lynwar

Great shots, guys. Now that I've seen your pictures, I did notice you on board a couple of times. I wish I'd known it was you two!!

Happy Travels!!!

Lynne

The crew stairs were opened to us from the hallway, not the area that looks like elevators. They looked like the interior of the ship--walls were white and the stairs were basic. They took us down to around the Wheelhouse Bar area-where our muster station was located.

Not knowing the layout of the ship yet, I thought we were in an actual room instead of where the hallway area was, where there were chairs and tables along the side. People who were going to other stations were walking through there.

The worst part was walking back up the stairs. Now we know that we could have waited for an elevator, but the crew was working with logistics.

Lynne

Tuesday and Friday nights- for formal nights.

Lynne

Hi

I was on the same sailing as you two fellows. We were in A603 and our cabin was cold. LOL. I mentioned to some, that we opened our sliding doors to warm it up a bit if we stayed in there, or right before bed.

Your review is very good. I enjoyed reading it. I've posted on some of the other threads, plus the Nov. 17 roll call before knowing there were reviews started.

Thanks, so much. Lynne

Hi

I was on the Nov. 17 sailing, and really enjoyed the cruise. Neither of us have MAJOR complaints.

Our cabin temp was COLD, so opened the balcony doors for awhile to warm it up. Someone else posted that there are sensors in the doors.. Whoops. We'd close them and lock them before leaving the cabin so it was cooler again when we returned.

My laptop was working fine up until Wednesday or Thursday and then it got very slow or non-existent. There was nothing major I needed to check so I wasn't frantic, just frustrated. And, it took me several minutes to just get a partial site, ie. Yahoo, but no mail. Part of a Facebook page, but never the entire thing and problem posting.

As for the room safe, it wasn't used but the door kept opening every time the closet door was opened. I happened to have some tape with me so hubby taped the door closed-end of problem. The bathroom was fine, and we just used the extra roll of TP and didn't worry about the one in the holder below the vanity. Our steward's name was Mark, and he was quite cheery and nice. One "problem" with the balcony was that when sitting, the railing was at my eye level so I either had to sit up very straight or have to look through the glass.

As mentioned on another post, many of the chairs on board are made for tall people. :D

I enjoyed all the entertainment I saw. We didn't go to the production shows. I saw Beatlemaniacs- and a new group called the Speakers-who did an "Elvis" songs in the Vista Lounge and sang British songs in the Piazza. The young, lead singer has quite a nice voice. I caught some of Kory Simon and some of Ray Cousins, plus some of "Steele". The Piazza was the dancing place, and there was a couple-her hair was red-who looked pretty impressive. Other dancers were trying out their steps and everyone was really enjoying themselves.

We went to the Symphony Dining Room the first night. We're not hard to please so our prime rib was good. We had anytime dining, but early seating persons went in first, so we, along with 4 ladies from Minnesota I met during the day, ended up sharing a table of 10 with 2 other couples. We 6 kept running into each other all week, along with one of the other couples, which was fun. The rest of the week was spent with Horizon Court food, and we ate in Alfredo's twice. Hubby liked the Calzone the first time, but not the second time. There is a limited menu. Alex was a great server, and the tall fellow with the green jacket-Conraad?-was nice.

Overall, it was good cruise, and we're happy we sailed on the Royal Princess.

Lynne

Hello,

Just arrived home today from the Nov. 17, cruise. We had a good cruise, too, and I agree with March Babe that there is plenty to do.

I did notice there seemed to be many more "nooks" to sit in to chat or have a drink. There's one on the 5th deck by the "stage" area. Also, there is "Calypso Cabana" covered area up by the pool (not the pool cabanas-these tables and chairs), and chairs in the halls, ie-part of the Wheelhouse Bar?

The ship seemed wider and "grander" than the others--the scale of the furniture seemed bigger....not a bad thing, just an observation. It is pretty long, though. :) And, you'll find that things aren't situated in the same places.

We enjoyed ourselves and don't have any major complaints. (The Casino was also very good to me, the first or second night--Royal Flush!! :)

The Horizon Court is wide and has two sides--be on the lookout for a little "alcove" area between two lines- there are salads or breads or fruits in there. And, the desserts are forward- in the Bistro area/Pastry Shop, not with the other Court food. The coffee station is between the Horizon Court and the Bistro, but the servers do go around and offer juice and coffee.

