Live 7N Discovery Princess Picture Review April 10, 2022

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Here’s a picture of the overhang M414 is directly underneath the middle of 

[Astro Flyer]

5 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Good idea.  But even turning on the closet light during the day, or to dress, turns on a very annoying overhead light in the main area. Not well thought out.

I have never heard of anyone who wants the bed’s light on when lighting up the closet area which I have expressed to Princess numerous times since they first did it (Royal?). Yet they continue to make the same mistake on each new build…disappointing.

 

 

[Astro Flyer]

45 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Here’s a picture of the overhang M414 is directly underneath the middle of 

This was my view from E409 on Discovery when looking up & down but thankfully the overhang from above blocked the blue light with only a soft glow showing at the bottom of the cabin’s blackout drapes.

 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Astro Flyer

[HaveDogWillTravel]

A follow up to the parking post I made earlier. We went to the exit and our card didn’t scan the lever open. The attendant remembered me ( plus I had my receipt showing we paid). She said the card didn’t activate and not to worry. She let us out. She said in September I just do exactly what I did this trip but I don’t pay for the card again. I do not phone in. You only phone in by the first of every month if you want continuous monthly parking. 

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

I was also on this cruise. Boarded with an optimistic open mind, but left underwhelmed & somewhat disappointed. Been sailing Princess over 30 years & this April 10 cruise was my least enjoyable. This was my first time on a Royal class ship. I preferred the layout & outer decks on Crown class much better. Scratching my head as to why Princess would build a ship without a floor to ceiling observation lounge & a fully encircling promenade deck. There is almost zero connection to the sea from interior spaces. Much of the interior spaces are decorated beautifully but most of the lounges seem too small for the number of passengers. Virtually no quiet off the beaten path areas on this ship as there seemed to be lots of people everywhere all the time. Loved the blues used in Princess Live, Vista Lounge, Crown Grill Bar, but all that excessive use of brown, taupe, & silver isn't a color scheme I associate with cruise ships. The corridor, stairwell  & cabin decor look like something from the discount bin at Bed, Bath & Beyond. 

 

I was particularly disappointed with the pool situation. The aft & adults only pools were way to small & shallow. Their adjacent deck area's were uninviting, lacking all the charm & atmosphere of Crown class ships. The two wonderfully deep & beautifully tiled main pools were absolutely stunning to look at but the constant MUTS & pumping pop music played at obnoxious decibels ruined any enjoyment & relaxation. I understand that Princess is very proud of MUTS, but this is overkill. 

 

The food & service in the MDR's was delightful. I enjoyed the menu variety & presentation but bar & lounge service was hit & miss, particularly in the Piazza. It seemed like they expected you to order drinks through the app. Often a lounge server would pass me by, not offering or asking if I wanted a drink. I'd often have to flag someone down. The drink would often be delivered by another server. Then that would be it, no one checking back for refills, ect. 

 

This cruise felt very anonymous & impersonal. Princess definitely has a very corporate chain hotel feel now.

 

 

 

 

[CulverCityCruisers]

We leave on Sunday for the 5 day to Cabo on her and are very excited as we got a buy up offer from inside to balcony and for $108 for the whole trip took it !!

 

Anyone have what the passenger count was on the April 10th sailing?  I would think high due to Easter break

[HaveDogWillTravel]

This what I was told by a manager 

April 10,    3200

April 17,     2800 

‘April 22.   3400. 
 

of course the last 2 numbers may be different after boarding actually occurs. They are usually within a couple of hundred though. 

[JF - retired RRT]

18 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

This what I was told by a manager 

April 10,    3200

April 17,     2800 

April 22,   3400. 
 

of course the last 2 numbers may be different after boarding actually occurs. They are usually within a couple of hundred though. 

April 24??

[crtwms]

On 4/11/2022 at 4:04 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

We got to the sanctuary by 11:30 and we were at the front of the line by 12:15. It took only a few minutes to secure a cabana for 5 of the 6 days we wanted and then it was down to Gigis for lunch. 

