2013 Christmas Cruise on Royal Princess - A Photo Review!

[The Big Booper]

 

Flickr

 

The only ship horn that will get a bigger cheer then the Love Boat

 

"When you wish upon a Star." Disney Magic

Edited January 8, 2014 by The Big Booper

[The Big Booper]

I assume more pictures coming from the Mouse House.:)

[windjamming]

So excited that we may get a bonus WDW review! We were just there in November and stayed at the Grand Floridian. (My favorite is the Polynesian, but my mom loves GF.)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[whataboutport]

Wow that Waldorf room is huge!

 

And me too, I hope for a WDW review too. I haven't been there since I was a kid (in 1987!)

[Tak8]

Really enjoyed your review and photos. You made us feel like we were there, no small task. More excited for Christmas cruise on Royal.

[slc22]

12.28.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Wow, this is a great shot! Loving your review. Thanks for taking us along with your family!

 

sue

[cruise_rima]

Thanks for the insight and photos. I am especially happy because we leave on the Royal Princess on January 19. And we live in a town right next to Clemson, SC.

[tequilasunrise]

The reason that we wanted to leave dinner early was so that we could go to the Princess Live theater to watch the Marriage Match Game Show. This is a very popular event, and there was a line out the door. Very quickly after the line started moving, it was standing room only. I honestly think that this is a bad venue for this event. I understand that they wanted to film it for the cabins and perhaps there isn't always this much interest in the show, but it really belonged in a larger area - perhaps the Vista Lounge or even the Princess Theater.

 

12.27.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.27.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

 

This show is universally very popular. I am elite, and have sailed on most of Princess's ships (NOT Royal). This show has always filled the venue when I have been there. Usually held in Explorers, it filled club fusion on Sapphire. This "Live" venue highlights my biggest concern about the Royal-and why I have not yet booked her. Although it is a beautiful ship, as your excellent photography highlights, it seems that there is simply not enough to do outside of eating and drinking, for the numbers of passengers onboard. I don't want to get up at 5am to claim a deck chair, nor do I want to sit in it all day. I despise loud movies playing while I am trying to relax during the day (eliminating most Royal outdoor space). I DO want to go to the game shows but don't want to wait in line for half an hour, only to find it's filled up by the time I get in there. I am not a foodie--a quick burger, maybe a salad and I'm good for most of the day. I don't want to pay more for food. This ship clearly isn't the right fit for me. But I am really enjoying your review, great job and thanks for doing this for us!

[compozer]

Best review I have read in ages. And your pictures are wonderful. We were also on the cruise and had some of the same experiences with rowdy people in the dining room and around the pool. Still can't believe the guy in the green undies. I like that you take pictures with people in them.

 

I am sure I saw you and your sister around the ship. What a beautiful family you have and looks like you play well together. Too bad you didn't get a chance to connect with our son. He is a photographer so you two would have a lot in common. He had one pelican case with his underwater housings, etc. and another with three cameras. We did a lot of scuba diving and he has some sensational pictures.

 

Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

[jb008]

Am I allowed to ask disney questions?

 

If you're staying either at the WA or at a disney resort, are you able to access restaurants without a disney pass, or do you have to have a disney pass (e.g., park hopper) to be able to get to restaurants?

 

Beautiful pictures - makes for an awesome read. Many many thanks for posting, and I'm really glad this was cross-posted in the RCI section of the forums so I found it. But gee does it make me miss Princess. :cool:

[profteedee]

Thanks so much for the wonderful review and gorgeous photos! We will be on the Royal in July for a Baltic cruise. Can't wait!

 

Best wishes to you and your family as you continue your adventures in traveling!

[BullDawg91]

Am I allowed to ask disney questions?

 

If you're staying either at the WA or at a disney resort, are you able to access restaurants without a disney pass, or do you have to have a disney pass (e.g., park hopper) to be able to get to restaurants?

