Chew on This: Tips for Getting the Best Meal on the Sky Princess

A friend remembers that at his parents’ dinner party in the ‘60s, the talk was about cruising. But not the beauty of the sea or the allure of the ports – it was all about the food.

A sweet finish to a meal at The Catch

Have things changed, really? Of course, today we have bumper cars and bowling alleys, but who among us doesn’t care about the chow? In fact, we obsess endlessly about lobster tails, whether to spring for specialty dining and if waiters will actually serve us coffee in the buffet.

And after all, we’re spending thousands of dollars for the privilege of eating to our tummies’ content. So, with this in mind, I’ve assembled some tips on how you can get the best meal on your upcoming voyage on the Sky Princess:

Before You Go

Plan Your Palate – A real plus today is that we have many more choices for where we can consume our calories – main dining room (MDR), buffet, specialty restaurants, casualty eateries, poolside grills and snack shops, as well as room service. Princess offers traditional MDR seating, as well as anytime dining with reservations or without. You will need to make a selection when you book.

Package Your Pleasure – For the greatest choice, consider the Premier package. Princess’ top bells-and-whistles offering will set you back an extra $100 per person/per day (more if you wait to buy it onboard), but it’s a great value, given all that’s included, such as unlimited specialty dining (as well as casualty dining and room service, unlimited alcohol, wi-fi, gratuities and more). We took full advantage of the package, eating in specialty restaurants four times on an eight-day trip.

Your Best Meal is a Phone Call Away – After you make final payment, make specialty dining reservations a soon as possible through Princess’ dedicated Dine Line (1-833-805-DINE), as the restaurants fill up fast. (You can also use it to make reservations in the MDR.) Also, note that if you’re a Captain’s Circle Elite or Platinum, you can book specialty dining even before final payment is made.

On the Cruise

The highlight of an MDR dinner

Didn’t get in? Don’t despair – If you forget to make specialty reservations before you leave home, if you’re flexible, you may be able to get them on embarkation day, or even well into the trip. Sometimes, reservations are cancelled or there are no-shows. For example, we were able to snag an available slot at a specialty restaurant mid-voyage by visiting the restaurant.  

Know where you’re eating – Location of a restaurant can really matter. During our highly anticipated meal at The Catch specialty restaurant, which is located off the piazza, a song contest was underway. A large crowd screamed and cheered all the way through our meal. So, if a romantic dinner is your goal, you might want to check the restaurant’s location and the scheduled entertainment. (Note that when we ate there a few nights later, thankfully, a mellow folk guitarist was the featured performer.)

Main dining do’s – One formal night, we ended up at the MDR at 8:30 p.m. – just 30 minutes before
closing. We were shocked that it turned out to be one of the fastest dinners we’ve had in an MDR – 1 hour and 15 minutes, from soup to dessert. It might not be your first choice to eat that late, but perhaps the key to a speedy meal. 

Afternoon fare at the International Cafe

The International Café: A 24/7 Treat – The International Café is the best round-the-clock snack shop I’ve seen at sea in terms of food quality and choice. The variety changes during the day, so check it out whenever you find yourself in the piazza. Note that while the food is included in the cruise fare, the café’s coffees are not.

The Buffet: Come as You Are, Eat What You Want – The buffets seem to be more popular than ever. Perhaps folks are more reluctant to get dressed up for the MDR and/or sit through long meals.

Or, maybe the buffet’s selection is the draw. On the Sky Princess, the buffet is massive, with varying items spanning both sides of the ship, as well as areas in the middle. The meal hours are generous too: breakfast until 11:30 a.m.; lunch until 3:30 p.m.; snacks until 5:30 p.m.; and dinner until 10 p.m.

American fare is among the options of the buffet.

Be sure not to miss the special last sea day lunch, which features a cake extravaganza. Dozens of colorful confections fill the bakery area, designed to send you off the ship with a sweet taste in your mouth.

Musing’s Top Tip: Princess may be the only cruise line left offering a galley tour for free. We gathered in the theater at 10 a.m. on the last sea day to watch a cooking demo led by the executive chef. This was followed by a brief singing performance by kitchen crew, and then we filed out to visit the galley, a wonderland of mastery, mystery and stainless steel.

The galley tour

A Step Back in Time: A Review of the Enchanted Princess

I was truly enchanted with Princess’ fifth Royal Class ship. With its warm and gleaming wood, and marble décor, the ship was welcoming in its traditional trappings. You might even think you were on a luxury liner from days gone by – except for the shows. Oh, and the medallions.

The three-deck piazza in its warm and inviting tones

Aside from the mixture of the old and new, what else can you expect on the Enchanted Princess?

