Live From the Royal

[Colo Cruiser]

Just curious - do you know why the ship was so late leaving St. Thomas?

 

On our cruise 2 weeks ago the ship lost power several times and as a result we were late getting into St. Thomas. Was there a power issue again?

 

 

No issues! It was scheduled to leave at 9:30pm.

[pcsunlover]

No issues! It was scheduled to leave at 9:30pm.

 

Good to know, but odd. I wonder why they changed the time.

[RhondaPerr]

We are in St. Maartin. Had a great time last night, watching shows and playing games with Kory Simon in the Crooners Bar..Had dinner at Alfredo's, no problem getting seats! It was very good! Room Service on this ship takes a really long time! Average wait time has been between 35-40 minutes.. We are waiting for our Suite Breakfast now, since we slept in, and missed our breakfast at Sabatinis.

 

I was surprised to see shops and the Casinos open while we were still in St. Thomas last night! Still have not made it to the Fountains Show, and skipped the Illusionist! No salt and Pepper shakers in sight, which made us nervous. I have not heard Noro is on this ship, but its always a red flag for me when they disappear!

 

This morning, we had two power outages, very short, but very dark lol... It poured here, but looks like the sun is trying to come out! I sure would not want to be in an elevator if that happened! There is a huge Royal Caribbean ship pulled up beside us...Eating breakfast on my deck, I feel like I have a guest lol...

 

Tonight is the Dance Party on the Pool Deck.., We always have a great time, and look forward to it. We hope that the weather cooperates.. Or I might just have to complain..because we all know Princess controls the weather! There was actually someone who was asking for their money back on their excursion because it rained! (Rolling eyes)

 

Internet has worked very well, but not in the bedroom of our suite! It doesn't work at all! It does work in the sitting room! Just got confirmation there is Noro on the ship...but at a very low level, and they are taking precautionary measures, such as Salt and Pepper shakers! No elevators for us!

 

Power has remained on, and we are off to start our day!

[bluesea321]

This morning, we had two power outages, very short, but very dark lol... I sure would not want to be in an elevator if that happened! Just got confirmation there is Noro on the ship...but at a very low level, and they are taking precautionary measures, such as Salt and Pepper shakers! No elevators for us! Power has remained on, and we are off to start our day!

 

Rhonda, was there any reason given for the power outages? Does anyone know why the Royal keeps having outages? This happened during our cruise at 2 am one night. The emergency signal went off prompting the Captain to make an announcement on the loudspeakers. I do not recall power outages on any previous cruises (maybe I was lucky). If it was an easy fix, an electrical panel or control, they would have taken care of it by now. The Royal had a major power incident last year off Italy prompting the cancellation of the rest of cruise. It has been late to port this year due to power issues and it seems like every other week someone reports power outages. Curious about the reason.

 

Hope the Noro is well contained and does not impact the rest of your cruise. :)

[Loonbeam]

Unconfirmed rumor is that after the Triumph debacle new ships were set up to be so sensitive to power issues that now they are tripping shutdown sequences at the slightest glitch or variance.

 

Have not heard of any generator issues, etc.

 

Rhonda, was there any reason given for the power outages? Does anyone know why the Royal keeps having outages? This happened during our cruise at 2 am one night. The emergency signal went off prompting the Captain to make an announcement on the loudspeakers. I do not recall power outages on any previous cruises (maybe I was lucky). If it was an easy fix, an electrical panel or control, they would have taken care of it by now. The Royal had a major power incident last year off Italy prompting the cancellation of the rest of cruise. It has been late to port this year due to power issues and it seems like every other week someone reports power outages. Curious about the reason.

 

Hope the Noro is well contained and does not impact the rest of your cruise. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

[A1A]

Good to know, but odd. I wonder why they changed the time.

 

I sailed the same itinerary, same ship, last week and we left St. Thomas at 6PM. A 9:30 PM departure is not normal from St. Thomas. Something may be up with the power again as she indicated two outages today. The ship was delayed several hours the week before our cruise due to power issues as well. Something is up.

Ken

[Colo Cruiser]

Rhonda, was there any reason given for the power outages? Does anyone know why the Royal keeps having outages? This happened during our cruise at 2 am one night. The emergency signal went off prompting the Captain to make an announcement on the loudspeakers. I do not recall power outages on any previous cruises (maybe I was lucky). If it was an easy fix, an electrical panel or control, they would have taken care of it by now. The Royal had a major power incident last year off Italy prompting the cancellation of the rest of cruise. It has been late to port this year due to power issues and it seems like every other week someone reports power outages. Curious about the reason.

 

Hope the Noro is well contained and does not impact the rest of your cruise. :)

 

 

They are not going to share technical issues information with passengers.

Its always a vague statement as to why there are problems

Edited April 17, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[Loonbeam]

Was the 9:30 original scheduled departure or changed onboard?

 

Could be something as simple as not having an early berth available in the next port that week.

 

I sailed the same itinerary, same ship, last week and we left St. Thomas at 6PM. A 9:30 PM departure is not normal from St. Thomas. Something may be up with the power again as she indicated two outages today. The ship was delayed several hours the week before our cruise due to power issues as well. Something is up.

