h-sar

Just now, AF-1 said:

That is a one big buffet.  Lots of food choices for breakfast.  Thanks for sharing with us

The irony is that I don’t actually eat breakfast. Yeah, one of those people. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So, unfortunately, cannot comment on any of the food. I know that everyone in my family loves the made to order omelettes as they can get them done as they wish.

On 12/23/2019 at 10:58 PM, Daddysbaby said:

Thank you for taking time out of your cruise to check out the price for me.  I will compare the price at the airport.  See you soon!

Sheila

Sheila, not sure if you are seeing this during the cruise, but I also checked out some prices at a couple of the Dufry duty-free in the ports. Their prices were about five to $10 higher than that on board. 

Just now, Nemanoxer said:

 

Don´t hurt me, Princess fans, it´s just a click magnet  😎

 

So, more seriously spoken: I am planning to book Sky Princess on 5th Nov 2020 from NYC to FLL via SXM, SKB and AUA in cabin A309, Balcony Standard midship, Deck 12.

 

I started cruising in 2012 on Celebrity Equinox, best cruise I ever had. However, apart from those higher end Celebrity cruises I´ve done (also did inaugural on the Edge), I also did RCL´s Anthem OTS (that was absolutely horrible) and NCL´s Getaway. Fun fact: Best overall feel was on that NCL cruise due to best entertainment EVER. I missed the higher end feeling there and the higher end food. However, I love both very much, just differently. 

 

Question: Right now, I imagine Sky Princess to be more Cunard-ish than Celebrit-ish. Lights out at 2200. 10 % of guests under 50. Lots of piano everywhere, some modern chill out music in the lounge areas. No loud pool party any day. The absolute opposite of NCL´s Getaway. 

Am I right with my imaginations?

 

Side info: I am a 48 year old solo traveller who is not exactly much into excessive partying but into a lively overall atmosphere with a touch of class but also a casual touch of fun. Having very high expectations on food and shows.

 

D´ya all think Sky Princess could make me happy?

 

If you want loud pool oarties, definitely not Princess. Am in the Sky right now on my 14th cruise on Princess since 2006. I have yet to see a loud pool party. In fact, they have even done away with, at least on the newer ships, with the low key pool games they used to do years ago. Princess has fantastic production shows, the Sky has a new jazz club, the band that plays in the piazza every night is high energy, but other than the nightclub, at least on this ship, things do  shut down pretty much around 11 o’clock. I say with all sincerity that you might be happier with a different line.
Happy cruising! 

Wow, did not realize what a crap load of pictures that was until they took 40 minutes to upload! 

There are two of the coffee and juice stations,, toward the middle of the buffet, on either side. Servers are also very good about immediately coming to your table to ask if you want something to drink. Not pictured is the fact that you can have a ready to made omelette, at your request, at one of the buffet lines.

I find that a very pleasant place to have breakfast is outside at the very back of the buffet where the wakeview pool is. There is very comfortable seating out there and it is generally pretty quiet. Also a very nice place to hang out with family later at night.

Have found, in the last two years, that the bands playing later at night in the piazza are getting way too loud. I don’t think it’s because I’m getting older and less able to tolerate noise. I’m an assistant principal at a junior high of over 700 kids. Noise is my life, LOL. I love listening to the music after dinner and watching other dance, but some nights the sound level has caused me to flee to where the music is more tolerable, but I can’t see much, such as into the Internet café.

Having said that, the band Static is absolutely phenomenal. I think they might be my favourite princess band yet. Their level of energy is absolutely unmatched by any other I have seen in my 14 cruises with princess. One more cruise next year, and I will be elite.😜💃🏽.   dry cleaning is the thing I’m looking forward to the most! The two singers of static have a way of energizing and engaging the audience. The female singer spends a lot of time wandering through and dancing with the passengers which is fantastic,  and the make looks for anyone he can pull up onto the dance floor. They were both sweating buckets by the end of their performance. You can tell that the thing most important to them is audience engagement. They also do a lot of teaching of certain moves during the songs so that everyone on the dance floor feels like they’re in something together.
 

Pic is from last night. 

Came out for a walk at around 6:40. Looking to turn into a magnificent sea day today. Right now, at 7:45, chair hogs are definitely out. Not many bodies in chairs, but a lot of towels. Disappointed at the vast number of people who are putting out towels in different locations so they can move about during the day.

My curiosity got the better of me, so I thought I would see if anyone was booked into the sky suites for this week. Six people in the two different suites, with the same last name. Hope I am not violating  anybody’s privacy, but I guess if they had been worried about that, they would’ve requested all information be erased from the iPad. I won’t mention their names, of course.

