My View: Will we be Enchanted by Princess? (Live Views from a Princess Newbie)

[APDMOM]

5 hours ago, beshears said:

I love your picture of the swings in Belize, and I am 81 years old, but if "I" was there, I would be swinging right now. 🙂 

Are the game shows held in a certain area, and if so, what is the name?

As you can see, I am still trying to "catch up," and while doing this, I am making notes for myself to pass on to the other 7 that will be cruising with me in February.

 

Good morning!  I agree - those swings are fun!  My 77+1-year-old mom (she refuses to be called 78) would be swinging too!  

 

The game shows are in different venues - just check the APP or Princess Patter 🙂 Enjoy planning your adventure!

[555]

14 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Lunch at Gigi’s:

We decided to have our second ‘free’ lunch at Gigi’s.  We got there right around 11 and easily got seated.  The food was way too much.  We opted to only order the pizza and still had about half left over.  The pizza was excellent- worth an up-charge if it had not been included in the plus package.

I've read that other couples have only ordered 1 serving & split the meal thereby doubling the number of time they could eat there.

[remarcm]

Thanks ADPMOM, I have enjoyed your review and really appreciate the trouble you took to do it. Just curious what deck and where the glass floor was?  

[phabric]

43 minutes ago, 555 said:

I've read that other couples have only ordered 1 serving & split the meal thereby doubling the number of time they could eat there.

  I asked at the check in desk at Alfredo’s on the Sky, he is the person that charges the credit to your account.  My friend had the salad, we shared a pizza (we each had 1/2 a pizza with the ingredients that we each wanted) and I had the desert.  We did that for a couple of times.

[Daniel A]

26 minutes ago, remarcm said:

Thanks ADPMOM, I have enjoyed your review and really appreciate the trouble you took to do it. Just curious what deck and where the glass floor was?  

The glass floor is called the Seawalk.  It is located on the lido deck (Deck 16)  The Royal Class ships all have a Seawalk.  Video here:

 

[geehp]

Thanks, ADPMOM, for such a thorough and helpful report on your week aboard Enchanted.  We are counting the days to our August 10 sailing on the 14 day repositioning — your account of your time this past week has intensified our excitement. Glad you had a fun time. We’ve been on a number of Princess ships, but this will be our first Enchanted voyage.  Safe and fun travels as you embark on your NCL sailing.

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 8 - Debarkation in Fort Lauderdale

 

 

 

 

 

Wondered how many people were waking up in that Hilton to board a cruise…

[APDMOM]

Debarkation Info

 

We missed the bus on selecting self- assist, but it was not a problem. We were able to get off the ship at our leisure. I like that Princess did not rush us off… They repeatedly announced, “If you are ready…” It was a great experience until we entered the terminal. 

 

Download PDF for info:

 

Debarkation 2.pdf

[APDMOM]

Fort Lauderdale 🙈😫

 

TIP: If you get off at this terminal, just check your luggage. Self-assist was quite a mess because you are NOT allowed to carry your bags down the stairs. EVERYONE has to either use the escalator or elevator. They will NOT let you carry more than one bag down the escalator, nor allow you to  make 2 trips down the regular stairs. That means you have to wait in the long elevator line. 

 

I am sure this arrangement is to the lack of personal responsibility and prior lawsuits or fear thereof…  Other than this minor irritation, debarkation was smooth.

 

TIP: Use a park and cruise service….

 

My newest view of parking at the port is NOT to do it. The drop off line holds up the parking line, then the same issue ensues when you try to leave.  In the future, we will return to using a park and cruise option. 

[APDMOM]

Well, we are waiting to board NCL Breakaway, so I will complete my summary and the verdict on whether we were “Enchanted by Princess” later today… along with a few more tips.

 

❤️ Thanks for all the likes, positive comments, and assistance from veteran Princess cruisers! It has been such fun to share our views and cruise with all of our CC friends❣️

[JamieLogical]

57 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Debarkation Info

 

We missed the bus on selecting self- assist, but it was not a problem. We were able to get off the ship at our leisure. I like that Princess did not rush us off… They repeatedly announced, “If you are ready…” It was a great experience until we entered the terminal. 

