Somewhat live on the Pacific Princess 50th Anniversary Cruise

[Wehwalt]

Apparently I wasn't on the list to get the benefits for it being a milestone cruise for me (75th cruise credit) so I spoke to the Captain's Circle rep and she made an executive decision to let me go to Sabatini's for breakfast, which has been very nice (the list looked like 16 cabins, so it is quite exclusive. I did hear at least two couples arranged this as their 100th cruise credit). The rest has been showing up, the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, plus a very nice card showing the Love Boat cast. Canapés showed up about fifteen minutes ago even though I hadn't ordered any (it is formal night) and I've been enjoying them on my balcony. I do have a suit with me (really) but I'm saving it for the Captain's Circle party, due to the uncertainties of laundry.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Wehwalt

[metairiegal]

Hahaha I know right!

 

I was thinking the same thing and this made me smile. Especially after reading PescadoAmarillo's blog for weeks! :)

[Wehwalt]

Delivered to the cabin with evening turn down: a gift wrapped box with two coasters with the 50th anniversary logo. They are rather heavy so I think they contain a lot of metal.

[Quenby]

Hooray - shredie's husband Peter and I were able to have bridge today.

 

Was happy to see that the big deck party tomorrow night with the Love Boat cast is scheduled for 9:30 - finally, a deck party early enough for those who no longer party past midnight! :D

[kruisey]

Things are perking up.Hope Captain Stubbings wears his whites for the deck party.Have a dance with him from me Pam Ha:D Take a picture.:)

[TracieABD]

Thank you, Pam, for the details on the suite. My mom and I stayed in a suite like that on NCL. We had to work around each others schedules to make it work.

 

I hope today brings marked improvement in food and service!

 

Have a wonderful Sunday on the Pacific!

[Woobstr112G]

Break it!! :eek:

 

Yup;

 

Self defense.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

The suite is lovely and very spacious. The balcony is delightful. The pull out couch is very comfortable.

 

However, the suite is really designed for a couple. All of the outlets and storage are in the sleeping area. There's a little storage under the TV but that's it. No nightstands, just tiny tables on either side of the couch. There's no storage in the half-bath other than under the sink. There are no shelves there nor an outlet. It's just a very basic half-bath with a toilet and sink. I had to ask for an extension cord in order to have a US outlet in the living room area. Nothing like a big orange extension cord for ambience.

 

If I get up earlier than my sister, which I usually do, I have to pre-organize everything and I have no way to fix my hair if I don't want to wake her up. If I want to go to a show at night, I have to organize not only all of my next day's clothing but my night stuff as well. Not impossible but not convenient. I plan to get a UK>US adapter at Walmart in PV so I can use an outlet in the living area. I've got several at home but didn't think I'd need it.

 

It's not awful and I'm certainly enjoying the balcony. The Sabatini's breakfast hasn't been worth it. I indulged in Eggs Benedict the first morning and instead of hollandaise sauce, there was a gloppy cheese sauce that looked like it had been under the heat lamp too long. I'll probably just go to the dining room from now on.

 

The one benefit that might be worth the suite has been a special laundry bag so hopefully, we won't have to wait 72 hours for it to come back.

 

They just delivered our flowers for tonight's formal night. One corsage and one boutonnière. Hmmm... Last I knew, we're both ladies. :) When we first arrived, there was zero information in the suite about the suite perks, Sabatini's breakfast hours, etc. I was told I should have printed out the list from the website (which I did but it doesn't include any specifics.) They kindly wrote the hours on a piece of paper for me. It's little things like this that show a lack of attention to detail.

 

We're having a great time and meeting many new friends and reconnecting with old friends. And that's what this cruise was and still is to us.

 

Pam;

 

Glad you are enjoying the cruise.....:):):)

 

Bob

[dickinson]

The suite is lovely and very spacious. The balcony is delightful. The pull out couch is very comfortable.

