Frflatt

1 hour ago, CanadianBurger said:

The trip up the Passion Tower was an experience. After about a 30-min wait, you board a small elevator to take you up. Then it’s up some steps and across some bridges with wonderful views of the city. Even the views of the building itself are amazing considering how high you are. Coming down is quite unnerving, as you have to come down the spiral staircases. The first section, while having walls on either side to easily brace yourself, is quite dark in sections. With cuts in the walls to let in sunlight, I found the steps themselves to be in darkness, so walking down is like steps of faith. The second section is very tight. There’s a railing on the left side, but nothing to really hold on to on the right side unless you reach backwards. I was happy to get to the bottom! The one pic is looking down the center into the abyss. 

I know exactly what you mean - we’ve been up the towers twice and coming down is quite terrifying - though the views from the top make it absolutely worth it!

Looking forward to following your ‘live from’ - our neighbours are on the current cruise (getting off today) and we are doing the transatlantic in September then two weeks in the Caribbean. I particularly like pictures of food!!!

Have an awesome cruise 🚢🥂😎

3 hours ago, Eleanor Rigby 14 said:

There are so many foods and drinks I want to try after reading all these posts! Thank you for the great suggestions.

 

What is the difference between a flat white and a latte? The amount of milk?

 

What is a Breton?

 

I really wish there were more tables available at the IC so I could just sit for a bit in the piazza area and enjoy all these delicious goodies. 😊

A Breton is a chocolate pastry that Princess used to offer (I don’t like chocolate but my partner does).

Yes, the difference between is the coffee to milk ratio - unfortunately on our last cruise they were exactly the same!

Sky Princess does seem to have a lack of indoor seating - we’ve sailed on her 4 times so far and have found this every time.

We always loved the IC and often have breakfast there or head straight there after returning to the ship for a snack - it’s one of the many reasons we love Princess Cruises!
 

For years my partner’s go to sandwich has been the Cubana and we usually have one of the lovely salads. For breakfast I love almond croissant and Geoff really likes a Breton - though we haven’t seen those in the last few cruises.

We were on the Sky Princess a couple of weeks ago and the seem to have changed the selection available at the IC. There were no Cubanas, only salad available was a green salad (just salad leaves) with a choice of dressings, the whole sandwich selection was different - some ok and some not good. The deserts were disappointing and the almond croissants were left in the oven until they were hard. Flat whites were served in a latte glass and it was impossible to tell the difference between them and a latte - too much milk - I had to be very specific with them how we wanted it made.

Just hoping it was a blip and on our next cruise everything will be back to normal - 🤞

It took 3 months for Princess UK to repay our $200 refundable OBC (compensation for rubbish internet); they payed the amount into our bank account using NatWest Payit - I’d never heard of

 this before.  We ended up emailing/messaging a number of times before it got paid - we were told on the ship it would take 5-7 working days! Definitely worth keep pestering until it gets paid.

Something has definitely gone wrong in March 2022 with Princess internet provider. We were on the Sky in November 2019 in the Mediterranean  - the ship was full and we had amazing internet and WiFi - we were able to stream 4K video anywhere on the ship. In September 2021 we sailed on a seacation on Sky Princess - the internet and WiFi were as we experienced on the previous cruise, just as described on the Princess advertising.

Then we sailed on the Sky in March - the cruise after the transatlantic to the Canaries, Portugal and Spain - the ship was not full and the internet and WiFi were practically none existent! We complained several times and were given different stories, one member of the IT team said it would improve when the ship reached San Francisco (I don’t believe it’s scheduled to go there). The assistant hotel services manager called us and admitted there was a problem with the internet - shoreside were trying to come up with solutions apparently but nothing was working. We were given a refund for the internet.
 

The one thing in all this that makes me sad is all the lies that the staff tell - just admit that there’s a problem you don’t know how to fix it, tell the truth and give accurate and honest information.

We are due to sail on the Enchanted in August to France and Spain and Sky Princess for a 25 night voyage to Canada and New England in September - we are watching the situation carefully and hoping Princess get things sorted soon.

Tuesday 3rd September 2019 - Copenhagen 

The forecast today was for rain so we had already decided to take our time to get ready and not rush off the ship this morning.  We had our usual coffee and a pasty from the International Cafe - we had loaded two coffee cards on our cruise card before leaving home - Geoff enjoys a cappuccino with an extra shot and a Breton and I like a skinny latte and an almond croissant.

We got to port at about 8am but it was nearer 10 before we disembarked - I could see from our balcony that there was a light rainfall and people were wrapped up and had brollies deployed; our new umbrella would come into its own today.  The ship was docked close to the English church and little mermaid today so there was no need for a shuttle unlike the last time we were here.

We walked along the quayside past the Little Mermaid statue - a bit of a disappointment to many and always very busy with tourists trying to get a selfie with this Danish icon.  The rain was intermittent but not too heavy so not really an issue.  There were many warships along the quay today from many different NATO countries, it was a naval exercise that the president of the USA was meant to be attending but cancelled when Denmark wouldn’t sell Greenland to him...

