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cruiserforlife

By cruiserforlife,
in Princess Cruises

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ccrain

ccrain

Posted
Posted
Didn't know cruise insurance would help with bed bugs and viruses. Thought it was mainly if you couldn't make it or lost your luggage. I do have insurance through Princess.

 

Cruise insurance would certainly help with the virus, I'm not sure about the bedbugs. There are so many different kinds of insurance you'd have to check with your TA. I think the CC home page might have a link to a paper or topic on the whole insurance thing.

 

Definitely never travel without insurance, as I've told CFL time and again...

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cruiserforlife

cruiserforlife

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Cruise insurance would certainly help with the virus, I'm not sure about the bedbugs. There are so many different kinds of insurance you'd have to check with your TA. I think the CC home page might have a link to a paper or topic on the whole insurance thing.

 

Definitely never travel without insurance, as I've told CFL time and again...

 

Thanks ccrain...will have to heed your advice next time.;)

I didn't think bedbugs would be a valid insurance claim :p but with the virus being such a concern,no sense in gambling...

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loge23

loge23

Posted
Posted

Just checked in to see if there's anyone else on board reporting. Not, so y'all are stuck with me!

Having a typically Princess great cruise so far - our 9th aboard Princess since '92. No major changes noted since last December on the Sea. We like the Sea/Sun/Dawn size and layout, although they are getting "old" simply in comparison to all of the newer ship amenities - not a problem to me.

No big news so far except for the big delay getting into St. Thomas today. We arrived at 1pm after a long night in choppy waters. The USCG had diverted us last night for a short while in a rescue operation but it turned out to be not necessary and we were back on track by dinner time. One of the reasons why cruising is still exciting.

No noro alert as far as I know - BUT! The ship is on full alert with no self-service at the Horizon. All of this hand-washing and extra care couldn't stop an apparently brain-drained Mom from changing her prodigy's diaper poolside yesterday - and I mean poolside! Then, the doting parent proceeded to deposit her package of joy right on the teak bench surrounding the pool. It's great to have servants! Oh well, some little darlings stuff don't stink!

Not a good seque-way but the dining is terrific - we had the escargot/duck menu tonight - very good. Shows are the same as last year but very well done. The ships musicians and dancers are all first rate.

Tomorrow, it's Martinique. Cheers and Merry Christmas from the tropics!

Questions welcome, but as time permits.

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Bobug

Bobug

Posted
Posted
Just checked in to see if there's anyone else on board reporting. Not, so y'all are stuck with me!

Having a typically Princess great cruise so far - our 9th aboard Princess since '92. No major changes noted since last December on the Sea. We like the Sea/Sun/Dawn size and layout, although they are getting "old" simply in comparison to all of the newer ship amenities - not a problem to me.

No big news so far except for the big delay getting into St. Thomas today. We arrived at 1pm after a long night in choppy waters. The USCG had diverted us last night for a short while in a rescue operation but it turned out to be not necessary and we were back on track by dinner time. One of the reasons why cruising is still exciting.

No noro alert as far as I know - BUT! The ship is on full alert with no self-service at the Horizon. All of this hand-washing and extra care couldn't stop an apparently brain-drained Mom from changing her prodigy's diaper poolside yesterday - and I mean poolside! Then, the doting parent proceeded to deposit her package of joy right on the teak bench surrounding the pool. It's great to have servants! Oh well, some little darlings stuff don't stink!

Not a good seque-way but the dining is terrific - we had the escargot/duck menu tonight - very good. Shows are the same as last year but very well done. The ships musicians and dancers are all first rate.

Tomorrow, it's Martinique. Cheers and Merry Christmas from the tropics!

Questions welcome, but as time permits.

 

Good to hear from a live one....

Please let me know what you did in Martinique....that is still one of the places I haven't decided on what to do. We will be on the Sun in Feb. Tell us about all your excursions....thanks

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suebetts

suebetts

Posted
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Hi, I'm also on the Sun - just left St Lucia which was sunny but very showery.

Our waitress was off for 3 days with the Norovirus - just returned. We're hoping she hasn't passed it on to us. Haven't heard of any passengers coming down with it so far. I'll keep you posted

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suebetts

suebetts

Posted
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Hi, I'm also on the Sun - just left St Lucia which was sunny but very showery.

