jrzebird

Any idea why they didn't want the cruise ships? Seems like that would be good for local businesses and tourism.

 

Tom

My son lives in SC and I asked him this same question not too long ago. Basically, while the pier is right down town and beautiful, it can't really accommodate a large cruise ship. Also, they have very strict rules to protect the marshes and waterways. I think there was a third reason, but I can't remember it right now.

Last time I was down there, there was a P&O ship in port, very small. I've often considered taking the Princess repo that goes from Canada down to Florida, with a stop in Charleston. Maybe someday, when I grow tired of doing the repo from New York, which is probably never. :D

Maureen

Are there any live bands that play 70's 80's music at night?? This is our first time cruising with Princess. I've read that there is a string quartet, Dj playing music and deck parties also with a Dj. My DH and I like to sit and listen to live bands play after dinner. We leave in a couple of weeks. Thanks in advance!

Yes there are several live bands and one in particular often focuses on 70's and 80's music. I just spent 15 days on the Regal and for the life of me, I can't remember any of the names of the bands. But, the music was great, lots of dancing and a great party feeling in the Piazza. You're going to love it!

Maureen

On the Royal Princess in Jan. 2015.

This is what I got (Lotus spa lotion 2 Fl. Oz. Created exclusively for: Princess Cruises)

Tony

I just got off the Regal last Sunday and the above is an accurate description of the lotion. I found it very nice and highly effective. If you need more, just ask.

As for the liquid soap and shampoo/conditioner, I hate them. I either use the bar soap, which is nice, or bring a bar or bottle of soap. The shampoo/conditioner really stripped the color in my hair. I can't believe that I forgot mine.

Maureen

I've only had 2 cruises where the HW didn't stop every evening, and often would stop and say hi in the buffet at lunch. When the HW doesn't stop by on a regular basis, I am not inclined to tip him at the end, and don't. However, one the best I've ever had was on Princess, about 6 years ago. Claudio, I'll never forget how awesome he was. I think Princess has a great staff, with very few exceptions.

Maureen

I share others concerns about rough seas and would love to know what to expect. I have seriously considered not going as I know once you are on board , you are stuck. I have travel insurance but do not think it will cover unless the cruise line cancels which I know they will not. Any thoughts

Trust me, Princess will not put you or its multi-million dollar ship and crew in danger. Might it be a bit rocky -- yes. Bring ginger pills, motion sickness pills and the wrist bands. They all work great. I find that the wrist bands are the best. If you don't have time to get them, I believe that they are all sold onboard.

I was on the Sandy cruise, where we diverted from Bermuda to Boston. We had a few rocky moments, but the Captain did everything he could to avoid the really bad spots. That cruise and the b2b right after it were two of the best. I had been on the cruise the year before where we were trying to outrun Irene, and there were little to no issues.

Maureen

The captain just shared that we will be missing our call at Bar Harbor tomorrow due to weather.

 

Instead we will arrive @Boston tomorrow at3:30pm and will overnight there leaving at 3:30pm on Thursday.

I'd be disappointed. Bar Harbor is one of my favorites. Very tranquil. Oh well, better than bucking a storm. That's a tender port, as I recall.

I absolutely love the Canada/NE itinerary.

So, who is the piano man in Crooners? I board the Regal on 10/24.

Maureen

On the five-day Regal after the repositioning cruise, we will have 4 ladies, who are published authors of romance novels. Should be interesting.

We are sailing on Caribbean Princess with Rob who is now diabetic. This will be his first cruise on Princess since the diagnosis and I wondered what is always available and what has to be pre-ordered.

 

On P&O they have diabetic cakes always available for afternoon tea and diabetic ice cream in the MDR but you can pre-order any dessert the night before.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few years ago. I watch what I eat when sailing (after all, it's up to me to make my choices and not the cruise line's), eat protein and fresh veggies. I go easy on fruit but still enjoy it. I have my small ice cream or gelato once or twice, and I do take my blood sugar at least once a day and am faithful to my metformin. Am I perfect, not by a long shot. AKman's advice is pretty much what I would say, and right on target. I'd add that walking as much as possible and perhaps some light gym work or energetic dancing will add to a successful food trip. The portion sizes for everything are perfect for maintaining a healthy blood sugar level. Have a wonderful time!