We walked past the royal Danish Theatre and round to Nyhavn, the old harbour with its colourful buildings, one of which had been home to Hans Christian Anderson. We had decided last time we were here that we would like to do a canal cruise so that is what we decided upon this morning.

The 60 minute canal cruise cost 95 Danish Krones (about £12) each and was a fun way to keep dry for an hour.  Lots of others clearly had the same idea as us as the boat was at capacity.  The guide - a student of foreign affairs - was knowledgeable and interesting and the boat ride was most enjoyable.

Once off the boat we wandered round to the cathedral which was closed for a funeral so we spent half an hour having a coffee and cake which cost 145 DK - quite expensive but that’s Scandinavia for you!  The cathedral was pleasant and there was some nice stained glass; however, like most Lutheran churches it was fairly simple in design being built as a place where preaching is the priority.

After our visit to the cathedral we walked up to the main shopping area and enjoyed the architecture before visiting the Round Tower.  You can climb the tower - which is attached to the students church - for about €3 each.  The tower is unusual in that it is mainly a circular ramp with only a few steps at the top; the view from the top is worth the climb and Geoff was able to take some good photos.

Next we walked to the Rosenberg Palace and, whilst we didn’t visit inside, we enjoyed a pleasant time wandering round the gardens and extensive grounds.  It was getting time to be heading back to the ship for the 4.30pm all aboard time so we made our way back to the quay. Since this morning many more warships had arrived - it was quite a spectacle. As we walked along there was a sudden downpour so we sheltered for a while before completing the journey back to the Sapphire Princess. 

It was about 4.15 when we got back on board so didn’t go to trivia, instead we headed up to the PES lounge in Skywalkers where tonight they were serving sushi.  We have befriended a waitress in this venue, Elena from Macedonia, it is her first contact with Princess - she had bought good shoes and this was her first day wearing them, she was in pain!

Our pre dinner drinks this evening were in Crooners - we managed to get a seat - I love the dirty Tanqueray martini and Geoff has either a rusty nail made with Bulleit Bourbon or a martini (not dirty).  Tonight was Italian night in the dining room - our favourite - and we enjoyed melanzane parmigiana followed by minestrone soup, spaghetti with meatballs and then veal escalopes. Geoff had his favourite Tiramisu for dessert and we are both enjoying the ice cream selections this cruise.

The entertainment in the Princess Theatre tonight was comedian Riki Jay - we didn’t really rate him and left after a few minutes.  We got hot chocolate from the International Cafe and headed up to our stateroom for an early night - we have another sea day tomorrow and we all know how exhausting they can be!

Sorry for the delay in posting updates due to busy schedule and rubbish internet; will try to catch up in next few days!

Monday 2nd September 2019 -At Sea

Sea days are not always the best days for us as the temptation to eat too much is always present!  We woke just after 6am - it’s difficult to adjust to relax mode and as we usually get up at 5am at home it’s not easy to make the transition to sleeping in later.

We took our time getting ready and eventually made our way up to Horizon Court for breakfast - it was already busy inside so when we got our cereal we sat out by the Calypso Pool - the covered pool area. Geoff was very good and stuck to just cereal but I failed and ended up having beans on toast with bacon on the side - not a good start to healthy cruising.  After breakfast we went downstairs for a coffee at the International Cafe - we’re not fans of the coffee they serve in the buffet.

This morning was out Cruise Critic meet and greet in Skywalkers - so at 10am we made our way up to meet our fellow CCers - it was well attended and Paul Chandler-Burns, the Cruise Director, Kelvin Joy, Entertainment Director, and other members of the entertainment staff were present; the Captain was on training so couldn’t be there.  We met a number of fellow passengers and some of those who were booked with the same tour company as us for the St. Petersburg excursion.

It was a chilly day outside with a good wind blowing so interior space on the ship was st a premium - the Piazza was packed and the Explorers Lounge was closed for an art auction but we eventually found some comfortable seating in the Wheelhouse Bar - here we settled for an hour or so and listened to a ukulele lesson - it sounded like fun.

At about 1pm we went to Horizon Court for lunch - Princess serve some really good curries in the buffet and today was no exception - we had a lovely vegetable biryani as well as chicken curry - they were delicious.

After lunch we went to the Princess Theatre to hear an interview with Eddie the Eagle - we had been expecting to see Linda Gray on this cruise and had asked Paul C-B about her absence at the CC M&G, apparently she is filming and had altered her schedule.  We had seen Eddie on our Scandinavian cruise last year but still enjoyed him again this time as he told us different things and went into more depth - he’s well worth seeing.  We also took part in the trivia this afternoon and whilst we did ok (16) we didn’t win.

