Live from Discovery Princess for Oct 21-Nov 4

[Cruise Raider]

And from the vegetable carving this morning event.  

[Cruise Raider]

Just now waiting for the Cruise Critic meet and greet here in Take 5 while my DH is nex5 door in the theater attending Leo Rossi’s show.  
I see they have Churchills is blocked off but Take 5 really doesn’t look as though they are going to close down.  Such a wonderful venue.  I hope it stays this way.  

[Cruise Raider]

I just learned from the food and beverage director that there are no plans for a different venue for Take 5.  They are turning the cigar bar into an arcade as they have already done on the Royal.  
As mentioned before, I also have confirmation that the Bistro will be replaced by the Catch by Rudi in the next few weeks.   From having tried that on the Majestic, I strongly recommend trying it if you are on a cruise, you have to try the Catch.  It is,  by far, the best restaurant I’ve ever tried.  

[dickinson]

I don't know if it is true, but I have read on CC that you need to turn in the paper survey they give you onboard the ship within 3 days if you want the people you mention to be told.  Are you sure it was the email survey that the people you talked with were talking about?

[jwattle]

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Headed to the cruise critic meet and greet in a bit but stopped for a coffee in the IC first.  
Then, I saw a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar set up in the piazza.  Such a great idea!  
I couldn’t resist that because of all the beautiful extras.  
I am all in when it comes to Bloody Caesar but only if they have horseradish available.  So, I went with the Bloody Mary and wow, this kid made one that is so good.  It’s half the alcohol and double the spice!  Yummmmm

I didn’t see any response from crew chat so had to go to the front desk to have my charges removed.  Done!  Thank you, Melissa.  
I think those at the front desk have such a challenging job.  I saw some lady there having a tizzy fit and nothing they could do would make her happy.  Oh well .. 

 

 

One of our recent cruises, there was a guy (I can't say gentleman) who had a knee scooter and was at guest services. His complaint was that he was at the buffet, and the server wanted to carry his food for him. He was insulted by this, and he, at this point, was "going to wait until the Captain himself" served his supper to him. Didn't see that happen at all. Quite the opposite.

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, jwattle said:

One of our recent cruises, there was a guy (I can't say gentleman) who had a knee scooter and was at guest services. His complaint was that he was at the buffet, and the server wanted to carry his food for him. He was insulted by this, and he, at this point, was "going to wait until the Captain himself" served his supper to him. Didn't see that happen at all. Quite the opposite.

 

Wow!  Sometimes, I just shake my head.  I really don’t see anything from the crew being done out of malice and generating a complaint!  I think the world would be in better shape if the crew for a Princess cruise ran things.  They have such patience and tolerance .. we can all learn from them!  

 

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, dickinson said:

I don't know if it is true, but I have read on CC that you need to turn in the paper survey they give you onboard the ship within 3 days if you want the people you mention to be told.  Are you sure it was the email survey that the people you talked with were talking about?

I never insist on anything, as I am not infallible but can only tell you ‘my understanding’ of what I’ve been told.  I did meet the hotel manager at our CC meeting today and would be happy to confirm this information if I run into her today.  

[Cruise Raider]

Just for a little additional information, the cut off for the most traveled luncheon was at approx 460 days for this sailing.  I believe we are getting close but we are not there just yet.  

 

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting your live from thread. I’m really enjoying reading it. Will be on the Discovery for the first time late next year. We are treating ourselves to an aft Penthouse Suite. Aft is my favorite part of the ship, overlooking the wake. We have premium so can’t wait to eat at the casual dining venues whenever we want. That and the two nights we get to eat in pay for venues as part of our suite package will most likely keep us out of theMDR.   Then we are back to regular balcony cruising which we love. So fun reading your thread

[Cruise Raider]

We had a fabulous low key day today.  We started off with a very slow morning before me heading to the CC meeting in the Take 5 and my DH attending Leo Rossi’s talk.  
we both had lunch from the buffet with some old and new friends out on the back deck.  
I love the Indian dishes they make up in the buffet.  I was going to hit up the dining room for my traditional first sea day lunch of Chicken Korma but understand they were changing the menu on this sailing and it seemed more inviting to visit with friends and we are glad we did.  
We did go to the Crown Grill tonight for a most wonderful meal, once again.  The food and wine, service and atmosphere were spot on!  
After dinner, we went to Rock Opera and WOW!  I’ve seen this show once or twice last year while on the Discovery and it was excellent back then but even better tonight!  Bravo!  Bravo! Bravo!  What an extremely talented group of singers, dancers, musicians and stage crew!  
We finished our evening at the Yes / No game show and it was absolutely hilarious!  