The Crowd: Lively but Not Loud – Princess, as a cruise line, trends to older adults. While there will always be kids, there aren’t many. A face-painting event on a recent trip hosted only a handful of school-age children. (Note, though, that we don’t travel during school vacations.)

The overall vibe of the ship is lively; piazza parties draw enthusiastic crowds, but you won’t find belly flop or hairy men contests at the pool.

Jiving to a live band in the piazza, where something is always happening

The Food: Quantity is the Order of the Day – Main dining room chow is typical cruise fare. While I had a few good desserts (see top photo below), I sorely missed the Norman Love blow-you-away creations from several years ago. Attempts at recreating his desserts, such as the chocolate pistachio dome (bottom photo below), fell short.

The buffet, however, is a real standout, with a mind-boggling array of choices. Unlike other cruise lines where the choices on one side of the room mirror the choices on the other, Enchanted’s varied spread spanned both. What’s more, the meal hours were exceedingly generous, with breakfast available until 11:30 a.m.; lunch until 3:30 p.m.; snacks until 5:30 p.m.; and dinner until 10 p.m.

And if this isn’t enough, the 24/7 International Café on the piazza can fill in the gaps with breakfast pastries and yogurts, sandwiches, quiches and desserts.

Sandwiches and such in the piazza's 24/7 International Cafe

The Activities: Behind the Scenes and Much More – Princess is one of the last cruise lines to offer free galley tours, usually the morning of the last sea day. There are also behind-the-scenes talks about putting production shows together, ship navigation, Q&A with the captain and the like. There’s also veggie carving, towel folding, and arts and crafts, assorted game shows and other interactive events.

The Entertainment: A Video Game Takes Center Stage, and There’s Music Everywhere – Production shows were modern, including an intriguing one evoking a video game. Karaoke drew standing room-only crowds, and music choices ranged from Irish tunes at O’Malley’s to jazz at Take Five to violins at the Crown Grill Bar. We found ourselves ensconced at Crooners several nights, seeped in nostalgia as we sipped G&Ts to piano tunes of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Strings to sip by at the Crown Grill Bar

The Service: A Newsletter in Print!!! – In another nod to tradition, Princess still provides twice daily cabin cleaning and delivers a paper newsletter, and even serves water, juice and coffee, as well as alcohol, to tables in the buffet.

The Technology: More Than a Token Amount

The medallions – small circular token-like disks –introduced a while back to replace sea cards – worked well to pay for drinks, open the stateroom door, and register our comings and goings at ports. Ours did de-activate once during the cruise, but were easily restored after a trip to the guest relations desk.

The Rooms: Maxi from Mini – Princess’ mini-suites are a particularly good deal, as they provide extra cabin space without the humungous cost of a real suite. And while the verandahs are on the small side, the mini-suites – and the standard balcony rooms – must surely have the biggest closets at sea. There’s also an impressive selection of – yes, you are reading this right – free on-demand movies.

The mini-suite features a full-sized couch, a curtain to separate the sitting area and two TVs 

The Final Word (Almost): You’ll Wish it Could Go on Forever

As long as rock-climbing is not what you’re after, you can’t go wrong with the Enchanted Princess. In fact, as your vacay comes to a close, you’ll be so relaxed that you’ll be wishing you had booked a longer trip.

Musing’s Top Tips

Specialty dining – Be sure to make reservations well in advance of your trip. Use Princess’s new dedicated dining line: 833-805-DINE. By the time you get onboard, the restaurants will already be filled up.

Pasta primavera at Sabatini's

Formal night – The first formal night is generally the first sea day.

Don’t-miss entertainment – On the last day, there’s a fabulous Princess World Orchestra event in the piazza. (Check the newsletter for the time.) A variety of the ship entertainers do a sampling of their talent. Get there very early to nab a seat.

Sampling the ship's varied entertainment as the cruise sails to a close

Already Booked?

See the post “Know Before You Go” for tips on what to do before your trip to help it go as smoothly as possible. 

 

 

Be in the Know Before You Go on Enchanted Princess

You’ve booked your trip and paid for it too. 

Now what? Do online check-in! With Princess, the process begins as soon as you’ve made final payment. Here are details and tips from our recent cruise on the Enchanted Princess: 

For smoother, faster boarding 

Download the Princess app and do online check-in right away. Consider having the medallion (Princess’ version of the sea card) shipped to your home. If you have the Premier package, shipping is free; without the package, it costs $10*. You can order the medallion on the app at the same time you do online check-in.

The medallions typically arrive 7-20 days before the trip; ours came 7 days before. If you want to know if it’s been shipped, you can call Princess.

