Finding Our Inner Princesses
The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses enjoying high tea.
January 25, 2012
by Carol Aldy and Mickey Farmer
Perhaps you’ve seen us because we’re quite the sight onboard – a large group of ladies in flamboyant hats by day and sparkling tiaras by night. We sail together as “The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses,” the ultimate group of girlfriends getting away from husbands, families and routines, for an escape filled with companionship, pampering and fun.
And play the part of princesses we do. During the course of our dozen cruises together over as many years, our group of girlfriends have embraced the belief that, “Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is not!” So in the spirit of fun, we don bling, feathers, hats, gloves, gowns, tiaras and scepters, and we flaunt our princess roles to the hilt wherever we go.
We’ll never forget the first time we showed up for high tea as the Royal Order, dressed in our hats, pearls, feather boas and white gloves. The head waiter approached and inquired if we were perhaps lost. He thought we were looking for a wedding. We quickly explained that we had arrived for high tea. He replied that formal attire was not required, to which one of us laughed and said, “Pish posh! High tea is a grand occasion for us.” At that, he summoned the waiters who proceeded to personally escort us by arm to our table. We were greeted by waves, curtsies and cheers from the other passengers.
Not for a minute could we get away with such exalted get-ups or behavior in our everyday lives. But once a year we two sisters – Carol and Mickey – and our extended family of girlfriends leave our families and responsibilities at home to just let go and find our inner princesses aboard a Princess ship.
The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses was formed when we took a cruise with just one of our girlfriends. We kept saying how special we felt so we started to call ourselves princesses. The next year, our group expanded and we brought token props–tiaras, goblets and scepters–to add to the fun. One year, we had 29 princesses on board because when our friends find out about this, they want to come, too.
We have three rules and only three rules: 1) No one is joined at the hip; 2) No whining; and 3) There will never, ever be any more rules.
Our group has an interesting assortment of backgrounds, personalities and accomplishments. With ages ranging from 40 to 82 years, our friends hail from some six states and includes retired teachers, college professors, a TV host, corporate trainer, social worker, executive assistant, humorist, dentist, attorney, nurse, dietician and counselor.
Other passengers seem to enjoy guessing who we are. We especially loved it when a couple visited our table one night and asked if we were a reunion of former Miss Americas!
The activities we plan for our group are fun-filled and include door prizes – and much to the surprise of the passengers and staff we often provide these to all who gathered at the activity. Some passengers think we’re on-board performance art. Carol has been approached at the airport after a cruise, wondering why she wasn’t on the ship anymore. Another time someone tried to give her a gratuity, which was immediately declined.
And special theme nights created by our group – whether Roaring Twenties or Kentucky Derby or Pink Flamingo Night — mean table decorations, costumes and favors for everyone including the wait staff.
One of my funniest experiences cruising as a “princess” occurred on about the third night of the cruise when our waiter pulled me aside and said, “I think we understand now…this is a joke, right? You ladies are such fun but we did not know what to think the first night you appeared at dinner. Now that we know, it’s such fun and all the other waiters are jealous that we have your tables.” The waiter even gave me his wife’s address in Gdansk, Poland and asked me to send her some photographs so she could see for herself what he had been emailing her about all week.
It is a performance, but we do it for us – our cruises truly allow us to escape completely. The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses takes an annual Princess cruise to live out a part of ourselves that we cannot express on land. It’s silly and fun and our favorite way to celebrate friendship with a great group of girlfriends.
Carol resides in Lexington, Kentucky and she’s enjoyed 17 Princess cruises. Her sister, Mickey, lives in Birmingham, Alabama and has been on 10 Princess cruises. The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses is currently aboard Caribbean Princess on their ninth cruise together.
What a fun group of ladies! “The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses” certainly knows how to get away from the everyday, relax and just enjoy being with the girls. Many thanks for sharing your story!
I know Suzy in the Pink hat! I have heard upfront about all the fun the ladies have.
Way cool!
Oh, that looks like so much fun! Good for you, ladies! I gotta get me some hats and boas!
no doubt! and girl, you were shining with a love light that day, so beituaful!!!! awesome bare foot stroll on the beach with your handsome one. those other peeps may have Westminster Abbey but i tell ya what, i’d rather a bit o’ beach any day instead. xo
this truly sounds like just what the doctor ordered! my inner “czarina”, as my husband would call me because of my russian/ukraine heritage! my aunt and i have wanted to take a cruise for a long time, this sounds like the fun we need! thanks for sharing!
