Review of Royal Princess 11/30/17 to 12/10/17 with lots of photographs

[luckyinpa]

OP thanks for the extensive read. i'm going on on my 2nd Regal trip in 2 weeks and never have been to princess cays. I started to look at your pics and wonder when the one with the huge lines of empty chairs was taken?

 

i like the idea of an empty beach. also any other info about princes cays would be appreciated regarding the location of clamshells.

[Cuizer2]

OP thanks for the extensive read. i'm going on on my 2nd Regal trip in 2 weeks and never have been to princess cays. I started to look at your pics and wonder when the one with the huge lines of empty chairs was taken?

 

i like the idea of an empty beach. also any other info about princes cays would be appreciated regarding the location of clamshells.

 

Click on this link - https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-FpMcTz

 

Photo # 19 was taken at 10:08am

 

I have also added nine photos to the end of Princess Cays album. The following photographs were taken at the time listed:

 

Photo # 78 was taken at 10:15am

Photo # 79 was taken at 10:29am

Photo # 80 was taken at 10:33am

Photo # 81 was taken at 10:35am

Photo # 82 was taken at 1:38pm

Photo # 83 was taken at 2:29pm

Photo # 84 was taken at 2:30pm

Photo # 85 was taken at 2:32pm

Photo # 86 was taken at 2:33pm

[luckyinpa]

wow thanks thats empty all day. love it. where on the map on pic 2 were those clamshells

[Cuizer2]

wow thanks thats empty all day. love it. where on the map on pic 2 were those clamshells

 

By pic 2 I assume you are referring to picture # 78.

 

After I got my locker, I walked around taking photographs. Based on what I see in the photograph (which I have added as photo # 87), plus the location of the prior photos (the blue and yellow arrow points to the Offshore Platform) and later photo (the purple and green arrow points to the Crow's Nest), I believe the photo was taken in the area of the red "X".

 

If however, by pic 2 you are referring to the picture of the map, and you want to know where photo # 19 was taken, then that is in the area of the black and orange life preserver (near the volleyball court).

 

Here is a link to the Princess Cays album - https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-FpMcTz

[maggieq]

Great review. Often think about going on another princess ship. The royal and regal look absolutely beautiful. Do have a question....if you fly first class why were you the last boarding the plane? Maybe I misunderstood but thought that was odd.

[Cuizer2]

Great review. Often think about going on another princess ship. The royal and regal look absolutely beautiful. Do have a question....if you fly first class why were you the last boarding the plane? Maybe I misunderstood but thought that was odd.

 

Because I was sitting by gate 25 and boarding was at gate 24. The next flight out of gate 25 was also going to Atlanta, only one hour later. I did not realize the mistake until I wondered why nobody was lining up to board the plane.

[grapau27]

Because I was sitting by gate 25 and boarding was at gate 24. The next flight out of gate 25 was also going to Atlanta, only one hour later. I did not realize the mistake until I wondered why nobody was lining up to board the plane.

It is easily done.

Last November after being in the executive lounge at Orlando airport we got onto the wrong Virgin plane.

The gates for Gatwick and Manchester were next to each other and we were about to sit in our seats when the captain announced we were going to Gatwick when in fact we were going to Manchester.

We hurriedly got off the plane and went to the Manchester gate which was boarding too.

So much for security as they checked our tickets 3 times!!.

After several discussions with Virgin in England who said this was not possible we negotiated a £300 compensation.

[Cuizer2]

It is easily done.

Last November after being in the executive lounge at Orlando airport we got onto the wrong Virgin plane.

The gates for Gatwick and Manchester were next to each other and we were about to sit in our seats when the captain announced we were going to Gatwick when in fact we were going to Manchester.

We hurriedly got off the plane and went to the Manchester gate which was boarding too.

So much for security as they checked our tickets 3 times!!.

After several discussions with Virgin in England who said this was not possible we negotiated a £300 compensation.

 

My boarding pass also said gate 25.

 

Well, at least you would have ended up in the same country. I heard about someone traveling from Los Angeles to Oakland. Apparently there was also a plane traveling from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. Because of the accent of the person making the announcement, the person thought Auckland was Oakland and got on the wrong plane.

 

Perhaps the most famous incident occurred in 1985 when Wrong-Way Mike ended up in Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland, Calif. The Los Angeles Times reported that college student Michael Lewis became instantly famous for the mishap, making appearances on The Tonight Show and signing a TV movie contract. To be clear, Lewis’ case is rare and I’m not saying, get on the wrong flight and become a movie star!, but, hey. In the very worst cases, most airlines will book most travelers on the next flight to the original destination at no charge.

