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!

Allure of the Seas Secrets

After you’ve sailed on the Allure a few times, you begin to uncover its secrets. You know—those places hardly anyone knows or those things hardly anyone does. Here are a few of what I’ve discovered:

Want something? Ask your room steward. We don’t like the liquid soap in the shower, so we asked our steward for soaps. But the very first thing we ask for is a thin blanket. Really, a duvet for the Caribbean?

Quiet on the breakfast menu. One too many loud and crowded breakfasts in Windjammer sent us looking for something better, and we found it in the Solarium. It’s the same food as the buffet, but scaled back. That’s a small price to pay for a nicer way to wake up in the morning. And, surprisingly, it serves until 11 am.

Leisurely lunch at sea. Sea days always find me in the main dining room for lunch. There’s an impressive “tutti” salad bar, where the crew assemble your greenery as you select from dozens of ingredients.

Think salad is for rabbits? There’s an extensive hot and cold buffet, and a mega dessert array. Or order from the menu. It’s not crowded or noisy and is a peaceful way to do a sea day. But note that it’s only in one dining room and only from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check your Cruise Compass for details.

Walk it off. A few hours later, we’ll be trying desperately to work it off on the walking/jogging track on Deck 5. It extends the full length of the ship; 2.4 laps make a mile. This has to be one of the least used areas of the ship—mostly you see the crew using it as a quick way to get from point A to B. An extra bonus of the track is that it takes you past the ship’s wake at the stern.

Look now, buy later. Don’t rush to buy gifts and souvenirs when you first get on the ship. If you wait a few days, much of it will go on sale. And speaking of sale…

Ten bucks buys a heck of a lot. Keep your eye out for the $10 sale. You won’t find Ming Dynasty vases or Cartier jewelry, but it’s fun picking through the junky jewelry, and colorful shawls and scarves just the same.

Looking for what $10 will get them

Then there’s Inches of Gold. This one is hard to spot—it’s a pop-up stall that shows up from time to time in the Promenade. You can buy gold and silver veneer (it’s over jeweler’s metal) necklaces and bracelets by the inch in a wide variety of designs. I have six or seven of them—they’re very durable. And if something does happen to one when you’re at home, bring it to the stand on your next cruise and they’ll fix it for you.

My time dining works. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a table—even on formal nights. And one secret we learned from a thread in the cruisecritic.com forums—we pick up a glass of wine during our Diamond happy hour (Crown and Anchor loyalty club) and bring it into the dining room or specialty restaurant. Wine with dinner without paying a cent!

What Allure secrets have you found? Drop us a line!

Perhaps You’ve Noticed

We’ve been cruising for 13 years. If you’ve cruised as long as we have—or even longer—you’ve seen quite a bit of change.

Like most changes over time, some are for the better and some, well, aren’t. Here are a few changes that come immediately to mind:

Formal farewell. Nearly gone are tuxes and gowns. Some folks don’t bother to dress up at all. And the waiters have ditched their formal wear too.

Different MDR. Our first cruise was on Celebrity’s Constellation and we felt like hillbillies, befuddled at the elaborate place settings. Dinners were five courses, wait times were shorter and waiters even had time to talk to us.

 

Main dining room on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

More dollars for dining. Specialty restaurants have become all the rage. It may come at a cost, but there are so many more alternatives to the food-for-all-tastes main dining room, and some of them are really exciting.

 

Izumi on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

Loyal cruisers exploding. On any given Royal Caribbean ship these days, it’s typical to find hundreds of Diamond Club members. Proof that once you cruise, you’re hooked.

Tech follows us onboard—and off. It’s not just Internet cafes anymore. Technology is everywhere and doing everything—from turning on lights to helping us track our travel companions to serving us drinks. Our faces will even speed the dreaded Disembarkation with Royal Caribbean and U.S. Customs’ new facial recognition.

 

A taste of technology on Harmony of the Seas

Room service perk pooping out. Nearly every mass market line is charging for something delivered by room service.

Extravaganzas extinct. We still swoon over our videos of Celebrity’s unparalleled, off-the-charts Midnight Buffet. Its luau under the stars with parading waiters carrying fruit carvings and doling out samples of guava, mango and papaya. Holland America’s amazing chocolate dessert display.

 

Waiters paraded with fruit carvings, then let you sample tropical fruits of the Caribbean--
on Celebrity, 13 years ago

Cruise ship as amusement park. The cruise lines are outdoing each other with thrill rides, from giant slides to bumper cars to roller coasters. What’s next, a ferris wheel?

