LIVE - Royal Princess Transatlantic & Baltic day by day

[GweninTX]

Good morning! I woke up before Jerry, so I went to the HC to download email and read. The internet is so quick here that I have just resigned myself that the HC is my own private office and just go here for all things internet related. I am resigned to poor connectivity in our room and have just given up on it. I have only just finished using my first 250 free minutes and will start using Jerry's now. The free minute perk of being platinum is my favorite one!

 

Brazilian line dancing this morning at 10:15 in the Piazza. It is my morning exercise daily and has a HUGE turnout! They dance on all 3levels of the Piazza. Some are so territorial about their "spot" that they dance in. They go out onto the dance floor 5 minutes early to stake it out! Hard core group! Tomorrow will be the last one till the last sea day as we have 3 ports in a row and I will be off ship all day.

 

This mornings offerings included bible study, Mahjong, Zumba, bridge, target shooting, classical music lecture, shuffleboard tournament, taboo,several spa seminars and bingo. They also had a Baltic Treasures street event in the Piazza on deck 5 from 11:30 to 1:30. This was a cleverly disguised way to sell their wares! I am trying not to acquire more trinkets so I stayed away. My only purchase so far is a Royal Princess ship charm for my Pandora bracelet.

 

We decided on the formal dining room for lunch. Good pasta dish with shrimp for me and a Panini sandwich for Jerry. I left quickly to get a good seat for the afternoon movie - 12 years a Slave in the Princess theatre. Very well attended and great movie. Hard to watch and accept that these things actually happened.

 

Jerry played in the slot tournament and did poorly. In the afternoon you could play chess, crafters were quilling, navigation at sea lecture ( friends really enjoyed it) Royal Olympics, bridge, passenger talent show rehearsal, ballroom dance class, wii bowling, charades and afternoon tea.

 

Formal night in the dining room. People are complying with the dress code. 80% of men in suits, 20% in tuxedos. Women - little bit of everything! We had lobster and prawns tonight and my favorite escargot. Shrimp were a little tough, but the lobsters were very good. They have had excellent asparagus and Jerry is always willing to give me his!

 

The Princess theatre had the show - Sweet Soul Music - really a great show. These singers are really good and the dancers were great too. We really enjoyed it. We then went to the Piazza as our friends felt like dancing. Spectrum played all evening and the floor was crowded. We skipped the comedian who was in The Vista Lounge. We went to bed about 11:00 and Jerry watched reruns of NCIS and I read. Sea day tomorrow and we do not have to set our clocks ahead - YEA!

[Ethel5]

I am so enjoying your reports.:)

[dsawyer]

Thank you for taking the time away from your vacation for your fabulous reports. You certainly have a way with words and the gift of making others visualize your cruising experience.

 

Thank you again. :)

[loma linda ca a & j]

every day reading gwen's journal we learn a little more

of what we want to do next year on the regal TA -

so excited even though it's over 11 months away !!;)

[GweninTX]

I am so glad you all are enjoying my ramblings! I really do not want to come off as a Royal cheerleader, she has her shortfalls as do all ships, but we are loving her every day!

[pascalburns]

what are some of the shortfalls you have observed.:)

[san diego sue]

Enjoying your posts. We will be on the ship coming back in September.

Second time for us and can't wait to be back on the Royal.

[dsawyer]

Enjoying your posts. We will be on the ship coming back in September.

Second time for us and can't wait to be back on the Royal.

 

 

Hi Gloria. Not trying to hijack the thread but, rather, just taking the opportunity to say hello to another CruiseCrictic friend who I have enjoyed meeting in the past. Hope you guys have been well.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[hubofhockey]

I am so glad you all are enjoying my ramblings! I really do not want to come off as a Royal cheerleader, she has her shortfalls as do all ships, but we are loving her every day!

 

Looking forward to reading more once you dock in Copenhagen. We're doing the Copenhagen Baltic & Russia itinerary in 60 days. I think the Royal is perfect for TAs and Baltic itineraries. I have no regrets about booking this type of itinerary on the Royal. I think the only negative is that we don't get to dock in Stockholm and have the tender in Nynashamn.

 

In any case, it looks like you're having a great time. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and thanks for the thread.