But it’s a great story, no? At least it’ll be a riot to tell afterwards...

Here is a link to the story ...

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/map-happy/apparently-people-still-board-the-wrong-flight-all-the-time_b_8160184.html

 

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-02/news/mn-19265_1_customs-officials

 

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-03/local/me-28522_1_europe-vacation

Edited December 25, 2017 by Cuizer2

[Cuizer2]

Cuizer2,

 

Thank you so much for such an excellent review and great photos!!! We will be doing "this" cruise on the Royal soon, so I really enjoyed this. (y)

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark

 

I glad you found the review useful. :D

[luckyinpa]

By pic 2 I assume you are referring to picture # 78.

 

After I got my locker, I walked around taking photographs. Based on what I see in the photograph (which I have added as photo # 87), plus the location of the prior photos (the blue and yellow arrow points to the Offshore Platform) and later photo (the purple and green arrow points to the Crow's Nest), I believe the photo was taken in the area of the red "X".

 

If however, by pic 2 you are referring to the picture of the map, and you want to know where photo # 19 was taken, then that is in the area of the black and orange life preserver (near the volleyball court).

 

Here is a link to the Princess Cays album - https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-FpMcTz

 

yes i wanted to know where 19 was taken relative to the map posted in pic 2. . i found the volleyball court so know where you mean. i was asking for 2 reasons. 1. the amount of people there was very low and just wondering if because it was further from the tender. 2. clamshells on the map only are shown on the little bay area and i didnt know if they were only available there. i need a princess cays primer :)

[OceansOfTravels]

Thank you for your review! I just gave MSC a try and after loving it, I am continuing to try and branch out to some other cruise lines soon, and Princess is on that list. Thank you for your funny commentary and your pristine photos, it made for a great review!

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

Thank you for your review! I just gave MSC a try and after loving it, I am continuing to try and branch out to some other cruise lines soon, and Princess is on that list. Thank you for your funny commentary and your pristine photos, it made for a great review!

 

 

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I'm glad you enjoyed the review. If you have a little time, I would love to hear why you liked MSC.

[OceansOfTravels]

I'm glad you enjoyed the review. If you have a little time, I would love to hear why you liked MSC.

 

Well, the simple answer would be the overall vibe. But, since I have time, I can give you a better report.

 

As you can see in my signature, most of my cruises were on Carnival, with two being on Royal Caribbean. I enjoyed all of my cruises, and never really cruised for the cruise line, or ship. It was always for the ports. I booked the Divina because there was a sale that made it not only cheaper than Royal, but cheaper than Carnival, and I thought "why don't I at least see what exists out there in terms of other cruise lines, while still visiting some ports I haven;t been to in many years?". From the second I stepped onboard, I was wowed. The Divina is decorated in a very modern way, with lots of browns, silvers, whites, and blacks. This was a huge change from Carnival, where the ships are known to be decorated with flashing lights. As someone who has a big appreciation for modern architecture and design, I found myself in love with the physical ship itself. Every lounge seemed beautiful to me. Our cabin was also the biggest cabin we've ever had, and we booked the cheapest OV on the ship, right below the casino. We had a full on couch, an additional chair, our beds, plus 3 (maybe 4, it's fuzzy) closets, and our bathroom was big. And again, everything was modern. So the ship itself was really great for me, I really appreciated it.

 

However, most of my love for MSC came from the European vibe. I have spent lots of time in Europe, both as a tourist and an expat, and have culturally begun to align more with those of the European nations than with the United States. I loved formal night, when people came out in their tuxedos and gowns, posing for professional photos on the diamond staircases. Formal night is ignored by 85% of the passengers on Carnival, and the most dressy of the other 15% are the ones with ties. I liked sitting at dinner and talking about the same things I would've on a Carnival cruise, but through a global lens, rather than a local lens, for example international soccer instead of football, and the global refugee crisis instead of undocumented Mexican immigrants in the USA. I liked sitting at the pool listening to reggaeton and french pop music, instead of the same songs I hear at home on the radio. I liked going into lounges and hearing German, Slovak, Japanese, Spanish and French all being spoken by people I was sitting with.. Overall, I liked the global atmosphere of the ship. I felt like I was able to get back to Europe without having to deal with the jetlag and neck pains that come with the 9 hour flight. And , with the diverse population came a diverse food selection, which I enjoyed. I really enjoyed the food onboard.

