shortstop95

I have a question if you have the Deluxe drink package does it include Pellegrino water at dinner?

Recent Allure Compass scans in this thread will show you what is open on embarkation day:

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2623489

I wasn’t asking what is open. I was trying to find out if lunch on embarkation day is offered through the speciality dining package we purchased.

Howdy. Sailing on the Allure of the Seas in a couple weeks and we purchased the speciality dining package. I know that on Sea days you can also eat lunch in the various restaurants. My question is how about on embarkation day- are any of the specialty places open- maybe Johnny Rockets for inclusion in the program?

Are you aware that you can prebook your shows to avoid standing in line? On a biggie like Allure, that can make a difference. Enjoy! My best advice-book the water show for the first night then go see it again another night as a standby.

Yes thank you - we’ve already booked our show tickets. Now just trying to get dining straight.

Howdy all- we are headed out on the Allure of the Seas in September. Tried RC several times years ago and it just wasn’t for us. We were not huge fans of the Windjammer Buffet. We have purchased the Speciality Dining Package for this sailing. I’ve tried to read up online but thought it might be easier to ask here. Can someone tell me which restaurants on the Allure are included in this. I know Chops and the Italian spot are but are there others? Also I know lunch is included on sea days. How about embarkation day? Thanks in advance for any and all input!

Hey there we will be cruising and in the port of Naples for the day. We've done Pompeii, so looking for a tour provider that does both Capri and Amalfi Coast with a stop in Positano.

Any suggestions?

Has anyone taken a taxi from the port to the Baha Mar? Wondering how much it is per person.

Thinking of booking one on the Carnival Horizon - but can't find much info/pics from Vista.

We have logged nearly 50 cruises with Carnival and were on the Carnival Magic twice within 6 weeks. The first trip was crazy busy with lido deck manic as the reviewer states. As seasoned cruisers we have realistic expectations and know when to go and not to go to avoid the rush. I will say that particular cruise in March - lido was just slammed all the time. Lines, lines and more lines. Fast-forward six weeks later and the same lido was quite manageable the whole week. We know the senior staff well on the Magic so I inquired about capacity and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

I think each cruise is just unique. I'm sorry the original poster came away with a bad feeling about the cruise and the Carnival Magic- I think it was just the lick of the draw of that cruise population.

Hey there - seasoned cruisers here looking to check out the new Baha Mar resort on our upcoming cruise to Nassau. Anybody been? Hoping to check out casino, grab lunch and maybe sit by the pool. Contacted them directly a couple months back and they said they were not doing cruise day passes. I've read a couple other online reports that say they went and had no issues. Looking for any first hand accounts of anyone who's been.

Thanks in advance.

Is it true that it takes aprox 5 hours to get off the ship in Cuba?

 

I'm one of those "on the fence" :/

No it did not take 5 hours to get off the ship. As far as arriving it felt comparable to any other port with the necessary time to clear the ship and set up the gangways. The process for tours leaving was well organized. The only additional step in Cuba was immigration once off the ship. Each person had to present their passport and visa (provided by Carnival). Throughout the cruise many fellow passengers shared similar stories of being told "stop smiling" by the immigration staff. It was a little odd- but the whole process added about 5-10 minutes to the debarkation process.

As someone else shared, currency exchange was just as easy and organized.

While we normally book on our own, with this being only the 2nd trip to Cuba and the additional visa requirement we chose to book through Carnival. Debarking was extremely well organized and moved quickly. The Top 10 of Havana Tour was informative and jammed packed. Being a hot and humid day, by the end- I think folks (myself included) were getting fatigued. I could have done without the last hour as the guide was rushed by then so the sharing of information was crammed. Unfortunate luck of the draw - there was massive return of tours all at once and the terminal building was slammed. Long lines, stagnant air and people worried about missing dinner and later tours made for some testy moments. It took about an hour to go through the X-ray machine, immigration and then the gangway to reboard the ship. I spoke with the crew and they said the first trip had not been like this and it was just a timing thing with all the tours returning simultaneously. They left staggered and were supposed to return staggered- but a passing storm during the afternoon delayed a couple so they all got back at once. Subsequent trips back ashore were easy and met with no delays debarking or returning.

We did the Top 10 tour one day and the Classic Car tour the next. I highly recommend both. There was a small level of overlap between the two tours- but each guide brought their own perspective so it didn't even feel redundant.

Just back from a 4 day to Havana, Cuba aboard the Carnival Paradise. Cuba was amazing and we are just thrilled to have had the opportunity to go there. If you're thinking about it or on the fence- take the trip - you won't regret it.

The Carnival Paradise was our first ship nearly 20 years ago and were happy to see how well she's held up. While clearly an older ship- she has aged better than some of the other Fantasy class ships we have recently sailed.

Glad to answer questions about Cuba and/or the Paradise.

We cruised last year on the Carnival Liberty for New Years Eve and Christmas decorations were still up. We boarded on 12/29.

How about Alchemy on the Glory? Who's mixing?