What fun you guys have had, gives me something to think about planning for some Aussie ladies.When the husbands get boring just leave them home!
This story of a girls only has inspired some of my co-workers and friends to think about doing an all girls cruise. I am about to leave in April on a 20 day Panama Canal cruise with my husband ( our 3rd. cruise) plus I was able to talk my mother into coming with us too. Cruising is my favorite way to holiday.
I loved this story. Sounds like they have so much fun.
Can I be a princess too?! It’s always fun to be around people who are enjoying themselves! We should all take time away from the everyday and live a “princess” life — even for just a week!
Why don’t we start our own order? There seems to be many ladies who would be interested!
http://www.dexheim2004@gmail.com
I would
I would too
I agree!
I think that would be a blast!
One of my best friends is a member of the Order and I’ve enjoyed hearing of her travels and seeing the photo albums. I’m glad that Princess has featured them in this way. They deserve it. I’m sure they’ve got their next Princess Cruise already in the works!
This is what a vacation should be, fun, fun fun! Love it!
Wow, you girls still look great, very relaxed. Bless each of you for enjoying life to the fullest.
I can see that again you all are having a wonderful time. I have always been very proud to have such royalty in my family.
I would love to join the group of Princesses! What great fun you must all have together!
Let’s start our own group. Many of us are interested.
If interested reply.
sign me up for a girlfriend getaway!!!
Count me in!!!!
As we are regular Princess cruisers from “down under”, My travel companion and,I would love to be in a fun group such as the The Royal Order of Grand Princesses. Yes we are very interested
So lets get started. Anyone cruising Beijing to San Francisco or the whole cruise on the Dawn Princess August/Sept this year?
Would love to , let go!!!!!!!!!!!
Interested. Love to cruise and hope to find a group of ladies that like to get away and have fun. Live in So. Calif.
Sounds fun, but I doubt my husband would let me. Don’t y’all miss your husbands!
Way to go girls!! How much fun can one group have. It’s also so nice they include the waiters, etc. and add some humor to their busy days. Keep going!!!!!
Do y’all go on excursions together?
Love it. My 3 girlfriends and myself have a liile group called the 4 p’s Princess, Precious Possum and Petal, and each one’s birthday do something special. Once was a quad share room ( very squashy) on a cruise ship and we had so many laughs. Cheers to girlfriends
Oh, I think these ladies were on the same cruise with us on the Caribbean Princess two years ago…They were so funny…We looked forward to dinner every evening just to see what they would do next. One night their waiters wore reindeer antlers with flashing lights and the ladies all wore red Santa Claus hats. And when we celebrated my sister-in-law’s birthday, they came over to our table and joined the waiters in singing Happy Birthday and even gave her a shiny little tiara to wear. Glad to see these fun ladies are still out there celebrating life and having fun.
What a Marvelous Group of Ladies – I Love It !!! May “The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses” continue to cruise the High Seas for many years to come. I hope one day to be on the same ship as you – your fun, laughter and ‘high jinx’ must be contagious. As we say here in Australia – ‘Good On Ya’ !!
These women are so much fun to have on board. We saw them last week on the Caribbean Princess. They look like they are having so much fun dressing up, and they are all are truly enjoying life to the fullest.
I know one of your princesses. (Or when you’ve had too much Champagne, a plural is difficult to master–in other circles, it has been known to be shortened to “princii.”)
What stories she tells (without names, of course) and makes me jealous and long to be such a princess!
Here’s to seventeen more cruises!!!
What a wonderful group of ladies, love the hats, tiara and boa’s. I am going home to start my own group with my girlfriends. Way to go princess hope to see you next year again on the Princess cruise ship. It was so much fun meeting you lovely women and hearing how you stated you group. Love the name The Royal of the Grand Princess.
Have you gotten a group started? if not email me for our group.
http://www.dexheim2004@gmail.com
would love to be added to the group.
I was wondering what this group called themselves. It was hard not to notice their boa’s and elegant dresses. They always looked like they were having a great time and it rubbed off on the other guests who were interested on what they were doing and wanted to be around the group to see what plans they had for the evening.