 

The Ultimate Abyss on the Amusement Park of the Seas (aka Harmony)

The great cruise smoke out. Smokers have been relegated to one or two areas per ship. One trend with many, many supporters.

All this in 13 years. Wonder what the upcoming years will bring. Any predictions?

Classic Cruising: Review of the Royal Princess

That Princess picked Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, to christen the Royal Princess in 2013

reflects what the cruise line delivers—a classic cruise experience.

 

You won’t find zip-lines, go-karts or tattoo parlors on this ship. But what you will find are excellent shows, varied food, elegant décor and a laid back, relaxing vibe that helps you, says Princess, “come back new.”

Eating

The MDR. The main dining room food was, well, main dining room food. The Norman Love desserts were a standout, but the rest was a mixed bag.

The buffet. Horizon Court was truly the most expansive I’ve seen on a cruise ship. There were very good roasts, many vegetable choices, multiple salad bars, and premium foods like mussels, calamari, shrimp and salmon, a big variety of cheeses (brie! Gorgonzola! Goat cheese! Edam! Stilton!), terrific fresh rolls and focaccia, smoked fish, prosciutto and quiches, as well as a few Asian dishes, for foodies like me. There were also typical buffet foods, from fried chicken to meatloaf to lasagna.

Theme nights were fun—German, Italian, Brazilian and American. While not everything is terrific, it’s hard to imagine not finding something to like.

The specialty restaurants. At Crown Grill, the service matched the food—both were outstanding. The 8 ounce filet mignon was fork tender and flavorful, and the molten chocolate cake was deliciously decadent. My travel companion had the sampler plate—four mini versions of their desserts—and I was jealous.

The nibbling. There’s also a 24-hour International Café with good quality sandwiches, quiches and desserts, and pizza thought to be the best at sea.

Watching

The shows. Princess has upped its game significantly on its production shows and two in particular were terrific. “Encore” had a romantic, old-world set with tunes both familiar and new, with a bit of opera thrown in. But the best was “The Secret Silk,” which featured a sweet story, amazingly elaborate and colorful costumes, constantly changing interesting sets with an Asian theme and unique puppetry. All showcased Broadway quality singers.

The movies. Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) is like a drive-in without the car (but with better audio!). This trip, they were showing “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again,” among others. Snuggle up under their red plaid blanket on a padded lounger, load up on free popcorn and you’ve got yourself a different way to do the night.

The fountains. While some complain that the fountains take up precious pool space, they are fun to watch. The water spurts out every which way, in color and to music, with the movie screen doing something or other in the background.

Playing

The Royal Princess has some great activities, such as an inexpensive wine tasting ($9.50), interesting lecture by a ship officer on navigation (here’s a tidbit: life boat capacity on the ship well exceeds the capacity of passengers plus crew), galley tour and behind-the-scenes event by the production show staff. These last two events were offered free—there’s often a charge on other cruise lines.

You’ll also find the usual cruise events—game shows, contests, bingo, ice sculpture demo, karaoke, dance lessons—as well as the spa, casino, etc.

And then…Princess’ mini-suite can cost not much more than a balcony if you time your trip right…Horizon Court buffet is well staffed with waiters who will bring beverages such as orange juice, coffee and water to your table…The buffet is open with a full dinner until 11 p.m.…the balloon drop on the second formal night in the ship's stunning piazza was a colorful and lively party combining bopping to music with balloon popping…music around the ship varied from steel drums to solo guitar…there was a wedding chapel tailor-made for vow renewals…

In fact, there’s quite a lot to like about Princess. And it’s why we find ourselves on the line again and again.

Musing's Top Tip: For more quips and tips, visit us on Facebook and Instagram!

Modern Music: A Review of Harmony of the Seas

This is a ship that’s uber up to date—from the tablets stem to stern to the robotic bartenders who shook and served to the WOWbands that ordered drinks to the sea cards that turned on lights. I expected Scotty to beam me from one deck to another.

The robots taking a rest in between drinks

Yet many of the familiar Oasis class ship features are reassuringly still there—the quaint Boardwalk carousel, the serenity of Central Park at night, the “sidewalk café” on the Promenade.

Here, in brief, is my take on what Harmony brought us that’s new, and what it’s kept to ensure it pleases us all:

Better balcony with a “but”

The layout of our balcony stateroom facing the ocean was much improved over its sister ships. The his-and-her closets, set far apart from each other, were a great innovation—no more bobbing and weaving around each other to get dressed.