 

Download PDF for info:

 

Debarkation 2.pdf 3.57 MB · 3 downloads

 

What do you mean by "missing the bus on selecting self-assist?" Can't anyone just walk off with their own bags at anytime?

[memoak]

On 7/20/2024 at 6:44 AM, 555 said:

I've read that other couples have only ordered 1 serving & split the meal thereby doubling the number of time they could eat there.

We have been able to share meals at Vines on several ships and hope to do the same on our Grand cruise starting on the 31st

[voljeep]

1 hour ago, APDMOM said:

My View: Day 8 - Debarkation in Fort Lauderdale

 

 

 

 

 

Wondered how many people were waking up in that Hilton to board a cruise…

we will be hopefully mid October to embark on the SUN P

[Wishing on a star]

Looking forward to your final report!

 

We have been able to travel with one large suitcase and two carry-on bags.  One for each of us.

DH has piggybacked his carry-on on the larger spinner-wheel suitcase....  We have not had a problem...  But if the elevators are necessary, maybe the line when we have been there has not been too long?

 

I don't remember where it was, but I remember hearing stories, like a child that was carrying one small item was not allowed to get on the escalator  (yes, really) as the adult had stepped on and was being whisked away.   So, good to be aware!

[APDMOM]

26 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

What do you mean by "missing the bus on selecting self-assist?" Can't anyone just walk off with their own bags at anytime?

There was a form to fill out to state your plans. Usually, if you do self-assist on other cruise lines, you don’t need to do anything.  On Princess, even self-assist get luggage tags.  Nobody stopped us or asked about our luggage tags though, so it was not a problem. I think it just helps them to streamline the debarkation process to some extent.  

[voljeep]

I know it is strictly enforced at PE terminal 2 that one hand has to be completely free to hold on to the escalator railing.

 

we always just use the elevator anyway due to balance issues and moving escalators do not get along - even moving 'sidewalks' in airports can be a problem when getting off.

 

we plan for it, deal with it, and move on

[APDMOM]

Just now, voljeep said:

I know it is strictly enforced at PE terminal 2 that one hand has to be completely free to hold on to the escalator railing.

 

we always just use the elevator anyway due to balance issues and moving escalators do not get along - even moving 'sidewalks' in airports can be a problem when getting off.

 

we plan for it, deal with it, and move on

Correct. However, DH has been able to safely secure our two small carry-ons together to have a hand available to hold onto the railing. They would not allow this either.  It was just one of those situations where the “letter of the law” did not follow the intent of the rule with common sense. 🙂

[Daniel A]

3 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Correct. However, DH has been able to safely secure our two small carry-ons together to have a hand available to hold onto the railing. They would not allow this either.  It was just one of those situations where the “letter of the law” did not follow the intent of the rule with common sense. 🙂

I don't think those are Princess employees.  I think they are port employees, but I could be wrong.

[555]

42 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have been able to share meals at Vines on several ships and hope to do the same on our Grand cruise starting on the 31st

I believe one of your posts is what I read a while back.

It wouldn't work for us as I want a complete meal for myself & the whole dessert. 😄

[APDMOM]

12 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I don't think those are Princess employees.  I think they are port employees, but I could be wrong.

No, you are right. It is a Fort Lauderdale rule, enforced by the port, not the cruise line. 🙂 

[555]

20 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

There was a form to fill out to state your plans. Usually, if you do self-assist on other cruise lines, you don’t need to do anything.  On Princess, even self-assist get luggage tags.  Nobody stopped us or asked about our luggage tags though, so it was not a problem. I think it just helps them to streamline the debarkation process to some extent.  

We always use the self assist & I have seen the forms but never filled out a thing. Like your self no one cares but they do warn people that you should have all your luggage.

[555]

One cruise last Nov on the Ruby they wouldn't let people use the escalator to go to the ship on embarkation even if you had one hand free. They forced people to the elevator. 

Then in Feb on the Enchanted it was OK once again as long as you had one hand free. Go figure. 

Different crew I suppose. 

 

[memoak]

44 minutes ago, 555 said:

I believe one of your posts is what I read a while back.

It wouldn't work for us as I want a complete meal for myself & the whole dessert. 😄

Have you seen the size of the charcuterie plate at vines and how many truffles you are served. ?

