tml1230

For the record… years ago i resisted as long as could when our company went to the then ridiculed and absurd concept of "direct deposit" idea…

Prior to that i resisted giving up a "real" paper US Savings bonds …

Then all those airlines started talking about "e-tickets"…thought that would never work! Now people use their iPhones to board an aircraft, are you kidding me??

Final thought…it took me until last year…when pulling money out of my own banks ATM to say "no i don't want a receipt"…thats living on the edge.

We also have a forward facing balcony for Nov 10.........pictures please.

 

Are you on Lido or marina?

 

We also have a TA booked for next spring so would love to get your input when you return.

 

 

Have a wonderful rest of the cruise.

i will post some pics after we unpack….we were in a lido forward facing and really enjoyed it. we could have played basketball out on it!

we also found the elevators for these rooms were easier to access and didn't have the huge crowds trying to get on like the central ship elevators do….

the wind wasn't a problem for us except for a couple days and those days nobody would have enjoyed a balcony anywhere on the ship….

We are boarding Royal October 11. Couple of ??'s. Is the Curtis Stone menu in effect? After hearing of new line management for IC, how is it working out? Any Noro breakouts? Still have Buy one get one for $1 drinks still happening? What movies are showing on MUTS?

Thanking you in advance for your answers!

Curtis stone menu wasn't in effect…IC food and staff was very good…no Noro outbreaks we are aware of... …but the sinus/ flu/ coughing and hacking by at least half the passengers was very noticeable…after about a week it caught up with my wife and i too…and we are VERY careful about the hygiene….talking to other folks doing a B2B before this transatlantic, said passengers were really suffering on that cruise….fortunately we had plenty of dayquil and nightquil.

really outstanding staff and best buffet meals we have had in years..

we wouldn't do the Royal again due to the ship layout , we favor a promenade deck, more covered pool decks areas, and a "real" wheel house bar….but are glad we did it once.

we were scheduled for a 7:00 early walk off and were off the ship in the first group by 7:15….great cruise and even better staff on board….. even with half the passengers hacking and coughing for 15 days….least it wasn't moro this time!

we about half way across the Atlantic….been a great cruise….ocean is very laid down, its warming up and life is good…our first time on Royal….GREAT ship, GREAT food, and as usual OUTSTANDING crew…..we don't like the layout as well as grand class ships and have a hard time finding a shady or quiet spot…our forward facing balcony is really special…..we envy anybody embarking next week.

PS: only the usual small number of self absorbed folks who can always find things to complain about.

female 59- gave up formal during the clinton administration.

male 62- couldn't care less what others are wearing, much more concerned about spilling beer on my tommy bahama shirt in the wheelhouse bar. Never had a dinner ruined by looking at some under dressed fellow patron.

Actually, (true story) we did have one guy ,very smartly dressed in a tux ,sitting at the next table on the grand princess. He broke wind for 4 seconds straight. Even tho he was in a tux and wore a rolex, the aroma was similar to what i experienced once in the mens room at Atlanta airport.

But this thread was about the MDR on formal night. There are NO RULES as to what people are to wear around the ship on formal night. There are NO "smart casual" rules about how one is to dress around the ship. Some people like to go to MUTS or other venues in the evening after dinner. Do you expect them to go in their formal wear?

GREAT post. It was worth copying and repeating.

Thanks for asking…you beat to it…we board on 9/6

the last 3-4 times we have used US mail….about a week later i check the personalizer and it its right there……thats about the only time i ever use a postage stamp these days but i understand the princess policy on the issue…good luck!

Contrary to popular believe, Brits do like to chat. We just don't want to know your life story in the first five minutes of talking to you...

Absolutely Correct…i could not have said it better, and heck, i am from florida!

We use the 2" packing tape. Just fold the luggage tags and run a long piece to cover the length with enough left over to fold under on the ends. Makes a strong tag. We take a small roll with us and tape the ends once we run it through our luggage handle.

Same here, PERFECT solution.

Read a conspiracy theory on another site...

Princess is running this promotion which doesn't begin until May 2016, because that is when many/most of their drinks will be $10.50 or above, due to a planned rate hike. Anyone know any truth to this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

if you read it on the internet it MUST be true.

