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

[hockeygal54]

[quote name='Carolyn R']Yes. If you are platinum/elite and your cabinmate is not, he/she may be your guest at all functions. Have a great cruise![/QUOTE]

That's what I thought! Thanks for clarifying!


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[A1A]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Well it finally had to happen and into each life a little rain must fall and today it did! After six glorious days of sunshine and sunburn it happened today, but it really happened at a good time. There were periods of sun and clouds and any day on a cruise ship is better than a day at work. First time all week there were available lounge chairs by the pool!

Gym was dead this morning, with half of the treadmills opened. Seems everyone is sleeping in this morning or tired of the routine in the gym. For some reason the volume on the treadmill TV’s only went to 40% and we could not use our ear buds. Gym staff said they would resolve the problem soon.

We did sit for formal photos last night and prior to each sitting we were asked to present out room card to the photographer. This morning we went to check our photos by simply swiping our card on the numerous large screen monitors in the photo area. Our photos then all appeared and we were able to choose our photos from the screen. The same photos were also available the old fashioned way by hunting them out through the masses.

For those that recommended that I try the Crab Margarita, on the way to the casino I finally did try it today and was not disappointed. I really thought I would be getting a Margarita with some crab in it; boy was I wrong but was I in for a treat!

Our slot pull took place today at 2PM in the casino, we had eighteen participants. Each participant contributed $10 and we played the max bet on a one dollar machine. Well after a hour and a half were actually up to $360 and we decided to cut any potential losses and walked out with $20 each. How often can I play for an hour and a half and double my money? We had a great time and then many of us did a cabin crawl to check out the various rooms on the Royal. A cabin crawl on a ship like this was well worth the time invested to check out all the offerings.

Suit cases packed and ready to be placed outside the room for the pickup, a true indication that this vacation is coming to an end. As asked by Dave for the good, bad and ugly I will make a post tomorrow after returning home giving you some additional likes and dislikes of the trip.

Cheers!
Ken [/SIZE][/FONT]

[slc22]

Ken,

Have enjoyed following your posts on your cruise.

Safe travels home ...

[Jetswdo]

Ken, thanks so much for your on going review--I will try to do the same. Today I got review started from leaving our L.A. Ca home to pre cruise hotel experience. Glad you had a nice trip! Anita

[IECalCruiser]

[quote name='canadarocks']Except maybe quarters for your laundry ;)[/QUOTE]We have been Elite for two years. Forgot about laundry.


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[A1A]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Final day today on the Royal Princess, disembarkation delayed 30 minutes but hey, I got to check out the Platinum Lounge (Vista) on Deck 7. No one checked my room card to determine my status but there were not many passengers there form 7:30 to 8:30 when we were awaiting our light blue#1 call. There was water, coffee, tea and orange juice available along with some pastries. There is also a Princess Sales video playing on the screen that shows all the wonderful places this ship can take you. Other than the small delay it was a pleasant experience.

A first for me on Princess, upon leaving the ship and arriving at the luggage pick up I was able to find all my bags except one. The agents were really nice and assisted me looking to see if the bag had been misplaced with another color. After 40 minutes we decided to call it a day. The Princess rep filled out a lost/damaged luggage form and said that they would be in touch. Well, just about 3/4 of the way home or about 40 miles from Ft. Lauderdale, I received a call form the Princess agent. He indicated that another passenger had inadvertently picked up my well marked bag by mistake. He had noticed only after he returned home some hour away from the port. He was driving my bag back to the port and picking his bag that he had left behind. the agent asked if I could come get my bag but due to family responsibilities I could not drive an hour back and forth again and put another 150 miles behind me today. I was given a number for the claims person in Port Everglades and was assured that my bag could be FedEx'd to me tomorrow. I am sure that this kind of thing happens occasionally and as long as I get my bag back in tact, I will be happy. Stay tuned for the outcome.

As requested, here is my Good, bad and the ugly from my 7 day voyage on the Royal Princess!

[B][U]The Good[/U][/B]
Beautiful Ship
Excellent Value
Horizon Court
Staff in Horizon Court (Charles)
Room Attendant (Ramil)
Piazza

[B][U]The Bad[/U][/B]
Sideways facing inside rooms
Inability to swivel TV sets to desired location
Promenade

[B][U]The Ugly[/U][/B]
The Elevators or lack thereof

Overall, this was a very enjoyable cruise and a great vacation! We enjoy cruising Princess and we happy with the new perks we received by our Platinum Status. However, we wished Princess would consider adding some different ports in the Caribbean as HAL has recently done. Is this ship too big? For us probably, we seem to prefer the Caribbean & Crown Class ship and there size. Would we cruise on the Royal again? If the itinerary was to our liking we would in a minute. I guess destination is as important as the ship.

