Live from the Sky Princess 11/20–12/4

[KLM3164]

My DH took this photo last night on our sunset sail. The ship on the left is the Sky and the ship on the right is the Norwegian Escape.

[KLM3164]

The moon looks really beautiful tonight from our balcony. Unfortunately this photo doesn’t really do it justice.

[KLM3164]

11 hours ago, SHIVEOH said:

If you get a chance, could you give us an idea of where masks are required (is it everywhere inside?) and also, how is compliance?    What part of Northern Calif. are you from.  I have a brother in Mendocino.

As others have said I think overall the compliance is good on the ship. I’ve only seen one person in an elevator without a mask. I feel like most people are wearing them indoors and when walking around indoors and in the shops. People do take them off when they are drinking in the bars but the tables are spaced out so I’m comfortable with this as well as when eating/drinking in the Piazza area. In the Piazza, people have them off when they are seated but again the tables are spaced out to allow for distance between others. From my perspective the only area when I’ve seen “sip and cover” is in the Princess Theater which we go to every night. I haven’t been in the Vista so don’t know what is happening there or in Princess Live. Finally, most people are not wearing masks on the open decks.

 

To answer your second question, we live in Placer County near Roseville. We are about 4 hours from Mendocino but we visit there each year in September as we have a standing reservation at the Little River Inn. We love visiting the Mendocino area in September.

 

[yoyosma]

oops. really messed this up  and can't recover.  cant delete it either.  

Edited November 25, 2021 by yoyosma

[iamaqt2]

Thank you KLM!!  Those pics are beautiful!  Glad you're having a great time.  Thank you so much for taking the time to post and share your adventure with us.  The menus look delicious.

[Buckeye10640]

1 hour ago, KLM3164 said:

Had to get up early this morning for our shore excursion called Lagoon Cruise, Marigot & Scenic Island Drive. The cruise was around Simpson Bay and it was very relaxing with a little narration but mostly island music playing while we enjoyed the scenery and some rum punch. Next we drove to Marigot and had a little free time to enjoy a French bakery called Chez Fernand. Had a wonderful croissant and ham/cheese sandwich. The line was long and the service was slow so we didn’t have time to browse the shops or street vendors. The rest of the excursion was a sightseeing tour of the island before heading back to the ship. The excursion was ok, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

 

Once we were back at the cruise terminal I did a little shopping at Duty Free World which is my favorite t-shirt place in the Caribbean. They have good quality embroidered shirts which I’ve worn for years. 

 

We then headed back to the ship and I took a much needed nap. Didn’t sleep well last night as I’m covered in mosquito bites which I’ve picked up along the trip. They were driving me nuts last night despite putting spray and cream on them. If there is a mosquito it will find me. The nap felt great!

 

We met up with our friends for dinner in the MDR and then off to the show in the Princess Theater. It was another show by the comedian/magician Basilio Tabacchi. He’s got a quirky personality which has grown on me and I find him to be a lot of fun. 

 

One thing different I’ve noticed on this trip is the MDR just gives us paper menus on regular white copy paper. Nothing fancy. They aren’t printed on heavy card stock and inserted in the large folders that we’ve had on other cruises. When we sailed on the Majestic in August they still had the formal menus. I do have to say the plain paper menus don’t feel the same to me and I miss the more formal presentation of the menus we’ve always had in the past.

 

Looking forward to the next 2 sea days!!!

 

Ciao for now!

Mosquito bites.....should I be bringing bug spray? Will be on Enchanted soon, same area of the Carribean  but mostly different islands I believe. 

[yoyosma]

On 11/23/2021 at 8:54 PM, suzyed said:

Our very first cruise was on the Cunard Countess in 1980 and one of our ports was St. Thomas...I imagine our ship looked like the baby bear one in the back but that was the size of ships then, I guess!

My first cruise was on Cunard Countess in 1980 or maybe 1979.  I had a wonderful time.  We were parked in front of the Island Princess and that night after dinner we went over and were allowed to board the Island Princess to take a peek.  I was saddened when I couldn't find Julie, Isaac, Gopher, and Doc. 