And I have a second question- are the Christmas decorations still up on a New Years cruise? Doing the 3 day on the Valor 12/29

We are pretty easy going folks particularly on a cruise and very seldom complain about service and on the rare occasion that we do - it's more in hopes of providing a learning opportunity for those involved. We have respect and admiration for how hard the staff and crew work aboard ships, so always try to let service issues have some leeway. Having cruised often we know sometimes it's the luck of the draw and as someone stated- you sometimes get the short straw.

We did not mention our service issues as this was our first cruise aboard Princess and in the one case our first night in the main dining room -therefore we had no baseline expectation. Service was slow all nights we attended the Allegro Dining Room. We typically build a nice connection with our servers over the course of the cruise. This just did not happen this trip. Several staff did make positive impressions including the bartenders at Bellini's, our waitstaff at Alfredo's and the hostess in Horizon Court at breakfast. Overall however, we have found the crew in Carnival to be far more friendly with just as good if not better service.

These are only our opinions and respect that others feel differently. I have tried to give specific examples to back up our opinions, but realize some will still disagree.

It would seem picking a shorter cruise as our introduction was a mistake. Length of cruise should not impact the service, but appears in this instance it may have.

After wanting to try Princess Cruise Lines for several years we finally embarked on our inaugural Princess cruise aboard the Royal Princess to celebrate my wife's birthday. We chose the 5 day leaving Fort Lauderdale on 10/22 (her actual birthday). We are 49 and now- 56 - cruise regularly but have built our loyalty through Carnival and enjoy the perks as returning cruisers.

We knew there would be no perks as first time cruisers. Embarkation was a snarled mess as the Royal Princess had just returned to the states from the summer in Europe. Added inspections and safety drills delayed boarding by several hours. Frustrating, but certainly no ones fault, just the reality of the situation.

The ship is beautiful. Entering into the ground level of the piazza you are immediately met with the grandness and the beauty of the Royal Princess. One of our favorite hangouts during the trip was the Bellini bar located on deck 6 which opened to the piazza and was near Alfredo's and the casino. Special mention to Nemo and Julio who were pleasant and kept our glasses filled throughout the cruise.

Here is where my praise ends for there was very little that impressed us with either the Royal Princess or Princess Cruise Lines overall.

After hearing and reading many reviews on Princess we were optimistic. Generally we found the service to be below what we traditionally receive on Carnival. We ate in the Allegro dining room early seating. Our booking documentation stated 6:00pm but when we arrived, our cards stated 5:30 pm. When we asked for clarification, we were told -"oh the doors open at 5:30, but you can come at 6:00pm. We had signed up for a table of 10 as we like to meet new people and looked for further clarification on when would our table mates arrive so that we wouldn't be waiting or keep others waiting. A clear answer was not received. Despite requesting 6:00 pm dining and being assured that's what we had- each night when we showed up well before 6:00 - we were always the last to arrive with everyone else already have ordered.

Service was abysmal. Our waiter was little assistance throughout the cruise. The first night we were only a group of 6 having arrived well before 6. Our orders were not complicated or difficult merely including appetizers, salads, entrees and coffee/dessert. Pretty standard. At approximately 7:50 the maitre de approached our table and asked us politely to leave so that the table could be turned for the late seating. I certainly understand - but in nearly 50 cruises on many different lines - this has NEVER happened to us. Having ordered the beverage package we were drinking wine by the glass during dinner. Another couple at the table had ordered a nice bottle of wine that they stated they could enjoy on multiple nights. After a very long period with an empty glass my wife inquired of our waiter where our refills were. Out table mate graciously offered my wife some from their bottle. The waiter quickly poured it for her. When I stated that I would prefer to wait for the glass I had ordered- he protested why didn't I just drink theirs? Once again I have NEVER experienced anything like this. We are easy-going folks, who are polite and congenial with the utmost respect for the hard-working staff and crew aboard cruise ships. We have reasonable expectations - but have never had such slow, sub-standard experience in a main dining room. As for the food, the menus were interesting with nice options and choices. The food however was no better than any other cruise line we have experienced. We had heard often times that food on Princess was superior to that of Carnival and other lines. This was not our perception at all. We ate daily at the Horizon Court for breakfast, enjoyed Alfredo's and the Wheelhouse each one day for lunch and the main dining room for dinner. To celebrate my wife's birthday, we did enjoy the Ultimate Balcony Dinner one evening. It turned out unfortunately to be a windy/stormy evening - so much so that the deck party planned for later on was moved inside while we were setting up. The wind on the balcony and gusting through the cabin each time they opened the door was an unfortunate distraction. Beyond anyone's control - but nonetheless impacting the experience.

