DougandEric

I just filled out my application two weeks ago and yesterday got approved for the interview. When I checked the schedule for the Tampa location, the earliest interview was mid September. Make sure to schedule your appointment as soon as you are notified. I'm wondering how long it will take to get the card or will I get it during the interview?

Fix:

 

Princess now works on my Firefox. I turned off Hardware Acceleration.

 

Go to Menu / Options / Advanced / UnCheck "Use Hardware Acceleration"

 

Restart Firefox.

 

Good luck. I hope it works for you, too.

 

Hopefully Princess and/or Mozilla will change whatever caused the conflict.

It worked for me also. I'd updated all my plugin's which didn't help. It worked if I started in safe mode which indicates the issue is with at least one of the plugins or settings.

I've stayed at the Captain Cook twice and to me it's not that special. The decor is harvest gold and dark brown and not that really appealing to me. Stayed there back in 89 and again 3 years ago - still looked the same to me. I think I'd prefer the Hilton.

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I don't know if that would fit in the ships outlet anyway - the outlet is usually recessed in a circular depression if that makes sense. A standard plug would work.

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This smells like a troll - don't feed it.

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I've not attendee the last few Princess get together because they weren't convient for us. We have in the past and I think it's a good idea.

We had a plaza deck outside on the Sapphire Princess in Alaska and it was great. I would see about one of the rooms on starboard side P301-P337 since those would be under the suites on Fiesta deck so would be quiet.

We've eaten at L'Opera a couple of times and enjoyed it very much. We'll be back in Long Beach in November and plan to eat there again. I do have to agree about Parker's Lighthouse - very mediocre to our taste. Chains are chains and are usually consistent which is their claim to fame. A chain restaurant may be what you're after if you don't have the one you want to eat at in your home town.

If you're looking for a breakfast place, we like the Long Beach Cafe but be aware, the portions are large but very good coffee. We also want to try George's Greek Cafe for lunch.

I was going to comment on the weight as well. More stuff = more weight.

The cruise line would never ask or assume someone's orientation. Your best bet would be to sign up for the line's 'anytime dining' option then attend the GLBT get together. If you meet someone you like ask if they want to dine with you.

We're platinum on Princess and have enjoyed every cruise we've taken with them. They have LGBT meet ups every sea day (usually only the first one is hosted) and it's listed in the Princess Patters (daily paper). We've never had any issue being a gay couple from any of the staff - passengers can be a different manner but we've not experienced anything worth mentioning.

We've sailed on the Golden Princess (Hawaii), Diamond Princess (Hawaii), Sapphire Princess (Alaska), Pacific Princess(Tahiti) and Royal Princess(Caribbean). We find the food to be very good to excellent on Princess and were very impressed with the much larger buffet/bistro set up on the Royal we were on over Thanksgiving 2015. We don't usually attend the entertain in the evenings so can't really comment on that but most people enjoy it. We tend to read/walk/nap and attend lectures more than see the shows or lay in the sun. Cocktails and dinner are our main events in the evenings.

We've done a couple of transatlantic cruises before. The first was on the QE2 of happy memory (London to NY) and the 2nd was on the Celebrity Equinox (Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale). We love the sea days and sailing from Europe to the US is great because you gain time over the length of the cruise making your days longer and longer (vs shorter and shorter sailing to Europe).

Let me know if you have specific questions but I hope this helps.

Doug

It's the one in front of Marina Jacks right?

Hi guys,

We too are a gay couple (53 and 67) and just got back from a cruise on the Royal Princess over Thanksgiving that stopped at Aruba and Bonaire. We've not sailed RCL before but have sailed Princess (Platinum members), HAL, Cunard and several others.

I think some of the best snorkeling will be in the ABC's (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). We snorkeled in both Aruba and Bonaire and had a great time. Bonaire is noted for it's snorkeling. We also had a great time snorkeling in St. Thomas if that is on the itinerary. All our excursions were done through Princess but I know that there lots of highly rated tours available privately (check out trip advisor dot com) - we just didn't want to deal with organizing it this trip.

We've not sailed on the Caribbean Princess before but have on Diamond, Golden, Sapphire and Pacific. We also think the food is good on Princess and we've always had great service as well.

