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CanadianBurger

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  • Location
    Toronto, Canada
  • Interests
    Travel, Cars
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Princess
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Anywhere there's a cruise ship!

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CanadianBurger's Achievements

  1. Correct. Regular coffee is complimentary in the International Cafe from midnight to 6am.
  2. Nope. Only the “Reserve” cabana minis on deck 9 have access to the cabana deck. Source: I have a cabana mini on deck 10 booked for Dec.
  3. We only did breakfast twice at the Diner. Was pretty casual. No idea about lunch or dinner there.
  4. I experienced much of the same on the same cruise. Probably saw you there!
  5. Final Thoughts I’ll keep these comments about the ship, rather than ports or other things. Stateroom Reserve Minisuite - 14454 We loved the minisuite - with one exception covered later. The first impression is that it’s big. It feels quite spacious. There are three closet “units” which provide plenty of space for clothes. The desk is across from the closets, which makes the sofa area feel expansive. The desk is huge, with one 230V European, two 115V North American, two USB-A and two USB-C outlets. The fridge is smaller than previous ships; we used to keep the ice bucket in the fridge so ice would last longer, but that’s no longer possible. And be wary of putting things like chocolate in the drawer above it, as the drawer gets quite warm. The decor is beautiful; lots of greys and cooler colors rather than beige. The light fixtures are a huge improvement, especially over the bed. The reading lights in the wall over the night tables are a nice addition, but unless you’re careful, you’ll blind yourself with them if you’re lying in bed. USB-A, USB-C, and a 115v North American outlet at each side of the bed are very much appreciated. No more extension cords. There are motion sensor lights under each night table, but they are easily defeated with tape. The bathroom - such an improvement. Big, with plenty of counter space, and a drawer! The shower is magnificent. It’s huge, and curtains have been banished from this ship in favor of glass doors. The water temperature actually goes from hot to cold, and has plenty of pressure and volume. There is an under-counter light with motion sensors both in the hallway and the bathroom which I wasn’t able to defeat. Nice during the day, but a little bright in the middle of the night. Here’s the one exception - the balcony. It’s shallow when you’re used to the Grand class or an extended balcony on the Royal class of ships. But the worst part is the furniture - the chairs don’t recline, and I found them to be so uncomfortable that 5 minutes of sitting there was too much. I do have to add some comments after viewing some other cabins prior to disembarking. We looked at two Cabana Balcony cabins on deck 10. The minisuite is not just longer than a balcony cabin; it’s also wider. The balcony cabin is noticeably tighter between the foot of the bed and the wall, and the night tables are narrower, making the space between the bed and the wall on the one side uncomfortably thin. With the desk across from the sofa, there isn’t an ottoman, which I really liked in the mini. There’s also one less closet unit, which could be a problem for my overpacking wife! I noticed a big difference in the bathroom too. My comment earlier that you could no longer brush your teeth while sitting on the toilet in the mini no longer applies - it’s noticeably smaller. The counter is shorter, and there’s NO drawer, which I really would miss. While the shower was still miles above other ships, it’s noticeably smaller than the one in the mini. Some cabana comments, based on brief observation: Way back when the ship was announced, the idea behind the cabana was you could use the space either as an extension of your cabin, or an extension of your balcony. I’m sure there was mention of folding doors in both locations to open up the space. There was also supposed to be nice L-shaped furniture in the cabana that looked comfortable to lounge on. Neither is the case. The wall between the cabin and the cabana is the standard one-sliding-door, which doesn’t work to make the cabana feel like part of the cabin. From my brief sitting on the poor excuse for a sofa, I don’t think it would be comfortable to sit on for an extended period of time, and certainly not to lounge sideways on. The reason I made these observations in detail is that we are booked in one of these deck 10 cabana balconies for a 14-day B2B in December. I think there will definitely be some disappointment compared to the mini. I was hoping to lounge comfortably in the cabana, but don’t think that will be possible with the current furniture. Public Areas Crooners - A huge improvement