 

So for me, it was a step up, partially in luxury, but mostly in atmosphere. I am not pretentious and do not need the epitome of luxury when I travel, I am quite the opposite actually. I always travel for destination/experience, but this time, the experience and the destination was to be had onboard, not ashore. I am currently looking into trying other lines, like Princess and Celebrity, as I know those lines bring in a large international clientele and have more global atmospheres, but mainly Costa, as it is usually cheaper than MSC and still brings in the same global atmosphere. My Seaview cruise was actually free, but I am trying to finalize a Preziosa cruise right now for December 2018 from Guadeloupe. I do not dislike Carnival, and would still cruise with Carnival again, same with Royal. But for me, I have found my niche with MSC, and cannot wait to step back onboard.

 

I hope that wasn't too messy, I mostly rambled. Let me know if you have any clarifying questions! :)

[Cuizer2]

Well, the simple answer would be the overall vibe. But, since I have time, I can give you a better report.

 

As you can see in my signature, most of my cruises were on Carnival, with two being on Royal Caribbean. I enjoyed all of my cruises, and never really cruised for the cruise line, or ship. It was always for the ports. I booked the Divina because there was a sale that made it not only cheaper than Royal, but cheaper than Carnival, and I thought "why don't I at least see what exists out there in terms of other cruise lines, while still visiting some ports I haven;t been to in many years?". From the second I stepped onboard, I was wowed. The Divina is decorated in a very modern way, with lots of browns, silvers, whites, and blacks. This was a huge change from Carnival, where the ships are known to be decorated with flashing lights. As someone who has a big appreciation for modern architecture and design, I found myself in love with the physical ship itself. Every lounge seemed beautiful to me. Our cabin was also the biggest cabin we've ever had, and we booked the cheapest OV on the ship, right below the casino. We had a full on couch, an additional chair, our beds, plus 3 (maybe 4, it's fuzzy) closets, and our bathroom was big. And again, everything was modern. So the ship itself was really great for me, I really appreciated it.

 

However, most of my love for MSC came from the European vibe. I have spent lots of time in Europe, both as a tourist and an expat, and have culturally begun to align more with those of the European nations than with the United States. I loved formal night, when people came out in their tuxedos and gowns, posing for professional photos on the diamond staircases. Formal night is ignored by 85% of the passengers on Carnival, and the most dressy of the other 15% are the ones with ties. I liked sitting at dinner and talking about the same things I would've on a Carnival cruise, but through a global lens, rather than a local lens, for example international soccer instead of football, and the global refugee crisis instead of undocumented Mexican immigrants in the USA. I liked sitting at the pool listening to reggaeton and french pop music, instead of the same songs I hear at home on the radio. I liked going into lounges and hearing German, Slovak, Japanese, Spanish and French all being spoken by people I was sitting with.. Overall, I liked the global atmosphere of the ship. I felt like I was able to get back to Europe without having to deal with the jetlag and neck pains that come with the 9 hour flight. And , with the diverse population came a diverse food selection, which I enjoyed. I really enjoyed the food onboard.

 

So for me, it was a step up, partially in luxury, but mostly in atmosphere. I am not pretentious and do not need the epitome of luxury when I travel, I am quite the opposite actually. I always travel for destination/experience, but this time, the experience and the destination was to be had onboard, not ashore. I am currently looking into trying other lines, like Princess and Celebrity, as I know those lines bring in a large international clientele and have more global atmospheres, but mainly Costa, as it is usually cheaper than MSC and still brings in the same global atmosphere. My Seaview cruise was actually free, but I am trying to finalize a Preziosa cruise right now for December 2018 from Guadeloupe. I do not dislike Carnival, and would still cruise with Carnival again, same with Royal. But for me, I have found my niche with MSC, and cannot wait to step back onboard.

 

I hope that wasn't too messy, I mostly rambled. Let me know if you have any clarifying questions! :)

 

That was great, thank you. I want to try Costa, but I recently saw a show about MSC and I am willing to give MSC a try also.

 

Joe Farcus is no longer the lead interior designer for Carnival. I believe the Breeze was the first ship designed by the new lead interior designer. Take a look at the interior pictures of the Carnival Breeze and you will clearly see the difference.

 

Here is a link to the story ...

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-decor-poised-for-new-era-as-longtime-designer-exits

[OceansOfTravels]

That was great, thank you. I want to try Costa, but I recently saw a show about MSC and I am willing to give MSC a try also.

 

Joe Farcus is no longer the lead interior designer for Carnival. I believe the Breeze was the first ship designed by the new lead interior designer. Take a look at the interior pictures of the Carnival Breeze and you will clearly see the difference.

