Live from Royal Feb 22nd 10 Day Eastern Carib

[Steelers0854]

Here are today's patters.

 

[cruiseguys2009]

I wanted to post some photos before we leave and I have to use the awesome wifi on board.

 

We had lunch in the dining room. Here was the lunch menu. DW had the ravioli and said it tasted hand made. I had the salmon and it was delicious.

 

 

 

We are in an angled mini suite, not the one with the largest balcony but the next one over. I tried to get pictures to show the size but it really doesn't do it justice.

 

Despite my best efforts the dinner menus were not posted at any dining room, only the lunch ones so I will have to post those later. Also PSD did not have MDR menus for the length of the cruise when I asked.

 

 

 

Great photos, thank you for the menu as well. What deck are you on? We are Aloha in October.

Edited February 22, 2016 by cruiseguys2009

[Colo Cruiser]

Bon Voyage!

 

[KirkNC]

Bon Voyage!

[Redwing55]

Thanks for the updates..... We'll be boarding her on the next trip. Have fun and keep the posts coming!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Bon voyage! Looking forward to reading along with your journey!

[TracieABD]

Embarkation day is the most wonderful day! (once you get through the stress of actually embarking...)

 

Thank you for the photos! Keep those posts coming!!!

[Steelers0854]

Embarkation Part 2

 

We took an UberXL from the hotel to the cruise port, with our luggage we decided to get the XL and a beautiful Suburban pulled up with a man in a suit, a nice surprise. It took us about 15-20 minutes and $30 to get to the terminal. I would definitely use Uber again to get us to the ship.

 

Our first impressions:

 

-No center stairs, no problem. Yes they would be nice to have but they certainly don't negatively impact our impressions of the ship.

 

-We are spa folks, and generally atleast get 1 massage on board. The Lotus Spa here is unbelievable, beautiful and huge! I'll report back tomorrow on the service.

 

-The piazza is amazing, lots of places to sit and large. Many people complain about the noise, we didn't find it all that noisy even with the string quartet playing in the background.

 

-The staff is much less pushy we feel on the Royal than other ships in selling the extras. We did get asked about a coffee card at diner but that's the hardest sell we have had all day.

 

-The hallways are a bit odd on the cabin decks. The Grand class ships you can literally see from front to back, here every 10 or 20 cabins the cabins jet out into the hallway and it requires you to make a couple of turns to maneuver around. Nothing bad, just different.

 

-Since it's just the 2 of us we generally like to share a dinner table with others, this time we got a table for 2. We thought about asking for a change but it's kind of nice to have our own table and breeze through service at our own pace. The table of 8 next to us was getting dinner as we wrapped up our desserts. We decided to keep the table for 2 this go around. [emoji41]

 

-We are really enjoying the extra space of the mini-suite. The 2 defined areas of the room creates a spacious feeling, and the added room in the bathroom is a luxury when compared to the standard sized bathroom.

 

-The buffet is a great space and a huge improvement on the grand class ships design. We haven't eaten here yet so I will post more on this later.

 

-Overall every area of the ship is beautiful and creates a very inviting luxurious atmosphere.

 

-Princess@Sea app. Let me just say the fact that they created an app that's sole purpose is to kick you over to the web browser once you log in is funny, I would have thought they would have done better. But the functionally is awesome! Being able to browse the patter and essentially create your own itinerary is a lifesaver. No more writing down on the edges of the patter when you schedule something. the communicator portion is also neat, you don't need to leave messages on other peoples doors about where you are etc. a win for princess on this one.

 

-TV on Demand: I can't wait until the entire fleet gets this upgrade. They have a few live channels (ESPN and several news networks) but the selection of movies and tv shows on demand is excellent, no more staying up late to catch a showing of a movie you want to see. Start it when you want and if you get interrupted you start where you left off when you come back.

 

Dinner tonight was in the MDR. The menu is posted below and the food was excellent all the way around.

 

It's cool outside and a little windy, I can't wait for the warm breezes to come.

 

We have run into a few CC couples around the ship even before our M&G tomorrow. It's always fun to put faces with screen names.

 

Here is the patter for tomorrow.

 

Until tomorrow, good night!

 

[tright]

I am enjoying reading, thanks again for posting

[Marylandteachergirl]

Thank you so much for writing this LIVE review. We have been loyal to RCI previously, but just booked a Royal Princess cruise this weekend to give another line a try. Your photos are wonderful, and thank you for posting menus and Princess Patters. Looking forward to following along!!!

[Steelers0854]

Sea Day 1

 

It was a lazy day at sea with both DW and I going to the spa in the morning. We both really enjoyed our spa treatments (massage for me and acupuncture for her) and commented on how non-confrontational the staff was on pushing products. A nice change from the hard sale pitch we are used to deflecting.

