Live from the Sea Princess Transatlantic

[WK-Orlando]

There are a few of use CC folks just off on the Sea Princess for a nice slow around the Carib and off to England.

 

So far everything seems to be nice and smooth. Close to a third of the passengers aboard have already been here for a week and a number of them will be getting off in the islands to be replaced mostly be UK folks that will go with us to Southampton and then on for 7 days in the med I believe. Interesting change in the persona of a trip when groups get off and on at different places. Actually, it made boarding easier. This had to be by fare the easiest boarding I have ever had or heard of.. The terminal was EMPTY. Thought the cruise had been canceled when we pulled up. Only about four racks of bags at the curb and less than 20 passengers in the entire building. Got on as fast was we could sign out bug free forms and the immigration paper for the Cays.

 

Wish they all went that well. Last ride on a big ship was a total ZOO. After a ride on the Sun in Oct which was also an easy board, another vote for the smaller ships!

 

As for the ship herself. Short of some electrical problems they are working on, the ole gal is in good shape. Hardly know the difference between here and the Sun. The balcony is smaller than on say the grand but it is also better protected. We do not get blasted by the wind on these.

 

Some of the more recent reviews of the ship commented on the dinning staff and I am happy to say it is not as bad as those reviews indicated but sad to say I can still see some evidence of it. The wait staff were ok but they were not very friendly and kind of pushed everything in front of us. I asked a rather simple question about an item on the menu and got kind of a 'bitchy' reply. Maybe just the waiter on the first night so will see how it goes the next few days.

 

The CDir is JJ King and this is my first ride with him. He is really good. Kind of the polished mature type but very up and sings very will. A nice change from some of the other chaps that just tell bad jokes and run. :p Look forward to seeing what he has organized for the crossing.

 

The singers and dancer are about average.

 

Food so far is also about par for the last couple of years. Not as good as old Princess but much better than RCL. They even served Ice Cream in the Court last night. :D Have not seen that for awhile.

 

Oh well.. off for now. The CC group meets this evening. We got rescheduled when they realized the party that was set for us was at the same time as the life drill... Wonder if that was meant to tell us something. :rolleyes:

 

WKA

[Coral]

Keep the updates coming!

 

Hope the seas and weather are good to you the rest of the week.

[rubrrick]

It's good to hear that there are calm seas. Hope it stays that way for our transatlantic crossing starting next weekend.

[johnmik1]

WK,Can you tell me who the Capt,PSD and Purser are? Thanks

[WK-Orlando]

The captain is Capt Kent from England. Do not remember the others. If I stumble on yesterdays patter, will post the rest. First English captain I have had with Princess..

[Ethel5]

The captain is Capt Kent from England. Do not remember the others. If I stumble on yesterdays patter, will post the rest. First English captain I have had with Princess..

 

We got off the Sea Princess yesterday and really enjoyed Captain Kent. He has a wicked sense of humor. Ya should have heard him when a couple was late getting back to the ship! The CD is J J King and he was wonderful.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[WK-Orlando]

What does PSD stand for???

 

Anyhow, day one from the Cays. Very smooth this morning. We arrived a little late but not by much. Was a short day. First people off around 10:45 and had to leave by 3:30. As usual, the place was nice. Wish they would clear the flies from the buffet area. They have been there every trip. Gotta be somthing they can do about it...

 

Again, kind of nice having a smaller number of people on the beach. Hard to imagine what it must be like when the Carib Princess pulls in. :eek:

 

The water was FREEZING! :o The trick seems to be going out away from the short and there the water is a lot warmer once you are in some current. The Sea has the twin hull tenders which ride much better and have a top deck. Always wondered why no fans in the tenders. Gets really hot inside. Still it is a short ride so no big deal.

 

We are due for a CC gathering this evenning. Will see what the ship does for us. Prob not much as we are only about 10 couples that I am aware of.

 

Learned one lesson... We 'Yanks' should not compare price paid with the Commonwealth folks. To put it mildly, they get screwed on the fare to the tune of four times what I paid... Put tax on that and WOW:mad: Needless to say not all are aware and when the high payers find out, it kind of kills the mood. So only say something if you want to get a reaction.... :rolleyes:

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and formal night number one. For the first time, I have rented a tux through the line. Have not tried it on yet. Will be interesting.. Never rented one before but thought it a good way to lighten my load as we are staying in London for a few days and do not want extra to carry.