As breakfast was completely set up when I first came out, and no one was around,  thought it might be a good time to take some pictures of the breakfast buffet. I started at the very back end of the buffet and worked my way up, so what you see is what I saw on my walk to the front of the buffet closer to the pool area. Did not take pictures of any food item more than once, so if you see the very exact same items in a different picture, it just means the same foods were set up in exactly the same way in other parts of the buffet. So, the pictures capture the entirety of the breakfast buffet. Remember that the international cafe also has items.

I have a tendency to dictate into my iPhone my posts rather than using my thumbs. Then I go back and do a quick edit. One day, I should post one of them pre-edit, because some of the stuff that gets translated from my mouth to the screen is pretty funny, some of it kind of obscene, LOL. Amazing what one says and what is understood. 

Just now, Colo Cruiser said:

There were always lots of people playing board games around the Sky.

Like I mentioned earlier the CG was a favorite.

The library on the Royal etc was tiny and could get really loud.

The best ever library I saw on sea was on a line I sailed once and and vowed not to sail again until I was at least 80. Holland America - it was one of the newer ships back about 10 years ago. Had a magnificent, old style library, with a coffee bar, comfortable seating, and was either right at the front of the ship or right at the back, so had magnificent, expensive  views of the water. Pretty sure it was quite a bit bigger than Princess Live . Had an extensive collection of books.

Great insights! We were on the Christmas cruise and stayed on for New Yrs. I’ve also been complaining on this board about how much football was played last week and continues to play this week. We had a doubleheader today with two football games. Having a hard time, like you, understanding why a holiday cruise with so many families has so much football going on in the open area when it could easily be done elsewhere.

And, yes, the lemon meringue cheesecake is one of the best desserts I have ever had, land or sea! Am glad that I get to experience it all over again this week.

Did not notice the lack of shopping junk mail getting off at the ports until you brought it up. You are so right and I am so grateful it is not a thing on the Sky. Like you, I also noticed the lack of the seafood buffet and the chocolate breakfast along with all the cakes at lunchtime the same day. Also, there were no theme nights in the buffet, such as German night, Mexican night or Indian night. Have been used to it on on the regal the last few years. 
 

having said all that, am having a fabulous time on the Sky and looking forward to what the next few days will bring. Can’t say enough good things about the band Static and their energy level!! Just left the piazza at 10 PM and it was hopping with wall to wall people on the dance floor and on deck six and seven. I have always enjoyed the princess bands, but this one is heads above all others when it comes to turning up the energy level.

Thanks for providing your reflections on the cruise! 

3 hours ago, ecs66 said:

Sadly, Super Bowl will happen on our cruise.  I'm American, and I despise football and the worship of it.  The up side is that while the masses are engrossed in Super Bowl on Feb. 2, much of the ship will be pretty quiet.

Did I mention the doubleheader of football this late afternoon and tonight?!

3 hours ago, dkitty said:

the above snacks look incredible!  Are you doing a tour in St Martin?  I have a Bernards tour schedule, not sure if I should keep it it not .  Thanks for all your posts.

We’ve done a few tours in Saint Martin already, so the last few times, have gone to Orient beach, by the Bikini beach bar. We actually managed to reserve, a couple months back, loungers right in the first row by the water. Discovered last year when we were there that one could do this. No extra charge for this other than the cost of the chairs. And PS, in case you’re wondering, this is not the clothing optional side LOL. That’s on the other side of the beach.

If you have not done a tour there before, you should really do it at least once. My stipulation with the family is that the first time we are on an island, we must do a historical/cultural tour; after that, the kids can pick a beach. The social teacher in me, I guess 😄.

Dinner in the main dining room last night took a good half hour less than it did last week because then we were a party of eight and now we are a party of four. Managed to secure a table in Sunil’s section: corner next to the window. I think he’s really going to miss bugging the younger kids who are no longer with us!
 

Pictured below, in assorted order:

One of my favorite little desserts from the international coffee, pistachio pudding. Ate the strawberry or it would look a lot prettier.😄

Poolside pizza (where there is no longer a daily special - just in case I failed to mention that before)

Salty Dog smoked hickory ? burger with bacon jam and provolone from yesterday. Really good. 

My grilled pineapple and melon appetizer at dinner yesterday, followed by the grouper fish in a mango salsa, very delicious, and another profiterole, this time with maple ice cream and a bit of a maple sauce. It was beyond delicious.