We're sailing 10/29 Discovery S6Penthouse Suite. First trip, so we're not Elite. We really want to reserve a cabana for the entire trip but are worried about availability. If we're suite guest with priority boarding and go straight to The Sanctuary upon boarding, what are our chances of being able to reserve? I believe Elite and Platinum guests board before suite, is that correct?  Thanks! 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

3 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

April 24??

I got my lengths of sailings mixed up. Thanks for correcting.  Those are what I was told for the next two sailings. 

[JF - retired RRT]

2 hours ago, crtwms said:

We're sailing 10/29 Discovery S6Penthouse Suite. First trip, so we're not Elite. We really want to reserve a cabana for the entire trip but are worried about availability. If we're suite guest with priority boarding and go straight to The Sanctuary upon boarding, what are our chances of being able to reserve? I believe Elite and Platinum guests board before suite, is that correct?  Thanks! 

Elite & Suite usually (pre-covid & Medallion fiasco) would board first, then Platinum, then eveyone else...also any in-transit, weddings & handicap go before anyone else. Since you're in a Suite, just show up as early as possible. There have been reports that they've been "singled out" by ship personnel & escorted to the front of the line. YMMV

As far as the cabanas in the Sanctuary...they're expensive, so your odds are pretty good on being able to snag one.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

2 hours ago, crtwms said:

We're sailing 10/29 Discovery S6Penthouse Suite. First trip, so we're not Elite. We really want to reserve a cabana for the entire trip but are worried about availability. If we're suite guest with priority boarding and go straight to The Sanctuary upon boarding, what are our chances of being able to reserve? I believe Elite and Platinum guests board before suite, is that correct?  Thanks! 

Suites board with elites. I was in that first boarding group. Dropped my luggage on Marina and went straight up. No they will not cherry pick the suites out of the line and bump others who’ve been waiting. And if they did you should refuse!  I believe in fair play and suites do not get special consideration at the sanctuary (9 out of every 10 sailings I am in a full suite).  In my opinion people without full suites should get special attention as they do not have the nice balcony with padded loungers, mini bar and MDR room service full suites do. 
 

Expensive or not I snagged the last availability for the cabanas.  The sanctuary was sold out entirely every sea day and almost every port day too.  We ended up with 9 mini bars. We asked our room steward what soft drink he liked and he said ginger ale. We gave him 64 cans of ginger ale, 16 each full day in the cabana.  We kept 8 cans of soft drinks for our room. 
 

That said I was annoyed that people didn’t show up or cancelled.   Mark was really good about calling in advance and reminding people about their reservations and he kept a wait list. But I know of at least one group who booked cabana 4 for the whole day on our last sea day, showed up in the morning and left quickly because it was a bit cold and windy. They said they’d be back in the afternoon but never showed up. I know because their cabana was the least windy with the best view but Mark could not let us move into it. We wove towels through the side walls and that made our cabana #2 really nice!  So it was all good. I didn’t ask but in my (pretty extensive) sanctuary experiences when people fail to show up they don’t get charged. I wish they would as then they’d cancel allowing Mark to fill their spot. 
 

This was our sanctuary team.  They certainly took exceptional care of us. During the quieter times (early morning & between 4:30 and 5:30) we loved talking with the crew about their home country, families, significant others, what they did before Princess and so on. 

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Suites board with elites. I was in that first boarding group. Dropped my luggage on Marina and went straight up. No they will not cherry pick the suites out of the line and bump others who’ve been waiting. And if they did you should refuse!  I believe in fair play and suites do not get special consideration at the sanctuary (9 out of every 10 sailings I am in a full suite).  In my opinion people without full suites should get special attention as they do not have the nice balcony with padded loungers, mini bar and MDR room service full suites do. 
 

Expensive or not I snagged the last availability for the cabanas.  The sanctuary was sold out entirely every sea day and almost every port day too.  We ended up with 9 mini bars. We asked our room steward what soft drink he liked and he said ginger ale. We gave him 64 cans of ginger ale, 16 each full day in the cabana.  We kept 8 cans of soft drinks for our room. 
 