What a wonderful story! How do we sign up?
These ladies are truly inspiring! I know I talk with my girlfriends about trips we want to take to “get away from it all.” A Princess cruise sounds like it is the perfect place. I love that they dress up and embrace the “Princesses” that they are!!
It sounds like you all know how to host a party and have fun. I’d love to see more pictures. When I win the LOTTERY I’d like to take my 4 daughters and 2 granddaughters on a Princess Cruise. My husband and I love this cruise line.
I am not a princess but I feel like a VIP when we step in a Princess! We always travel w/ a group who enjoy every moment in the ship. The Captain’s formal nights give us a chance to dress up and for my husband, his tuxedo. We usually use our photo for our Christmas cards because it reflects our best in our favorite venue, Princess. It creates a princess in my heart!
To my (more than just an internet) friend…sounds like ANOTHER great time…thinking about you and wishing you all save and fun travels!
Thanks for a great story. Have not seen these great ladies, but would like to. Having been on about 20 cruises but now husband deceased, so wish I had “buddies” like this! Last cruise not as much fun and airports are the pits. Maybe I can get my boys and the big dogs I acquired settled down more–then I will try again to recruit some of my old (we’re in 70′s) friends as you encouraged me!
My friend an I are widows too! We are going on the golden Princess to Hawii April 25..I decided that life is to short and I’m going to enjoy this year I will be 66 and my friend is 76. I told my friend I was going by my self and she decided to join me.. I you go look us up and sit by the pool with us. Mary Beck
Sue, the boys can take care of the dogs. Life is way to short for you to wait. You must a friend or friends (sisters?) somewhere that can go with you. Your husband would most likely want that. You go girl!
I went on a cruise by myself after my husband died. Great cruise, but I hope to never go alone again. Maybe I’ll just take “princess gear”, and start rounding up my own royal court.
I met a group of 70 odd passengers who were in a tour group called “Fun Lover” tours. Some people were couples, but there were many single ladies traveling with this group. I was traveling with my 11y.o son & I spent quite a bit of time chatting to these friendly people. What impressed me was one lady who was traveling with her husband ( he’d had a stroke & was confined to a wheelchair ). The tour guide took this gentleman in the wheelchair & took him off the cruise ship ( The Dawn Princess ) & walked him into town with a couple of others, leaving the wife to have a break !!! How caring was their tour guide, Rod.
)
If you join a tour group, you will have so much fun & always feel safe !!!
Good luck with your next cruise !!!
Ladies, go for it! Get out those little white gloves, polish those tiaras and practice the royal wave! Remember, “Growing older is mandatory; Growing up is not”!
I’d also add that whether your “group” is 2 or 20, you will feel completely safe, royally pampered, and have so many options for things to do on a Princess Cruise…It is the perfect vacation destination for girlfriends traveling together.
Great article Carol. I will one day be on the Cruise with you. Happy Birthday to a wonderful friend, a wonderful neighbor and a wonderful Princess!
Beautiful sentiment. We are all princeses even if we do not know it!
How about starting up a Princess group down -under in the Pacific?
See my earlier comment. I’m a starter.
I live in NZ but often cruise from Australia.
Go girls. How great to hear of girls having great fun. I am an Aussie who travels the world every year on my own (by choice) and have a great time. I also cruise on Princess with my husband and friends and although we don’t go as far as you girls, we dress up and have a fun time. Would love to be on a cruise with you wicked lot.
What a great set of images. It shows that you both work well thgoteer, your sister is very pretty and poses well, she also appears to be talented with her own styling as well.Well taken images, firs and last are particularly strong imo.
Carol, I had to reply since my name is CAROLYN and I have always gone by the name MICKEY and will be sailing this summer with my BFF since the age of 14. We will celebrate our 72nd birthday in Aug and Sept!! This will be our 2nd cruise together. We did the Grand Europe thing on a bus in 1974 and still get the giggles over that trip, even after all these years. I love your energy, and my friend would too!
What a fantastic group of ladies these Royal Order of Grand Princesses are. Knowing them for all these years, I marvel at the new ways they create to entertain themselves, and thus the entire ship’s passengers. We are hoping very strongly that these Royal Ladies will be selected to be the God Mothers of the new Royal Princess coming out next year. Maybe we can do a write in vote to elect them to this great honor. I know they are more deserving than anyone one else could possibly be. Anyone want to vote for the Royal Order of Grand Princesses being selected to be the Royal Princess God Mothers? Let’s go ladies with votes and suggestions. Anyone want to handle this project? It should be so much fun.
