S&D

G'day Sandra and Dave, re Majestic, no walk around promenade deck and that is sad. We are on Royal Princess, similar ship in a couple of months, also no promenade deck. Many Princess pax report on the missing prom deck on the Royal Class ships.

 

It will cater to the Aussie market, there will be plenty of drinking places, big revenue there. As for the dancing areas, not sure, I am not a dancer anyway, I have two left feet, lol.

Thanks Les, hope you enjoy your Royal cruise, yes, we are looking forward to the Majestic, will be interesting!...I'm sure she will be a big hit once she's settled in....

cheers

S&D

Hi all,...it appears the Majestic will be with us for extended seasons for the next coupe of years,...YAY!!... ( we are on the Sept sailing)...

there has not been too many reviews about, and a few people have commented on the lack of bars and dancing areas, which will be a bit of a concern when we Aussies board for a fun time! lol..... do you think there will be a few adjustments to things before she comes to our waters?.... I realise a lot of space is given over to various gaming areas, for the Chinese market etc....any thoughts?..:):)

So what did Carnival Spirit lack Sandy? I am guessing Vegemite ? or perhaps No rissoles in the Buffet?

Great to see the cocktail up on screen.[/quote

 

 

 

Hi Les.....no, its the band..MUSIC MANILA that no one else has...wow they made that cruise for us along with the wonderful staff....a great time was had by all...:):)

 

cheers S&D

We usually sail Princess or Celebrity, and in July we went on the Carnival Spirit for our birthday bash with my brother and his partner..

We were very very happy with the Spirit, one of the best crews we have sailed with, the ship was spotless, the cabins were large, service was great, we liked the food, plenty of it...but they have the one thing that all the other cruise ships lack...lol....

MUSIC MANILA band.....WOW..best on the 7 seas, fantastic asset to the ship...we will be going again on the Spirit in 2019....

the other thing we noticed....how super efficient their tender service was...quick and well organised....

we had a lovely week, and look forward to sailing her again...:):)

cheers

S&D

Hi Bob,

midday seems to be the magic time, :) we have always boarded around that time regardless of the stated times...we usually drop the bags, have a coffee at the little place next door and then..away we go!

cheers

S&D

G'day from the 'Bay' Sandra and Dave, enjoy Solstice, just avoid the noro.

 

BTW what happened to the champagne glass signature Sandy? :confused:

Hiya Les,..lovely to hear from you... we will be in the bay next week for a couple of days!...

I will have to find my bubbles again won't I, I changed my sig and seemed to lose stuff!!!

Well, the noro seems to be everywhere it seems, it was on a few of the ships we sailed on in the past..I had it badly only once...on the Sun P.....I sent a thankyou to the medical staff after,.... and received HUGE arrangement of flowers from the captain for my troubles...lol...they certainly looked after me....

We always use the hand sanitiser, and also take our own, but I think its just luck of the draw...I absolutely wouldn't let it put me off cruising...lol.....

off I go to find my bubbly gif...lol..... Ah..found it lol.....

cheers

S&D

Hi s & d.

We are cruising on the solstice on the 22nd Jan. Are you guys on the same cruise?????

 

Cheers bob.

Ps. If you are see you at the sunset bar on sail away.:):):)

Yes Bob,, we are with you...we will try and make it to the sunset bar, there will be about 6 of us... we also have 4 other friends travelling with us too, not sure if they will be there tho....

goodness, you will have such a great time, she's a beauty.....

cheers

S&D

Ah, dear Mr Gut.....

so glad you were able to take the Solstice cruise, albeit only a short one, so happy to hear you actually got there in the end... hoping you are able to keep cruising for a while yet, and we hope to catch up with you at some stage again....

cheers:):)

S&D

Hi ccc.

 

I hope your right, next week we pay for our cruise on the Solstice to NZ. We are a little concerned at the moment about the negativity.

 

Cheers Bob.

Hi there Bob...

No need to worry, we have cruised on the Solstice 5 times, ... including NZ,.... and she is a magnificent ship, with a great crew, we found the service excellent, and the food..and the cabins...... all fantastic.....we are die hard Princess cruisers, but we do love the Solstice...just gorgeous....

Obviously a totally different vibe to the short booze cruise type of thing....

I think we are onboard with you!..just paid the balance a few days ago....

Cheers

S&D

We're pretty much the same, sure we have preferences and indeed at least one line we are in hurry to sail with again (doesn't mean never) and a few we would love to try, but at the end of the day time and price rule.

Yes Mr Gut... it comes down to bang for buck with us, we obviously love Princess..(the larger ships)..and the Solstice..we recently had the most fabulous time on Carnival Spirit with family... very nice food in dining room, wonderful staff, very clean and large cabins... and a great price with obc... BEST BAND WE HAVE EVER SEEN ON A SHIP..WOW !!!.....we are now booked for Explorer of Seas with family and friends in 2019, we always seem to have a great time, I have always said its what you make it, an good company is the key.... also booked Majestic P for nxt yr Fiji.....we have always though HAL looked nice too, any others would be out of price range...lol.....