Really fun doing my first live from and I may do it again on my next cruise with Princess. Enjoyed having all of you follow along and hoped I answered some of the questions that you asked. If you have additional questions please ask or drop me a line at my address below.

Cheers!
Ken[/SIZE][/FONT]

[canadarocks]

Thanks so much for the review Ken! We'll be on the Royal next March and you've confirmed I made the right choice sticking with a normal inside cabin instead of the new side-ways style. I've also chosen one low on the ship and near the stairs! :cool:

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thank you for the live from. I enjoyed reading along! We've had that same thing happen with us with a piece of luggage at the airport. Made me want to put one of those stickers on our luggage that read "This is NOT your bag!".:rolleyes:

[quote name='canadarocks']Thanks so much for the review Ken! We'll be on the Royal next March and you've confirmed I made the right choice sticking with a normal inside cabin instead of the new side-ways style. I've also chosen one low on the ship and near the stairs! :cool:[/QUOTE]
I, too, am happy to hear someone else say this. That was the conclusion we reached during our Royal Princess cruise, and again during our BVE. I can see some advantages to the sideways insides, but more drawbacks. We are perpendicular passengers, I guess, but there are a lot of parallel passengers out there, judging from what I've read on Cruise Critic. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your entertaining live Ken!
Enjoyed every post.
One of the reasons why we quit using the disembarkation lounge was that they rarely had anyone checking at the door and the lounge was jam packed everytime we tried, hardly what we want to experience at the end. So now we head to the DR for a nice breakfast until its time to get off.

[caribill]

[quote name='A1A']
[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][B][U]The Bad[/U][/B][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Sideways facing inside rooms[/FONT][/SIZE]
[/quote]

We have been on a sideways inside room on a Crown class ship and really enjoyed it. Better layout and a little extra space.

What did you find negative about this type room on the Regal? I know it does not have the doors on the closet the way the Crown class room does.

[kywildcatfanone]

Ken,

Loved following your review. Thanks for taking the time to post. I agree with your assessment of the good/bad/ugly. We didn't notice the elevator issue much since we were in a forward balcony and had elevators nearby.

[DJVKN]

Thanks for the live from. We are on the Royal in August so enjoyed reading along!

[maggieq]

Loved your review. Always thinking about trying princess again. I didn't think any other cruise line offered a nightly cocktail hour for repeat cruisers based on status. Can someone explain just what it entails?

Thanks

[Mom33]

Thanks for your live reports. Look forward to more.:D Glad you enjoyed the Crabmeat Margarita. Edited April 13, 2014 by Mom33

[hockeygal54]

If you were platinum or elite there was a card in your cabin which listed a different drink and appetizer daily. There were five different ones as I recall inc margarita, Cosmo, mojito and a couple I never heard of. Also an assoc appetizer like chips/GUAC, shrimp cocktail etc. The cocktail was $5 and I've read that you could order any of the group regardless which day was the actual "special".


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[caribill]

[quote name='maggieq']Loved your review. Always thinking about trying princess again. I didn't think any other cruise line offered a nightly cocktail hour for repeat cruisers based on status. Can someone explain just what it entails?

[/quote]

Royal Caribbean has a nightly cocktail party for those with Diamond status and above.

The Princess event for platinum/elite/suite passengers is held most evenings and there are various fopods to eat. There is a coctail of the day for $5. (On some ships, any of the cocktails of the day can be obtained at that price any evening.) Other drinks are at regular prices.

There should be an invitation in the cabin of platinum/elite/suite passengers listing the venue, days, times, drinks of the day, and main food item for each day.

[A1A]

[quote name='Jetswdo']Ken, thanks so much for your on going review--I will try to do the same. Today I got review started from leaving our L.A. Ca home to pre cruise hotel experience. Glad you had a nice trip! Anita[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Looking forward to your review, I will follow along for your week long cruise!
Thanks
Ken [/SIZE][/FONT]

[A1A]

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']Thank you for the live from. I enjoyed reading along! We've had that same thing happen with us with a piece of luggage at the airport. Made me want to put one of those stickers on our luggage that read "This is NOT your bag!".:rolleyes:


I, too, am happy to hear someone else say this. That was the conclusion we reached during our Royal Princess cruise, and again during our BVE. I can see some advantages to the sideways insides, but more drawbacks. We are perpendicular passengers, I guess, but there are a lot of parallel passengers out there, judging from what I've read on Cruise Critic. ;)[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]A big thank you from me as I am an avid reader of your blog and have been for the past few years! Hoping all is well with your family and I look forward to your next adventure!
Ken [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

[A1A]

[quote name='Colo Cruiser']Thanks for your entertaining live Ken!
Enjoyed every post.
One of the reasons why we quit using the disembarkation lounge was that they rarely had anyone checking at the door and the lounge was jam packed everytime we tried, hardly what we want to experience at the end. So now we head to the DR for a nice breakfast until its time to get off.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Keith,
Appreciate you providing Royal web cam shots and your comments to the thread, I also follow along with your replies on other threads and appreciate your postings.
Ken
[/SIZE][/FONT] Edited April 13, 2014 by A1A

[A1A]

[quote name='caribill']We have been on a sideways inside room on a Crown class ship and really enjoyed it. Better layout and a little extra space.

