LIVE - Royal Princess - 10/11/15 to 10/31/15

[shootingstar07]

Totally agree with the staff being one of the best we have ever been on!!!

I disembarked on the 21st after spending a heavenly 20 days on the Royal. I "third" the observation about the crew. The best I have had. I cried leaving Genesis, my cabin steward. Simply one of the most pleasant young men I have ever met!!

[caribill]

I did have a very nice conversation with Frederico, the Maitre D today. This is his second cruise on the Royal. I asked him about the Curtis Stone roll out. I've read the press, but here is something that I didn't know: He said that Curtis Stone Share will replace Sabatini's. He believes the roll out will be approximately one ship a month thoughout 2016. I believe he said the Regal would the first. He thinks it will come to the Royal at drydock. Some ships will have to have it changed without drydock and he doesn't know how that will be done.

 

Emerald will be first (during dry dock this year). Ruby will be second. Crown will also be converted. So far no others have been announced.

 

Ship maps in the new Cruise Atlas already shoe Share on the Emerald and Ruby.

[caribill]

Emerald will be first (during dry dock this year). Ruby will be second. Crown will also be converted. So far no others have been announced.

 

Ship maps in the new Cruise Atlas already shoe Share on the Emerald and Ruby.

 

Sun and Coral have been announced for 2016.

[KruzPrincess]

Everyone!

 

Good Day.

 

Yesterday was St. Thomas and today is Dominica. Yesterday we had on and off rain and some of the rain was quite heavy. Today is overcast, but not bad at all. Today, I went to the terminal, which is more like a big warehouse, where they have a market for locals to sell stuff. Most all of it is the same. There are a couple places nearby to walk to for shopping. This would be the island for a shore excursion.

 

This half of the cruise I decided to go to some shows. Eeek. I'm not a production show fan because I spent a lot of time in NV and saw more than enough of these shows. However, I went to see Colors of the World and it really was OK. The male singers in the troupe are strong. I would recommend this show. I spoke to others who saw it and they liked it. Some even gave a standing ovation.

 

Last night, I had a chance opportunity to have a nice little chat with Perry Grant. Honestly, he seems to be a genuinely nice man who really wants to entertain and provide a good time for people. I wasn't aware that he was coming back to Princess. He said he'd been here for 4 or 5 years. I don't recall seeing him. I think he has a nice voice and it's obvious he has a great following. I understand that he may not be everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, but I don't see a reason for mean spirited people to diminish someone here. If you don't like something...just go do something else. I told him I was impressed with how much many people love his show. Tonight, he's doing his cabaret show in the Vista Lounge with a back-up band. I think I'll try to stop by and see it tonight. I think Princess would be a good home for Perry and it's clear that many people who wouldn't otherwise book a Princess cruise are now booking to see him.

 

That's it for today.

[Woobstr112G]

Everyone!

 

Good Day.

 

Yesterday was St. Thomas and today is Dominica. Yesterday we had on and off rain and some of the rain was quite heavy. Today is overcast, but not bad at all. Today, I went to the terminal, which is more like a big warehouse, where they have a market for locals to sell stuff. Most all of it is the same. There are a couple places nearby to walk to for shopping. This would be the island for a shore excursion.

 

This half of the cruise I decided to go to some shows. Eeek. I'm not a production show fan because I spent a lot of time in NV and saw more than enough of these shows. However, I went to see Colors of the World and it really was OK. The male singers in the troupe are strong. I would recommend this show. I spoke to others who saw it and they liked it. Some even gave a standing ovation.

 

Last night, I had a chance opportunity to have a nice little chat with Perry Grant. Honestly, he seems to be a genuinely nice man who really wants to entertain and provide a good time for people. I wasn't aware that he was coming back to Princess. He said he'd been here for 4 or 5 years. I don't recall seeing him. I think has a nice voice and it's obvious he has a great following. I understand that he may not be everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, but I don't see a reason for mean spirited people to diminish someone here. If you don't like something...just go do something else. I told him I was impressed with how much many people love his show. Tonight, he's doing his cabaret show in the Vista Lounge with a back-up band. I think I'll try to stop by and see it tonight. I think Princess would be a good home for Perry and it's clear that many people who wouldn't otherwise book a Princess cruise are now booking to see him.

 

That's it for today.

