crimsonbird

We just were in Baja 242. Its a mid forward cabin, and pretty convenient. Once on board, we discovered there was a connecting door. Ugh. However, happily, we never heard a sound. Advice, try to be as mid ship as possible. It's a long walk from one end of the ship to the other. Mid, or close to it, provides greater convenience to venues. By the time I walked to the fitness center, I didn't need to hop on the treadmill.

We have a mid afternoon flight back to the US from Barcelona. Is it necessary to book a private transfer, or can we just exit the terminal and hire a taxi?

We know E503 has an obstructed view, but are the balcony doors locked on sea days? One of the diagrams shows a symbol that indicates this type of closure. However, the rep at princess has no knowledge of this. Anyone with experience?

Nope.

Have the cabins been completely refurnished/refurbished? We sail later this week and I usually bring Lysol spray....but if its a virtually new cabin I might skip it. We'd love to know. Thanks soo much

It is so easy. Don't put your luggage out the night before. Instead be on line at 7 (or earlier) to walk off with your luggage. This eliminates trying to hunt it up in the terminal.

Check out the latest Royal Caribbean News from Cruise Critic:

 

Royal Caribbean to Refresh Jewel of the Seas and other Cruise News

Will there be a Park Cafe and, more importantly, to what extent will the cabins be renovated? We'll be in the Jewel for almost a month right after the redo, and are a bit concerned.

Crimson bird-

I checked out laundry room on Baja deck,no quarters needed. I am assuming all floors the same?Slide your cruise card. I didn't see a place for cash.

$3.00 to wash and save to dry.

Julie

Thank you, thank you.

Help. I'm packing to join the Ruby going to Hawaii and wonder if I need to bring shampoo and lotion. Please advise. We're in a standard balcony. Also - do I need to bring quarters for laundry? Thank you!

The terrain is hilly. Walking with bad knees and a cane will be a struggle. Yes, there are usually folks offering tours when you exit the terminal. Forget the free trolley. The last two times we were there, the trolley was no where to be seen. Advice - enjoy the beautiful sail in to San Juan - you will sail by El Morro fortress...really gorgeous from the water.

Is balcony hot? Never had an inside balcony. wondering what to expect since you might not get an ocean breeze.

The higher up you are, the more breeze. However, on deck 12, we found it very noisy at times from the children's pool.

I have a ruby princess question....do we need quarters for the washer/dryers ? No one seems to know for sure. Anyone out there with the right answer would be appreciated.

Have done some searches on the board which were helpful but it seems most of the threads were a few years old and didn't clearly address my query.

 

We are a group (20 people) travelling in January on Celebrity Silhouette having made the bookings six months ago and we are coming up on our final booking in a few days.

 

Since then one of the ladies in the group is now blessed and will be between 20-21 weeks along at the time of the cruise. Mother and baby are healthy, the doctor currently currently for sees no issue with travel and given that the pregnancy is less than 24 weeks the cruise line is okay as well.

 

Insurance has not yet been purchased (medical or trip cancellation) and we are trying to figure out what is possible.

 

If cancellation insurance is possible we will look at it but in the end can bare the cost of cancelling prior to the cruise if it comes to that if not feasible. What we would be most important is to try and have medical and evacuation insurance for the cruise itself.

 

Appreciate not all policies cover this and the fact that we aren't close to the booking date and nearing the final booking date all come into play.

 

Thanks in advance for everyone's assistance it's greatly appreciated.

I see you are from India. Assuming the pregnant woman is flying to the cruise - that adds another stressful element. I was just on the cruise where a healthy woman gave birth prematurely. She also had a doctor's clearance. It was a very, very bad situation - and continues to be delicate as far as the health of the baby. My advice, She should cancel her cruise. It's not worth the stress and the risk.

We are doing eastern on tomorrow's cruise!!!

Straight from the bridge just a short time ago.

Rick and Deirdra

Thank you so much. fantastic! We are on the 8/30 cruise and have been going slightly nuts with the forecasts and changes and more changes. Wanted to go to the coach outlet in San Juan - and now I will! Regards

Here's a copy of my itinerary & tour page and there's nothing highlited for a tour.

 

 

 

We'll be traveling on the Ruby in November. Did you use the washing machines onboard? Does one need coins AND laundry detergent....or is the detergent automatically dispensed at no added cost? Thanks

Three adults in a princess inside cabin would be very tight indeed. The upper bunk comes over the queen bed.....picture a roof....there is no room to walk around the bed at all. Even when the upper bed is closed, it's hard to negotiate....especially at night, in the dark.