After trivia we went back to our stateroom to get ready for the first formal night of the cruise - these aren’t our favourite events but we do make an effort and dress up.  At just before 7pm we went down to the Piazza for the champagne waterfall but it was so crowded that we decided to give it a miss and went instead to the Wheelhouse bar where we relaxed before heading off for dinner.

After dinner - which was ok but not particularly memorable (I had game hen and Geoff had a burger) - went to hear the Piano Brothers in the Princess Theatre; they were very good but not really my taste.  Geoff enjoyed them and they are definitely talented but I was tired and fell asleep during their show. Tomorrow we have a day in Copenhagen but have nothing in particular planned - we were here last year and enjoyed it so will probably just enjoy a stroll by the water.

1st September 2019 - Zeebrugge

We had a fairly good night’s sleep and by the time we awoke this morning we were already alongside in Zeebrugge.  We had decided we wouldn’t rush to get off the ship this morning; we have been to this port numerous times and intended, as usual, to visit Brugge and it’s not worth getting there till after 11am.  We enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee and took our time getting ready for the day - no breakfast today as we are trying to be sensible about not over eating!

We wandered down to the pier side just before 10am and purchased shuttle tickets to Blankenburg station at €10 each return - these are usually included with P&O so not sure why Princess charge?  The shuttle soon filled up and we set off on the 10 minute journey to Blankenburg to get the train to Brugge - trains are one an hour on Sundays leaving at 54 minutes  past the hour.  We were very early for the train so purchased our tickets to avoid the queue - the special cruise passenger fare is €5 each return so that’s €15 each return from the ship to Brugge compared to a small fortune for a ship excursion)

As we were early we took a slow walk through the town to the beach in Blankenburg - this is a lovely holiday resort with smart beach clubs along the coast, well worth a visit on its own. There is also a lovely church on the way to the sea which is a delight to walk around and is free to enter.  

We got back to the station about 10 minutes before the train was due to leave and settled into a seat on the upper deck of the train.  The journey to Brugge takes about 10-12 minutes and passes through some pretty countryside - this is such an easy journey and I would encourage anyone to do Brugge on your own.  When we reached Brugge station we took the 15 minute scenic walk down to the town square - we did notice that there is a complimentary shuttle bus from the station to the town, the cobbles on the walk down could be difficult for those with mobility issues.

We already knew what we wanted to do today - go on a canal cruise and then visit the Beer Wall.  We headed down to the canal after stopping off for a visit to the restroom - there is a 50 cent charge for using the facilities in most places in Brugge.  At the canal we purchased tickets for the thirty minute cruise - these cost €10 each, an increase of 25% on a year ago.  The short cruise is fun and a great way of seeing this beautiful mediaeval city from a different perspective.

After getting off the canal boat we walked the few meters round to the Beer Wall which is a small bar selling probably hundreds of different beers in bottles and on draft.  The draft beers are described on cards which hang from the ceiling and you can either choose to buy a single beer or a tasting board of four beers which comes with a snack.  The main seating for this bar is outside and we enjoy sampling the different products overlooking the canal.  Many of the beers in this bar are strong with abv of 8 or 10 or more - so these come in fairly small measures.  We spent a pleasant hour and a half here and managed to sample three different beers.

One of our traditions is to purchase six large bottles of beer to take home with us, so, after finishing our beers we went into the large 2 Be in Brugge shop and selected our beers to take home (we’ll be back in December to restock for Christmas). We also bought some chocolates for colleagues back at work and some Tin Tin bags to carry everything in - total cost €109. We returned to the train station to get the 2.52 train back to Blankenburg and then the shuttle back to the ship.  Once back on board we went to the afternoon trivia where we didn’t win but had fun before going up to the terrace pool for sail away.  We were late leaving the port due to a large cargo ship coming in so we were back in our stateroom before we finally got away.

After our evening ablutions we wandered down to Crooners for a pre dinner libation - this is one of my favourite bars but it is often difficult to get a table as it’s so small on the Sapphire.  Dinner was in the International dining room and was ok - there were no really standout courses but there were choices for both of us (Geoff doesn’t like shell fish or strong flavoured fish) and it was well cooked - the beef satay starter was the best of the bunch and Geoff enjoyed lentil cakes for a main course, though his eggs were a little on the ‘snotty’ side I.e. the whites were undercooked.

This evening’s entertainment in the Princess Theatre was comedy ventriloquist Gareth Oliver and he was really quite good - we had a good laugh and he kept us awake (I often nod off during late shows).  Then off to bed - it’s a sea day tomorrow and our first formal night of the cruise so need to be well rested to manage all that relaxing!

31st August 2019

Embarkation was a breeze!  We set off from home slightly later than we intended at about 9.20 am - when you live close to the port there is less of a sense of urgency to get going.  We had to stop off in the West Quay shopping centre before going to the pier; Geoff was picking up some boat shoes he’d ordered and we wanted to pop into John Lewis to get a new folding umbrella and some hanging moth balls which we like to put between our clothes on the ship - this is to keep them fresh rather than hole free!  It took 47 minutes to get from home to Southampton and, with the twenty minutes in the shop, we reached Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal at just around 11am.  We unloaded the car, the porter took our bags and we checked the car in without any fuss and were in the elite enclosure within ten minutes.  