over the Royal-class Crooners. Sitting at the bar, it feels like you’re in an actual venue, rather than in a hallway. Ten chairs at the bar, which is a big improvement. The one detraction, which has become common now on the entire fleet, is that with all the loud entertainment in the Piazza, it is difficult to carry on a conversation without shouting, and it can get exceptionally busy. Wheelhouse - While a big departure from previous ships where it’s a self-contained venue, this location along deck 7 became our new favorite bar, taking the title from Crooners. Lots of seating around the bar, and you could always find a spot. The best part is you could carry on a conversation here in a normal speaking voice, and it’s a convenient location for a pre-dinner drink. The only detraction was that it seemed to be the preferred location for mah-jongg players, and the sound of shuffling tiles from multiple tables occasionally got annoying. Good Spirits - A departure from other ships where it’s off the Piazza, this venue is now its own little spot between Princess Live and the Arena. I only made it here on the last night, and wish I would have checked it out earlier. Cozy spot, and tasty drinks. Bellini’s - I briefly sat at this bar once, as its proximity to the Piazza made it impossible to have a conversation without shouting. Cascades Bar - just off the Dome, this bright, naturally lit area with a few tables served as the Platinum/Elite lounge. The name comes from the cascading water feature lit with colored lights at the entrance to the Dome. The Dome - I was really looking forward to watching Cirque Eloize shows here; alas, there were only musical performers. One end of the indoor-outdoor pool is inside the dome but it’s a little odd seeing and hearing kids in the pool right behind violinists on stage. Perhaps they should close the pool door during entertainment. It’s a peasant, comfortable, tiered spot for sitting on lounge chairs in the evening or during inclement weather, but feels much smaller than the promo photos and renderings suggested. I look forward to seeing this venue used to its full potential. The Princess Arena - I was eagerly anticipating seeing different configurations of the stage for various types of performances such as production shows, but again, entertainment types were limited, and the keyhole stage configuration was all we got to see. As with the Dome, it feels much smaller in person than the photos suggest. For musical performers and magicians, however, this really worked. It felt much more intimate and closer to the performers than the traditional theatre. Princess Live – thankfully, his felt like Explorers from the Grand class, rather than the horrible space on the first three Royal class ships. Lots of different types of events were held here, from bingo to game shows to enrichment talks to performers. My only complaint is that it was crowded. Several times we gave up on something we wanted to see (even an enrichment talk!), because there were no available seats. This should have been larger for a ship of this size. Wake View Terrace - Loved this spot. While I didn’t get in the pool, it looked quite interesting with the view aft. There was some great furniture for two to stretch out on, and I spent a couple of hours here just admiring the view. Lido Pool Area - I didn’t spend much time here, but it looked nice, and people seemed to be enjoying it. It wasn’t very crowded, but I’m sure this will change in the Caribbean. Sea View Terrace - This is where I would pick to lounge in the sun and read a book. Located where the Sanctuary is on Grand and Royal class ships, this multi-tiered area is filled with loungers and other chairs, and offers a fantastic view forward. The Sea View Bar and washrooms are here, and it’s free from the distractions and noise of the Lido pools. One thing I love about this ship is the myriad places you can see forward, unlike Royal class ships. It was never busy, but I’m sure that would change in the Caribbean. I’m hoping people will overlook it, since you need to make your way forward of the Dome. The Landing - This area on deck 4 for embarkation/disembarkation at ports is much improved from older ships. It’s a finished area with a place to get water or cans of soda to take ashore. There’s also seating for some events. Fitness Studio - Walked through here, and the only comment I can make is the machines looked plentiful, but the positioning of a deck with loungers right outside the windows seemed odd. Lotus Spa - didn’t check out this area. The Casino – I usually play blackjack and poker while on a cruise. However, not this time. I found the smoke to be overwhelming. Whether it’s because more people smoke on a Med cruise, or the fact that the whole casino was a smoking area, rather than just the port side, it was unbearable. If Princess is going to continue to allow smoking in the casino, I would have