Ken

[bluesea321]

Unconfirmed rumor is that after the Triumph debacle new ships were set up to be so sensitive to power issues that now they are tripping shutdown sequences at the slightest glitch or variance. Have not heard of any generator issues, etc.

 

That makes sense to me regarding the short outages which appear to be the most common however the cancellation of a trip midway or the late arrival at ports (noon instead of 8 am) would indicate more serious issues. Our outage was of no real consequence other than waking up passengers at 2 am but arriving in St. Thomas at noon impacts a lot of plans and excursions.

[bluesea321]

They are not going to share technical issues information with passengers. Its always a vague statement as to why there are problems

 

Makes sense. I would not expect a loudspeaker announcement to share much but the crew may know more and some may be willing to share. Then again, maybe they have been instructed not to. For our outage (about 10 minutes) the announcement was just like you said, a vague statement, an apology, and "go back to sleep". When the alarm went off some passengers went into the hallway and looked very concerned. I heard the commotion and looked out. I did not have any problems going back to sleep but judging by the faces I saw, some probably did. None of this helps customer relations of course.

[sandybeaches44]

Just looked at next week (4/20 sailing) itinerary for the Royal. The itinerary is the same as the 4/13 sailing.

 

The Royal is scheduled to be in St. Thomas, April 23 from 8:00AM till 6:00PM.

Edited April 17, 2014 by sandybeaches44

[Lynda90]

Did I mention that one of my table mates, first made an anti Semitic remark (I am Jewish) and then last night when the Mariachi Singers came over to the table and serenaded me for my birthday, she made a remark about Mexicans... I was going to tell her that they were Philipino...But you can't fix stupid lol..

Rhonda, I don't know how I would have reacted at the antisemitic/racial remarks of your table mate. You certainly handled it well by ignoring the jerkette! One of the reasons I enjoy anytime dining is that we sit with different people every night and can arrange to sit with them again if we so desire. Just makes me cringe at the stupidity of a small amount of people who have the ability to ruin it for others.

 

Loved the Royal when we did the inaugural TA!

[Happy2cruise]

Just looked at next week (4/20 sailing) itinerary for the Royal. The itinerary is the same as the 4/13 sailing.

 

The Royal is scheduled to be in St. Thomas, April 23 from 8:00AM till 6:00PM.

That's the time Princess ships are normally in St. Thomas...at least everytime we have been there!

[sandybeaches44]

We are in St. Maartin. Had a great time last night, watching shows and playing games with Kory Simon in the Crooners Bar..Had dinner at Alfredo's, no problem getting seats! It was very good! Room Service on this ship takes a really long time! Average wait time has been between 35-40 minutes.. We are waiting for our Suite Breakfast now, since we slept in, and missed our breakfast at Sabatinis.

 

I was surprised to see shops and the Casinos open while we were still in St. Thomas last night! Still have not made it to the Fountains Show, and skipped the Illusionist! No salt and Pepper shakers in sight, which made us nervous. I have not heard Noro is on this ship, but its always a red flag for me when they disappear!

 

This morning, we had two power outages, very short, but very dark lol... It poured here, but looks like the sun is trying to come out! I sure would not want to be in an elevator if that happened! There is a huge Royal Caribbean ship pulled up beside us...Eating breakfast on my deck, I feel like I have a guest lol...

 

Tonight is the Dance Party on the Pool Deck.., We always have a great time, and look forward to it. We hope that the weather cooperates.. Or I might just have to complain..because we all know Princess controls the weather! There was actually someone who was asking for their money back on their excursion because it rained! (Rolling eyes)

 

Internet has worked very well, but not in the bedroom of our suite! It doesn't work at all! It does work in the sitting room! ["]Just got confirmation there is Noro on the ship...but at a very low level, and they are taking precautionary measures, such as Salt and Pepper shakers! No [/color]elevators[/color] for us![/color]

 

Power has remained on, and we are off to start our day!

 

Hi Rhonda,

 

Any update about Noro on the ship. I board on Sunday.

 

Thank your for your live update. Sounds like you are enjoying yourself.

 

Sandy

[RhondaPerr]

Nothing about Noro, and no signs other than salt and pepper shakers.... Crew member told me maybe 1-2 cases... Sitting out on our balcony.... We have rolling seas, and many white caps! Love that feeling at night, but not so much during the day! Comedian last night hysterically funny! Dancing under the Stars, rained out, moved to the Piazza... We had a great time... But definitely know I am no longer in my 20s.... 30's or 40's after an hour of dancing I was tired!

Today the sale in the dining room.. Not very impressed with the prices.. Or the styles.. Debating if I want to do the slot contest or not... Pretty darn comfortable on the deck lol.. Tonight is our last formal night... Another production show, and then Kory in Crooners..we just love him! I peeked at the pool, and needed a bag to hyperventilate into...masses of people and no available chairs in sight!

