Apple5

Having just returned from Koningsdam, I can now answer my own question. Yes, the coffees in the Grand Dutch Cafe are included in the Quench beverage package as are all the coffees in the Explorations Cafe, including the iced variety and bottles of Vitamin Water. Note, however, that non-alcoholic beer is not included in the Quench beverage package even though we enquired at one bar and were told it was, we were charged a massive $7.99 for a bottle in the Lido Market and Customer Services would not remove the charge (and it wasn't very nice either).

We did this excursion last week from Koningsdam and really enjoyed it. There were about 30 people in total from the ship and it lasted about 5 hours. You are  taken in an open-sided safari truck, so if it's raining (which it was last week) they can lower the plastic sheeting down at the sides but you still get a bit damp. The seats are well padded which is good as the roads up in the countryside were terrible.

We got an introduction to coffee production in DR then the chance to fill up planting bags with soil, put coffee bean seeds into the soil then load them for transportation. If you wish you can take part in each stage of the process. You then see some beans being ground, roasted and brewed (and tasted). Finally, there is a lunch in the neighbouring eco lodge, which was a great place with amazing views down towards the coast. There you have the opportunity to buy some locally-produced coffee.

We thought it was a worth-while experience and something different to sitting on another beach, which we did plenty of anyway.

For those of you that have been on Koningsdam specifically, can the Quench Beverage Package be used at the Grand Dutch Cafe for coffee? The only information I have found online refers to the Explorations Cafe, which I assume is referenced simply because this is a fleetwide location whereas Koningsdam additionally has the Grand Dutch Cafe.

Many thanks

We've just spent a nice week on Sapphire Princess in the Norwegian Fjords (despite the wet weather). However, on two occasions (lunch on embarkation and lunch on the second sea day) we were told at the entrance to the International Dining Room that it was shared tables only for lunch when requesting a table for two. It's the first time this has happened to us on around a dozen previous cruises on various lines (including 4 on Princess) and I wondered if it was specific to Sapphire Princess or if others had had a similar experience. In contrast, we didn't have any trouble getting a table for two at dinner in the Anytime MDR last week.

We are sailing onboard Celebrity Equinox on 7 Sept 15 from Barcelona to Istanbul. Staying a couple of nights pre- and post-cruise and really excited about it. After some only OK cruises this year on Royal Princess and P&O Azura, we are looking forward to Celebrity again.

Hi bellaj

As far as Princess goes, I think they will always be our “go to” line, since we have always had a good time and enjoyed the ships - Caribbean, Grand, Crown and Royal (less so). Even though Grand-class are the same design structurally – Princess is a very different experience to P&O. On Florida departures, the population is predominately North American. On Royal in February, the English captain announced there were 300 from the UK on board (out of 3000+). This makes for a different atmosphere – more international, more interesting but certainly more boisterous and loud, which was one thing in P&O’s favour – in spite of the hen parties on board, I found it to be quieter with people being less vocal in the bars and restaurants. However, the biggest differences on Princess are the service – friendly but professional, welcoming, interested and the decoration – warm, modern but stylish, especially Crooners cocktail bar with its art-deco design.

We had a problem on Azura with our luggage that still hadn’t arrived by 6pm. Guest Services didn’t know where it was and asked us to return after they’d searched for it. They didn’t even note our cabin number. After returning to the cabin, I looked out in the hallway just before the 15 mins were up to see the case there, label intact. Not even a knock on the door to say it had arrived nor an apology for the delay. It arrived, so that was OK, but it was the fact that there was no communication from staff – not even to say “don’t worry, we’ll find it, probably the label has come off.”

By contrast customer service on Princess is in the other direction – sometime it’s embarrassing how helpful and interested they can be. I think catering to a north American clientele who expect (and pay for) good service, Princess staff are aware of this and deliver. The daily auto tips charge is higher than on P&O, maybe that is a factor.