thought on a new ship they could have figured out a proper ventilation system. At least on the Emerald last year, the poker table was away from people smoking at slot machines. Here, there were people smoking two feet away from the only poker table. Whatever happened to non-smoking nights? The Sphere – While it will always look to me from the exterior like a quantum singularity at the center of the ship, it looks magnificent from inside on decks 7-9 around the Piazza. The multi-deck-high panoramic views are stunning. Park19 - This is the sports/play area at the top of the ship. Almost all of the “attractions” were not open yet. There was ping-pong, oversized games, seating and hammocks, and the jogging track was well-used by runners and walkers. The Sanctuary - while not technically a “public” area, I think it was covered in great detail earlier in my Live. Bottom line: fail for now. We’ll see if changes get made once the ship gets to the Caribbean. Elevators - the “destination-demand” elevator system is a huge improvement. You press the panel to indicate your desired deck, and are told which elevator to board. This drastically reduces the “stop-at-every-floor” scenario so common on other ships. In general, I found the elevators to be much more efficient than other ships and not overly crowded. Dining Deck Dining - There are locations on Lido for grilled food, salads, shawarma, tacos, and pizza. I was a little disappointed with the pizza, as I found it a little bland and nowhere near as good as the deck pizza on other Princess ships. The ice-cream on Lido was not yet available, and was to be the “premium” soft-serve which incurs an additional charge. On both sides of Deck 9 aft, there is also a grill and pizza respectively, but the pizza here is a thicker Roman-style, which I found to be much tastier than up on Lido. There is also complimentary soft-serve next to the grill here. I thought the burgers on this ship were better than on other ships. Casual Dining - Alfredo’s and O’Malley’s - Alfredo’s has done away with the pasta dishes, which was my main reason for going there. I found the pepperoni pizza to be identical to that on Lido, which was not as good as the pizza on deck 9. I would not return. O’Malley’s was the opposite. The food was fantastic, and apparently the only place where you can get a scotch egg. This Irish pub has a great atmosphere and live music. It’s not very large, so tables are sometimes hard to get. This ship needs to have more than two casual dining venues. The “unlimited casual dining” of the Premier package is not much of a perk with a sub-standard Alfredo’s and a small, albeit great, O’Malley’s. The Kai Sushi on this ship is considered specialty dining, and not casual (hence its imminent renaming). Specialty Dining - Lots of venues (too many, in my opinion), with Spellbound and Love by Britto yet to come, but with the price hikes we didn’t see the value in dining here. I did hear from other passengers that the Teppanyaki and Hot Pot were wonderful. Horizons Dining Room - The single main dining room is three levels, offering a different experience on each deck. Deck 6 is a throwback to traditional dining with two seatings, early and late. Deck 7 is anytime dining, and shares the menu with Deck 6. Deck 8 is the “American Diner” with all-day breakfast and a simpler, supposedly quicker menu. My only time here was on two occasions for a late breakfast. The first was a generally good experience, with decent service and food. The second was a service disaster with substandard food. Reserve Dining Room - This is a special dining room for Reserve Minisuite passengers, and we had all our dinners here. I would give it a mixed review. Most of the food was excellent (especially the beef, which, in all its forms, was absolutely fantastic), but there were a few fails. One night my wife’s salmon was raw; the next night it was severely overcooked. Wrong food was brought to the table. The crusty white rolls, a favorite of ours on other ships, always seemed to be stale. Our headwaiter insisted that they were freshly baked for dinner, but I do not believe this at all. There was a single lunch where the rolls were fresh, but every other meal they were stale. The “new take” on soup is an epic fail, especially for the French onion. The omission of the “always available” dishes as on other ships, such as the proper French onion soup, salmon, chicken, fettuccine alfredo, or more recently the Mama’s lasagna, is sorely missed. Soufflés were only offered on one night. We found service during dinner to be severely lacking compared to other Princess ships. Things we used to take for granted, such as water glasses being refilled without asking, butter being replenished, bread arriving when we were seated and being replenished, and the other little touches just didn’t happen. It was the attention to detail that was missing. I’m hoping this is just a new crew