Old Lady who lives on Sea princess

[Pam in CA]

I don't know what land it was except I'd heard it was in Santa Clarita. She's been on Princess ships for a long time so perhaps the deal was made before the headquarters were built.

[jayevee44]

While the lady indeed does exist as evidenced by so many sightings, there has to be more to the story of her husband and her owning the land that Princess has its HQ in California. The current HQ is in Valencia, CA and that land (and most of the land surrounding it for miles) is owned by Newhall Land and Farm started by the Newhall family and originally part of a Spanish Land Grant. Maybe she owned the land of the original Princess HQ - not sure where it was but Princess moved to Valencia less than 10 years ago.

 

Does anyone know more? And where was Princess before Valencia?

 

Freetocruise is correct that the current Princess headquarters are located on property developed by Newhall Land and Farm which developed the planned community of Valencia. Valencia was later included within the boundary of the newly incorporated City of Santa Clarita.

 

Once the Santa Clarita Valley grew to sufficient size to support a regional shopping center, NLF built the Valencia Town Center, a mall with several major stores and many small shops. Shortly thereafter, they built office buildings along the perimeter of the shopping center site, two of which were built specifically for Princess Cruises. Princess also has facilities in the Valencia Industrial Center a few miles from the main buildings. This land was also developed by NLF. I doubt if Mrs. Arzst has any connection with NLF, but I could be wrong.

 

Prior to moving to Valencia, the Princess offices were located in Century City in West Los Angeles.

 

Jim

[Psee]

Always thought the home office was in Santa Cruz (not sure of the spelling of Cruz)...

[richnorto]

Met a lady 1 1/5 years ago on our last HAL cruise who lived on the Zaandam. Thinking I might do this in my later years!!!:) She has a walking cart with a horn to get people out of the way and the staff all know her and what she wants. GREAT service and nobody making you eat baby food!:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Always thought the home office was in Santa Cruz (not sure of the spelling of Cruz)...

 

Santa Clarita.

[freetocruise]

Obviously, I am also from Valencia - we moved here in 1987 when the area where the Princess HQ is was all carrot fields! Thanks for filling in some of the blanks I left. I have read some history of the area (Thank you John Boston) and I never read of a Mrs. Angzt (spelling?) associated with NL&F, so I must assume that she is related to the Century City property or even before.

Bonni

[T&J]

She is definitely still on the Sea Princess, although she does disembark for a few weeks each year to take care of appointments at home. Her name is Mrs. Arzst, and she is certainly NOT old...in fact I would put her in her late 50s (although these days who knows?). She is very attractive and young looking and dressing, not at all the "old woman" I had long pictured her to be.

 

She and her husband (who legend has it once owned the property on which Princess's headquarters were built in California) lived for years on the Royal Princess. He has since passed away, and she has moved on to the Sea Princess. She has a aft suite (I won't say which), but I will say it isn't the largest on the ship. She also attends most of the Captain's Circle parties, but exempts herself from the calculation of most traveled passenger.

 

I am torn between thinking this would be a bit of a lonely life, and wanting desperately to find out!

 

Her name is Lorraine Arzst and her husband Bob died a couple of years ago. They used to live on the Royal Princess and Javier and I have cruised with her and Bob and just recently on the Royal in South America in March and April of 2005 after she had surgery on her knee. She was on the Island Princess for the longest time and then went over to the Sea Pricness later this year and is awaiting until the New Royal Princess comes out where she will call home again permanently...btw she is 80 years old and a lot of the crew 3 weeks ago did a video message birthday greeting and they played it for her on the Sea Princess.

 

The story behind the "Land" is that her husband Bob was a developper and they owned the land that Princess HQ currently sits on and they sold it to Princess in the mid 90's to develop it.

Lorraine is eccentric and has been known to wear green wiggs, black nail polish and throw parties in her old Suite on the Old Royal Princess. For this reason, she will be surrounded with her crew freinds such as JJ King (Cruise Director), his wife Barbara (shop Manager), Allan and Alana, chef Antonio (from the Old Royal), Ceilia (Captain Circle Hostess) and Captain Michael Fatchen....it's not a coincidence that all of these ex Royal people are going there!

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

Good to see with have had a good chat about this, I only asked if she was still onboard.

 

To those our a young 80 years of age I am sorry but to me 80 is old.

