Cruising the Caribbean on the Re_al Princess : A pictorial review

[scubacruiserx2]

It really is a special night.:D

 

Yes it is Mic , and going with friends or family makes it even more special ( Our daughter and SIL were married on a cruise ship and we also experienced the Chef's table with them ! ) . :) :D

[MicCanberra]

Yes it is Mic , and going with friends or family makes it even more special ( Our daughter and SIL were married on a cruise ship and we also experienced the Chef's table with them ! ) . :) :D

 

Very nice and an extra special night for you all.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with a milk chocolate shell .

 

 

 

Extra yummy !

 

 

 

 

Also , a choice of gourmandises .

 

 

 

 

 

I settled for an overdressed , out of focus , strawberry ( it must have been the wine ! ) .

 

 

 

 

 

And lastly , the ladies were presented a rose

 

 

 

 

And the gentlemen , a 50th anniversary Princess cook book .

 

 

[MicCanberra]

The recipes and photos in those books are wonderful.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

The recipes and photos in those books are wonderful.:D

 

They sure are Mic and I hope to make a few for us when Pat is given the green light for heavier meals . :) :D

[MicCanberra]

They sure are Mic and I hope to make a few for us when Pat is given the green light for heavier meals . :) :D

 

That would be awesome. How is her recovery coming along?

[scubacruiserx2]

That would be awesome. How is her recovery coming along?

 

She's doing quite well but still sore . The surgeon removed all of the staples today but still wants a yucky liquid and soft diet for a couple of weeks :p.

[MicCanberra]

She's doing quite well but still sore . The surgeon removed all of the staples today but still wants a yucky liquid and soft diet for a couple of weeks :p.

 

Good news then.

 

Perhaps a filet mignon that has been pureed, with a crab soup is required.:p

[scubacruiserx2]

Good news then.

 

Perhaps a filet mignon that has been pureed, with a crab soup is required.:p

 

You should be a doctor , just what the patient wanted ! :) :D

[trystran72]

Super random question but did they say if that centerpiece was a Chihuly?

[scubacruiserx2]

Returning to the port Costa Maya , and before the Chef's Table , we had met a couple of nice senior people while walking in the hall . They had many cruise experiences with Princess , which they shared with us , and asked us if we would care to see their suite . It's a Penthouse Suite S-4 , the Milano , and it's directly across from the Concierge Lounge .

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was the Concierge Lounge and here's a description of it from Cruise Critic :

 

 

Princess Cruises

 

The Concierge Lounge

Lounge Name: The Concierge Lounge.

 

How You Qualify: Suite passengers.

 

Amenities: Located only on Royal Princess and Regal Princess, the small Concierge Lounge offers light snacks and beverages. The lounge also is used as a private disembarkation lounge for suite passengers.

 

Concierge Services: Full front desk services are available to concierge-level passengers, plus the concierge can help with shore excursion, specialty dining and Lotus spa reservations.

 

Open Hours: The Concierge Lounge is open 24 hours, but a concierge is only on duty from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., noon to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. most days. (Hours vary on turnaround days.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the living area of their suite

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bed room

 

 

The living area and the bed room both have access to a very liner balcony .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

And there is a toilet /vanity room which separated from the shower and bath room .

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice indeed !! :) :D

[Cindy]

And there is a toilet /vanity room which separated from the shower and bath room .

 

 

 

Very nice indeed !! :) :D

 

It is very nice indeed, but I'm surprised it appears they still don't have any storage in the toilet/vanity part of the bathroom. That drove me crazy when we had a suite on the Caribbean Princess.

 

I'm still loving this review! I'm working on a Celebrity one right now, but it's slow going and I keep getting distracted by other people's great posts and that irritating thing called work!:rolleyes:

[scubacruiserx2]

It is very nice indeed, but I'm surprised it appears they still don't have any storage in the toilet/vanity part of the bathroom. That drove me crazy when we had a suite on the Caribbean Princess.

 

I'm still loving this review! I'm working on a Celebrity one right now, but it's slow going and I keep getting distracted by other people's great posts and that irritating thing called work!:rolleyes:

 

 

I must give credit to my DW for the suite photos , so I'm not sure about the BR storage . We had hopes for the BR on the Regal , but it wasn't any better than the CB's . But the Celebrity S class does have a better storage system in the BR .

 

And best wishes on your thread Cindy , I'll be checking it out ! ;)

[Nezmo]

Super random question but did they say if that centerpiece was a Chihuly?

Murano glass.