They got my vote Carol!
What a fun bunch of ladies. I would sure love seeing them while cruising on one of our Princess Cruises! Our next cruise will be on the ‘Grand Princess’, which is toward the end of this month!
Happy Cruising!
I love it. So, forgo formal night for a roaring twenties outfit…I think i will give it a try but only if my friend will try it with me.
You ladies are Awesome ,wish I was on board when you were there ,be going on a Hawaiin Cruise the 14th of April 2012,hopefully we see you all on the ship.This is so wonderful !!Go Princess Go !!
As a Red Hat Society Queen Mother, I feel like a sister Princess. Keep at it girls. Too many people grow old because they stop having fun. Like you we Red Hat Ladies have as much fun and as often as we can. Look forward to seeing all of you on one of our future cruises.
AND . . . I agree making them God Mothers to the new ship sounds like a good idea.
Charlotte,
I too am a Red Hat Queen. I often cruise with many of my Red Hat ladies and the husbands. We have never thought to don some of our Red Hat apparel on a crusie but it would be fun. I think the husbands would approve of us “dreesing up” in our Red Hat regalia at least once on a cruise. There will be many of us on the Golden Princess to Hawaii in late September.
Hope to meet you, Ann..booking now for the same sail. Last year at Christmas I recieved a “Red Hat” scarf & bracelet from a really nice Lady.
I have talked to the group here (NM) and will join them.
It is just taking time. Since our Son passed, nothing is easy, but I need to get away and also “belong” to something other than the “safe corner” of a room.
Best Regards, stay safe!
Hi Charlotte,
Several of us in the “Royal Order” are also members of the Red Hat Society in our hometowns…Love the fun and fellowship. By all means, you should plan to don your Red Hat apparel on your next cruise…Attending High Tea would be the perfect time…and the waiters will love seeing you all dressed up. On some of the longer cruises, I have even seen notices about Red Hat gatherings in the Princess Patter, so be on the look out for that too. When I showed up at one of the gatherings, several of the ladies asked “How did you know to bring a red hat?” I just laughed & said “Oh, I never leave home with out it.” Cheers! Carol
I am trying to convince my childhood girlfriends to do the same thing that these ladies have done. Leave our husbands and responsibilities for 10 days and sail away. What an inspiration. I am sharing this story with my group of friends, hoping they all get inspired and finally let go of their daily routine and have some fun. Great story.
Good luck getting your group together…Go for it! The Royal Order actually had a very small, modest begining…On that first cruise there were on 3 of us…Now we number 29….And altho we come from 6 different states, we all go back a long, long way (some of us to our high school days!) and have shared so many experiences over the years…Happy & sad and everything in between! The annual cruise just serves as a time to renew friendships and special bonds — There is nothing quite as special or as enduring as the bonds between gal pals!
Live in So Calif, would like to cruise and have fun with a group of ladies at least once a year. Let’s get a group of 2, 4 or more and travel! Would love to find a group to cruise with. Maggie
Good on ya gals..I am sooo envious. Its lovely to see you having such a fantastic time all together. Laughing is so good for the soul, and I know a lot of laughing happens when girls (ladies, princesses) all get together. Enjoy !!
Just love the spirit of these friends!!! I can never get my friends to do these kinds of things…maybe they need a Yankee in their group…to bring a little zip to their Southern ways!!!!
I’ve just returned from a cruise to the Virgin Islands–with one other princess and friend. As a Canadian, I love the spirit of adventure, and creativity these ladies exhibit. I loved your rules–especially the one about “no whining” I just can’t believe that anyone could find anything to whine about on a lovely cruise, but guess what? They do!!! Keep up the wonderful sprit of bringing joy to each other and the rest of the guests.
Dorothy – you too can cruise with the Canadians gals… join the Crown Jewels of Canada Society! We cruise together, hold conventions and Provincials and love to have FUN! Check us out on the internet.
What a great idea…Loved your web page! We shall look for your royal entourage on the High Seas!!
Cheers!