Fifteen minutes later we were on the ship - so quick and easy.  We went straight to our stateroom - Caribe 700; a balcony cabin with huge balcony right next to the aft stairs on the port side.  Inside, the cabin felt compact compared to the mini suites we’ve been booking recently and the reports are correct as there was no barrel chair in the room - I presume this is to dissuade people from sitting in their room and encourage you to use bars etc. so you buy more ‘stuff’.  The room hadn’t been cleaned fully but we wanted to drop off the couple of bags we had so we didn’t have to carry them round the ship.  We had a quick word with Sonia, our cabin steward, who was cleaning the room next door and then went off to the Terrace Pool.

We always enjoy our traditional welcome onboard margarita overlooking the aft of the ship - it was quite breezy and there was a chill in the air so we didn’t hang around too long.  We wandered down to the International dining room to get an idea where our table was and were surprised when the staff in there told us there were no tables for two - we enjoy just having each other’s company at dinner - so decided to go speak with the Maitre D’ who was due in the Savoy dining room at 1.30pm.  We waited for a while in the Piazza where we enjoyed a coffee - cappuccino with an extra shot for Geoff and a skinny latte for me.  We were pleased to learn from the Maitre D’ that our table whilst a four top was designated as a table for two; we were happy.

Next we returned to our stateroom to our find luggage had arrived - we like to get unpacked and properly settled in.  By the time we finished unpacking and after a quick conversation with Sonia we descended to our muster station, which was in Club Fusion, we like to get a seat.  We had a chat with a couple from Cliftonville  in Kent - Geoff is from Deal which is very close - and then muster began.  It is so much easier now we don’t have to take life jackets and the musical version is more fun than the old spoken muster drill.

After muster we went up to Skywalkers to watch sail away as it was too cold to sit outside.  We were the first ship to leave at about 4.15pm; there were three other ships in port - P&O Azura, P&O Britannia and RCL something of the Seas (can’t remember which one)!  We stayed in Skywalkers for the PES Lounge (platinum, elite and suite) where they were serving the wheel of Stilton and port wine reduction this evening.  To drink I had Tito’s Mint Martini minus the mint and Geoff had Mayan Mule.

Then back to the stateroom to get ready for the evening.  It is convenient being at the aft as it’s close to the laundry room - we usually book forward rooms and it’s a long way to walk each time to do the daily ironing.  By 7pm we were ready and headed out for a pre-dinner aperitif - Crooners, my favourite evening bar, was already full so we stopped off in the Explorers lounge where we had a G&T and listened to the tv theme tune trivia which we would have won had we been playing! 

At 8pm we went down to the International dining room where we were shown to our table, 53, and  our servers Jobi and Arnel introduced themselves to us.  For dinner Geoff had vegetable spring rolls, chicken consommé and burger and I had shrimp cocktail, baked potato soup and steak and onion soup - the starters were good but the main courses were disappointing, Geoff’s burger was boring and my pie was gristle and onion not steak and onion.  For pudding I had creme brûlée which was soggy and Geoff had a bland cheesecake - we both had some ice cream which was tasty.  This was a somewhat disappointing start to the food experience on this ship but it is good that dinner is at a reasonable time rather than the ridiculously early 7.15 as it was on our last cruise.

After dinner we were both too tired to go anywhere else so decided to go back to the room with a hot chocolate and biscuits to watch TVNb with. Very soon after climbing in bed we were nodding off so settled down and were asleep within seconds.  It is surprising how quickly after getting on the ship one settles into cruise routine - it is like coming home.

31st August 2019 6.30am

The day is finally here and in a couple of hours we will be setting off on our short drive to Southampton to join the Sapphire Princess for a 14 night Baltic cruise - really excited to be visiting so many new places.  We were on the Sapphire this time last year for a Scandinavian cruise and loved the ship - whilst we enjoy the Royal Class ships (looking forward to boarding the Sky Princess in 57 days) we love the Grand Class - especially the aft pool and Skywalkers.

Yesterday was busy, both Geoff and I were at work (Geoff worked from home in case there were problems commuting to The City with the train strike); but it was wonderful when we were finally able to turn on the out of office and enjoy our ‘we’re on holiday’ G&T!  Over the last couple of weeks we had been washing and folding our holiday clothes and these were neatly piled on the spare bed - this made packing a simple task. The holiday paperwork is all printed and sorted and all we have to do this morning is close the cases and attach the luggage tags.