 

However, the suite is really designed for a couple. All of the outlets and storage are in the sleeping area. There's a little storage under the TV but that's it. No nightstands, just tiny tables on either side of the couch. There's no storage in the half-bath other than under the sink. There are no shelves there nor an outlet. It's just a very basic half-bath with a toilet and sink. I had to ask for an extension cord in order to have a US outlet in the living room area. Nothing like a big orange extension cord for ambience.

 

If I get up earlier than my sister, which I usually do, I have to pre-organize everything and I have no way to fix my hair if I don't want to wake her up. If I want to go to a show at night, I have to organize not only all of my next day's clothing but my night stuff as well. Not impossible but not convenient. I plan to get a UK>US adapter at Walmart in PV so I can use an outlet in the living area. I've got several at home but didn't think I'd need it.

 

It's not awful and I'm certainly enjoying the balcony. The Sabatini's breakfast hasn't been worth it. I indulged in Eggs Benedict the first morning and instead of hollandaise sauce, there was a gloppy cheese sauce that looked like it had been under the heat lamp too long. I'll probably just go to the dining room from now on.

 

The one benefit that might be worth the suite has been a special laundry bag so hopefully, we won't have to wait 72 hours for it to come back.

 

They just delivered our flowers for tonight's formal night. One corsage and one boutonnière. Hmmm... Last I knew, we're both ladies. :) When we first arrived, there was zero information in the suite about the suite perks, Sabatini's breakfast hours, etc. I was told I should have printed out the list from the website (which I did but it doesn't include any specifics.) They kindly wrote the hours on a piece of paper for me. It's little things like this that show a lack of attention to detail.

 

We're having a great time and meeting many new friends and reconnecting with old friends. And that's what this cruise was and still is to us.

 

Pam, when we have been in Window Suites there was a loose leaf binder listing all the Suite Perks. I don't remember if it listed Sabatini's hours or if we got that information directly from the hostess in Sabatini's.

[ibfern]

Good morning,

 

This is sea day 3, the weather is beautiful and the seas are bumpy but not in the way that causes the ship to move unpleasantly. We lost an hour last night, and the night before, and this morning we woke at 8:30! Shocking for me, I am such an early bird.

 

Last night dinner was much better, so I guess the glitches have been worked through. And to be fair, while I was having a problem with dinners on the night before, lots of my friends were having wonderful meals. There you go, experience is very personal, and I wanted to make sure to paint a fair picture.

 

Yesterday was jam packed with delights. We had a Q&A with the cast all morning long, it was wonderful to hear each cast members stories of growth and experiences. After that we got to line up and take pictures with them. My group is huge, I thing there was 19 of us in one of the pictures, while 5 of us got a second picture taken. Can't wait to see them.

 

After that, we had lunch. For me that was a vegan protein shake and vitamins, pretty easy. We sat outside of the buffet and enjoyed wonderful weather. We saw some Dolphins playing in the sea but now whales for us yet. Our friends did spy a whale off their balcony. Anyway it was Mexican day in the buffet and the food looked good, the desserts look fantastic. I just looked and did not try any. Also. There is ice cream daily in the buffet, I've never seen this on any cruise so this is special to this cruise I guess.

 

After lunch we lined up and got autographs from the cast, we bought a small picture of the cast and had them sigh that, and I also had them sign my journal. They were mostly gracious about this. More on that later!

 

It was formal night and as we returned our door was wide open. When they delivered my canapés they did not close the door to my room. That freaked me out. Not sure if anything was missing, will discover that as we go. Also, there are no more chocolate dipped strawberries, but I did get a plate of chocolates which I smelled but did not eat. Several of my friends are celebrating their 100th cruise, they get chocolate dipped strawberries daily. I also dropped off my chocolates to them as we went to early dining. I wish I had taken late seating with all my friends! We are sitting with our other friends from Minneapolis, we cruise together at least once a year.