 

Sounds like you had a great day yesterday. Hoping today is just as good for you.....:):):)

 

Bob

[luv4cruises]

So much of what we discuss on CC is based on our personal point of view.

I will list some facts in my comparison of entertainment on the Royal Princess vs.The Eclipse.

 

I sailed both ships last year and present here the evening entertainment on both ships as listed in the Princess Patter and Celebrity Today

 

 

Royal Princess

11/23/2014

 

*Princess Theater

 

Production Show- Spectacular

 

7:00, 8:15, 10:15 ( 3 times per evening)

 

*Vista Lounge

 

Specialty Act Magic and Illusion David Cats 9:15, 11:00

 

*Piazza

 

Trevor Cole. 6:30

 

Big Band Ballroom 7:45

 

High Energy Acrobatics. 10:00

 

Party Band 10:15

 

*Wheelhouse Lounge

 

Nadia Smith Pianist 7:00, 8:30

Inner Mood quartet. 10:00

 

*Princess Live

Trivia. 8:15

 

Are you Smarter than the Cruise Staff 9:15

Pop Star Grand Finale 10:30

 

*Movies Under the Stars. 7:00, 9:30

 

*Fountain Pool

Fountain Show. 9:15

 

*Club 6

DJ. Motown 11:00

Late night dance party. 12:00

 

*Crooners. 11:00

Captain and Kory Simon

 

21 events

...........................................,,

Celebrity Eclipse.

2/21/2015

 

*Eclipse Theater

Celebrity Showtime. Eclipse-The Show 8:30, 10:30

 

*Ensemble Lounge

Classical String. 7:00

Jazz Quartet. 7:45

Jazz 9:30

Guitar, Vocalist. 11:00

 

*Celebrity Central

Movie. 6:00, 9:00

Game Show He Knows, She knows 11:30

 

*Grand Foyer

 

Big Band Ecliose Orchestra. 7:30

 

*Quasar

Karaoke. 10:30

Tux and dress party 11:00

 

*Sky Lounge

Ballroom. 7:15, 9:30

Dance Party 10:45

 

Cellar Masters

Perry Grant - 9:30 ( can no longer count this because Perry is on the Royal Princess now!

 

The Royal Princess offers 21 events in several beautiful and varied venues.

compared to 16 events on the Eclipse. Take away Perry as he is now on the Royal Princess and there are 15 events on the Eclipse compared to 21 on the Royal.

 

Also Princess offers 4 Production Shows performed 3 times per evening on a 10 day cruise compared to the Eclipse offering 3 Production Shows 2 times per evening on a 14 day cruise.

 

The Eclipse has no cabaret like venue like the Vista lounge to host comedians and specialty acts on a staggered time slot, often after they have appeared in the Princess theater, giving guests a second chance at seeing a performance they may have missed.

 

The Eclipse has no piano bar as evidenced by the fact that they had to house Perry in a dingy, cramped corner of Cellar Masters in 2014 and 2015.

 

Also Royal's light and bright enormous multi-leveled Piazza hosts lively and varied entertainment all day and night, including the art auctions which are great fun to watch from any level of the Piazza, even if you are not a collector.

 

If you compare the Princess Patter to Celebrity Today you will easily see how much more there is to do on the Royal vs. The Eclipse.

 

The facts support a definite win for the Royal Princess in the category of Entertainment!

 

Now -

IMHO the entertainment on the Eclipse is more somber and sedate than that on the Royal Princess. In fact on one of my Eclipse Cruises there was only one comedian, one show on a 14 day cruise. Whether or not you are a Perry Grant fan, his loss to the Eclipse will take away for me one of the few spots on that ship where guests laughed heartily, sang out loud to familiar music, and listened to a good entertainer play the piano, sing and tell sometimes all too familiar jokes.

 

I am not a one cruise line loyalist. I have been fortunate to cruise on 20 different ships on 6 different cruise lines and have enjoyed all of them, some more than others.

__________________

[KruzPrincess]

Everyone.

 

Beautiful sunny day in Grenada today. It was quite warm. I think it's still 88 degrees outside, but it was a very pretty day. I walked to the little mall at the cruise port and looked around. I didn't buy anything. Unlike other ports, not every single store is a jewelry store. As a matter of fact, there was only one chain jewelry store. All the other stores had pretty much the same things, but there were a couple duty free shops with liquor, perfume, etc. The cologne I wear was not any cheaper there, so I didn't see the savings.

