Princess Cruises Newbie Questions

[Catnap All Day]

Hello,

 

I will be sailing Royal Princess in November for my honeymoon with soon to be husband, and I wanted to ask anyone who has Princess sailing experience (and the time) the following ... There are a lot of questions, so please just answer what you like.

 

 

• I hear there is smoking allowed on Princess ships. Does this mean it is allowed on balconies? I would not like the smoke drifting to us.
   
   
  
• Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals. We are shy people.
   
   
  
• Does anyone know if there is an indoor pool on Royal Princess?
   
   
  
• How is the staff on Princess ships? Are they customer-oriented and friendly?
   
   
  
• Finally, if anyone has cruised on Celebrity and Princess before, would you say they are somewhat similar or different? I love Celebrity.
  

 

Thanks for your help!

[chrysalis]

Hello,

 

I will be sailing Royal Princess in November for my honeymoon with soon to be husband, and I wanted to ask anyone who has Princess sailing experience (and the time) the following ... There are a lot of questions, so please just answer what you like.

 

 

• I hear there is smoking allowed on Princess ships. Does this mean it is allowed on balconies? No I would not like the smoke drifting to us.
   
   
  
• Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? Formal night applies to Anytime Dining, also.I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals. We are shy people.
   
   
  
• Does anyone know if there is an indoor pool on Royal Princess?
  No
   
  
• How is the staff on Princess ships? Are they customer-oriented and friendly?
  Yes, very much so.
   
  
• Finally, if anyone has cruised on Celebrity and Princess before, would you say they are somewhat similar or different? I love Celebrity.
  

Thanks for your help!

 

See answers in red

[-Lew-]

 

Finally, if anyone has cruised on Celebrity and Princess before, would you say they are somewhat similar or different? I love Celebrity.

Click here for some threads discussing Celebrity on the Princess board.

 

Enjoy your cruise...

 

Lew

[Catnap All Day]

Thank you both.

[paul929207]

Smoking is allowed on Princess ships, bt only in designated places. Smoking is NOT allowed on balconies or in cabins.

[Treven]

Hello,...

 

[*]Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals.

 

[*]How is the staff on Princess ships? Are they customer-oriented and friendly?

 

Thanks for your help!

You most certainly can sit by yourselves at dinner, normal night or formal night. Simply ask the maitre'd for a table for two. You might be seated right away, or there might be a wait, just like a restaurant where you live. You'd get a pager, just like at home, and you could go have a cocktail while you wait, or you could hang around outside the dining room.

 

I think you'd like Princess' "comfortableness"; I do anyway.

[Pam in CA]

Welcome to Princess! Smoking is not allowed in cabins or balconies. It's allowed only in a few outdoor spaces. It's more restricted on Princess than Celebrity.

 

Anytime dining is exactly the same as Traditional: same menu, same dress code. Only difference is that it's open seating and you can arrive at the dining room to be seated when you want rather than a set time. Like a popular restaurant, there can be a wait for a table at times. It'll likely be a longer wait for a table for two.

 

No indoor pool on the Royal or any of the newer Princess ships. :(

 

Staff is excellent on Princess. In my experience, better than on Celebrity. My waitstaff on the Summit was excellent but my steward only so-so. I received zero customer service on the Summit when I had a non-functioning toilet for three days. :(

 

Princess and Celebrity are similar cruise experiences. IMHO, the food is better on Princess as is Customer Service. Here are some differences:

 

-- There is WiFi throughout the ship and in all cabins.

 

-- The buffet is open for full dining from early in the morning until 11pm. One side might close during changeovers but you'll still be able to get a full breakfast late morning, full lunch throughout the afternoon and full dinner until closing.

 

-- All Princess ships have self-serve laundries and most ships have them on every passenger deck.

 

-- All Princess cabins have a mini-frig.

 

The Royal will have the International Cafe, open 24/7, with delicious pastries, muffins, donuts, breakfast sandwiches in the morning and a variety of pastries, salads, sandwiches and paninis the rest of the time. The chicken Waldorf salad is to die for.

[Princess Patches]

Hello,

 

I will be sailing Royal Princess in November for my honeymoon with soon to be husband, and I wanted to ask anyone who has Princess sailing experience (and the time) the following ... There are a lot of questions, so please just answer what you like.

 

 

• I hear there is smoking allowed on Princess ships. Does this mean it is allowed on balconies? I would not like the smoke drifting to us.
   
   
  
• Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals. We are shy people.
   