 

Dinner was nice, I had a salad and beef filet and it hit the spot. After dinner we went to the show. Zachary Winningham was playing and singing and he was fantastic. He brought me to tears, that's when I know I am hearing beautiful music. I didn't know that he was entertainer of the year on Princess in 2014. I can certainly see why!

 

Ok time to get out of bed and move...

[Wehwalt]

The only voyage-specific souvenir seems to be the itinerary T shirt which has the 50th anniversary logo, but not the emblem they displayed for this specific voyage. Princess has a marketing department right?

Edited December 6, 2015 by Wehwalt

[shredie]

Things aren't terrible on the ship. We have a great Stewart. He's funny and efficient. I love our waiters. Through some unfortunate glitch by M'D we now have a coveted table for two. Not what I signed up for but it certainly won't impact my cruise. We enjoy each other's company. The food has been good. I had lamb that was delicious. The bar staff at PES lounge seem somewhat overwhelmed but they are trying their best. I too heard that the cast gets off in PV. Evidently people have been going to cast cabins and knocking on the doors uninvited. They took the names off the doors after that. I don't quite get how people think just dropping in is okay. Oh well. The cast I have encountered walking around ship have been friendly. Mrs Jack Jones is very nice. Sammi said two members were getting off in PV. I guess we'll see. Anyway things are not horrible on the ship and I still love her.

[sawtooth]

Wow. It sounds like the Pacific Princess went to hell in a handbasket in the 2.5 hours after we disembarked on Thursday and embarkation began for the 50th anniversary cruise. I'm sorry...I hate to question people stating negatives, because every cruise is different, but I have a hard time accepting that it got that bad that quickly.

 

I had the chicken breast many, many times over 67 days and never found it to have dark meat. DH always requests his beef without sauces, and, even when he would forget, the waiter would remind him by asking if he wanted it that way. And it was never served incorrectly.

 

 

 

And therein lies the problem. Frankly, the entire ship's company knew that this would be the case. I was getting emails from 50th anniversary passengers asking about special crew ("the best?") coming on board, additional crew coming on board (to handle laundry. Where would they sleep?), special menus, special production show cast, etc. The reality is that, to the people on the ship, with the exception of Sammi and some in the entertainment department, this is simply the cruise following the last cruise and before the next cruise. To imagine service should be better on this cruise implies that the crew was not doing their best on the cruises that we were on, and I promise you, that was not the case. They do their best all the time, whether they're serving Gavin MacLeod or a blue card cruiser. As for the food...I suppose Princess could have upped their game for this cruise, but that was never promised or implied.

 

The problem is that this was promised to be a cruise with special guests and entertainment, and the expectation became something much bigger than that.

 

As for the CC host having a sign on her desk with the MTP numbers...I'm so glad she did that. DH suggested that, knowing that she would get asked 100 times a day what the numbers were.

 

Well said! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I do, however, like to read everyone's unique and personal perspective of the cruise.

[TracieABD]

Amelia-

What a difference a day makes! I am glad that you had a better meal last night... Also, I have mad respect for your ability to stay on track in the midst of all of the eating debauchery.

 

Keep us posted!

TL:)

[Pam in CA]

Spent a good deal of the day just relaxing on my balcony. It really is my Sanctuary although this cruise is far more social than most other cruises.

 

The "magnificent" brunch buffet was disorganized chaos. I stood in line to get a bacon and cheese omelet but when it was my turn, found out there wasn't any bacon anywhere for the brunch. By the time I found a seat at a table and I got a napkin and silverware, everything was cold and inedible. I asked for some bacon as I'd been told to just order it but they brought a plate of very partially cooked bacon that was very unappetizing. I wound up having a small salad and some shrimp. The carvings and decorations were beautiful and it was obvious that a lot of thought had been put into this.

 

Chatted with Marsha, David, Judy, Joseph, and Susie for a while, then went up to the grill for a bratwurst as I was still hungry.