There’s also much more storage space, with several deep drawers under one closet, and ample shelf space in the other.

The porch furniture was also way better—reclining chairs! Hassocks! At last, naps outside! Thank you, Royal Caribbean!

Reclining chairs and footstools on the balcony--who could ask for anything more?

Here comes the “but”: if you use a night table, forget about it. Harmony has the smallest I’ve ever seen. Anywhere. It’s about a foot wide. And mine was totally consumed by the cabin phone until I shoved it under the bed.

MDR efficiency plus

We had the best My Time Dining experience on any of our 20+ cruises. We ate dinner in the main dining room only on the two formal nights—without reservations—and breezed right in, to a table for two, per our request. On every other ship, these nights meant a 15-20 minute wait for seats—at the least.

The pacing of dinner was the same pleasant surprise—we were out of there in under an hour and a half. It wasn’t only efficient, but our wait staff were friendly and eager to please. On the second formal night, our waitress was distressed when she proactively brought a second helping of lobster tail and I turned it down. Meanwhile, her assistant waiter kept entertaining us with magic tricks.

Whatever the Harmony is doing at dinner, it’s working. The dining experience was memorable (even if the food, alas, was not).

We also did the sea day lunch in the main dining room, where we were excited to see a dessert bar, complete with chocolate fountain. Oh yes, there was the large “Tutti” salad bar, large hot food buffet and superb selection of rolls.

Do a lunch in the MDR on a sea day for a sea of surprises.

The hip ship appeals to all   

It pains me to say this, but for us, the featured aqua show, “The Fine Line,” was a disappointment—a lot of pounding music, flashing lights and water spray— theatrics with just a sprinkling of what we like best—diving, water ballet and acrobatics.

 

Be prepared for loud music, lights and spray--oh, and some diving and acrobatics at the featured show

In fact, we much preferred the add-on afternoon show, “Hideaway Heist” on Day 7, which was much more upbeat and playful, chockful of those aqua events we came for.

 

Good clean fun in the afternoon show--with plenty of diving, water ballet and more

While hip seemed the primary order of the day, there was still plenty to appeal to everyone. “Grease” was high-spirited fun (note: there are some minor plot differences from the movie) and the ice show was as good as any other Oasis ship, with the usual crowd-pleasing lifts, spins and swirls, and colorful, constantly changing costumes.

Love on ice at the "1887: A Journey in Time"

Night music was all over the map—from the cool jazz in Jazz on 4 to classical guitar under the Central Park lights to the ’90s dance party in the Promenade to the older oldies in Dazzles. And Boleros still served up the salsa.

 

The December "supermoon" over the lights of Central Park

Tech touches everything

The techie touches were everywhere. Tablets all over the ship offered the chance to check what’s on your calendar or account status, or find out what’s going on at any given moment (no wi-fi cost). You can access it all through your smartphone, too, by downloading the Royal IQ app from Google Play or Apple App Store.

 

Keep tabs on your tab or plan your day with tablets all over the ship

Sea cards turned on the cabin lights, those who paid a bit extra for a WOWband could use their wrist to pay for drinks or gifts, and some elevator lobbies had experimental screens displaying floor name options instead of up and down buttons. Even Guest Relations was unrecognizable—gone was the opaque barrier between guest and rep. In its place were monitors on a table, so you could watch your rep rebalance from one tired leg to another.

Tap, chill, shake and pour

But the biggest whiz-bang by far were the two robotic bartenders. Clearly recognizing the draw, cushy seats were stationed in front of the gleaming stars in a prominent position on the Promenade. Guests ordered drinks from a tablet, which displayed a menu, complete with drink ingredients, cost (sample price: $14.95) and guest ratings. The orders went into a queue and then the real fun began.

The robotic arm loaded a cup with ice, sucked alcohol from bottles hanging from the ceiling, shook and poured, with each step displayed on a big screen for all to see.

Royal Caribbean does it again

With or without the-future-is-here doodads, the Harmony delivers what RCI is so very good at—a great vacation for everyone. Whether your fancy is climbing the walls, gliding across the ice, hitting the (mini) links, perusing the shops, downing a pint at the pub, surfing the faux waves or staring at the real ones, you’ll find it all and more on this grand new ship.

Musing’s Top Tip: If you have a drink package that covers cocktails, it will also cover the concoctions created by the robotic “bionic” bar. See this link for more info.