Live from the Sky Christmas/New Yrs

[h-sar]

11 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

I especially like that you included the Christmas decoration photos—very lovely, thank you.

 

We board 12/28 and I hope maybe they will keep just a little bit of them as they add the New Year’s decor.

 

Hope we’ll get to meet your second week at the 12/30 Meet & Greet!!

 

 

Looking forward to seeing you next week! 

11 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by h-sar

[Island wannabe]

1 hour ago, h-sar said:

FYI: Embarkation day only elite/platinum discount for two full weeks of unlimited Internet for one device was $89. Great deal.

That is an amazing deal.. I was just this minute talking to DH about him getting unlimited onboard while I stick to my 250 minutes. We board for 2 weeks same day you disembark and love reading  your live reports.

[masterty]

Checking in as well. Here for 14 days 12/21-1/04. MDR remains slow. Growing pains I assume as any other Princess trip we have been on had been very efficient. Ate at the CG last night and since we didnt have any Pub lunch on the first sea day I asked and was told no Pub lunch the trip. Said "we are really busy this trip". So whatever that means. CG dinner was great. Second formal moved to the Christmas day vs the second sea day. Looking forward to that night as it is the only formal of 4 formals we are attending in the MDR. Missed Rock Opera the first night and the comedian last night. Tonight is my first time the the Princess theater. Noticed folding arms on some aisle seats. Neet addition as I am a plus size cruiser and appriciate the ability to flip it up and sit more comfortably. Not heard anything about the escape room that is supposed to be here somewhere. I did sign up for the UST so maybe I can learn more then. 

[mthomp5]

Bon voyage and Happy Holidays!  Following along!

[milolii]

Thanks for the pictures  and the information.  Have a great cruise all of you. 

[cbmiamiensis]

Very interested to know the food quality and elevator situation. Reviews on TripAdvisor are mediocre at best.

I,m into food and wine but traveling with some family in scooters 

[h-sar]

Medallion has been working fine for the most part. DD ordered a bathrobe for the cabin via the app and she received it in ten minutes. Haven’t yet used it for ordering soft drinks. DS has the soda and more card ($80 per week) and has been using it quite a bit for soft drinks and mocktails, but just goes straight to the bar. No freestyle machines anywhere in sight 🤔. Weird that something advertised in the Princess website as something coming up would not then show up on the next new build. My medallion unlocks my cabin door about 80% of the time, and the other 20, I have to put my purse up right to the pad. Minor thing. Bathrobe that came was incredibly soft,  not the waffle like thing on Regal last year.
 

Had the best MDR experience of all three nights tonight. Very quick, many people chose not to eat there tonight, and the wait staff has come to know us. As a result, soft drinks (which can arrive AFTER one has finished the meal and started dessert 😆) appeared on the table as we were seated, double the number of nojitos appeared on the table as we typically ordered, young nephew had his food out before anyone else and was able to hightail it out for the kids club while we were still having our soups. All in all, a great Italian night dinner. The steak in a Chianti sauce was delicious, as was the penne arrabbiata which had been prepared in the MDR by the head waiter. Wonderful kick. The tiramisu and lemon cheesecake were exceptional. Now that the wait staff know our likes, it’s been far quicker and smoother. 
 

Some of us went to the karaoke in Princess Live, henceforth to be referred to as PL 👍🏼. Much prefer the changes to PL on the Sky over the Regal. The previous was far too formalized a venue and seemed a bit stiff. This is a perfect place for any number of diverse activities. However, a roaming waiter would add some revenue (haven’t seen one in there at all during events). Prior to karaoke (10:30), we saw a game show in PL between different generations (with people on the audience on different teams shouting out answers or doing certain tasks). Seemed like fun. DD wanted to do the star gazing tonight and had brought her special binoculars, but it was cancelled due to cloudy conditions.

 

Once again, the online late seating in the MDR, advertised as 7:15, was actually 7:45. Not a big deal for us. Note: do not show up for your seating until the exact time. Doors are not opened a minute beforehand and there’s a huge crowd at the doors.

 

They had the Chef’s Table tonight in Cielo, close to our table. We did it last year and I’d love to experience it again. Will probably wait until next year, though. 