 

yours Shogun

[esther e]

Shogun

80 is the new 50! Get with it!!!:D

[travelling heavy]

What a wonderful complement to the Sea Princess that this lady, who obviously has the means to live anywhere she chooses, has chosen to live on board this ship. This has dispelled any lingering doubts that I may have had regarding this ship.

[the_dylaness]

I wonder if she has her own coffee pot, or does she drink the syrup-based stuff?

[Druke I]

Tony said the Royal March of 2005, but he meant Regal Princess.

 

I've seen her on several cruises, and talked to her on a couple of occasions, both before and after her husband died.

 

Tony's putting her age at 80 is certainly a lot closer to the truth than the poster who said she was about 50.

[T&J]

Tony said the Royal March of 2005, but he meant Regal Princess.

 

I've seen her on several cruises, and talked to her on a couple of occasions, both before and after her husband died.

 

Tony's putting her age at 80 is certainly a lot closer to the truth than the poster who said she was about 50.

 

 

Michael, no actually I meant March and April of 2005 was the last time Javier and I saw her on the Old Royal Princess just before and after her knee surgery.

 

And her husband name was Joe not Bob...

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[Druke I]

OK Tony - guess I misinterpreted what you said. (Actually, I was thinking 2006 - and you wrote 2005. Shame on me!)

[mii]

This is a very interesting story. Once in awhile you need a break from the bad coffee, rotten food, horrible customer service, etc. I truly hope that the CC people who know her on here keep us posted on her whearabouts. Sort of like the mystery woman.

 

By the way has nothing to do with this subject but congrats TOTO on reaching 10,000 posts. You go girl.

 

Marilyn

[PescadoAmarillo]

By the way has nothing to do with this subject but congrats TOTO on reaching 10,000 posts. You go girl.

 

And 10,000 posts imparting KNOWLEDGE and valuable opinion, not just chatter. Congratulations!

[Pam in CA]

Tony... thanks for filling in the blanks. As I mentioned, I rode in the elevator with her on the Royal in April 2005 (Manaus > Rome) and she certainly didn't look that old. I really had her pegged for her late 50s so I'm astonished she's 80 years old. I do have to admit that when I saw her on the Sea Princess this past summer, she looked a lot older. More power to her!

[PescadoAmarillo]

I am SHOCKED to learn that she is in her 80s. I may have been a bit kind to describe her in her 50s, but did so only because I was certain she couldn't be in her LATE 60s. Wow~if that is what life at sea does for a person, sign me up!!

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

The reason I started all this was I am thinking of going back on the Sea in a few months time, while onboard the last time she made a brief visit to the stage to get her prize bottle, does she get one bottle every week.

 

yours Shogun

[survivor]

Just wondering if the reason she looks so young is from all the pampering she has been getting on The Princess cruises for all these years? If I start now at 56 years old and stay for 20 years will I still look like I am only 56?:)

[Druke I]

Well applied makeup can take years off!

 

My wife thinks she perhaps had a "lift" also.

[AliceS]

There was an old woman

who needed a cruise.

She had so many children

she gave them the news.

She packed her bags

and changed her residence,

Then took them to Princess

and said "sorry kids I'm spending your inheritance".

 

 

I'm going to copy this quote on my kid's Christmas cards. I love it.

 

Yes, Toto, that was her. I did see her with Alana having lunch, but I never saw her tatoos. Sounds interesting.

 

I said that she wore a caftan, I never mentioned the captain. Someone mentioned a 10 year time frame. I think that it may have been 10 years ago that we saw that couple on the Royal, I never saw her then, just him and he was very nice

 

Living on a ship is a great idea. We do it, too. We just do it in segments. We never bought a place, just a cabin on many ships.

[Ethel5]

They certainly do cater to her! I'm jealous :p I didn't think she was that old either.

[nitterm]

Oh yes just got off the October 18th cruise on the Sea Princess from New York to Quebec and Mrs. Artzst was there. My wife and I along with our neighbors had an opportunity to meet her onshore in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A very charming and friendly woman. It appeared to us that no matter where she goes on ship and off there is always someone from the ship's staff by her side.

[meemeec]

Fun thread! We had the pleasure of meeting Lorraine and Joe a few years ago on the Royal Princess. They were quite nice to talk to and we would run into Joe at the buffet every lunchtime. They had what they called the "lunch bunch" at different ports of call and would go to a favorite onshore restaurant with members of the ship's company. We had heard they furnished their suite with their own things and asked them about it. Lorraine said she only brought along her china and crystal!