Very LATE review - Royal Princess repo -October 25, 2014 10 Day

[JohnBoy in NC]

Yes this review is VERY LATE. Cough cough. I had parts written after our sailing but just got busy with life and with other cruises/research…never got back to finishing! Note to self—if you have any hope of remembering details 1.5 years later---write the whole review the week you get back. So this review is mainly intended for myself so I can reflect back and remember some of those little details as time passes and as the ships/sailings/ports run together with later visits to the same islands (not to mention getting older)!

A little background: Always sail with my DW, we are both mid/late 40’s and have cruised several times before with Princess…and have sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Love Princess (hope to get back sailing with them sometime!) and so wanted to sail on the “new” Royal Princess really bad! I loved this itinerary for the number of sea days – lots of rest time sprinkled throughout the vacation.

A quick shout out---the roll call has to be in the top 10 of Cruise Critic history—very active and lots of folks sail the repo each year….always around Halloween. The group was called the Royal Retreaters and they had lots of side events during the cruise. It was fun meeting them and seeing them around the ship from time to time. The Halloween party is insane.

So after 1+ year of planning and waiting and participating in the roll call thread, I finally was able to sail the Royal on the 10 day repositioning from New York to Fort Lauderdale. In years past this repo has never sold out, and the prices after final payment were great ($399 insides). Past repos, not this one. This sailing had six sea days and was the gorgeous Royal Princess. Prices dropped a few weeks after final payment, but they did not go down as much as last year and in fact prices were “low” only for a few weeks (mid-September), then the prices went up and up and up. Thankfully I bit the bullet and got my desired cabin and price the week before they doubled and stayed that way. I had already secured my flights (frequent flyer miles) and the hotel a year out, so this waiting game was nerve wracking at times. I don’t know the final numbers of the sailing, but she was close to sold out, a few days before Princess sailing there were just 3 or 4 inside cabins available and likewise other staterooms. One of my co-workers who is a cruise addict like me was interested and us couples finally sailed together for the first time.

For Christmas 2013 my wife bought us some Tony Horton 10 minute workout DVDs to lose weight this year. Yippee. It sat in the box for a few weeks. Then several couples that we are close with and cruised with us in January 2013 wanted to cruise again so we booked our annual January cruise on RCCL Legend of the Seas for 2015, which had a great itinerary including Dominica. We had booked a day long excursion with Levi/Bumpiing Tours that had some nice hiking, so my wife told everyone that we had a year to get into shape for that excursion.

Back to the workout DVDs. We didn’t start until the week of our Crown cruise in mid-January. We figured we had better start before the cruise, which always seem to add 5-8lbs to us. I am proud that we managed to eat well and exercised daily on that Crown Princess cruise and came off the boat weight neutral…nothing gained for the first time! I was at 198 lbs then. We even spent some money on the fat/detox seminar on the ship (my wife was interested and had been doing research on detoxing before the cruise). While it was mainly a push for their product, the discussion with gym folks on the ship at least got me thinking and researching. What is interesting is their results showed I would never get below 172lbs. Hmmm, that was an internal challenge issued to me by my brain.

We continued that course of eating better and exercising (not too crazy) and we finally learned to manage an eating lifestyle (for me low carbs, lots of protein and good fat) over the course of a few months (Trim Healthy Mama is a GREAT book/resource). I lost a ton of weight by summer. By this Royal sailing I was at 160 lbs., my lowest weight since college and feeling the best ever physically. Now for this cruise we wanted to celebrate and enjoy the food, and tried to set some goals (like sharing any desserts) and try to come off the ship with just a few lbs gained. We did gain a few but I think it was due to the amount of alcohol we consumed (more than usual since sailing with friends.

Friday October 24th – Day before Sailing

We flew in the day before as we normally do before a cruise and this was my first time in New York! The weather was great except it was a windy and a little cold (but decent for this time of year, high 50’s). I had a long list of sites that I wanted to see, but only having one day to do it I knew I would only be able to see a few. Goal number one was to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. We stayed at the Red Hook Comfort Suites and took their shuttle to the subway stop, and proceeded to find our way to the Bridge Promenade entrance. I was surprised at how crowded it was and hearing so many foreign languages…it was a great experience and the views are incredible. After crossing the Bridge we grabbed a NY hotdog and found Broadway Street. Then we spent the afternoon walking up Broadway, grabbing little bites along the way (and Starbucks…and restrooms) to Times Square, and then walked to Rockefeller Center. By this time our feet were hurting and we took the subway back to the hotel. I wanted to see a show but we were pretty pooped from all of that walking. Folks on the ship could not believe we walked that far, I guess we are just some of those crazy tourists! We had a great time seeing some of the city and hope to come back one day for a longer visit.

