RNGALNG

WOW, thanks for the link. After all of my cruises, this is the first time I have ever heard of that. Live and learn. :p

A warning about the book club: I was ready for it on one of my last cruises. I am a slow reader so had read the book ahead of time. Went to the meeting and it was a book not on the website list! This was a year ago, so I don't know if they have changed things to be more strict with the site.

They do have some of the books onboard but not enough to go around for what ever the club will be discussing.

Good luck!

Hi Pia - I have been following your posts and I'm getting a little worried about whether or not we'll enjoy ourselves (we leave from Fort Lauderdale on May 4th) - lol. You don't seem to be having a very good time apart from the movies! Appreciate the critiques on the live shows though - they are not my forte anyway. How is the food?

Things we have learned while cruising:

We like cruising during winter and school months as you seem to get an older crowd and less children. We did this same cruise in February 2012 and had three children total onboard. Nice! The weather was a tad cooler but our travel friend who is 82 found all the stops to be very warm. I felt by the end of the cruise my toes had melted and were ready to finish the winter out in the north again.

Inside the ship, you might find it on the cool side. Always pack a sweater you can carry around so if need be you will be warm. Outside - you won't need the sweater!

We really enjoyed all the sea days. As others have said, we are viewing from Pia's eye, just how her day went. One can sit somewhere (room, lounge, or outside) and read, or try to accomplish everything in the Patter! Things will overlap or be at the same exact time so how one would do so is beyond me. But you have to be a pretty boring person to not find things to do while onboard during sea days!

Sit back and relax. Spend your energy trying to remember to bring the sunscreen and a good book! (But that isn't really necessary as there is a library onboard too!)

On formal nights, it is best to at least be in 'Sunday best' to eat in the main dining room. However, there is still the Buffet where you can eat in casual clothing, or grab burgers or pizza up on top, room service, and one of the two 'for fee' dining options, the steak one or the Italian. I have heard that some people plan on going there for the formal nights so they don't have to 'dress up.'

But in the evening, you must wear long pants to enter a dining room (except the buffet.) I have seen people turned away.

We have traveled on cruises and never brought our formal clothing. We do however, bring long pants (me the basic black and a couple of nice blocs) and husband brings kakis and a button down shirt so we can go to the MDR on informal nights.

I do know, you will not go hungry!

Okay, I have now read your past review and am caught up on this one. Your reviews are like crack! :p You need another hit all the time! Where is the next installment? :)

I do understand your busy schedule and will wait patiently for it. . .

(My daughter is a junior in college in commercial photography. I had the opportunity to watch her do a shoot for her class and then do all the work on the two shots she liked best. I didn't know how much could really be done with photoshop!!!! Way cool.)

I'll just go through a ten step program while I wait. . . .:)

All Princess ships have an hour of Afternoon Tea in a dining room every day except embarkation day.

 

It usually starts at 3:30 PM, but could vary by ship. Complete with scones, finger sandwiches, cookies, etc.

And might I ad, it is fun to g to and enjoy? We always do it a couple times each cruise!

I enjoyed reading about your cruise. It was informative, full of pictures (everyone. . . well almost everyone wants lots of those), a little about you and your group. . . it was just perfect. You didn't dwell over how many toothpicks you could get or olives in your drink, but gave us all good information about the cruise ship, your cruise, and Princess. Thank you so much for taking your valuable time to do this for those of us still stuck on land and dreaming of our next cruise.

PS I am glad you did the tip about the carpet! I don't know how many people we have told this to on our cruises and you can see the light bulb go on!

Thank you again!

Ooooooo, ahhhhhhhh!

I have attended the teas on a couple of ships. I was on the same cruise you are going on lat February. You will love it.

You can wear your 'play clothes' to tea, just not swimsuits. . .The servers wear gloves that are way too big for their hands (just look at them!) They wear vests and are just too cute. Everyone just rushes in and finds seats on their own.

