CruiseWookiee

Don't miss the escargot! It's the best at sea! :)

Really? I was very underwhelmed by the escargot.

My usual M-O was to eat a big breakfast, snack in the afternoon and then have the full dinner in the MDR.

One afternoon I decided to have a tuna sandwich at the IC. So I walked up to the counter and asked if I could please have a tuna sandwich and could you add some lettuce and tomato and then run it through the griller? Response from counter person: "Umphh umphhh ara ara." Me: "Excuse me?" Counter person #1: "Umphh umphhh ara ara." English was not his strong point so he went to get... Counter person #2: "Can I help you?" Me: "Yes. Could I get some lettuce and tomato on my tuna sandwich?" Counter person #2: "No tuna is just tuna." Pointing to the sandwich in the case. Me: "I can't add lettuce and tomato to my sandwich? Really??" Counter person #2: "No tuna is just tuna." Me: "OK... I guess?" I then wolfed down the plain tuna sandwich that was very good despite the lack of extras. I was just taken aback by the attitude. It was very un-cruise shippy of them. I was going to mention this incident in my email survey from Princess... but I forgot. So to get back on topic... at some point during the week... try a plain tuna sandwich from the IC and have them toast it in the panini grill. Very good!!

Both look good. I would pick 109 because 409 is right above the starboard promenade area where smoking is allowed. The balcony is bigger on 109, but the OV is probably due to the outside wall being steel instead of glass. I think the huge balcony will make up for that.

The deck plan posted on Princess.com is pretty good. It shows you where the life boats and tenders are located relative to the cabin numbers. You can see that the rear three boats on the starboard side and the rear two on the port side have a different shape. Those are the tenders. Beware of any cabins located between those arrows...

Lots of pictures of OV cabins on this thread.. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1808632&page=2

Here's your view from E-608

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Lots of pics on this thread... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1808632

I would definitely advise to stay away from anything E-600's.

We got off on 2-9. One of the couples we were traveling with were discussing whether or not to add it on day one. This was based on their discussion with bar staff so it was offered. They decided against it though. It was something like $55 per day? I was not interested so I didn't pay close attention.

HI,

 

First I saw that charge for a coffee card, or drink horrible coffee.

Now I see you have to pay extra to sit in the sanctuary on the ship?

This is my first time on princess, and I am beginning to think boy what a mistake.

 

I have sailed Some of RC's nicest ship and carnival and also had great free coffee, and the adult area was free to sit in.

 

Is this all true?

Sanctuary is pay only but, just outside is the adult "retreat" pool area that is open to all.

I don't drink coffee, but my wife never complained about the coffee in the buffet. The coffee card gets you specialty lattes and cappuccinos. I thought the coffee card was a good deal for what you get.

Every line has things that they do differently or better. I love "Serenity" deck on Carnival. The International Cafe on Princess is a gem.

I'm just off Royal Princess and never felt barraged by "up-selling" by crew members.

Ruby is a very highly rated ship. I think you'll enjoy your cruise.

The best part of the balcony on my EB TA last Spring was leaving the door open at night. It was perfect temperature for sleeping and sounds the ocean were heavenly.

How about the horizon terrace aft area where there are couches to sit on and bar service? Its almost completely covered as well, in case of rain.

Good choice! On 16 aft.

We ended up getting our room assignment today and were in E611. I hope there isn't a lifeboat in front of our cabin!

 

So it appears they upgraded us from BZ to BW.

Your OV will be very similar to ours. E611 is two cabins aft and on the starboard side.

You'll either be looking at a tender or the white crane equipment.

Call your TA and try to get something else.

We did a private tour with Bernard's last week. It was awesome. For groups of ten or more it is $50pp for the private tour. Then you can pick and choose your itinerary and you won't have to deal with strangers. I highly recommend it.

http://www.bernardstours.com/

That may be one of the worst views, but it is Category BW, not BZ.

 

The BZ cabins are not on the Emerald deck and there are no lifeboats obstructing the view from the BZ cabins.

That's true, but I booked a "BZ" and that's where Princess assigned me... in "BW." Your mileage may vary.

They have all the big arrivals (KLM, Air France 747s) memorized.

Sunset Bar will have a schedule posted. There's always something on the way in.

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About to book Med cruise in Sept on Regal. 1st time on Princess.Do you think Riviera Deck is a good choice. Thanks Wendy

Riviera will be excellent. Two decks down from Lido and Regal will have a center staircase.

E608 would be a BW according to the deck plans. The BZ's are up on Marina deck. :confused:

You are correct my paperwork does show E608 as a "BW." I'm pretty sure I saw "BZ" on my booking, prior to getting a cabin assignment. I thought that meant "Balcony Guarantee." Is "BW" meant to be an upgrade from "BZ?" Because I would have much rather been on Marina.

I checked my original email and it appears so? $90 more for BW from BZ

Luckily I didn't pay anything near that original quote.