[APDMOM]

 

The Verdict on Enchanted Princess:

 

What we loved:

 

Some of the Best public entertainment, including our favorite, Glitz Duo.  

 

Excellent selection of TV programming.  Even geeky shows for us! 

 

Princess Plus - we love that only first two require it - great value to us since DS only drinks water (not even bottled) and regular coffee.  DH only takes an occasional sip of alcoholic drinks and mostly enjoys water and regular coffee.  Therefore, drinks packages are never worthwhile to us.  Adding the gratuities, wifi, and a couple of free meals made the Plus package worthwhile for our family.

 

Medallion - We love that you can locate people, order from the app with your location.  We also like to convenience of a wearable device.

 

That aft balcony with extended space was AMAZING!  If you can snatch up B737, it is highly recommended for the outdoor space.  It is also great to have the balcony by the aft elevators, as those were not used much.  

 

Rock Opera was very good!

 

I loved the extended open hours for the pools.  The sizes of the main pools were good too.  At about 12 yards long, I could swim about kilometer every morning before the pool got busy.  The pool deck felt much more spacious than many other ships.

 

Although this is not a deal-breaker, and we enjoy kids, it was a breath of fresh air to have so few children on the ship.  We only saw one child running on the decks, which is unusual for the kinds of cruises we normally book.  We are bound to school breaks, so we usually end up with a whole school full of kids on the ships. 😆

 

The staff at International Cafe were amazing!  They would greet us long before we even walked up to the counter to order.  The food at International Cafe ended up being our favorite - I often ate breakfast and lunch there!

 

What we did not enjoy:

 

The App needs a bit of work - notifications for messaging do not show up, unless you turn on the app.  The daily program should display in full from the start, rather than just the first two activities.  

 

Small cabin - very small for a family of 3 adults.  I will post pictures later to show how crowded it gets.  A walk-in closet is nice for a full-time residence, but NOT practical for a cruise.  It wastes too much space.

 

Soft serve ice cream was not ‘creamy’ - not as good as on other cruise lines

 

Bar service was hit or miss.  Three times I was sitting alone in Bellini’s at a table.  Even with only 2 other passengers at the bar, I never received service from the two bartenders behind the bar.  I had to walk up to the bar, which is not a deal breaker, but just poor customer service and surprising.   

 

Game shows were fun, but theater entertainment was not as good.  We only had two production shows, which was surprising.  However, I know not many people are that interested in shows anymore - it is just something we love.

 

There were too many time changes - I wish the ship would just remain on EST for the Caribbean itineraries.  It is exhausting to change time 4 times per cruise.  I know they probably try to avoid people missing the ship due to local time differences, but I believe in “personal responsibility”, so I don’t think that is good reasoning to inconvenience passengers and exhaust the crew.  We know how tiring 2 time changes per year can be, imagine this every week for up to 4 times!

 

There were frequently dirty dishes in the buffet.  I don’t mean “used” and left on the tables.  I mean from the ‘clean plates’ piles.  We would turn a “clean” plate over daily and find food residue.  With both DH and DS working in food service, this made us wonder about the status of cleanliness in the galley.  Now, it is not unusual to run into this ‘occasionally’  - maybe 1 time on a cruise.  But it happened daily, and often with more than one dish.  One time, DS had to put 3 dirty plates aside before he finally found a clean one.

 

Overall thoughts:

 

I believe we got a great deal for this cruise, considering it was a summer cruise.  If we get the same kind of deal on Princess with a great itinerary again, we will cruise on Princess again.  We love cruising and had an amazing week, overall.

 

NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity remain our top 3 favorites, with Princess fourth.  Carnival, Costa, and MSC are tied for 5th place.  Of course, it is not a final judgement, as we have only experienced one Princess cruise.  There are still so many ships on our bucket list that this may change over time.  🙂 Maybe we were not quite as ‘aged out’ of the other cruise lines… LOL!

[doghog]

2 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

 

 

The Verdict on Enchanted Princess:

 

 

Thanks for taking the time for sharing your positive and negative experiences and opinions. Interesting but exactly why we don't considers others experiences, opinions when we book our cruises.