[cruisenshop]

Hi Gwen!

Loving your "live from"…. I will be on the Royal June 25 for the Baltics with my 17 year old, but not my husband….

 

From reading your review, I am so excited about the Winemakers Dinners, totally my speed, but not that of my 17 year old, do you think it appropriate that I reserve for one once on board?

 

Any other hints for a single (but not really single) adult for entertainment (besides the ship tv system which seems to be a hit). My daughter hopes to spend most evenings in the teen club!

 

Thanks!

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks for the help! Right now they have 3 menus - Silverdao, Mondavi and a French one I cannot pronounce or spell! We have signed up as the same group for the French one for the Baltic. We are confirmed, but do not know what night we will go- stay tuned for another blow by blow

Glad it was helpful & if I can share an experience to help you conserve your internet minutes that you so generously use to take us along with you, then happy to help! :)

[sashas_mom]

Regarding George Evans, he is the singer with the quartet who plays in the Piazza and in other venues. Can't remember their name, but I loved listening to

George.

[dmwnc1959]

Royal Princess just passed the Ryde webcam inbound to Southampton. It's still dark so the image is not very good...

 

[sashas_mom]

The Princess Live seats look like they are fixed, however, they do come apart which we did when we played games in there and turned them to face our team.

 

Really enjoying reading your thread. Have a wonderful cruise.

[GweninTX]

Hi Gwen!

Loving your "live from"…. I will be on the Royal June 25 for the Baltics with my 17 year old, but not my husband….

 

From reading your review, I am so excited about the Winemakers Dinners, totally my speed, but not that of my 17 year old, do you think it appropriate that I reserve for one once on board?

 

Any other hints for a single (but not really single) adult for entertainment (besides the ship tv system which seems to be a hit). My daughter hopes to spend most evenings in the teen club!

 

Thanks!

Yes - by all means sign up for one! They will pair you with others who do not have a set party of 12 already! You will love it!

[GweninTX]

what are some of the shortfalls you have observed.:)

 

Getting back on board tonight after a long day in Salisbury/Stonehenge - POOR embarkation - stood in line for one hour! Not happy about that! Balcony is small, but adequate. I hate to sound like a Royal cheerleader, but we love most everything about her !

[GweninTX]

Good morning, our last sea day before 3 days of ports! Breakfast together in the HC again. So many choices - Jerry loves the waffles. I love all the fresh fruit available. Also they are catering to many different ethnic tastes too - something for everyone!

 

Line dancing at 10:30 for me - today is a review of all we have learned. So much fun and such great exercise! Jerry opted for the port lecturer.

 

Lunch in the formal dining room. Very good and then I went to the Vista Lounge to watch Philomena - very good movie! Jerry read and kept the casino alive by donating! They also had "On deck for the Cure', David Cats magic lessons, ballroom blitz dance class and afternoon trivia.

 

Tonight was a new entertainer in the Princess theatre - Oli Nez - multi-instrumentalist - played the sax, clarinet and flute and was very talented! We then ran to the Vista lounge to catch Spencer Robson - Tom Jones experience - very good!

 

We went to bed early as we have a very full day in Southampton tomorrow. We meet our tour guide at 7:30 AM.

 

These dailies may not get posted as quickly as we are in port from sun up to sundown the next 3 days - stay tuned!

[canadarocks]

Don't worry about being a Royal cheerleader..... I love that you're having such a wonderful time on her!! Enjoy your port days! :)

[worknomore]

Thanks for all the Royal information. We will be joining you on Monday in Copenhagen for the rest of the cruise and hope to thank you in person.

 

Glenn and Janel Becker

[Mom33]

Don't worry about being a Royal cheerleader..... I love that you're having such a wonderful time on her!! Enjoy your port days! :)

 

Ditto !! :D Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences.:)

[GweninTX]

Thought of one thing that I truly hate on the Royal and it is their cheap rough bath towels! Worse than the cheapest towels at Walmart ! I have also gotten frayed towels I would send out to to our boat for fishing - they are that bad. Shame on Princess for buying such a cheapo quality! The bed linens are very nice and of a high quality as are the pillows!