It might work if you were cruising with a little child.....might...might...

There will be at least 2-3 lecturers on a variety of subjects. It'll depend on the lecturers. Each will give multiple lectures, usually daily each. I've seen everything from retirement planning to marine biology to the origins of fable stories. Unfortunately, the absolute best, John Maxtone-Graham passed away recently. :( There will also be a variety of activities ranging from craft get-togethers to dance classes to mahjong, etc.

First of all-

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY !

 

:D

 

I'm going to answer your questions in regards to the differences from Celebrity.

 

 

 

 

You are going to LOVE the Royal.

The Piazza area is beautiful and there is always something going on.

Make sure to eat in Alfredos! It's free and delicious.

Also, you can still have a nice , quiet sit down lunch in one of the MDRs on embarkation day - no need to go to the buffet.

Unlike Celebrity, you can go straight to your cabin and drop off your carry on before going to lunch.

You will just love the warm, caring staff on the Royal. :D

We've sailed on Celebrity transatlantic voyages, and always enjoy the lecture series that take place during the day on a variety of topics. This last sailing were two remarkable lecture series on Spain and another on crime in Los Angeles. We currently have a reservation for a transatlantic on the Royal Princess, but can find no mention of lectures taking place during the sailing. Are we missing something?

Also - does anyone know when the Royal will be having a refurb? If so, what type of refurb is planned.

PLEASE remember NOT TO USE your cabin or suite number for your safe code !!

If you have valuables you can also have jewelry etc put in the ships vault at no cost.

The safe's are very small but we don't take much of value either but we do use the safe for jewelry, passports and some money. My camera is tiny and I carry it most of the time. YES doors are left open while the cabin is being cleaned and I suppose thieves would watch for that.

Never had a problem on a cruise.

Happy cruising everyone. I will be setting sail in about 7 weeks on Grandeur.:D

My husband had a set of gold cuff links stolen from a RCCL cruise ship. Granted he was careless when getting dressed for a final formal night. He didn't use those cuff links, but left them out in a closed box marked 14k.

We didn't realize the loss until we were home. Lesson learned.

We are just off Celebrity Equinox transatlantic, where a guest was "arrested" for stealing. The third floor cabin was guarded 24/7 by security, and when we arrived at our first port, the offender was removed from the ship. It just demonstrates that one never knows the motives of other travelers. With thousands of guests, there is a good chance of a bad apple.

Does any1 know what the current movies that r being run on the ships? Hubby and I enjoy watching the movies on the big screen and I heard they upgraded the selection we're going in 3 weeks and we're just curious thanks!

It would be great to know the movies - and is there captioning for the hearing impaired?

My DH and I like to read and relax in the shade. Where are the best spots for this? Also, suggestions for first lunch - in a quieter atmosphere than the buffet would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all,

Does anyone know about a Princess shuttle to/from Zeebrugge and Blankenberge ?

 

How often do they go from Zeebrugge to Blankenberge ? Cost ? Where do you purchase tickets? On the ship?

 

On the return, how often do they go from Blankenberge back to Zeebrugge?

 

I have been trying to find out details. I read about the fact that there is a Princess shuttle, but no details on purchasing tickets or the return info.

 

thanks,

Steve

There is nothing to see in either locations. The shuttle just takes one out of the port. There is a train that some folks take into Brugge...but it's much less confusing to just take transportation from the ship, or a cab, directly into Brugge.

The reciprocity fee was $160 per person. Pretty steep!

Where and when does one pay the fee? Thanks.

Sorry for the funky font issue; I was copying and pasting from Word and I'm obviously missing something in the translation!

You didn't mention the tax when you arrived in BA. We took this cruise 4 years ago, when there was no entry tax, but heard there may be a tax now. Since we plan on doing this cruise again, we were wondering what the status was. Please advise and thanks.

Thanks for your reports on this, I've read it all as we are taking a similar trip next year.

 

Just one question regarding the weather. How much of the trip was cold and how much was temperature or warm?

 

Thanks

When I look back on our outdoor photos of this trip 4 years ago - we were wearing fleece and quilted jackets for most of the trip. Bring headwarmers and gloves too. It's warmish the first couple of days in BA and Montevidao, and then it cools down. Remember too, that when the ship is moving, the chill increases. Hope this helps.