Which ever you decide on, sign up with the roll call for that trip. We've been able to join in on private tours that someone in the roll call had organized and it worked out great - some you may pay the person who organized it when you board and others you may pay the tour company directly.

If you have any questions about the tours we did, just let me know and I'll get you the information.

Doug

On the Royal, I got signal even out on the balcony with the door closed - very impressed. Speed was great as well even in the Princess@Sea which uses free WiFi. We were in R108 close to the bridge but I don't remember an access point near our room.

We were on the Royal 11/20 sailing. When we arrived (10:45AM), we were told by ground personnel that we had to stand in the huge long line. We hadn't sailed Princess from Ft. Lauderdale (Pier 2) before so didn't know any different. About 45 minutes later, someone in front of us start raising a ruckus about the line and another ground person said we were in the wrong line (the first person said priority people had to be in the line we were in)! The priority boarding line (suites, elite, platinum) is on the right hand side (there are 2 entrances - priority and non-priority - take a walk up to the entrance and see what's going on) - we could have gotten in and been on the ship without the wait had we known that. There was no one in that line when we were finally directed there but about 300 people in the other line! We were on the ship within 15 minutes after getting into the correct line. I did mention this on the survey after the cruise!

Doug

We were also on this cruise. I never experienced any issue with the dining room/other dining venue service anywhere (other than mentioned below). We ate in Alfredo's after boarding and got excellent service. I think we were only one of 3 tables for the first 30 minutes we were there (1:00PM or so). They did try to sell us the $40 per person wine tasting the next day but any more, that's to be expected - you just say you aren't interested and move on.

The first night we tried to get into Symphony (AT dining) about 8:15PM without a reservation and were told we had to wait up to 30 minutes and were given a pager. The rather condescending explanation was that the dining room was AT all the time while Concerto was AT after 7:30PM so had lots of seating available after 7:30PM. Someone ahead of us said the Concerto was seating all that arrived immediately without a reservation. On every other Princess ship, we were told we didn't need to make a reservation after 7:30PM as there would be plenty of seating available (we usually eat after 7:30PM anyway at home) as the majority of passengers like to eat early. We took the pager, went to the Wheelhouse and by the time the drinks arrived, the pager was going off (maybe 10 minutes). There were lots of empty seats when we were seated although they could have been for reservations). The service was fine but we didn't care for the woman handing out the pagers and decided to go to Concerto the next night (we entered on the port side of Symphony). We had a fantastic waiter in Concerto and the next night (no reservation, no wait and they couldn't be happier we came there slightly before 8PM!). We went every night to Concerto thereafter without a reservation, asked for the same waiter (Prasad and Peter - tables 303/305/307) and were seated immediately. After the 2nd time, they just escorted us to the tables without asking any questions (we had a reserved table without a reservation!). We went in on the starboard side every night.

I did try the Curtis Stone options a couple of times (the flank steak and the pork tenderloin - I don't like fish so didn't try the Mahi). Both had nice flavors but the flank, although pink, was tough and the pork was just overcooked. I really don't order pork tenderloin out any more because it is almost always cooked to death. The always available options were Caribbean Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad and Country Chicken as well as fettuccine Alfredo. We were offered a couple of special pasta/dessert items not on the menu by our waiter that the maître d'hôtel was making in the dining room but were stuffed so didn't take the offer. Concerto was never full any night while we were there either entering or leaving. I liked the Biedermeier look of the walls with the polished paneling with glossy black trim.

The other odd thing that happened the first night was that we went to Crooners before dinner (7:15PM or so) and I ordered my usual drink, a rusty nail made with Johnnie Walker Red. The waiter took the order but when it finally arrived, he went into this long winded explanation of how it had to be made elsewhere because they didn't have Johnnie Walker Red on the bar and that in the future it would be made with the well brand they had (I think NOT). That turned me off immediately and after getting the pager from the Symphony hag (I really don't like being talked down to!), we went to the Wheelhouse and I got another one made to order no questions asked - as I did every night thereafter. I could have made a stink but didn't feel like getting into it. This is the first Princess ship I've ever had something that happen. We never had another drink in Crooners again. Depending on the ship, we either inhabit Crooner's or Wheelhouse. Crooner's is usually good for people watching but on this ship, Wheelhouse was great because you got to see the early seating people coming from the Adagio dining room and the late seating people going to the dining room. Steve on the piano was great (not the best singer) and it suited us. Our waitress was also great and she knew our names and drinks after the first night.

