LIVE from the Royal Princess 4/6/14-4/13/14

[Donder1]

The "Lounge" is for both Platinum and Elite together. You should have received an invitation in your cabin.

[Donder1]

Any info you can find out re: soot issue on aft cabin balconies would be greatly appreciated by me.

[Colo Cruiser]

Any info you can find out re: soot issue on aft cabin balconies would be greatly appreciated by me.

 

I would think nothing has changed yet. :(

[westendgirl]

Unfortunately, on the Emerald Princess you are limited.

 

And we were limited on the Crown to the drink of the night as well. First time that ever happened (last Oct./Nov.) and it was fine, but it limited our drinking participation to Chairman and Cosmo nights. When we cruised the Emerald Jan. 18 with you they were still allowing any drink, any night, but I believe I read in your blog that they changed that the next cruise or so. Sigh. :( Certainly not anything to ruin a cruise but it would seem that the change would reduce their revenues in the lounge.

[A1A]

They let us in the Platinum, Elite, Suite lounge last night with no checking of cruise cards, I suppose if you order the drink special your card would help make the determination if you get the drink special. We had the margarita and it was very good, the guacamole was definitely homemade and we enjoyed our short time there. Will check next time we are there to see if you can get any of the drinks on any night or if you are limited to the particular night of the special. Off to our first seating dinner in the Concerto Dining room and were at a table for six, with a couple from Indian and a couple from Quebec. Pleasant dinner conversation and we look forward to seeing them later for our first formal night. The dining room is beautiful, folks all dressed appropriately and our service was good. The food was excellent, I had the surf and turf and the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare.

 

Tried to go to the casino after dinner, but it was so jammed packed, there were people actually waiting behind others queued up in line for a machine. I have never seen a ships casino so packed and it wasn't due to the let out of a show, it was just packed.

 

Later we went to see comedian Steve White in the Princess theater. The show started at 8:30 and there were pretty much only single seats left at about 8:20 and by 8:25 all the seats were gone. I must say that the show was worth the wait as this young comedian was really funny. We enjoyed the show immensely and from the reaction of the crowd this guy is a hit. Looking forward to seeing him again tonight for another show in the Vista Lounge.

 

Observations about our room, inside sideways cabin, Lido 208. The flat screen television is attached to the wall and does not swivel or move in anyway. Now usually this is not a huge deal, but the TV is not directly in front of the bed. The person in the side of the bed the TV is on has a great view; however, the person in the other side of the bed does not have a straight shot of the TV. Is this a big deal, no, just an observation. The closet area is kind of cramped and you cannot open the closet door where the safe is and have the bathroom door opened at the same time. The bathroom door is also at an angle so entering the bathroom is difficult if you hang anything on the bathroom door. The sink and shower are much bigger than previous cabins and there is 6”8” headroom in the shower. Beds are very comfortable, rocked to sleep last night with some choppy seas, very nice. This room is completely fine, however, after the cabin crawl, I will let you know if I would do an inside sideways cabin again. There may not be much difference in the inside sideways cabins with the standard inside cabins, we shall see.

 

Gym was packed today and we did have to wait for a treadmill, by the way there are 24 treadmills on this ship and they all have nice little flat screen TV’s, bring your ear buds from home if you want to try them out. There is also a scale in the gym and vending machines for power type drinks. Plenty of towels and disinfectant wipes for the machines and everyone seemed to use proper gym etiquette wiping down there machines when finished.

 

Pool was a madhouse today with so many people and so few chairs. We were traveling 20 knots directly into a 30 knot wind, so you can imagine the wind problems on the higher decks. We sat poolside with our feet in the water for about 15 minutes until I spied a couple leaving there loungers and sprang into action to secure the chairs for my wife and I. There were some chair hogs at the pool, seats I saw that sat empty of people for the two hours we were there. I also witnessed many people that left the pool and left there towels behind, when this happens no one is sure if folks are coming back or not. There has got to be a better way to handle this situation.

 

First formal night tonight. In the Princess Theater, Colors of the World 6:30, 8:30 & 10:30. Comedian Steve White 7:15, 9:15 & 11:15 in the Vista Lounge. Movies Under the Stars is Captain Phillips at 7:15 & 10:30. Captains Welcome aboard Party 7:15- 8:00. BTW, you can get your teeth whitened today for $129!

