Learningtocruise1

Awesome review!  We will be on Summit next week, our first Celebrity cruise (Princess, HAL, Regent, and RCL previously). 

How was the Wi-Fi, particularly on sea days? Any issues?

My 2 cents changing cabin class and decks..,

Rotterdam, July 15, out of Amsterdam. 
 

Original cabin was Vista, Deck 5.  Goldish color tag. 
 

Took the upgrade offer to Neptune, Deck 7. 

Exact same color tag as before, but had yellow “Priority” printed on the luggage tag this time. 
 

Hope this helps! 

2 hours ago, washiotter said:

Wrap-up thoughts:

I was very pleased with our family's experience on the Nieuw Statendam, and so were my husband and kids. I'm pretty sure that we'll be cruising again

 

Selfishly, PLEASE cruise again!! I've been following your posts since Day 1, and have had the time of my life traveling with you vicariously! I love your writing style, appreciated your photos more than I can convey, and your transparency and sincerity with each post kept me returning day after day.  Thank you. Looking forward to your family's next cruise!! 😀

We will be on the Norse Legends July 15 sailing on Rotterdam. Chose it specifically for Geirangerfjord after a bit of research.  A few weeks back we were informed that Bergen has been replaced with Nordfjord. I'm sure we'll love it too, but I was looking forward to Bergen. First HAL cruise, and we can't wait! 

I love the idea of pre-paying for unlimited laundry! Not that we will have a ton, but prefer this to limit packing. Questions (1) how much fits into a bag? I’d like to put in about 4 pair of pants, a few tops, and undergarments. (2) When/how do you submit the laundry bag, and when is it returned to the cabin?  (3) How do we pre-purchase this option?   Our first HAL cruise isn’t until July/Norway, but appreciate your insights for our planning!!

We will be on our first HAL cruise on Rotterdam in July 2023 in Norway.  To tag onto this post, any insights anyone could share would be fabulous. We are very interested in EXC talks to expect for Norway.  Would love to see daily programs. 

On Sky in the Caribbean last week, we enjoyed semi dressing up.  Myself in a cocktail dress, and DH in a suit, no tie, "tennis shoe" type shoe men now seem to wear with dress clothes.  We didn't care one iota what anyone else wore, but was surprised at how many others did dress with lovely gowns, smart suits, etc.  I applaud them!!  They made me smile.  Just be comfortable.  I don't really care.  

We’re on Sky now in the Caribbean. Internet connectivity is terrible. Don’t count on it for any serious work needs. 

We had it last night on Sky. 

We ate there tonight on Sky.  They said we could get the escargot traditional style, or as on the menu. I got traditional and it was excellent. Ironically, they also brought the fried version to us, then afterwards asked how we liked it. I said nope, prefer traditional.  The sea bass was quite good. The duck just ok. Service was fabulous, but we ate early, 5:45.  The noise from the piazza was not an issue as we were by a window, and the band at that early time was not loud.  I’d book the restaurant again. 

<Pun intended> I’m very thankful for your posts on your entire Thanksgiving cruise!!!! Sorry to hear about the dry turkey. Seriously, since we board Sky on Saturday, and first cruise since Covid, I’ve really really appreciated following along with you!  Enjoy your last day, and safe travels back home!! 

THANK YOU so much for your “as live as it can be” posts. You’ve been making my day every day!! We board Sky this Saturday as you disembark.

Your comment on Blanton’s particularly caught my eye.  DH will be happy if he can get it on the ship. 
 

You are a true gem. Very much appreciate you and Kris taking the time to post the fabulous food and other pics!!  Enjoy Thanksgiving and your next few days on Sky! 

I've had a couple of issues I hoped to resolve the last couple of weeks, and found the Princess call center less than stellar.  Granted, we're new to cruising unlike most of you, and did not realize using a TA would be better.

Hours on the phone and on hold met with total frustration. 

Today, however, a gentleman named Cesar answered my call promptly at 9 a.m. ET when the center opened, and stayed with me an hour until my issue was resolved (i.e., I had purchased the Princess Plus package when I booked, but it mysteriously disappeared from my Cruise Personalizer).

He's the first person in the last 2 weeks that seemed to actually care.  My other issue remains unresolved, but we board Sky on Saturday, and I'm pleased with what Cesar has done to correct the error.

Just wanted to send a positive Shout Out to someone in the call center that is worth their weight in gold.  We'll be retiring soon and expect to do multiple cruises each year.  Wasn't sure about Princess, but Cesar helped us to not totally write off this cruise line.    Thank you sooo much Cesar!! 