There was a new group called the Speakers last week. They are a young, British group that does British Pop, they did an Elvis music show, and have been up on deck. The lead singer has a good voice. Last week was their first one onboard. There was also a Dixieland Jazz Band playing last night. There was dancing every night in the Piazza, as others have mentioned.

I think you'll enjoy it. And, we were not bothered by people wanting to sell us something or to get us something.

Lynne

Hello,

We just arrived home from the Nov. 17 Royal Princess and must say that we had very nice cruise.

I liked the décor, and the Wheelhouse Bar area reminded me of something I might find on the QE 2 . Heavy mahogany looking surroundings-masculine. While we didn't eat in the Crown Grill, I did see where the Bar area ended and the white table cloths started! The entertainment (piano) area was out by the hall side so it wasn't right up against the dining.

It didn't take me too long to figure out the layout of the ship from past Princess cruises, and once I established where the elevators were situated, I knew to go left for aft (Horizon Court- we were A603) and right for forward/midship which was a longer walk with a few jogs in the hall.

I have written more on our Nov. 17th roll call, as I didn't know this thread had started.

dmwnc1959-The Seafood Bar is right up there next to Crooners-in the middle of all the excitement! :D I must say that the Piazza is a wonder to behold, and I was thinking of you when I saw where the casino was situated. There are about 4 different ways to enter it so I'll let you discover it for yourself!! :) Club 6, next to the Casino (I finally realized) was mostly used for Trivia during the day, and there were probably some other small outings in there. Some people sat in there and read.

Pia-I followed your "Live From" thread--along with others who posted from the ships and comments made along the way. We would sail on her again, but might opt to go back to the Ruby or Emerald for a breather. We did a lot of walking and stair climbing on this cruise (Piazza area). That entire layout there, is kind of neat, though.

And, except for the first night in the Dining Room, we ate up in the Horizon Court most of the time and Alfredo's a couple of times. We took formal clothes but didn't use them. We're kind of "meat and potatoes", rather than the fancy stuff, and that's how we relax.

I will say that the sports area up on Deck 17 or 18 is nice and many people seemed to participate in the activities.

We watched the cabin TV every night-and I was overjoyed to find that my favorite cable news channel was a selection. We also watched "The Lone Ranger" and "Man of Steel" in the cabin. The internet was fine up until Thursday, I believe. After that, the signal went down and there was no access.

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them, but didn't go to all the venues.

Also, the TP in the cabin-just used the extra roll and never bothered with the holder.

We were on the Star Princess before the fire. One of the cabins burned belonged to a fellow cruiser and his family who sailed with us, so it was sad to watch where they had stayed go up in flames.

Take care for now. Lynne

All this information and photos has been helpful to many of us. Thank you!

Lynne

Hello,

Thank you, dmwnc1959 for the graphic of the ships arriving in St. Martin. I also enjoy watching the various ships arriving, leaving and maneuvering. It must be because of several naval folks in my family. :)

I had an abbreviate experience with this in 2005, when several different ships were diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when "Tropical Disturbance Alpha" started to form in the Atlantic. We were all lined up and it was fun to watch the parade from our Star Princess Promenade Deck. The only one I can remember right now is the Carnival Victory because she was docked next to us.

It will be fun to have several ships in port in St. Thomas next week. A church friend will be on another mega ship docked at Havensight, while our Royal will be at Crown Bay. We agreed to wave to each other from our respective ships, in theory, as we both have other plans for the day and won't be connecting on land.

I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise!

Lynne

Hi

Thanks for the review. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the photos. When I clicked on one or two the message said the site didn't exist. Do I need to upload something? I have been able to see other pictures directly from photo bucket.

Lynne

I'm afraid that I'm pretty antiquated now. lol. We had actual laundry rooms on the ships with coin washers and dryers and ironing boards. We're platinum and haven't ever used the send out services for laundry and pressing. I used an iron and ironing board to press the sleeve of my husband's suit coat, once. That was more than 10 years ago.

So, are there still laundry rooms on the newer ships?

Maybe. We'll see if someone knows.

Have a wonderful cruise. We'll be boarding the Royal this weekend.