My dessert plate from the buffet pastry shop after coming off the island this afternoon. Cupcake with the icing of the day, can’t remember what it was, but it was very good, mini Keylime tart, and a fruit tart. I shared the plate with others in the family, just in case you’re wondering LOL.

On 12/28/2019 at 8:44 AM, h-sar said:

Oops, missed this question. It is in Take Five, the new jazz lounge. Deck 6 next to casino. Same location as Club 6 on Regal. Very attractive venue. Will have to check it out this week. Last week was all about spending time with extended family, so didn’t get to all the venues. 

And am totally wrong on this one. Should have checked first instead of going by assumptions. Also should’ve realized how many times I have seen the Hanukkah Service sign in front of Take Five for the past few evenings, LOL. Walked in to Take Five a few minutes ago to check out what the snack for the platinum/elite lounge was tonight. And walked in on a post service snack of potato pancakes and other assorted snacks. 😄. They looked yummy, but the line was way too long.
 

Asked one of the servers about the elite lounge and he directed me to Vista at the book of 7. Came in here just now to discover that one of my favorite Princess snacks, the bruschetta, was being served tonight. Place is not full by any means as it is a huge venue, but there are at least 4 to 5 dozen people in here right now. Snacks were delicious! Not sure if this is a permanent lounge venue or just for the holiday cruises. Dates were sooooo good. Soft and fresh. 

Around 2:30, got back on the ship and finished a fantastic 2nd lunch of the day 🤣 at Alfredo’s. Having seen some of the pictures of the burnt pizzas, I had been a bit worried, but the pizza today and yesterday was absolutely fantastic. Ordered my usual Magro caprese style salad and a vegetarian pizza to share with my husband. He also had the minestrone soup which he said was very good. Last week, someone in our party had the minestrone and it was just lukewarm. When she mentioned it to the waiter, he laughed and said that due to the age demographics of most Princess cruises, they tend not to serve their soups overly hot. He said to always mention to the waiter that you want it piping hot.

Late in the morning, the pod people arrived and interviewed with my view of the water and the ship.😆. If you, yourself, are a pod person, I bear you no ill will. We can still be friends. Just don’t know how people enjoy these clamshells which don’t allow for any breeze and actually often don’t allow for any shade inside of them either.

One of the huts selling souvenirs. We tend to not take any cash to the island, but if you wish to buy any souvenirs or get some hair braiding done, ensure you have cash as your money goes straight to the vendors, not added to your cabin charges. Vendors are absolutely not aggressive and will never approach you. I’m sure they would not be allowed to work on princess cays if they behaved otherwise. Another reason why I really enjoy princess cays. Nobody wants me to pose with their monkey for a tip, or with a hat festooned with local fruit, or buy a woven friendship bracelet made in China.

Drinks available at the Island buffet.

The medallion items which can be purchased on deck 7 across from the Princess Live bar 

View as we tendered back to the ship. This is the smaller side of the beach which is over the bridge.

Alredo’s lunch...with just the right amount of chili flakes 👍🏼

6 hours ago, voljeep said:

how are the bee's around the bar area ?  they were so bad on our 12/5 PC day , we  just headed back to the ship after about an hour or so … not worth the risk, even with my EpiPen  close by

Weirdly (and thankfully), not even a fly today. First time, in a dozen times at PC, I’ve not seen the desserts in the buffet completely covered in flies. Today, not one bug, not one fly, not even a bee. There was a bit of a pleasant breeze, so maybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe the bug guy is just spraying the heck out of them 😆. 

And now at 10:45....

Im hovering over the fruit prep crew 😁. Want to get a plateful as soon as they get it set up. I have this aversion to flies on my food so like to be one of the first ones to get to the fruit and the barbeque LOL.

Good morning! Am back at my happy place 🥳. Princess Cays 

As is the norm, my husband and I left on the very first tender at 9:15 AM and hightailed it to our favourite spot under the gazebos just prior to the picnic eating area. Gives great views of the water, the ship, close to bathrooms, the buffet, and the fruit stand. We always hit the right side of the tenders when facing the water, so don’t cross over the bridge to the other side. Definitely busier on our side, but I enjoy the people watching over here.

Was utterly quiet and blissful when we first arrived and is getting a little bit busier at around 1040. Kids will be here around 11, as is their norm 😁. Have been used to free Wi-Fi on the island the last three years or so, but does not appear to be working today, unless one is logged into their own Internet minutes.
 