HRH Madonna
I was traveling with my best friend of 60 years and we kept noticing ladies “dressed to the nines”. Questions were asked and soon we began to watch for them every day. They really made the ship more interesting. My friend and I were very envious and appreciative of their endeavors. Girlie friendship is special.
What a great time. Girls just want to have fun unlike our counterparts. It would be fun to join you but if it gets too big it might ruin the party.
Hi
We had the pleasure to dine in the same dining room as the princesses on their Most recent cruise. We First noticed the group because the wait staff were wearing crowns. Of course we were curious. It took us a few days to figure it out as we saw them around the ship and then news began to surface on the morning show. We checked each night as we went to our dining table to see how they were dressed and how the wait staff was adorned. It was a joy to watch them. Thanks to them for adding this enjoyment to our cruise
What an inspiration these women are. My husband and I love sailing with Princess, and I must say, all women who sail with Princess Cruises, are “Princesses”! See you on 4/11/12, off to Hawaii!
Princess sure does treat you like royalty. Best times of my life on Princess cruises. Can’t wait to go agin!
Great idea and fun – wish my wife had the same attitude about having fun and forget age. Wonder why husbands/guys don’t do something like this instaed of the old – let’s drink- lets shoot some baskets, baseball, etc Got to be the genes that prevent letting down the hair and acting as ?? seems they are all action roles dang it !!! Love to be on the same ship you gals are.
The men do in some areas. There is a group (in Texas? – the Yellow Hard Hats) and the “Plaid Pants” is another men’s group.
Why not start your own?
we seen u; we were on the same cruise celebrating our son’s wedding; he and his girlfriend were marriend by the capitan on January 28th. We could tell u were having fun; what a great thing; keep it up. and many more happy sails.
Oh yes! We saw the lovely bride and handsome groom getting off the ship that day! I know they had a “Royal Wedding”! I remember talking to the bride later – still in her lovely strapless wedding gown – up in Sky Walkers.
Congratulations & Best Wishes!
I met one of these Princesses on board a Royal Princess Holy Land Cruise and while Carol Aldy was traveling INCOGNITO, she stil wore lots of hats. When I asked her name she introduced herself as HRH Madonna. I guess once a Princess always a PRINCESS!
Saundra,
Hi there! Thank you for your post..So good to hear from you again…I have a brand new “fascinator” — You would love it! — A gift from my daughter-in-law. We must Skype again soon and I’ll be sure to wear it. And yes, once a princess, always a princess!
Cheers!
Carol, You are an inspiration! Would it be too much to ask for some of your pictures? I am a travel agent and am putting a Princess group together here and would love to hear your suggestions.
Lisa,
Thanks for your note. Some of us have tried to include some more photos in our comments here on the Princess blog, but apparently the system won’t allow that. Let me know how you can be reached and I will be glad to answer any questions you might have.
Cheers!
Madonna
These ladies are such a blast! I had the pleasure of cruising with Princess Madonna (whom I met on Cruise Critic) several years ago aboard the Tahitian Princess. I have a fond memory of our sail away gathering when she gave everyone in our group tiaras and we affectionately named ourselves the Papeete Princesses. There’s a picture out there somewhere of all of us giving a Royal wave as we pulled away from the dock. Oh how I wish I could wear my tiara on a daily basis!
Hi Eva,
Wow…It was so good to hear from you! Do I ever remember the Tahitian Princess — Joe and I were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and he made me promise to leave my tiara and boas at home — something I reluctantly agreed to do. Then, I got the bright idea to order 24 sequin tiaras to give out at our sail-away. I sneaked those into my luggage…He was a bit annoyed at first…Until he saw what fun the whole group had as the “Papeete Princesses”. Someday we shall cruise together again. Cheers! HRH Madonna
My recent cruise on the Dawn Princess was a great experience which I intend to repeat. You can’t do it better than The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses. I love their belief that, “growing old is mandatory, but growing up is not! Any room for a Prince?
