Live from the Royal

[gizmodog]

can anyone tell me if Caribe Deck under the seawalk with one of the extended balconies have the lifeboats obstructing the view looking down?

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi Barb,

Can you please tell me if there are clotheslines in the showers? I will be in E310 on Deck 8. Also what is the wine policy for boarding on Princess cruises - 2 bottles ?- is there a corkage fee? Thanks,

Jackie

 

Yes there is a clothes line in every bathroom.

 

1 bottle wine/champagne free pp, after that $15 corkage fee.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[BarbinMich]

Position: 30N 47W on ENE course, ocean depth “only” 14,400 ft

900 nautical miles from Bermuda (closest land mass)

Weather: high of 75, humid, hazy, but drier than yesterday when we had rain and even a few t-storms

 

We have had a large and active Roll Call for this cruise and I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge and thank our members who have devoted so much time to keep us busy and informed: Susan (Magistics) planned a Meet & Mingle for last Sunday, a “Let’s Get Acquainted/Gift Exchange” for yesterday (Tue), and a Farewell Lunch for our last sea day, May 6. Thanks so much for all your work, Susan.

 

Tomorrow we are having a “High Tea on the High Seas,” planned by Audrey (JustAPrincess). Audrey also set up our informal Sailaway on the Horizon Terrace, kept a list of members who were interested in playing different games like bridge, Mexican Train, etc., AND put all our lists on Google Docs. Thanks for your dedication to our RC, Audrey!

 

A shout-out and thanks to Sandy (Candide333) who kept our ever-growing Roll Call list. And the same to Ted (hototo) who is hosting our Slot Pull this coming Friday.

 

Entertainment: Last night comedian Cary Long did his full show and he’s one of the better comedians we’ve seen.

 

Today we explored Deck 17 aft and above. Found the gym up there, as well as the Platinum [photography] Studio, the children’s facilities (only 2 kids on this cruise), and three rows of chaise lounges around 3 sides, half shaded, half not. Up on Deck 18 aft is Center Court for basketball. Stargazing is held there and we’re to have our first session tonight, although it may not be clear enough to see anything. The track runs around this area. BTW, Deck 17 does connect by stairs to the midship main pools/MUTS.

 

We have now “lost” two hours with two more to lose before the Azores. :(

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like a great day! :)

[BarbinMich]

Hey Barb -- Have a great Cruise.:D

 

Say "Howdy" to Alan for me.

 

Hi, Cyril! Thanks for the best wishes and Al says “Back at you!” :)

 

Barb

[BarbinMich]

If you meet or see Mary and Tom Sheridan, please say Hi to them from Bill and Diana McVey from Redding, CA.

 

Will do. We run into them several times a day. We first met them on the Ruby WB TA in Oct/Nov 2011.

 

Barb

[BarbinMich]

Thanks for taking me along Barb. So sorry I can't be traveling in person on a cruise we looked forward to for so long, but life happens. . . . Following your live thread will lift my spirits.

 

Susan

 

Susan, we are so sorry that you and your husband (may he rest in peace) aren’t here with us. I’m happy that my modest efforts here may be of some help to you at this time.

 

Barb

[BarbinMich]

We were on the Star in 2010 with you. It was an excellent itinerary for our first TA. We regret not extending the cruise from Copenhagen to complete the Baltic cruise.

 

We have yet to make it to the Baltic yet either. :(

[BarbinMich]

can anyone tell me if Caribe Deck under the seawalk with one of the extended balconies have the lifeboats obstructing the view looking down?

 

I double-checked in person today and what’s below the seawalk (Deck 16) is a “bump-out” of the Promenade deck, allowing a nice seating area, albeit it with no protection from the sun (whatever, that is :rolleyes:). So that’s what a cabin with an extended balcony on Caribe would look down on.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for taking the time to do a live thread. I plan to be on the Royal in October so I'm looking forward to hearing about your cruise. If you have a chance, I'd love to hear about some of the new dining venues that aren't on the older ships. Have you checked out the larger buffet, pastry shop, etc?