 

Last night, in my quest to see some shows, I went to see Mr. Perry Grant in his cabaret show. I enjoyed it. He, as many know, does do a lot of older songs and he does them well. He has a very camp sense of humor and I enjoyed it. I'm not a person who would go and sit and watch him every night, but I did really enjoy the show. From there, I went to see the show in the Princess Theater. I saw the Alley Cats (I think that's their name). They are advertised as doo wop. They have good voices and the crowd liked them a lot. I would have rather heard more music and less jokes.

 

I think I've forgotten to mention that there have been 3 emergency situations since I got on the ship. All of them have been late night or middle of the night. The first was on my first night on the ship. A gasket had too much pressure and it was dangerous. The second was a fire or possible fire in an air conditioning unit. The third was a false alarm. Fortunately, all were resolved, but it broke up a lot of sleep, especially the fire for which everyone was told to return to their cabins and wait. They do lean towards safety which is good.

 

I did visit Alfredo's finally and had a very nice pizza! Very good.

 

Trip seems to be winding down. Oh no! That's it for now.

[KruzPrincess]

Hello.

 

Cruise is winding down. :( Actually, I'm ready to go home, I guess.

 

I didn't get an EZ Check form and I finally went to the front desk today. They had already sent them out and I missed the deadline. I did put one in late, so I hope I get it. She said the reason I didn't get one is because I didn't load my flight info into the Personalizer. I thought that I did, but who knows. I love EZ Check and will be disappointed if I don't get it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. They sent me another form asking for my flight info and I turned that in days ago. She said that's something different and the EZ Check form goes by the Personalizer info. Just and FYI.

 

Today was Bonaire. It was raining when we arrived and overcast all day. That kept the temps down to 83 with 92% humidity. It was cool enough for me to go for a longer walk. I went to the little flea market and to the downtown shops. Very soupy outside, though, and very soupy humid in some places on the ship. My cabin air is working very well, though.

 

We had some talented acrobats in the Piazza today and now the string quartet is playing.

 

I finally scored some cast off books and am reading a lot this week. Enjoying my last few days.

 

That's it for today.

[WISH84]

She said the reason I didn't get one is because I didn't load my flight info into the Personalizer. I thought that I did, but who knows. I love EZ Check and will be disappointed if I don't get it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. They sent me another form asking for my flight info and I turned that in days ago. She said that's something different and the EZ Check form goes by the Personalizer info. Just and FYI.

 

Well, let me go in and load my flight information right now. Glad I saw this. :p

[buchananglasgow]

What is an EZ check form, and why do you need it, sorry we are first time cruisers and still learning.

[azbirdmom]

What is an EZ check form, and why do you need it, sorry we are first time cruisers and still learning.

 

I'm on the same cruise as Lana. EZCheck is where you pay $20 + any airlines baggage fees to Princess. Then when Princess picks up your bag on the last night of the cruise, you won't retrieve it from the pier. Instead it will be brought to the airline and it will be checked for your - you won't need to retrieve it until you reach your home airport. For Fort Lauderdale, participating airlines are American, Delta, Jet Blue, United, Alaska, and Southwest. There are some other restrictions on flight times, etc. I still have the form as we didn't opt to use it so can answer more questions later if necessary.

[FritzG]

Hello.

 

Cruise is winding down. :( Actually, I'm ready to go home, I guess.

 

I didn't get an EZ Check form and I finally went to the front desk today. They had already sent them out and I missed the deadline. I did put one in late, so I hope I get it. She said the reason I didn't get one is because I didn't load my flight info into the Personalizer. I thought that I did, but who knows. I love EZ Check and will be disappointed if I don't get it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. They sent me another form asking for my flight info and I turned that in days ago. She said that's something different and the EZ Check form goes by the Personalizer .

 

I don't know what the problem is with Passenger Services regarding EZ Check on the Royal, but we nearly missed it on the TA in September. We asked about it, and we were told we'd receive info in our mailbox. A couple of days later we asked again and were told to be patient. On the second last day we asked a third time,and we were told we missed the deadline! They gave us the forms which we filled out immediately. It's a terrific program; we use it any time it's offered.