We've already had our first coffee and in a few minutes we’ll have our second one and then cut our hair, shower and get ready.  We’re still debating what to wear - we had planned on shorts but the weather forecast suggests it will rain later so now we are rethinking.  Once dressed we will drive the 30 miles to Southampton and pop into West Quays for some last minute shopping - Geoff’s ordered some new boat shoes and we need another umbrella.  We had intended to take the train to Southampton but with the train strike we decided to splash the cash and buy parking at the port - probably cost five times more than train and taxi!

I’m looking forward to daily blogging on this cruise (Geoff will be supplying the pictures - I can’t take photos) - will do a catch up later on the embarkation and first few hours onboard  Will try to answer questions and respond to comments but I’m not the best at doing this.  I hope you will be able to follow along.

Thank you for the review, looking forward to reading more and enjoying your fabulous photos.

When we did the Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Emerald Princess a couple of years ago the weather was so bad in Stavanger that when we did the boat trip we couldn’t see more than a couple of feet in front and the rain was torrential (still enjoyed it).  We ended up stuck in Stavanger for a couple of days because it was too windy for the ship to get off the dock and we missed Flam which we had been really looking forward to - will definitely visit Norway again.

On 5/19/2019 at 12:49 AM, milolii said:

Hi Geoffa30 and Frflatt, I responded to your post on another thread about this pic.  Very nice indeed! Thanks for the information.  Are you in one of these cabins? 

Looking forward to your blog and pics!  I would  be happy to follow your adventures.  

 

Is this one of the few foreword facing window/ocean view cabins on deck 17?   If so,  then the Window Suites on either side would have  similar windows? 

 

We we are on the July 22, 2020 cruise out of Copenhagen.   Oh, with a stop before in our 2nd favorite city in the world, London. Sorry, the first is our own San Francisco.  

Hi,

Geoff posted this picture of an ocean view room similar to one that we sailed in on Navigator of the Seas a couple of years ago - a really lovely panoramic ocean view.  We are on the Sky twice in the next year - Oct/Nov in a mini suite (M204) and in March in a club class mini suite (M107) which has two rooms and a forward facing balcony. 

I will definitely be blogging both trips and if you would like to read any of our previous blogs I would suggest our Norwegian cruise on Emerald Princess - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2302348-live-from-emerald-princess-norwegian-fjords-and-north-cape-6th-august-2016/?do=findComment&comment=49435885 or our recent Australia and New Zealand trip on the Majestic Princess which you can find at www.livinglifeonecruiseatatime.blogspot.com 

Enjoy London when you visit - we recently moved out of London to the south coast (near Southampton) - we loved San Francisco when we visited about 15 years ago and will definitely be back one day.

Happy travelling

Stephen

We’ve (Geoffa30 and me) got two cruises booked on the Sky Princess - 27th October for 14 nights in the Mediterranean (will definitely be blogging this and Geoff will take the photos) and 28th March in the Caribbean. Love trying out new ships so can’t wait - yay! 😎

7 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

Thank you for your great review and wonderful photos. I have enjoyed following you on your adventure and are so pleased that you had such beautiful weather. Will look forward to your next review whenever that may be. Thanks. 😊

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed - there will still be a couple more posts over the weekend (last two sea day and disembarkation/flight home) so please keep reading.

We will be going to the Baltic and St. Pertersburg in September so will be blogging then for sure - nothing booked before then but we are also booked on the Sky Princess in October/November and again in March.

Thanks again,

Stephen

Thank you for following along on our great adventure; it’s been fun taking you with us.

I’ve just published the last port day (Bay of Islands) and will get the last two sea days and flight home up over the weekend - still a bit jet lagged!

For those who don’t have the link it’s http://www.livinglifeonecruiseatatime.blogspot.com

Happy to answer any questions people may have.

Stephen

52 minutes ago, c7009 said:

We get on after you disembark...14 more days. I saw her sail out of Hobart last evening. Seems surreal that she goes to NZ and back in that time. Enjoy your cruise, NZ is a lovely place. I look forward to your blog.

Thankyou 😎

4 hours ago, Calabazar said:

Following. We will be boarding as you are disembarking.  

 

I have enjoyed your previous blog posts and am looking forward to seeing what you have to say about both the Majestic and NZ. My daughter and I did that cruise in January and loved it and the ship, hoping you will too!

Thank you, glad to have you following along - Only 24 hours until we board, exciting!

5 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I just saw this post and spent an enjoyable bit of time reading your blog and catching up. I love that part of the world and am really enjoying not only reading about your adventures but also the way you write about them. Thank you for taking the time to do it!

Thank you, I’m a fan of your blogs and always enjoy reading about your great adventures, glad to have you following along.  Finding blogspot difficult to use on the iPad, especially adding the pictures as I can’t get the page to scroll - any hints and tips gratefully received - I’m using safari do you use an app to edit posts?

6 hours ago, SFO-F/A said:

 

 

Thanks for posting the link to your blog.  It's very informative.  I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more.  

We won't be on Majestic Princess until February 2020, and will spend time in Sydney before we sail.

