LIVE from the Discovery Princess: California Coastal, March 9 -16 ... A Princess/Celebrity Comparison

[gardengalaz]

11 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Is this the only place one can get this magical sounding drink?  This sounds like a must try it one for me. 😄

Actually, there are several places you can get one ... but the best-made are definitely in the Crown Grill Bar.

[startedwithamouse]

57 minutes ago, Bali505 said:

Enjoying your live so far! We are on the Discovery in another month or so. Can you please tell me which shows are in the main theatre during the week if you have time. Also, are they not handing out the Princess Patter anymore? I read somewhere they weren't but not sure how accurate that is. Is the self laundry still complimentary? I heard it's hit and miss on ships/sailings.

Chiming in here, the two production shows on Discovery are Spotlight Bar and Rock Opera. The other guest entertainment shows vary from cruise to cruise. 

Edited March 12 by startedwithamouse

[tonit964]

1 hour ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Is this the only place one can get this magical sounding drink?  This sounds like a must try it one for me. 😄

Good Spirits bar makes this wonderful spicy watermelon margarita. So yummy.

[gardengalaz]

1 hour ago, tonit964 said:

Good Spirits bar makes this wonderful spicy watermelon margarita. So yummy.

Yep -- That's a very interesting variation!  I'll have to go there to see how it compares to the one made in the Crown Grill Bar.

Edited March 12 by gardengalaz

[Level six]

Thanks for the review!

[denims]

We are going to be on her in June.  Your review is very helpful!

 

Thanks 

[cheetosrevil]

Another ask...who is the CD on your cruise? I see it's probably Cole Bockman, but wondering. TYIA!

[Thrak]

42 minutes ago, cheetosrevil said:

Another ask...who is the CD on your cruise? I see it's probably Cole Bockman, but wondering. TYIA!

 

Not on the ship but Cole is indeed the current CD. He is listed as still being on for our upcoming cruise on April 3rd.

[cheetosrevil]

9 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Not on the ship but Cole is indeed the current CD. He is listed as still being on for our upcoming cruise on April 3rd.

Thanks, Thrak. Although I will not be on your cruise, I will be on the 3/16 cruise. The app shows Kristoff, but the CC thread shows Cole. It's all good..it's not the CD I've had for my previous cruises on Discovery.

[Thrak]

Just now, cheetosrevil said:

Thanks, Thrak. Although I will not be on your cruise, I will be on the 3/16 cruise. The app shows Kristoff, but the CC thread shows Cole. It's all good..it's not the CD I've had for my previous cruises on Discovery.

 

Kristoff is supposed to take over sometime in April. I had been wondering if he would be on for our April 3rd cruise but the activities in the app clearly list Cole. I would suspect he will be leaving at the end our our cruise which ends on April 13.

[cheetosrevil]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

 

Kristoff is supposed to take over sometime in April. I had been wondering if he would be on for our April 3rd cruise but the activities in the app clearly list Cole. I would suspect he will be leaving at the end our our cruise which ends on April 13.

Thanks again. I think I misunderstood your "on our cruise" comment, but you got my gist.

[Thrak]

17 minutes ago, cheetosrevil said:

Thanks again. I think I misunderstood your "on our cruise" comment, but you got my gist.

 

Yes, "our" was intended to denote my wife and myself. Sorry about that. It's my "belief" that Kristoff Greyling will take over as CD on April 13. Here is a snip from the listing on the Princess Senior Ship Staff, inc Cruise Directors & Entertainment Directors thread.

 

Edited March 13 by Thrak

[cheetosrevil]

26 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Yes, "our" was intended to denote my wife and myself. Sorry about that. It's my "belief" that Kristoff Greyling will take over as CD on April 13. Here is a snip from the listing on the Princess Senior Ship Staff, inc Cruise Directors & Entertainment Directors thread.

 

Yes, that listing is what I was referring to, but at some point Kristoff would be on earlier. It's all good...I've sailed with him previously and thought he was great, but love the reviews of Cole so looking forward to sailing with him.

Edited March 13 by cheetosrevil

[startedwithamouse]

7 minutes ago, cheetosrevil said:

Yes, that listing is what I was referring to, but at some point Kristoff would be on earlier. It's all good...I've sailed with him previously and thought he was great, but love the reviews of Cole so looking forward to sailing with him.

Cole was supposed to leave the end of February, but was extended because Kristoff was needed on Majestic. I'm the one who gathered this information and posted on the aforementioned chart. 

[cheetosrevil]

1 minute ago, startedwithamouse said:

Cole was supposed to leave the end of February, but was extended because Kristoff was needed on Majestic. I'm the one who gathered this information and posted on the aforementioned chart. 