 

Today was the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in Club 6. It was well attended with about 40 people attending. They did staff the bar and that was nice to have so you didn't have to hunt down a drink. The ships staff, 9 officers in total, including the Captain, Hotel GM, and Maitre D, stopped by and said hello. They answered questions and they definitely read the forums here. The Hotel GM pointed out that there is a center stairway on the Royal, we just can't use it, which drew a big laugh (he meant it as a joke) and also said he was incorrectly quoted last week regarding the dry dock. They intend to convert the center stairs for passenger use but nothing has been finalized for their over 2 week scheduled dry dock in Sicily. He also said this was a warranty dry dock as is required by the ship builder to warranty the boat. I thought that was interesting. He went on to say that he believed they were going to make the stairway conversion, it just needed to be finalized.

 

So thank you for all the officers that attended today, your attendance was greatly appreciated!

 

Eleanor Rigby asked me to make a mention that the buffet yesterday had, to her astonishment, lamb chops, with mint jelly. She gave the buffet a thumbs up as lamb is quite expensive these days.

 

I apologize for the unorganized nature of this live from. I generally like to post photos inline with the text and not at the end and not having my thoughts organized by topic annoys me. But doing this with terrible and limited internet time, while on the fly at night necessitates these compromises.

 

Some more general observations:

 

-The ship seems quite warm throughout. DW who is always (and I do mean always) cold has even mentioned that she feels warm quite often onboard. Not sure if something is not working correctly or if this is normal.

 

-The buffet has taken some getting used to. While the selection is amazing and I think the food greatly improved vs the grand class ships we have been in, the layout is perplexing. Stations like salads and sandwiches will often repeat but there are various different stations scattered throughout that are in little coves tucked away so you have to actively hunt them out. Not a major deal but it would be nice to have a little simplicity in the buffet. However the buffet gets and A+ from me overall.

 

-Ocean terrace: I was so looking forward to this as I am a big seafood and sushi fan. Unfortunately my Crab Margarita left me with bad taste in my mouth. It was very dry and served with nothing to eat it with. Picture dry lump crab meat with a splash of vodka and a fork. This may fall on me for ordering the wrong item or not understanding what I was getting, but for $9 I don't know how on earth anyone would enjoy this. It's only 1 dish from here and while I would try others if it were free I don't feel like gambling again when there are so many more wonderful places to eat on board.

 

-The illusionist is performing tonight with shows at 6:45, 8:15, and 10:15. We are 15 minutes out from the 6:45 show starting and theater is about 50% full.

 

Now to answering some questions:

 

-We are on the Baja deck in our mini suite. We have no negative impacts from the bar located above, no noise issues or light issues. DW and I walked over the bar section and one would have to really work to see our balcony and I doubt anyone would ever spend the time to do so.

 

-The pool deck is semi-controlled pandemonium on sea days. Chairs reserved all over the place, they did post in the patter that you have 15 minutes before staff pickup your stuff from an unoccupied chair. We weren't on deck long enough to test this process but it sure didn't look like it was being used. The pool itself wasn't that busy, I'm not sure if that was because the small size of the pool scared people off but there were just a few people using it. IMO the Royal needs more pools than what it has for this size of a ship.

 

[Nezmo]

Thank you for doing this. My fiancee and I take our honeymoon on the Royal on 3/13.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[CRLess]

-Ocean terrace: I was so looking forward to this as I am a big seafood and sushi fan. Unfortunately my Crab Margarita left me with bad taste in my mouth. It was very dry and served with nothing to eat it with. Picture dry lump crab meat with a splash of vodka and a fork. This may fall on me for ordering the wrong item or not understanding what I was getting, but for $9 I don't know how on earth anyone would enjoy this. It's only 1 dish from here and while I would try others if it were free I don't feel like gambling again when there are so many more wonderful places to eat on board.

 

 

Try the Ahi Poke....it was my daily afternoon snack at Ocean Terrace. It's not as fresh as a shore side place, but it is still VERY good.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. I'm on the Regal in December so enjoying reading both Regal and Royal reviews.

[Woobstr112G]

Great start to the cruise. Looking forward to reading your future posts. Enjoy.....:):):)

 

Bob

[chamima]

We're also on this cruise.

I don't know what happened but the Meet and Greet completely slipped my mind until about 3:00 yesterday (when it was over). Sorry not to have met anyone! :(

Internet access has been terrible but it is working this morning so I'm hoping this will actually post.

We're in an aft cabin on Baja and, as I hadn't read anything about the old soot problem lately, I thought it had been solved. I am very sad to report that it has NOT.

Also, the first evening we opened our doorwall to the most awful fuel smell!

So this lovely aft cabin with the huge 9x9 balcony isn't so wonderful.

 

On the other hand the cruise itself is great.

There have been so many different entertainment offerings that it would be hard to list.

There is constant wonderful live music in the piazza, a Princess Choir to join, a Mardi Gras line dance, drumming and steel pan drumming classes with performances later in the cruise to take part in. Performances nightly in the Princess theater. A GREAT funny piano bar player, Kory Simon every night until late in Crooners. Etc., etc., etc.!!!

