Live from Sky Princess 25 February

[_rusty_shackleford]

1 hour ago, cyndyga said:

Are the specialtycoktails at Good Spirits still under the plus packacke price?? Saw the menu posted but no prices on it. That is my favorite place to go for a pre dinner cocktail the watermelon spicy one 🙂

I would have to think so (at least most) but there are no prices on their physical menus or the QR code menu for me to tell you for sure.

[nini]

1 hour ago, cyndyga said:

Are the specialtycoktails at Good Spirits still under the plus packacke price?? Saw the menu posted but no prices on it. That is my favorite place to go for a pre dinner cocktail the watermelon spicy one 🙂

 

The menus that I have recently seen, indicate that the prices are fine for Princess Plus, and very reasonable. What is not reasonable are the prices for a glass of wine.But, this is true in restaurants as well.

[_rusty_shackleford]

General update time.

To my friend that was looking for ship models, I did not see any in the gift shop.

 

They are doing both Winemaker's and Chef's Table from what I'm told.

 

Onto the news:

We did not dock in Costa Maya today due to high winds and rough seas. This is now 2 cruises in a row for me where we haven't docked so I'm going to take the hint and assume it's my fault. I have no idea what the cruise lines were thinking with this port location. Zero breakwater and full exposure to the Caribbean and all of the winds. The captain told us the Allure of the Seas (Oasis-class are the largest ships in the world for those unaware) attempted to take our berth when we didn't dock and was successful (for about 30 min) and they too were forced to leave. Seas are 8-9ft over open water with winds around 30-40 knots but getting better the further north we go.

 

Apparently the week previous they had a pretty substantial water leak/pipe burst. This might be devastating to the 4 or 5 EFFY fans out there but they had to move all of those events to Deck 7 because of it. They had quite a few blowers going on the carpeted piazza areas, some of which are still roped off. It must have been a doozy.

 

Much better dinner service last night. Having an experienced staff and eating after rush makes a difference. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington were both very good.

[nini]

9 minutes ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

General update time.

To my friend that was looking for ship models, I did not see any in the gift shop.

 

They are doing both Winemaker's and Chef's Table from what I'm told.

 

Onto the news:

We did not dock in Costa Maya today due to high winds and rough seas. This is now 2 cruises in a row for me where we haven't docked so I'm going to take the hint and assume it's my fault. I have no idea what the cruise lines were thinking with this port location. Zero breakwater and full exposure to the Caribbean and all of the winds. The captain told us the Allure of the Seas (Oasis-class are the largest ships in the world for those unaware) attempted to take our berth when we didn't dock and was successful (for about 30 min) and they too were forced to leave. Seas are 8-9ft over open water with winds around 30-40 knots but getting better the further north we go.

 

Apparently the week previous they had a pretty substantial water leak/pipe burst. This might be devastating to the 4 or 5 EFFY fans out there but they had to move all of those events to Deck 7 because of it. They had quite a few blowers going on the carpeted piazza areas, some of which are still roped off. It must have been a doozy.

 

Much better dinner service last night. Having an experienced staff and eating after rush makes a difference. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington were both very good.

 

Thank you for sharing about the Winemaker's Dinner and Chef's Table. Will you be attending either one?

[_rusty_shackleford]

2 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Thank you for sharing about the Winemaker's Dinner and Chef's Table. Will you be attending either one?

No, unfortunately. I have a confession to make: I'm one of those weirdos you hear about that doesn't like cheese. I'll eat mozzarella on pizza but that's about it. I'd hate to take a spot away from someone at a dinner where I know there will be fantastic dishes with cheese that I will not eat. I love the idea of the winemaker's dinner but to me it's not fair to other guests or the chef to expect accommodation for a taste preference like that.

[cyndyga]

How do you sign up for a winemakers dinner? Thanks!

[_rusty_shackleford]

24 minutes ago, cyndyga said:

How do you sign up for a winemakers dinner? Thanks!

I'd say your best bet is to beat feet to the Matre'd as soon as you board but I've heard that CC roll call groups will get one reserved ahead of time in the past if there's interest.

[nini]

4 minutes ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

I'd say your best bet is to beat feet to the Matre'd as soon as you board but I've heard that CC roll call groups will get one reserved ahead of time in the past if there's interest.

 

You can run to your cabin and call the Dine Line and get on the list. They will contact you if there will be one. I do not think that CC groups can reserve ahead. That would be nice if possible.