 

Beautiful pictures - makes for an awesome read. Many many thanks for posting, and I'm really glad this was cross-posted in the RCI section of the forums so I found it. But gee does it make me miss Princess. :cool:

 

If you are referring to restaurants inside any of the parks, you must have a park pass for the day whether you stay at a Disney resort or elsewhere.

[lynwar]

I hated for your cruise to end, but did enjoy the beach pictures. Was that Daytona? I saw marks in the sand that indicated that a vehicle had been on it and that has been allowed at Daytona.

You gave us a good tip about the property where your hotel is located near Disney. We have been here for almost 18 years and have yet to go to WDW.

 

Thanks again for sharing your cruise and trip with us. I'm awaiting your next adventure.

Lynne

[4cats4me]

Hi Karen, Bernie was also looking at the post about the guy in the underwear and the Sexy Legs and he said "when did Princess start doing this". I too don't recall this happening.

 

Hope you are both well.

 

Victoria, loving your review and your photos.

 

Vickie

 

I recall a sexy legs contest on Princess as early as 2006 when we went on the Sapphire to Mexico. Our Canadian friends had a son, Zachary, on the cruise, and later that day, there was Zachary, a contestant in the sexy legs contest. We all had a good laugh over that.

[Winnigirl]

Am I allowed to ask disney questions?

 

If you're staying either at the WA or at a disney resort, are you able to access restaurants without a disney pass, or do you have to have a disney pass (e.g., park hopper) to be able to get to restaurants?

 

Beautiful pictures - makes for an awesome read. Many many thanks for posting, and I'm really glad this was cross-posted in the RCI section of the forums so I found it. But gee does it make me miss Princess. :cool:

 

If the restaurant is in one of the parks, then paid admission to that park is required, whether it's a day ticket, park hopper or annual pass. If the restaurant is in one of the Disney resorts, then no admission ticket is required. No admission ticket is necessary for the restaurants at the Marketplace or Downtown Disney, either.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Winnigirl

[LittleMissMagic]

Best review I have read in ages. And your pictures are wonderful. We were also on the cruise and had some of the same experiences with rowdy people in the dining room and around the pool. Still can't believe the guy in the green undies. I like that you take pictures with people in them.

 

I am sure I saw you and your sister around the ship. What a beautiful family you have and looks like you play well together. Too bad you didn't get a chance to connect with our son. He is a photographer so you two would have a lot in common. He had one pelican case with his underwater housings, etc. and another with three cameras. We did a lot of scuba diving and he has some sensational pictures.

 

Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

 

Thank you! I hate that I didn't get the opportunity to meet your son. Underwater photography has always been an interest of mine. I am actually taking classes to get my scuba certification this semester!

[LittleMissMagic]

Am I allowed to ask disney questions?

 

If you're staying either at the WA or at a disney resort, are you able to access restaurants without a disney pass, or do you have to have a disney pass (e.g., park hopper) to be able to get to restaurants?

 

Beautiful pictures - makes for an awesome read. Many many thanks for posting, and I'm really glad this was cross-posted in the RCI section of the forums so I found it. But gee does it make me miss Princess. :cool:

 

Of course, I love Disney questions!

 

We have annual passes which we used to get inside of the parks. Like others said, while you can't enter the theme parks without some sort of admission, you can eat at Disney restaurants outside of the park, such as at the Disney resorts, Disney's Boardwalk, and Downtown Disney/Disney Springs without admission.

[LittleMissMagic]

I hated for your cruise to end, but did enjoy the beach pictures. Was that Daytona? I saw marks in the sand that indicated that a vehicle had been on it and that has been allowed at Daytona.

You gave us a good tip about the property where your hotel is located near Disney. We have been here for almost 18 years and have yet to go to WDW.

 

Thanks again for sharing your cruise and trip with us. I'm awaiting your next adventure.

Lynne

 

We were in Fort Lauderdale when we were on the beach. It was early in the morning, so I think the tire tracks were from a lifeguard's vehicle.

[dcrow72]

12.25.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.25.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This is called the "painkiller." It's nutmeg - very interesting!

