My stay on board the Royal Princess

I have just returned from a two night mini cruise on the brand new Royal Princess and have had a fantastic time. This was her first ever sailing and sometimes you hear horror stories of these preview sailings but Princess had their act together and all went well.

I had a standard balcony cabin and at first this appreared to be small and it lacked a sofa. However it had a huge warddrobe/dressing area which I really appreciated and I would rather have this area than a sofa that I only ever put my bags on anyway. The colour scheme of the cabin was tan, which wouldn't be my choice, however it really didn't restrict my holiday experience. Over the years I have read many reviews of 'garish colours' or 'uninspiring beige' and you can't decorate to please all of the people all of the time. On the plus side the corridors had some amazing landscape photo's taken from other Princess ships around the world. The bathroom was equipped with Lotus Spa toiletries.

 Once on board we headed to the Horizon Court for our buffet lunch. I really liked this area, the dark wood and sectioned areas made it more like a restaurant and less of a canteen than on other ships. The carpets and soft furnishings were plush helping to keep the noise levels down. The Horizon Court blended into the Horizon Bistro and The Pastry Shop well, offering a more conservatory style option and fantastic puddings. The food in all 3 venue's was fresh and plentiful even though we were dining late.

For dinner we opted for Anytime dining and on this ship two restaurants were given over to Anytime dining, presumably a sign of it's ever growing popularity.  We always eat late and had no trouble on either night getting a table for 2. The menu was great, some 'safe everyday options' mixed in with really unusual dishes.

As you wander around the ship I liked the abundance of small intimate areas. There is a good selection of bars and they are all fairly small in size, making the large ship seem smaller (in a good way.) The only bar / area that I wan't a fan of was the 'Wheelhouse Bar' this was billed as a pub but didn't really have that ambiance and felt more like a gentleman's club. It did offer a good selecetion of 'Pub Grub' though for lunch which I'm sure will go down well with her American guests.

Entertainment was a little bit different to what I was expecting. They didn't put on the typical 'West End Style' show although I expect they will on normal sailings and instead on the first night we saw David Cats a magician and illusionist. He was amazing, using slight of hand tricks he wowed us with his card tricks and I have no idea how he did them. He was big on audience participation and despite the fact that I tried to keep my head down he somehow spotted me and I was pulled up on stage, blindfolded and had a sword put through my neck! Fortunately I lived to tell the tale. You can watch a video of it on my previous blog by.
On the second night we chose to do Movies under the Stars. This was probably my favourite bit of the whole cruise, we sat wrapped in blankets up on deck 16 watching James Bond's Skyfall on the huge screen, it was the formal night on board and  fellow guests wandered by in their tuxedo's adding to the atmosphere. Whislt we watched, the attentive crew brought us popcorn, pizza and cookies with milk. Chocolates and ice cream were also available at no charge and of course I had a cocktail or two, shaken not stirred of course. The only down side of the movie was that it was a long film, 2 hours 23mins and shown at 7pm. This meant dinner had to be early or late and therefore there was only a handful of people watching.

Outside of the main entertainment we also tried out the bars and the prices were cheaper than I'd expected. The majority of cocktails were $7.25 each and I paid the same for a glass of champagne (187cl), soft drinks were $1.95 each. Around the ship there was also iced water and iced tea freely available along with coffee which was extremely hot,  hot chocolate and a huge selection of tea bags.

On the final morning disembarkation went smoothly, it is a shame that they kick you off the ships so early but I understand that the staff have their jobs to do. We all had a disembarkation time and this prevented any huge queues to get off.

I hope that you have enjoyed my review of the ship. I thought she was a fantastic ship and Royal Princess is now one of my favourite ships alongside the Celebrity Solstice ships. I would definitly sail on her again and will have no hesitation in recommending her. If you would like to see more of my photos just click here

She is sailing between Barcelona and Venice this summer before moving to Fort Lauderdale for the winter. Just give me a call if you like any more information.

I was tied up and blindfolded on board the Royal Princess

On my recent 2 night cruise on the Royal Princess I got more than I'd bargained for when I went to see David Cats and his magic and illusion show. David Cats has been the resident magician on board the Ruby Princess and is now set to wow passengers on board Royal Princess

My partner had suggested that we sit on the front row so that we could see well, however I refused as people on the front always get picked out and we opted for a safe position a few rows back. To start with he amazed us with some fantastic card tricks and illusions, I can honestly say I have no idea how he performed any of the tricks, picking cards that guests had selected and turning a whole deck to glass. 