Edited October 28, 2015 by FritzG

[KruzPrincess]

Sailing away from Aruba now. Simply a beautiful day.

 

EZ Check is wonderful for me. I haven't heard yet if I've gotten it, but I'm glad I asked. I am flying out of Miami. I took SuperShuttle from MIA to my FLL hotel and it was $42 pp plus tip. I'm taking the Princess transfer back to MIA and it will be $24. I usually fly into FLL, but airfare to MIA was about $300 cheaper. Thanks to AZBirdmom for answering the EZ Check question. To the OP, if you have more questions -- please ask.

 

Last night, I went to the Love Boat Disco Deck Party. Honestly, it's kind of a hoot. They do a good job with it and it was packed up there. I sat with some nice folks I met through the CC roll call and had a nice chat. The band, who's name escapes me right this minute, is really good. Their singer is very talented. I think I mentioned earlier that they have the Love Boat theme sing a long and crew member dress up like Isaac. It's pretty funny.

 

I have been falling down on the job with going to other shows. Sorry. :rolleyes:

 

Last night, I booked another Princess cruise via email to my TA because 3 for Free is ending. Spent some time on internet working all that out. It's funny, I'm ready to go home as my 20 days wind down, but I'm still booking cruises from the ship!! I'm totally crazy.

 

I still had an extra free mini bar set-up that I didn't do anything with....so I traded it for 2 coffee cards. They did write the ship and voyage code on the cards. I'm not a coffee drinker nor do I eat much sugar. I figure these cards will pay for gelato forever for me. ;)

 

Today, there were three ships in port, but we were docked where the terminal is located. I just went shopping in the terminal for about a half hour. During the morning hours I sat out in the aft bar area on Lido deck behind the Horizon Court. Beautiful breeze and I watched the Carnival Breeze dock. Lovely place to sit out. It's usually fairly quiet back there.

 

That's it for today. On the way to Florida now.

[nautica34]

Really enjoy following your cruise. Do you remember what time the Love Boat disco party was and how long it lasted? Assuming they have in on my cruise in November, would love to go just hope it doesn't interfere with the evening show.

[cruiselvr1]

Everyone

 

I'm doing a couple separate posts so I don't lose something on my phone after typing a lot.

 

We missed Princess Cay yesterday. It was too windy to tender. It was a very windy day. The ceiling panels on the aft lido outdoor area were vibrating and making noise. Looked like they would come down.

 

Most traveled on my first 10 day cruise was 842 days.

 

Last night Perry Grant did a cabaret show in the Vista Lounge. 2 shows.

 

I went to dinner for formal night in the MDR and had lobster. Food was good. I had a nice time. Last night was American night.

 

Want to mention that Sabatini's has a dress code sign that states dress should match the dress for the MDR...meaning formal on formal night.

I was happy to see the dress code. Usually their are only two nights of formal ware, on a 7 to 10 day cruise. Those who don't want dress, can go the other nights.

[riclop]

Sailing away from Aruba now. Simply a beautiful day.

 

EZ Check is wonderful for me. I haven't heard yet if I've gotten it, but I'm glad I asked. I am flying out of Miami. I took SuperShuttle from MIA to my FLL hotel and it was $42 pp plus tip. I'm taking the Princess transfer back to MIA and it will be $24. I usually fly into FLL, but airfare to MIA was about $300 cheaper. Thanks to AZBirdmom for answering the EZ Check question. To the OP, if you have more questions -- please ask.

 

Last night, I went to the Love Boat Disco Deck Party. Honestly, it's kind of a hoot. They do a good job with it and it was packed up there. I sat with some nice folks I met through the CC roll call and had a nice chat. The band, who's name escapes me right this minute, is really good. Their singer is very talented. I think I mentioned earlier that they have the Love Boat theme sing a long and crew member dress up like Isaac. It's pretty funny.

 

I have been falling down on the job with going to other shows. Sorry. :rolleyes:

 

Last night, I booked another Princess cruise via email to my TA because 3 for Free is ending. Spent some time on internet working all that out. It's funny, I'm ready to go home as my 20 days wind down, but I'm still booking cruises from the ship!! I'm totally crazy.