So, below is what the island looked like at 9:30. We will get about 90 minutes of quiet time before the masses descend. LOL. 
 

Notice that some of the picnic benches have been covered for easy cleaning. There also seems to be a lot more paved sidewalks in the back areas. Picture of one of the crew spraying mosquito repellent. Last year, my body was covered in bug bites from the pesky no see-ums, like literally covered, because I forgot the bug spray in the cabin. This year, I have doused myself in spray. Picture of DH doing his typical inspection of vegetation.
 

The bathroom that is usually right behind us, that we typically use, was destroyed in the fire they had here a while back and the area is slowly being rebuilt.

Our hopes for a second opportunity for a proper Princess sailaway yesterday were dashed when an announcement was made around noon that it would be moved to the piazza. Sure enough, as we pulled away from PE, the heavens opened up .... for about 4 minutes. Timing is everything! 
 

DS got the haircut he wanted (a ‘fade’ which looked exactly like what he typically gets from his favourite place back home) after finding a barbershop (he refused to go to a hair salon) across the main street that runs in front of the Ross plaza. $23, not bad. 
 

Speaking of haircuts DD got hers chopped off two days ago at the on-board salon. She has (had I guess) super long hair that went to below the middle of her back. Got it cut into a very cute above the shoulder style. She’d planned to do a mid cruise cut a couple of months back and saw that there was a promo in the salon on the final sea day of the last leg. It was $69 for a scalp treatment and cut. Good deal and turned out fantastic. However, I’m pretty sure that DS’s $23 fade took more time and intricacy LOL. She let them know that she’d be donating it, so they cut it in the proper way. Now there’s a long ponytail sitting in our room 😲.

I like the Sky’s tendering ticket system. On Regal, we had to go to the MDR and wait in there for a tender. Here, you go to Ocean Terrace on 7, get the number of tix you need (one person in the family can get them all), and wait anywhere in the piazza area on 5,6,7 for the announcement for your group. Way more relaxed.

Adam, the CD, mentioned yesterday after the comedy show that some of the game shows in this leg are taking on a more adult twist. I’m not one for attending game shows, but will try to find out what those twists are. 
 

Dinner last night was much faster with 4 people rather than the 8 we had on the last leg. Found out that cute Sunil has a Croatian gf in the other MDR 😊. We were able to get a corner window table in his section for this leg. 
 

My sister, who left us for the Allure sailing today, iMessaged last night that her 12 yo started following Cptn Tuvo on instagram! His handle is Captain Bye-Bye, of course. Absolutely love him. Such a great mix of personable and professional. The other day, he stopped and chatted with my DS and his friends in the hot tub and before he left, gathered all the dirty dishes that were in the area 👍🏼. He just seems to have the leadership skills that others read books for, down pat.

Looking forward to Princess Cays today! 

Sabatini’s menu. We will be going there for dinner tomorrow, so will report back. Was not overly impressed with it last year, so am hoping that I make better selections with my courses this time.

3 hours ago, phred119s said:

@h-sar We have one on the “top” photos under the Sky Princess tag. 🤯

Nice! There are some stunning pictures on there 👍🏼

Have to confess, I feel pretty redundant posting pictures of the Sky. There were many excellent ones posted in the live threads from the past few weeks, not to mention all of the thousands of pictures and dozens of YouTube videos posted by the bloggers, youtubers, and so-called influencers who were invited on the initial three day Mediterranean cruise with the expectation that they put out as much as possible about the Sky on social media. If you haven’t seen any of this, you should really have a look. On YouTube, simply search for sky princess cruise; also, here’s an Instagram page of over 9000 pictures. Just copy and paste.

instagram.com/explore/tags/skyprincess.

When using my iPad or computer, I did not need an Instagram account, but on my phone it would not allow me to view them without an account.

Not sure if I’m allowed to post the link, but I’m sure the mods will delete it if need be. I don’t really have a lot of patience for Instagrammars and ‘influencers,’ but they sure do take darn great pictures! On YouTube, search up Ben and David Sky Princess. 
They’re bloggers who have excellent footage of the Sky from the inaugural sailing. Again, not sure if I am allowed to be posting the above information. they have great footage, in one of the videos, of the Sky suites. It looks like all the bloggers were allowed to go through to film for a few minutes during certain cocktail parties held in the Sky suites.
 

During the last week, we only ever saw people up in the sky suites once. We knew they were there, because the kids went and checked to see if names were up on the iPad. 😁. They said that it looked like one main family had both suites for the week. Out of curiosity, one night over dinner, we decided to put in a random date for March 2021, and pricing started at $25,000 for two people in one of the suites. Pretty sure that is what I put down as a down payment on my very first house, LOL. Good on them! Livin’ the dream!

