Beachdude

We just got home from the Royal lastnight and after a little thought, Sally and I agree that our number one complaint of the trip was the service. It wasn't bad service so much as it was just very hurried. The staff never seem to have anytime to give just a bit of personal attention like we were used to in past years. We expected much better service in the Crown Grill (Fantastic Food by the Way) because we are used to quality service in specialty restaurants. But our waiter seem to sprint through all his responsibilities. The best service came from the staff that isn't expected to serve several tables at a time like the buffet. They we more relaxed and seem to enjoy their work. We poured our own wine in the main dinning rooms and specialty restauants and while some here might think that is no big deal, it is indiciative of the changes. I think we are seeing a sign of the times.

It is a very nice ship and maybe worth a trip, but I do agree that some of the changes Princess made from the other ships are enough to push this ship down on the list of choices.

We did have a great trip, weather was perfect the whole week.

Burt

Binoculars

Oh my word, I LOVE Captain Morgan....wow how could you just get rid of it? What in the world am I going to drink now....I love Spiced Rum.

I can deal with no sushi, but this is going a bit far!

NO SUSHI, they HAVE gone to far!

Burt

Sounds very nice, I am going to talk with Sally and our TA.

Burt

Remember though there is very little to do on the ship and your evening on board the ship will revolve around being with other passengers and enjoying dinner and conversation.

This our preference even on big ships.

What would you say is the average age of the passengers?

How are the rooms? I understand there are no balconies, but it sounds like you don't really need one for a relaxed vacation.

Burt

I will also check on the Seadream forum, but there are so few members there, I wanted to ask here to a broader group of people.

Sally and I are wanting to do a Mediterranean Cruise, but something a little different than a standard cruise ship. Everything I'm reading so far seems to suggest the Seadream is a little different experience.

How is a Seadream cruise different than a Princess Cruise? I assume better food, more relaxed pace with less passengers. How is the difference in cost? I'm sure it is more, but double, triple of a Princess Med cruise?

Thanks for any information.

Burt

I remember one trip a few years ago watching the kids have fun with three foot waves in the pool being caused by rough seas. I don't see how the bar could have stayed open that day.

Burt

Yes they do. But unlike other ships where anyone can use them, on Royal, my husband would have had to pay $109 for the 5-days we were there. He was not a happy camper!

I'm an open minded and easy going person, but I'm finding myself not looking toward to boarding this ship next week. Oh I'm sure we will have a great time, but a sauna is part of my daily routine on all our cruises. Sheesh!

Burt

The only problem is once you do the suite it is REALLLLLLY hard to go back to just a balcony room, trust me I know!

Yep, anything less will never be the same.

Burt

I say they go for a dual class concept. It would be a great way for them to suction extra money from high society to help subsidize my cruise.

I think Carnival, and maybe even RCCL, are going to move away from Main Room Dinning toward eligant buffets and more specialty restaurants. The typical Carnival customer wants more freedom to choose their dinning time and attire options (shorts and t-shirts) and this would fit veyr well to that crowd. Carnival would increase revenue by reducing the serving staff in the dinning rooms and increase extra charges in the specialty restaurants. Now I only see this on American itineraries because Europeans are accustom to dinning as an all evening event. Americans like to eat and go. Sally, thinks I'm nuts, but why not? If passengers want eligant dinning, they can pay more with Princess and Celebrity.

Burt

Typically there are cabs (minivans) waiting outside the ship terminal waiting to take a loads to the beaches. Seems like it was $20 a couple the last time we went. Lots of people are going to Orient, so there will be plenty of passengers to fill up the van. I want to say it is about a 45 minute trip. Tell the driver you want to go to the Club Orient part of the beach, he will know where to drop you off and pick you up. I think it is the last drop off point of the beach, which is right next to the Club Orient nude resort. You can rent, chairs and umbrellas from Club Orient. Lots of good food at Orient Beach, but it is very expensive, especially in the French restaurants. $20 Hambugers. There are some cheaper restaurants that taste pretty good, but be prepaired.

Burt

Sally is a CPA, so we tend to cruise in late October and April to recharge her batteries. As a result, we tend to choose by price and itineraries. We aren't really loyal to a line, but we do have perfered ships on different lines. We are also choosy about rooms and typically like big aft-balcony, preferably a suite if we can get a good deal. Our youngest is about to graduate college, so I expect we will be traveling farther away to Europe, Australia, Far East and some river cruises.

Burt

Uh Oh!

 

This was part of a post from Pam in CA on the current Live thread.

Yep, no screen test leads to bad theater.

Burt

I beg to differ. The a/c is in "zones" even though each cabin has it's own thermostat settings. Leaving the doors open, affects the efficiency in that zone.

Only if A LOT of cabins open their doors. That is not the same thing as one person opening the door having an effect on their neighbors.

Hey, I'm just trying to keep the facts strait so folks can make more intellectual arguments. I'm a bit pragmatic and tend to leave emotion out of these kinds of discussions.

Burt

The system works with chillers -- much like a domestic 'split' a/c system. There isn't any return air.

Ah, thanks for the correction. I kind of thought that, but I wasn't sure if most ship had that system. Point is the same, opening your door will not have any effect on the neighbors.

Burt

There have been many threads on the topic of leaving the balcony door open. Doing this doesn't only affect YOUR A/C, it affects many of your "neighbor's" A/C because you are all on the same system and will cause their A/C from functioning efficiently. Keeping your door open can be regarded as a selfish act. You might want to reconsider that idea.

Well kind-of sort-of, each room has its own thermostat which controls a valve from the room to the ship main A/C source. Opening your door won't change the flow of main A/C source or how much your neighbors' rooms pull from it. It will add heated humid air to the return air which will make the system less efficient over all. But the neighbors shouldn't be effected by your open door.

One or two open doors is really no big deal, but if everyone started opening their doors, well that would work the system pretty hard and give the cruise line an excuss to raise their rates.:D

Burt

I would drive West the first day to Spouting Horn Blow hole, Waimea Canyon, and Polihale Beach. Then I would drive East the 2nd day all the way to the end of the road at Ke'e beach. Get up early and stick in a helicopter or airplane ride to see the famous Napali Coast. Count on the traffic being slow through Lihue and Kapaa, but all that is doable in two days.

Burt

I've rented Harleys a few times in Lahaina Maui. The Harley store is across the street from the dock. I have not rented a scooter, but the scooter rental (Eaglerider I think) in Lahaina is a 15 minute drive from the dock. You could call them and ask if they will pick you up. You need to reserve you bikes a couple weeks before your trip, especially if you are coming off a ship.

Interesting thing about Hawaii is that you can rent a Harley for $100 a day in Maui and Honolulu, but it's $220 a day on the Big Island and Kaui. Which is why I haven't rented in Kaui.

The traffic can be a bit high on the islands because there are few roads with lots of cars. But I would say Kona might be a nice port for scooters. The speed limit is rarely more than 50mph on any island, so highway speeds are not really an issue, but the traffic might get a little intimidating if you aren't an experienced rider. Unlike the Carrbiean, I find Hawaiian drivers to be courteous and safe drivers.

Burt

This thread was started Feb 11th, I imagine they moved on a couple months ago.

Burt

There isn't enough difference between RCL, Carnival or Princess to suggest one over the other. I think like anything, you get what you pay for. So you can consider paying a little more for a higher end cruise line or going to the specialty restuarants.

Burt

After some experiences with meet and greets, I would consider just going through Princess who will be glad to help.

Burt