Like the others have said, some days, maybe even most, you will make it, but some days you will miss it. Usually the flights out are booked, so you will have difficulty finding another flight that day. If you miss it, you will probably spend the day at the airport hoping to get on a flight.

Very well said!

really great ideas in above posts…i may have missed it above but nobody should be without a small flashlight and a small roll of duct tape on a long cruise, or short ones for that matter.

PS: in the south pacific, Patricks tour is the best of the best…EVER! don't miss it.

And up to 45 days before the cruise you can take advantage of any price drop you find. Can't do that with the airlines.

we recently used EZ air for the first time for an upcoming transatlantic….WOW was the price good!…plus as caribill says...we watched / tracked the EZair costs on-line and with a simple call to princess got it reduced another $90…Heck they are almost paying ME to fly to London!

Tracey, thanks much for the reasonable, fact based post. I hope your feeling better

Shogun, Our experiences with Princess regarding these outbreaks mirrors yours.

Finally they are cleaning the cabins. Thank god. I hope this will resolve the medical issues. Hope all are safe. We are hearing horror stories from friends we made when they were traveling back. Really it's a shame princess was so unprepared to handel this. I will never cruise on them again and my parents who are Platnium will never do another one of their cruises. It's about customer service and compassion when dealing with so many ill people and they had none. I have held back on sharing some because I want to repeat the privacy of those who like me were treated in a inhuman manner.

Can you advise when you were on the Royal? recently?

Captain just announced code red is continuing and additional disinfection will be done in all staterooms and public rooms tomorrow while we are in Belfast. We are to put all personal items away and vacate the cabin as soon as possible in the morning to enable the deep cleaning.

thanks for the latest info and please stay well!

Some people like to get things done ahead of time. Some people, myself included, prefer not to try and write while standing in line or to stand at a table writing when I could be moving forward in a moving line and would rather write down the date, ship name, port, name and sign the form ahead of time to get it out of the way. Then I can put my eBoarding pass and health form on the photo page of my passport and all my documentation is in one place and all I have to do is hand the passport to the security person and the check-in person and they've got everything they need. To me, that is easier and quicker for all involved.

 

That's why I do it the way I do, because it works for me. That you disagree and believe it's a waste of time is fine. Everybody does things in their own way and at the end of the day, everybody goes on their cruise happy. Hopefully, anyway! :)

 

Tom

Tom, your response makes perfect sense to me…i just printed some out for next US departure, but probably be a different form when we embark in Southampton next month…thanks!

As we will be boarding in a few weeks in Southampton, all of the posts from folks onboard are very interesting to me, and i am sure many others who soon to cruise on the Royal…..Safe journey to all of you.

Captain just announced several cases of gastro illness so code red will continue until further notice.

We are now setting sail for Dublin but Captain advises it will a bumpy ride tonight.

Thanks for the updates, Have a safe cruise

Trip to Cobh was a bit choppy but not too bad. There have been no announcements.

Glad you're having a good cruise! any update on the NORO outbreak and ship,s delayed departure from Southampton this weekend? thanks in advance

good luck, have a safe cruise and please if possible give us an update on how it went...

we did it all on-line through scott trade and it was very simple process..think it cost $6…i see many banks offering similar option. Good luck

On a Cruise we traveled with our friends, In the Dining Room someone at a nearby table was berating a waiter about his drink and using some not so polite language. Our friend who is African American, retired US Army Special Forces officer just leaned over ans asked the man to please lower his voice as he was disturbing those around him. That was the last time we saw them in the dining room.

 

We also found out the obvious that if you accept and respect the staff as people and professionals then they will go out of their way to make your cruise a vacation to be enjoyed and remembered.

 

One such time we were trying to get back to the tenders in Grand Cayman, anyone who has been there when up to 6 large ships are in knows how chaotic it can be. Our waiter spotted us and escorted us to the head of our tender Line and saw to it that the tender crew got us aboard the next tender, ahead of the huge line behind us. We sent a commendation letter after the cruise and got a thank you from him, and noting that he got a cash reward for the letter. Overall I know that we made a friend with him that cruise and I hopes he cherishes our meeting as we cherish him.

Ok..i gotta ask and will probably regret it…" escorted us to the head of the tender line" …."ahead of the huge line behind us" isn't that cutting in line? which may qualify as rude behavior? Also trying to figure out what the ethnicity of the retired officer has to with your example.