That said I was annoyed that people didn’t show up or cancelled.   Mark was really good about calling in advance and reminding people about their reservations and he kept a wait list. But I know of at least one group who booked cabana 4 for the whole day on our last sea day, showed up in the morning and left quickly because it was a bit cold and windy. They said they’d be back in the afternoon but never showed up. I know because their cabana was the least windy with the best view but Mark could not let us move into it. We wove towels through the side walls and that made our cabana #2 really nice!  So it was all good. I didn’t ask but in my (pretty extensive) sanctuary experiences when people fail to show up they don’t get charged. I wish they would as then they’d cancel allowing Mark to fill their spot. 
 

This was our sanctuary team.  They certainly took exceptional care of us. During the quieter times (early morning & between 4:30 and 5:30) we loved talking with the crew about their home country, families, significant others, what they did before Princess and so on. 

I thought all staff were still masking per Princess not so ?

[latebloomer56]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:42 AM, crusinthrough said:

I have a backpack and carry on as well.  I really over packed.. lol

Add some things to Moms bag if she has the weight below required.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

3 minutes ago, memoak said:

I thought all staff were still masking per Princess not so ?

Yes we were outside and there were two who asked if we were okay with an unmasked picture. It took 15 seconds. Since the restart I’ve had officers and multiple supervisors who have also had their photo taken with us with their mask removed.  

[crtwms]

@HaveDogWillTravel Cute pictures!  Thank you for sharing.  How are the cabana's numbered?  Is it 1-6 starting with 1 nearest to the entrance?  (4 being in front of the Hot Tub?) Also, are the two lounge chairs either side of the cabana entrance included?  Sorry for all the questions 😬 Appreciate all your insights. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, crtwms said:

@HaveDogWillTravel Cute pictures!  Thank you for sharing.  How are the cabana's numbered?  Is it 1-6 starting with 1 nearest to the entrance?  (4 being in front of the Hot Tub?) Also, are the two lounge chairs either side of the cabana entrance included?  Sorry for all the questions 😬 Appreciate all your insights. 

No worries. Yes When you walk in the door the first cabana is #1. # 2 and 3 are facing the same way unobstructed starboard. When you turn the corner to be facing the bow there’s #4, 5 and 6.  #4 and 6 have very good views but 5 is completely obstructed by the hot tub. However those three will have somewhat deeper shade.  I thought 1-3 had very good shade. Mark told us # 7 facing forward but pushed back on the port side can have reduced shade as it is not under the sail cloths. I looked at it everyday and thought I could have tucked in and been reasonably shaded if I had to take that one. 

You will be given the chance to walk around and choose what you want from what is available. 
 

yes the 2 loungers are included but you are not allowed guests.  When you sign up you can reserve extra loungers for up to 2 more people at $40 per day per person.  I suppose friends could just rent their own loungers and then sit with you. I don’t know how adding them to your cabana changes the mini bar set up or the free cocktails (1 per person per session) if at all. The sanctuary is capacity controlled so if that upper limit is reached you run the risk that you won’t be allowed to add them later 

 

and if I were a hot tub person that is the only one I’d use. The hot tubs on the sun deck outside the sanctuary had so many people jammed in them. I counted 7 one day.  There were big blobs of soap bubbles floating in the tub and flying through the air daily. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[abbydancer2003]

On 4/17/2022 at 4:57 PM, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Scratching my head as to why Princess would build a ship without a floor to ceiling observation lounge & a fully encircling promenade deck. There is almost zero connection to the sea from interior spaces. 

 

 

 

The food & service in the MDR's was delightful. I enjoyed the menu variety & presentation but bar & lounge service was hit & miss, particularly in the Piazza. It seemed like they expected you to order drinks through the app. Often a lounge server would pass me by, not offering or asking if I wanted a drink. I'd often have to flag someone down. The drink would often be delivered by another server. Then that would be it, no one checking back for refills, ect. 

 

 

 

 

Very fair review, as you explained things.  I have two comments.

1.  It will be very rare going forward that there will be open fully encircling Promenade decks.  Thank the Costa Concordia for that.  I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) after that, the lifeboats have to be available without being lowered, ie from the deck.  Thank you, captain Schettino.

 

I tend to agree with you on food and beverage.  We were in Club class and the dining room staff was amazing.  The section manager made sure things ran smoothly and helped out.  I aslo noticed serving teams helping each other.  