[KLM3164]

1 minute ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Mosquito bites.....should I be bringing bug spray? Will be on Enchanted soon, same area of the Carribean  but mostly different islands I believe. 

Yes you should bring bug spray. I am a mosquito magnet and my DH normally doesn’t get the bites. However this time DH has also gotten a few. I’ve got about 25 at the moment. I think they mostly came from Princess Cays. I didn’t spray myself that day but I have been spraying each day since then. Next week I expect another battle with the mosquitos when we are in Mexico. I normally have issues there so will be using bug spray daily.

[Buckeye10640]

6 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

Yes you should bring bug spray. I am a mosquito magnet and my DH normally doesn’t get the bites. However this time DH has also gotten a few. I’ve got about 25 at the moment. I think they mostly came from Princess Cays. I didn’t spray myself that day but I have been spraying each day since then. Next week I expect another battle with the mosquitos when we are in Mexico. I normally have issues there so will be using bug spray daily.

Well we will definitely be in Princess  Cays!   Time to search through my cabinets to see if we have anything......  Thanks!!

[A1A]

On 11/23/2021 at 6:16 PM, KLM3164 said:

 

Thanks KLM for a great forum for our cruise. I have been looking all cruise and have yet to see the utter idiots refusing to wear masks. Like most folks in vacation mode, occasionally a guest will forget to don a mask or loose a mask on deck, it happens. But 99.9 % of folks on this cruise are well behaved and enjoying the cruise. Let's all take a deep breath!

 

More from St. Maarten.......

 

 

 

[A1A]

Sailaway from St. Maarten

 

 

[suzyed]

26 minutes ago, yoyosma said:

My first cruise was on Cunard Countess in 1980 or maybe 1979.  I had a wonderful time.  We were parked in front of the Island Princess and that night after dinner we went over and were allowed to board the Island Princess to take a peek.  I was saddened when I couldn't find Julie, Isaac, Gopher, and Doc. 

That was great that you were allowed to do that!  We were parked next to the Cunard Princess and in talking to the folks on that ship, all they did was complain about the ship and staff. Sad. 
We loved the Countess!  I even remember our dining room waiter...Enzo!  He was so charming and accommodating  Each night as he pulled out my chair, he called me "My Lady"!  Loved it!

[suzyed]

17 minutes ago, A1A said:

Sailaway from St. Maarten

 

 

Thank you for all the beautiful photos!
And thanks for the heads up on the mosquito situation....I am a mosquito magnet!

[coopco]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I cannot speak for all jurisdictions of course, but this is an example of what we have here locally:

 

    persons who have an underlying medical condition where wearing a Mask or Face Covering would inhibit the person’s ability to breathe in any way;
    persons who may experience a negative impact to their emotional well-being or mental health;
    persons who have a developmental disability which inhibits their ability to wear a Non-Medical Mask or Face Covering;
    persons who have a disability whereby the wearing of a NonMedical Mask or Face Covering would limit their ability to reasonably communicate with others or otherwise present a hardship for a person or persons assisting the individual;
    persons unable to place or remove a Non-Medical Mask or Face Covering without assistance;
    persons temporarily removing their Non-Medical Mask / Face Covering when necessary for receiving services (such as having a meal), or while actively engaging in an athletic or fitness activity; and

    employees and agents of the person responsible for the Public Place within an area designated for them and not for public access, or within or behind a physical barrier; in both instances where a physical distance of at least 2 metres can be maintained at all times between the patron(s) and the employee(s).

The rules were clear when you purchased the cruise. If you can’t comply, choose a different vacation. If you must cruise and can’t comply, have consideration for those who do comply. Spend more time outside. Take the stairs if anyone is in the elevator with their masks on. Having the attitude that rules are for other people just doesn’t sit right with me. There are always those who think they can hide behind exemptions by bending the rules to make it fit them. In California, the true exemptions are very rare. I choose the sail from California because many of the passengers are from that state and are used to following the rules. That’s my two cents worth although I’m sure others don’t agree. I’ll get off my soapbox now. 😊

[Steelers36]

10 minutes ago, coopco said:

I’ll get off my soapbox now. 😊

And you didn't need to bite my head off.  I was responding to another member's general question about examples of legitimate exemptions.  I try not to judge anyone wearing or not wearing a mask. 