Por que no los dos?

 

Lunch at the buffet on Friday when you board, then lunch at Mast Grill on Saturday.

Yes, absolutely agree, good plan, and that solstice buffett food is the best.... ....soooo much choice...:)

And enjoy the cabin bathrooms, Solstice had the best bathrooms of any ship I have been on. None of those plastic shower curtains that strangle you.:')

 

I love sailing with Princess, but the bathrooms are pathetic, including the mini suite on Island Princess last year.

Got to love Princess.....:)

Big hello to you Les.... looks like you are getting plenty of cruises in!..lol....only way to go...

we are very busy here looking after the grandbubs, and planning cruises of course.... just booked Majestic P to Fiji next year, also doing solstice in Jan..NZ again.... very best regards to you both

S&D

Hi there dear Mr Gut,

soooo glad you may be ok to do that 2 niter...... we are counting down to cruise number 5 on solstice, such a beautiful ship.... one thing we love is a late night drink (or juice, soft drink etc)...

right up the top in the sunset bar, lots of nice comfy cane chairs up there... usually very quiet at that time, just the stars and the lovely lawn area....very relaxing indeed...really wish you the best of times on there, you and your wife will love it....

best regards

S&D

Thanks so much for that review too_dee... we are all a little excited..

especially Mr Gut, (as you can tell...lol...):D:D:eek::eek:

cheers

S&D

Hi Linda....

we have been following your blog, what a journey!, ...a wonderful insight into the Solstice and so much information about everything.... you have done a fabulous job with this, and I'm sure so many people will have found it invaluable to help with their cruise planning...

we are just about to board for our 3rd cruise on her, and taking my brother with us on his first cruise, I'm sure he will be instantly addicted...lol...

thank you so much for such a well thought out and comprehensive report, we have enjoyed it very much...

cheers

S&D :):)

wow...I take my hat off to anyone who can cruise with only a carry on...well done!!!...

I am afraid I am an overpacker no matter how hard I try,,,lol....:)

S&D

I would think with ebay and the great online shops nowadays, you would be

able to purchase things at a very reasonable price compared to renting them..good luck!

I couldn't see any rentals on the Princess site either.

S&D

I have tried both gel nail polishes , and shellac coating, they have both been excellent, and have lasted well, up to 3 weeks, I also take a small nail kit with me for emergencies.

S&D:)

We also found drinking bottled water helped with the dreaded swollen ankles...:)

a few friends also took B6 tablets which helped with the fluid too...

S&D

Hi, we have done the Asia cruising 3 times, yes, it gets quite humid there, so a mix of clothes would be good, altho sweater is handy as the ship can get quite cool in the evenings, so take a light wrap too...

have a great cruise....

S&D

Oh Tammy.....:) :D flattery will get you everywhere...LOL...we have been married 35 yrs, and have 2 grandchildren 6 and 3 and 2 daughters..so I try to keep looking nice for them and me!

S&D

Hi Tammy,

I have not used Botox...just restylane. No pain really, just like pin pricks, and a little red for about 2 or 3 days...nothing really! Have had it 3 times, about $300 per time..once a yr...and it lasts on me about 6 to 9 months. No one would know, makeup covers it well..I just used moisturizer! I just don't wear a lot of makeup. I may be a grandma, BUT... I like to look good while I go a-cwoozin...hee hee

I am very happy with it ..:) as it has no side effects at all for most people, it agrees with me so I am thrilled with it.

Tried collagen once, no discomfort at all, due to the anaesthetic inbuilt....but lasted ONLY :( 3 months. Same result..looked good!

Hope you have a good result too..

S&D

xx

Tammy...I love restylane, it's the only little thing I have done.... have had it 3 times, always pre cruise...a natural product my Dr. says, and yes, it does wonders for those pesky lines. hee hee

Lois, I am just going to look at your new photos.....XXXX

Sandra

S&D:)

Hi there ladycaveat, Lois ..Jane and everyone....

I have noticed this swelling thing too, I was quite puzzled on my first cruise when this happened. It also happened on our next trip too, so I mentioned it to our local Dr., and he prescribed a mild diuretic - which I take with me now each time we sail.

I never use it at any other time...someone said it was to do with the drinking water on the ship??...anyway..the meds work great.

Big hello to all the great people on these boards who make it such good fun!

Ladycaveat.... I was following a thread a while ago about "mini lifts", you were saying you may be considering this...did you ever have it done, or is it still under consideration? Just wondering what happened! Best wishes..Sandra

Happy cruising

S&D:)

This is a wonderful list...is there a link to a printable version? We are about to start a little packing for our upcoming cruise.... Thanks so much..

S&D