San10s

Both Taste & Savor are open for lunch when you board.

We drove from the Foxwoods Casino in CT a few weeks ago on Sunday, 10/08. We left the hotel at 6 AM thinking it might take 3 hours to get there if there was any traffic. We planned on parking at the pier so did not want to be arriving too late as there is limited parking.

I joined the Merritt Parkway in Milford CT and also went to the Cross County Parkway and onto the Henry Hudson Parkway. With one stop on the way, we were pulling into the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Parking lot at 8:20 AM! Although you might have more early birds on the roadways than we did due to Christmas, many of those folks will leave on Friday and / or Saturday. If it takes you more than 1.5 hours I would be shocked! The parkways were awesome .....no 18 wheelers to deal with!!

Have a great cruise! :)

Bring your wire hangers. (y) I like to hang up all of our shirts, dresses, pants and shorts. It helps to unwrinkle the clothing after being packed and helps keep the wrinkles out.

As for those worried about the extra work for your cabin steward, the hangers are happily sent to the ship's passenger laundry service area, if they are in good condition. Have you ever noticed all the different hangers your clothes come back on from being laundered.?

I've heard many a horror story of how people leave their cabins on debarkation day from our stewards over many cruises. A few left behind hangers (leave them all together in the closet) will not bother a cabin steward! :D

Do I really need to put a PIN on my credit card??? :confused:

I'm about to leave for a 14 day Baltic Cruise on the Emerald Princess. I have 2credit cards that I am bringing and both are chipped cards (& no foreign transaction fees) but do not have associated PINs.

I had researched a couple of months ago whether or not to have one of them with a PIN. After reading many points of view, it seemed pretty split on the subject. So now I am checking in one more time to see if anyone has recently returned from the Baltics with any new insight.

Thank you in advance! :D

OMG! You have me laughing with tears in my eyes! :D I love your attitude...and sense of humor! :D

Thanks ccrain for your 'Live" thread and all the fabulous information. :D I hope your Judy continues to recover at a rapid pace so she's ready for the next cruise.

I also am hoping for a little warmer / better weather than you experienced but will be prepared for the same weather. I'm hoping that a month later than your cruise brings about temps in the high 60's and even some 70's! ;)

So happy to be able to read your 'Live' reports from the Emerald. I am already putting our clothes and things to get ready to head to the Emerald for the July 9th sailing. We are also on Alla's tours in Russia and Poland so I loved the details you have included. I did get your takeaway about the short time of shopping in Russia....so I will have to make quick decisions on souvenirs for the grandkids! :D

A couple of questions:

* The weather seems cool in each port and I am packing for layers. How is the temperature on board? Are you finding you need a light sweater on board or is it warm enough to bring sleeveless dresses and tops for women?

* As of now, I haven't booked a tour in Sweden. Would you do the same tour again or would you go off on your own?

Thanks again for your posts! :D Our excitement for this cruise is building with each day....and post!

Thank you for doing your "Live From" thread while on the Emerald Princess! :) My husband & I will be boarding the Emerald for the same itinerary in 5 weeks on July 9th. I hope you have smooth sailing for your cruises! :D

I just posted a review of our day in Tallinn, Estonia. It's a delightful little city and very easy to do on your own and in one day. Tallinn was the last stop on our Baltic cruise before disembarking in Stockholm and turned out to be a real charmer!

 

http://www.themodernpostcard.com/?p=912

 

Mary

Travel Blog: http://www.themodernpostcard.com

Thank you for sharing your Travel Blog Mary! :) I really enjoyed reading it all. We will be in Tallin on July 18th and had planned to tour on our own. We will spend plenty of time in other ports on organized tours. Your photos and info will help us plan our day! :D

We have dined many times at the Crown Grill but do feel the quality in beef and service have disintegrated in recent years. :rolleyes: Most recently, we dined at the Crown Grill on three occasions between the Royal and Regal in the past 6 months. The service was less than wonderful with lots of requests having to be made more than once (additional butter, a missing side dish, more water...no one should have to ask for more water!, etc.) each of the visits. What happened to the top notch waiters that used to be in these specialty venues???

When dining with our friends on Valentines Day, a medium rare fillet was served to my friend completely well done....no pink to be found anywhere.

The rest of us had our meals in front of us and although trying to eat slowly, we were completely done with our meals before she received her 'more closely to medium rare' steak. When her steak was finally served, all the sides that were served to her originally were cold of course. You would think the waiter would know enough to remove them and bring her fresh, HOT sides! When she asked for new sides, the waiter was visibly irritated.

When the CG host came by and asked how things were, we let him know the meal and service was disappointing at best. He apologized and then disappeared. That was it! We still paid the $25.00 pp. We weren't even offered an after dinner drink (although I don't drink) to try and make things right. :mad: At minimum, her meal should have been removed from the bill.