 

Thanks, again.

[insidecabin]

We are jumping on the second British trip, love a virtual cruise to walm up.

 

Thanks.

[clarkg]

Enjoying your review.

[CTGirl]

Hi Barb,

 

I just saw this. I'm glad you are enjoying the cruise and the ship. I will look for your posts every day now. Do well at trivia and think of us. We cruised with Ted (hototo) last year in the Canaries. He organized a pre-cruise dinner and a slot pull. He was travelling with another couple from Baltimore (I think). Please say hi to him for us.

 

My best to you and Al. Hope to see you next year.

[ksv]

Hi Barb,

Thanks for doing the live from the Royal! We had to cancel this trip and will be cruising with you, if all goes well, on the Caribbean princess next year doing the TA. Enjoying being along with your live. Sure hope the weather improves for you all.

If you meet CC member Cactus Pair, Shirley and Bruce, tell them hello. We cruised previously with them and were suppose to join them on this cruise.

Have a great cruise!

Kathy

[tartan cruiser]

Hi Barb, thanks for the good report on cabin E226. So nice to know we picked a good room without any obstruction. getting so excited for our cruise. Would really like to do this cruise next year and after following along on your cruise it's made me start getting more serious about booking. Have a great cruise as we all follow along on your adventures.

[TracieABD]

Hi Barb-

Thank you for taking the time to post a "live from". I know that they are a lot of work.

 

I love the Royal and will be back on her in June. Will Lisa Ball still be the CD? She was our CD in January and was fabulous!!!

 

Thank you for taking us along on your cruise!

Tracie-Lynn

[BarbinMich]

[Make that Day 5]

 

Position: still on ENE course to Ponta Delgada, ocean depth about 6,000 ft (we must be over the mountains on the ocean floor now; the Azores are on the line between the European teutonic plate and the North American plate, as is Iceland much further N); only about 750 mi. to Ponta Delgada!

 

Weather: pretty much the same, although the “ceiling” was much higher most of the day and it was brighter out, but still no sign of the sun. Had a few showers.

 

Our CD Lisa Ball informed us during the Wake Show this morning that we’re going to have company in Ponta Delgada: the Caribbean P. It could not make its stop in Bermuda due to bad weather so is substituting PD instead (we both left FL on Sat. and will be in Southampton on 5/9). For some reason, the powers that be are letting the CB dock at the terminal, while we are docking elsewhere and will have a free shuttle to the terminal; the ship will use a ticket system, much like they do for tendering—the ride just won’t be as rough (hehehe). This will be a pain for all the folks on the Royal who have private tours. :mad: I assume we’ll be docked alongside the breakwater opposite the terminal—we’ve seen a ferry docked there in the past, so if I'm right, it will be just a short bus ride to the terminal.

 

Today our CC had their Afternoon Tea in the Concerto DR. This was arranged by Audrey (JustAPrincess) and was very well attended.

 

This evening the Horizon Court featured Mongolian BBQ—you pick out all the veggies and meats you and they cook each person’s dinner individually with some kind of sauce (there were several spices you could add if you wanted it hot, hot, hot). Yummy!

 

Tonight the ship cast did a tribute to Burt Bacharach with just singing and some minor dance movements—no fancy costumes, etc. It was a nice change of pace. Tomorrow night is our second formal nite, but there won’t be a production show.

 

Last night George Scott, the wonderful violinist from the other night, did a second concert, this time in the Vista lounge. The early show was SRO. The theater show was Mark Merchant, a ventriloquist whom we’ve seen before. His main character is the irascible 76-yr-old Zelda. He’s added two more: a young African American boy and a young Chinese man.