   
  
• Does anyone know if there is an indoor pool on Royal Princess?
   
   
  
• How is the staff on Princess ships? Are they customer-oriented and friendly?
   
   
  
• Finally, if anyone has cruised on Celebrity and Princess before, would you say they are somewhat similar or different? I love Celebrity.
  

Thanks for your help!

 

Smoking is allowed only in a few designated public areas. There is no smoking on balconies or in cabins.

 

Both Anytime and Traditional dining have the same formal nights. Whichever dining option you choose, you will get to participate in formal nights. The diagrams and drawings of the Royal Princess dining rooms show mulitple tables for two in both the Traditional and Anytime dining venues. I am sure you will not have any difficulty getting a table for two whatever dining option you choose.

 

There is no indoor pool, but there is an adults only pool at the Sanctuary.

 

The staff is always very helpful and friendly on all Princess ships.

 

I have sailed on both Celebrity and Princess mulitple times. If you liked Celebrity, you will also like Princess. These two lines are the most similar of the mainstream lines in the experience they offer their passengers. Classy decor and excellent dining and entertainment. Enjoy your cruise. The Royal should be a real beauty.

[Nan_Sea]

You can call every morning and make a reservation in the any time dining room. Just call early and request a table for two. Congratulations!

[OCruisers]

Hello,

 

I will be sailing Royal Princess in November for my honeymoon with soon to be husband, and I wanted to ask anyone who has Princess sailing experience (and the time) the following ... There are a lot of questions, so please just answer what you like.

 

 

• I hear there is smoking allowed on Princess ships. Does this mean it is allowed on balconies? I would not like the smoke drifting to us.
   
   
  
• Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals. We are shy people.
   
   
  
• Does anyone know if there is an indoor pool on Royal Princess?
   
   
  
• How is the staff on Princess ships? Are they customer-oriented and friendly?
   
   
  
• Finally, if anyone has cruised on Celebrity and Princess before, would you say they are somewhat similar or different? I love Celebrity.
  

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Smoking: There is now NO smoking in cabins or balconies on Princess. On the open deck there is a limited area. Most Princess ships (all we've been on) have a cigar bar which, fortunately, is inside and appreciated by those who smoke.

 

Anytime Dining: The dress and food is always the same for Anytime Dining as it is for Traditional Dining. Yes, you can get a table for two.

 

Celebrity vs Princess: We've cruised on both. You'll find they are quite a bit alike ... way more alike than different. While Princess is a slightly better fit for us, one of our best cruises ever was on Celebrity. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Catnap All Day]

You most certainly can sit by yourselves at dinner, normal night or formal night. Simply ask the maitre'd for a table for two. You might be seated right away, or there might be a wait, just like a restaurant where you live. You'd get a pager, just like at home, and you could go have a cocktail while you wait, or you could hang around outside the dining room.

 

I think you'd like Princess' "comfortableness"; I do anyway.

 

Excellent. Thank you for all the details!

[Catnap All Day]

 

No indoor pool on the Royal or any of the newer Princess ships. :(

 

I received zero customer service on the Summit when I had a non-functioning toilet for three days. :(

 

 

You seem like a well-traveled lady. Darn it about the pool. I would hope they could give you another cabin if the potty failed. That's terrible!

 

Re: food. I loved the fare on the Celebrity Eclipse. But I noticed the pickings got really slim around 10:30 or so. I think it was pizza and sushi after that. But it was good food anyway.

[Catnap All Day]

 

I have sailed on both Celebrity and Princess mulitple times. If you liked Celebrity, you will also like Princess. These two lines are the most similar of the mainstream lines in the experience they offer their passengers. Classy decor and excellent dining and entertainment. Enjoy your cruise. The Royal should be a real beauty.

 

This is great to know. We are trying to keep away from the party hearty loud drunken stuff like I have heard about Carnival Cruises and even Royal Caribbean. That is why I loved Celebrity so much. Watching Princess's YouTube channel, I got a similar sophisticated vibe. I know that Princess is under the Carnival umbrella but is a different branch.

 

I feel in love with the Royal Princess pictures and videos. I am so excited about being on this beautiful ship I could almost cry.

[Catnap All Day]

You can call every morning and make a reservation in the any time dining room. Just call early and request a table for two. Congratulations!

 

Thanks so much!

[Catnap All Day]

One more quick question, if anyone sees this.

 

Do Princess ships do shopping shows in the theatre on the cruise? I think I want to get some Pandora jewelry in one of the ports.