Something else that happened was that the husband wanted a cold coffee drink one day after a tour (snorkeling makes you thirsty!) - something like an iced espresso or cappuccino. We were in an elevator (horrible elevator service on this ship by the way!) and were talking about where to get one and a lady said we could get one in the Horizon Court. We went up there but were told they could only make hot drinks and that the IC could make it. We went down to IC, explained what was wanted, told we had to speak to a specific person who could make it, ordered it and it never came. After waiting around while others were served, we ended up outside the Princess Live theater and saw a blender there and asked the bar man if could make it. We explained what we wanted (espresso, ice, blend, pour) and he said sure. There was a manager of some sort there and when he heard we weren't served at IC, immediately got on the phone and had a chat with them. He told us that was the one coffee bar on board they can't say they can't make something as they have all the equipment and ingredients to make anything ordered, even if it's not on the menu of drinks posted. He was very apologetic.

I was a bit hesitant about this ship because of the capacity but overall, we really enjoyed it and would sail again on a Royal class ship. It never felt crowded (sometimes in the Horizon Court but that's to be expected) and I was very impressed with the selections offered in the Horizon Bistro/Court. You did have to reconnoiter to see what was available then go back and get what you wanted. The one thing that bothered me was that they had 'grits' every day which was a nice change as on most ships they alternate grits with cream of wheat or oatmeal - this ship had all three everyday. The problem was that it was NOT grits - it was polenta - yellow polenta - there is a difference and grits they were not - similar but not the same. I did eat it a couple of times because grits and a fried or poached egg on top is heaven for breakfast (southern boys like their grits!). The seating was also rather plentiful inside but also available on the rear deck. Outside on the sides of the deck could be very windy to the point that it blew food off your plate but the counter-style seating in front of the bar was calm.

Doug

Regarding EZAir, don't rely on Princess to notify you of changes and verify with the airline that the seats/times you see on Princess are what they actually are. We booked EZAir to Alaska and although I put in seats on EZAir, United had no record of them. United made a change to the flights and I found out by checking in at United (no notification from United or Princess). We were going Tampa-Houston, Houston-Anchorage. The flight change was Tampa-Dulles, Dulles-Anchorage and the 2nd flight left less than 30 minutes after we arrived - too close for me. No word from Princess and the EZAir site still showed the old flights. Luckily my TA took care of it for me. On another cruise, we used EZAir to/from Tahiti - again no notifications from Princess but on the return flight, we ended up with 2 flights from LAX to DFW - no idea why - plus the flight left 20 minutes after we got into LAX from Papeete! TA took care of it.

Not to beat a dead horse to death, but monitor your flights and don't rely on Princess to do it for you. Also don't rely on the EZAir site - it's not in sync with the airlines. Go directly to the airline site. Also be aware that the record locator used by EZAir may not be the individual airline locator - you may have to call the airline to get their locator number so you can monitor the flights (you can reference the locator EZAir gives you and the airline can give you theirs). The EZAir locator can be a code share locator - we flew American and Air Tahiti Nui but the record locator was for Quantas. Again, my TA got the correct locators for me.

EZAir can be great for pricing but don't trust it for flight management.

Doug

I faxed mine in about 10 AM EST and checked around 4PM and it was already on my account. Way to go Princess!

We've had great success just making a reservation the first night - usually 7:30PM. On the way out of the restaurant, stop by the desk and make the reservation for the next night. A smile, please and thank you's also help!