 

We are having a great time, this is a beautiful ship, is it too big for us?

 

Cheers!

Ken

[balcony bum]

Hi Ken thanks for posting tell everyone I said Hi.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Hi Ken,

 

Enjoying your report. We sail when you disembark (don't empty the slots, OK?)

 

Are limes available for drinks? I ask only because Carnival is not making them available at this time.

 

We don't care about being by the pool, but are you seeing much for chaises in shady areas?

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Donder1]

I would think nothing has changed yet. :(

Just wondering. Are you now on the ship and have an aft balcony or talked to someone who is in an aft cabin?

[Colo Cruiser]

Just wondering. Are you now on the ship and have an aft balcony or talked to someone who is in an aft cabin?

 

Not onboard but have not heard of any changes.

[caribill]

There is a Welcome Aboard Show in the theater at 8:30 PM.

 

Was the Welcome ABoard Show also offered a second time so that 2nd seating passengers could attend?

[dmwnc1959]

Ken - it sounds like you are still having a great time on the ship. Looking forward to hearing if Royal Princess is 'too big' for you.... ;)

 

Just wondering. Are you now on the ship and have an aft balcony or talked to someone who is in an aft cabin?

 

The soot issues are pretty well documented here on Cruise Critic by those who have cruised in aft facing balconies, as well as those who have not been in an aft facing balcony yet have sailed on Royal Princess, myself included. This has been a continuing concern/problem since last summer when it was first reported by Amelia and Bob. And it's going to take more than a 'turn around day' in Fort Lauderdale to fix this. You can safely assume that until she has some shipyard time to install scrubbers (or whatever it's going to take to fix this), that it will continue to be a non-stop issue. I personally didn't sail in an aft balcony, but didn't find that the soot factors distracted from my vacation as a whole during the two weeks I was aboard.

 

Stay tuned...

 

:D

Edited April 9, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[chamima]

Just wondering. Are you now on the ship and have an aft balcony or talked to someone who is in an aft cabin?

 

We sailed in an aft (B736) in February.

I wrote on here several times that there was a little soot every day but only once was it so bad that we couldn't sit out.

The poor cabin steward cleaned the balcony twice a day and also gave us extra pool towels to put over the chairs just to make sure we wouldn't get any leftover soot on our clothes. (We didn't)

 

If it means anything we've booked an aft for next winter again.

The size of the balcony and the view more than make up for the inconvenience of the soot. (Our too loud neighbors were WAY more of an annoyance than the soot - why don't people realize they are sharing that outdoor space! :( )

Someone wrote that it's better on the port side so we booked B739 for next year.

Hope this helps!

Edited April 9, 2014 by chamima

[Snorkel Dawg]

Reading this thread makes me want to have a Red Stripe :)

[dmwnc1959]

Reading this thread makes me want to have a Red Stripe :)

 

...or a Bellini!!!

 

:D :D :D

[Colo Cruiser]

[Colo Cruiser]

Reading this thread makes me want to have a Red Stripe :)

 

 

 

Have a case sitting in my fridge! ;)

[patperry]

Ken - it sounds like you are still having a great time on the ship. Looking forward to hearing if Royal Princess is 'too big' for you.... ;)

 

 

 

The soot issues are pretty well documented here on Cruise Critic by those who have cruised in aft facing balconies, as well as those who have not been in an aft facing balcony yet have sailed on Royal Princess, myself included. This has been a continuing concern/problem since last summer when it was first reported by Amelia and Bob. And it's going to take more than a 'turn around day' in Fort Lauderdale to fix this. You can safely assume that until she has some shipyard time to install scrubbers (or whatever it's going to take to fix this), that it will continue to be a non-stop issue. I personally didn't sail in an aft balcony, but didn't find that the soot factors distracted from my vacation as a whole during the two weeks I was aboard.

 

Stay tuned...

 

:D

 

This issue is not limited to the Royal, as I found out on the Ruby last month. We had an aft balcony, Riviera (sp) deck and had soot. One day it was really bad, other days minor.