Once you order the medallion, you will be assigned to the "green lane,” teeing you up for faster boarding. At the terminal, agents manning kiosks check your passport and boarding pass. Then, you scan your medallion, and that’s it! It took us about five minutes.

The Enchanted Princess' stunning piazza, the hub of it all.

For better medallion management 

Lanyards and clip 

Check out the options for holding the medallion during your cruise. Amazon has a slew of choices, from watchbands to key chains. AirTag holders work too. 

There’s also a shop on the ship with many options, including bracelets and necklaces. 

The medallions are shipped with free lanyards, but note that the holder portion is a thin plastic frame. In just one day on our trip, we saw two people lose their medallions because they popped out of the holder. If you have Premier, the medallions also come with a blue plastic clip. 

Musing's Top Tip: I used a different solution for the medallion holder, which worked really well. I bought a keychain and retractable badge holder from Amazon. I mounted the medallion in the keychain and connected it to the badge holder. I hooked the badge holder to the zipper of my little purse, leaving the medallion safely inside (see photo right). When I needed to show the medallion, I pulled it out of my purse with the badge holder cord.

My spouse used the same technique, adding an extra keychain piece that he used to loop it through his belt, and keep his medallion in his shorts pocket.

For hassle-free specialty dining 

The Premier package includes two dinners, but if you make reservations in the app, you will get charged, and then will need to visit Guest Relations onboard to have it credited. You can avoid this hassle by calling Princess from home and asking them to make reservations for you, which they do without charging.

Sabatini's, the Italian specialty restaurant off the piazza.

You’ll want to make reservations as soon as possible, as they fill up fast. For example, when we visited the Crown Grill on embarkation day, the restaurant was already completely booked for the whole trip. 

For quicker MDR dining 

You can book your main dining room meals before the trip on the app. We made reservations for every night, even if we weren’t sure we were going to eat there.

Note on formal nights: If you want to enjoy both formal nights and specialty restaurants, pay close special attention to your itinerary. For seven-day Caribbean trips, in general, if you have a port on day 2 (first full day of the cruise), the formal night will be on day 3. If you have a sea day on day 2, the formal night will be on day 2. (This can vary, though, depending on the length of your trip and part of the world). 

Musing's Top Tip: For a faster meal, tell the waiter you have a show to catch. We did this one night and were out of there in only 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Communication from Princess

One week before the cruise, your boarding pass will show up in the app. You’ll only receive a few emails from Princess between final payment and boarding. Some are informational/educational, highlighting dining options and entertainment. The last one, “Last Minute Must-Dos,” comes a few days before the trip and provides reminders on what you need to bring for check-in and details about the departure port. 

Musing's Top Tip: To really be in the know before you go, consider joining the Princess Facebook site. I got some great ideas and advice from previous cruisers. Hope these tips helped. 

By the way, we loved the Enchanted Princess. Stay tuned for a ship review coming soon! 

* Available only to guests from U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico

Returning to Royal: Review of Wonder of the Seas

When the pandemic ended, we chose to regain our Royal Caribbean sea legs with Wonder of the Seas. We’d been on other Oasis-class ships, so we had basis for comparison. 

Below are the highlights: 

The shows were energetic. With booming music and singing, fast-paced dancing and extensive use of the huge digital screens, the shows were an adrenaline rush, but may not appeal to an older crowd. “The Effectors II: Cash & Burn” brought to mind a comic book. “Taps Factory” featured tap dancing to a range of contemporary music, relying heavily on drums. 

“Voices” was closer to a traditional production show, with singers and dancers performing familiar songs spanning decades and background vocals displayed on the digital screens. The aqua show, with its unusual all-female cast, included aerial acrobatics, diving, music, lights and splashing water. The ice show was reliably wonderful, showcasing awesome twirls, dips and lifts, with colorful sets and costumes. 

Rehearsal for the aqua show

There were crowds, but empty places too. With 6,000+ vacationers on board, you expect crowds on Oasis ships. Embarkation, debarkation, the buffet and pools on a sea day are when you feel it the most. In the past, we’ve found refuge from the buffet by breakfasting in the usually tranquil Solarium Bistro. Clearly, word has gotten out on this alternative (and free) spot. This trip, food lines were long, the waiters could barely restock fast enough and all seats were taken. 

Central Park was often empty during the day.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of places to find respite from the crowds. Most of the day (not lunchtime), Central Park is an oasis and we enjoyed many a drink at the Trellis Bar without competition. The Diamond Lounge (for loyalty club Diamond and above) during the day was peaceful. And nothing can compare to the serenity of your balcony! 

