Questions from First Time Princess Cruiser

[ratfam]

Hi everyone, DH and I have an upcoming cruise on the Regal Princess. This will be our first time on Princess, before we have cruised DCL and RCCL so that is the extent of our experience and I have a few questions I was hoping that experienced Princess cruisers could help with.

 

1. We have Anytime dining, we are waitlisted for a traditional dinner seating but don't know if it will clear. On RCCL with My Time Dining we always made reservations online before sailing. Is there an option to make reservations in advance for dining, do you do it when you get on board, or do you just show up each night and wait?

2. Are the menus the same for Anytime dining and Traditional dining?

3. I can't find any information about evening shows online. Do you need to make reservations in advance? When you get on board? Just show up?

4. I have been a bit disappointed to read about all of the additional charges on Princess ships (for the Sanctuary, pizza place, I think I even read somewhere about a charge for an evening show). Any other guidance on additional fees to be aware of? Any input on whether paying for the Sanctuary is worth it? I find the idea a bit offensive but one of our sea days is my birthday so it may be a nice birthday splurge. And if you want to reserve the Sanctuary, again is that something you can do in advance or only once on board?

5. Any recommendations for web sites or other sources besides this site and these boards with good information about Princess?

 

Thanks very much for any information you can provide! The ship looks beautiful and we are really excited, but I am a bit of a control freak in trip planning so just trying to get the lay of the land so I can do the right things ahead of time!

[cdngrl]

Hi everyone, DH and I have an upcoming cruise on the Regal Princess. This will be our first time on Princess, before we have cruised DCL and RCCL so that is the extent of our experience and I have a few questions I was hoping that experienced Princess cruisers could help with.

 

1. We have Anytime dining, we are waitlisted for a traditional dinner seating but don't know if it will clear. On RCCL with My Time Dining we always made reservations online before sailing. Is there an option to make reservations in advance for dining, do you do it when you get on board, or do you just show up each night and wait? you can show up and wait or you can reserve each morning.

2. Are the menus the same for Anytime dining and Traditional dining? yes!

3. I can't find any information about evening shows online. Do you need to make reservations in advance? When you get on board? Just show up? evening shows are festival seating. show up and find a seat. no cost.

4. I have been a bit disappointed to read about all of the additional charges on Princess ships (for the Sanctuary, pizza place, I think I even read somewhere about a charge for an evening show). Any other guidance on additional fees to be aware of? Any input on whether paying for the Sanctuary is worth it? I find the idea a bit offensive but one of our sea days is my birthday so it may be a nice birthday splurge. And if you want to reserve the Sanctuary, again is that something you can do in advance or only once on board? only once on board.

5. Any recommendations for web sites or other sources besides this site and these boards with good information about Princess? have you looked at the princess site's FAQ?

Thanks very much for any information you can provide! The ship looks beautiful and we are really excited, but I am a bit of a control freak in trip planning so just trying to get the lay of the land so I can do the right things ahead of time!

 

see in red above.

[Colo Cruiser]

If you have certain dining requests see the Maitre D at the time/place listed in the Patter on embarkation day. Usually between 2pm and 3pm in one of the dining rooms. He holds the power. ;)

[Captain Canuck]

was on Royal in December so hope my info is good

 

 

1. We have Anytime dining, we are waitlisted for a traditional dinner seating but don't know if it will clear. On RCCL with My Time Dining we always made reservations online before sailing. Is there an option to make reservations in advance for dining, do you do it when you get on board, or do you just show up each night and wait?

 

you can make reservations. size of your party and when you want to eat determines if this is necessary

 

she who must be obeyed and I normally get a table for 2 and eat early..never had to reserve.... not sure but think you can reserve ahead of time.

 

 

2. Are the menus the same for Anytime dining and Traditional dining?

 

only 99% sure but yes they are

 

3. I can't find any information about evening shows online. Do you need to make reservations in advance? When you get on board? Just show up?

 

normally 2 shows a night just like on traditional dining schedule. first come first served not like Oasis where # of passengers way more than theater can handle

 

4. I have been a bit disappointed to read about all of the additional charges on Princess ships (for the Sanctuary, pizza place, I think I even read somewhere about a charge for an evening show). Any other guidance on additional fees to be aware of? Any input on whether paying for the Sanctuary is worth it? I find the idea a bit offensive but one of our sea days is my birthday so it may be a nice birthday splurge. And if you want to reserve the Sanctuary, again is that something you can do in advance or only once on board?

