ShyannDay

14 hours ago, VersaliusPrimus said:

Asked the Gelato man about a banana split option and he said no they don't do one. 

Just got off the Royal and they made a banana split for my Uncle. 

46 minutes ago, bemis12 said:

 

Why is it OK with you to pay those others items ahead of time but not the spa appointment?

Because those two items I mentioned are "fixed" items.  I will get internet service (even though it's not always been the fastest) and I would get the drinks I asked for on the drinks package.  Too often my massage appointments have been changed to a different time and one time the service I booked was not available due to staff availability.  The other reason is the amount of money being charged - the spa is very overpriced and I know that and book anyway but why should I give them my $480 (for 2 massages) weeks ahead?  Also, you can't use onboard credit for this when you book online so now that my card has been charged I'll have to spend time fixing this at guest services.

2 hours ago, paradiselivin1 said:

Tried to "buy" some adult beverage before our upcoming cruise but couldn't use our hefty OBC to pay. Princess told our TA the other day that only excursions can be paid in advance (prior to boarding). I will have to wait to get on board before completing my purchase. Not looking to pay in advance on CC when I have hundreds of $$ of OBC.

I agree about the OBC.  But obviously the Princess rep told your TA incorrect info.  I've always paid for internet ahead of time and once a premium drink package - those I'll pay ahead of time but never a spa appointment.

2 hours ago, greenie082756 said:

I reserved our excursions using our OBC. 

Can you reserve spa using your OBC?

No, it doesn't allow that and I have more than enough to cover my appointments.

2 hours ago, Katwoman007 said:

I have never had to prepay spa treatments I booked online. 😕 Maybe there is a glitch?

I don't think so.  With the wording that I quoted in my original post, it looks like it's for real.  See screenshot below.

Also spa appointments used to be listed under "Onboard Reservations" and my appointments no longer appear there.

15 hours ago, jeromep said:

I’m not sure I would consider this new.  From what I can tell, the cruise personalizer requires you to pay for reservations made through that platform.  Your experience isn’t limited to spa reservations.  It also applies to excursions.

 

Because of this I don’t book spa services in the personalizer prior to a cruise.  I’m always able to get what I wan when I’m on board.  Now, when it comes to ensuring that we have a cabana on Princess Cays, I kind of have to suck it up and pre-pay.

While you might not consider it new, it is.  I have pre-booked every time I've cruised and NEVER had to prepay for spa services.

I have an upcoming cruise in 16 days.  I've cruised with Princess 5 times over the last 2 years.  I always reserve massages in the Lotus spa, but just now when I logged in to the Cruise personalizer it said my spa appointments were not confirmed until I paid for them.  " Reservations are not confirmed and can be reserved by other guests until payment is recieved" (Yes, they really did spell "recieved" that way).  And above where my appointments are in the cart it says "You do not have any spa treatments reserved yet."  Is this something brand new?  I couldn't find anything about it when I searched the forum.   I have never paid for a massage in advance.  I don't like this change.

I will also be on the May 5th cruise.  🙂

Does anyone know if there is a way to tell who the hotel manager will be on our cruise?  I'm hoping Riccardo Capraro

will be our Maitre d'.  He is also the Hotel General Manager on the Ruby.

4 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

Yes and no. You need to be on Deck 6 to get there.  Take the Panoramic Lifts  in the middle of the ship to Deck 6 then walk aft. Those elevators get very busy so be forewarned. Don’t take the elevators closest to your cabin. Those are the aft lifts. If you take the aft lifts you’ll either have to take it to 7 and walk across then take stairs down, or go to 5 walk across and take stairs up. It is best to exit your cabin walk left towards the front of the ship to catch the Panoramic Lifts. It’s a confusing ship because there are places that you “Can’t get there from here.”  You’ll love it though! 

 

I will attach photos to help show you. 

 

Balcony....I know right!🙄

 

Thank you so much for your reply HBCcruiser.  That's kind of what we thought looking at the ship maps.  It will not be a problem for us using the stairs or figuring it out, but my Aunt and Uncle are elderly and knowing in advance is better ... so no aft elevators for the dining room.  Really do appreciate all the information you shared and your willingness to answer everyone's questions without being impatient or snide. 

Cheers!

Have done both northbound and southbound and actually never noticed any difference.  Doing another northbound on May 5.  I certainly wouldn't hesitate to book it if you're concerned about poor travel conditions. 

HBCcruiser - thanks so much for your very informative and fun review.  I have a question for you - I will be sailing on The Royal in R606 and my elderly Aunt and Uncle in R612.  From what I can see on the ship map, it looks like we need to go to two different elevators to get to the Concerto dining room for Club Class ... is this true?  It doesn't look like there's a direct route.

Also I can't believe how narrow the balcony is!!  😲

26 minutes ago, missaliss said:

Thank you Shyann!! 

Hi MIssaliss.... I hope you, your husband and your two teens enjoy the cruise even if you decide not to go on Princess.   I've done the California Coastal twice and really enjoyed it.  It does sound like the dress code on Princess is more than you're used to on Carnival though.  Such a great experience for your teens!   Best wishes!!

9 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

 

Captain/Staff Captain 10 weeks on10 weeks off.

HGM can be 3 or 4 months on and 2-3 months off depending on staffing needs. 

This is not the case for all crew. 

Wait staff and housekeeping can be 7-9 months on with several months off. 

Thank you.  That sounds like the guy we like might not be on our cruise.  😞      Do you know of any way to find out the crew on a future cruise (May 5 2019)?

