Possibly New To Princess

[Clutterlady]

The International Cafe in the atrium area has a lot of free offerings such as shrimp salad, chicken salad, various small sandwiches, great desserts and pastries. There is a board which will list the few items which carry a charge such as galato, huge carmel apples, and choc covered strawberries. There is an ice cream area called Scoops that does charge for ice cream and sundaes, but there is free yummy homemade ice cream every day in the Horizon Court between 3:30 and 4:30. There is great free pizza by the pool along with the free hamburgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken plus super french fries!!!!

[hac82]

The International Cafe in the atrium area has a lot of free offerings such as shrimp salad, chicken salad, various small sandwiches, great desserts and pastries. There is a board which will list the few items which carry a charge such as galato, huge carmel apples, and choc covered strawberries. There is an ice cream area called Scoops that does charge for ice cream and sundaes, but there is free yummy homemade ice cream every day in the Horizon Court between 3:30 and 4:30. There is great free pizza by the pool along with the free hamburgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken plus super french fries!!!!

Everyone here has been so helpful. Thank you all for the information. I will be checking back every so often for more new "pointers".

[Cruzinnana47]

Everyone here has been so helpful. Thank you all for the information. I will be checking back every so often for more new "pointers".

 

Hi, Hac82 - nice to see other cruisers from MA. We've not sailed on the CB yet, but have on the Crown, Coral and will be on the Emerald in Oct. We previously sailed several times with RCCL and NCL. The RCCL ships were fun and beautiful, but Princess ships are lovely and a bit more sedate, but not boring. One of our favorite memories sailing on the Crown Princess out of NY (Red Hook, Brooklyn) for our 9-day was passing by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, then below the Vernazzaro Bridge with "New York, New York" being played. The International Cafe and MUTS are favorites of ours. Sure you will have a wonderful time!

[JSWalk]

We didn't use the sanctuary on the Emerald, but ran into some people who did. I believe the cost is $10 for half a day. They told us you had to go early am to reserve as it fills up quickly. It looked like a beautiful area, and even though she said it fills up, I rarely saw anyone there the few times I passed by!

 

We are going on the Golden this August. Someone asked about the Sanctuary on it and I also believe they said $10.00 per person for 1/2 day.

[ggprincess2004]

I would still like to know more about the Sanctuary and what the cost is for it.

 

Sanctuary is an adults only section on the deck above the Lotus Spa pool. It has really comfy loungers that are assigned when you register - if you register for the length of the cruise that lounger is yours for the entire cruise. Suggest you choose a shaded one along the bow of the ship, as the staff will move it into the sun for you if want to work on that skin can...uh, tan, from time time. Pricing this past winter worked out to $15 per day if you sign up for the length of the cruise, or $10 per half day. But, you have to be there to reserve your half or full day...they sell out from time to time even if it looks like the place is empty - all those cruisers who have reserved for the length of the cruise of the first day. You have to go to Sanctuary to sign up.

 

They have a special menu, and will also bring you hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, drinks, and if you ask for cookies and milk about 3:30 -4ish in the afternoon, you are likely to get your wish. There is a $3 delivery charge per order. It is open from about 8:30 in the morning until 5 or 5:30 at night, and a very relaxing way to spend time. They also have IPods preloaded with a good selection of music available at no charge to their patrons.

 

I don't think it would be worth it for us on a port intensive cruise, or a cruise where we wanted to spend time in a number of ports, but for the second part of our b2b on the Emerald this winter is was wonderul, if not almost perfect. (They could have stayed open until after sunset and that would have been perfection.) Service is great, the ambience is pretty serene.

 

If this raises any specific questions about Sanctuary please ask.:)

[Pam in CA]

Princess and especially the CB (CP was already taken by Coral Princess)...

Actually, the "CP" is the Sea Princess. The Coral Princess is "CO." :) You can see the abbreviation for the different ships by going to the Princess website > Ships. Look in the web address and the 2-letter abbreviation is the one for the ship.

 

Princess cabins have an alphabet grading system with different price ranges. Caribe balconies are higher in price, but be aware they are uncovered (open to the sky and people looking down from upper decks). Friends of ours had one and didn't like it at all.

Incorrect information; the Caribe balconies are 9'x9' and except for special cabins, are the largest balconies, even larger than mini-suite balconies. They are also half-covered, half-uncovered. The Aloha and Baja deck balcony cabins have smaller balconies but they are also covered and not exposed.

 

Except for the dining room and the buffet (and I assume room sevice w/ tips) what other food establishments on board are part of the included food offerings. I read about Sabatini's, Sterlings and the Balcony Dining as extra's but what other areas charge for food (or ice cream like Ben & Jerry's or Johnny Rockets on RCCL)

Hac, welcome to the Princess boards! I lived in Marblehead/Salem for about 40 years so I know Peabody well. :)

 

Princess has 24/7 buffet so you can get food at any time, day or night. If you want to eat in your cabin at night, the room service menu is not a full menu so check it out. What you order is free but it's a bit limited if you're expecting to order lobster for dinner in you cabin. If you order pizza in your cabin (among the best pizza ever), there is a $3 service charge but that's just for a pizza (not by the slice.) Many people chose to eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room and, of course, that is free plus there's ice cream available there at lunch and dinner. During the afternoon, usually between 3:30 - 4:30pm, there is a make-your-own-sundae in the buffet. The only "pay" ice cream is from the ice cream bar near the pool. It's free everywhere else.

[hac82]

If this raises any specific questions about Sanctuary please ask.:)

It does raise another question. You said that the Sanctuary is the deck above the Lotus Spa pool. Can you use the pool without using the Sanctuary and if so how do you get to it?

[Sandytoes]

][/size] Can you use the pool without using the Sanctuary and if so how do you get to it?

Yes, the pool area is open to all adults!!!

[hac82]

I have heard that the musters are held in lounges etc and not outside at the rails like we have been to on RCCl. When are these musters held? Do they hold them prior to sailaway or sometime within 24 hours after sailaway?

[bovs]

I have heard that the musters are held in lounges etc and not outside at the rails like we have been to on RCCl. When are these musters held? Do they hold them prior to sailaway or sometime within 24 hours after sailaway?

---------------------------

The musters we have been to have been in the main theater area, as they can get a lot of people in there! They are usually held an hour or two after sail-away.

 

Your muster station should be posted on the inside of your cabin door.:o

[Retirement]

The musters are held about half an hour before sailaway. And, yes, they are held in various lounges and in the Princess theater. Everyone sits down and you can actually hear and understand the drill, which is given over the P.A. while the cruise staff stands in the aisles demonstrating--like on a plane! This is so much better than on RCI, where you stand like cattle squashed together--often in the heat--and generally can hear and understand very little. And, unlike RCI, on Princess you do not put on your life jacket until the very end of the drill.:)

[Clutterlady]

I have heard that the musters are held in lounges etc and not outside at the rails like we have been to on RCCl. When are these musters held? Do they hold them prior to sailaway or sometime within 24 hours after sailaway?

 

The muster drill is held either in the theater or lounges. If your cruise sail away time is 5:00 pm it will be held around 4:00 pm. Very easy and convenient muster:)

[hac82]

On RCCL for a 9 night cruise, the formal nights were on nights 2 and 8, Night 2 was the Captain's reception. What nights are the formal nights for a 9 night on Princess?

[Pam in CA]

On RCCL for a 9 night cruise, the formal nights were on nights 2 and 8, Night 2 was the Captain's reception. What nights are the formal nights for a 9 night on Princess?

It depends on your itinerary. The first formal night is usually the first sea day; the second formal night is usually a sea day closer to the end of the cruise.