TEA: My DH would even ask for Earl Gray instead of what was served in the pots and they would get it for him. I enjoyed whatever it was they served. There is sugar and cream on the tables to 'season' to your tastes.

GOODIES: They first come around with the scones, clotted cream and jelly. They are small, maybe three to four bites big. Then come the small sandwiches, cucumber, ham, turkey, chicken, all served on a variety of small rolls of different breads. Again, about three or four bites big. Last are the tea cakes and cookies. Again, very small so you can get samples of all.

All the goodies change from day to day. There are always 4-5 sandwich varieties and that many sweet choices as well.

The whole event lasts for about 45 minutes. So you need to be there when they open the doors.

We found that going to tea on some days, it would serve as our lunch. We had plenty to eat then and as we eat anytime dining, we could go till later for our dinner.

Enjoy your cruise. It will be so much fun! :)

Let me be #8!

Hi Leslie...

 

I had to do a lot of detective work to "find" you. It's a good thing you love bells so much!

 

This is Renee from the Coral Princess Panama Canal cruise in February.

 

How have you been? Looks like you were on another cruise.

 

I am trying to reach you to get the list of email addresses. I am so angry with ShipMate and their constant upgrades. Each time...they lose my contacts. They said that I had to register and I did. I was able to retrieve my canal itinerary but not my contacts.

 

Letme know how I can reach you...

 

Linda and I are planning a Hawaii cruise in the spring of 2013. It would be a hoot if I could announce it to our group.

 

Renee (displace local girl)

Renee!!!!!!!! So glad you found me! I lost your card with all the information on how to get in touch. (I still don't know how to use the cruise critic boards yet.) I too am discussed with the app for Shipmate! Here is my email: We can get in touch again this way? Cellarbeller@att.net

L

I have learned so much from you about your son's condition. He seems to handle himself very well. It takes a special set of parents to be able to handle some of the problems that can arise from having this. The two of you are angels! We have friends (two different sets) who each have sons with this condition. One just graduated from high school. He too is a map reader - anything to do with maps! The second is also in high school but now that my children our out, I do not see him much anymore. You have helped many of us to understand more about this, how to handle a child we might run into who has it, and possibly how to help if one needs help. Thank you for all of that.

Our grown son is ADD and has done very well. He did not outgrow it but is doing well as an adult with a wife, a daughter, and one more on the way. We had our trials and tribulations as well but nothing like what you are dealing with.

God bless you and your family! It was a joy to read about your trip! Makes me want to be on a ship right now! But, alas, I will have to wait until the end of the year. . . .

I am a Princess sailer but have enjoyed reading the summary of your cruise too! Great job!

We took a cruise a few years back that took us to Roatan. One of the selections on that lines excursions was the swimming with the dolphins. My DH and I took that trip and really enjoyed our time with them. We were in groups of 8, had lots of shade along the way and spent lots of time in the water with them.

But the one thing everyone has been talking about were the men with the guns! The first one I saw was on the bus going to the dolphin swim. There was a man standing on the back of a big truck with his rifle aimed over the cab of it. I quietly pointed it out to my husband and he said, ' no, it was a broom.'

When we arrived at the dolphin place, we got out of our van and were led to an area that had a small museum and a place to change into swimsuits. There was another man in uniform with one of those 'brooms' in his hands. After we were out of hearing, I told my DH that that was no broom! We were left alone in the holding area with no one telling us what was next either. That was the only time. But they have to get the last group out of the water and across the bay before they can get the next group (ours) over. I felt we had ample time with the dolphins and enjoyed it very much!

One thing that we learned about stopping at this port is that it made us exempt from donating blood for a full year! My DH is a universal donor so this was a bummer.

We went on a cruise through the Panama Canal this winter and again were told we can not give blood for a year.

So, our only warning is that if you are regular donors be careful where you choose to sail! We have been learning the hard way.

keep on sailing and enjoying your lives. . .