All in all, it as another really perfect day at sea!  

 

I just have one more comment that we were rather puzzled when getting back to our cabin as there was an apology with some confections from Christine, who is the guest services representative.  We thought the in transit process was pretty much seamless and very well done.  Maybe some people were annoyed but it never even occurred to us that this was out of the ordinary or something that required an apology from guest services.  
Perhaps the treats were related to the charges for our specialty coffees and mimosas on turnaround day.  Either way, it was unnecessary but most thoughtful and appreciated.  




 

[travelin.sisters]

15 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

We frequently write letters of commendation for specific crew members and mail them to the corporate office. 

 

We almost always receive a return thank you letter from corporate. 

 

We also frequently hear back from the crew member that they received a copy of our letter and that they received special recognition.

could you share the address you use to send these letters please?

[LACruiser88]

10 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

could you share the address you use to send these letters please?

Prior to his firing last year, I would mail the letters to Mario Seibaldi, VP of Guest Services.  Now I mail them directly to the head guy below:

 

John Padgett, President of Princess Cruises

24305 Town Center Drive

Santa Clarita, Ca 91355

[LawDog61]

11 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

We had a fabulous low key day today.  We started off with a very slow morning before me heading to the CC meeting in the Take 5 and my DH attending Leo Rossi’s talk.  
we both had lunch from the buffet with some old and new friends out on the back deck.  
I love the Indian dishes they make up in the buffet.  I was going to hit up the dining room for my traditional first sea day lunch of Chicken Korma but understand they were changing the menu on this sailing and it seemed more inviting to visit with friends and we are glad we did.  
We did go to the Crown Grill tonight for a most wonderful meal, once again.  The food and wine, service and atmosphere were spot on!  
After dinner, we went to Rock Opera and WOW!  I’ve seen this show once or twice last year while on the Discovery and it was excellent back then but even better tonight!  Bravo!  Bravo! Bravo!  What an extremely talented group of singers, dancers, musicians and stage crew!  
We finished our evening at the Yes / No game show and it was absolutely hilarious!  

All in all, it as another really perfect day at sea!  

 

I just have one more comment that we were rather puzzled when getting back to our cabin as there was an apology with some confections from Christine, who is the guest services representative.  We thought the in transit process was pretty much seamless and very well done.  Maybe some people were annoyed but it never even occurred to us that this was out of the ordinary or something that required an apology from guest services.  
Perhaps the treats were related to the charges for our specialty coffees and mimosas on turnaround day.  Either way, it was unnecessary but most thoughtful and appreciated.  

I agree the Indian food in the Discovery Buffet is great.  And if you are celiac lie me and must eat gluten free, most (but not all) is safe for celiacs.


 

 

[Incognito1]

On 10/27/2023 at 10:31 AM, Cruise Raider said:

I completely forgot about mentioning Take 5.  You are so right about it being a nice quiet spot.  
It is open once again and I noticed the slot machines I saw there earlier in the week are gone.  

 

Some times Take 5 was closed for private events, and a couple of other times I popped in but the music was very loud (good music, just loud). Next time, I will try the other spots y'all mentioned.

[Incognito1]

On 10/27/2023 at 2:18 PM, Cruise Raider said:

 

I also failed to mention, the entertainment onboard is fabulous.  There is a duo of violin players that are phenomenal and I absolutely adore the guitar player, Jan Jan Repeso.  of course, the production cast is incredibly talented and hard working!  They are one of the best we’ve seen!  Our cruise director, Duvaul is also fantastic. 

 

Duvaul was an amazing director.  I felt that he really wanted to make everyone's cruise as good as it could be, not just a "job" for him.  He was so funny and we actually looked forward to the Wake Show instead of cringing.

