coordinator23

We’re sailing soon and wondering about the drink packages. Are we better off buying them now, or on the ship?

Thank you for the shower info and the pictures.

We will be traveling with my 92 year old parents soon. We have booked three of the club class minisuites which have tubs. We could not get a handicapped accessible room for my parents (and the minisuites have more room to get around in). My question is: Are there showers in the gym area? If not, my parents are resigned to sponge baths in the cabin. Also, did I see recumbent bikes in the fitness center? Or were they regular bikes? My Dad is a WWII vet, and the VA had him using one of them last year for physical therapy. I have other questions, since this will be only my 4th with Princess (out of 25 total cruises), but I'll save those for later

I am currently looking at a cruise on Explorer of the Seas. Aft cabins on deck 6 are open, which could be a good thing. Anyone who has stayed in 6692, 6394 or 6392 - I realize the view won't be as good since it is closer to the water, but what is the noise level like? It appears to be over the galley area (deck map shows dining room, but I know the galley is behind the dining room). Please share your experience. Probably is the same on all the voyager class, so weigh in if you have experience with this class and these cabins on deck 6. Thanks!

I have sailed with NCL, Celebrity, Princess and Royal. Most of my cruises have been with Royal. Of the four lines, I currently prefer Princess. The service and amenities remind me more of what Royal used to be like. Celebrity was ok, but I was not real impressed. Years ago Royal competed with Princess and Celebrity for what I consider to be the mid tier cruising crowd. Once Royal bought Celebrity, they slowly began to adjust downward to compete with Carnival and NCL. It makes business sense to go after a new market than to compete with yourself (Celebrity). Now they offer three types of service. A lot like the hotel industry. Royal on the bottom, Celebrity mid range and Azumara for top tier. Royal does offer star class, etc on the biggest ships to garner the market that wants Azumara service and amenities, but also wants the adventure of the flow riders, rock climbing, sky diving, etc. My next cruise is on Princess, but I'm sure we'll be back on some Royal cruises soon. Sometimes I wish I could just turn back the clock

I doubt it. I suspect the RC IT department is fully capable of screwing things without any help from Guatemala.

I agree. They have had plenty of practice.

How old are they? What are they interested in?

Sounds great. My 92 year old father loves a cup of coffee now and then. A coffee machine, using real grounds, sounds great. Thank you for the additional information. This will be our fourth Princess cruise, and we are looking forward to it!

Does the Royal Princess have sit down restaurant open on boarding day like the Coral does? Is the Wheelhouse Bar just a bar, like on the Coral, or does it serve pub grub on sea days. Also, any dining tips or "do not miss" on this ship would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Thank you everybody for your help. Thank you Reedprincess for the information. If the clearance between the foot of the bed and the wall is the same, we're better off close to the balcony.

Yes, they are all taken

We are planning a cruise with my parents, who are 92, on the Royal Princess in November. My father uses a walker. I am trying to decide if the regular balconies near the elevators (mid-ship) allow enough room for him to get his walker around the bed and out to the balcony. Several cabins down, there are deluxe balconies for just a few hundred dollars more. Even though they have more square footage, I don't know if they allow more clearance for the walker at the bottom of the bed. It would be ashame to pay the extra money and be further from the elevators if getting around the cabin were still a problem. If you have stayed in these cabins, your input would be very helpful.

As an aside, we stayed in a Royal Family Suite on Rhapsody of the Seas, and he could not get his walker around the bottom of the bed. I know it's another cruise line, but we don't want to repeat that experience.

Special thanks to Mysticks1 on the Celebrity Cruises forum for this idea. I would like to begin to assemble one for Royal Caribbean.

 

To the moderators, I would appreciate if we could make this a "sticky" at the top of the page for all to see.

 

Every week or two I will post a PDF for all the ships and cabin information compiled here.

 

Please, refrain from posting cabin questions here so this can purely be an informative thread, especially for those that are first time cruisers or seasoned cruisers looking for a great cabin.

 

The template is as follows:

 

Ship -Rhapsody

Deck - 7

Stateroom # - 7102

Stateroom Category – Royal Family Suite

Starboard or Port Side -

Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –

Yes

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? -

No

 

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – no obstructions. Located on the side mid-ship

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -

VERY undersized, smaller than average size balcony for a regular balcony class cabin

Was wind a problem? -

No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? -master bath has a low ceiling, but hallway bath ok. Shower curtain did not cling. Comes with coffee pot and tea kettle, however it does not come with an outlet to plug them into. You can move the tray that the kettle is attached to to the hall vanity, but then you lose that area to do anything else .

Any other comments? -

Thank you very much for the link and the correct e-mail address (dining)

We will be on Rhapsody soon and I need help contact dining and diamond concierge (one of our party has mobility issues). We want to get a table that is easily accessible as well as excursions that are too.

is dining.rh@rccl the correct address?

What's being done to Rhapsody this December?? We will be sailing on her in February and are wondering. Anyone know anything?