 

Discovered that dinner tonight is (I think) 15 minutes earlier. It's printed for 7:45pm in the Patter but on embarkation day, there were three different times given (Patter, cruise card, and Princess@Sea) so I don't know whether anything is correct. My cruise card says 7:45 but it's been at 8pm.

 

Each cabin has been given a beautiful set of two 50th Anniversary coasters. It's not per-person. There are quite a few people cruising together in the same cabin who don't live together so they'll have to work out which one gets the coasters or whether to each take one.

 

Still having a really nice time. :)

[IECalCruiser]

We have a very good steward and very good head waiter/waiter/junior waiter. For me, the food has been the right temperature and the quality has been equal to or better than recent Princess cruises. Lunch was sort of a disaster the first day because everyone lined up before it opened and the staff was overwhelmed. We will probably stick to the Panorama Buffet, even on sea days. The Sunday Brunch was impressive but they should probably have explained that there were hot dishes available for order in addition to the buffet. With the experience at lunch the first day we waited until the "thundering herd" had passed through at 10:30 and went in at noon. After we had filled our plates we were promptly seated and enjoyed our meal. Tonight is the Ultimate Deck Party because some of the cast need to leave in Puerto Vallarta do to other commitments. We are throughly enjoying the cruise [emoji2][emoji2][emoji2]

[shredie]

Just had a good dinner. I really enjoyed the brunch today. Got a spinach omelet that was delicious and had some outstanding asparagus. I didn't find things disorganized. Maybe I'm just easy to please. I like my shower. I only have a nonupgraded balcony room but I find the shower is significantly larger than the ones on the Grand ships. The dinner tables have this odd lamp situation with a lamp that is screwed into the table. We had it removed earlier which leaves a hole in the middle of the table. Now that the former occupants of this table who have gone elsewhere are not in our line of vision we'll ask for the lamp back. The coasters are really nice. Per cabin is not an issue for us. I can find little to complain about as far as the ship goes. Some of our fellow passengers might be a different story but as Mother said "If you can't say something nice" etc. OTOH some fellow passengers have been great. Friendly and not rude.

[kjets]

 

Oh yes, they tried to take my kettle I brought, I asked then to provide me with one because I make a lot of herbal tea in my room and after a few minutes of discussion they let me keep it because thankfully it had an automatic shut off. Yeah!

 

More later...

Oh Amelia having a kettle in the room is the best! So glad you got to keep it!

 

Hope you keep to that cleansing plan girlfriend!

 

Don't have to tell you I am sure but...have a happy day and please say hello to Ken :) MWA

[Wehwalt]

We arrive in PV at 8 am. As of 6:42 on my balcony, it is very dark still so I imagine people will be slow moving.

 

I went at 9:05 to buy 2 of the itinerary T shirt and it is a good thing I did as it sold out VERY quickly in all sizes. I chatted with the male shops attendant and told him they should have had more stuff specific to this voyage. He wasn't very interested. After that, I went to the casino and cashed in $245 of my OBC, which will leave me with about a $3 balance if I buy nothing more. I would have happily spent that money on souvenirs of this voyage ... sigh.

 

Internet has been just as slow as ever on this ship despite the Princess @ Sea. On the Star, it was much faster. I can use my iPhone as a hotspot now we are close to the Mexican coast so I'm OK now on that, but I hate to waste minutes staring at the screen.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Wehwalt

[kruisey]

How did the deck party go on last night with the Love Boat cast?

[Colo Cruiser]

Looks like a beautiful day in PV.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Internet has been just as slow as ever on this ship despite the Princess @ Sea.

Princess@Sea was installed on 11/17, and made logging on and off WiFi much faster, but I didn't think it changed the upload/download speed at all. However, I hesitated to make that judgement because we changed cabins that same day (and the signal was stronger in the new cabin on Deck 4 than the old one on Deck 3, which previously didn't even have a signal with the door closed), and we were at sea in the Pacific for 10 days that cruise. I'm sorry to hear it still isn't fast off the coast of Mexico.