Regarding the open decks, never had a problem finding somewhere to sit in the sun, though that’s not to say they don’t get busy. There always seems to be somewhere out-of-the-way you can escape to. On Royal Princess we discovered a fantastic area on deck 7 aft where they have cushioned wooden steamer chairs that were very underused. We spent several afternoons there in the sun relatively isolated from the throngs on the top sun deck.

Why not give Princess a try? They sail from Southampton, so just as easy as P&O. I’m not saying that you won’t find things you don’t like, but we spent a lot of the weekend on Azura saying “that wouldn’t happen on Princess”. :)

Thank you both for your replies.

So we are back from a weekend on Azura. I have mixed feelings. As far as being a male couple on board, no issue. Neither the mostly-grumpy staff nor the somewhat-grumpy British passengers paid any attention. We felt comfortable from start to finish. And even being a 2-nighter “party” cruise with hen and stag groups around, it was much quieter than I had expected and certainly quieter than all the Princess cruises we have sailed from the US. As noted, the drinks were certainly good value.

I like that the ship seemed familiar from the start, being the same design as Princess Grand-class ships. However, for me, at least, it lacked any wow-factor and most of the time I felt like I was walking round a ship decorated in the style of Debenhams (UK department store). The atrium felt cramped and was a glorified staircase, not the hub of the ship it should be. The bars (Blue Bar, Planet Bar) were particularly disappointing - bland and lacking any warmth, style or colour. Java café resembled a waiting room with its lines of chairs and rubbish bins lining a wall. Service in all areas was lacking and a good step down from Princess. Perhaps this was a result of it being a 2-nighter. The exception to this Sindhu (specialty restaurant), which was excellent (food and service), but at £50 surcharge, that was expected.

We were intrigued to experience P&O and have done that now, but as for a 14-night itinerary, I think we’d be happier returning to Princess or Celebrity. You can’t help but make comparisons with lines you already know and we did that too many times over the weekend and not in P&O’s favour.

We went to Nachi Cocum two years ago after a busy port schedule and had a great time.

Booked direct on their website http://www.cozumelnachicocom.com.

Took a taxi from the port and happened to find others going so shared. They only allow entry to 100 per day so I'd book ahead especially if there are several ships in.

There's a bar, small pool and facilities. We simply lay under a palapa and had food and drink served as and when. No loud music and very relaxing.

This is what we did a couple of weeks ago. Picked up a car from Budget on 17th St after leaving Royal Princess, then drove to Sawgrass Mills. Shopped, had lunch, then when done, drove over to the beach for an hour before heading to Miami airport and dropping off the car, which was very straightforward.

For the mid SUV we hired, it was approx $100 including petrol and insurance and provided luggage storage and freedom for the day.

Renting a car might be the easiest option and may save time and money.

After 11 cruises on the likes of Princess, Celebrity and NCL, we've decided to try P&O and have booked a 2-night cruise on Azura in May. We hope that P&O will compare favourably with Princess and provide us with more options for departures from Southampton as well as new itineraries in the Caribbean.

We like the Princess Grand-Class ships, so assume that Azura will be a similar experience, but what will the atmosphere be like on Azura? In the past our fellow cruise passengers have been fairly international, though predominately from North America. Is it so different being on a ship with 3000 others from the UK?

As a male couple, we've never felt uncomfortable on any of our cruises, so I hope that the same will apply on P&O?

Thanks. :)

I originally found reference to Holland Limo on this forum, so wanted to let people know the excellent experience we had with them a couple of weeks ago.

I booked online by completing their form and had a confirmation within 15 minutes.

I re-confirmed by email before we left the UK and had an immediate response.

Their courteous and friendly driver met us at the Sheraton Miami Airport hotel on a Saturday morning at the requested time in a very comfortable black town car and deposited us at Port Everglades within about 40 minutes.

The fare, including the suggested tip, was USD84. For the convenience, speed and great comfort, I thought this very good value. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again on our next trip.