 

got lattes most mornings at the Piazza coffee place ($2 or so each).with free pastries

 

Santuary is small pool and cabana area..extra but not sure how much as had no interest

 

ice cream extra most of the time

 

 

 

 

5. Any recommendations for web sites or other sources besides this site and these boards with good information about Princess?

 

google for reviews

 

have fun

[ggprincess2004]

Sanctuary you can reserve when you board. It is $40 a day or $20 for half a day. Very relaxing but you have to decide whether it is worth it or not. You do not have to pay for the Sanctuary to use the Retreat pool, which is adults only.

 

On the Royal and Regal there are some dining venues with upcharges - I would recommend a look at the Princess website about dining options. Royal and Regal have some that the other ships do not have. I believe Princess discontinued the $10 pp charge for Alfredo's which is the pizza and pasta place on Deck 5 in the Piazza. There is also pizza by the slice up on Lido near the pools.

 

 

For Anytime Dining, you can call the Dine line in the morning and make a reservation for that evening. Usually, they are willing to take reservations for the range of the early seating times, and then for the late seating times, which means getting a reservation for 7 pm is highly unlikely. The menus are the same for Anytime and Traditional.

 

 

If you are a fan of specialty coffees, Princess does offer a coffee cards which is good for unlimited brewed coffee on your cruise, and costs a punch for a specialty coffee. You the royal you can also use it to purchase gelato I believe - just ask about it and what it covers on the Royal.

 

Always available in the buffet area are coffee, tea, iced tea and lemonade. Princess also has a soda card good for unlimited fountain sodas, and they have an ultimate drink package that runs between $49 and $50 per day per person - the details of that are also on their website. We couldn't drink that much so I really don't know the details of that by heart.

 

You do not reserve in advance for any of the shows on Princess, just go to the appropriate venue. You may need to be there up to half an hour in advance depending upon the popularity of the event.

 

While IMHO Princess does not really nickel and dime passengers to death, they do have some dining experiences you might be interested in, which there is an upcharge for. The winemaker's dinner carries a $40 pp charge, I believe, and the Chef's Table Luminiere is running in the range of $100 pp now. For either of these, sign up as soon as you board.

 

The best thing you can do is read the FAQ that Princess has on their website, and take a look at dining, the onboard experience, etc., and then if find anything that you would like more info on, or an opinion (or 15) on, come on back and ask - we'll be happy to chat about specific things.

[caribill]

Hi everyone, DH and I have an upcoming cruise on the Regal Princess. This will be our first time on Princess, before we have cruised DCL and RCCL so that is the extent of our experience and I have a few questions I was hoping that experienced Princess cruisers could help with.

 

1. We have Anytime dining, we are waitlisted for a traditional dinner seating but don't know if it will clear. On RCCL with My Time Dining we always made reservations online before sailing. Is there an option to make reservations in advance for dining, do you do it when you get on board, or do you just show up each night and wait? You may clear the wait list for traditional. When you check in your cruise card will indicate if you have traditional if it has a dining room name and table on it along with a time to eat. If you do not clear, you can meet with the Matre d' on embarkation day (check the Patter, the daily Princess list of activities that will be in your cabin, for the time and place) and see if he can find a place for you in traditional. If you must stay in anytime, each ship seems to have its own rules on making a reservation for anytime. You cannot schedule in advance. Speak with your headwaiter the first evening.

 

2. Are the menus the same for Anytime dining and Traditional dining? Yes. And so is the suggested dress code for each evening, smart casual or formal.

 

3. I can't find any information about evening shows online. Do you need to make reservations in advance? When you get on board? Just show up? Just show up, no charge at all for any entertainer or show. For popular times, you may need to be there up to 30 miniutes in advance to get what you consider to be a good seat.