 

Laundry: upon embarkation, Elites were greeted in their cabin with a notice stating that we should expect laundry turnaround to be 72 hrs because there are so many of us aboard. Happily, it’s only been 48 hrs the two times we’ve sent laundry in. However, they managed%2

Edited May 1, 2015 by BarbinMich

[BarbinMich]

Boy is it gloomy out today AND wet. Some pool deck folks were using a wet vacuum, others were using squeegees to push the water on the deck to the sides. It looked like a losing proposition. The temp is in the low 60s on deck. Even the HC was cool and drafty.

 

I forgot to mention that last night the Princess Pop Choir performed and they were very good—a much larger group than we’ve seen before, probably more than 100 including a huge number of men. Tonight we’re celebrating Mardi Gras in the Piazza. Princess recently started a program celebrating festivals of the world (didn’t notice this in Jan. on the Ruby). The Royal picked Mardi Gras since they were in the Caribbean and decided to do it for the TA as well. Once the ship starts the British Isles voyages, they’ll celebrate the Celtic tradition with a Celidah. Fellow pax have been learning to play steel drums, other drums, and another group has been learning appropriate dances. Sounds like it’ll be quite festive.

 

Daytime in the theater to date:

Movies: “The Judge” with Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall (today), “Birdman” with Michael Keaton (Day 5), “Begin Again” with Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo (Day 4), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with Ralph Fiennes (Day 3), “Boyhood” (Day 2), “Foxcatcher” with Steve Carrell (Day 1)

Lectures:

Ian Black: almost daily lectures about Lord Nelson and other naval history topics

Loie Lennon: ports

David Fan: topics so far: “History, Philosophy and Influence of Science,” “Ethics of Human

Subject Research”

 

Misc. minor observations:

(1) Wait staff in Horizon Court & Bistro – very few “busboys/busgirls,” mostly waiters. No more of those cheerful fellows pushing the carts through the Horizon Court, offering juice, coffee, etc. at breakfast time. But we have always been quickly served our beverages at each meal so can’t complain.

(2) Lattes, etc. available in HC, with a Coffee Card [just noticed this today!]

(3) Coffee dispenser on Horizon Terrace, similar to the ones in the HB (HC doesn’t appear to have any available to pax—don’t know where the waiters get the coffee for us there)

(4) Although it’s called “The Pastry Shop,” it’s more aptly “The Dessert Shop” [located in HB]

(5) No public restrooms midship on Deck 7, which is odd (and inconvenient) since that is the main locus of activity. One can always run down to Deck 6, where there are large restrooms outside the Concerto DR.

[BarbinMich]

The full laundry story was missing; all's well that ends well:

 

Laundry: upon embarkation, Elites were greeted in their cabin with a notice stating that we should expect laundry turnaround to be 72 hrs because there are so many of us aboard. Happily, it’s only been 48-hrs the two times we’ve sent laundry in. However, they managed to “replace” my heavy tan rib knit cotton sweater with a flimsy purple hoodie in the first load. It took 2 more days to get my sweater back. Then today’s return was missing a t-shirt. Neither of us could remember whose shirt it was or what it looked like and I think it was a clerical error on my part while filling out the form. Oops!

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like you are having a great time. :)

[Alabaster Cruiser]

On deck 6 there is a restroom down a hallway between Princess live and Wheelhouse bar. It is not marked well---not exactly midship but close.

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi Barb-

Thank you for taking the time to post a "live from". I know that they are a lot of work.

 

I love the Royal and will be back on her in June. Will Lisa Ball still be the CD? She was our CD in January and was fabulous!!!

 

Thank you for taking us along on your cruise!

Tracie-Lynn

 

 

 

I think Sam may be back at the end of May.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[WisCruiser2]

We were on the Royal in March & liked it very much. Loved the Rick Kilburn Trio/Quartet! Spent several evenings in the Wheelhouse listening to them. Make sure you have a pizza at Alfredo's if you haven't already discovered it!

[dmwnc1959]

Caribbean Princess and Royal Princess in Ponta Delgada, Azores from this webcam:

 

http://www.climaat.angra.uac.pt/WebCams/index8.htm

 

[Colo Cruiser]

Nice!