 

All for now. Off to fill out a suggestion card for an under 45 gathering. There are going to be damn few of us on this ride. Actually saw about a dozen kids onboard and a like number of people in our age group. Has its up side as we do not drink and like to go to the clubs without having to deal with the younger crowds drinking... Last time I did this was on the Island Princess and the cruise director (Allister) read it on the morining show along with our cabin number. Was quite the villian until one of the comedians got me off the hook by ticking all of the older folks off BIG TIME. Forgot me real quick... :cool:

 

WKA

[johnmik1]

The PDS is the passenger services director.A very nice person to know!

[AliceS]

WK,

 

Thanks for the review. We will be heading on a TA next week and I am enjoying reading about your adventure. Keep it coming. We were on Sea Princess in November and just loved the Pizza Parlor for lunch. None of the ships has such a nice menu for lunch. Give it a go. Keep us informed of the sea conditions and weather.

[WK-Orlando]

I too love the little Italian places they put into the Sun class attriums. Have not tried this one yet but did notice my favorite Calzone is not on the menu :mad:

 

Oh well.

 

Last night was the mandatory comedy juggler. This one we have seen before and I got dragged up on stage to help with the six foot tall unicycle gag. Guess I was the only one that looked solid enough to use as a hand rest while he was on top of it. My neck is still a bit sore... Gave me a DVD for my trouble... :rolleyes: guess I will think of something to do with it... Did have him going a bit when he saw me sharpening his juggling knives while he rode up and down the isles...

 

My favorite high energy comedian is James 'The Kid' Michael but I have not heard of him working for awhile... His wife is a dancer and they used to get assigned to the same ship along with a couple of pet skunks. Can you imagine living in a small cabin with your wife and two skunks? At least he can blame the smells on the critters :o

 

The CC group met yesterday and is planning a team to enter the boat building contest that is held on these crossing. Raw material scavenging is already underway. Need a good name though. We could lampoon RCL by having a small figure hanging over the side by its ankle. naw... too tacky. Besides, might give my wife ideas!:cool:

 

btw, for those of you that have not done this in the past, do look for the Roll Call treads that go with your trip. We are a small group of about ten couples and only got free champ but some of the larger groups get nice gifts and stuff. All you have to do is get a list together and send it to the line. It is really nice to meet some familiar people on the first day or two.

 

bfn

 

WKA

[loobylouuk]

Hi there glad you're having a good time.

There has been a

couple of threads of late saying that there is no longer a cocktail of the day could you please confirm this as i was hoping to drink one at every oppotunity!!!

Thanks Lou

[WK-Orlando]

The announce them every day so I guess they still have them. I do not drink so do not pay attention. The fruit punch drinks seem to be gone. At least un advertised... Guess not as profitable as the booz...

 

Anyhow, we are at the BVI Totorola today. Nice island but not a lot of variety of things to do unless you want to snokel. Shops are nearly non existent short of some tents that are overpriced for island fare. Very nice place to just get out and walk or take the shuttle ride around to see a few places. The operators of the shuttles were nice as nice as some of the other islands from our direct experiences. Need to get a Beno transplant here :D

 

Last night was the first stage show. Cinimatastic. First time seeing this one. A bit of a knock off from the old Light Camera Action show. Most was good but there were a few bits you must need to be drunk to follow. The singers are ok, not the best of the last few trips but ok. Dancers about half and half. Some looked good and danced well while others are a bit hard on the eyes both as models and in terms of trying not to trip over their own feet. All in all an ok show and I look forward to the others. Will be interesting to see how they handle four shows as most groups only have to do three.

 

More to come. Our CC group is entering a contest to build a ship which is a tradition on these crossings. Materials are being sought and a design is already underway. Will keep the board advised how we do with the SS Scavenger Princess

[susancruzs]

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Sea! I was onboard for 21 days last fall for the Westbound TA back to New York. I thought she was in great shape (and we did have a few times where some of the lights went out)!

 

I thought the food and wait staff on my cruises were great but that is the luck of the draw sometimes! Overall I enjoyed the Sea, thought the Casino was weak and they could have used more of the space for more tables/slots as half the room was very underused.

 

My favorite spot was the lobby bar, I hung out there ALOT and I enjoyed the Pizza area, great stuff, had lunch there quite a few days.

 

Ahhhh, wish I were onboard right now, too!

