Rick-cruiser

"5 star ship"??. Where did you get that from?.

Princess is a *mainstream* cruiseline..... meaning average...standard... 3 star..

Oceania/Azamara are 4 star.. Crystal/Regent/Silversea are 5 star.

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The reality is that if a dress request is not what people want, if it is outdated to current culture, it is disrespectful to request it. People will ignore it and that is what is happening more and more. I used to feel like you. I obediently followed the request even though I did not care for it. My mind has changed because it is obvious you can't force people to do follow a formal dress code they don't want. That is why Celebrity does not enforce formal dress. It is a lost cause unless people want to dress that way. I don't think everyone is disrespectful of the code. Many do dress as requested. However it is obvious that more disregard it every year. It is disregared because it is passé.

I actually think this is a very fair and observant interpretation of what is now taking place in the MDR on all cruiselines.. As I've stated before, we are currently in a "transitional" stage of imposing formal wear on cruise guests.. As time goes on, my prediction is that they will no longer require, request, or even suggest, formal wear in order to be allowed into the dining room... they will just offer formal wear as an "option" on those nights designated as "smart casual / formal optional"....

- Rick

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MY PREDICTION:

The next stage (whenever that is implemented) of Celebrity's Formal Nights will be worded as follows:

Evening dress code: Smart Casual / Formal Optional - For those who would like to dress formally, tonight is the night to bring out your formal wear and dress to the nines for your evening pleasure.. Smart Casual, as always, is also completely acceptable.

- Rick

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It looks like Celebrity is back to its old tricks of not enforcing the dress code.. Shame.... they've really strayed from their "elegant" cruise line standards and traditions.. In terms of acceptable dress in the MDR, they're still in the transitory stage.... we've yet to see where it all settles in the end.

Some adults are no more than little kids pushing the envelope to see what they can get away with..

Thank you for providing a first-hand observation of what's going on in the MDR.

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Rick;

 

That about says it all. Well said my friend.....:):):)

 

Bob

Thank you Bob.. If I notice a glaringly obvious design issue which may possibly cause the frustrations/problems for thousands of passengers... why not bring it to Princess's attention, so that they can assess it for themselves and perhaps rectify it - on the Royal and all its subsequent sister ships?. It only improves things, in so many ways, for many passengers on the ship to have a central staircase.. Starting a thread about it - for me, anyway - was for the benefit of my fellow CC-ers (so that they knew about it and could book their cabin accordingly), as well as for the benefit of Princess - so that they can drastically reduce the number of potential complaints / dropped bookings they may get because of this issue..

Selfishly, of course, I wanted them to make this change (as well as bringing back the Explorer's lounge) so that my experience on these ships is nothing short of perfect.... :)

- Rick

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Everything was nearly perfect on our Emerald cruise this past year, except for one thing..... the French toast at the breakfast buffet was horrible.... dry, little evidence of egg batter / cinnamon flavor, tasted like the inside of a shoebox... Whoever was preparing them really just had no idea what French toast should taste like.

- Rick

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All I can say is, GREAT REVIEW!!. Thank you so much for your thoroughly comprehensive and well thought out comments.. I cannot agree more with your assessment of the lack of the Center Staircase..... and sincerely hope that Princess addresses this critical issue ASAP, both on the Royal and its subsequent ships.

Thank you again for your unbelievable analysis!

PS.... I also really hope they bring back the Explorer's lounge, for exactly the reasons you point out regarding the deficiencies of the Theater and Princess Live venues.. The Explorer's lounge is PERFECT for comfortable seating, groups of 6-8 to conglomerate together, intimate gatherings, and to enjoy a variety of functions and activities such as games of trivia, crew shows, drinks, events, etc.

Going back to the previous larger-sized balconies wouldn't hurt either!

- Rick

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Jimmy, I've been reading many of your posts on the Princess boards for a long time.... I must tell you that each time I read them (especially those in which you give such thorough analysis and relevant analogies) I find myself nodding and thinking "that's exactly right".. Your viewpoint is not based solely on knee-jerk reaction or abject emotion - but rather on well thought out consideration, common sense, and logical reasoning...Your posts are eloquently written, and very often expresses the thoughts and viewpoints of so many on here... including me.. So thank you for that.. You often save me time in having to post.. J

When I started a thread in April (before the first sailing of the Royal) about "No Central Staircase On The Royal Will Be A Royal Pain", there were a few that stated that this was absolutely ridiculous, would prove to not be an issue at all, and accused me of "bashing" a ship before I had even sailed on her.. It was like I was attacking their first-born (I still don't get that.. but those are their issues).. I tried to explain that I personally did not need to sail on a ship to know which features I like and which I don’t.. (I also don’t like the fact that they took away the Explorer's lounge... a favorite spot of ours as it has very comfortable seating / leg room, the seats are arranged in groups of 6-8, and is the perfect venue for group games such as trivia/shows/gatherings/etc.). My thread was two-fold – Firstly, to inform fellow CCers of the lack of a central staircase and give some examples as to some of the potential issues/frustrations it may cause.. Secondly, to infer to Princess that they may have made a mistake, and perhaps they should take a closer look at the possible ramifications of their decision..