 

Thanks for the updates. Shredie, we didn't like the lamps so our table for two was made up without one and we just kept the butter saucer over the hole. There is an electric current running through the tables to power the lights, so it's best that the hole is covered.

[ibfern]

Good Morning,

 

Yesterday was a relaxing day at Sea, we lingered in our room having lost two hours we woke at 8am which is unheard of for me! We planned to take it easy, having such a go-go day yesterday with the Q&A sessions and the long lines for pictures and autographs.

 

My knees started to hurt badly, probably because I am taking the stairs everywhere. Stairs are so hard on knees, I guess I will slow down on taking them because I need my knees for all the activities which I have planned. There was a magnificent brunch set up for us and between the Incredible carving stations, the huge array of salads, cheeses, breads, and more, it was difficult staying on my cleanse/diet. I ate pretty good at the brunch, even though I ate a few pieces of cheese, which is a no no, I otherwise did a pretty good job of eating clean. Dinner was another story, I ate eggs on my salad, and then blew it big with a slice of pecan pie with butterscotch! My first sweet cheat in 50 or more days! It was so good, totally worth blowing my cleanse on. That will be the last dessert I let myself eat, sugar being my gateway drug to poor eating habits.

 

This ship is definitely showing its age. The tv showing how far we've cruised is showing the nautical miles from the South Pacific, which I had read it was doing and it still is not fixed. My phone doesn't keep messages either, several people have asked me if I got their messages and no, I have not. The red light was flashing and it told me to dial 13 to get my messages, but when I dial it, it says I have no new messages. I reported it and hope it gets repaired, I hate missing messages. Otherwise, the bed is comfortable and the room is in pretty good shape. The TV is getting all the channels, including the news which I enjoy listening too occasionally.

 

We finally won a trivia and the prize was my favorite thing, a keychain flashlight which we totally use all the time at home. Also, my husband found a bridge group which made him so happy. I went up and met a few cruise critic friends, always fun to put a face to a name.

 

Dinner was good, I got a hamburger without bread and added some blue cheese and it was so yummy. Service was splendid, yay, and I already told you about the dessert, it was so good. We are eating with dear friends we met on the Diamond Princess Beijing to Vancouver cruise several years ago, Gary and Barbara. We try to cruise with them at least once a year now, last year we were with them on part of the back to back southeast Asian cruises on the Sapphire out of Singapore. That was also a fantastic cruise.

 

We skipped the show and went to bed early to catch up on some sleep. Woke up this morning in Puerto Vallarta, the weather is clear and sunny and the highs will be in the 80's. We are planning on taking a cab into town at noon, then getting back to the ship where we are meeting a large group of friends for our Tour tonight to Las Calates for Rhythms of the Night, which is supposed to be fantastic. Can't wait.

 

I know I am writing a day late, it is easier for me to take the time in the morning to write about the day before thus the somewhat live is really a day late! More later, maybe. I am glad that others are contributing to this so you all get to read others perspectives, for all I can do is write about my experiences and clearly I experience things differently than others. ;)

[Steelers36]

........ Evidently people have been going to cast cabins and knocking on the doors uninvited. They took the names off the doors after that. I don't quite get how people think just dropping in is okay. Oh well. ......

 

Unreal. That should be added to most rude passenger thread.

[IECalCruiser]

We had a great time at the Deck Party. Everyone but Gavin MacLeod was there and they were all dancing with the Princess dancers and the crowd! Ted Lange led the crowd in a disco dance. The Princess dancers also did several routines. For a few minutes Lauren Tewes took over the mike from Sammi as CD and said that she was the "Real McCoy!" We stayed up there for over an hour which is a record for us. Lauren has to leave today and Fred is leaving tomorrow so they did the Deck Party early when the whole cast was there. Sammi has been doinging a great job.