I just booked stateroom E437 on the Regal Princess. Do you think my view will be the same as the one in this pic?

I think you're going to be fine. E437 will be above the starboard promenade area. You may see a bit of a launch that is mounted just aft of the promenade deck. But that is much smaller than a life boat.

This is from the port side, but should be the same. E436 is above where the people are sitting. On the other side of that divider.

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Thanks for the help and the picture. CruiseWookiee did they upgrade you without notice, or do they ask you first?

We didn't get our cabin assignment until about 6 days prior to embarkation and it never changed. I don't think there was anything lower than this to upgrade from?

We were in a BZ last week and it was probably one of the worst OV's on the ship.

Here is the view from E-608

Needless to say we were disappointed. That's the risk you take though.

We had a pre-dinner routine for our group of 6-8. We would meet at Vines and someone would walk over to IC and get a plate of cheeses, grapes, dates and a plate of shrimp salad and sometimes a quiche that we would cut into pieces.

We would get our wine at Vines and bring whatever was left over into the dining room with us.

Vines had snacks also, but they were just OK. Olives and breadsticks with prosciutto wrapped on one end.

If you're going to Vines on Royal Princess, say hi to Cesar from Peru for us. He was our favorite of all the wait staff.

A group of us have booked on the Regal Princess for the Sept 23rd sailing. We are in cabins 608, 606 and 604. From the look of the ship and the pictures here, it would seem that our view would be similar the pictures posted here for stateroom E401 or E512. Does that seem right? We have the option of switching to E437 or E630, which look like they may have the same view as E438 or E701. Can someone confirm this? Or would princess be able to confirm this info for me? This is my first cruise and would like to have a good stateroom.

We just got off Royal last Sunday and we were in E608. This is probably one of the worst OV Balcony rooms available. We booked Balcony Guarantee and I didn't sweat it when we learned our cabin # about a week before sailing. I saw the photos on this thread and our TA said that the OV was probably due to not being able to look down because of the lifeboats. However... the aft two lifeboats on port side and the aft three boats on the starboard side are not just lifeboats, they are double decker tenders. So the lifeboat is about as tall as your balcony rail and you can't see out while sitting on the balcony. I can't really complain because we paid cheap $$ for this cabin. Past cruises that I have booked BG have been winners, but this one came up snake eyes. That's the risk you take.

View from Cabin E608

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Looking forward

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See you at check-in OP! We're in the same boat in more ways than one.

I just checked and I still have no cabin assignment. if they wait till check-in for assignment, what do you do about luggage tags? I could print one out now, but it has no pertinent info other than our names.

It looks like there are lights on inside the ship. Do you think there are people in there?

Hay CruiseWookiee, you said you filled up twice. Is that for the entire time you were there? I plan to ride from the dockyard to St. George and back. Do you think one tank will be sufficient?

Well technically... we filled up on day 7 and then topped it off before turning it in on day 10.

You could make that ride a couple times on one tank.

We just stayed in a rental for 10 days and had a scooter for the entire time.

Like others have said, this is no place to learn how to ride, but if you have some experience, odds are you'll be fine.

Best advice that I received is...

- never look back. The speed limit is 20 MPH. It is obeyed about as much as the 55 MPH on some US Highways. Bermudians are the nicest people in the world until they get behind the wheel (or handlebars). You WILL be tailgated, but don't freak out... just focus on what is ahead of you. A quick glance in the rearview mirror occasionally is all you need. You will be STARTLED when someone passes you from out of nowhere. Again don't make any quick changes, just stay the course and focus on your scooter and what's ahead.

- if you obstructing traffic for a while, pull over safely and let everyone pass. Sometimes the roads are too narrow and curvy, or there may be too much oncoming traffic for someone to pass you. If this goes on for a while look ahead for a wide area, like a bus stop and put on your turn signal and pull over safely to let everyone pass. Other people have places to be. You're on vacation. There's no rush.

- slow speed maneuvers are trickier than you think. You will get comfortable moving along at 20-30 MPH. Then you will need to stop or turn around in a driveway and think you can handle it just fine. Stop right there. At walking speed the throttle and gearing become super sensitive. If you give it a little extra gas your turning radius suddenly expands and now you are off the pavement or into a nice coral wall that is more abrasive than the strongest sandpaper. If you need to turn in tight space, throttle all the way down (or as one taxi driver suggested, turn the motor off) and go to "Fred Flintstone" mode... move the bike with your feet. It will take a few seconds longer but will save you embarrassment, road rash or even more.

I only used the motorbike during the day and had a zero tolerance policy for alcohol. (I had a non-alcoholic beer at the Swizzle Inn :( ) If we were going out at night it was usually bus on the way there and taxi home.

Overall I loved the experience with my own means of transportation. We travelled the entire Island from Dockyard to St. Georges and filled up twice.

Good luck!