Live from the Sky Christmas/New Yrs

[dkitty]

34 minutes ago, h-sar said:

 
See above 🙂

Thank you so very much !  I’ll be on the SKY in January -I can’t wait!!!   I’m really going to miss Crooners!  Enjoy the rest of your cruise and thanks again for taking the time to post so much great info😎

[h-sar]

Have to say the chat option on the app has been working pretty well. Unfortunately, there are still no alerts that you have a new message unless you go in and check. I did notice that if I am logged into my Wi-Fi on board, that the messages pop up on my phone screen. As a result, the chat works best between those who check their messages regularly. Some in our party do, some do not.
 

What I have found really effective is the use of the shipmates section on the app which allows you to track where people in your party are. Of course, they have to have accepted your request to be a shipmate and then be willing to allow you to track them. I know that a lot of people will say, the ship is not that big, I’ll eventually find my family members on my own. However, it is so much easier to click a couple of times and discover that your daughter is in her cabin or in the pastry shop at the buffet and head straight there, rather than wondering aimlessly for a while. Once you click someone’s name to locate them, and it comes up with a location, make sure you click the name again at the bottom when their location shows up, as sometimes the original location is not the correct one. If you tap the second time, it will be correct.
 

The accuracy of the location is actually very, very good. Not only will you see that your family member is in the buffet, it will show you almost exactly where in the buffet they are. If other shipmates of yours are with that individual, it will indicate a number and if you press on that number, it will tell you their names as well. Great for finding out if your mate made it back to the ship in time from the port or if they’re already in the Princess Theatre while you are trying to save them a seat etc. etc.

Edited December 26, 2019 by h-sar

[h-sar]

Not sure if I’ve already mentioned this, but three days ago, we went to Jack Calico’s at Public beach on 7 Mile Beach using the public bus.Cost was 2.50 per person each way and we had to walk about a block and a half before catching the bus and the bus stop would’ve been another block and a half from the beach. However on the way back, in the parking lot behind the bar, a taxi driver offered to take us back for the public bus rate rather than his usual six dollars per person rate. There were nine of us, so there was incentive for him to give us a lower rate.
 

Love, love 7 mile Beach. The sun is so soft and the water is so blue. All three families rented Sea-Doos for the kids. My husband was able to negotiate a rate of $45 for each of the seadoos for half an hour each. The kids were able to take turns on them. 
 

The 2.50 rate is only available on a public bus, not a van that says public transportation or public taxi, etc. It must have the two words ‘public bus’ in the window. We did send the grandparents ahead in a regular cab. The rest of us walked in smaller groups along the road heading to the beach and within about three minutes, spotted the public bus, and waved it down. I believe it is 2 Cayman dollars if that is what you are using. Or 2.50 US. 
 

 

[h-sar]

Please ignore this post. Gremlins 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by h-sar

[masterty]

17 hours ago, dkitty said:

Thanks for all the information and pics!  Any bar menus would be appreciated- thanks!

Here is the menu from the PES lounge. 

[h-sar]

3 hours ago, masterty said:

Here is the menu from the PES lounge. 

👍🏼

 

did you get a menu for the nightly snacks in the platinum/elite lounge at the beginning of the cruise? We typically do, but did not on this cruise. Which means I probably missed bruschetta night, the only one I attend ☹️

[jeanandjim]

53 minutes ago, h-sar said:

did you get a menu for the nightly snacks in the platinum/elite lounge at the beginning of the cruise? 

A Room Steward lapse, asking him/her for a copy always works for us.

Jim😎

[h-sar]

Calico’s at 7 Mile Beach 

 

[MJSailors]

     Thank you,h-sar for the balcony photos. The space looks rather small to me compared to the Caribe deck balconies on the Grand Class ships.We have been spoiled by those balconies !

I was hoping with the new ship, somehow the design would include a bit of enlargement of the balconies.

     However, not a big problem. We are fortunate to be able to plan a cruise !

Enjoy the rest of your holiday time !

[MJSailors]

Thank you, 5:00 _Somewhere for the Deluxe Balcony suggestions.

I am thinking about calling  Princess to check if we can change our DB cabin on Caribe deck to one of those on Dolphin deck.

Happy New Year !

[hllwdcruiser]

@h-sar Thank you so much for your offer to explore. If you have the time and you just happen to be on the Sun deck...near the retreat pool...could you check out cabin S202? I'm curious as to whether it is directly under the open deck above or more under the Sanctuary. I'm not sure if you can tell by just eying it - I've been looking at all the photos of the ship as well as the deck plans and it is difficult to tell. 

 

It's the first time we are staying in a cabin without having cabins directly above us and I am hoping we are not woken at the crack of dawn by deck chairs being dragged around whilst the crew clean the decks. On the plus side, I'm hoping for fair night time skies - we'll be so close to those top decks for the hot tubs and star gazing!

 

Thanks again for this fabulous review and all the photos.

[Pedro's Girl]

Thanks, all, for posting your current experiences on Sky.  We are Platinum folks -- sailing in a few weeks.

 

Could anyone confirm what the current arrangement is regarding Sanctuary reservations?  Must they still be purchased immediately (run don't walk) upon boarding?  Any sense of whether the full week is sold out immediately (our last experience) -- or whether half-days are actually available?

 

Thanks for any feedback.

 

Pedro's Girl

[kywildcatfanone]

You book when onboarding.  Mad rush by elites up there on embarkation day.