21 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

They change every 10 weeks.

So... does this mean that the whole staff changes or just the Captain?  I'm curious because I really like the Hotel Manager Riccardo Capraro and hope he will be on my cruise in early May.  Thanks in advance!

I never posted anything negative about my experience late last year on the Coral, but my husband and I and our traveling companions - another couple - were VERY disappointed with the food in the MDR.   The choices were lackluster and the taste was average at best.  Everything was edible of course, but not "tasty".  The dining room service also was not up to a high standard.  The afternoon tea was serviced by staff who acted as though they were being punished by having to do "Tea Duty".  I, and my companions, felt that the Hotel Manager (I believe that's who runs the MDR), should be retrained and that there needs to be a shake-up on that ship with the rest of the staff.  

I'm sure your question/post and any negative reply about the food will bring out all the regular Princess zealots who will make comments such  "I don't cruise to eat", "You'll never starve on a cruise", "Go eat somewhere else if you don't like it", etc.  which is tiresome to anyone trying to give their honest opinion.  I will never cruise on the Coral again for this reason even though I really enjoyed that wide Promenade deck.  In contrast, I've sailed the Ruby twice and will be on her again in early May. What a difference!  The food is much better prepared and the wait staff are better trained and attentive to detail. 
Good luck on your cruise - I hope you enjoy it!!

I am really reconsidering our 3 weeks in Alaska in 2019. We are in a Neptune Suite and it is a lot of money. I heard the Maasdam might be going to dry dock??

 

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I hope someone can answer this question. It would be nice to know when.

Been on Statendam (gone), Ryndam (gone), Veendam (2 times this year), Amsterdam (14 days in Alaska) and Maasdam. Love that size ship. Really enjoy the crews who work there. When asked about other ships, the crew members who I have talked with don't care for the larger ships. Under 1500 passengers is fine with us.

 

Again, we cruise the itinerary, not the ship. However, our upcoming 28 days to Lima and back to San Diego will be wonderful.

I would love to be on the smaller ships. That's why I initially booked Maasdam. However, you say you "cruise the itinerary, not the ship", but to me they go hand in hand. I'm on the ship 85-90% of the time. I want the ship to be in good working order and I want the amenities I'm paying for. I can't separate the two.

Age is not the big issue for us. It's condition and amenities. And I do not mean water slides or ice rinks.

Exactly!

We did do the South Pacific cruise and everything on the ship was fine. No issues at all.

Happy that that worked out for you!

I agree. I decided against a Maasdam South Pacific cruise, with an excellent itinerary, last year for those very reasons.

 

I chose a shorter more expensive cruise on Azamara Journey instead and was pleased with my choice, despite the expense.

 

When we cruised on Celebrity Century in NZ, we were asked by a young couple on a HAL ship about the entertainment on our ship. They were so disappointed with the lack of entertainment on their ship.

 

You really have to do your homework and decide what would work best for you and your elderly relatives. I would listen to my instinct.

I appreciate hearing from you on this. Thank you for your perspective. I am going to cancel and book something else.

HAL's President may expect to get 30 years out of a ship and that is just fine. Good luck to him/her.

 

We however are not about to risk our vacation time and our travel dollars on any older ship, any cruise line, and on one that appears to have ongoing, albeit intermittent, reports of AC or plumbing issues.

 

Not to mention lack of amenities and choice of dining venues that we prefer.

I agree. There are just too many downsides. I am going to rebook something else this week. I appreciate your input.

We would not consider booking a cruise on any ship that a cruise line has up for sale. Especially if that ship is 20 years old and most especially if it has been on the auction block for an extended period of time.

Had no idea this was the case. If so, that indeed does not bode well. Thank you.

We were on the Massdam in the Caribbean in March of 2016 with our friends. There were AC and plumbing problems in sections of the ship. Cruise was fine, but no AC isn't fun when it's hot regardless of what some cheerleaders say. And a non working toilet is unacceptable. Both were fixed in a day or so and we had a verandah which on the Maasdam is a much more expensive cabin compared to the newer HAL ships. Our friends were in a handicap inside cabin and the AC didn't work for most of the trip.

Others here have said it's all fixed since then. So good. But we'll probably not go on the Maasdam again unless the itinerary was exceptional because there is way more competition for my cruise dollars.

 

Dan

Thanks so much for sharing your experience Dan. I can't risk any of these problems. My Aunt requires oxygen and even a chance of no A/C makes the risk too great. I understand these problems may be "fixed" but there are similar reports on cruises after yours.

My answer: 'It all depends on what Room you get on MAASDAM'. Seen some bad situations when aboard MAASDAM 30/days in April 2017 as regards leaking water, general need of Drydock, etc. Neptune Suites had as many issues as standard Rms. Forewarned, Sedate will perhaps accurately describe your evenings.

Thanks so much for your answer! I think my doubt about the ship might be intuition talking. I very much appreciate your info.

It's funny but all these responses from everyone seem to indicate that I'm asking for late night parties and extreme entertainment activities. Not what I indicated in my original post. I simply asked what the entertainment options were. I'm also not asking to be talked in to anything. The reason for asking the initial question is because there are either very negative posts about Maasdam or extreme positive posts about what a great old ship. It would be nice to get the perspective of someone who isn't immediately dismissive of anyone asking questions about the ship. I am a solitary person by nature and don't mind being left on my own but that doesn't mean that in paying for a Suite on a cruise that I don't expect and wish for an updated suite, good service and varied entertainment options.