 

For me, The Diamond Trio mariachi band was the highlight of onboard players.  Beautiful voices and the band was approachable and friendly.  All of the entertainment was good except for The Drop rock band, which I'd call mediocre.

[Cruise Raider]

We’ve had some excellent cruise directors but I agree, Duval is right up there with the absolute best.  I laughed so hard during his Yes/No game show last night and even on some of his Wake Show interviews.  
 

Today, we went to Leo’s Rossi’s show right before the day in Cabo.  No tendering for these old knees but the tendering process seems to be running pretty smoothly.  We are going to hit a spot on the upper deck in the shade to peek for whales.  It’s a bit early in the season for this but someone reported seeing a few this morning.  
 

They do have some activities onboard to keep everyone busy while awaiting the tendering process.  We aren’t the only ship here and since we aren’t planning on going ashore, we just ordered some food to be delivered to the Salty Dog GastroPub.

 

[lx200gps]

49 minutes ago, Incognito1 said:

Some times Take 5 was closed for private events, and a couple of other times I popped in but the music was very loud (good music, just loud). Next time, I will try the other spots y'all mentioned.

We use Take 5 as a quiet place to read on sea days, and in the 5 or 6 cruises we've been on that had a Take 5, there were only one or two times that it was closed for a private function, and then only for a brief period. Even then, in one case they only used half the bar, so the other half was still open for us to use.  During the day, there is never any music playing, it's dead quiet, which is why we love it so much. At night, yes, it's a jazz club, not the place for peace and quiet ;o)

[Cruise Raider]

I do love the music venues in the evenings so it never bothers me when a band is paying.  
We are in Cabo today but staying on the ship enjoying our balcony.  The temperature is perfect and this is our view .. it just doesn’t get better than this!  

 

[dreaminofcruisin]

On 10/29/2023 at 12:04 PM, Cruise Raider said:

Then, I saw a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar set up in the piazza.  Such a great idea!  
I couldn’t resist that because of all the beautiful extras.  
I am all in when it comes to Bloody Caesar but only if they have horseradish available.  So, I went with the Bloody Mary and wow, this kid made one that is so good.  It’s half the alcohol and double the spice!  Yummmmm

 

 

LOVE THIS! I would love to see this on a cruise.

Was it announced in the daily event listing?

 

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

LOVE THIS! I would love to see this on a cruise.

Was it announced in the daily event listing?

 

I don’t believe so but they had it again this morning.  Maybe it is something new they will be doing.  I will report back when I find out more.  

[jwattle]

41 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I don’t believe so but they had it again this morning.  Maybe it is something new they will be doing.  I will report back when I find out more.  

I'll let you know if I see it on the Majestic 😄

My eyes will be wide open looking!!

[Cruise Raider]

Alas, we are in port so no Bloody Mary / mimosa stand set up today.  There are also not many Halloween decorations or crew dressed up down here in the piazza.  There is a big display and a large Happy Halloween cake up in the buffet, though.  I didn’t have my camera so don’t have photos of it.  
We have been on Halloween cruises for the last two years and the costumes and decor was really festive.  I’m not disappointed per we as some religions really don’t like the thought of Halloween.  It’s part of my childhood and so think of it as festive rather than a dark holiday.  
 

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

18 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I do love the music venues in the evenings so it never bothers me when a band is paying.  
We are in Cabo today but staying on the ship enjoying our balcony.  The temperature is perfect and this is our view .. it just doesn’t get better than this!  

 

Beautiful! I had that view once and the sunset was spectacular. 

[Cruise Raider]

Our view this morning while sailing into Mazatlan.  
does it get any better than this?  

[1emerald1]

6 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Alas, we are in port so no Bloody Mary / mimosa stand set up today.  There are also not many Halloween decorations or crew dressed up down here in the piazza.  There is a big display and a large Happy Halloween cake up in the buffet, though.  I didn’t have my camera so don’t have photos of it.  
We have been on Halloween cruises for the last two years and the costumes and decor was really festive.  I’m not disappointed per we as some religions really don’t like the thought of Halloween.  It’s part of my childhood and so think of it as festive rather than a dark holiday.  
 

 

I was on the Discovery last year for Halloween and the decorations were minimal.  I thought the ship would be decked out, but no.  Are you having a Halloween Disco Deck Party tonight?  That was fun.