HRPro

Thanks for the review. We're doing this same cruise next June, so I'm enjoying the information on all the ports. It sounds like the weather was pretty warm. I'll be especially curious about how to pack. We just finished a Mediterranean on the Royal Princess and the weather was hot and sunny. I imagine it will be a good bit cooler on the Baltic. Keep the details coming!

Many thanks.

We are booked on a seven day Mediterranean cruise on June 17, Athens to Barcelona, and I'm trying to figure out which nights will be formal nights. Our first sea day on June 19 will likely be the first, but I'm not sure about the second formal night. Our second sea day is our last day at sea before arriving in Barcelona, so I think that is unlikely to be the second formal night. The next to last day is Naples and the Amalfi coast with a departure from port at 7:00 pm, and the day before that is Messina, Sicily with departure at 8:00 pm. Has anyone taken this cruise and have any ideas about the second formal night or an educated guess?

Many thanks.

HR Pro

I plan to book the Royal Princess for the April 2017 Transatlantic.

 

The best price for the mini suite cabins are the cabins below the Seawalk (for example: M423 on the starboard side) or below the Seaview bar (for example M424 on the port side).

 

Anyone have comments/suggestions if it is better to be below the Seawalk or the Seaview bar?

 

Thank you.

You have much more privacy on the port side as you are under the Seaview Bar and don't have people looking down on you as you do under the Seawalk. Definitely book on the port side.

Wow! Kleine welt! When and where are you flying? We are thinking LH- to Munich on Wednesday night. I will fly home on Monday- Bradley will stay and work.

We're flying out on Friday evening on AA through LHR into Dusseldorf where my daughter lives; our return is on Wednesday again on AA. Enjoy your time in Munich--it's a great city. I'll be looking forward to your live from in January.

Susan

Awww... That is sweet. I sail in January from Singapore-- jump on!

 

We are trying to figure out the next Bradley and Tracie venture. We are looking at the Regal for a loop around the Baltic or we may give HAL another chance- the Konigsdam for the Baltic.

 

I am actually thinking of moving to an independent blog spot... We do a bit of land travel, too- and currently that goes un-blogged. Our next trip is to Germany for 5 days over Thanksgiving. I really do need a do-over on that rouladen! (Throw in a little spätzle- and all will be perfect in the world!).

Tracie, as always, enjoyed your live from. Will be following along on your cruise from Singapore especially since I'm trying to decide if I want to try a solo cruise. Your experience may tip the scales in favor of trying it. We're from the same part of the world, and I'm also headed to Germany over Thanksgiving weekend with my youngest daughter. May meet up in the Starbucks line at CLT. Happy travels to you and Bradley wherever your next adventure takes you. The Baltic is also on my bucket list. I've done two TA's and you should definitely try one when you retire. I love the sea days.

Another vote for Inn at the Market, but as has been mentioned, book early. We were upgraded to a deluxe room with a view. Wonderful service and very conveniently located--just across from the Pike Place Market and lots of great restaurants. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

I like it--classy but distinctive. Royal and Regal are my favorite ships and I'm looking forward to being on the Royal again next year. Also looking forward to the central staircase since we generally stay midship. That will be a major improvement.

You're two cabins to the left of E410 in this picture. View will be obstructed by lifeboats when you're out on the balcony and looking to the right (forward), and due to the curvature of the superstructure feature the view aft will be barely obstructed, however looking straight out will be fine. I personally wouldn't have any problem booking this cabin.

 

Dave, we're booked in E421 next June, which I know is on the opposite side of the ship. Any chance you can give me an arrow to show me where we would be and whether there is any obstruction?

Does anyone know where the Regal docks in St. Thomas?

We docked at Crown Point when on the Regal in November 2014, but it likely depends on what ships are in port that day.

We've booked the midship Minisuite on both the Royal and Regal and love the extra balcony space and location. We usually book Baja or Caribe decks on the portside and privacy is not an issue since the Seawalk is on the starboard side. The blue light is very faint on these decks and just give a nice glow on the balcony at night rather than the rather harsh regular balcony light. These are my favorite cabins, and I've noticed that more and more people are booking them, so book early if you want to snare one of these on the port side with the extended balcony.

Love the new design and much classier than NCL. Also very excited to hear about the center stairs. We always stay midship, and I must admit I missed the convenience of the center stairs although it was never a major problem. I've sailed on the Royal three times and once on the Regal and love this class of ship. Really missed sailing with Princess this year, but have a Mediterranean cruise booked on the Royal next June. Can't wait!