Oh one other thing, you can pre-alert the ship that you are diabetic and they will present you with a special menu each evening to select for the next night. I haven't done this because I was told by someone (no idea if it's true) they they pretty much subsisted on fish, chicken and salads for 2 weeks. Your choice.

Maureen

Bert with an E is our favorite entertainer.......We usually sit in the piano bar each evening and thoroughly enjoy him.....we still quote him "2 fer"

Tom Franek is my favorite so far on Princess. He's a bit like Bert, but also has an amazing side of his show that highlights his extremely amazing talent and musicality. I can't recall the name of the pianoman on last year's repo from NYC to Ft Lauderdale, be he was very good. Funny, entertaining and a great singer.

However, the best piano man I've ever seen was on HAL. Jimmy Maddox is, beyond a doubt, the most amazing and talented of them all. I've sailed with him a couple of times, on purpose, and if I book another HAL cruise it will be on a ship where he's appearing.

Maureen

We're sailing soon too and I printed out our luggage tags. I noticed that Princess is not putting the Captain's Circle loyalty level on the tags anymore. It just says Welcome Aboard. When we were on the Ocean Princess in 2014 it did have the loyalty level on the luggage tag. Just curious. I thought, and maybe I thought incorrectly, that the luggage was sorted based on the loyalty level.

I don't think that is the case. The luggage is generally sorted by area on the ship. Makes it much easier to deliver. Why would they sort it by loyalty level?

Maureen

I have had experience on the CB, LOTS of it, as you can see from my list of cruises below. I LOVE the CB. I pretty much always have Traditional dining because I'm a solo cruiser and enjoy eating with the same people (usually), and having the same waitstaff. The food on the CB is awesome. Service the best.

All that being said, last year I had a short cruise on her and I did anytime dining. I had several friends also sailing so it was fine. This October and November I have a b2b and have booked anytime once again. This time on the Regal. I decided to make this cruise one where I do things I don't normally do. Eat in the Horizon Court (never done this for dinner), Crab Shack, Alfredos, maybe even room service one night.When I choose traditional, I always feel as if I must stay there. Now I have more freedom (this is all in my head, your realize). And I can eat when I want as well as where. Make it an adventure!

Smell, what smell? To the best of my knowledge, this has not been an issue when I've been on the CB. Maybe there's a brief period of stinkiness, but I had that on the Royal Princess and the HAL ships I have sailed too, but not a along lasting issue.

Most complaints are non-issues to me. There was a laundry list of problems people found when the Royal Princess first sailed. Things like, no center stairs above Deck 7, no walk around promenade (you CAN do your walk on the top deck), balconies too small, and worst of all, the toilet paper holder is set too far back (they should have been in the hotel room I was just in when I was in Atlanta!). A lot of people, mostly those who hadn't even sailed her yet, swore they would never sail her. All of these things should not be a determinant or ruin a cruise. As I said, they were non-issues to me. So when you read reviews ask yourself if any of the things people complain about are all that important to your overall enjoyment, and whether you choose to believe the small percentage or the majority consensus. Also, when you check the reviews, please note that it's always the same people (for the most part) complaining

Maureen

Explorers lounge also spilled out into the passageway. Take it easy guys. This was merely MY experience, not trying to convince anyone they are wrong.

I also say go for it! And particularly go for this cruise! I'll be on it and so will a large number of fun people, ready to celebrate Halloween with costumes, a dinner party and lots of fun.

I was on the Royal last year and the lack of center staircase was a non-issue. I never had to wait for an elevator when I used the forward elevators. Club 6 didn't really appeal to me and I never attended at night.

Princess Live isn't bad, just different. Prior to the Royal Class, when things were held in Explorers Lounge, I could never get seat. In PL, I haven't had a problem, and I can sit in a comfortable seat with no line of sight issues.

I sail solo and almost always book insides. The side facing cabins are great.

Hope to see you for Halloween. Please come and check our Roll call. Great group of people.

Maureen

The biggest danger to any ship is fire. The problem I have with those that say they are "safe", this is self accessed and I do not want to be at the mercy of someone that wants convenience.