The Comfort Suites/Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was ok, not too bad, relatively clean and typical breakfast. Nice shuttle service and we had very good local Italian food delivered that night. Would stay again due to location and value (compared to Manhattan).

Embarkation Day - Saturday

We got there around 10:30, hoping to be onboard by 11:30am. Checkin was seconds, however there was a LONG line of elites and platinum, so we didn’t actually board until 12:30pm. We headed to Alfredo’s (loved it on the Sapphire Princess) and celebrated our weight loss for 2014 with some nice pizza and an appetizer. I brought 2 bottles of wine on board and was not asked at any point to declare it. Man I wish I had brought more!

The muster drill was at 4:30, and we did have to put our life jackets on, but it was quick and relatively painless and then we were off to sailaway. It was a very festive one, the weather was nice and sunny (but still cool for me) and lots of excitement about sailing under the Verrazano Bridge.

We loved heating love boat theme horn when leaving (and each port).

Ship Highlights

BEAUTIFUL ship and well worth the wait, met my expectations. The Piazza is stunning and large, everything so modern and stylish.

Horizon Court – loved the new design and expanse, never felt crowded. The seating in different areas have different décor – an example is the Bistro area. It is very open, bright, and had some high tables. The buffet staff were very helpful and pleasant throughout the week, pretty fast drink service. We did enjoy the Crab Shack one night in the buffet area – well worth the $25pp cover.

We had cabin M243, which was one deck below Lido and mid-front on the ship. I choose this location so we had quick access to the front staircase, we wanted to avoid elevators (esp. mid-ship elevators) if we could. We used them almost the entire trip!

I was a little apprehensive never having a balcony so high, but we really enjoyed it. Yes the balcony is small. We managed to do the Ultimate Balcony Dinner one night but boy was it tight. I got a decent deal on the balcony so I splurged since it was a 10 nighter. In the future, I would only book a balcony again if the price was right (we are happy with insides anyway). The shower was bigger for a Princess shower, loved the new TV/options and room décor. The bed was comfortable for a Princess bed, best we have had so far. Plenty of storage as usual.

Cruise Director and Staff was Sam Hawker-Thomas. She was fun and energetic, and the staff were always around and making things happen. We used the Sports Deck a lot. The running track is marked for walking (inside) and running (outside), surrounding a netted area that can be used for tennis, basketball, etc. They had various equipment staged along the way for various strength/balance exercises. We did one zumba class on the basketball court one day---first time doing zumba so it was quick and hard to follow for a first timer. :) Didn’t really see the fountain shows, but liked the general areas and the new Skywalk (only used a few times).

Food

We love Princess food, and we had a great food experience on this sailing. We ate in the MDR most evenings. Did the Crown Grill one night with our friends and had a great meal, this experience was better than our previous steakhouse experiences on Princess.

Entertainment

The main theater was very nice…loved the great sight lines. Yes the seats are tight and not easy getting in to sit down (everyone pretty much has to stand up for you to get by), and no spot to rest a drink, but the seats were comfortable. Comedians/Illusionist - Steve White was hilarious, David Cats was very good, and Al Katz’s act was good. Enjoyed the Party Band the Score and a few main theatre shows. We did watch the NFL games and Monday night football (they have nice snacks at the pool) as well. Also did the Ye Olde Pub Night which was entertaining and funny.

 

Halloween Party – since this was over Halloween there was a costume party in the Piazza – very well attended and lots of fun. It was packed! Some fabulous costumes. Our roll call had reserved a huge group of tables and that was well attended…everyone in costumes. We were dressed as pirates (as well as a few others) and it was an experience. Lots of interesting folks. J

 

Sea day 1

We love the sun so most sea days we lounge by the pool with drinks all day…so the sea days run together and I don’t remember too many details. On this first sea day the roll call had organized a huge meet and greet – 10:30am and it was held in the Allegro dining room (so many people). The dining room was very nice - the Chef’s Table “room” is stunning.

Sea day2

On this day we went to the Slot Pull someone on our roll call had organized. There were around 70 folks participating and they had got the casino host to help set up machines and they had some casino prizes (hats and shirts). It was a lot of fun hollering/cheering for each “team”. Everyone got maybe $10 out of our original $15 back.

Tonight was the first of 2 formal nights so it was fun as usual seeing everyone dressed up (also has champagne waterfall). Before the cruise I bought my first tuxedo for future cruises/formal nights so it was fun to really dress up for once.

Sea day 3

Finally totally relaxed and realized that we have another 7 days in front of us! That was the best part of our first 10 day cruise. That feeling that wow, we have another week ahead of us! Can’t wait till when we can do more 10 days and B2Bs or more as we get older.