Yesterday they threw everyone out of the Retreat Pool, to paint...hmmm think they read my comment lol... Kind of an odd time to paint, but it does look so much better!

So with only today and tomorrow left, here are my impressions.. Cruise 32... The ship is beautiful, but definitely takes some getting used to not having the central stairs.. .The Three show times, makes it much easier to see or do multiple activities...but if you like the games, Late seating will not work ! The crew ranges from incredibly nice, to, why are you bothering me! The food is not the best, nor the worst we have ever had. It's not like we walk away from the table feeling like we ate a shoe, but we also have never left the Dinner table saying.."Wow!"

The other meals, like Breakfast for Suite Passengers in Sabatinis has been phenomenal! The grill at the pool was very good, International Cafe, have not eaten in Horizon at all! My friend has, had the Chinese food yesterday which she said was good!

There are sinks to wash your hands with soap for Horizon instead of the Purell... And the bathrooms have the same instructions. Guess they finally realize that is the only way to protect yourself!

Last entry later ! I will be glad to answer questions, when I get home! I have managed to save enough minutes, with the free minutes for Platinum members, but will definitely run out after tomorrow's post...

[Grego]

RhondaPerr had a nice posting but there is one clarification that needs to be made. Her quote was:

"There are sinks to wash your hands with soap for Horizon instead of the Purell."

That's not entirely true. Yes, they have added sinks for hand washing and good instructions on how to do that, but there are Purell stations through out the entire buffet area. I would rather they had someone there to dispense everyone coming in, but we didn't have any issues with NV this voyage and are thankful for that.

[sandybeaches44]

Good to hear that "Noro" has not been an issue on your cruise. Thanks for your quick response.

January, on the Emerald, someone dispensed Purell to everyone coming into the buffet. I was not impressed with the sale in the dining room either.

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise. Hope the seas calm down. I will wave to you as you depart and I embark. Edited April 18, 2014 by sandybeaches44

[pcsunlover]

[quote name='A1A']I sailed the same itinerary, same ship, last week and we left St. Thomas at 6PM. A 9:30 PM departure is not normal from St. Thomas. Something may be up with the power again as she indicated two outages today. The ship was delayed several hours the week before our cruise due to power issues as well. Something is up.
Ken[/QUOTE]

That's what I was thinking. We were on that voyage the week before yours (week of 4/1), and didn't dock in St. Thomas until noon due to power issues. As a result quite a lengthy list of shore excursions were cancelled (including ours). We were disappointed this happened, especially on such a new ship. :(

[RhondaPerr]

Seas are still rolling, not really a problem, except they kept on rocking us back to sleep! Rude awakening into the real world tomorrow, our disembark time is 6:50 am. We had an absolute blast on this cruise! Just did the booking for our next one! Met some really fantastic people, relaxed and feel healthy again after a very rough Winter!

Will be glad to catch up with any questions when I get home!

Till then... Signing off from Royal Princess.

[RhondaPerr]

Debarkation was easy, despite the ship getting started later than the posted 5:15am. We were off the ship, and at the airport by 8:00am give or take a few minutes. Our room Steward received quite a hefty tip, being probably one of the best we have ever had.

We heard people talking the last day, who said that the ship was not one they wanted to sail again. While I found the whole missing staircases frustrating at times, I don't think that would deter me from sailing Royal again. There have been numerous posts about the good, the bad and ugly.... While the level of service we received in the dining room was not the best, I still enjoyed the other meals.

We loved the three show times, and enjoyed the shows! We liked there is was no hard sell or being bombarded sale flyers. Loved the Suite Concierge, never having to stand online at the Customer Service Desk. Internet was good, Suite was amazing, Sanctuary where we did 1/2 day and then 1 full day, was wonderful... Service there impeccable! Crew for the most part so friendly and accommodating! Never bored, if anything there were too many things we wanted to do at the same time!

The only really ugly was some of the people, who walk around feeling like they are more "entitled" than anyone else on the cruise. They believe they do not have to say please and thank-you.... Can talk during shows, save rows of chairs, put their towels out and never return to their pool chairs..or take 4 Chairs for 2 people, 2 in the shade and 2 in the sun, cut the lines, etc... I don't let it bother me too much, although at times my teacher voice is begging to come out!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your live! :)

[Kim_and_Scott]

I enjoyed your 'live' - sounds like you enjoyed yourselves!

Kim

[RhondaPerr]

We were definitely encouraged to use the sinks instead...


[quote name='Grego']RhondaPerr had a nice posting but there is one clarification that needs to be made. Her quote was:

"There are sinks to wash your hands with soap for Horizon instead of the Purell."

That's not entirely true. Yes, they have added sinks for hand washing and good instructions on how to do that, but there are Purell stations through out the entire buffet area. I would rather they had someone there to dispense everyone coming in, but we didn't have any issues with NV this voyage and are thankful for that.[/QUOTE]

[Tak8]

Glad you had a good cruise. Was there a computer you could use to access Internet in the Concierge lounge? I realize passengers have to buy an Internet package, but I was wondering if there was a computer for passengers to access there.