After 20 cruises with Princess and many, many extra dollars spent for specialty dining along with other extras, we will no longer contribute to poor quality, poor service or over-priced 'extras' on board. We will now stick with the Dining Room & Buffet for our meals. :)

I always use a lanyard. :D I rarely have a pocket in my pants or sundress. It is probably less an issue for men as they always have a pocket! I also found a plastic sleeve to add to the lanyard for my coffee card so both items are on my person at all times.

I cannot begin to count over all our cruises how many cruise cards we have picked up off the decks or seen left behind when people leave bars, the theater, the pool area, etc.

I suggest that you tuck your lanyard beneath your clothing once of the ship. I also do not use the Princess bag on shore.

Second- If I book a balcony and my best friend books a balcony next door, can they open the separator between the two balconies creating one?

Yes....the balcony partitions can be opened up between cabins by your cabin steward. Only once have I run into a partition that couldn't be opened due to the structure of the ship.

Anyone with actual experience (and pictures would be nice) with either of these two cabins on either Royal or Regal?

 

Just got one of these assigned from a GTY IA booking.

I would look forward to the extra space since it appears Princess did not need all of the HC cabins.

Hello steelers36!

I too booked an IA guarantee and got assigned D422 on the Royal. On the list it says it is 175 sq. ft. but on the deck diagram it looks considerably larger! I haven't looked for pictures yet but I like the location right there on Deck 9 and right next to the central elevators!

Did you end up with this cabin and if so, what can you tell me about it?

We needed the beds in twin configuration so that is fine with us.

Thanks for any insight! :D

I have a VERY secret offering on the Royal that actually brought on some confusion and frustration. I also must add that nothing ever spoils a cruise...I always keep in mind how fortunate I / we are to be able to be on a ship enjoying life! I also always remember that the wonderful staff working at these locations on board are not the ones making decisions so I never treat them with anything but full respect....and good humor! :D

On to the ' on the down low' information....

At the Gelateria, the offerings as described on Princess.com are "fresh gelato, sundaes, waffle cones and more". I had read on CC that on the Royal, they served Crepes there as well. I just love a good Crepe! Getting one however is not easy! :(

The first time I tried for a Crepe after returning from port, I was told that Crepes were only offered between 2 PM - 4 PM. The following port day, I went during the Crepe hours only to be told that it was only done on Sea Days! Ugh! I asked the young man working why this wasn't in writing anywhere and why it was such a small time that they were available. He stated they don't want to make a lot of them! :) .....and they certainly were not! LOL!

I looked at the menu and there is nothing stating ANY of this information. I also looked in the Patters accumulated for the week. Nothing noting any of the specifics was in print....anywhere.....not even anywhere at the Gelato Shop itself!

So on the following Sea Day between 2 PM - 4 PM, I finally was able to enjoy a Crepe.

I believe that the cost for a small but delicious Crepe was $2.75. On the menu there were 4 or 5 Crepes listed. The young man that would be making my Crepe also told me he could make anything I asked...if he had the ingredients. I enjoyed a banana with hot fudge Crepe topped with a caramel sauce and whipped cream! YUM!

I have a few sea days coming up on the Royal starting on March 23rd. I plan on trying to have a Crepe on those days! ;) :D

Although the frozen mocktails can be refreshing, especially once in the warmer Caribbean, sometimes I like a tasty cold drink with ice. :D On another post on CC, someone was kind enough to share a link to many cocktails (and virgin) and mocktails. :D

Here are three I found that I intend on trying on my upcoming cruise: :D

Bora Bora Cocktail (Virgin)

1/2 part Grenadine

1/2 part Lime Juice

3 Parts Pineapple Juice

3 Parts Gingerale

w/ Ice

Cranberry Cooler

1 Part Lemon Juice

4 Parts Cranberry Juice

2 Parts Apple Juice

1 Part Soda Water

w/ Ice

Fruit Punch Cooler

2 Parts Orange Juice

1 Part Pineapple Juice

2 Parts Cranberry Juice

1 Part Soda Water

w/Ice

The following link will whisk you to a shared Zip file of Princess cocktails plus to satisfy even the most discerning of tastes.

 

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A5FDF5163311837!26026&authkey=!AFxhIAtdmOAgB78&ithint=file%2czip

 

After downloading the zip file and extracting its contents, We’d suggest using MS Office Word to create a business card or another program capable Avery Clean Edge Business Card 8871 to cut & paste the PNG graphic cards to print.

Comments welcomed.

carstensens - Enjoy your 25th Princess Cruise! :D

Thank you for sharing your file of cocktails. I wish I had these when I cruised and bought a Beverage Card! I could have asked for any & all of the non-alcoholic selections! I am leaving on the Royal 4 days after you set sail....and I plan on ordering a couple of these! :D

I would love to see Princess add the menus for both lunches and dinners in the Dining Room to the Princess@Sea App! I really enjoy using the App but it could certainly be expanded to some other items such as menus that are in place for your week of cruising.