 

 

CRless - thanks for the hint about the Ahi Poke - I LOVE tuna!!! (And the Headwaiter thought I was asking for the canned stuff when I asked if it was ever offered in the dining room! :p)

[whitecap]

We're also on this cruise.

I don't know what happened but the Meet and Greet completely slipped my mind until about 3:00 yesterday (when it was over). Sorry not to have met anyone! :(

Internet access has been terrible but it is working this morning so I'm hoping this will actually post.

We're in an aft cabin on Baja and, as I hadn't read anything about the old soot problem lately, I thought it had been solved. I am very sad to report that it has NOT.

Also, the first evening we opened our doorwall to the most awful fuel smell!

So this lovely aft cabin with the huge 9x9 balcony isn't so wonderful.

 

On the other hand the cruise itself is great.

There have been so many different entertainment offerings that it would be hard to list.

There is constant wonderful live music in the piazza, a Princess Choir to join, a Mardi Gras line dance, drumming and steel pan drumming classes with performances later in the cruise to take part in. Performances nightly in the Princess theater. A GREAT funny piano bar player, Kory Simon every night until late in Crooners. Etc., etc., etc.!!!

 

 

CRless - thanks for the hint about the Ahi Poke - I LOVE tuna!!! (And the Headwaiter thought I was asking for the canned stuff when I asked if it was ever offered in the dining room! :p)

 

Karen a quick question: You said you are in an aft cabin and had soot, is it an "aft facing" and can you tell me if the balcony is covered, partially covered or open? Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[chamima]

Totally Aft facing

partially covered

Edited February 24, 2016 by chamima

[whitecap]

Baja 739

Totslly Aft partially covered

 

Thanks! One more question if you don't mind: Are any of the aft facing balcony cabins "totally/fully covered"? Pictures kind of show indicate that aft facing on deck 10 and 12 may be fully covered. Thanks again.

[speedyjane]

Thank you for the review of your trip. We will be on the Royal in April. You mentioned that the main pool area has been crowded. I was wondering about the situation around the Retreat pool. Is the pool itself crowded? Are chairs available?

Thanks and continue to enjoy your cruise.

[cnd crsr]

We were on the Royal for 20 days in January. The Retreat Pool was fairly busy even with the windy conditions at the front of the ship. We always managed to get loungers although there is not much shade up there.

[floridalover5623]

One of the major downfalls of the Retreat pool is the lack of full shade. It should have had a solid covering instead of a perforated one around the ships edges. They obviously thought more people prefer the sun.

[jbu]

We're also on this cruise.

I don't know what happened but the Meet and Greet completely slipped my mind until about 3:00 yesterday (when it was over). Sorry not to have met anyone! :(

Internet access has been terrible but it is working this morning so I'm hoping this will actually post.

We're in an aft cabin on Baja and, as I hadn't read anything about the old soot problem lately, I thought it had been solved. I am very sad to report that it has NOT.

Also, the first evening we opened our doorwall to the most awful fuel smell!

So this lovely aft cabin with the huge 9x9 balcony isn't so wonderful.

 

On the other hand the cruise itself is great.

There have been so many different entertainment offerings that it would be hard to list.

There is constant wonderful live music in the piazza, a Princess Choir to join, a Mardi Gras line dance, drumming and steel pan drumming classes with performances later in the cruise to take part in. Performances nightly in the Princess theater. A GREAT funny piano bar player, Kory Simon every night until late in Crooners. Etc., etc., etc.!!!

 

 

CRless - thanks for the hint about the Ahi Poke - I LOVE tuna!!! (And the Headwaiter thought I was asking for the canned stuff when I asked if it was ever offered in the dining room! :p)

 

Hi Karen!

 

I don't know if you recall, but we cruised together 7 years ago. As I remember it, you celebrated a fifth anniversary (not wedding...) and by my count you're now up to 12 years! Is that right?

 

On that cruise we did an excursion together on High Pockets - one of the best in St. Thomas! I looked back and found that I still have some great pics from then...

 

Is there any chance you're doing a back to back? We're booked on the Royal on March 3, so if you are, we'll be on board together again - and it would be great to see you and catch up! Any possibility?

 

Hope all is well and that you're now 12 years and counting!

 

All the best,

Jenny

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. I have a question with regards to the traditional dining. I have heard conflicting stories that the 6pm early has become 5:30 and vice versa. Is there two early traditional times of 5:30 and 6 followed by the late traditional at 8:15 ? Also what dining rooms do they use for the traditional ?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[chrysalis]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. I have a question with regards to the traditional dining. I have heard conflicting stories that the 6pm early has become 5:30 and vice versa. Is there two early traditional times of 5:30 and 6 followed by the late traditional at 8:15 ? Also what dining rooms do they use for the traditional ?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Look at the right hand page of the patter here on this thread...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2318732&page=2