Any information about the ship and Sydney is what I'm interested in.

Will keep following you, 

SFO-F/A

Thank you - I have fun writing it and am glad to share it with you; I hope you find it helpful

Thanks Geoff for writing the review - it was a really lovely cruise and, as you say, I’m sure we would do a similar itinerary in the future (especially if it were to be offered on the Sky Princess).

Two interesting things from the cruise:

One night in the PES lounge instead of the usual table with self service snacks the wait staff brought round little (very little) portions of things like prosciutto wrapped bread sticks and a shot glass of crudités/dressing - we were told they were trying something new! I’m sure they have a lot of waste from the usual selection but I wasn’t at all keen on this new offering - it returned to normal the next night.

I was speaking to the barista about the expiration date on the coffee cards (31st December 2018) and he was saying that they are bringing in a new ‘coffee package’ and doing away with the cards - hence the expiration dates. I don’t know how true this is but would explain the change.

All in all a fantastic cruise with probably the best cruise ship food we’ve ever had and some really lovely crew and passengers.

Hi, a few years ago my partner and I stayed at the Westin Diplomat, Hollywood - beautiful hotel right on the beach. We were on the eleventh floor and the view was amazing.

In Fort Lauderdale we have stayed at Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six and can definitely recommend staying here in one of the tower rooms overlooking the marina. They have a shuttle to the cruise terminal (which is right across the street.

We are going over to Florida 2 weeks yesterday to board the Regal Princess on 26th November and this time we are staying at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina in a high marina view room - I will let you know what it’s like once we’ve stayed there (I usually write a live from blog).

We usually just walk to the terminal if the ship is at pier 2 - it’s an easy eight minute walk from Pier Sixty-Six or the Hilton (though the other piers are too far and difficult to access on foot). Others are right when they say that from the hotels in SE 17th Street its close to Publix; there’s also a nice little Starbucks almost opposite Embassy Suites and a Walgreens just on the corner of the street leading to the cruise terminals - all very easy and convenient.

Wherever you choose to stay i’m sure you will have an amazing time - have fun.

Very excited to be following - I love your style of writing and sense of humour. Will be particularly interested as we have booked a land tour in Australia and cruise round New Zealand on the Majestic Princess in March 2019 - so will be looking for tips and insights.

Currently watching the progress of Golden Princess - 43 nm from Sydney - and the Sydney Harbour webcam for a first sighting of the ship; due to dock at 9pm BST. Strange to think that we will be watching from London, England and you will be watching in Sydney at the same time; isn’t technology amazing!

I hope you have a wonderful and exciting (in the right way) season 8 cruising and I will be following along.

Stephen

As promised a quick update now that we are home (and two loads of washing and a big food shop done).

Le Havre and the DDay beaches was a really good trip,- well worth doing with a very knowledgable guide. It was a ten hour excursion but the time just flew by - except for the 90 minute lunch break that would have been better if it was only 45 minutes!

Disembarkation was as simple as you like - a completely pain free experience. We chose the 8-8.15 slot and we were off the ship just before 8 and in our car 10 minutes later. The drive home was good, except for a bit of traffic in south London near Twickenham. We were home by 10.30am and we are currently enjoying a G&T. Looking forward to a good nights sleep in our own bed - we took our own pillows but found the mattress very hard (unlike the lovely new Princess beds).

It was overall a really good holiday and we will definitely sail Royal Caribbean again in the future. For now we are getting ready for our trip on the Regal Princess at the end of November - it’s Geoff’s birthday and we always go away for it. We are going to the western Caribbean and have already been told about our itinerary changes - Antigua instead of St. Martin and St. Croix instead of St. Thomas. St. Martin is one of our favourite islands and we hope that they will soon be ready to receive cruise passengers again so that their economy can benefit from the tourism that they are so reliant upon and the restoration of their homes and businesses boosted.

I will be back with another review in December and will definitely do a review when we get to experience Viking Ocean Cruises for the first time next year.

Thanks everyone for your kind replies.

Yes, the free tea and coffee in the Promenade Cafe is a really nice touch, we get hot chocolate before bed. I do understand the issues with a piazza on 3 levels for those with mobility issues, the elevators are often crowded when they eventually arrive; however, I still prefer the piazza concept over the internal promenade.

We never travel with young children so can’t comment on the facilities for them but the few on the ship appeared to be occupied.

One thing I didn’t mention in the review was how impressed we are with the places that RCCL gets to dock; with Princess it’s usually an industrial area miles from anywhere but on the cruise Navigator has docked right in the centre of town - it’s lovely to stroll off the ship right into downtown without needing a shuttle.

Yesterday we were in La Coruna and it was really beautiful and such an easy place to visit. We walked 11 miles along the promenade that surrounds the town and visited the Tower of Hercules before enjoying a local beer overlooking the ship - perfection!

Today is a sea day - so we’re busy relaxing in the solarium - and tomorrow we visit the DDay beaches from Le Havre. Will update when we get home on Friday.