 

4. I have been a bit disappointed to read about all of the additional charges on Princess ships (for the Sanctuary, pizza place, I think I even read somewhere about a charge for an evening show). Any other guidance on additional fees to be aware of? Any input on whether paying for the Sanctuary is worth it? I find the idea a bit offensive but one of our sea days is my birthday so it may be a nice birthday splurge. And if you want to reserve the Sanctuary, again is that something you can do in advance or only once on board? The Regal has three ways to get pizza. No charge for Pizza on the pool deck at Prego Pizzaria. Currently no charge to have Pizza at Alfredo's on deck 6, but that is where they recently tried to institute a charge. For room service pizza there is a $3 charge to deliver it to discourage waste as before the charge some would order pizza and then not eat most of it. Can only book the Sanctuary once on board.

 

 

5. Any recommendations for web sites or other sources besides this site and these boards with good information about Princess? Go to the Princess web site and download the no-charge "Cruise Answer Book at https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/brochureRequest.page

 

Thanks very much for any information you can provide! The ship looks beautiful and we are really excited, but I am a bit of a control freak in trip planning so just trying to get the lay of the land so I can do the right things ahead of time!

 

See above in red.

 

If you have not done so yet, join the Cruise Critic roll call for your cruise. See the link near the top of this page to locate your roll call.

 

Have a great cruise.

Edited June 6, 2014 by caribill

[Pam in CA]

4. I have been a bit disappointed to read about all of the additional charges on Princess ships (for the Sanctuary, pizza place, I think I even read somewhere about a charge for an evening show). Any other guidance on additional fees to be aware of? Any input on whether paying for the Sanctuary is worth it? I find the idea a bit offensive but one of our sea days is my birthday so it may be a nice birthday splurge. And if you want to reserve the Sanctuary, again is that something you can do in advance or only once on board?

The Sanctuary is a special adult area and it's really a personal decision whether to spend the money for it or not. Just outside the Sanctuary is the Retreat pool, an adult area with loungers around a pool. The Sanctuary doesn't have a pool. In other words, there is an adults-only area that you don't have to pay for.

 

As for pizza, there is excellent pizza available by the slice up on Lido deck that's among the best at sea, and free. Alfredo's is a sit-down restaurant whereby you order and entire pizza pie, not by the slice. There is currently no charge although one will probably be implemented in the future.

 

The only amenity that can be pre-reserved (other than tours) is spa services.

 

There are very few additional charges on Princess ships. Specialty dining (which most people don't do), specialty coffee (plenty of drinkable free coffee in the buffet, dining rooms and restaurants), sodas, drinks, etc. Never heard of a charge to see a show on Princess. Perhaps you're confusing Princess with another line. I usually have a hard time spending my OBC on a Princess cruise.

[skynight]

Regarding shows. There can be multiple times and options for shows and other evening activities. Early and late shows tend to be less crowded than the ones in the 8:00/8:30 time slot. We usually plan our evening activities, then dine to fit those activities. Sometimes we dine at the buffet, grill, pizza, international cafe and skip the DR. Other times we choose one of the surcharge venues. All depends on how we feel that day.

[JF - retired RRT]

If you do decide to do the Sanctuary for one special day...

You go to the Sanctuary desk on the day that you want to use it. You can book a 1/2 day or a full day. Whether you will be successful will depend on how many of the available seats are already reserved.

Depending on the cruise - there may be no one else there or it might be full.

[OCruisers]

You'd find it very helpful to go to the Princess website and reading the FQA section where you'll find the answers to almost any questions you might have.

Look forward to having a wonderful time on Regal Princess! :)

LuLu

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you don't clear the waitlist for traditional dining, try seeing the head waiter the first afternoon. We did that the last cruise as late traditional (our preferred dining) was full when we booked so we grabbed early traditional -- we hated anytime dining the previous cruise. We got switched to late traditional for the second day of the cruise onward. The menu is exactly the same for all the main dining rooms. You can even check out that night's menu after lunch time is over. There's a display case outside each dining room for that purpose.

 

There usually two or three times for the big production shows so it doesn't matter whether you have early, late or anytime dining. Just show up. None of the entertainment has a charge.

[ratfam]

Everyone, thanks so much for all of the answers and helpful information! I am glad to know that my fears about excessive additional charges seem to be unfounded and that we will have the same menus as traditional dining even if we can't switch out of anytime. Also glad to know that there is a fee-free adult pool area. I will also check out the Princess FAQs. Thanks again!