on a new ship getting settled in and getting things sorted out. I’ll be interested to read reviews in the months to come and see if things improve. The Eatery (buffet) - the buffet items on this ship are crew-served, and while it did take longer, I much prefer this to a thousand passengers having their grubby paws on the utensils and other atrocities of a self-serve buffet. Although we never came here for dinner, or at peak lunch time, we did get breakfast and some late-lunch items. Since it was off-peak, I never waited for service. Oddly, this is the first ship where the buffet was closed between 2:30 and 5:30pm. The food was decent, and the breakfast items were generally good. Some of the staff could do over-easy eggs perfectly, while others broke yolks every time. Entertainment I’ll get this out of the way first: I really look forward to entertainment on a ship. The lack of production shows in the Arena and other acts like the Cirque Eloize show in the Dome was a bitter disappointment. That said, most of the other musical/comedy/entertainer shows were quite good. By biggest beef about the entertainment, and this is happening fleet-wide, is the doubling-down of having more and more loud entertainment in the Piazza to the detriment of the venues around it. Final Thoughts Did we have a good time? Of course. A mediocre day cruising the Med is still better than a good day at work. Most of my complaints about this ship are “soft” issues and are fixable, such as the service and entertainment. The accommodations are wonderful, and the ship is beautiful. This is the first Princess ship with azipod propulsion, and I can say this is the smoothest ship I’ve ever sailed. Aside from one evening of side-to-side rolling which could only be felt at the extreme aft of the deck 6 dining room, most of the time I could not even tell we were at sea. Gone is the vibration from older ships. I must again mention the smoke from the casino. It could be smelled in the forward stairwell and elevator lobby even up on deck 17. This is something Princess needs to fix with adequate ventilation, as they seem unwilling to ban smoking in the casino. I do, however, think Princess launched this ship before she was ready. Cancelling the first two cruises on such short notice is inexcusable, and having so much of the entertainment and venues not yet available on the first cruises, without being up-front about it, is disappointing. Bottom line: would we sail her again? Since we had a B2B already booked for December, the answer is “probably”. I’d like to experience the ship once all the venues are open, the entertainment is not limited, and the crew is settled in. That said, we have also booked a contingency cruise on the Enchanted for the same time this December. I’ll be watching future reviews carefully to see which ship will get our final payment, and which one we will cancel. I hope everyone enjoyed my Live From. Definitely the most active and comprehensive one I've ever done. Happy Cruising, Steve.
  6. I'm assuming you're asking about Barcelona. We stayed at the Le Meridien. See post #35 for pics and more info. From the airport to the hotel, we used Welcome Pickups. They have an app to pre-book. Driver was waiting outside baggage claim with a name sign, and his van was a surprisingly short distance away. To the port from the hotel, we had the hotel get us a taxi. Next time I'll pre-book welcome pickups again for a van. It took a bit for the hotel to get a taxi big enough to fit all our bags.
  7. There is a low-wattage 115V outlet in the bathroom. It would be fine for a waterpik. Oh - and I forgot to mention before - the mirror is heated, so no steaming it up with the shower.
  8. Alas, our time together has come to an end. On the plane for the flight back to Toronto. I’ll be back with final thoughts about the Sun after we’ve had a chance to think about it for a bit.
  9. For our final day in Rome, we went to see the excavations (Scavi) under St. Peter’s Basilica. This requires writing to the Vatican months ahead of time to request tickets, as the group size is only 12. No photos allowed, but it was an excellent experience. The tour ended in the Grotto, so it was nice to get there with no queueing.
  10. Definitely not a King. I’d say a regular Queen is the size. There’s a bit of an illusion where the bed looks short, but because the wall is recessed where the bed is, it’s definitely a normal length. I’m 6’2” and didn’t feel it was short.
  11. Confirmed. Cabin to Cabana, regular slider. Cabana to Balcony, folding doors. So think of the Cabana as your “deck” before the balcony.
  12. Interesting. I could have sworn I saw a video or someone on the cabana deck said both were folding. Someone on our cruise said they opened the “whole cabin to the outside” to cool it down, but maybe they just meant the slider. I’m going to some digging.
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