He then added a twist to the show by pulling me on to the stage, tying me to a chair, blind folding me and putting a sword through my neck! Not quite what I was expecting in a pre-dinner show.

The video isn't the best quality I'm afraid, unfortunately we'd left the camera in the cabin that night and the lights were very bright. There is sound on here, if you need to turn your volume down.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this and if you are lucky enough to be sailing on the Royal Princess then make sure you go and see David Cats.

Photos of Royal Princess

I was lucky enough to sail on board Royal Princess for her first ever sailing this weekend.
Here is a selection of my photo's

The large wardrobe area. Plenty of space for a longer cruise. 

A standard balcony cabin. This lacked a sofa but had a large wardrobe area instead.

The Horizon Bistro, an extention of the buffet restaurant

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The pool deck - splash pool area



Movies Under the Stars - an amazing experience.

In dock in Guernsey



I'm sailing on Royal Princess this weekend

I am lucky enough to be sailing on the first ever cruise on board the brand new Royal Princess and I am so excited. She is the first new Princess ship for 5 years and looks amazing, she has so many facilities on board and is a large ship that I really don't think that 2 nights is going to be long enough for me.

The main things that I am looking forward to are the new SeaWalk, which is a glass bottomed walk way extending out over the sea, the adults only swimming pool as on this holiday I am leaving my son at home, (don't worry his grandparents are coming to stay with him) and the outdoor night club.
My work collegues will tell you that I have a passion for dancing and the thought of dancing under the stars and out in the fresh air really appeals.

I also intend to sample as many of the food and beverage venues that I can, although I think I will struggle to fit them all in. First on my list will be the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar for a sushi and sashimi lunch and then I'm heading to the Gelato for a designer sundae.  Following this I am going to have a champagne cocktail in the Bellini Bar (below) and one or two of the 75 different martini's in Crooners.

On my Monday my port of call is St. Peter Port in Guernsey which I've never been to and believe is beautiful. As it's my first time here my plan is to just get off the ship and wander around the town, I understand there are some great shops and restaurants.

I will obviously report back here on my thoughts on Guernsey and more importantly the Royal Princess and I intend to take lots of photo's which I will post up next week.

Now all I have to do is pack, oh and diet and exercise for the next two days so that I can sample all of those restaurants without feeling guilty.

Brilliance of the Seas now fully revitalized

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas has just been enhanced as part of their $300 million revitalization programme and I was lucky enough to be invited on board to see the changes.

As part of this programme the Radiance Class ship has been fully refurbished and the changes were amazing. She is an elegant and sophisicated ship and this is seen from the moment that you arrive and her trademark glass structure glisten's at you.

On board we started with a tour of the new features, which includes a whole host of dining venues.
The Chef's Table a select dining venue for 16 guests, serving a 7 course pairing menu with the your expert chef and sommelier guiding you through the courses.

Izumni - sushi and sashumi  and hot rock dining where you watch the chef's prepare your food. Giovanni's Table for true Italian fare and my favourite, Rita's Cantina which offers Mexican mains and snacks in a casual environment looking out to see.
On top of these speciality dining venue's there is still the Windjammer restaurant offering one  of the best and freshest buffets at sea. I visited it for lunch and a quick afternoon cookie stop to tide me over. I particularly like that Royal Caribbean serve a choice of soft drinks complimentary in here, whilst others cruise lines only offer water. And for waiter serviced dining there is the Minstrel dining room where I enjoyed the most amazing scallops in a cheese sauce and perfectly cooked steak. The service here was slightly slow but the quality of the food more than made up for it.

 There was also a host of new bars, particularly worth a mention are the King and Country pub which my smoking colleagues enjoyed for obvious reasons and the R Bar which was my favourite for its classy cocktails and champagnes. Situated in the atrium this is the perfect venue for seeing the new Centrum WOW aerial entertainment  - acrobats swinging above you across several decks. I didn't see this in action but intend to go back to see the show soon.

Other new features include the nursery which parents can use for $8 per hour and which looked well equipped and the staff were very freindly and caring. Brilliance of the Seas already had the rock climbing wall and mini golf for older children and the addition of the nursery will appeal to younger families. The outdoor movie screen is a great addition to the pool area, somehow it works in all weathers and it doesn't matter where you sit or how bright it is the picture is always perfect.