 

Well, I have one or two exception perhaps.  The person walking down an empty street or driving alone in their car.  And, if I see one of these, it isn't doing anyone any good at all no matter what you think of mask efficacy:

 

[coopco]

51 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

And you didn't need to bite my head off.  I was responding to another member's general question about examples of legitimate exemptions.  I try not to judge anyone wearing or not wearing a mask. 

 

Well, I have one or two exception perhaps.  The person walking down an empty street or driving alone in their car.  And, if I see one of these, it isn't doing anyone any good at all no matter what you think of mask efficacy:

 

Sorry. My rant was not directed at you personally so I’m sorry it came across that way. It was meant for people who hide behind exemptions when it doesn’t apply to them but I, in no way, mean for it to sound like you do that or you condone that. You are a better person than I am because I do judge those who feel the mask rule isn’t meant for them. I hate wearing masks but I do when it’s required. 

[cltnccruisers]

8 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

The moon looks really beautiful tonight from our balcony. Unfortunately this photo doesn’t really do it justice.

Your pics have been excellent.  Very clear and focused.  Thanks.

[cltnccruisers]

7 hours ago, A1A said:

Sailaway from St. Maarten

 

 

St Maarten is our favorite Caribbean port.  Can't wait to get back there in March.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Are people allowed to sit at the bar itself in say Take 5 or Crown Grill Bar?

[hunt182644]

21 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Huh... I've seen many things on these boards over the years, but this is the first time I've ever seen anyone try to shame the victim of a drive-by scooting.  

 

The person you refer to as the victim, needed to be shamed for her rude reaction. The poor older lady looked like she was close to tears over what had happened. Perhaps you will be that age someday and then you will understand.

[KLM3164]

We received our instructions this morning for requirements on turnaround day, 11/27.

[5:00_Somewhere]

20 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

We received our instructions this morning for requirements on turnaround day, 11/27.

 

Thank you so much for sharing this. It answers a lot of questions we had. I was hoping the Covid test would be the day before turnaround (as others had reported on other ships) so we'd know in advance whether we needed to pack our belongings. But, for this very reason, we've purchased the BinaxNow tests that we will take that morning so we'll have at least some potential advance warning whether we should back up before we go for our official test. 

 

Best of luck and hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[KLM3164]

11 minutes ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

But, for this very reason, we've purchased the BinaxNow tests that we will take that morning so we'll have at least some potential advance warning whether we should back up before we go for our official test. 

That’s a really good idea and wish I had thought about this. We still have 2 tests at home which we could have brought with us.

[SHIVEOH]

10 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

As others have said I think overall the compliance is good on the ship. I’ve only seen one person in an elevator without a mask. I feel like most people are wearing them indoors and when walking around indoors and in the shops. People do take them off when they are drinking in the bars but the tables are spaced out so I’m comfortable with this as well as when eating/drinking in the Piazza area. In the Piazza, people have them off when they are seated but again the tables are spaced out to allow for distance between others. From my perspective the only area when I’ve seen “sip and cover” is in the Princess Theater which we go to every night. I haven’t been in the Vista so don’t know what is happening there or in Princess Live. Finally, most people are not wearing masks on the open decks.

 

To answer your second question, we live in Placer County near Roseville. We are about 4 hours from Mendocino but we visit there each year in September as we have a standing reservation at the Little River Inn. We love visiting the Mendocino area in September.

 

Thanks again for all of your great pictures and information.  Sorry that I seem to have started a bit of a brush fire with my questions about masks, but I guess it's good to 'discuss the issues'.  Love the Little River Inn - great food and even better scenery.  Love it up there.

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Are people allowed to sit at the bar itself in say Take 5 or Crown Grill Bar?

Absolutely no problem. People are sitting facing the bartender at many of the bars on the ship. We're in Take 5 for our pre-dinner martinis every day and the bar stools are frequently used.