If they were on the App, it would really help with planning! :D

Great photos! Thanks for sharing them! :D

We were on the February 8th - 15th Royal 7 day cruise just a few short weeks ago. We had cabin E511, Deluxe Balcony (obstructed on Deck 8) . The cabins on the starboard side are really over the walking and sitting areas of Deck 7 and not over the Wheelhouse Lounge or Restaurant areas.

What we liked about our cabin was that the Life Boat type that was in front of our balcony only came up about 8 inches compared to the larger life boats that obscured more of your view. If you look at a diagram, you can see there are different types of life boats diagramed on there. We also didn't have the BIG mechanical lift equipment in our view.

As for noise, I have to say it was extremely quiet. :D Looking at the cabins you mentioned, if it were me, I would choose E615....but I prefer to be towards the aft stairs / elevators. That cabin is also not near any of the thresholds in the hallway where fire doors are. Therefore you will not hear all the housekeeping and room service carts bumping over them early in the morning or late at night. ;)

I also like being in a reasonable proximity to the Laundry Room as I tend to iron clothing as needed! :rolleyes: :D

Although I recently cruised on the Royal Princess, I never thought to try buying two cans of soda during the BOGO for $1 promotions.

Has anyone tried to do this? :cool:

Thanks!

A couple of weeks ago on the Royal, I asked for a top sheet. I asked that it be left folded on the bed as my hubby likes the duvet. I like having a sheet to throw over me....with the AC on MAX. Instead of a flat sheet, I received a duvet cover! :eek: There must be a shortage of flat sheets available! ;)

I have booked an IA Guarantee Cabin on a 10 day Royal Princess cruise. The cabin is a Casino Rate (Free) cabin. I am also an Elite with Princess.

Anyone have thoughts on whether I might be offered an upgrade (free or with some cost)? Has it happened to you?

Will the 'offers' go to the paying customers first instead of a complimentary cabin?

I'm prepared to be in the inside cabin, of course. I actually am looking forward to trying an inside but I also would consider upgrading with a reasonable offer.

Thanks for any insight. :D

We were on the Regal for a 10 Day repositioning cruise to Port Everglades in October and then two weeks ago were boarding the Royal for a 10 day cruise. On the 10 day, we used the MDR 3 times for breakfast, 4 times for lunch (embarkation day lunch is a great start to a cruise!) and 4 times for dinner. On the 7 day cruise, we went to the MDR for 3 breakfast, 3 lunch and 2 dinners (and 1 at the Crown). We did not go to the MDR on any of the Formal Nights on either cruise. We have gotten away from the Formal night dinners after 29 cruises.

While both ships are almost identical, I can say the Horizon Court and International Café were more than slightly different. Maybe it was due to the difference in the number of days on board but I think it may be due to the Executive Chef and his top Chefs choices.

We really loved the HC for dinner on the Regal (10 day). Every night there was a Chef at a fresh cooked pasta 'station'. They were always wonderful!

There were many themed nights. One of my favorite nights was when you would take a bowl, fill it with all the veggies, noodles or rice choices, meats and sauces in which you wanted the Chef to stir-fry up for you while you waited. I was so looking forward to that offering on the Royal, but it never took place.

On another night they had an International night with food choices from at least 12 - 15 countries. It was fabulous. Again, it did not take place on the Royal. Only 1 night out of 7 did they offer Salmon in the HC on the Royal....it was fabulous. On the Regal, Salmon was served at least 4 times.

In the IC, the Royal seemed to have far more different salads throughout the 7 days. Unfortunately that meant I only got my favorite Chicken Salad the one time they had it available. :mad:

I like the MDR for portion control....and also for the Fettuccini Alfredo and the Soufflés! ;) The MDR at lunch is a nice, quiet place to relax for a quickly served meal. You're not there for hours!

In summary, the Chefs put their own touches on each ship, there are always plenty of choices wherever you decide to dine and no one should ever go hungry on a cruise! :D

On both the Regal and the Royal, the washers and dryers use tokens. You must buy the tokens (with your cruise card) for $3.00 each from an automated machine on the wall. In most stores where there are sections for Travel Items (Target, Wal-Mart), buy a package or two of laundry detergent for $1.00 if you prefer to use a liquid detergent. Place them in a Ziploc bag in case of leakage. I always pack a small baggie of dryer sheets to bring as well.

:D :) :D

This will be our first time on Princess (Royal) when Mardi Gras occurs (Tuesday, 2/9). :D

Does Princess celebrate with any activities? It will most likely be our first formal night that same night as we board on Monday.

I certainly want to be prepared with beads and a fun mask if they do have a celebration! ;)