 

I still had an extra free mini bar set-up that I didn't do anything with....so I traded it for 2 coffee cards. They did write the ship and voyage code on the cards. I'm not a coffee drinker nor do I eat much sugar. I figure these cards will pay for gelato forever for me. ;)

 

Today, there were three ships in port, but we were docked where the terminal is located. I just went shopping in the terminal for about a half hour. During the morning hours I sat out in the aft bar area on Lido deck behind the Horizon Court. Beautiful breeze and I watched the Carnival Breeze dock. Lovely place to sit out. It's usually fairly quiet back there.

 

That's it for today. On the way to Florida now.

Really enjoyed reading your reports, have a safe trip home to cold Minn.

[#1Nanna]

Thank you for Sharing!!! [emoji4]

[hcat]

Enjoyed following this review...thanks for doing it.

 

Sounds like EZ air is like Luggage Valet on Celeb..

Is it a form to be handed in by a certain day OR requested via Cruise Personalizer on board, either or both???

 

Anyone know if they offer it in San Pedro to the local airpot? ( not LAX)

[Yensidlove]

Thank you for the live review!! We are boarding the Royal on Saturday, so you've added to our pre-cruise excitement! :D

[oceanseagle12]

Thank you OP! Your efforts to answer our questions were greatly appreciated!

[WNcruiser]

Thanks for the report, helps me plan for boarding on the 10th!:)

 

Can you tell me which restaurant was open for lunch on embarkation day? I try to avoid the buffet the first day:rolleyes:

[caribill]

 

Can you tell me which restaurant was open for lunch on embarkation day? I try to avoid the buffet the first day:rolleyes:

Most likely deck 6 near the atrium. Open from noon until 1:30 pm.

Edited October 30, 2015 by caribill

[caribill]

Enjoyed following this review...thanks for doing it.

 

Sounds like EZ air is like Luggage Valet on Celeb..

Is it a form to be handed in by a certain day OR requested via Cruise Personalizer on board, either or both???

 

Anyone know if they offer it in San Pedro to the local airpot? ( not LAX)

 

They send a form to the cabin.

 

It will not be offered in an Pedro to Long Beach.

 

I am not sure, but I do not think they even offer it to LAX.

[KruzPrincess]

Hello.

 

I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to get back on the computer. I've just been so busy doing catch up now that I'm home.

 

I just wanted to add some comments and thoughts.

 

I did get my EZ Check in the end, so I was happy. Just to be clear, I never got the form in my cabin. I finally went to the front desk and they told me they only send them to people they deem eligible based on the flight info you load into the Personalizer. I thought I'd put that info in, but maybe I decided to go back later and forgot. By the time I asked about it I had missed the deadline. I filled out the form late and they were still able to accommodate. I was happy. It seems to me that everyone got the form automatically on other Princess ships I've been on, but that's not how it worked on the Royal.

 

In my 20 days on the Royal there were 4 emergencies that woke us up. The last one was at 8AM on a sea day after several port days. Some people were sleeping in and the SHRILL emergency signal went into all cabins. I guess 8AM is better than the 3 middle of the night ones, though. I was thinking that I'd start wearing earplugs if I'd stayed on longer.

 

The Love Boat Disco Deck Party begins at 10pm if I'm not mistaken. It was fun.

 

I did bring the Patters home in case anyone has questions. I'll be away for a couple days, but still happy to try to answer questions.

 

For those who love to dance.....they really have a lot of dancing on the Royal. I watched people dance in the Piazza on several occasions. Sometimes, people were dancing in their casual clothes in the middle of the afternoon. Good music and fun to watch. I'm not a dancer, but I enjoyed watching.

 

Disembarkation was smooth. However, my transfer to Miami was slow going. I wasn't in any hurry because I had a late flight, but it was interesting. The said that Princess had only ordered 2 busses to go to Miami. I went out at around 8:30 and one bus had already gone. I got onto the second bus and we sat there for about 45 minutes. Then, they came on and said there were 30 more people that needed to go to Miami and there were not 30 seats on the bus. They ordered another bus and we had to wait for it to come before we would go. Then, we ended up leaving within about 10 minutes. They asked if anyone had a flight before 1:30 and no one spoke up. We just had to sit for quite some time, but that's what happens when you do transfers.

 

I'll come back with some other details soon.

[KruzPrincess]

Most likely deck 6 near the atrium. Open from noon until 1:30 pm.

 

Correct. It's the one on Deck 6 mid-ship.