We (Geoffa30 and I) are currently on day eleven of a fourteen night cruise to the Canaries and North Africa on board the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas. This is our first cruise with RCCL as we are usually Princess cruisers, though have sailed on Celebrity and P&O as well. Even though we still have three days left on board (two ports and one sea day) I wanted to do a quick review of our RCCL experience and do some compare and contrast with Princess.

I will start the review by saying that our experience on this cruise and cruise line so far has been very positive and we would definitely sail with them again if we had the right itinerary at the right price; something I wouldn’t say about Celebrity or P&O - though the latter are good for inexpensive short breaks.

We initially booked this cruise because we wanted to try a different cruise line and the itinerary and booking offer were both appealing. We booked with a three for free type offer; second guest was half price and there was free deluxe drinks package, free WiFi (which has been fantastic and is fast enough to stream Netflix and YouTube) and $100 OBC - this is the kind of offer that Princess cruisers enjoy in the USA but we never get in the UK. The itinerary including a stop in Morocco was the cherry on the cake that persuaded us to book this cruise.

The booking process was fairly simple though the website isn’t the easiest or most intuitive to use; we love the Princess website with everything in one place and so simple to navigate - I don’t think any other cruise line has such a user friendly website. We booked a panoramic ocean view stateroom, which is a recently created category with a whole wall of window overlooking the ocean - the cabin is large, bright and airy, though I do miss having a balcony to step out onto and would move the room round so that the sofa is next to the window. Also, the fog horn is above the cabin and we have had two foggy nights so no sleep!

Embarkation was simple, we were out of the car and on the ship in well under an hour, though our rooms weren’t accessible until 1pm - we were on the ship well before noon - on Princess our rooms are usually ready immediately we board and, as Platinum cruisers, we get priority embarkation. However, the boarding process was relatively pain free and we were able to enjoy a drink by the pool while waiting for our rooms to be ready.

One of the things we really enjoy is exploring a new (to us) ship and getting our bearings - finding the spots where we can go to relax. To us, the Navigator is a small ship - similar in size to a Princess grand class ship - and very simple to get around. The ship is clearly ageing; I’m currently sitting in the solarium looking at rotting window frames - in other places it can be noted that things are slowly deteriorating and there is rust and corrosion that has been painted over. Having said that even on some of the newer Princess ships we have noted the corrosion caused by the sea air but on Princess there seems to be a lot more maintenance constantly happening. I’m not sure how full this cruise is but the ship seems to cope well with the number of passengers on board except in two areas - the Windjammer (buffet) and the bars - which can be uncomfortably crowded at times; though we did find the same on the Emerald Princess in the buffet although the one on the Navigator is better designed.

The crew on the ship are from a wide range of nationalities and are friendly, engaging and very helpful - we find them very comparable with Princess staff - however, the crew to passenger ratio feels to be a lot lower and it is difficult at times to find a crew member. One of the things that really put us off sailing with Celebrity again was the crew, we found them rude and surly and generally unfriendly. We cannot fault the crew on Navigator who are delightful though clearly stretched - we have barely seen our cabin steward and had to ask for our sheets to be changed after 10 days seemingly without clean sheets! Other than this, he is doing a good job and we have had towel animals for the first time ever. Not that we’re that bothered but it is amusing to guess what they are supposed to be. The most recent was either a Sloth or Yoda!

The passenger demographic is as wide as the crew, there are young and old and all ages in between, however, being term time there are only a small number of families. A ship sailing from Southampton will always attract a large British contingent of passengers but there are also 800+ people from the USA as well as Canadian, Australian, Mexican and Puerto Rican passengers to name but a few. This wide variety of cultures makes for a much more interesting cruise and is something that we prefer rather than a monochrome UK population such as to be found on P&O.

Food - an important component to the cruise experience - has been overwhelmingly good. There has been an excellent variety of food on offer and the quality has exceeded expectations. We really enjoy the food on Princess but, over the past few years, we have become rather bored with the repetition. One big disappointment is the opening hours of food outlets - the buffet is closed for parts of the day and shuts completely at 9pm. There is no poolside food outlet or pizza place - we enjoy the Trident grill and Prego pizzas on Princess that are open all day until 11pm; on Navigator when the buffet closes in the afternoon and through the evening there is no access to food on the pool deck. However there are good quality burgers, hotdogs and pizza available in the buffet when it’s open.