[talkorpi]

Did y'all get any sort of OBC or any other compensation for missing the port? (aside from a port tax refund of course)

Edited March 2, 2023 by talkorpi

[_rusty_shackleford]

53 minutes ago, talkorpi said:

Did y'all get any sort of OBC or any other compensation for missing the port? (aside from a port tax refund of course)

No, and in my experience you don't nor do I expect any. Weather clearly is not under Princess' control. Would have loved to dive today but even if we had been able to dock there's no way our dive boat would have gone out.

 

If you really wanted to make a scene at Guest Services they might give you $25 or so to placate you but for me it's a bonus day to sit on the balcony, have a man soda, and read a book. Hard to complain about that.

[talkorpi]

2 minutes ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

No, and in my experience you don't nor do I expect any. Weather clearly is not under Princess' control. Would have loved to dive today but even if we had been able to dock there's no way our dive boat would have gone out.

 

If you really wanted to make a scene at Guest Services they might give you $25 or so to placate you but for me it's a bonus day to sit on the balcony, have a man soda, and read a book. Hard to complain about that.

 

Gotcha.  I wasn't expecting anything of the sort - just curious.  I haven't been to Costa Maya in a very long time and I've been very lucky about never having to miss a port so I was just wondering what to expect in case this happens to me in a couple of weeks on Ruby since I've been hearing about this issue a lot lately.

 

Thank you for your live blog and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Edited March 2, 2023 by talkorpi

[_rusty_shackleford]

1 hour ago, talkorpi said:

Did y'all get any sort of OBC or any other compensation for missing the port? (aside from a port tax refund of course)

It's a time of year thing really. Feb-March are particularly brutal with the easterly winds wreaking havoc down in this part of the globe. It was pretty obvious from the conditions in Belize yesterday that CM was not likely to happen today. You've got a much better shot at the end of the month or so than we did.

[UKWildcatCruiser]

5 hours ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

General update time.

To my friend that was looking for ship models, I did not see any in the gift shop.

 

They are doing both Winemaker's and Chef's Table from what I'm told.

 

Onto the news:

We did not dock in Costa Maya today due to high winds and rough seas. This is now 2 cruises in a row for me where we haven't docked so I'm going to take the hint and assume it's my fault. I have no idea what the cruise lines were thinking with this port location. Zero breakwater and full exposure to the Caribbean and all of the winds. The captain told us the Allure of the Seas (Oasis-class are the largest ships in the world for those unaware) attempted to take our berth when we didn't dock and was successful (for about 30 min) and they too were forced to leave. Seas are 8-9ft over open water with winds around 30-40 knots but getting better the further north we go.

 

Apparently the week previous they had a pretty substantial water leak/pipe burst. This might be devastating to the 4 or 5 EFFY fans out there but they had to move all of those events to Deck 7 because of it. They had quite a few blowers going on the carpeted piazza areas, some of which are still roped off. It must have been a doozy.

 

Much better dinner service last night. Having an experienced staff and eating after rush makes a difference. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington were both very good.

One of the mid-ship pools on 16 had a pipe that burst and it emptied out in the jewelry store on 6 and flooded the entire piazza area on 5 and 6.  Several things were closed all day, including Good Spirits, which broke my heart.  They did get it cleaned up fairly quickly given the amount of water in the area. Thank goodness it was the last day of the cruise.

[GK95]

5 hours ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

It's a time of year thing really. Feb-March are particularly brutal with the easterly winds wreaking havoc down in this part of the globe. It was pretty obvious from the conditions in Belize yesterday that CM was not likely to happen today. You've got a much better shot at the end of the month or so than we did.

This is good to know, thanks. My family is headed on the Sky Princess a week from Saturday. Honestly an extra day at sea wouldn’t be a bad thing IMO. I’m with you on extra time to read, relax and have a nice drink. 

[jimcara2003]

22 hours ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

No, unfortunately. I have a confession to make: I'm one of those weirdos you hear about that doesn't like cheese. I'll eat mozzarella on pizza but that's about it. I'd hate to take a spot away from someone at a dinner where I know there will be fantastic dishes with cheese that I will not eat. I love the idea of the winemaker's dinner but to me it's not fair to other guests or the chef to expect accommodation for a taste preference like that.

You are not the only one!!!  My husband is the same way.  Does like cheese but will eat mozzarella on a pizza.  He is actually on the Sky Princess right now.  He just texed me and is reading on inside on Deck 6.  His name is Jim...if you see him say hello.  🙂  I am home because he went with his sister and Mom.