We cruised on the Sapphire Princess last year to the Mexican Riviera and had the pleasure of being seated at dinner near this group of women. They were a hoot! There was a young girl with her parents at dinner each evening and they would curtsey as they passed the group. After a night or two of this, the one called Queen Mum (I think??) showed up one evening with a tiara and a pink boa and bestowed it upon the young girl. She was ecstatic and every evening from then on, she wore her tiara and boa to dinner. We noticed that these women were just like that. If someone was having a birthday, they sang with them and if it was a woman, she would wear a tiara. I loved it. But until I read this, I really thought they were paid by Princess to entertain us. Cheers Princesses! And, come on Princess Cruise Line, if you are not going to pay them, at least give them a discount or let them be godmothers or something!
I sailed on my first Princess Cruise last summer with friends and fully intend to do it again!! What a great tradition you ladies have started! I think there should be a Princess Cruise at some point in your honor and only for female passengers so they can find their inner ‘princess’….what fun!
Keep it up Princesses !!! Sounds like you escape everyday life for a short while & live it up “big time” !!! Why not ???
Hope this fun goes on forever !!! Enjoy & keep doing what you love … CRUISING !!!
Look forward to reading more blogs about you gals !!!
Hi Jenni,
We appreciate your comment as well as all the others who have posted here…We don’t even admit a cruise is over when we disembark…We just consider the next 11 months and 3 weeks to be one extra long shore excursion! Cheers! HRH Madonna
Hey HRH Madonna
)
We just got back from a cruise January 2012 which took in NYE… It was the best !!!
Can’t help myself, am already checking out the next one for NYE
Might catch up with you “fairy princesses” on one of my cruises !!!
Oh Jenni…I do know what you mean about looking for cruises…Last year on our way back from the Diamond Princess cruise in SE Asia, I found myself online in the Beijing airport looking for our next cruise. Joe just looked at me and shook his head and said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you just get off a cruise ship 4 hours ago.”
Chers!
Madonna
Yes… I have to agree with you… Once the bug bites, that’s it !!! … Hey nothing wrong with window shopping or in our case ” cruise coasting “!!!
)
Looking at another cruise for next NYE !!! They are so much fun !!!
Oh what fun, I am always game for anything!! What a wonderful time with girl bonding! Would like to do that with my friends, too. Gotta win the lottery. Took my first cruise on Island Princess to Alaska July 2011 and loved it. Want to go back again.
If you are going to Hawaii in April 2012, I know you will have a very nice time- do everything within the time period and enjoy!! Aloha from Oahu!!
how great what fun do you accept new members to your group love to have fun
Way to go!! I’m past 85 and envy you Princesses!Wish I could join a grp. like yours. Never too old. Princess cruises will never ever find anyone more deserving.
Actually I always wanted to be known as Princess Snorkel…but alas…Once I did the Madonna thing with that hypnotist Fernandez…my future as Madonna was all set whether I liked it or not!
My husband and I were on the same cruise this year and had the chance to chat with several of the very nice “princesses” who explained what the group was about. I loved their pictures and decorations on their door cabins. It just goes to show, no matter what your age you should always have a zest for life and enjoy it to the fullest! Way to go ladies!
I live in Ontario, Canada and am interested in joining a group such as yours for cruising and traveling. I’d like to hear from your group I was involved with the Red Hat Society group. Thanks.
Maria – look up the Crown Jewels of Canada Society. There are thousands of us in Canada and we cruise on Princess every year too. We wear hats, tiaras, boas etc. and love to have FUN… no men allowed on our outings thanks!
I also live in Ontario and love to cruise on Princess. Would love to meet other ladies who enjoy traveling as well as having fun. Kathie
I’m interested in travelling/cruising with a group of ladies, such as yours. I was involved with the “Red Hat Society”. I hope to hear fro m you.
If you want to join our group email me.
http://www.dexheim2004@gmail.colm
Hi Carol,
It’s been 3 long years since we cruised with you and your wonderful husband to Antarctica on the Regal Princess. We enjoyed your Cruise Critic gatherings and recall your matching penguin hats and princess crowns for all the ladies. You are so much fun to cruise with. We miss you and hope we can coordinate our calendars someday. HRH Madonna, live long and prosper. More royal titles will be bestowed upon you for your exemplary service to fun and fellowship.
Super bonne idée mesdames, je vous envie et aurai peut-être un jour la chance d’en faire autant.
I had the opportunity to cruise with Princess boats, and that is a very good idea that you, ladies, joined together and have fun on the ship, walking in the decks and make the people happy all around you.
