had reserved one.  I fail to see how the sheer nincompoopery falls on Princess.

Edited April 2, 2023 by nunyabidness

[nini]

3 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

Thank you so much!  Nice to hear our British and European friends didn’t disappoint us in their choice of attire for the evening.  Such class!  Can’t wait until we board Regal for our British Isles cruise.  Looking forward to following along with you on your adventures.

I hope you LOVE your British Isles cruise! It was fantastic!

[roadster08]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

So, first formal night.

No shorts in sight, no baseball caps either, but lots of elegant dresses, majority of men in tuxedos,  the rest in suits. Admittedly, I didn't go and see what people were wearing in the buffet, but, for this European cruise, formal cruising is alive and well.

The piazza was buzzing, and full of people in formal clothes. Especially nice to see the children dressed up as well.

As to the dining set up. We had a 20:00 reservation in Soleil. Joined a short queue. Although our reservation was for a table for two, we thought we would be helpful and said we would share.  So, shown to an empty table for eight.  And we sat and sat and sat, whilst people behind us in the queue were shown to tables for two. Eventually the waiter took pity on us, and on his own initiative moved us to a two top. Just sheer nincompoopery.

What is the point of having a table for eight left empty ?

Staff were great, (I always like it when the waiter asks if I want a large glass of wine !) food was pretty good, but the seating arrangements were rubbish. It will  be  interesting to see what happens on quieter, non formal nights.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Tomorrow, Vigo, and a stroll through the old town. 

Happy to hear your cruise has gotten off to such a fine start. In case you missed it preparing for your cruise,  baseball season began last Friday and millions of new caps are awaiting purchase. 😉

[GonzoWCS]

On 4/1/2023 at 2:47 PM, nini said:

Thank you @wowzz for your posts! We will be on the Sky this June along with @Mary loves to travel.

 

As long as they keep Alfredo's, IC, and Vines then that is great!

Yupper!

 

Cheers

[GonzoWCS]

18 hours ago, wowzz said:

Rock Opera is on tonight at 20:00 and 22:15. 

Kettles are in the cabins.

Fantastic!

 

Cheers