Thank you to whoever mentioned them here before! :)

Most of us don't sleep with the noise of a loud office air conditioning unit running in the background - at least not when the boss is around. :D

As h2ocruiser said, only audible on the balcony, not in the cabin. Unless you meant "dozing on the balcony..." ;)

Ok, you convinced us about the vents. Now, would you recommend those cabins on deck 11 for S class ships?

If you are used to loud aircon in an office, which I am, it's a similar background noise yet if I'd known in advance then I'd have chosen a different cabin, which might have been an improvement or might have been worse for any number of reasons...

Even though it wasn't a biggie, I couldn't help feeling that I'd somehow managed to pick one of the 18 cabins on the ship that did have a vent on the balcony. :(

Sorry about the first picture - I should have made the area I was referring to more obvious.

No, no odours or unpleasant smells. So I guess it was either taking air into the ship or expelling clean air, as you say. No vibrations either, from our point of view. Then again, perhaps upstairs might have felt something as it was directly beneath their balcony floor...

Would have been a good question for one of the Celebrity Life Q&A sessions ;)

Perhaps this photo makes it clearer... even though the quality isn't great.

As I stated, not a problem for us. Just trying to provide information about something we hadn't expected.

SHIP: Eclipse

CABIN #: 1642

DECK #: 11

CLASS: Aqua A2

AREA: mid aft starboard

BED NEAR: bathroom

QUIET?: yes - but see comments section.

BALCONY VIEW: normal, only slightly affected by overhang, losing sun by 12 on our particular departure but back later in afternoon.

BALCONY SIZE: normal, good size.

WIND A PROBLEM?:no

SOOT A PROBLEM?:no

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: quiet location, not too far from stairs/lifts. First cabin in row of 9 with air vents above balcony - but not a significant problem.

We were on Eclipse last week in Aqua class on deck 11 starboard aft. Initially I thought the sound I could hear was the rushing of the sea as it reminded me of the noise we used to hear all day in a rear-facing aft cabin on Caribbean Princess. However, on closer inspection of the balcony, we discovered the entire roof was in fact an air vent. The vents span a total of 9 Aqua cabins on Deck 11 and are clearly visible on the attached photo. We checked and they appear to be on both sides of the ship. The noise is certainly not annoying and you don’t really notice it when out at sea but it’s clearly there when you are docked.

We were in 1642, the first cabin under the vents to the left side, so looking at the deck plan, the vents extend along to 1626.

Thought people might find this useful as I haven’t found many references to it.

We are booked on the 14-day Canaries & Azores cruise on the Eclipse in Sept too. We managed to get the second-last S1 sky suite - amazed at how heavily booked this cruise is!

We are doing that itinerary this year in Oct. I think they only have a couple of departures each year and, as the Canaries are a very popular year-round destination with UK travellers, it's not surprisingly it's popular.

Next year we are back with Princess. In Feb - Crown 7 nights to Aruba/Curacao followed by Royal the next week to St Thomas/St Maarten from FLL. Can't wait. :)

Good stuff! I hope we all have as much fun in Aqua Class as the reviews say. And just in case you didn't know, you are allowed to eat in the MDR or Blu. Don't let anyone tell you differently!

 

...

-Chad

Thanks for the info! Only 11 months left for us to wait until our turn on Celebrity, so please post a review when you're back from yours and let us know what you think. :D

We're also taking our first Celebrity cruise next year on the Eclipse to the Canaries & Azores after several cruises on Princess and NCL.

We too are in an Aqua Class cabin and hope that it's as good as the reviews I've read on the Celebrity forum. :) It will also be interesting to have a speciality restaurant (Blu) as our MDR.

I too am enjoying reading your review. Thanks for taking the time to make it so detailed.

Some of your comments have really made me chuckle and I'm looking forward to hearing (and laughing) about some of your other experiences in the UK.

:D