Well flash forward 7 months, and nearly every review mentions this lack of the central staircase - causing frustration, inconvenience, and arguments/fights amongst passengers trying to get onto the center elevators.. Even reviews with an overall positive rating of the ship often mention this one design issue.. I’m not a complainer by nature (in fact I’m the complete opposite), but how does it hurt to point out to Princess an obvious condition that they can easily fix and then incorporate into future renditions of their ships?. Certainly the people who don’t miss the central staircase won’t complain, and the ones that do will heartily rejoice – and perhaps change their mind about booking these ships.. It’s a win-win for everybody, including Princess.

Princess has already listened and is now consequently bringing back the Promenade deck and the aft pool.. Next (hopefully) will be the previous larger-sized balconies, comfortable theatre seating (side aisles, more leg room, drink trays) and the Explorer’s lounge.. So instead of complaining about us “moaners”, how about maybe thanking us?

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- Rick

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If you haven't seen this, take a look:

http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/all-aboard--the--love-boat--cast-reunites-on--the-talk--210458110.html

Some of them look exactly the same.. Glad they were able to get so many of them back together in one place after all these years.. Brings back a lot of fond memories of a great nostalgic show... SO many talented, well-known guest stars from the 70s and 80s appeared on each episode... At the beginning of each show, when they showed the faces of the guest stars appearing that night.. I was always amazed at the variety and level of talent.

(and I still love that theme song too) :)

- Rick

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wow..... I actually thought it was a great review.. Very informative and very descriptive.. You don't have to eliminate the review just because of the title....ask the moderators to change it.. They will.

- Rick

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I did say in my post..Lesson learned, do not book a new cruise ship without concrete deck plans!

 

After I paid Princess my non refundable deposit on this cruise based on artist renderings and digital sketches I only checked occasionally to see if she was still on time for sailing. I boarded the Royal about 16 days after her inauguration ...guess I should have been double checking Princess' promise of the most royal ship afloat. (How do you know something is missing if no one was there to experience it? Isn't that why CC is important..to inform? That's why I originally posted.) Anyway, she's a pretty lady, but not for me.

Hi Brandee.. I hope you had seen the Thread that I had created in April about the Royal Princess having "No Central Staircase Is A Royal Pain".. It had over 10,000 views and over 300 posts, providing everyone (booked and not-yet-booked passengers) a heads-up as to the situation - the potential problems and undesirable frustrations it would cause.. There was very good information as to what potentially would arise without these staircases in place (throngs of people waiting for these central elevators, perpetually full elevators, excessively long waits, high frustration levels leading to rude passengers, etc) - all of which ultimately did materialize.. Once the reports and reviews came in from those first passengers sailing the ship, the lack of a Central Staircase was virtually always mentioned as a point of contention.

One very positive aspect coming out of that thread - was the discussion and information suggesting, given the lack of this Central Staircase, the very best locations to book a cabin (ie, NOT in the center of the ship, in this case).

- Rick

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The elevators are a mess and the lack of a central staircase has had a huge impact. Instead of people being able to walk up or down a deck, you have to take the elevator. This is a big miss. :(

I shall accept your conceding with me on this... ;)

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Try Atlantis.. You'll see the most men wearing speedos on them.

No, it doesn't just happen in the movies. I met a man on the transatlantic cruise from New Orleans to Barcelona April 15-28, 2012. The moment we looked into each others eyes there was an instant spark and the chemistry was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It took us 4 days to act on the feelings, but I can tell you the time we spent together after that was the most magical, special feeling of my entire life. Now it's a waiting game to see if I am contacted. If not, I have memories that will always be with me.....

Great story!.... I hope that it works out for you and he contacts you... he'd be a fool not to.

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Could you tell me more about "kids sail free"? Which lines offer this?

MSC and Costa cruise lines. They are known for their "kids sail free" promotions.

- Rick

See, you're making the mistake that many Americans do: You're assuming that if you're frugal, you're averse to spending money. The reality is that people who "do frugal right" think about their priorities and spend on what matters to them. It's not an all-or-none proposition. Another closely tied misconception is the idea that you can't really have fun if you're not spending constantly.

 

So a frugal person who cares about the room will pop for a balcony, but will balance that out by skipping the spa.

A frugal person who loves fine dining may spring for the wine package and meals at the speciality restaurants, but make up for it by skipping excursions in favor of just wandering around the port.

A frugal person who wants to make great memories with his family may be willing to pay for expensive excursions, but may be unwilling to have professional pictures taken.

 

Being frugal is about examining what matters most to you, then spending JUST on those things.

 

The opposite is a spendthrift: a person who brings along a credit card and just says, "Charge it" at every opportunity without bothering to consider whether it's something he or she really wants, or whether it's just an impulse buy. Those are also the people who have trouble getting their stuff home from the cruise, and when they unpack it all, say, "Why did I think I wanted this?" Or worse: "How did I manage to spend this much onboard?"

You also forgot to mention that the "frugal" people (ie, people who are SMART with their money and spend their money CAREFULLY) are the ones that, quite often, become MILLIONAIRES later in life.

It's true.... read up on the stories of millionaires and how they became that way.... their spending habits before, and after, reaching the million mark.

- Rick

fifty cents per toilet flush.

(kidding)