 

12.25.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.25.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

 

the Painkiller is so amazing. Had it on a catamaran trip in St Thomas years ago and still remember how good it was. Where in Sapphire Beach did you go? I understood that the public area with bar was closed. We went to Emerald beach our last visit because of that.

[compozer]

Thank you! I hate that I didn't get the opportunity to meet your son. Underwater photography has always been an interest of mine. I am actually taking classes to get my scuba certification this semester!

 

Good for you! You will LOVE diving. I have heard of more people lately doing it thru their college - that is really neat. We got our PADI certification 1 1/2 years ago in Lake Michigan after doing a Christmas cruise and seeing so many divers below us while snorkeling. We did numerous SSI specialties this summer and got our advanced certification. My son has done many more and is working on his Dive Master certification and also wants to go on to be an instructor. Almost all of my 30 dives this summer in the lakes was like a night dive (poor visibility) so we both were very excited and thankful that we had the opportunity to dive during our cruise.

 

You need to get your sister to join you. It is nice to have a relative as a buddy. I know he always has my back and I have his. At 65, sometimes I think I am a little old to do this but I love it. All my friends think I am nuts but I don't care.

 

It is another world down there and you have to have the right equipment to capture the perfect pictures.

[LittleMissMagic]

Good for you! You will LOVE diving. I have heard of more people lately doing it thru their college - that is really neat. We got our PADI certification 1 1/2 years ago in Lake Michigan after doing a Christmas cruise and seeing so many divers below us while snorkeling. We did numerous SSI specialties this summer and got our advanced certification. My son has done many more and is working on his Dive Master certification and also wants to go on to be an instructor. Almost all of my 30 dives this summer in the lakes was like a night dive (poor visibility) so we both were very excited and thankful that we had the opportunity to dive during our cruise.

 

You need to get your sister to join you. It is nice to have a relative as a buddy. I know he always has my back and I have his. At 65, sometimes I think I am a little old to do this but I love it. All my friends think I am nuts but I don't care.

 

It is another world down there and you have to have the right equipment to capture the perfect pictures.

 

It was actually my sister's idea to take the class, but it is taught on the same day at the same time each semester, and she will always have a conflict. My boyfriend, Max, is in the class with me, though. His dad loves scuba diving and has been talking about getting us certified so that he can take us on a dive trip with him for years. Our first class was yesterday, and they told us how much less expensive it is to get certified through the university - especially Clemson because our course fee is lower, and we also all get grades for it (1 hour).

 

Now photography - that's what I'm worried about! I'm going to have to research equipment and see what to get... but I think I'll just focus on learning to dive first! :D

[LittleMissMagic]

the Painkiller is so amazing. Had it on a catamaran trip in St Thomas years ago and still remember how good it was. Where in Sapphire Beach did you go? I understood that the public area with bar was closed. We went to Emerald beach our last visit because of that.

 

I'm not exactly sure where in Sapphire Beach. They were running a little bar stand on the beach - it looked temporary, but the drinks were still good!

[LittleMissMagic]

Since there is such interest in the Disney portion of my trip, I'm going to continue and cover Walt Disney World in this review. I think it's relevant because many families pair a cruise from Florida with a trip to the theme parks.

 

The evening we arrived, I had made us a 4:30 ADR at Tokyo Dining for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Now, I didn't really know what all the Candlelight Processional Dining Package entailed. I did zero research. I just thought it looked cool and booked it. It turns out that Tokyo Dining is one of the most expensive places for the dining package at $74.95 per person (which might have been why it was available). With the dining package, you get a soda or non-alcoholic drink of your choice, appetizer, entree, and dessert.

 

Rachel and I got the Bento Box...

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Mom ordered the salmon. She said that it was the best salmon that she's ever had in her life. Dad got the filet mignon.

[LittleMissMagic]

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The chocolate ginger cake was amazing. I highly recommend it.

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel got the green tea and vanilla ice cream swirl and wasn't a big fan.

 

12.29.13 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The green tea cheesecake, however, was really good.

[whataboutport]

Yikes that is pretty pricey for the amount of food.

 

Glad you are back and doing the Disney portion!