[h-sar]

Now, this next post might cause me to lose some American friends. I’m hoping you’ll forgive my non football loving self. If it makes you feel better, I dislike the CFL just as much 😅😅😬. 
 

Why is there so much US football on MUTS?! Three straight days in a row. I can understand if it’s the Super Bowl, but pretty sure that ain’t happenin’ right now. I know I’m wading into one of the three things most dear to American hearts. (When I get to know you better, I’ll reveal what I think the other two are.😁.) I’ve never seen such a lack of movies on MUTS as in the last three days. Hope that changes soon. Yes, I know Sky Princess sails out of the US at this time of year, but not everyone on-board is American, and there might even be a few Americans on board who secretly don’t like football. How about moving those viewings into the Vista or a bar? If it was the Stanley Cup final, I wouldn’t even ask for that to be shown on MUTS (yikes, do I have to give up my Canadian passport for that statement?)

 

OK, minor vent over. Just bring on the 1000th showing of Mammamia (parts 1&2), please, Princess.

[h-sar]

Is anyone still there after that last incendiary post? Anyone? Anyone? Ferris? 
 

Ship is rocking a little bit tonight. 
 

The Sky cabins are the most sound proof I’ve very stayed in. We have a connecting door to the next cabin and have yet to hear a peep. I’d been worried when I found out about the door, but the cruise was sold out and I couldn’t change. Not a sound from doors slamming down the hall, kids running, or stewards vacuuming etc. 
 

Love, love the USB ports in both lamps! Welcome to 2019, Princess! 
 

We have a deluxe balcony; not much has really changed in the configuration of the room from the Regal. Always been a good use of space.

 

Laundromat is directly across the hall. Extremely convenient and not a sound coming from it to the cabin. 

[h-sar]

4 hours ago, masterty said:

Checking in as well. Here for 14 days 12/21-1/04. MDR remains slow. Growing pains I assume as any other Princess trip we have been on had been very efficient. Ate at the CG last night and since we didnt have any Pub lunch on the first sea day I asked and was told no Pub lunch the trip. Said "we are really busy this trip". So whatever that means. CG dinner was great. Second formal moved to the Christmas day vs the second sea day. Looking forward to that night as it is the only formal of 4 formals we are attending in the MDR. Missed Rock Opera the first night and the comedian last night. Tonight is my first time the the Princess theater. Noticed folding arms on some aisle seats. Neet addition as I am a plus size cruiser and appriciate the ability to flip it up and sit more comfortably. Not heard anything about the escape room that is supposed to be here somewhere. I did sign up for the UST so maybe I can learn more then. 

Great to have you along on this thread! Would love more of your insights along the way. 👍🏼

[Daddysbaby]

14 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

We just returned from the Western cruise on the Sky...there were no issues in Cozumel (did Mr. Sancho's) or Roatan (did a snorkel on Jolly Roger's) with the seaweed...we did not stop at Belize...but Costa Maya was horrible.  The beach we visited (Maya Chan Beach Resort) was covered in the Sargassum grass...made it difficult to even get to the water. 

 

Thank you so much for your observation.  We have just booked a resort in Cozumel - Nachi Cocom.  Mr. Sancho's was booked up.

Sheila

[Daddysbaby]

7 hours ago, h-sar said:

We should definitely meet up next week! 
Will check out the other beaches for any issues.

$97 for 100 ml of the Miracle on board.

Thank you for taking time out of your cruise to check out the price for me.  I will compare the price at the airport.  See you soon!

Sheila

[h-sar]

Salmon from everyday menu. Pretty good, but more of the yummy sauce was needed. 
 

Norman Love’s hazelnut dessert. Pic does not come close to doing it justice. 

 

Our waiter brought the gourmandise (sp?) out and we were too stuffed from our main desserts to do them justice. So pretty. 

 

Chicken tacos from Salty Dog. Two per order. (We all shared two orders). Chilies packed a big punch - maybe one could ask them to not be added? ( I wouldn’t)

 

The penne arrabiata made in the MDR. So very, very delicious. We all had it as a starter. 

 

Chilled peach Bellini soup. I thought it was really good. Others said mushy; tastes like peach apple sauce (pretty good description!); baby food!