 

Did it stop me from enjoying that balcony! NOT :D

[Mom33]

We sailed in an aft (B736) in February.

I wrote on here several times that there was a little soot every day but only once was it so bad that we couldn't sit out.

The poor cabin steward cleaned the balcony twice a day and also gave us extra pool towels to put over the chairs just to make sure we wouldn't get any leftover soot on our clothes. (We didn't)

 

If it means anything we've booked an aft for next winter again.

The size of the balcony and the view more than make up for the inconvenience of the soot. (Our too loud neighbors were WAY more of an annoyance than the soot - why don't people realize they are sharing that outdoor space! :( )

Someone wrote that it's better on the port side so we booked B739 for next year.

Hope this helps!

 

We just got off the Royal Sunday. While we were at the Outrigger on Horizon Terrace, we looked over the aft of the ship and could see the balconies below. There was no sign of soot at that time. The stewards either just cleaned or the problem is intermittent.

Glad you enjoyed your balcony. :D

[Loonbeam]

Prevailing winds will have quite the effect on this issue. If the winds are across the deck, its possible a lot of the problem will be blown off line, but if the ship is sailing into the wind, could be a lot worse.

 

Not sure what a tailwind would do, I expect make it worse as well but not sure.

 

We just got off the Royal Sunday. While we were at the Outrigger on Horizon Terrace, we looked over the aft of the ship and could see the balconies below. There was no sign of soot at that time. The stewards either just cleaned or the problem is intermittent.

Glad you enjoyed your balcony. :D

[A1A]

Last night we were able to accomplish a lot after dinner. We watched the Captains Champagne Toast midship. The introduction of all his senior executive staff, either I am getting old or this is a pretty young looking crew! The Cruise Director made all the introductions and she does seem to have a keen sense of humor. We then went to the Princess Theater to view their production of Colors of the World. Not a big fan of the Princess theater productions and this one did not make me change my opinion on that subject. I think we may skip further production shows, seems like we may have seen previous shows form last year. We then went to watch the Comedian Steve White again and this time was not nearly as funny as the first time. I feel as though one night of his show is perfect, especially his first night.

 

This morning, as you know, we arrived in St. Thomas, Crown Bay Center. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion; Wildlife Sanctuary, Kayak, Hike & Snorkel. This was a nice excursion that gave you the opportunity to move around a bit and to do some exploring. Our guide Lisa was wonderful and she made our adventure fun and educational. I would recommend this tour for outdoors people, those that don’t like big crowds and feeling trapped on a tour bus all day. I think this may have been the same tour GeoHerb took, based on his description; we too spoke about buying a kayak today!

 

After the tour we skipped downtown and breezed through the shops in Crown Bay. Found a place where we could make all the phone calls we wanted for $4.00 that was a bargain! Look for the internet hot spot and the crowds of people, just off the ship bear a hard left!

 

Back on the ship around 2PM, just in time for a late lunch at Alfredo’s. This was a nice treat and we had been looking forward to trying this venue the entire cruise. The pizza is not exactly the same as the pizza at the pool, but it is just as good. Crust is a little thicker and you get your choice of toppings. We also had antipasto, and that was nice too, you will also get some fresh baked hard rolls with olive oil and vinegar on a plate for dipping. The calzone was the big order there today as it seemed every order had a calzone with it! Check this out, you will not be disappointed.

 

Since we are skipping dinner tonight in the dining room tonight we have no plans. Movies under the Stars features Gravity, In the princess Theater tonight is master Illusionists David Katz, which we will skip. In the vista Lounge is the Ye Olde Pub Night! Tonight you can get a full body massage and a facial, 75 minutes $139.00.

 

Gottaluvcrusin – Limes are on board as far as I can tell from the Mojitos being served, however I did not specifically ask, bring one or two from home if you want! There are plenty of chaise loungers in the shade, but on sea days you better stake your claim early!

 

Donder – I have not spoken to anyone in an aft balcony, so I am not sure about the soot issue! It has been pretty windy, not sure how that will come into play.

 

Pam In CA – You are correct as far as the Royal drinks policy’s go for the $5.00 drink of the day in the Platinum/Elite/Suite Lounge. You can have any of the drinks on any night for the special price.