Breads and such in the Windjammer

The food was a mixed bag. It’s hard to say if this was due to Royal Caribbean’s pandemic-produced debt, or just a Wonder of the Seas thing, but the Windjammer buffet selection was more limited than we’ve experienced on other ships. If your taste bends toward the basic, such as hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, chicken parmesan and carved meats, you’ll be fine. But if you prefer more varied choices, you may be disappointed. Particularly noticeable was the minimal international food options, usually a buffet standout. 

However, the main dining room was a very pleasant surprise. All three dinners we had there lasted 90 minutes or less, a far cry from the two hours or more we were used to on other Royal Caribbean ships. And each meal was decent, particularly the last night of the trip. 

Wonder of the Seas main dining room

Service was consistently terrific. Our room steward was not only efficient and responsive, but friendly, always stopping to chat or smile when he saw us coming. We found the overall service—from the waiters to the bartenders—to be helpful and pleasant.

The loyalty club is better than ever. Not only does Royal Caribbean have the best loyalty club at sea, but the cruise line recently made it even better. Its daily drink vouchers (Diamond and above), now good all day and almost anywhere on the ship, enabled us to sample a greater variety of beverages and check out many more of the bars, which was a trip highlight. 

Tidbits 

Briefly, a few other notable changes: cabin service is down to once a day (you choose morning or evening)…cabin showers have dispensers with a combo body soap/shampoo…the tutti salad bar in the MDR on sea days is no more…printed newsletters are not provided, but your room steward will deliver one each day if 

you ask…for a nifty one-of-a-kind souvenir, consider the Starbucks Wonder of the Seas mug, for sale on the Promenade at, of course, the Starbucks concession. 

Already booked? 

If you’re already booked on Wonder of the Seas, check out “Be in the Know Before You Go” on what you can expect and what you need to do as your trip nears.

Be in the Know Before You Go on Wonder of the Seas

A fellow on YouTube recently complained that when he boarded Wonder of
the Seas, he went to the ticket booth, only to find that all the shows were sold out. Yikes! How did this happen? Clearly, a lot of people knew something he didn't.

Read on for important tips on what you should do and what to expect in the lead up to your Royal Caribbean cruise.

Once You Book

·     

Save on eat, drink and surf packages – If you’re looking to buy a package, know you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get it at a discount before your trip.  Royal Caribbean will barrage you will promo emails—ours started four months before the trip—even before we made final payment.

About a Month Before Your Cruise

·        Download Royal Caribbean’s app. Then, when you do online check-in, (available beginning about 45 days before the trip), you’ll get a digital boarding pass called the “SetSail Pass.”

Main dining room on Wonder of the Seas

Check out the app periodically; the closer you get to the trip, the more stuff you’ll see for your cruise, such as activities, menus and even loyalty club events.

Print luggage tags – You’ll get a “Guest Ticket Booklet” PDF via email, with the luggage tags on some of the pages. You can print the tags in black and white, but Royal Caribbean prefers color. We loaded the booklet onto a thumb drive, took it to a local Office Depot and for a few dollars, printed the luggage tags in color on the self-service printer.

       Sign up for shows now – In the “Manage My Cruise” section of Royal Caribbean’s website, you can make reservations for the date and time you prefer. The longer you wait, the fewer choices you will have. 

      Dine your way – You can also make reservations for the main dining room if you’re on My Time. It’s a good idea to do this, especially for formal nights, to reduce the wait at the MDR doors.

·    

Keeping track – Your booked shows and meals will be listed in the Calendar section  of  the app. Also, consider making a paper  chart and mounting it on the cabin wall with a magnet. It’s a good way for you and your  roommate to see your schedule at a  glance. I list for each day what port we’re in, where we’re eating and what show we’re seeing.

Before Leaving Home

·       Print your boarding pass – While you’ll show the SetSail pass on your phone at the port, it’s a good idea to also bring a paper copy, just in case the wifi in the terminal is down, you left your phone in your suitcase, you run out of battery juice, you dropped it in the toilet…

·        Ban the banned stuff – Double check that your carryon doesn’t include banned stuff. My spouse forgot he had a Swiss army knife in his toiletries bag and it was taken from him.

If something does slip by you, you’ll get it back at the end of the trip. A table was set up outside the cruise terminal in Port Canaveral on disembarkation day. Your possession will have plenty of company—our knife was nearly obscured by a vast collection of irons, steamers and power strips.

Musing’s Top Tip: If you’re doing a specialty restaurant, do it on the first night. Chops Grille was nearly empty, the service was attentive and it was just plain lovely. It was the opposite experience a few days later!

