hm9912

12 hours ago, CyndiColorado said:

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess last March, and found that ALL bars (except the Casino and SkyWalkers) were pretty much done at 11pm.  While we're not the type to stay out until 2am, we can make it to midnight or so most of the time.  Should we expect the same on the Royal Princess?  I've seen several references to Club 6 ... does it stay lively after 11pm?

On our 49 day cruise on the Royal last year I was never up at 11PM so I have no idea.

There was however a large group of us at the International Cafe beginning around 4:30 AM having a good time

Howard

1 hour ago, Grego said:

There are normally more negative reviews than positive because folks like to find fault rather than taking the time to acknowledge what is working well.

We have been on multiple Medallion voyages including the first soft roll out on the Regal Princess.  In all our 6 voyages with the Medallion we had no issues with it.  The apps worked well on all the Mac platforms whether it be a MacBook Air or Pro, iPad or iPhone.  It may not be entirely intuitive the first time unless time was spend actually looking at the various tutorials provided by Princess to help lead through the set up.

Agreeably, the whole capability of the Medallion is beyond the needs of a lot of passengers which should not provide a negative.  For the rest of the folks there is a lot of really neat features, with more to come, that make having the Medallion on the voyage a even greater experience.

 

Well said!

We were on the Regal last month for one week and I had no problem with it. I was Ocean Ready and our boarding was the quickest ever. The DW and I do our own thing and the use of the Medallion made it easy to locate each other. She is not so much Ocean Ready just getting over getting rid of her flip phone for an IPhone.

This thread is almost as amusing as the one with the barrel chairs.

Reminds me of years ago when the NYC subway got rid of tokens and went to the Metro Card.

Lots of complaints over the use of cards and now the cards are slowly being discontinued and you'll have to use a smartphone or a credit card. I'm sure there will be similar complaints. Some of them no doubt from some of the CC members here?

I don't live in Florida but I finally got a Sun Pass as for some reason Florida does not accept EZ Pass like most other states.

People need to get with the program and accept the future changes.

To those that do not care for a Medallion just request a cruise card. That is until they phase those out in a few years or charge extra for them.

Howard

On 12/30/2019 at 5:21 PM, Debate said:

Anyone done the Ultimate Balcony Dinner for 2?  Does it include wine?  How was it?  We want to do the Chefs Table but understand it’s not scheduled until we board.   Do you have to schedule the Balcony dinner before you board? Our luck they’d be the same night if we prescheduled! 

We enjoyed our UBD and do not remember if wine was one of the choices but it did include cocktails before the dinner.

It also included flowers,canapes, and was a delicious dinner

This photo is from the Chef's Table which is also a wonderful experience

Howard

8 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

Its interesting because I find most of these changes to be a huge plus! I couldn't attend the big events when they had balloon drops becuase i am critically allergic to latex. I'm thrilled they are gone. Getting rid of things that are single use is environmentally friendly and the more we can mitigate the impact we have on the environment the better. Bar soap us LOADED with bacteria and the very thought of it grosses me out. They also arent reusable so the u used parts just get dumped in a landfill. I sometimes miss the free paper but I know most of the papers went unread and I like knowing there is less waste. I subscribe to the online New York Times at home, I can read online on vacation too. 

What princess has done by making many of these changes is reduce plastic usage, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, reduce water usage and stop serving ethically questionable food. Hooray for these changes. I hope they make more.

Thank you for your well written post. Many here do not remember the huge midnight buffet from years ago where much of that food ended up in the trash. I'm not sorry to see that one go also. Many of the complainers should just migrate to Regency or Viking and leave the Festivus on Princess to the rest of us.

Howard

14 hours ago, ltthib said:

We have received a Christmas gift of a balcony dining from son and his wife. We are in an inside cabin what happens?

You can choose the outrigger bar or another location

On 12/19/2019 at 10:08 AM, dickinson said:

If I remember correctly on both our European cruise (Royal Princess) we had BBC, Fox News, MSNBC, maybe CNN. We also had ESPN. 

We had those channels on the Royal going around South America earlier this year except for CNN.

With Medallion net I was able to watch local news out of New York utilizing my Slingbox

Good time to book a cruise on Carnival.

Probably a good discount on a slightly damaged  inside cabin with a view?

16 hours ago, tampadee said:

We’re leaving soon on Regal princess and I want to know if there is a night light in the bathroom.

No there is not!

I bought quite a few of these on Amazon and use them on cruises, hotels, and have them in each of the grandchildren's rooms and hallway so they can find their way to the bathroom if they wake up during the night.

Royal Princess Bathroom Night Light

Howard

We drove to Florida before Thanksgiving for a Dec 1st cruise on the Regal

We told Princess not to ship our Medallions and we picked them up at the pier.

We had the fastest embarkation experience on Princess that we ever had.

We were on line for the dining room lunch at 11:50 AM

The Medallions worked very well and it was nice to be able to open the cabin door without having to stick a card in the slot or even touch the Medallion.

You can also locate others in your party with the Ocean App

Howard

On 12/12/2019 at 8:29 PM, hllwdcruiser said:

 

I just love your description of how you spend your days. Sounds absolutely perfect. 49 days you say? And here I am worried about a mere 16!

The best part was meeting the Penguins at the Falkland Islands

Howard

On 12/5/2019 at 8:50 PM, cruisinsoooon said:

We will be cruising in a few months, the first time with Medallion Net.  I’ve looked for experiences using Medallion Net for streaming shows and music, but haven’t been able to find discussions.  Princess says streaming will work for shows and music, but I’m a bit leary.  Has anybody REALLY been able to listen to streaming music such as Apple Music or XM Radio?  