 

Yummy steak in Chianti sauce. Asked for med well, got well. Next time, will ask for med. 

 

OMG as the kids would say. Lemon cheesecake with lemon curd. I could have this every meal. New to me Princess dessert.

 

Tiramisu. Absolutely exquisite presentation and those who had it said it tasted the same. 

 

Crunchy profiterole with gelato. DH said it was very good. 

 

Been on Carnival (one and done!!), RCL, Princess, and HA. No one does food presentation better than Princess. Have very much enjoyed the taste of each dish as well, except for the beef ribs the first night - fatty and a bit dry.

Edited December 24, 2019 by h-sar

[Coral]

Thanks for the food pics!

[AF-1]

So football should be over and now you can watch movies.  The pics of all the desserts look great.  Merry Christmas

[kywildcatfanone]

No Christmas movie on MUTS today.

[h-sar]

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

So football should be over and now you can watch movies.  The pics of all the desserts look great.  Merry Christmas

Woohoo! Thanks for update 😄

[voljeep]

Just now, h-sar said:

Woohoo! Thanks for update 😄

not so fast my friend … college bowl season just getting started ,,, and Pro football has one more week of regular season, I think, then the playoffs begin after that … 

 

but yeah ...

[AF-1]

voljeep I meant the pro football was over for the week.  Sun/Mon games;  yes the college bowl games start Christmas Day, 26, 29, 31st.  Pro football game on Sunday 29th.  So there we have it.  Sorry for any confusion.

[h-sar]

Here are the ribs that were just ok the first night - along with the second plate of ratatouille and the cheese/leek flan, both of which were good. 

[hllwdcruiser]

7 hours ago, Daddysbaby said:

 

Thank you so much for your observation.  We have just booked a resort in Cozumel - Nachi Cocom.  Mr. Sancho's was booked up.

Sheila

 

We went here last year with a group of friends and had an amazing time. One word of caution though, I paid with a credit card I never use - only used it once and it was there - and soon after my card was compromised several times. In the future I would bring cash to pay the balance. I googled it and apparently my experience is not that unusual.

 

7 hours ago, Daddysbaby said:

Thank you for taking time out of your cruise to check out the price for me.  I will compare the price at the airport.  See you soon!

Sheila

 

If you happen to be in Fort Lauderdale before or after your cruise, Sawgrass Mills has a Lancôme Outlet called Luxury Beauty Store (It isn't listed as "Lancôme" as the prices are always discounted and the Dept stores don't like that). It actually carries most of L'Oreal's Luxury cosmetics and fragrances. (Lancôme is a L'Oréal product in case you didn't know). Their prices are usually 15-20% off of retail not including additional special sales and promotions. 

[hllwdcruiser]

3 hours ago, h-sar said:

 

Been on Carnival (one and done!!), RCL, Princess, and HA. No one does food presentation better than Princess. Have very much enjoyed the taste of each dish as well, except for the beef ribs the first night - fatty and a bit dry.

 

Thank you for posting the foodie pics - it all looks amazing. 

 

We were on the Regal for the 3rd time last year and thought that the food in the MDR and the Buffet was some of best we've had on Princess. How do you think the Sky compares? There have been some pretty negative reviews about the food on this site.

[h-sar]

I’ve been on the Regal 5 times and always found the food great. I’d have to say that everything I’ve had on Sky matches or beats. Definitely, the MDR desserts are far superior on Sky or maybe they’re just new offerings available on all the ships. We’re not a plain meat and potatoes type family so I think we’ve all got pretty discerning palates. With Indian backgrounds, we know our spices and appreciate different flavours and cuisines from all over the world. 
 

The whitefish offerings in the MDR have been fantastic by the way.

[h-sar]

Oops for post 45

 

also included is a picture of the ever present crème brûlée which is often my go to if I cannot find something else.

[h-sar]

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

voljeep I meant the pro football was over for the week.  Sun/Mon games;  yes the college bowl games start Christmas Day, 26, 29, 31st.  Pro football game on Sunday 29th.  So there we have it.  Sorry for any confusion.

I’ll take any football free MUTS day I can get 👌🏽👌🏽😀