Lynne

I just checked that link. It looks tempting, as I'm a coffee drinker. However, I'm not sure that I'd get my money's worth because I wouldn't be drinking many specialty coffees. Is the brewed coffee still free at the International Café and you pay for what you get with it?

Lynne

Hi

Thanks for a wonderful review. It's about the best one I've seen.

I will check into that coffee card, as I'm the coffee drinker in the family and drink a lot of it. I never did complain about the "old" coffee, but the brewed should be very nice.

We've never had a bad cruise and never have any grand expectations. We are platinum but still haven't studied everything there is to a ship or cruise. Most of the time we just do our own thing, and have enjoyed a few roll call groups along the way.

I'm not a big pool person and I don't think we've been in one since we started cruising-although Hubby has been in a couple of times. He'll probably assess the crowding and access to the pool.

Anyway, thanks again. We are looking forward to our cruise and mostly won't contend with the midships elevators. We are slightly aft of them. And, we're used to walking the halls if we get on the wrong ones, anyway. ;)

Take care. Lynne

Hi,

Thanks for the pictures, as well. I caught the sail away last week on the Webcams. I followed her all the way out, even with the helicopter maneuvers!! That horn was something. I knew it was coming but to hear it was something else.

We have friends on board this week, as well. I'm sure they are enjoying themselves and will leave a note for me "somewhere" (Crooners?) LOL. I guess I'm dreaming. :)

We'll be aboard on Nov. 17--2 weeks from today and will probably be in bed by this time!! :D

Take care. Lynne

High C's

Thanks so much! We expect to have a great cruise, as we haven't found one yet that has been overly disappointing. There are always good things to discover and enjoy. We have journeyed many nautical miles now since our first cruise on the Sun Princess in 1998-(and I thought she was HUGE) and have stepped up to the Golden, Grand, Caribbean, Star, Emerald, Ruby and now the Royal. Each ship was different, even through the crew, so we always had a lovely time. We've met new friends and still correspond with some.

We'll be in Ft. Lauderdale in a couple of weeks ready to board her. I expect to say, "Oh my goodness" when I first see her! It will be amazing. Our balcony is more aft of the walkway, and not directly under it, so no privacy issues. And, we'll go with the flow of the design. Trevor will love his pizza in Alfredo's, I'm sure! :)

Anyway, thanks for all the posts. Regards to Burlington and Elizabeth St!! :)

Lynne

Did you get any gift at the end of your inaugural? We received a ceramic ashtray/dish at the end of the Ruby cruise in 2008.

We'll be on the Royal in two weeks so are anxious to also see it for ourselves. Hubby fears that it's much more chopped up, lack of flow, than other ships. We shall see. And, we did enjoy walking around the entire ship on the Promenade Deck.

We'll just start from the Ooh and Aah of seeing the Piazza for the first time and go from there. :)

Thanks for your review.

Lynne

Coral,

Thanks for the reply. I figured it had to be something like that, a special sailing. It was just weird to hear that she was returning after knowing that she had already docked once, and saw the pictures to prove it! :)

Lynne

Good Afternoon,

I'm glad you are finding the ship fine, so far. Hubby seems to think it's good exercise for the arm to contort for the toilet paper location. We shall see. :D

Your weather conditions should make for a wonderful day on Princess Cays. I hope you enjoy your day there.

I was just corrected; it's 2 1/2 days until we sail, so our good times will start sooner than I thought! :)

And, I would also like to express a request to say hello to Rich and Diana, Joe and Amelia in Crooners, and Donna and James. They are from Nova Scotia. I expect they will find time to go in there, too.

I am looking forward to following the cruise with all of you. Thanks for letting us join you.

Lynne

Hi Gang,

I was watching on the Webcams, too, and noticed that helicopter and then saw the ship turn in a circle. I also thought it was going back to port and then saw it go straight. The camera crews are going to be on our November 17 cruise, too.

It was nice to hear the horn as it was going through the channel, although I remember the song "Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Boccelli was featured on a few of them sometime ago.

I think I missed something, as I thought the Royal Princess had been in already, but then I didn't see her last night. It was good to see her today!

March Babe, we will be enjoying her in a few weeks. Are you ready?? LOL.

Bye for now. I know I'll be following this thread to read all the details and hear about the excitement.

Bye for now. Lynne

Hi,

Thank you so much for posting the arrival of the Royal Princess. I checked the backwards webcam around 12:45AM EDT and she was still out to sea. I had a great view of the top deck!