We have not been on Liberty, but have had a family suite Aft on Freedom. If you have the Aft suite, you will love the extra large balcony. My daughter and son slept in the living room, my son-in-law's mother and my granddaughter slept in bedroom #2, and my husband and I took the Master Bedroom (celebrating his retirement). We had plenty of space. The two bathrooms really helped out. Master had a tub/shower combo for the granddaughter and other bathroom had a walk in shower for my son-in-laws mother. Everyone was happy. Breakfast on the balcony is great (but watch out for seagulls - don't leave food unattended). You can order off an expanded menu - based on what the main dining room is offering. Enjoyed at sea lunch on the balcony a few days. Nothing prevents you from grabbing something at the windjammer and bringing it down either. This works out great for kids. Three TV's - kids can watch cartoons while waiting or you can check out a kids DVD from the Concierge if you want to. My granddaughter, who was 4, liked this better than waiting in line for food. She could watch TV and eat when the food came (and lucky us, go down for a nap afterwards)so as not to turn into a crank later.) Another benefit - kids can sleep in one room while adult(s) watch TV or sit on the balcony (sipping wine). We brought a baby monitor with to use when we did this.

With your "gold" room key, you have the golden ticket. You can go to the ice show and production shows knowing you have reserved seats up until 10 minutes before show time. No whining about having to sit there for a half hour to get good seats. All kinds of extra goodies come with this card. We recently had two family suites on Enchantment. Brought the 5 grandkids in before dinner for happy hour. They were good as gold. Had Shirley Temples, nibbled on "snacks" and felt grown up and special. They also liked priority tending to Coco Cay. Enjoy the suite. It's like having an apartment!

We did a partial transit of the canal last year on the Coral Princess and would recommend a balcony room. If C & A not a deciding factor, Princess is very nice. Reminds me of how RCI was 10-15 years ago. We enjoyed our trip (and balcony) very much. I'm sure Royal has stopped the Panama cruises because of the cost involved.

My husband and I really like the sugar train excursion. What a beautiful way to see the island and the beaches! Worth every penny spent.

Frankly I have no clue why I should care about the person who washes my towels since I have no clue if he is doing good or bad job. Tip is a tip for good service and I would like to see the service before I tip.

 

I do auto-tip and that's it. Nothing more since it has been pre-decided by the cruise line to be like that. Why cannot that 100usd per week be straightforwardly added to the cost like taxes and port fees, is beyond my comprehension. It would make everybody's life so much easier. That's how it is done in most European counties and we can live (and cruise) with this system. Our servers and waiters live with their wages and we still can afford to eat in restaurants and get served.

 

 

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I agree with you. It should be included in the cruise price and listed in the billing. I believe they just do it the way it is done to make the cruise price seem cheaper that it is. I also see this deceptive practice when they list the cruise price and then add "plus port tax and other fees". Please give me the total amount up front. Don't play games with me. Include all taxes, fees and gratuities -- that is the true cost of the cruise.

Now I know we can get a better pizza than the one served on the lido deck. It's nice to hear that people like this ship

Thank you for the information. I've only been on two Princess cruises, so I'm kind of a Princess newbie in some ways. I am looking forward to this cruise. Most of my cruises have been on Royal and I enjoy her smaller ships that appear to be about the same size as Coral. All of my Princess Cruise experiences have been very positive. I enjoyed my Alaskan cruise tour several years ago on Diamond and a lovely 10 day on Ruby when she was the newest ship in the collection. I know the cruise into the Panama Canal will be wonderful based on past experiences. I see you've sailed Coral a couple of times, and I know from experience that I only sail more than once on ships I like.

I have just looked at the patters for the Princess Coral Panama canal cruises, and I did not notice the Wheelhouse mentioned as a place for food. Does this ship offer a pub style meal like the Ruby Princess does/did?? Also, we will be on the April 15th sailing -- any good tips for us?

Any good excursions for seniors that require little or no walking?

Anyone familiar with this ship who is willing to share some tips, suggestions, or secrets? I really would welcome some advise. This is a bucket list trip for my 90 year old father (and mother).

Thank you in advance. Cruise Critic people always are so helpful

We have sailed on Royal many times (Diamond +) We have experienced soot a few times, but not too often. It is worth the gamble. Instead of a standard size balcony, you have a "patio" with enough room for two regular chairs and two loungers. Our favorite cabins are in the aft facing the ocean. They tend to be quieter (no foot traffic) also. Have not done Oasis class, but have been on all of the others. If you post questions on Royal's area, people will help you pick out a nice aft cabin.

Under $200 if possible. Mid range hotel. Not a Day's inn or Motel 6 or a top tier hotel. I want parking if possible with a shuttle both ways. Something without stairs, and if possible, includes a breakfast. Would go up to $250. Have seen some over $300 who charge and additional $100 for parking and charge for a one way shuttle. Don't want to pay $400-500 to stay a night, park and shuttle. Guess I'm spoiled, because I usually sail out of Port Canaveral.