 

Thanks!

[Pam in CA]

Do Princess ships do shopping shows in the theatre on the cruise? I think I want to get some Pandora jewelry in one of the ports.

I think it depends. I haven't seen one specifically on shopping in years on Princess although they do have a port lecture a day or two before the port that might include shopping suggestions. There will be a port guide for each port in your cabin which will have information about the port, things to see and do, a map and a list of recommended stores with a brief description of what to buy in the store.

[Catnap All Day]

I think it depends. I haven't seen one specifically on shopping in years on Princess although they do have a port lecture a day or two before the port that might include shopping suggestions. There will be a port guide for each port in your cabin which will have information about the port, things to see and do, a map and a list of recommended stores with a brief description of what to buy in the store.

 

Thanks!

[AKman2495]

One more quick question, if anyone sees this.

 

Do Princess ships do shopping shows in the theatre on the cruise? I think I want to get some Pandora jewelry in one of the ports.

 

Thanks!

 

On our Panama Canal cruise last year they had on onboard shopping show in the theater.

 

Although I didn't go they had fliers for it. I do remember one where they talked about buying emeralds in Columbia. I have no doubt they talked about a lot of other things too.

[Princess Patches]

This is great to know. We are trying to keep away from the party hearty loud drunken stuff like I have heard about Carnival Cruises and even Royal Caribbean. That is why I loved Celebrity so much. Watching Princess's YouTube channel, I got a similar sophisticated vibe. I know that Princess is under the Carnival umbrella but is a different branch.

 

I feel in love with the Royal Princess pictures and videos. I am so excited about being on this beautiful ship I could almost cry.

 

Do not worry. No drinking or hairy leg contests on Princess. It is all very traditional and classy. You could not have chosen better for your first Princess cruise. I am sure your honeymoon cruise will be the trip of a lifetime. Please write a review upon your return so those of who have not gotten to experience this wonderful new ship can live vicariously through you.

[Jasperdo]

[*]Does Anytime Dining mean that we would not be able to attend the formal dinners? I like the the special dinners and decor of nicer dining rooms, but my fiance and I would like to sit by ourselves for our meals. We are shy people.

One thing to be aware of with tables for two on Princess, though, is that not all of them are private. My wife and I are like you and your future husband. We are shy people and prefer a quite, private table at dinner. Sometimes we get one, other times the other table is so close it is impossible to have a private conversation. Here are a few photos of how close some tables for two are placed:

 

Coral Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Coral Princess by Jasperdo, on Flickr

[Catnap All Day]

Do not worry. No drinking or hairy leg contests on Princess. It is all very traditional and classy. You could not have chosen better for your first Princess cruise. I am sure your honeymoon cruise will be the trip of a lifetime. Please write a review upon your return so those of who have not gotten to experience this wonderful new ship can live vicariously through you.

 

Perfect!

 

You made me chuckle with the legs remark.

 

I also would like to have as many cruises on my list one day as you have.

[Catnap All Day]

One thing to be aware of with tables for two on Princess, though, is that not all of them are private. My wife and I are like you and your future husband. We are shy people and prefer a quite, private table at dinner. Sometimes we get one, other times the other table is so close it is impossible to have a private conversation. Here are a few photos of how close some tables for two are placed:

 

 

 

This is good to know. Maybe when I call to make a reservation I can ask for it to be away from other tables.

 

Thanks a plenty for this very useful tip.

[rdsqrl]

This is great to know. We are trying to keep away from the party hearty loud drunken stuff like I have heard about Carnival Cruises and even Royal Caribbean. That is why I loved Celebrity so much. Watching Princess's YouTube channel, I got a similar sophisticated vibe. I know that Princess is under the Carnival umbrella but is a different branch.

 

I feel in love with the Royal Princess pictures and videos. I am so excited about being on this beautiful ship I could almost cry.

I hope you've seen this thread, too:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1766069

Dave has put a tremendous amount of work into it (it's 100+ pages long at this point) and it has all kinds of wonderful photos and information that will ratchet up your excitement even more about this new ship!

[janacin]

If you liked Celebrity, you'll LOVE Princess.

[Catnap All Day]

I hope you've seen this thread, too:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1766069

Dave has put a tremendous amount of work into it (it's 100+ pages long at this point) and it has all kinds of wonderful photos and information that will ratchet up your excitement even more about this new ship!

 

Woohoo! Thanks! Drooling over the thread now.