 

Doug

Doug, I agree with you. They aren't making the rules so we can see how we can circumvent them and smuggle a coffee pot on board. Like speed limits, we can ignore them going around a curve, but it doesn't always work as planned. The limit is set for a reason, and I don't have to know what it is.

Several years ago I realized that I didn't have to have a cup of coffee the second I got up. I would love it if I could bring my Keurig with me. There aren't even any grounds to worry about. However, the coffee in the IC is soo good, I'd rather have that.

Maureen

We don't completely unpack - I would never put undies on a shelf or in a draw unless in a plastic bag.

You don't have to put your undies on a shelf or in a drawer unprotected. The packing cubes, or even the large packing plastic bags, take care of that problem. I switched to packing cubes last year, and LOVE them. Everything is all neat and easy to find. And, as Pam said, it takes about 5 minutes to completely unpack, including toiletries.

Maureen

I'm still miffed from 3 pages ago. I'm referring to a couple of comments about loyalty levels cruise cards. My first 2 cruises on Princess I either carried my card in my pocket or pocketbook. However, I also tended to stick my cell phone in the same pocket without even thinking and constantly deactivated the card. So, during my 2nd Princess cruise I bought a lanyard and have used one since. I don't use it to flash my status (I'm Elite) or try to impress anyone. I do it because I always know where the card is, I also put my drivers license and some cash in there when in port, and I don't have to visit customer service several times a day to get a new card.

Why would you think I use a nerdy lanyard to impress anyone with my status? What those who said that served to do was insult me and and everyone who uses one. You don't know me, yet you've judged me, and I don't appreciate it.

Maureen

As others have said, it is. And, hopefully you will, because you will be pleasantly surprised. We certainly were. :cool:

I enjoyed the Horizon Court, the selections and seating, so much, that I decided to switch from Traditional Dining to Anytime and use the HC more often. Also, that will give me an opportunity to avail myself of the Crab Shack and other specialty dining without feeling guilty for ditching my tablemates in traditional. I was on the Royal last year and will be on the Regal this year. This class of ship and most of what she offers is a perfect fit for me. There are a few features I wish were different, but most I love, and the buffet was an amazing surprise.

Also, they had salmon on the breakfast buffet. It's one of my favorites.

Maureen

Thanks for everyone's reply's. I hear that some people would like to have a DVD that shows the ports that one visited. What if they gave you 2 DVD's, one showing the ports that you visited along with some tours plus another one that showed events around the ship. For those of us that like the DVD shot around the ship having the 2 DVD's could offer both.

 

Tom:)

Often, they do have a few specific videos. One of ports, one of shipboard activities and another with both.

On my repo/Halloween cruise last year, on the Royal, the videographer was amazing. The video had high production qualities and was perfectly edited. It was the first CD I've bought in a long time and I've actually watched it a few times.

Maureen

What is the Tea Tower? We will be on Regal in October. Do they also have it? I am a tea lover!!!

I'm a tea lover too (except for my morning cappuccino) and I particularly like my sleepytime tea before bed. So, I bring my own. It's exactly what I like and they don't carry it on the ship. I also have a personal blend that I carry, together with my steeper! But maybe I'll check out the tea tower this year. Seems they customize blends for you.

Here's a blurb about the tower:

Featuring a tea sommelier and a choice of 250 blends, tea lovers will revel in Regal Princess’ unique tea tower located in the ship’s central Piazza. Here guests can enjoy pre-blended tea varieties or create their own custom flavors. The ship’s tea sommelier, an expert on tea blends, hosts tea tasting events and a new Regal Afternoon Tea Experience, inspired by some of the most famous tea spots in London.

Maureen

We like Lisa Ball!

I liked Lisa a lot last year on the Royal. She is very personable and by the time I was on the ship for a few days, it was like I had made a new friend. A great Ambassador for Princess.

I'm trying to decide if we want to do the organized tour with our friends or just see the ship and eat on our own. Can anyone tell me what you do and see on the organized ship tour?

 

Thanks

If you are referring to the UST, it is an amazing experience. It takes between 3 to 3 1/2 hours and is limited to the number of people on it. You register at the pursers desk and you'll be notified when it is. It is always held on one of the sea days. If there are more people registered than they can take, they have drawing to pick the participants.