[muggo11]

21 hours ago, talkorpi said:

Did y'all get any sort of OBC or any other compensation for missing the port? (aside from a port tax refund of course)

generally, the port fees are refunded. . . At least that’s what I’ve seen on other cruises.  If so, you’ll see a small credit on your bill.  

[lucas34]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:21 PM, _rusty_shackleford said:

General update time.

To my friend that was looking for ship models, I did not see any in the gift shop.

 

They are doing both Winemaker's and Chef's Table from what I'm told.

 

Onto the news:

We did not dock in Costa Maya today due to high winds and rough seas. This is now 2 cruises in a row for me where we haven't docked so I'm going to take the hint and assume it's my fault. I have no idea what the cruise lines were thinking with this port location. Zero breakwater and full exposure to the Caribbean and all of the winds. The captain told us the Allure of the Seas (Oasis-class are the largest ships in the world for those unaware) attempted to take our berth when we didn't dock and was successful (for about 30 min) and they too were forced to leave. Seas are 8-9ft over open water with winds around 30-40 knots but getting better the further north we go.

 

Apparently the week previous they had a pretty substantial water leak/pipe burst. This might be devastating to the 4 or 5 EFFY fans out there but they had to move all of those events to Deck 7 because of it. They had quite a few blowers going on the carpeted piazza areas, some of which are still roped off. It must have been a doozy.

 

Much better dinner service last night. Having an experienced staff and eating after rush makes a difference. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington were both very good.

Thank you for sharing about the ship models. Enjoy your cruise!

[_rusty_shackleford]

1 hour ago, lucas34 said:

Thank you for sharing about the ship models. Enjoy your cruise!

Turns out I was wrong! They hide them in the Celebrations candy shop on Deck 5 in the piazza.

Edited March 3, 2023 by _rusty_shackleford
Spelling difficulties

[FrankieJayIII]

On 2/26/2023 at 10:46 AM, _rusty_shackleford said:

Plus/Premier wine menus. Not sure if they have all of them or not but I have definitely seen most of these options at one bar or another.

 

Most liquor seems to be in stock as well. I have not seen a bottle of Maker's or Knob Creek but they do seem to have plenty of Buffalo Trace unlike my last cruise. No glaring absences for scotch or tequila either.

Can I ask a question if you know the answer-  On the with PREMIER package- it says that duckhorn wine under RED is available included with premier- but it doesn't list a glass price.  is that because premier can only buy a bottle? premier can only get that wine?  Or can premier order a glass and get it but only if youre premier... 

[lucas34]

9 hours ago, _rusty_shackleford said:

Turns out I was wrong! They hide them in the Celebrations candy shop on Deck 5 in the piazza.

Great! Did you saw the price?

[KarmaCruisers]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:02 PM, GK95 said:

This is good to know, thanks. My family is headed on the Sky Princess a week from Saturday. Honestly an extra day at sea wouldn’t be a bad thing IMO. I’m with you on extra time to read, relax and have a nice drink. 

I hope the weather calms down and the piazza dry’s out..we’re on that same sailing, except we’re bringing friends who are first time princess cruisers..so..hopefully everything is ship shape (sorry for the bad pun haha)

[nini]

2 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

Can I ask a question if you know the answer-  On the with PREMIER package- it says that duckhorn wine under RED is available included with premier- but it doesn't list a glass price.  is that because premier can only buy a bottle? premier can only get that wine?  Or can premier order a glass and get it but only if youre premier... 

It is only available by the bottle as stated in the menu.

[david63]

On 3/2/2023 at 9:21 PM, talkorpi said:

Did y'all get any sort of OBC or any other compensation for missing the port? (aside from a port tax refund of course)

To highlight the differences between the UK and US in the UK cruise travel insurance pays out for missed ports - depending on the policy can be anything up to £100 per person per port!

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

To highlight the differences between the UK and US in the UK cruise travel insurance pays out for missed ports - depending on the policy can be anything up to £100 per person per port!

£150 per person in our case!

[UKWildcatCruiser]

6 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

Can I ask a question if you know the answer-  On the with PREMIER package- it says that duckhorn wine under RED is available included with premier- but it doesn't list a glass price.  is that because premier can only buy a bottle? premier can only get that wine?  Or can premier order a glass and get it but only if youre premier... 

You can get it by the glass at Vines.  I had a few last week and I had the Plus plan.  Just paid the few extra dollars.