What did you find negative about this type room on the Regal? I know it does not have the doors on the closet the way the Crown class room does.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Caribill,
I agree with the posters that recommend the sideways interior cabins on the Crown Class and Caribbean Class vessels, as I have seen them on numerous cabin crawls. I can tell you from personal experience on the Royal in L208 that this is not the same extra large cabin enjoyed on the Ruby, Emerald, and Caribbean Princess.
This Royal sideways cabin has several obstacles to overcome including very limited traffic spaces between the closets and bathrooms. If you want to get into the safe, clear the area because no one is coming through!
Secondly, the top desk drawer the hairdryer is in makes it nearly impossible to open the cabin door if someone is blow drying their hair. I nearly took the drawer off its rollers opening the cabin drawer while my wife as drying her hair.
Third, the television is affixed to the wall and does not swivel which is not a real big deal, however it aligns for optimal viewing for only the first person in the bed closer to the door.
Lastly, the closet space is diminished a bit and the amount of clothes one may hang is limited.
Also, you get a little bit of early morning and late evening noise from the deck chairs above you at the retreat pool in the front of the ship.
Now these are not huge deals, but if I had it to do over again, personally I would not book a sideways interior cabin on the Royal, but would on the Ruby, Emerald or Caribbean Princess, just my opinion.
Ken
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[dmwnc1959]

Ken - terrific Live thread and review, and I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time on Royal Princess despite a few setbacks.

 

Sorry the inside sideways cabin didn't work out so well. And I can see your point about the non-swiving TV. I have that same problem in my tiny living room at home. Either you're in the optimum field of view or not.

 

Hope you get your luggage back! Keep us updated on if Princess comes through for you.

 

Overall it sounds like a great week. Wish I could be back on her today, but 'good things come to those who wait'. ;)

[bichonsx2]

Ken - I enjoyed reading your very thorough and succinct report of our April 6-13 cruise. I really feel terrible about your luggage mishap today. I guess it was too good to be true to have everything run so smoothly! We arrived home finally at 5:30 tonight (outside Phila). What a long day but what wonderful memories. It was fun getting to know everyone via roll call and then to actually meet in person at the sailaway and the slot pull. It was such fun!! Stay well.

[A1A]

Ken - terrific Live thread and review, and I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time on Royal Princess despite a few setbacks.

 

Sorry the inside sideways cabin didn't work out so well. And I can see your point about the non-swiving TV. I have that same problem in my tiny living room at home. Either you're in the optimum field of view or not.

 

Hope you get your luggage back! Keep us updated on if Princess comes through for you.

 

Overall it sounds like a great week. Wish I could be back on her today, but 'good things come to those who wait'. ;)

 

Everything I outlined as bad or ugly really wasn't a complaint, it was more an observation. I would be glad to be back on the ship today, but would would now opt for another room. That's the beauty of sailing different ships and reading these boards it gives us a chance to be an educated consumer and pick what appeals to us when given a choice. We had a great time on the Royal and are looking forward to our next voyage on Princess. We did purchase our customary OBC before we left the ship! Thanks for all your efforts in assisting all of us with getting to know this ship better!

Ken

[Grego]

Nice review Ken.

We were on the same voyage. Amazing how some complained about the small stuff such as the lack of a central staircase, elevators, promenade deck and even sunrises!

The staircase situation was not really a problem for us, we just got used to walking a little further to use either the forward or aft staircase. If you in to using the stairs then walking a little ways shouldn't be a problem.

It seemed that the elevator situation is around the smaller size of the cars but there seemed to be more of them. Looks like the theory is that during normal times the demand is centered around frequent smaller groups. When the volume increases during embarkation and muster drills the elevators struggle regardless of the size or quantity.

We did miss the Promenade Deck walkway but understand the possible reason for it being closed off in areas. We were on Deck 9 and watched them lower the lifeboat below us. They are able to lower the boat quickly to load directly from Deck 7 now because of the new boat storage system but the trade off is the reduced walkways on this deck. I'm sure this makes this emergency system much more effective than the past design. For us walkers, the track on the Sports Deck is very nice and has lots of room for both walkers and runners. Incorporated with this was some nice fitness stations.

I thought the HC, Bistro and Pastry Shop areas were well thought out and easy to navigate. Lots of room and tables to sit at and the waitstaff very efficient. Food was very good and the variety was great. I would strongly recommend that one should walk through all the area on day 1 to get a feel of the layout.

[TorontoTL]

Wonderful live from and review, thanks so much for taking the time to post it for us to enjoy.