Our waitress was off for 3 days with the Norovirus - just returned. We're hoping she hasn't passed it on to us. Haven't heard of any passengers coming down with it so far. I'll keep you posted

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loge23

loge23

Posted
Posted

Bobug:

Martinique is a tough island for indy's. There is a water taxi adjacent to the cruise port where one can jump over to a couple of beaches. Last year, my wife and I took one and kind of stumbled on a all-inclusive French resort. We managed through hand signals to procure a couple of chaises and tickets for beers. It was actually very nice, but don't expect much English-speaking people here.

This year we booked a ship tour and had a very nice time snorkeling at the bat cave. I recommend the ship tour for Martinique unless you are able to get by in French.

Today we're in Antiqua and looking forward to an afternoon beach/snorkel tour. The Sea is berthed beside us today.

We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on Christmas. Wow - excellent! It was amazing to transform our small balcony into a gourmet restaurant for an evening.

Everything else is A-OK so far!

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Bobug

Bobug

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Bobug:

Martinique is a tough island for indy's. There is a water taxi adjacent to the cruise port where one can jump over to a couple of beaches. Last year, my wife and I took one and kind of stumbled on a all-inclusive French resort. We managed through hand signals to procure a couple of chaises and tickets for beers. It was actually very nice, but don't expect much English-speaking people here.

This year we booked a ship tour and had a very nice time snorkeling at the bat cave. I recommend the ship tour for Martinique unless you are able to get by in French.

Today we're in Antiqua and looking forward to an afternoon beach/snorkel tour. The Sea is berthed beside us today.

We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on Christmas. Wow - excellent! It was amazing to transform our small balcony into a gourmet restaurant for an evening.

Everything else is A-OK so far!

 

Thank you for your response. We are thinking of doing the beach/ snorkel tour thru the ship in Antiqua also....let me know how it went.

Glad you are having a great cruise...keep us informed.

Happy Sailing :)

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loge23

loge23

Posted
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Back aboard after the afternoon snorkeling/beach tour in Antigua.

The tour was terrific! We boarded a cat and sailed offshore to a reef for the snorkel part. The cat and crew are fantastic. The snorkeling is in open water however and if it is rough (like today) the water can be a challenge. Strong currents kept my swim short. Nice views of the reef and plenty of fish for the hearty. After that, we sailed to a wonderful beach for a swim in much calmer waters. The beach is one of those spots that you want to think about on your bad days back in civilization - just your basic paradise dream!

At this point the crew plys you with the strongest rum punch I ever had on one of these excusions and the party swings into gear for the ride back to the ship - very nice indeed.

Dinner was surf & turf (shrimp and filet). Tomorrow is the lobster/beef wellington dinner and the third formal night (normally two on the 10 day cruise).

Antigua is easy for any plans. Plenty of taxis and plenty of beaches to explore. This cruise, we find that the ship tours have become very competively priced vs. indy's overall.

Cheers for now!

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Bobug

Bobug

Posted
Posted
Back aboard after the afternoon snorkeling/beach tour in Antigua.

The tour was terrific! We boarded a cat and sailed offshore to a reef for the snorkel part. The cat and crew are fantastic. The snorkeling is in open water however and if it is rough (like today) the water can be a challenge. Strong currents kept my swim short. Nice views of the reef and plenty of fish for the hearty. After that, we sailed to a wonderful beach for a swim in much calmer waters. The beach is one of those spots that you want to think about on your bad days back in civilization - just your basic paradise dream!

At this point the crew plys you with the strongest rum punch I ever had on one of these excusions and the party swings into gear for the ride back to the ship - very nice indeed.

Dinner was surf & turf (shrimp and filet). Tomorrow is the lobster/beef wellington dinner and the third formal night (normally two on the 10 day cruise).

Antigua is easy for any plans. Plenty of taxis and plenty of beaches to explore. This cruise, we find that the ship tours have become very competively priced vs. indy's overall.

Cheers for now!

 

Thanks for checking in....we have decided to do a kayak/snorkeling/beach thing in Antugua....my 16 yr old daughter would not be happy trying to snorkel in very deep water. Hubby & I love it but we have snorkeled many times plus this tour sounds like alot of fun also.

How are the Production shows?

Is the food good?