We've done the chef's table 4 times. Each time we met with the Maitre 'D a couple of days prior to the actual dinner. You sign a form stating you understand the 'rules' and to go over any allergies and how it will work. Depending on the ship (large vs small), you will be given a lab coat outside the dinning room and then be paraded through the dining room to the kitchen. You will then wash you hands thoroughly and be escorted to the area of the kitchen set aside for you where you will have the appetizers and champagne. This usually occurs around 7PM so it's after the first seating rush and the kitchen has quieted down before 2nd seating. Each time, the appetizers were along the lines of a crab cocktail served in a martini glass, caviar served either on a spoon or in a hollowed out potato with sour cream (creme fraiche), tuna tartare or beef tartare and foie gras. The chef and Maitre 'D chat with you while you eat the different courses and the champagne flows. This usually takes around 30-40 minutes. There is also an ice sculpture. I believe you can ask for a cocktail instead of champagne but I'm not 100% sure.

After appetizers, you are escorted to the table set aside for the group in the dining room sans lab coats. Wines are served with each course including the pallet cleanser. If I remember correctly, you usually start with a risotto (I think it's been shrimp or seafood each time but I think the base is plain and the seafood stirred in before serving so as not to overcook so you could ask for it plain). You will get a dinner sized portion so go easy. I remember on the last one (Pacific Princess in Tahiti 11/2014), we had a composed cheese course which was a meal in itself following by sorbet then the main course. The main course has been a trio of meats/lobster - usually veal fillet, beef fillet, pork shank and lobster tails with different sauces for each. It's also served with vegetables. There may have been a salad in there somewhere but after awhile, you just want it to end. Dessert has always been a beautiful plate made of sugar with at least a couple different things such as some kind of mousse, a chocolate torte and possible some kind of ice cream creation with lots of sugar decorations. I believe port was served as was coffee (cappuccino/espresso included) with dessert. They also bring around a tray of truffles and petit fours. After dinner, you will get a signed Princess cookbook (we have at least 2 and have given away or left behind on the ship the last couple) and the ladies will get a long stemmed rose. A group photo is taken as well and given to every couple as well as a copy of the menu.

On the Pacific Princess, we were told open toed shoes were OK for women but I think they suggested you refrain from slim heels as they can get caught in grating in the kitchen. They ask that if you feel at all ill, to please not attend as any accident in the kitchen will cause massive delays for regular diners due to sanitation that must take place. We've usually worn slacks with a sport coat but slacks and polo shirt would be quite fine. Women have usually worn cocktail dresses or the like.

We've had three very enjoyable meals regarding our table mates but the last time due to the itinerary, the group was very diverse with language issues so was not as enjoyable. The last two times we just over indulged and regretted it the next day so we've decided we won't do it again or at least it will be quite awhile before we do (we missed a big tour in Bora Bora the following day and never left the ship - I was OK but the hubby not so much!). We're at that point in life where we can share a chicken breast or small fillet between the two of us and be quite happy! I also don't care for fish/seafood (other than shrimp/scallops) so the appetizers are a waste on me - I either push the food around or give it to the hubby (who eats it then feels terrible the next day!). The last dinner on the Pacific Princess, they served whole langostino's with the risotto - no way was I going to mess around with that at that type of dinner although they did bring around finger bowls afterwards (and sadly someone thought it was soup!). There was never any discussion of substitutions, just allergies and no one ever requested any that I remember so I wouldn't count it. You can't possibly go hungry even if you don't eat the appetizers (like me although I did eat the beef tartare but that was it).

Make sure to call the DINE line upon getting on the ship and request being added to the list - board early if you can for a better chance. We never knew when it was being held but usually on a sea day or the evening before a sea day.

Hi pke-atlanta,

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Papeete and thought it was just fine. We were told their other properties were much nicer but it worked for us. They were rebuilding the overwater bungalows on the motu and remodeling the lobby area when we were there (November 2014) but I think that should be done by the time you would stay there. We were treated very well and bellmen were very good looking in just their pareos and sandals!

The nicest pool is the infinity pool with a swim up bar by the Le Lotus restaurant. They also have lagoon that you can snorkel in as well a dive shop that can arrange all kinds of water based things.

The drawback to the property is that it is isolated from the town center and you have to take a taxi (approx. $20 each way). There are no restaurants nearby so you either have to eat at the resort or take a taxi. We ate mostly at the resort and the food was very good but pricey (as you'd expect at a resort). If you want to take a walk of about a mile, there is a large department/food store (Carrefours) to the right as you leave the resort where you can stock up on pretty much anything. They do have a shuttle service that will drop you off and pick you up in town a couple of times a day for a nominal fee or they can get you a taxi as well. The resort is also on the bus line but we didn't try that. We stayed 3 nights before our Princess cruise and booked a day room after since our flight didn't leave until 11PM.