My cabin was an E3 balcony on deck 7 and was a decent size, having last had a balcony on NCL Epic the space around the bed here was much better, although the bed curved at the ends so not so good if there's 2 people both with long legs. There was also a curtain to divide the room if you have people using the sofa bed and wardrobe - wise the storage was good and more spacious than on P&O. The down side of Royal Caribbean is the toiletries, you just get a small bar of soap and a dispenser on the wall with a combined shower gel/shampoo that was similar to one you'd find at your local council swimming baths.

I did get to have a nose at other cabin types and was particularly interested in the family accommodations. It was interesting to see that in the balconies you can still have the lower beds configured as a double when the upper berth is in use. They also have a new double balcony cabin which sleeps up to 8 passengers across 3 rooms with 2 bathrooms. At a lower level than a suite and without all the living area of additional extras it should be an affordable option for larger families or 3 generations travelling together.

I haven't been on many Royal Caribbean ships but do really like the feel of them. They are glitzy and glamorous and have a feeling of energy about them. I sailed on Independence of the Seas last year but must admit that I preferred Brilliance, maybe because she was smaller so had more of an intimate feel about her. She has had a few poor reviews in recent years, probably because she was in need of an upgrade but I can honestly say she is a fabulous ship now and I look forward to reading the reviews this summer.

Brilliance of the Seas - Speciality Dining

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas has recently been revitalised and now offers a number of new speciality dining options. I was only on board for one night and dined in the main restaurant which was fantastic however I was able to visit the new restaurants and have little samplers in many of them. I thought it would be useful to share my photo's with you.

The Chef's Table
Seats 16 and serves a 7 course meal paired with fine wines to suit each course.
Cover charge $95pp. My friends were lucky enough to dine here and said it was amazing. The chef and sommelier were knowledgeable and the evening good value for money.

Giovanni's Table
Exquisite Italian Cuisine, open for lunch and dinner. 2 sittings. Children can dine here on request.
Cover charge $15 lunch and $20 dinner. I had a bread and oil sampler here which was delicious.

Chops Grill
Offering a selection or steaks, seafood and side dishes.
Open for dinner only with a smart casual dress code.
Cover charge $30pp. A very classy restaurant.

Rita's Cantina
Mexican Restaurant in a great location. Casual dining with a great selection of Mexican meals, snacks and cocktails. Cover charge $3pp plus A la Carte pricing.
Open 11am - 1am.
The margueritas was just to my taste.


Izumi Asian Cuisine. Serving a selection of sushi, sashami and hot rock plates. Izumi offers a fun place to eat. Smart casual dining and open for lunch and dinner. Cover charge $3pp plus A la Carte dining.

The Grand Canyon - a truly memorable day.

The Grand Canyon is one of the most amazing natural phenomenons on our planet and I am fortunate enough to have visited it. Following a stay in San Diego we stayed in a small town called Williams  and from here drove to the Grand Canyon Village. The approach was amazing, one long straight road and then all of a sudden the stunning views as the ground opens up and the canyon appears.

As we were celebrating my brother's wedding on this holiday my Dad treated us to a light aircraft flight over the Canyon. This is a truly memorable experience. Brad our pilot was very knowledgeable and gave us a full history of the area. Rocks at the bottom of the Canyon date back 2 billion years and the River Colorado has been running through the land for over 10 million years. Nowadays it is a National Park and had been a forest preserve since 1892.

Following the flight we took a trail down into the Canyon - not for the faint hearted, good walking shoes and a bottle of water is strongly recommened. We didn't go to the bottom as it is a full day's walk and requires you to camp their overnight. However we didn't feel short changed by just a few hours hike and were overcome by the sheer size of the Canyon.

As the day came to an end we climbed up some rocks and perched up above the Grand Canyon to watch the sunset. National Geographic lists the Grand Canyon in its Top Ten places to watch the sun set and I can see why. It was awe inspiring. We were surrounded by people of all nationalities just basking in the last of the sunlight and as the sun finally set, silence engulfed everyone as the colours took over. It was surreal.

 

The Grand Canyon will stay etched in my memory for ever and one day I hope to take my son there.
Whilst we stayed close to the Canyon it is really easy to do as an excursion from Las Vegas. We offer a choice of trips from a full day coach tour, which also calls at the Hoover Dam en route to a choice of light aircraft and helicopter rides, or a combination of the two. If you're thinking of seeing the Grand Canyon as an add on to a cruise and stay holiday, just ask me for details.