 

Susie

[Coolmama_1]

"My favorite high energy comedian is James 'The Kid' Michael but I have not heard of him working for awhile... His wife is a dancer and they used to get assigned to the same ship along with a couple of pet skunks. Can you imagine living in a small cabin with your wife and two skunks? At least he can blame the smells on the critters :o "

 

 

He was on the Star in January, but without the wife and skunks:eek:

[Ethel5]

Learned one lesson... We 'Yanks' should not compare price paid with the Commonwealth folks. To put it mildly, they get screwed on the fare to the tune of four times what I paid... Put tax on that and WOW:mad: Needless to say not all are aware and when the high payers find out, it kind of kills the mood. So only say something if you want to get a reaction.... :rolleyes:

 

They pay more but don't forget that it includes airfare/transfers. I don't believe it's 4 times more. One couple we talked to paid the same as what we did for a balcony, but they got an inside and the airfare/transfers included.

[alibail]

They pay more but don't forget that it includes airfare/transfers. I don't believe it's 4 times more. One couple we talked to paid the same as what we did for a balcony, but they got an inside and the airfare/transfers included.

 

You'd be shocked what we get charged.

 

For May next year on Princess.com the charge for a cruise in the Caribbean on Caribbean Princess = $949.00.

 

To book it through Princess.co.uk (Yes it includes a flight from Glasgow -> New York), is £1,183.00 (which at current exchange rates is $2,110 approximatly).

Anyway,

Glad your enjoying your crossing, has the weather been good to you?

[NorcalGuy]

Hey WK-Orlando!

 

What fun being out at sea.

Are all the pools open crossing the Atlantic?

Warm enough to use the outdoor pools?

Still calm seas?

 

have a great time!!

[WK-Orlando]

Back again...

 

Just had a nice day on Dominica. Took the river tube trip and had a blast. Def recommend it but do remember to put sun block on your legs. :(

 

Last night we had Celest Francis singing last night. Incredible voice and a bit nuts... Some of her songs we liked and some just went right by. Still, we enjoyed her show. Tonight was a combination of Andante ( a couple of musicians) and a ventrilaquist (sp?) . Andante played very well but the wife likes to prattle on about nonsense which kind of kills the show. If they stuck to the music, would be a good act.

 

As for the Ventril-a-don't well, guess just not my idea of great. He was funny for about 5 min of his 30 maybe... On these long rides on small ships there is always a bit of a comprimise on what entertainment can be budgeted. Some is really good and some is well... better served with lots of chemical assistance. :-)

 

Antigeua is our last stop before heading out into the crossing. This will be our first time there and still have not gotten a good feel for what there is to do on this island. The port thread for it was not a lot of help. So will likely try and grab a taxi and just prowl.

 

later...

 

WKA

[WK-Orlando]

Back again,

 

Antiqua (sp?) was yesterday. Nice port but very expensive. Only thing anyone seem to feel was reasonable were shoes which are still more expensive than in the states. I guess for those UK folks who are enjoying an exchange boost and suffering high taxes it is a deal but from the US, there really was nothing to get that was not more expensive than home.

 

Still it was a nice place to visit.

 

Last night the ship ran the local version of Shake Rattle and Roll in the Vista. I have seen many groups do this show now and this one did ok. It was enjoyable but Princess needs to start thinking about a new Vista lounge stage show. I have been watching this one for almost five years.... it varies from ship type and stage layout but still the same show.

 

An interesting conversation got going with it. What makes for an attractive dancer. I hear this conversation a lot on this trips as the classical model with good skin and tight figure has not been so common on these shows for a time but is that the requirement for a good show or even an attractive performer. I pondered the question with my wife and came to the conclusion that what attracted my eyes most was not so much the gals figure as the smile and eye as well as just plain energy. I know what you are thinking.. talking to the wife... :cool: honestly though, think about what you focus on when watching the show. There is always one or two people besides the headliners that just pull your eyes back over and over again.

 

Not to be understood incorrectly, but one of the gals has what I have heard called a road warry face. Deep laugh lines and a look that is older than I am sure she is. All in all the other gals are prettier but what pulls eyes to her is a powerful warm smile, high energy eyes and a general peppy step. She dances better than most of the others as well and gives a strong feel that she is actually enjoying what she is doing... Several of the other gals who have the smooth skin (post 5kg of makeup..) and longer flashy hair appear almost bored on stage. One gal last night had this totally spaced out look on her face and even seem pissed off most of the time. Many of the prettiest ones were close to tripping over their own feet....

 

A couple of years ago on the Island, one of the dancers had an incredible amount of energy and pep. She was not fat or ugly, very goofy look to her though.., but still not what you would expect for a dancer but she got by far the most positive comments we heard in the crowd... it was hard not to focus on her when watching the show... this in contrast to a tall model like blonde that obviously had done Vegas. Hair pulled to far back she was moving her hair line and a very arrogant nasty sneer both on stage and off.