Does anyone know if on Sky, Deck 7, aft Starboard is still an outside crew smoking area?

I booked a mini-suite on Deck 8 just above that area not realizing a smoking area was below. Earlier I was changed to a Guaranteed mini, expecting to be moved forward where mini's are showing available.

Today I was moved back to my original cabin (E709). DH and I cannot tolerate cigarette smoke.  I'm still trying to get moved forward. We sail Nov. 26. 

A couple of questions:

(1)  Has anyone had a bid accepted less than 3 weeks prior to sailing?

(2)  Has anyone had a bid that was neither accepted nor formally denied?  Mine is still Pending after several weeks.

I sail on Sky Nov. 26 and just learned yesterday that the Mini I booked is directly over a smoking area.  I stumbled upon a review of this cabin area yesterday and am now concerned about the location for a variety of reasons, but mainly due to the smoke.  I called Princess this morning and am unable to move.  So, I went back to the bidding system and upped my bid for Club Class to the maximum simply to get away from the location.

I am hopeful to win the bid to move, but this close to sailing I don't know if they are still making changes (I know they say up to 3 days prior to sailing, but am wondering if anyone really was changed that close to departure?).  I am currently in E709.

We will be on our 2nd Princess cruise in November.  We LOVED the Enrichment Program lectures when we went to Alaska in 2019 on our first Princess cruise.  Other than Princess Cays, should we anticipate any Enrichment Program lectures for the other two ports of call (St. Thomas and St. Maarten), or not?  

Thanks for all the feedback.  I think my question has been answered -- seems that unfortunately we cannot expect the same quality enrichment program lectures as we experienced on our first Princess cruise to Alaska.  But heck, we loved Princess for many other qualities and know we'll have a fantastic cruise regardless! 

Hi!  Thanks for your responses! I'm so sorry I didn't keep our Patters, but these are examples of the lectures from our Alaska cruise that we thoroughly enjoyed:

* Male Iditarod racer who at a young age took in the "throw away" dogs no one else wanted, but he loved and trained with them, found a different race formula, and won!

* Libby Riddles -- Female winner of Iditarod

* Lady (so sorry I don't have her name!) who moved "off the grid" with her children. Her Alaskan cabin and how she lived was so fascinating.

* Same lady who provided great history of the glaciers, and current receding status

* Nic Jans -- "A Wolf Named Romeo" lecturer-- we bought 2 of his books. Made me choke up at the end of his lecture.

* Lumberjack history from a winning contestant.

I'm kicking myself that I didn't keep better notes on these great lectures. Since it was our first Princess cruise, we assumed this level of Enrichment Programs would be on all cruises. Sounds like may not be the case? 

We absolutely loved all the enrichment lectures on our first Princess cruise this year, Alaska northbound on Royal.

We are booked on our second Princess cruise in May, Athens to Barcelona.  What types of lectures could we expect on this itinerary? 

In late June we are taking the Alaska Cruise Tour (ACT) Big Bus from Whittier to Anchorage prior to our late evening flight.  We need to meet the tour by 8:45 a.m.  Can experienced cruisers kindly provide guidance on how we can ensure getting off the ship (Royal) in a timely manner to ensure we meet our tour bus in time to depart at 8:45 a.m.?  

I know Royal is just now on its first trip Northbound this week.  Would love to know the following from anyone who could share this when finished with the cruise:

1. Which nights are the formal nights?

2  How formal are the formal nights?

3. Do they serve King crab or lobster in the MDR?

4. Are there set times for the evening shows, or do the times change daily?

5. Any tenders at the ports, or are they all berth?

6. Pictures of Patters and Menus would be awesome!!!

We are on 6/22 Royal Northbound.  This is my (new) husband's FIRST cruise and I want to set expectations correctly so he has an amazing experience.  I love cruising and hope to see many more in our future!   He just wants to make sure he eats amazing food but doesn't have to dress up too much while on vacation (we're not slobs, he wears suits, ties, etc. all the time for work, just doesn't want to do that when on vacation).  lol

Could anyone provide guidance on when the main show times are in the evening for an Alaskan cruise? I've read we should arrive 30 minutes early (15 mins at least) for a decent seat. I plan to pre-book specialty dining, and want to schedule the reservation to accommodate arriving in the theater in ample time. Do the show times change throughout the cruise?