Walked through Take Five which was open, but had nothing going on in it. There were about three people enjoying the peace and quiet. Beautiful venue. It would be a great place to go to spend some time quietly reading during the day. Lots of great water views, sofa seating, comfy chairs.
 

If you are looking for a place to play board games with the family or to read and cannot find seating at the larger tables alongside the pools, some places to consider might be Take Five during the day; the orange sofa style seating on deck 16 at the back, behind the buffet; the French restaurant during the day, and maybe even the Vista lounge Which has a lot of great seating with tables. There are no shortages of places to find some solitude, or spend time with family, away from it all. Some of those places still have excellent views of the water. 
 

Pics of Take Five; last two are Vista Lounge 

5 hours ago, 1emerald1 said:

Do you remember the name of the nail salon?  I'd like to get a mani when I'm in Lauderdale for my upcoming cruise on the Sky, thanks.

Harbor Nails and Hair 

It’s right on 17 st. For us, was a 10 -12 min leisurely walk from the Sky terminal which was the closest to the shopping area. Pretty big place with lots of employees. Right next to Starbucks and Chipotle. 

4 hours ago, 1emerald1 said:

Do you remember the name of the nail salon?  I'd like to get a mani when I'm in Lauderdale for my upcoming cruise on the Sky, thanks.

Harbor Nails and Hair 

It’s right on 17 st. For us, was a 10 -12 min leisurely walk from the Sky terminal which was the closest to the shopping area. Pretty big place with lots of employees. Right next to Starbucks and Chipotle. 

7 hours ago, Heavy's wife said:

Thanks for all the photos.  

Any chance anyone has a pic of the new specialty restaurant, Bistro Sur la Mer?  

...or any feedback from anyone who has eaten there?  We are trying to book our specialty dining before we get on the ship.

 

Please do read Colo Cruiser’s thread from the Sky earlier this month. Lots of great pictures and a fantastic amount of information.
 

Here are a few pictures I snapped a few min ago of the French restaurant while heading out of Alfredo’s which is on the opposite side of the piazza on 7. As you can see, it immediately borders the Piazza and no part of it is enclosed. It is entirely open. See picture 4 to gauge how close it is to the piazza. Have to say, last week, did not see anybody eating at the outdoor seating in either Alfredo’s or Sur le Mer. Used to be some of my favourite outdoor seating when I was looking for a quiet place to get away from it all and I’m pretty disappointed that they have taken that away for restaurant seating and it’s not even being used. 

Three days ago, we went to Mahogany Bay Beach in Roatan. Had wanted to go to West Bay, but everyone was too exhausted. It’s actually a pretty nice set up. Reminded me a bit of Grand Turk in terms of how it was laid out. Free chairs, lots of shade from palm trees and umbrellas, ship a few min away. The walk down was beautiful, through the foliage. Only took about 10 min from ship. Not sure why one would want to use the chairlift unless mobility issues or for the novelty. 
 

Later in the day, the building in pic 3 was offering massages at a reduced rate for $52 for an hour and 30$ for half an hr. Have never desired to get a massage on board as it is way too expensive, and my health coverage covers almost 100% of my massage costs back home (wouldn’t be able to use my health benefits for a ship massage). Any massage I have ever had on a cruise, I’ve always had at a beach. One person in our party paid $140 for a Swedish massage on the ship and was not at all impressed with either the service or the massage.

Saw the parents into a taxi to the airport at 9:30. Terminal was pretty dead. Used the global entry line, so were out in a couple of minutes as they only had carryons. Brother and sister’s families were off to head to their next adventures.

We walked over to the Ross and Starbucks area. I got a nail polish change for $10 right next to the Starbucks. Best wifi was at Office Depot by Ross and Dollartree.That’s where I’m posting from (11:50 am). The wifi on board is horrendous for sending pics this yr. it’s been a painful, laborious task. Last year on Regal seemed much easier. Also, have a great deal of difficulty actually getting into cruise critic.Have to try various methods and paths before I can. Is Princess stopping access to some larger bandwidth sites? Read something on here about it. 
 

kids are off on the hunt for a good barbershop so that DS can get a haircut. He goes religiously every three weeks. Pretty sure it’s only been two since his last one 🙄🙄. 
 

Will head back shortly and hit Alfredo’s for our traditional embarkation day lunch. Second one this week 👌🏽