 

All kind of goes back to what entertains for a moment ( looks... ) and what entertains for a longer time...

 

Just my half asleep ponderings early in the morning....

 

Crossing starts today and the sea is already picking up. Not a straight walking path to be seen. ;)

 

WKA

 

btw, Please all join my email to Princess to tell them that the art inventory on the ships has gotten PATHETIC!!! We ususally spend more on the art than on the fare. Third time in a row in which there is NOTHING TO BUY... Got better stuff on a Carnival Inspiration (yes, I am sad to admit a ride on that scow last year, company trip... should rename is the SS Elvira ) but the art Park West had to offer was really good and on a garbage ship... Not sure what is happening to Princess art. Maybe Park West is just killing them as they are in bed with the parent company Carnival...

[WK-Orlando]

Back to you on the second week of our trip. All goes well except an announcement this morning that we may miss our mid-atlantic port day due to high winds and currents against us. Sea has not been too bad but very windy up on deck.

 

On the entertainment front, things continue to get better. Night before last, we had the English David Copperfield. Not the American magician although this one does trick, he is more music and comedy. One of the best acts I have ever seen afloat. Hope he has another night before Southampton.

 

Last night was Stanley Yerlow. A great piano player and very entertaining. Not everyones taste I suspect but my wife and I love live music especially of a traditional type. He doesn't look like much when he comes on stage, but once he gets going, you can tell the expericence in what he does.

 

 

On a sad note: The Cruise Critic team lost the ship building competition under strange circumstances. The winner had a nice small sailing ship with artistic design and I think earned it but we came in after a 2-liter pop bottle that was not even a sailing ship nor followed the rules. Our team was costumed, build a very interesting moc-up of a Princess ship logos and all and lost. Makes one wonder if the staff do not like us much on the boards. The director started appologizing to the audience for the judging before it even started so have to wonder what was up. :rolleyes: Left us all a bit puzzled to say the least... Oh well, another day.

 

Tonight is captains circle party. Wonder if I should give him back his chart holder? The judges attached it to our boat as extra weight and then let before we could return it. Wonder what it would bring on E-Bay?

 

A another note to future crossers, bring a book! No TV out in the Atlantic and the movies while plentiful are never going to be to everyones taste so some form of self entertainment is a must.

 

On that note, off to the sales pitch, free drinks (I hope...) and to a night of what should be decent entertainment.

 

btw,

 

A plug for the purser staff on the Sea P. On most of the Princess ships these folks tend to be very uptight and not much help in maters other than paying your tab. On this trip the staff have been very friendly and helpful on a number of projects/issues. Nice change from before. Perhaps we have inherited a bit of the Adonia from P&O when Princess took her over and make her into the Sea. Wish they had kept the name though. Adonia is just a cooler name...

[julieh]

We are joining the Sea on 27th May and I was just wondering if you can tell me what the exchange rate is on board at the moment.

 

Julie

[lesleyfb]

I'll try and fine out what the exchange rate is however if you indicate on your credit card slip that you do NOT want Princess to convert your account from US dollars into pounds sterling I don't see what difference the rate onboard makes. If you pay by credit card in US dollars you get the rate the credit card company has in place which is a LOT cheaper than getting Princess to convert it. They charge way over the norm. Nationwide CC is the best for using overseas - check out http://www.moneysavingexpert.com and you'll find out lots more info.

[julieh]

Sorry didn't explain very well! I wanted to know the rate for exchanging cash in the machine onboard. When I was on board in January I was getting a better exchange rate using the machine than I did in the UK. I do have a Nationwide card which I use when abroad.

 

Julie

[ellyg1824]

Hows the crossing going ???? Take it you got to stop at the Azores then ?? My parents joined the ship at Barbados after flying out from Manchester, England on the 15th April. Its quite interesting to be able to view your ports of call through the Web Cam....Pity they haven't installed one in the Internet Cafe !!

 

Anyway if you bumb into a couple staying on C Deck who have an accent as if they belong on Coronation Street called Ann & Bob give them a wave !!

 

Helen

(Stuck in rainy Manchester !!!!)

[WK-Orlando]

The Azores was fantastic! Close race to choose between it and Dominica for best of the trip. The Azores def has the edge just in being clean and the people though... We had an excellent tour with Princess that on the Azores is probably the way to go unless you prearrange to hire a private taxi. We lost about an hour due to being late which killed off free wondering of the town but the place goes on the list for direct flight vacations in the future. That is if the dollar ever recovers....

 

Do think that at the right time of year, this would make a great place to spend a week all by itself!