 

They need to let you book more items online, this is one of them, just to prevent the stampede. 

[Pedro's Girl]

Thank you.  Always hoping that Princess will find a more civilized way to manage this.  But alas...

[stjohncruisers]

9 hours ago, masterty said:

Here is the menu from the PES lounge. 

 

[stjohncruisers]

We will be on the Sky Princess in February. We just became Platinum level. Can you please tell us where the Platinum lounge is located on the Sky? Thanks.

[h-sar]

Belize three days ago was a pretty exciting day for the kids. All 7 of them (11-22 yo) and a couple of the dads went on a private snorkelling excursion to Goff’s Caye. It was about $40 pp and lasted around 4 hrs. They had a great time snorkelling off Goff’s Caye, what they said was the tiniest island they’d ever seen. I don’t swim, so didn’t go, but wish I had when my BIL described it as “Gilligan’s Island.” Remember, I said I was a child of the 70’s? Yup, think I learned most of my English as a 6 yo watching the show every day after school in the early 70’s. Being on a pretty, little, isolated island has always a dream. 
 

They were able to order food from a couple of huts (didn’t ask if there was banana cream pie 😉) and my kids said their bbq’d lobster with rice, coleslaw, chicken, and two alc or non alc drinks was incredible. And all for $12!!!!!! There were bathroom facilities on the island. 

[h-sar]

21 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

@h-sar Thank you so much for your offer to explore. If you have the time and you just happen to be on the Sun deck...near the retreat pool...could you check out cabin S202? I'm curious as to whether it is directly under the open deck above or more under the Sanctuary. I'm not sure if you can tell by just eying it - I've been looking at all the photos

Hello, I was out for an early morning stroll and figured this was the best time to check it out. The first picture shows you your cabin in the far left corner, the one that has the iPad showing. It has a wall behind it that juts out. The second last pic kind of shows the area above you. And I added a few more pics of the Retreat area. Two hot tubs on upper level. 
 

As for noise, the sky is one of the most soundproof ships I have been on. Inside my room, I’ve yet to hear one door slam, one person running down the hall, the laundry room which is right across, or loud voices. Could be, we just got lucky and have the quietest deck on the sky, but also remember that we have a connecting door to the cabin next door and I have not heard a word from them. I do know they exist LOL.
 

I checked out the area of the sanctuary just above you and I really don’t think you will have any noise problem.  it is sort of the first area one goes into on the left side, but I do not think that it is a doorway meant for passengers, but rather for crew. There are some regular deck loungers stored up there, but when I saw a crewmember this morning picking them up and putting them on his cart at around 7:40, I could not hear any noise, and I was standing a few feet away from him.

 

Enjoy your cabin! 

[Colo Cruiser]

19 hours ago, MJSailors said:

     Thank you,h-sar for the balcony photos. The space looks rather small to me compared to the Caribe deck balconies on the Grand Class ships.We have been spoiled by those balconies !

I was hoping with the new ship, somehow the design would include a bit of enlargement of the balconies.

     However, not a big problem. We are fortunate to be able to plan a cruise !

Enjoy the rest of your holiday time !

Exactly the opposite.

IMO........an attempt to make the passenger leave their cabins

[h-sar]

Saw the Celebrity Edge in Cozumel yesterday. Wow!!!! Absolutely stunning. Third pic. 
 

We had a deck party last night from about 9:30-10:45 ish. Entertainment crew did a great job getting everybody pumped up on deck. Lots of flashing necklaces given out to be worn. The band Static was high energy as always. Don’t think I have ever seen a cruise band give more of their physical selves as this one. 
 

As we were late in Cozumel last night, 10 PM, was able to get a night shot of one of the other ships in Port with us. I think we were seven all tolled yesterday, but the beach we went to was not overly crowded, so I was grateful for that.

 

random Belize shot 🙂

 

you can see the loungers reserved at 7:25 this past sea day morning 

Edited December 27, 2019 by h-sar

[Colo Cruiser]

Was that a chair saving event at 6:00am?   lol

[h-sar]

3 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Was that a chair saving event at 6:00am?   lol

I edited the post to say chair saving at 7:20 LOL.Mind you, it probably did start at 6!

[kywildcatfanone]

They are still painting the logos on the ship.  And not using a level either or spacer, lol.

 

[Wonder18]

Those cabanas in your photos on page 5 are they for rent or first come first serve.

thanks

[h-sar]

Enjoying the Enclave once again all by me, myself, and I. Definitely does get busier in the day, but I like my quiet time now. Also allows me to shower in the humungous enclave showers in the change room. I have yet to use our shower in our cabin this week.
 

Between that, and my husband leaving our room early in the morning to go work out, use the enclave, shower down there etc., it really frees up the room for our two kids in the mornings. This is the first cruise that we have been four to the cabin since they were in their early teens. However, the flights this year from Edmonton were so high, even though I booked 11 months out, and the pricing for two interiors would have put me at over $15,000 CDN for the two weeks versus the 11,500 for our deluxe balcony for the two weeks. Was already way over budget, so couldn’t justify another 4K. 
 

I’m hoping, for next year, that the Sky is a little bit more reasonable and we can go back to two cabins. However, as a family, we spend so little time in our cabin, that it has not been the issue that we all thought it was going to be. My kids were not looking forward to it, but they see that DH and I are rarely in there.

 

Here are a few pictures of the Enclave at 8:00 am today.