 

Getting a drink at Good Spirits/International cafe was hit or miss.  Sometimes we got service fast, some times I thought I should have packed a flare gun.  Once I waited 40 minutes after ordering for a latte. Accuracy wasn't 100%.  DH ordered ginger ale and got tonic water (told them to add some bitters and he was good to go).  One friend got her order 3 times.  I got one twice.

 

Ordering through the app was hit and miss.  DH ordered tea once from the retreat pool.  Never got it.  Next thing was a latte and he got that. 

[ozziebound]

On 4/13/2022 at 5:02 PM, ozziebound said:

Hi there! We're  on this ship for four nights in early may... 

Can you tell me about the enclave? My wife really wants to go but wondering if it's worth it and also if it seems safe covid wise?

Hey sorry to come back to this but anyone o  or recently on the discovery have any thoughts on the enclave? Is it nice? Worth the money? Worth paying for four days before the sailing starts?

Thanks!

[vinsheer]

6 hours ago, abbydancer said:

 

 

Getting a drink at Good Spirits/International cafe was hit or miss.  Sometimes we got service fast, some times I thought I should have packed a flare gun.  Once I waited 40 minutes after ordering for a latte. Accuracy wasn't 100%.  DH ordered ginger ale and got tonic water (told them to add some bitters and he was good to go).  One friend got her order 3 times.  I got one twice.

 

 

Isn't it possible just to go up to the actual bar and order your drink yourself, or is that not done?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@ozzieboundI never went to enclave. I hope some who did pipes in. 
@vinsheer. I used GS and Crooners only a few times but when I did I usually went up to the bar as we went when it wasn’t crowded. If the bar was crowded I walked up to a server or flagged one down. I didn’t have any trouble but once we did wait a bit in GS. 
We used the retreat bar and occasionally the ones by the mid ship pools but those were usually crowded. 
 

@Myrtle Ave. MayhemI feel you. I kept telling DH I’ve never felt more disconnected from the sea than on this ship. Then I found that aft deck 7 port side corner. However, I finally understood why people on the Royal class complain about exhaust and soot in the aft cabins. 
 

This was my second Royal class sailing and I have one more out if SF to try out a forward club class mini. I don’t plan on booking this class again. Since SF is now the home port for Royal I’ve booked Regatta on Oceania out of LA. Hate the drive. Under 700 pax but still no promenade and incredibly small concierge level balconies.  The PH suites sell out very quickly. But the food is supposed to amazing and it goes to Eureka where I used to live and still have family. I am looking at Viking Ocean as well.  I will also go back to Cunard. 
 

DH & I just decided last night to cancel my birthday cruise on Royal and fly to Maui for w weeks. We will get on some much smaller boats. Lol. 

[abbydancer2003]

5 hours ago, vinsheer said:

Isn't it possible just to go up to the actual bar and order your drink yourself, or is that not done?

Yup you can do that too.  I would have done that if I'd known it would take 40 minutes 🙂

[memoak]

14 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Yup you can do that too.  I would have done that if I'd known it would take 40 minutes 🙂

I would rather hang out at the bar to begin with 

[Nwvp]

On 4/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, ozziebound said:

Hey sorry to come back to this but anyone o  or recently on the discovery have any thoughts on the enclave? Is it nice? Worth the money? Worth paying for four days before the sailing starts?

Thanks!

We did the enclave on the Majestic recently, paid for entire cruise.  Husband really enjoyed it each night, I found it monotonous after third night.  Speciality/scented showers (4 of them) never quite worked right, hit and miss. The two types of stream rooms, hot and hell fire hot were interesting... Kind of a personal test each time to see how long you could survive.  The big jacuzzi with special bubble seats and fountain jets were nice.  Wasn't ever too crowded, but our cruise was at about 60% capacity... Saw the same people almost every night.  All in all, wouldn't pre pay again for every night, but will venture down for one or two nights likely.  Really want to try the upper deck hot tubs under the stars this time.

[CulverCityCruisers]

Do you happen to know where outside smoking is on the promenade, and if port or starboard?  We have a balcony 2 decks above and just thought about that!!