sashas_mom

I've arranged quite a few Meet and Greets. If possible we like to ask to be located where there is a bar, and there have been servers, and I've asked for dry snacks, those nuts, etc. in the little glass and they've provided it. On a few occasions the CD provided champagne, which was a nice surprise. I've never seen any other food, nor would I expect it.

Hi Dave --

 

Have you had the opportunity to read all of the sayings on the elevator floors yet? It was amazing to discover that most folks do not pay attention and were not even aware they were there. Some are very thought provoking.

 

Enjoy your day.

 

I noticed them right away. Enjoyed them very much. Had my husband take pics of them. Glad you pointed it out to Dave, I think, if he hasn't already noticed them, he'll get a kick out of it.

Hi Dave,

 

Loving your posts and pics. If you see Nat, the one who teaches Brazilian line dance, would you ask him how long he will be on the Royal?

 

Thanks.

Eileen

When we were on the TA we ate more in the Horizon Court than on any other cruise because the food was so good. However, it was never hot enough for me. Have they resolved that? I asked if it was because the air conditioning was cooling it off as we circled around for more selections, but the head guy there didn't think that was the problem.

Dave...due to you I'm "experiencing" things I didn't see during our 18 day Med/TA & I'll keep your posts & photos. It's a great travelogue & planning tool for another Royal/Regal cruise.

 

Hopefully you'll have more time to "escape completely" after "doing a Yeoman's job" on your 1st cruise!!! :D

 

Hi Frank,

 

Can I just keep the link to,this thread or do I have to do something else to keep it? I also want to keep it.

Thanks, Dave. That was fun to watch. Since Mark was always taking the pics and videos, it's nice to see him in something. I love reliving this cruise. Can't get enough of it. Are you keeping up with Dave's thread on the Royal? His pics are great.

 

Eileen

Have a wonderful cruise. Having Elua on the ship and Dave Cole makes the experience so much more enjoyable.

Page 19 of the Bon Voyage Dave thread has pics of the Royal Tea. Check it out. Dave is on the Royal right now.

I spent quite a bit of time on the Royal in The Piazza late afternoon when they had dance lessons. On a few occasions I could see them doing something special in the part of the Piazza where they have couches and chairs. It was a circular section behind a rail near the piano. They had white table cloths on the tables and servers. I assumed it was for the Royal Tea. As Pam said, the Tea in the dining room is very good and at no charge, just didn't seem as 'fancy' as the one they were holding in the Piazza. Nevertheless, I always enjoy the one in the dining room.

Dave, this is fabulous! Is there any way I can save a copy of this? It's such a wonderful memory of our cruise.

 

Donna

 

Hi Donna,

 

Loved the picture of you in the video. We certainly had a wonderful time on this cruise. I would love to save it too. I guess we have to remember what it's called on YouTube. You might remember Mark was taking videos of me dancing with George or Nat, well you two are in a few of them. Fond memories.

 

Regards,

Eileen

To add to the other comments about the Choir, there is a Pop Choir on every Princess ship. Just keep an eye out for it in the Patter. I always do it, great fun, and the best part is you don't have to worry about learning the words, you have them printed out and you can just read them as seen in the video. They often sing the same songs, but this time they added some new ones, which those of us who do this every time we cruise, were happy to see.

 

Thanks for posting the link to our song, Dave. I do want to mention that there were more of us that contributed to the writing than just Lynda and I, namely, Franky, Judy and Marcia.

 

Eileen

This was incredible, Dave. Thanks so much for sharing it. I wish we could turn back the clock and do it all over again. I just loved this cruise.

 

Regards to you both,

Eileen

While this has never happened to us, now that I see how often it happens, it greatly disturbs me. There's just no reason for it. Why would a cabin steward need to be in a cabin at 7 in the morning anyway? It makes no sense. I would be outraged and you better believe they would have heard from me, right then and there. I do wonder if Princess is aware of this problem? If not, they need to be made aware of it. Emergencies are one thing, this is ridiculous. Simply put, they should not be entering a room where the deadbolt is in place unless they suspect something is wrong or there is an emergency.

It depends on the sailing length and time of year (holiday cruises are different). Yes, you can cancel anytime you want before final payment is due but you may lose your deposit IF you were booked under a non-refundable deposit promotion. There are a lot of these caveats lately.