[GweninTX]

An early morning today, went to the HC for breakfast at 6:15 along with 3K others! But surprisingly, no lines and found a table quickly! You will love this improved HC and from talking to another couple who cruised in Feb. of this year on the Royal, they have improved it even more - go figure! The coffee is actually one of my favorite things in the HC! Plenty of servers too, so the cup is never empty!

 

I organized a tour with Tim of Salisbury Value cars to take us touring the Salisbury /Stonehenge area. My group of 16 met in the Vines bar area at 7:15 and we all promptly walked right off the ship at 7:30 once they announced we could get off. Tim met us with a sign that had my name on it and he has a gorgeous brand new Mercedes van that seats 16 and has a great sound system so he could tell us what we were seeing! It was raining lightly as we left and rained off and on all day

long till about 4:00 PM.

 

We headed for a quick drive thru Salisbury and Old Sarum. Light fog so some views were obscured. We then learned the origins of Stonehenge and saw many thatched houses. When we got to Stonehenge, Tim picked up our tickets and listening devices for us. We then went straight to the stones. I had been here 35 years ago and it had changed a lot. When I was there last we could walk amongst the stones and our bus took us right up to them. Now they have a big new parking lot, fences and a beautiful new visitors center. They take you to the stones by small trams and buses. The listening devices really bring the place to life and are very well done, I really like this concept. Even though it was raining, it is a magical place. The new visitors center is beautiful and they have spared no expense. After we left there we headed to the Holiday Inn in Amesbury and had some hot coffee/tea and cookies. A friend of Tim's, who was a past mayor, told us all about the find of Oryx bones (medieval animal the size of an elephant) that was probably used to transport the stones from the mountains to Stonehenge. They carbon dated these bones and have now proven that Amesbury is the oldest city in Great Britain. Very interesting talk! We then got our very nice bag lunches and ate these on our way to Kennett Longbarrow. We stopped for a pint of ale at the Red Lion Bar and walked amongst the stones here.

 

We then headed back to Salisbury to the cathedral - traffic was heavy and we were all getting weary. We made a quick dash into the beautiful church and took some pics. I cannot recommend Tim highly enough - a really great tour guide that knows his history and does a top notch job! Tim@Salisbury-valuecars.co.uk

 

We got back to the ship about 6:25 and it was a giant cluster you know what for embarkation. We waited in line for an hour and went by the room to drop our stuff after we finally got onboard. We were so tired we decided just to go to the HC and get a quick supper. We got to see sail away from our dinner table tonight. After dinner we drank a glass of wine on our balcony and watched them make their way to the channel. We only have to go 75 nautical miles to LeHavre - so it will be quick. We lose another hour tonight - bummer! We are not going to any of the entertainment tonight as we have to be in the Princess theatre at 7:00 AM to leave for Paris. Thank goodness we can sleep on the 3 hour bus ride. We are meeting another couple from today's tour so we have someone to see Paris with. Stay tuned for Paris tomorrow!

[A2Sea]

Thank you for this live thread. Sailing the Royal in June and enjoy reading everything you are experiencing. You mentioned how the "free" specialty dinner was handled, but how was the credit for the shore excursion posted on your account? Looking forward to your Baltic posts!

Edited May 9, 2014 by A2Sea

[amazinglife]

Enjoy Paris...my second favorite city in Europe after bella Roma. I look forward to your tour review. Shame the port is soooo far away from Paris.

When we did a transatlantic we got off in Paris one day before the cruise ended and spent a few days there. BTW you need to notify the ship in advance that you will be disembarking early.

A few hours is just not enough time to see it all but at least for some who have never been there they get a taste of this beautiful, romantic city.

Edited May 9, 2014 by amazinglife

[johnmik1]

Thought of one thing that I truly hate on the Royal and it is their cheap rough bath towels! Worse than the cheapest towels at Walmart ! I have also gotten frayed towels I would send out to to our boat for fishing - they are that bad. Shame on Princess for buying such a cheapo quality! The bed linens are very nice and of a high quality as are the pillows!

 

I have to agree about the towel quality.They are like something you would wash your car with.We went from Royal to Nieuw Amsterdam last month and the difference in towels was huge.HAL has the nicest towels available and Royal was the worst.