My other large complaint came from Passenger Services. I am a long time Carnival Corporation stockholder. As such I've always enjoyed the onboard credit given to shareholders. In over 40+ sailings with Carnival, I've never once had a single issue receiving the credit. I did not receive the credit on Princess. I submitted my forms and supporting documentation well in advance of the cruise. I received an updated booking showing the credit on my account. The credit then dropped off. I spoke early on in the cruise to representatives at Passenger Services and provided copies of the documentation showing the credit on my account. All I received in return were excuses and platitudes about how they would look into it. Daily visits to Passenger Services yielded no results- just more attempts to "assure me they were looking into it." This coupled with $100 credit on my booking summary that I was told would be applied to my shipboard account which wasn't - made it clear that Princess is not ethical when dealing with its passengers. I am a financial professional in my career and understand financial institutions and their attempts to explain to a finance professional why they couldn't credit my account were patronizing and insulting.

We are friendly folks and chatted many people up during our 5 day cruise. Several times the conversation would turn to discussing the cruise itself. When we expressed our disappointment over service issues and our general lack of enthusiasm for Princess, we were surprised how dismissive folks would be when we said we still prefer Carnival. I understand brand loyalty - but we were careful not to knock down or criticize Princess, but more suggest Carnival met our needs better. Several times we were met with attitude that was just not necessary or appropriate.

Did we have a good cruise? Of course we did. Beautiful ship, great ports and pleasant weather. Will we try Princess again? Probably not.

I'm glad we gave it a try and glad too that we have confirmed what aspects are important to us.

I'll be glad to answer questions about the ship or our experience if anyone is interested.

Thank you!

Sorry to keep asking so many questions- but we are Princess newbies. With Carnival, each guest is able to bring aboard one bottle of wine- does Princess do the same? We have a bottle of champagne that we would like to bring for early morning mimosas.

Thoughts?

Longtime Carnival cruiser - so familiar with submitting to them for the OBC. Hoe do you request the stockholder credit for Princess?

We will aboard the Royal Princess celebrating my wife's birthday. This will be our first time on Princess. Looking to mark the occasion festively so need advice which speciality dining experience everyone recommends. We could only book a mini-suite which at this point is unassigned. The dinner on the balcony sounds fun- but our experience on other cruise lines makes me think that would be a bit cramped.

If anyone can recommend what they think would make for a special birthday, please share your thoughts.

Many thanks in advance!

We are in the exact same situation for the exact same cruise. We normally get assignment about a week out of the cruise. Once I got the assignment the night before the cruise. Just recently I received my cabin assignment and a huge upgradefour months before the cruise. I hope to see you on board.

 

 

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This will be our first time on Princess- really looking forward to the Royal Princess. We will be celebrating my wife's birthday on embarkation day!

What part of North Carolina are you from? We know it well.

First time Princess cruiser here, booked a mini-suite for upcoming sailing aboard the Royal Princess. Cruise is 3 weeks from this Saturday. We have booked a guarantee or "to be assigned" cabin.

Can anyone share when assignments take place? I know with Carnival we have typically had an assignment this close to sailing.

No faster to the Fun on Princess. But, the difference in boarding time between priority boarders and those without is maybe 30 mins. Assuming you are boarding at Ft. Lauderdale. Arrive at the pier around 10:30/11:00am. After going through security and check in you will be shown to a waiting area upstairs. You will be grouped in order of arrival. Around noon maybe a little earlier boarding will begin with priority boarders including passengers with special needs, full suite, Captain's Circle Elite & Platinum, then general boarding in the order of arrival at the pier. Once boarding begins it goes quickly and you should be on board by 12:30. Go directly to your cabin it will be ready.

 

Royal Princess:

On boarding day there is one DR open for lunch from noon to 1:30. Other options include Alfredo's, International Cafe, The largest and best buffet in the fleet, and by the pool the Grill and pizza by the slice.

 

Do try Alfredo's. It's free waiter served pizza, calzone, salads, antipasto and dessert, open every day 11am to 11pm.

The International Cafe in the Piazza is open 24/7 and is free. A great place for any meal or just a snack.

Vines has good wine by the glass.

The All Inclusive Beverage Package is $56.35/pp/day and includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages on the ship priced $10 and under. This is about 95% of all drinks. It is unlimited drinks, no time limits and everyone in the cabin is not required to purchase, but there is no sharing. Excludes room service and a few other minor things.

There is also a soda package that includes unlimited fountain soft drinks and other non alcoholic beverages (not bottled water) at $8.05/day.

Like espresso drinks consider the coffee card.

The Retreat Pool is adults only.

I like to eat outside on the Horizon Terrace after getting my meal in the buffet area.

The buffet is very large, wander around to get an idea of everything that is available. In the morning the have a fresh made omelette station, and some theme meals at night.

Read the Princess Patter each day. The information is also available for smart devices. Visit the internet cafe to load the app.

There are a number of upcharge dining experiences. Crown Grill, Sabatini's at $29/pp. Make reservations after boarding by calling the DINE line or visiting the restaurant. Crab Shack, held some evenings in an area of the buffet, $29/pp. Foundue's also held one evening in the buffet area, $29/pp. You will see tables around to make reservations or you can call the DINE line. There is also a Chef's Table, Wine Maker's Dinner and Ultimate Balcony Dinner or Breakfast. Sign up on boarding day.

Lots of live music in the evening in various locations.

Just what we were looking for! Thank you very much!