 

So, if I used a FCC it wouldn't return to my account? I was not aware of this. Where would I look to see if it applies to a future cruise we have booked, but might have to cancel? Since it is a year away, I was going to give it till next year to see if we actually can afford it. Wouldn't want to lose my FCC's.

I have cancelled a cruise before the 'loose your deposit' cut off date and rebooked a cheaper price, reduced deposit with better OBC, however you need to be able to repay the deposit and be prepared to wait 6-8 weeks for your original refund.

 

I then ended up cancelling that and loosing my deposit because I found the 14 night princess cruise I'm going on for the same price as the 10 night P&O I'd booked, almost a third of the original price with $185 OBC. I lost a couple of hundred AU, but figured the absolute bargain I got for the cruise was well worth it.

 

What is the lose your deposit cut off date? I thought you could cancel any time before final payment?

[QUOTE=Waimea'sMom;40824986]I agree. And the $25 OBC is a nice gesture, but just that, a gesture.

The idea of having the Sabatinis breakfast, or those free drinks in the bar sounds great to me. They could make the cutoff at 35/350 or even 50 cruises/500 days to limit the number of people accessing it per sailing.[/QUOTE]

Is the $25 OBC Because you are Elite or because you've done 30 cruises?

Thanks so much for trying to get the info on Nat for me. I'll do as you suggested. Really appreciate you taking the time:)

 

So glad you enjoyed the Royal as much as we did. Perhaps we'll sail together some day.

 

Eileen

Have a wonderful cruise Dave. I still see you helping others with their questions, and really appreciate all the information you continue to share. We all look forward to hearing about your impressions now that you will finally be on the beautiful Royal yourself.

 

Bon Voyage!!

Eileen

Sounds like you're having a great time. You're a doll for remembering to inquire about Nat for me. He is the dance instructor and probably the Zumba instructor too if that helps.

 

Looking forward to your next post.

Eileen

:) :) :)

 

Not usually this naive:o. I thought Princess must have lost their minds:eek:

Now I can laugh at myself. Thx.

OP states that they did not put the "privacy sign" out .

Incident would not have occurred and this posting wouldn't exist .

 

We don't use the privacy sign when we go to bed. We deadbolt the door and put the sign out when we think it would be a time the steward would normally come in, such as to make up the cabin or turn down the bed. We never would have thought it was necessary at night when we're sleeping or if the bed has already been turned down and we're spending the evening in the cabin. This is all news to me....but now that I know, trust me, it will be there all the time except when we leave the cabin.

I always thought the deadbolt in a hotel or on the cruise meant no one could come in. Actually, this really concerns me. What is the point of even having a deadbolt if it is overridden by the staff? We do have a habit of using the do not disturb signs, but when my husband is not in the cabin or hotel room, I always use the deadbolt. I do understand the need to get in the cabin as a poster said, if they suspect someone is dead or unconscious, but to deliver a Patter? Never heard of such a thing. That was just downright weird. They would have heard my screams of fright all over the ship if a steward came into our cabin when it was deadbolted...bet they'd never do that again to me lol:D

Just booked a CA coastal cruise on the Crown in 3/15. We wanted obstructed view cabins and this way, we have our choice of those with the least obstruction thanks to Theo's great website.

 

I've found that booking very early, I almost always wind up paying a lot less than paying later plus I can choose my cabin. Checked my March 2014 cruise pricing and discovered that I'm paying 26.6% less than the current Princess fares. I booked months ago. Just checked my Royal cruise next year and I'm paying 21% less than the cabin next door which is currently available.

 

Hi Pam,

 

I just discovered Theo's site. Are these,windows behind the bed or to the side of the bed so they are easy to look out of? I don't understand why they put them behind the bed unless it's just to offer some light in the cabin. I had a cabin like that once on our first and last Carnival cruise.

Are you sure that's on the ship? It looks so out of character if this ship is just like the Royal. The Royal is so sophisticated looking, all the decor very calm and elegant. The back of the ship with the deck off the Horizon Court is beautiful, and this doesn't look like it fits with the look of the Royal to me. Is it possible this is something on the port behind the ship?

Hi Wendy,

 

On our TA the cruise critic roll call called ourselves the Rockin Royals. (In fact, I helped write a song called Rockin Royals that was sung by the Choir, it can be searched for on YouTube:) ). Sounds like you've experienced that literally. Lol. Hope it settles down for you.

 

Can you please get Nat's last name for me? He's the Brazilian dance instructor. Princess needs his whole name for the commendation.

 

Thanks so much. Really enjoying your posts.