We bought the five night specialty dining package and have eaten in the Chops Grille (very good), Giovanni’s Table (Italian seemingly with a new menu and the food was not very good at all) and Sabor (usually Mexican but Indian on this UK sailing - not sure why - the food however is excellent especially as they served basmati rice rather than the short grain type served everywhere else on the ship) - we are going back to Sabor and Chops. We didn’t try Izumi as Geoff doesn’t like a lot of seafood or sushi so there wouldn’t be much we could choose from There is a lot more up selling on RCCL than we are used to on Princess and this can be very annoying at times. Also, the Promenade Cafe, the equivalent to the International Cafe, is ok but not as good as the Princess offering. The food selection is not as wide as we would like here especially, as after 9pm, this is the only food outlet on the ship except for (paid for) room service. We also missed Alfredo’s (Princess’s free speciality pizza restaurant for those that do not know) - we always visit once or twice during a cruise - as apart from Windjammer, MDR and Cafe Promenade there is no other included food outlets on the ship but we did enjoy Johnny Rockets.

The bars on Navigator were disappointing, they all tended to be small, with a lack of seating and no real discernible drink theme (e.g. martini bar). The crowded nature of the bars made them uncomfortable and the one bar we really like - Cosmopolitan (equivalent to Skywalkers) was closed for the RCCL version of the PES Lounge from 5.30 to 8.30 pm; this would have been our ideal pre-dinner martini location. Also, the drinks tasted really watered down and if we hadn’t had the drinks package we would have complained particularly as the drinks are considerably more expensive on Navigator compared with Princess. The good thing about the drinks package (besides it being free) is that any drink above the $14 limit that you purchase you only get charged the difference - e.g. a $17 drink you pay $3 unlike on Princess where you pay the whole $17! Bottles of wine seem incredibly expensive on the Navigator; e.g. Wolf Blass Yellow Label £7.99 ($10ish) in a UK supermarket - on the Navigator $60ish.

The shore excursions are typical ship shore excursions - on the whole we do things on our own. We have been on two excursions so far to Marrakesh (Morocco) and Mount Teide (Tenerife); both trips were good value for money and well led; however, they tend to gather you far too early for the excursions and there is a lot of sitting and waiting in the theatre - very boring! I object to paying for shore excursions months in advance of a cruise - when in reality the cruise line probably pay the tour operator after the event - and this used to be a real plus for Princess being able to pay for the excursions at the end of the cruise, but sadly this no longer applies ☹️!

Entertainment has been okay, solo acts have been very enjoyable - we even got to see Darren Day (though wish he would do fewer impersonations and more straight singing - we heard other passengers saying the same - his George Michael was shocking). The production shows have been typically songs loosely linked by a weak story line - good but not great; you can see the Navigator is an old ship; one of the backdrops was sheets waving in the wind! Princess set design and staging is much better. Music in venues around the ship are hit and miss and not a patch on Princess. No real party band per se. However, We did enjoy the ice dancing show one sea day afternoon. The quizzes and game shows have been ok though poolside activities have not been to our taste. The stateroom tv has a very poor selection of channels; however, my Polish is much improved as all the adverts on the tv are in Polish - why? The films shown on the pool deck are all old and are repeated frequently - Princess shows a much better selection of up to the minute movies.

We found the Royal Promenade concept disappointing - we don’t really want a shopping mall at sea and much prefer the piazza on Princess ships where there is always plenty of seating, entertainment and great people watching. Having said that the outside spaces are really good on the Navigator; there’s a great wide wrap around promenade deck (though you have to pass through the smokers (yuk) on the port side) and the pool areas are much more open (even seem wider) than on Princess - though fewer of them. It seems that the wide outside promenade deck has been at the expense of the indoor space - the Royal Promenade is cramped and claustrophobic - you could be inside any very old and cramped shopping mall in the world rather than a lovely cruise ship.

One thing that Navigator lacks is a private adult only area like Princess’s Sanctuary - the Navigator’s Solarium is nice but is very much a corridor with people constantly walking through - we love the Sanctuary with its super attentive and discreet service and it’s calm, serene atmosphere. Another thing lacking is the self service laundry - poor Geoff had to iron us more than 50 shirts to bring on this holiday and when we got on board there were only eleven hangers in the closet! Our cabin steward brought us some more (plastic) ones on request but was incredulous that we asked for at least 30 more hangers. (We recognise we are probably strange bringing so many shirts with us but need to accommodate our increasing waistlines over the course of the cruise.) We really appreciate the launderette on Princess and the ability to refresh tired clothes.

In our opinion, Royal Caribbean appears to be a more budget option compared to the Princess offering. The little things often make a difference and the things that we realised we were missing included tote bag (will bring our own in future), bathroom toiletries (we always bring our own), the helpful port guides that Princess do so well, pillow chocolates, savoury snacks (e.g. nuts/Bombay mix) with drinks and robes to name but a few. Although given recent changes at Princess, these might not always be offered in the future.

In conclusion, the RCCL experience for us has been really good - so far - and we will definitely look to book another cruise with them (most likely on a newer ship possibly Quantum rather than Oasis class) in the future; though with seven future cruises already booked with Princess, P&O and Viking Ocean Cruises (which could jeopardise our Princess loyalty) it probably won’t be for some time. I will update on this cruise and the disembarkation process in a couple of days time but would be happy to answer any questions now.