Beyond the T-Shirt: Shopping the Islands

After 27 cruises and a whole lot of shopping, my home office looks like a shrine to the Caribbean.

Some of the stuff is the usual, like key chains, magnets and snow globes. And I even have a t-shirt. But the souvenirs I really love were made by hand or unique to the island. They’re harder to find than ever, but they’re there.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Woven baskets from Dominica – The specialty of this Eastern Caribbean island makes a terrific souvenir or gift because it’s portable and practical. And handsome.

Wood art from Roatan – Honduras is known for its wood creations – especially those made from mahogany – and you can find cups, bowls and carvings at the cruise port at Roatan or Mahogany Bay.

Peasant tops from Costa Maya – There are a number of shops and stalls at the pier that sell locally made clothing. I bought a delicate, one-of-a-kind colorful hand-woven blouse there for a very reasonable price. 

Painted shells from St. Kitts – Walk through the cruise port towards town and you’ll pass an aisle of small vendors in covered stalls. One of the first vendors, is an artist selling her own work—magnets, small boxes and other objects hand-painted with tropical scenes, including the island’s wild vervet monkeys.

Paintings from Labadee – Royal Caribbean’s private part of Haiti has a thriving artisan market (see left), with dozens of stalls selling paintings of many sizes, and painted boxes and magnets. Some of the paintings can even be purchased without a frame to make it easier to get them home. Note that bargaining is expected!

Madras from Martinique – Ramble through the streets of Fort-de-France – or go no further than the cruise pier – to find examples of the local colorful fabrics. In town, you can buy fabric to make clothing. Or, you can get souvenirs made from madras, such as a little parrot I bought at a pier shop (see left). 

And then there’s rum. Everywhere!

In short, when you cruise the Caribbean, there’s plenty to buy beyond the T-shirt, but you’ll need a sharp eye to find it. Happy shopping!

 

 

 

Cruising a Classic

A trip on Holland America’s Rotterdam is to harken back to the good ol days, when a ship was a ship and not an amusement park. If it’s an amusement park you’re after—stop reading here. 

For this is a review of both a new ship and a classic.

What you’ve heard is true. Let’s start with the demographic, which is most likely on your mind. Yes, HAL’s guests trend upward; mostly 50+. If you fall in this category, you’ll love the Rotterdam. If you’re younger, but want a tranquil, laid back trip, you can love it too. 

Winsome and whimsical

Atrium artwork

. The ship is handsome, with muted colors, and music-themed and funky artwork.

All the right notes. It’s hard not to find something to like on the “Music Walk,” which featured venues with bands playing rock (Rolling Stones Rock Room) and blues (BB King Blues Club), two pianists singing oldies pop (Billboard Onboard) and a classical music quartet (Lincoln Center Stage). 

On our trip, there were also several performances by the ship’s dance troupe, a singing group, comedian and magician. 

With our comfort in mind. The staterooms have lots of storage—especially satisfying were two very deep drawers under the bed that still provided ample space to shove in two large suitcases. There are also reading lights mounted next to the bed that can be positioned perfectly, and outlets and USB ports on each side of the bed and by the desk. 

A morsel of food. In short, the food is typical of cruise ships—no better or worse. The meals in the main dining room were decent and the buffet was varied (standouts were the “Distant Lands” dishes, such as Beef Sumatra and Pork Vindaloo). We ate in specialty restaurants Pinnacle Grill (filet mignon) and Canaletto (osso buco), which were very good. 

A sweet end to the meal at Canaletto

Having it all. Holland America’s “Have it All” promotion is similar to perks packages of other lines. You pay one price and get a beverage package, wifi, specialty restaurants and excursions. Though it added a lot to the cost of the trip, we felt it was worth it because it enhanced the experience. 

Service with a smile. A second cabin cleaning per day is now available on request only. Yet, our room stewards were so wonderful that they did the second cleaning even though we passed on it. And they took the time to create elaborate towel animals most nights. In fact, throughout the ship, we found the vast majority of the crew helpful and friendly.

Special and welcome. The Rotterdam has a Grand Dutch Café (it’s on the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam as well) with Dutch snacks and other treats, as well as a bar and specialty coffees. Also, we loved the unique event in which BBC nature documentaries were shown in the nearly surround-screened World Stage theater, with a dramatic live soundtrack provided by the ship’s classical quartet. 

The bottom line on HAL’s Rotterdam? It’s hard to argue with a classic. It’s got the basics—pleasing décor, comfortable cabins, decent food, pools, spa, casino, entertainment, shops. No, you can’t ride a carousel. But it delivered a relaxing, rejuvenating vacation.