It was wonderful to see those photos, as I'm usually on the top deck of our ships as we are waiting for the pilot boat. It is SOOOOO quiet out there! (and windy!) I usually have a cup of coffee with me from the HC and a few of us early birds start to chat up top.

We will be on the Royal Princess Nov. 17 so I hope to witness our arrival in person. Hubby and I were fortunate to see the NEW Caribbean Princess arrive in the wee hours of the AM in 2004 from one of the balconies of the Old Best Western Motel across from the Terminal. Ah, so special.

Anyway, thanks, again. I went to sleep last night and didn't think to get up again to watch. While on board, I can usually tell when the engines are trolling and we're moving up the coast toward Port Everglades. It's like cruising toward a V. I can hardly wait to do it again. I'm usually up between 4:30-5:00AM when arrival is 7:00AM

It was wonderful of you to share her arrival with the rest of us!!

Lynne

Hi

Let me add my thanks, as well. It seems that your transatlantic cruise just flew by.

Yes, the Las Olas area is really something. We hang out around the Cheesecake Factory :D and Wentworth Studios. We went to the French Restaurant for breakfast once, and Mangos, etc. It is our second home since we live about 2 1/2 hours northwest. Ft. L is our annual destination when my son comes to visit each year from California.

We will be on the Royal Princess November 17, and are really looking forward to it. Thanks, again, for all your reports. They were terrific.

Lynne

I've also been following this live thread. Yes, that view of the ship heading toward Ft. Lauderdale gave me goose bumps. fathercop and his group (have sailed with him before) will be waiting for her to arrive back here in Florida and we'll be boarding on November 17. There are friends going on the 10/29 voyage as well.

Happy travels. I know you're going to have a wonderful time just relaxing and enjoying the days sailing across the ocean. I look forward to more fun updates.

PS. My hubby would join you in that bar before and after the muster drill, #1winelover ;)

Lynne

We did that for the Caribbean Princess in 2004. The Best Western Motel was there then, right across from the terminal so we got up and went to one of landings. She was so pretty coming down the channel with her lights on.

One of the most positive things for me on each cruise, which I count as one of my excursions, is to be up on the top deck as we arrive at Port Everglades on the day we return, and wait in the silence. It's neat to see the pilot boats come out and actually have the ship swing. Everything seen on shore seems to go to the opposite side. So cool. Hubby is always telling me that we must get up earlier in the AMs because we sleep through the activities, but I, (MOI) am always up for this, while he's asleep!! :). I get my coffee from the Horizon Court and up I go. It makes for a short night, though, as I'm anticipating getting up and listening for the change in the engine sound. I find the entire docking procedure very amazing. It's always interesting, too, to see what is happening on the ship at that early time; decks are being hosed down, flags are being changed, the few early birds that morning, are walking around. I positively love that experience!!

Thanks, Dave, I will do my best about a review. I've never written a formal one. I really appreciated the arrow and we went into other photos about the ship after that. We have some friends who were on the Royal the first couple of Florida sails so I'm confident they have broken in the ship for us, especially Crooners. :D

It will be fun finding all the newer spots, although we tend to stay in our comfort zones and relax while on board. I will be in the Internet Café, for sure. I could probably survive being disconnected, but I have a friend who depends on my daily emails and a game, so I basically check in with her. Now, when SHE goes away, I have to wait until she returns. Hmmmmmn. She doesn't have a laptop or IPad or other gizmos like that!!!

So, we're about a month out now, based on the date, not the days... we'd better start really getting into the groove. :) Luggage tags and boarding passes have been printed.

Take care for now. I'm POSITIVE we'll have a great time, as usual. And, the main reason we stayed with Princess, the wonderful staff on each ship. Positively Smashing!! :)

Lynne

We are looking forward to sailing with gracie65 and the group on Nov. 17. We just got a cabin assignment to Aloha 603 Midships (from guaranteed/reserved on Emerald) so I'm anxious to see if I can see the Seawalk from our balcony. I've looked at most of the photos posted on this thread so am getting a better idea about the ship. The positive experience will be boarding her and hearing the tropical music and seeing the atrium for the first time. This the largest ship we've been on now, after starting with the Sun and progressing up. We are excited about being on this brand new ship!

Lynne