Great, thank you.

[cheetosrevil]

2 minutes ago, cheetosrevil said:

Great, thank you.

I look at that thread all the time, but...doh...missed that entry. Geez.

[startedwithamouse]

2 minutes ago, cheetosrevil said:

Great, thank you.

We'll be on Discovery again soon too. 🙂

[gardengalaz]

3 hours ago, cheetosrevil said:

Another ask...who is the CD on your cruise? I see it's probably Cole Bockman, but wondering. TYIA!

Seems like the commenters have already helped sort out the answer, which is great because I never pay attention to who's the CD, Captain or any other role. I vaguely remember he sounded like he was from South Africa???

[cali-croozer]

Hi there. We're in a similar room on our next cruise. Regarding outlets,  are there just the 2 at the desk. We are trying to figure out where we will plug in my husband's cpap.  Thanks, in advance. Enjoying the post. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, gardengalaz said:

Seems like the commenters have already helped sort out the answer, which is great because I never pay attention to who's the CD, Captain or any other role. I vaguely remember he sounded like he was from South Africa???

If it's South Africa,that's Kristoff. Cole is a Kiwi and reminds guests in every single announcement. 

[gardengalaz]

1 hour ago, cali-croozer said:

Hi there. We're in a similar room on our next cruise. Regarding outlets,  are there just the 2 at the desk. We are trying to figure out where we will plug in my husband's cpap.  Thanks, in advance. Enjoying the post. 

Just the two at the desk BUT the other couple we're traveling with both use cpap and their cabin steward brought them what they needed, including distilled water.

[gardengalaz]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

If it's South Africa,that's Kristoff. Cole is a Kiwi and reminds guests in every single announcement. 

Then it might be Cole, because he's always identifying himself by where he comes from.  Honestly, I don't pay much attention to his announcements, nor the Captain's.  Unless I hear 7 short and 1 long blasts on the ship's horn, I've got other things to do.

[LyssaWorthy]

Thank you so much for this review.  We embark as you disembark this Saturday.  Virtual 👋

 

First time on Discovery, but started sailing Princess in 1986 and never felt the need to try another line.

 

How is the temperature in the Discovery common areas?  Since we’re sailing to Hawaii I know to plan for chilly nights at sea, but the inside space can be warm, sweater cool, or grab-a-blanket-from-MUTS cold.

 

TIA!

[gardengalaz]

Hi, Everyone!

 

Ah, another fine day at sea on our way to Santa Barbara, which means I'm staying in our room most of the time. Not that I really want to, but it's too cold to sit out on deck and the rest of ship is crazy crowded and LOUD.  

 

I don't want to paint things in too dark of a light, but the bottom line, in my personal opinion, is that the food, service and entertainment on board are absolutely fantastic, but I genuinely hate this ship.  It's poorly designed, cramped, crowded, congested ... simply too many people crammed into too little space.  I recognize and accept the fact that I am the one with the problem in this situation. In fact, if I was as outgoing and social as my wife is, this would be the ideal cruise -- but I'm introverted, reclusive and quiet and I just need some isolated little corner to sit in peaceful contemplation.  We've been on a LOT of cruises and I've always been able to find someplace onboard to relax ... so far, that space on this ship eludes me.

 

If I could put Princess' food and service onto a Celebrity ship, I'd be a VERY happy cruiser indeed.  It might be a very different experience on a warmer itinerary, but the California coastline in early March is a wee bit brisk, so most of the passengers are staying indoors. 

 

All that said, we're having a very nice time ... meeting lots of very nice people ... LOVE the whole medallion thingy ... LOVE the Premiere package ... enjoying the entertainment in general -- and my wife is most definitely in her element!

 

 

 

 

[gardengalaz]

22 minutes ago, LyssaWorthy said:

Thank you so much for this review.  We embark as you disembark this Saturday.  Virtual 👋

 

First time on Discovery, but started sailing Princess in 1986 and never felt the need to try another line.

 

How is the temperature in the Discovery common areas?  Since we’re sailing to Hawaii I know to plan for chilly nights at sea, but the inside space can be warm, sweater cool, or grab-a-blanket-from-MUTS cold.

 

TIA!

We were expecting the interior spaces to be a refrigerator, as we've generally found on other cruises/cruiselines BUT that isn't the case on this ship.  My wife still thinks it's cold, and some spaces are warmer than others, but she's happy in a sweatshirt or wearing a sweater or a pashmina when we go out in the evening.

 

On the subject of Hawaii, my wife attended a Q&A with the Captain as well as a galley tour today and she was blown away by the preparation and orchestration a voyage to Hawaii requires.  You should have a wonderful time!!

 

Edited March 13 by gardengalaz