Loved our Hawaii cruise from LA on the Star in February 2014. The weather was beautiful and it's whale watching season, so saw lots of whales from the ship as well as on a special whale-watching excursion. We enjoyed all the sea days--lots of Hawaiian themed activities and music.

Thanks for a great live from, Bob. Have enjoyed every minute of following along and living the dream through you and Holli. I missed a TA this year, but hoping to do a spring TA in 2017. All the best to Holli.

Susan

What night was "formal" night and did people dress up for it?

Thank you so much. We leave for our cruise on the Dawn in less than two weeks. Very excited to actually see the daily activities and entertainment we can look forward to.

Booked our Eastern Mediterranean under Sip & Sail, but checked the 3 for Free today and price had gone down for the same category we had booked by over $500 plus free gratuities and OBC. When I called to book we got an additional $200 past passenger discount, so total saved over $700. Our EZ Air price dropped over $100 per person too. Great deal and very excited. It pays to check on your own even if using a TA.

Thanks for the review--looking forward to more. I'm taking the Athens to Barcelona cruise next summer, so will be interested in following along. Loved Barcelona on our last Mediterranean cruise several years ago, and can't wait to go back.

We are taking the Aug 24 th cruise that stops in Gaspe. After much consideration and the fact that I couldn't find a private tour to the Forillon Park, we are taking the ships tour Best of Gaspe and Forillon Park. There were no reviews so I called the excursion desk. They told me that there is a 40 min ride to the Park and four stops in the park including he Cliffs and lighthouse. Lunch at the Cultural center is included.

Please report back after your cruise. Would love to hear about your excursion. We also had no luck finding private tours, so are currently booked in a ship's tour in September.

Thanks for sharing your experience on the Dawn. We're cruising on her for the first time on a New England-Canadian cruise in September. Very pleased to here about the renovations and hope they get the plumbing issues fixed before our cruise.

Thanks for posting all the pictures. I agree that the artwork is terrible. We sail on the Dawn for the first time in September, so looking forward to all the renovations and upgrades.

You may want to consider a Duck Boat tour too (instead of the trolley). At least compare the two. Even as life-long Boston locals we love the Duck Tour for a fun view of the city and a trip down the Charles.

 

Enjoy the Omni Parker and don't forget to try a piece of their Boston Cream Pie- it's where the original one was served. It's a beautiful hotel. The only downside is that most of the rooms are REALLY tiny, but we enjoyed ourselves the last time we stayed there.

Thanks Gigi--funny coincidence but that's what my grandchildren call me. Thanks for the tip about the Boston cream pie. I didn't know that fun fact. We'll definitely try it. I'll check out the duck boat tours. Any recommendations for a good place for dinner--preferably that is known for their seafood?

We will be stopping at Gaspe, Quebec for the first time on our upcoming New England-Canada cruise. It is a tender port and with the uncertainty of tendering, we're thinking of taking a ship's tour although we much prefer private tours. I have read Tom's port guide, which was very helpful, but I'd like to hear from cruisers who have actually visited this port. The reviews are very mixed about visiting Perce especially if you don't take the boat trip out to St. Bonadventure Island. We'll be visit the end of September, and I'm thinking the weather will likely be chilly and the seas could be rough. One of the ship's tours is Perce on your own, which basically means they provide transportation and drop you off for three hours. Is there enough to do in Perce for three hours if we don't take the boat tour out to the Rock? Should we take a chance that seas will be calm and weather good and book the boat tour? or Should we go in the opposite direction to Forillon National Park? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've nailed down our excursions for all the other ports, but feel I need more information before booking an excursion or a private tour in Gaspe.

Many thanks, Carol. Yes, we chose the hotel based on location and the fact that we need to maximize our limited sightseeing time. I'll check out the guided Freedom Trail walks. Hadn't heard about those.

We're flying in a day ahead of our NE/Canada cruise that departs Boston on September 23. We'll be staying at the Omni Parker Hotel and sightseeing on September 22. What is the best way to get from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port the next day. There will be three of us. I've been to Boston but it's been years ago, and I'm familiar with the City. We plan to spend out day walking part of the Freedom Trail, taking one of the Trolley lines and doing a harbor cruise. We don't have to be onboard until 3:00 pm but will probably check in a little earlier, so will have some sightseeing time on September 23. Would appreciate recommendations on transportation from airport to hotel to cruise dock and any suggestions on sightseeing. I'm a history buff, so will definitely want to concentrate on the historic district.