I was on the Regal Princess from Dec 1st to the 8th. Had no problem using my slingbox to watch local news in the early morning and listen briefly to NY  WCBS 880 on the radio.com app

Read the New York Times at the International Cafe while enjoying the free best brewed regular coffee prior to 6AM while enjoying the apple turnovers and the banana nut bread.

Howard

Just off the Regal on Dec 8th and FWIW the Medallion worked fine. We did not have ours shipped to us but picked up our Medallions at the Ft Lauderdale pier. Our boarding experience was the best as this was our 13th Princess cruise.

No problem using Ocean Compass either. Internet speed was fine and watched my local news on my IPhone using my slingbox.

Not sure why so many are complaining?

Howard

She will probably be ok. The cabin steward will offer the best solution

Our 2 1/2 year old grand daughter was sleeping in a bed in a mini suite for the first time. She rolled out of bed on to pillows placed on the floor and never woke up.

Rolled out of bed and never woke up_3155[/] by

Perhaps your 25 year old grand daughter will have a similar happy experience?

Howard

This one has always worked for me

IMG_3761 by

Howard

On 12/10/2019 at 9:30 PM, hllwdcruiser said:

This will be a bucket list cruise celebrating a milestone birthday. We'll be flying from FLL to Europe for two weeks in the fall 2021 and rather than fly back we hope to sail home on a transatlantic. I'm leaning towards the new Royal Class ships as opposed to a sailing offered on the Island.

 

Except for Alaska, we usually hop on a last minute cruise in the Caribbean, normally never for more than a week and always in a balcony cabin. We opt for a larger balcony (aft and Forward on Royal class, Caribe on Grand class) and don't really care about the size of the cabin as we spend so much time outside. 

 

Here's my quandary: I'm thinking that being on a ship in the fall, a larger cabin, like a mini. may be more important so as not to feel claustrophobic especially if we are stuck inside during inclement weather. 

 

Or maybe not. Am I overthinking it? Do we need a balcony at all? Would a regular sized cabin and oceanview do just fine? 

 

I know that all of this is subjective but I'd really appreciate the opinions of those of you (seasoned Princess cruisers) who have sailed numerous Transatlantics in different categories. 

 

We've had cabins all over the ship and never get sick so midship location is not a factor. The only category we won't consider is an inside as having natural light is a non-negotiable. We would also love to stay in a full suite but alas (!) that category is beyond our budget.

 

Also - can you fill me in on what you do during all those sea days? DH is worried that it will get boring although I can't think of anything better than endless days at sea! 

 

I'm hoping to book during the Best Sale Ever if the price is right.

The best part of sea days is doing absolutely nothing

I like to walk on the track a mile or two while still dark as it gets light and watch the sunrise. This is after a snack at the international cafe where they have the best regular coffee that is free until 6AM when the horizon court opens. The coffee there is horrible as it is the dining room.

Usually join the DW for a light breakfast in the dining room around 7 or 7:30.

Then time for a short nap

Sometimes there are photography seminars which I attend. Before you know it it is time for lunch.

After lunch time for another snooze in a shady spot near the pool

Before you know it it is time for dinner. (We eat early to make the first show) If you don't get to the theater early you may not find a seat.

The days just flew by on our 49 day cruise earlier this year and before we knew it it was time to pack up and go home.

Howard

16 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Why another cutback thread?  🙁

Why not post some of the great things about Princess for a change?    🤔

We now get a Medallion to wear around our necks to take home at the end of the cruise. 🙂

I  bring a small digital lighted clock

On 8/23/2019 at 8:54 AM, fatcattravel said:

Wanted to find out if anyone has done the chefs table dining experience on Princess? Thinking about doing it on the Sky Princess. Thanks for your input!

I haven't done it yet on the Sky Princess but will try it on that ship next year.

I've done it three times on the Caribbean Princess, The Regal Princess, and the Royal Princess.

I now sign up on every cruise

Worth every penny IMHO and what else would one do for three hours?

Howard

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Check it out

Howard

40 minutes ago, cruisegal415 said:

Help a newbie understand this.  I was thinking of upgrading to a mini suite, we are currently in a balcony midship on deck 14, starboard side.  When you talk about privacy issues and people looking in, what do you mean? Is there a promenade around the deck? If we have a balcony, doesn't the balcony overlook the ocean? When people talk of people being able to walk by and look in, I picture the courtyard balcony rooms like on the large RCCL ships in the courtyard, but those are interior balconies.  Do I need to worry about my balcony room on deck 14? It's R445 if that helps.

You definitely do not want especially 2 1/2 year old's holding on to their ice cream looking down into your cabin.

BTW on our first day she would not step on the glass block but by the second day with ice cream there was no more problem on the sky walk

Howard

On 10/23/2019 at 9:46 AM, camper49 said:

Are there any mini suite locations that you would avoid on Regal Princess?

Only the one being occupied by our three grandchildren

Howard

We received our Medallion towards the end of our 49 day South American cruise on the Royal Princess earlier this year and it worked just fine.

Howard

Although we spent seven weeks and 49 days on the Royal Princess earlier this year going around South America,  I  was unable to make it to Antarctica. As others have mentioned it was quite a pricey trip with no guarantee of a refund if cancelled due to weather.

The highlight for us was the Falkland Islands and able to spend time with the Penquins.

Howard

On 9/30/2019 at 1:04 PM, idahospud said:

The best Wake Show is done by Matt O'. No one even comes close. He's highly entertaining and engaging, just like he is around the ship. He's currently on the Royal Princess.

Agreed

He was on our 7 week 49 day cruise around South America earlier this year and we loved him

Howard

2 hours ago, brentb03 said:

I tried searching and did not find anything. Are there any bedside power outlets for an Interior Cabin on the Regal Princess?

 

TIA

There were outlets in our mini suite on the Regal. I'm sure there is at least one in an interior cabin

Howard