St. Thomas

we ventured via a cab to Megan’s Bay for the first time. It was nice but crowded. I still give the nod to Trunk Bay/St. Johns for beauty in one wanted to compare the two. Met some nice folks who were on our ship and we drank and talked for a few hours while enjoying the water and sun. This night was also our first Ultimate Balcony Dinner experience with Princess. Yes the balcony was small---but the food and experience was GREAT! We timed it just right with the sunset after leaving St. Thomas. I would do it again in the future.

Antigua

We took a cab to Valley Church Beach (shared cab with others on the ship - Dr. Sal. was the driver). I think it was $8 per person each way and we set up a pick up time to return, we were told we did not need to pay until our return trip. The ride to the beach was about 20 minutes and once there we rented 2 chairs and an umbrella for $20 and once again spent the day swimming, drinking and relaxing. As stated on the boards, there is a steep drop that some people had a hard time navigating when going in, but especially when coming out, of the water. It is a beautiful beach with great photo ops. Gorgeous water too.

For lunch we ate at the Nest (beach bar). Food was good but there were tons of flies that day so we didn’t hang out there long. Our taxi driver Dr. Sal came back as promised but he gave our party another driver to take us back.

Sea Day 4

Typical sea day but nice to have this rest time before our final port of Aruba. We love the tea time on Princess and enjoyed the scones.

Aruba

For Aruba, we made reservations at Nikky Beach/Reflexations which is not too far from the port. So we thought. We decided to walk to get some exercise, plus it is straight down the main road through town along the water. It turned out to be a 40 minute walk and was pretty hot in the sun. Nice walk and saw some iguanas along the way. Once we found it, our first impressions were not so great. It was in a commercialized area of sorts with lots of boats anchored right off shore. For $20 we got the use of 2 chairs and an umbrella (and wifi) and either a welcome drink or transportation. We took the ride home offer! The drinks were good, restrooms clean—and the place did grow on me over time. It isn’t bad and pretty close to the ship.

Sea Day 5

Enjoyed the Crown Grill with our friends this evening.

Sea Day 6

We were directed to Concerto dining this night, maybe for overflow purposes. Tonight was fast service---more of the typical Princess service that we had come to expect (55 minutes in and out). For this cruise the MDR dinners seemed to average 1.5 hrs to even 2 one night. The wait staff asked about our Allegro experience and kind of remarked/agreed that they were overworked with number of tables/anytime dining (maybe more than usual on this sailing?).

Overall

I would LOVE to do this repo every October. I hope to get this back in the cycle later in the future but I keep booking other cruises. I can only do so much each year—ha! Seriously I do want to take advantage of the repo (usually can get a good deal) again for the time of year (great weather in Caribbean in late October) and those lovely sea days. I really enjoyed the Royal class ship and would sail her or the Regal in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

[cibaygirls]

I was so excited to see your review; it was me and my DH who shared the cab to VCB with you! I forgot about Dr Sal:D. I agree with all of your impressions and it is always fun reading a review of a cruise you were on to bring back the memories. We also went to Nikky beach and was very skeptical at first, but wound up really enjoying ourselves. We walked there too an boy was it hot. We took the free beverage instead of the ride back; we took the drink to go and walked along the water as far as we good, stopping at a couple of cute waterfront bars along the way, it made the walk much more enjoyable.

 

Glad to see you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!!

[socaljo]

Thanks for doing a review after this long! When you cruised is not as critical to me...I just want to read about your cruise, any cruise!!

 

You are absolutely correct about when to write the review! Right after, when all the details are fresh! I was looking over the review I wrote this spring after we did the Panama Canal on the Island, the first installment was written in an exhausted & extremely relaxed state of mind, it's not as clearly written as the rest! :p But no one cares! We just love to read about each other's fun!

 

In January, we will scratch Cape Horn off the Bucket List! :D This time I will make notes along the way, that recall was hard enough in the week following our return, 15 days creates so many details & memories! I can't imagine it a year later! :eek: :D

 

Happy Sailing!

[High Cs]

Enjoyed your review.

Can you tell me if theater production shows are repeated on a 10 day cruise.

There are so many things to do in the evening and we hate to miss anything.

[cubfan63]

I was on this same cruise a year and a half ago and Crab Shack cost $20, not $25, per person, despite what the OP states in his review.

[janetz]

We were on this cruise. It was a blast! Plan on doing it again Oct 2017. :D

Edited May 19, 2016 by janetz

[Sascol]

Enjoyed your review.

Can you tell me if theater production shows are repeated on a 10 day cruise.

There are so many things to do in the evening and we hate to miss anything.

 

Keep in mind that while the OP's review is very detailed, the specifics form this cruise are nearly 2 years old at this point. What took place then vs. now may very well be completely different.

[High Cs]

Good point Sascol.