[scubacruiserx2]

Super random question but did they say if that centerpiece was a Chihuly?

 

 

Nezmo is correct and wins the pillow chocolate prize ! ;) Here's the quote from the Cruise Critic review of the Regal Princess :

 

Chef's Table Lumiere (Allegro, Deck 6 ); $115 per person: The Chef's Table Lumiere is really an experience, rather than a venue, though the table space -- part of Allegro Dining Room -- is something to behold, with its crystal privacy "curtains of light" and incredible Murano glass table centerpiece. It includes a tour of the main galley, hosted by the maitre d' and executive chef, where you'll sample appetizers and partake in a Champagne toast. The dinner includes a specially created menu and wine pairing. Contact guest services to find out when the Chef's Table is available.

[MicCanberra]

Nice room, very suite indeed.

 

We are off on our travels and will catch up on my return. Hope Pat continues to recover well, we will be back late May although I will try and check in when possible.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Nice room, very suite indeed.

 

We are off on our travels and will catch up on my return. Hope Pat continues to recover well, we will be back late May although I will try and check in when possible.:D

 

Thank you Mic . We hope that you , Rosie , and family , have a fantastic trip and safe travels . Cheers ! Joe :) and Pat :D

Edited April 6, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[trystran72]

ah Murano, thanks guys! It is a lovely vision while you slip into food nirvanaaaaa... :D

 

Happy travels, MicCanberra!

[scubacruiserx2]

ah Murano, thanks guys! It is a lovely vision while you slip into food nirvanaaaaa... :D

 

 

 

Happy to help !

 

 

 

Happy travels, MicCanberra!

 

 

Mic is doing what we all wish that we were doing :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Because we really didn't go into Costa Maya we're gonna reprise a previous visit which we made on the CB . This is for the folks who have never been or may be going soon .

 

 

 

Costa Maya is a small small fishing village and tourist area in Mexico , near Belize. It's main draw for many cruise ship visitors is the mall at the end of the pier or the beaches in the village.

 

 

It's a long walk to the mall from the ship and there is a free tram ( for tips ) ride . Click on the small picture for video clip :

 

 

 

We have dove there once before but chose to skip it this time. We were more interested in diving the Chinchorro Banks in the future and wanted to have lunch and investigate the prospects for future diving there .

 

 

 

http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/divebancochinchorro.html

 

 

 

To reach the fishing village you had to walk thru the mall to the taxi stands and take a taxi or shuttle bus for $3.00 p.p. one way. You need a taxi or LONG walk to return . We had asked a couple of locals along the way for a good place to eat and settled on one. Here's the map from the shuttle .

 

 

 

At stop #1 you may get an sales pitch for Senior Frog's . $25 for beach , booze and food . They have some poor reviews on Trip Advisor . Not our kind of place.

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g499450-d2186457-Reviews-Senor_Frogs_Costa_Maya-Mahahual_Costa_Maya_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

[scubacruiserx2]

Notice the CB in the last photo .

 

We went to Gypsea Divers to find out about a trip . They said that it's about 2 hours , in a small boat , each way - to Chinchorro Banks . And that it's better to dive Cozumel - thus confirming our suspicions.

 

 

 

 

A view of the Malecon , with the beach on the left.

 

 

 

 

We walked to a second Dive Shop along this road and had many people trying to sell us trinkets and food . After the second dive shop agreed with the first , we decided to walk along a parallel street avoiding the street .vendors.

 

 

 

 

Street art on a building

 

 

 

 

This club looked like a place for swingers . No , gracias !

 

 

 

 

Gulfweed on the beach

 

 

[plan09]

Thank you for posting such a wonderful review!

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for posting such a wonderful review!

 

 

And thank you for your kind comments , we hope that you are enjoying it . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Lunch in Costa Maya

 

 

 

The restaurant that we decided to try was near the end of the village by the fisherman's pier. It's called Sulumar .

 

 

 

 

Being warm we wanted some refreshing drinks

 

 

 

 

My favorite is a Hibiscus tea called Jamacia pronounced Huh-macia . It's also called " Red Zinger " here in the U. S .

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_tea

 

 

My wife likes Horchata which is a rice and almond water

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata

 

 

With drinks ordered , it's was time to think about food

 

 

 

 

Lunch was Chicken Fajitas

 

 

 

 

and Shrimp Tacos

 

 

 

 

 

with Guacamole and the beach view , the total was about $20 .

 

 

 

 

The food was typical of the region , a lot like El Moro in Cozumel .