 

Here is a link to the story ...

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-decor-poised-for-new-era-as-longtime-designer-exits

 

Oh yes, I've seen many photos of the newer ships and their interiors. I do not have issues with the flashing lights or anything, it gives a Vegas feeling. I just really preferred the interior decor of the Divina. I do like the colorful lantern idea the Breeze has though, it looks to be very airy and tropical.

 

You should definitely give MSC a try! I don't know how stringent your dates or available funds are, but they have some under $500 cruises before taxes on the brand new Seaside, and some under $900 11 nights on the Divina for this winter. The prices are also very similar for the 2018/2019 season if you can't cruise with such short notice. I would definitely look into giving MSC a chance sometime soon!

[Cuizer2]

Oh yes, I've seen many photos of the newer ships and their interiors. I do not have issues with the flashing lights or anything, it gives a Vegas feeling. I just really preferred the interior decor of the Divina. I do like the colorful lantern idea the Breeze has though, it looks to be very airy and tropical.

 

You should definitely give MSC a try! I don't know how stringent your dates or available funds are, but they have some under $500 cruises before taxes on the brand new Seaside, and some under $900 11 nights on the Divina for this winter. The prices are also very similar for the 2018/2019 season if you can't cruise with such short notice. I would definitely look into giving MSC a chance sometime soon!

 

Currently I have cruises book through March 2019.

[OceansOfTravels]

Currently I have cruises book through March 2019.

 

You're an avid cruiser I see! I jsut ran a quick search, and most MSC Cruises from Miami on Seaside from April 2019-June 2019 are about $649-$699 before taxes, with some being $599. Not as stellar prices, but still cheaper than any new ship in the industry. I would hold out until the 2019/2020 schedule, because then you'll have three ships (Seaside, Divina, and Meraviglia) to choose from.

 

You also have flights from California to consider, which I just remembered after seeing your location. That definitely makes it a little harder, many of us on the East Coast can flight to Florida within 2.5 hours, so cruises from Miami are much easier for us. However, the same is likely for you for LA and San Diego cruises.

[Basco05]

What type of underwater camera did you use? Your pictures are wonderful.

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

You're an avid cruiser I see! I jsut ran a quick search, and most MSC Cruises from Miami on Seaside from April 2019-June 2019 are about $649-$699 before taxes, with some being $599. Not as stellar prices, but still cheaper than any new ship in the industry. I would hold out until the 2019/2020 schedule, because then you'll have three ships (Seaside, Divina, and Meraviglia) to choose from.

 

You also have flights from California to consider, which I just remembered after seeing your location. That definitely makes it a little harder, many of us on the East Coast can flight to Florida within 2.5 hours, so cruises from Miami are much easier for us. However, the same is likely for you for LA and San Diego cruises.

 

I can make it from Vanderberg AFB to Port Canaveral in 30 to 75 minutes, however, neither the Space Shuttle nor the SR-71 is flying at the moment. :(

[julie3fan]

I can make it from Vanderberg AFB to Port Canaveral in 30 to 75 minutes, however, neither the Space Shuttle nor the SR-71 is flying at the moment. :(

But the drive to Vanderberg adds time, right?

[Cuizer2]

What type of underwater camera did you use? Your pictures are wonderful.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

What type of camera? It is an underwater underwater camera.

 

Did you perhaps mean what brand and model? It is a Pentex Optio WG-II. Below is a link ...

 

https://www.cnet.com/products/pentax-optio-wg-2/review/

 

I bought mine at Target in March 2013 for $155.31. The date on the above review (click on the link above) was written a year earlier.

[Cuizer2]

But the drive to Vanderberg adds time, right?

 

True, but I was responding to someone who was only referring to flying time.

[Seacreature101]

Most all of the above said and then some more.

 

Thanks so much. Very well written and kept me interested all the way not to mention the photos/videos.

 

Just great. :cool:

[Basco05]

What type of camera? It is an underwater underwater camera.

 

 

 

Did you perhaps mean what brand and model? It is a Pentex Optio WG-II. Below is a link ...

 

 

 

https://www.cnet.com/products/pentax-optio-wg-2/review/

 

 

 

I bought mine at Target in March 2013 for $155.31. The date on the above review (click on the link above) was written a year earlier.

 

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Cuizer2]

Most all of the above said and then some more.

 

Thanks so much. Very well written and kept me interested all the way not to mention the photos/videos.

 

Just great. :cool:

 

Okay, you don't have to mention the photos/videos. :D