[blkspy]

JohnBoy......Forget the 'Running Man' :) You're the 'Walking Man' :D

 

We miss you......You are an Original Retreater and it was a pleasure to have sailed with you and your wife.

 

On a recent cruise with my wife, I spoke about what you guys do at dinner. With the 'Shared' third plate. We did this and the variety made for a nce dinner. :cool:

 

Last year Princess made a cruise long video of the Retreaters and Cruise Critic. You guys were an important part of what the group has become. Smooth Seas my friend.

 

Brooklyn Bridge to Time Square still blows my mind :eek:

[JohnBoy in NC]

Thanks for doing a review after this long! When you cruised is not as critical to me...I just want to read about your cruise, any cruise!!

 

You are absolutely correct about when to write the review! Right after, when all the details are fresh! I was looking over the review I wrote this spring after we did the Panama Canal on the Island, the first installment was written in an exhausted & extremely relaxed state of mind, it's not as clearly written as the rest! :p But no one cares! We just love to read about each other's fun!

 

In January, we will scratch Cape Horn off the Bucket List! :D This time I will make notes along the way, that recall was hard enough in the week following our return, 15 days creates so many details & memories! I can't imagine it a year later! :eek: :D

 

Happy Sailing!

thanks for the comments! Wow - what a nice upcoming cruise for you...envious! Enjoy :)

[JohnBoy in NC]

I was so excited to see your review; it was me and my DH who shared the cab to VCB with you! I forgot about Dr Sal:D. I agree with all of your impressions and it is always fun reading a review of a cruise you were on to bring back the memories. We also went to Nikky beach and was very skeptical at first, but wound up really enjoying ourselves. We walked there too an boy was it hot. We took the free beverage instead of the ride back; we took the drink to go and walked along the water as far as we good, stopping at a couple of cute waterfront bars along the way, it made the walk much more enjoyable.

 

Glad to see you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!!

 

Hi Dana - Actually I used part of your review years ago to help me remember a few details (which days were M&G and slot pull etc etc.). yes I remember you guys and had a great cruise - hope all is good on your end.

 

Warm regards,

John in NC

[JohnBoy in NC]

I was on this same cruise a year and a half ago and Crab Shack cost $20, not $25, per person, despite what the OP states in his review.

 

Yes my bad---had the $25 Crown Grill price in my head!

[JohnBoy in NC]

JohnBoy......Forget the 'Running Man' :) You're the 'Walking Man' :D

 

We miss you......You are an Original Retreater and it was a pleasure to have sailed with you and your wife.

 

On a recent cruise with my wife, I spoke about what you guys do at dinner. With the 'Shared' third plate. We did this and the variety made for a nce dinner. :cool:

 

Last year Princess made a cruise long video of the Retreaters and Cruise Critic. You guys were an important part of what the group has become. Smooth Seas my friend.

 

Brooklyn Bridge to Time Square still blows my mind :eek:

 

Hi Roland - good to hear from you! We really hope to do this repo again and see everyone...we had a blast. I think my feet still hurt from that NY trek...but it was worth it. :) That is why I enjoyed those 3 sea days leaving NY! We enjoyed meeting you, Janet, Sean, and others....so keep the Retreaters going so we can hook back with the group down the road.

 

We have enjoyed Celebrity recently and are doing a few Royals coming up (Med cruise--can't wait!...and trying one of the big ones in January - Allure) - but we do aim to get back on Princess sometime - maybe the repo 2017 or 2018. (or Alaska again!)

 

Happy sailing to all

 

Blessings

JohnBoy in NC

[blkspy]

Hi Roland - good to hear from you! We really hope to do this repo again and see everyone...we had a blast. I think my feet still hurt from that NY trek...but it was worth it. :) That is why I enjoyed those 3 sea days leaving NY! We enjoyed meeting you, Janet, Sean, and others....so keep the Retreaters going so we can hook back with the group down the road.

 

We have enjoyed Celebrity recently and are doing a few Royals coming up (Med cruise--can't wait!...and trying one of the big ones in January - Allure) - but we do aim to get back on Princess sometime - maybe the repo 2017 or 2018. (or Alaska again!)

 

Happy sailing to all

 

Blessings

JohnBoy in NC

 

Will do.

 

im doing a Sping and early Fall Transatlantic and European land trips next year. So if God willing, the repo will be a welcomed cruise to rest on :)

Edited May 19, 2016 by blkspy

[JohnBoy in NC]

Will do.

 

im doing a Sping and early Fall Transatlantic and European land trips next year. So if God willing, the repo will be a welcomed cruise to rest on :)

 

Sweet---a TA is on my list for sure! How exciting!

 

We are seeing Paris pre cruise---then London post cruise this September...and our hope in a few years is to visit Europe again--but take a boat back. :) Can't wait to hear how your adventure turns out