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Julia’s Journey’s

Julia’s Journey’s

Posted
Posted
You'll get a better ride aft. That said' date=' how concerned you need to be depends on where and when you're sailing. Some waters are notoriously rougher than others.[/quote']

 

Like the Tazman sea?? Anyone have any idea how rough that is crossing from NZ to Sydney on the SUN???:D :D

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CruisinChris

CruisinChris

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Crossed the Tasman earlier this year on the Diamond. My pics of the storm that prevented us from going to Fjordland are at the link below. We had force 12 winds and 30 foot seas overnight and part of a day. This wasn't as bad as our Golden Transatlantic crossing back in 2002. (Even Druke talks about that one occasionally). We also sailed around a hurricane in the Pacific on the Regal back in 97. Generally speaking I find that the big ships (Grand and Diamond class) ride the water pretty well though the movement is definitely exaggerated forward, higher up, and aft. This is why in heavy water Skywalkers is often closed (especially on the Grand class). Our tablemates on the Golden crossing were forward of the forward stairs on Dolphin deck (so not too high) and found their stateroom almost unbearable. We were on the same deck back in the 600's (above the Wheelhouse) and found our room to be pretty stable (better than the horizon court where everything slid off the table when we went through a trough). (This is great fun in my opinion!)

 

Back to your question: How will the Sun ride the Tasman? If it's rough - you're going to know it. For me personally I would try for a room slightly aft of center. If you're going for a balcony (well-worth it for that trip) you'll be up a bit high for this ship.

 

The Tasman can be like glass or can be scary as heck. I'd keep checking the wave height reports at the Navy website (google wave height Navy). It forcasts out a number of days and you'll get a good sense of what you're in for. The further south you make the crossing, the more likely rough seas. You'll see what I mean when you look at the maps. Happy cruising!

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loge23

loge23

Posted
Posted

Back on shore now - sorry for the delay. Basically, I was having such a good time doing nothing that I didn't get into the internet cafe too often!

Bobug: I think you'll be very happy w/ that tour based on the chatter I heard.

As for the food, in the D/R: EXCELLENT! On Horizon Court: Fair.

The D/R was really great. We had lunch a few days as well - don't miss that if you are onboard btw 12N & 2p. Dinners were all excellent - can't say enough about the service, the presentation, and the quality of the food - fine dining indeed. We did personal choice as usual this cruise. The first night, we drew a table with the excellent Rolando & Eduardo, Marquis #56. Unfortunately, we never had the pleasure again but that didn't stop Rolando from greeting us by name every time he saw us thereafter. What a gentleman!

After a couple of nights of only OK service, we sat with another master right next to Rolando's station, Emmanuel. Emmanuel really took care of us and we began to request his service nightly. Lobster was plentiful; how 'bout some sauteed shrimp on the side with your Prime Rib? ...and here's tomorrow night's menu! Wonderful!

As for the Horizon Court, it should be noted that the Noro precautions turned the buffet away from self-serve. This is why I wasn't so keen on going there - it wasn't worth the hassle when you could eat like a king downstairs! The food wasn't bad, just inconvenient.

The shows were the same as last year: Piano Man, Curtain Up, and Tribute. The headliners were very good this year and the dancers were, as usual, simply excellent and very underrated/underappreciated. We enjoyed the shows very much.

The musicians onboard were also much better than last years crew (on the Sea). Special note to the duo in the Wheelhouse who performed nightly. A female vocalist accompanied by a terrific pianist were wonderful especially when they did Latin Jazz numbers. A quartet supplemented the duo to good measure also. Check out the guitarist's "Dick Dale(surfer music)" style of play.

Onboard upstairs was "Tenacity" - a real steel drum five piece band from Trinidad. Led by a charismatic lead singer, this band never disappoints - a far cry from the heavy-synth'd quasi-reggae duo's usually found here. Sit upstairs in the afternoon, order a beer (or whatever suits you!) and let the band take you away. Probably the friendliest bunch of guys you will meet.

In the atrium, a very popular piano/singer held court nightly. I didn't make it, but passed through several nights and could understand his popularity.

The other acts were led by Tony Cherry - a affable chap who talks just like Jerry Lewis but sings like Jack Jones. Very good performer - have some fun here at least one show.

itdjbw: Didn't make it to the spa, but they had some packages that looked fairly reasonable. You will get a flyer in the room on sailaway day.

That's all for now.

Bottom line: We loved the cruise and can't wait for the next one - we left two separate deposits for open dates!

Happy Cruising, folks!

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