 

Kimstonepost – The wedding chapel is on the small to medium size. It is currently set up with nine chairs, three rows of three, on each side of the center aisle. It looks as though you could easily add another eighteen chairs to make the total thirty six if they moved the grand piano out. Call Princess and see what they will do for you, it’s really nice!

 

Tomorrow St. Maarten!

 

Cheers!

Ken

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

We hope to be on the Regal next year so looking for info on the Royal, expecting the same for us. I understand the coffee card can be used for gelato - one punch per scoop - or how does it work?

 

Looks like a crab margarita is on our to do list. I understand it is available at the Seafood Bar - for a charge?

 

We are in an angled Deluxe Balcony and there should be room for them -will we have foot stools for the balcony?

 

Thanks for posting!

[Donder1]

When we called Customer Services a few months ago, we were told that they are acutely aware of the soot issue and are trying different fuel mixtures. They seemed confident that they would have the issue solved soon.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Donder1

[GottaLuvCruising]

Gottaluvcrusin – Limes are on board as far as I can tell from the Mojitos being served, however I did not specifically ask, bring one or two from home if you want! There are plenty of chaise loungers in the shade, but on sea days you better stake your claim early!

 

Cheers!

Ken

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions (along with so many others!)

 

We really enjoyed Steve White in Las Vegas, but when we saw him on the Ruby Princess it was basically the same routine.

 

Looking forward to tomorrow's report!

[A1A]

Greetings from the Beautiful Royal Princess in St. Maarten! What a beautiful day here in the island, weather is still a little windy, but the sun is out, the water is 10 different shades of blue and you can see the bottom at 50 feet.

 

A little about last night, a little tired for the kayaking excursion we had planned to do little. Turns out, that’s just what we did! After a meal in the HC we opted to return to the cabin and call it an early night. I wanted to also mention how wonderful the staff are in the HC, they greet you and are at your table as soon as you sit to take your drink order, someone is doing something right in that department!

 

We did watch Captain Phillips in our room on the 40 inch Samsung and had a nice quiet night, sometimes required, even on a cruise! Satellite TV is definitely not HD, although I believe the in room movies are. Either way the television fits the needs for us, still wish it was more centered in the room. For those that always ask on the boards, I can find no inputs or jacks with the feel of my hand in the rear of the television, I would not count on being able to view photo or playing movies form your video camera. Did I mention the pillows on board are great!

 

Up early this morning and as we do on every day we leave the ship early, we had breakfast delivered. This is an easy way to get the day off to a quick start without any stress. Sure miss our night-side alarm clock, we usually bring our digital alarm clock from home, however, somehow we forgot to bring it this time. The breakfast delivery also serves as our back up wake-up call!

 

Met the 27 people from our roll call at 8:00 AM at the International Café, today was our group excursion on-board the Swalgia 2! All the hype on the cruise critic boards and TripAdvisor did not disappoint and we had a wonderful 4hour boat trip on the Caribbean side of the island, swimming and snorkeling. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time aboard and I will write more on the excursion on the proper board upon my return.

 

After a quick bite and a change of clothes back at the ship we hit a very hot downtown St. Maarten picking up some souvenirs and our allotment of alcohol. We were anxious to get back to the ship for some air-conditioning and cold drinks. We will watch our sail away from the sundeck tonight as I still not have heard the “love boat” horns.

 

Dave – Still have not decided if this ship is too big for us, we are so used to the grand class ships and will make a decision after the trip.

 

Dawg – I did have a Red Stripe for you today, and a Presidente, and a Corona………….. too bad Keith lives so far away, sound like his fridge is packed!

 

Caribill - The are two “Welcome Aboard” Shows on the first night of the cruise, one at 8:30 and one at 10:30!

 

LTCOP – Found out what LTCOP means and the wife and I had a nice day today with your daughter.

 

Drives like Mario – Passed your greetings along as well!

John – Let all know that you are with us on the boards, hope we can cruise with you soon!

 

More tomorrow, we have some sea day coming up!

 

Cheers!

Ken

[Mom33]

Thanks for your live report. Have a great time.:D