Some other options could be:

Manava Suite Resort Tahiti

Le Meridien Tahiti

I would check out TripAdvisor for suggestions. Hope this helps.

Doug

Congratulations!

A few things come to mind from having cruise over 50 times - sorry it's a bit of a steam of consciousness.

I am also a planner and tend to over do it. Especially since we're getting older, I have to reign it in! My advice is to use the cruise as a way to get a taste of the different ports. Keep track of which cities you like and plan another trip back so you can spend more time there. Also, in each port, pick one or two 'must do' sights and just realize that you can't see an entire city in one day. Since European cities are relatively close together, there are few sea days and it might not seem like it now, but several port days in a row gets very tiring. If you're exhausted after the tour, you probably won't enjoy the evenings on the ship as much so try not to over do it (naps are a good thing!). We have friends who do zero planning when going to a new port then take a generic bus tour and think they've seen it all. They are constantly amazed at the stuff we saw vs what they saw. If you book ship excursions look out a few key words in the descriptions like 'time for shopping' which means LOTS of time at a crappy tourist stop; 'you will see' probably means a drive by and not an actual stop especially if it's a large coach tour. Independent tours can be great if through a reputable company - TripAdvisor is a great resource for rating tour companies. Remember the ship won't wait for you if you are on an independent tour but will if on a ship tour - they also know where you are since the ship tours communicate with the ship.

If you have an early tour departure, you might consider ordering breakfast from room service. You can eat and get ready without rushing to/from the restaurant. It can also double as an alarm clock. Also, keep your watch on ship time even if different than shore time (happens on occasion).

Regarding sea sickness, I'd not been sick for a number of years and our last trip from LA to HI, we were on the Golden Princess in Skywalkers for our CC meet and greet. It was beautiful weather but the ship was rocking. That high up, we were kind of doing a corkscrew motion. I didn't realize it but I was getting sea sick! I broke out into a full body sweat, got a little dizzy so decided I would head back to the cabin. I spent the entire afternoon inside watching Glee not really getting any better but never threw up. Late in the afternoon, my husband came in and asked I had taken any Bonine - it never occurred to me to take it since I never didn't think I was sea sick. Weird - I know.

If you want to dine in any of the specialty restaurants, make your reservation(s) soon after boarding so you get your choice of date/time and not have to settle for a less desirable time - I forget if on Celebrity you can do this before boarding or not.

On our Equinox transatlantic, they had sushi each evening in the Oceanview Cafe so we would go up about 6:30PM and get a few pieces before heading to the Martini Bar for cocktails then on to dinner. The Martini Bar will become the gay bar on board!

Look for and join a CC roll call - we've met really great people on every one of them we've joined - probably a dozen at least. Someone usually plans the meet and greet, someone will probably have a private tour booked you can join in on and it's nice to know some people on board before you actually get there. We've never had a bad experience on any of our cruises with the CC group.

In the evening, take a walk on the upper decks under the stars. You may get great views of the stars depending on how many lights are on - Soltice deck forward is probably a good bet or deck 15 aft around the Lawn Club. Unfortunately, ships now a days keep lights on for fear someone will trip and sue them which makes star gazing hard to do. If you have a balcony, you my get a better view from there with all the lights off.

Most important - enjoy yourselves! Ignore the small stuff that will crop up and enjoy your time together. There is nothing like your first cruise!

Doug

We just booked the Royal Princess November 20, 2015 to the Caribbean. It's been a number of years since we've sailed the Caribbean so are looking forward to going back.

Hey Guys,

Doug & Eric from Tampa here. I posted a lengthy reply to the on the Princess Roll Call.

Doug

I've started a review but haven't finished it yet - real life gets in the way! I don't even have the pictures from the phone or camera on the PC yet - the hard drive crashed the day after we returned so I'm still recovering my PC. I'll try to get to it as soon as I can.

Doug