I saw the medical center, laundry room (the big one), all areas of the kitchen, where we had a snack and had an ice carving demo; the anchor room; back stage at the theater and downstairs where we saw the costumes and props; the main room where the controls,computers, maps,etc.for the ship are kept, and it doesn't even have a window; the printing room, where all of the notices, memos, Patters, etc are printed; we climbed into the stacks and the went to the Bridge, where the Captain greeted us and gave us a tour of the Bridge. We share champaign and some other cocktails and amazing hors' d'oeuvres. We spent quite a bit of time up there. I'm fairly sure we saw other things but it's late and my mind stopped working. We received several gifts, including a wonderful, fluffy robe, personalized stationary, an apron and 8 awesome photos that were taken during our tour.

Well worth the $150.00.

The BVE is not that exciting and you can tour it yourself. Have a nice lunch with your friends.

Maureen

Well we are going to be on the Royal and I know the Regal and Royal are sisters but were there enhancements made to Regal's laundry which the Royal didn't get that speed up the turnaround time? I guess what I am trying to say is at this point of time I am interested in the Royal's laundry turnaround time, it will influence our packing.

I don't mean to sound like a wise guy, and I do realize that it's an Elite perc (I am Elite also), but may I suggest you pack as if it was a 24-36 hour turn around, and if it isn't, they have perfectly serviceable, easy to use, self-service laundry rooms on each floor in a pinch.

Maureen

The ones that you get added at coffee shops and the ones my DH is practically addicted to.

 

We use the sugar-free Torani but there are several brands.

 

Judging from various posts on CC, the syrup used to actually make the coffee for the dining venues is frequently held in low esteem. :eek: So we decided to get coffee cards but now I am wondering if I will need to find small bottles of our favorite flavors and have them in our cabin.

 

I often have a flavored latte instead of dessert - it satisfies my sweet tooth without being quite so high in sugar. I have almost given up diet pop but I am not willing to totally forgo my coffee treat. :D

Sorry. I misunderstood the question. I'm so used to topics on the liquid coffee, that was my first instinct. I'd bring my own if it's important to you.

By the way, the coffee that isn't specialty has improved immensely. It's close to very good. My opinion, of course. I do get my unflavored latte for my first cup though. :D

Maureen

Thanks for ANY INFORMATION!

 

I've read many bad things about Regal/Royal. I of course know some of the negatives about RCCL.

 

I'm so appreciative of all since my DH asked me : "So what do your friends on Cruise critic say?"

 

I need ALL OF YOU!;)

Gabrielle

I also read so many negatives and they made me hesitant to book. Then I realized that the things people complained about really were not a big deal, to me. i.e., I did not miss the center staircase one bit, not once. The stairs and elevators were equidistant from my mid-forward cabin; I stopped booking balcony cabins when I started sailing solo, so that was also a non-issue; I find that I miss some features, and love some of the newer innovations. I had seen photos before I boarded the Royal, but none of them prepared me for that WOW factor that she provides. The piazza alone is worth the price. The Horizon Court is another area that I find amazing.

As others have said, a lot of the things that some complain about are none issues to me. So, I would say that you have to decide what is important and what isn't, for you. For me, the petty stuff is not important. My favorite complaint is the placement of the toilet paper holder in cabins. Folks made it sound like you had to walk across the room to reach it. I'm heavy and short. I didn't have to bend my elbow to reach the TP, which is more than I can say for home!

There is so much to love on the Royal and I found myself at odds as to which activity to join. I also found that if you smile at people and say hi, 98% of the time, they react in a positive way.

Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff!

Maureen

After reading some related posts, it looked like there were no options for sugar-free coffee syrups as of last fall on the Crown Princess. Has this changed? I did see a post from this winter that another Princess ship offered 2 different options.

 

Thanks.

Are you sure the coffee syrup has sugar? That makes no sense. It's coffee, not like pre-made iced tea. I don't like sugar in my coffee, and I'm diabetic. I have never tasted sugar in my coffee. If it's really a concern, I would buy a coffee card and get fresh brewed.

Also, lattes etc., are made from fresh grounds, not syrup. If you have a flavor added, they do have sugar. Is that what you mean by coffee syrup? A regular latte/cappuccino should have espresso and milk .. skimmed for a skinny or whole for a regular. You can add your own sugar.

Maureen