Lily
Hi Carol and Joe, Wow, my memory is getting dim. The cruise to Antarctica was on the Star Princess not Regal Princess. I think we were on the Regal through the Panama Canal. We have had the greatest time meeting the fellow passengers on the Princess ships. We are a friendly and compatible group. We are looking forward to the grand babies being old enough to cruise with us. Next generation of princes and princesses are you ready to try your sea legs?
Yes
If you are interested in joining our group email us
http://www.dexheim2004@GMAIL.COM
So how does one get to join such a fun loving group?
If you want to join a new group forming email us at
http://www.dexheim2004@gmail.com
We too cruise together and are also “Royalty”
Dinners are always formal and we are in tiaras, “diamonds” and other “bling” and of course we love “High Tea” in our hats and fascinators.
Our group is all Canadian and we cruise on the Sapphire Princess. We’re awaiting our next departure in May when we’ll be doing the California Coast Wine Cruise.
Keep your eyes open for the “Crown Jewels of Canada Society” ladies! They know how to have fun!
We decorate our cabin doors so if you see one, leave us a note!
See you on the high seas!
I am so envious of your SPUNK !! I’ve tried to get my Birthday Girls to do such but no takers.
I will forward your story hoping for a new group of Princesses. I did take a Baltic cruise on the Emerald Princess last Aug., maybe that was a start. So, go Princesses and I hope I can start a new Chapter. Jeannie from Michigan
Oh what fun.. my aunt and mother who live in FL would so enjoy you ladies. They were born and raised in Jamaica, which was under British rule until August of 1962. Such a wonderful tradition you’ve started… I salute you!!
This sounds like a wonderful idea. I would like to join a group or get some of my friends to do this every year. I think we would really enjoy it. I enjoyed my first cruise last July on the Diamond Princess to Alaska.
Hey ladies! I am putting together a group right now! Will have the info up asap. Right now I have a mah jongg Princess cruise I am planning. We can add all these fab ladies to the group! In the mean time you can email me at shoffman@cruiseplanners.com or go to http://www.thecruisesquad.com WE LOVE PRINCESS!
PS. I WOULD BE HONORED TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NEVER TO BE REPLACED FOUNDERS OF THE ROYAL ORDER! EMAIL ME PLEASE PRINCESSES! SHOFFMAN@CRUISEPLANNERS.COM
So glad you” Princesses” are enjoying life! Love your three rules and your enthusiasm and willingness to not be afraid to let go and have fun. Last April, on the Golden Princess our group of 6 ladies got together for a wonderful and fun Hawaiian cruise; one we will never forget. Nothing better than a group of ladies having fun, relaxing and enjoying ‘girl time’ on a beautiful Princess ship. Interestingly enough, our husbands really ‘missed’ us as they realized how valuable we really are. Keep enjoying your cruises together and hopefully someday our paths will cross.
That’s sweet to hear that your husbands missed you !!!
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So it is true … Absence makes the heart grow fonder !!!
I am witness to that. It is so nice to come home and hear your husband say, “Honey, I really missed you”, even after 35 years of marriage. We “girls” invited our husbands to sail with us this year on a Princess Alaskan Cruise tour, should be fun and I’m sure we will still get in some “girl time” but not like last year.
We are a group of six Swedes in the Tampa area who play cards once a week. We call ourselves “Queens of Heart” and some of us have cruised together twice. Just like the ”
Princesses,” we think it’s a wonderful way to have fun with treasured friends.
My husband and I were on the Caribbean Princesses in January. They had such a great time!
We enjoyed visiting with them and lets just say that they were a wonderful example of Young at Heart. I think eveyone should have so much fun.
Just too much fun! I would love a group like this!
Got onto this site by chance, love the wholesome attitude of all of your respondents – am presently on the Diamond with my friend Barbara, we were both widowed within 7 weeks last year (2011) and as we had successfully travelled for several years with our husbands decided we had to do this cruise together just “for us” with our families blessings. We love to dress up in heaps of “bling” and would love to be fellow travellers with “the Princesses” certainly sounds like you know how to live life to the fullest!
Hopefully that day will not be too far away. We come from “Down Under” and wonder if there are other “Oz Girls” who would like to join in the fun.
Sensational Sheilas from “Oz” – what about it girls – are you game? All the Aussie girls I know certainly know how to have fun.
I’d be happy to wear a tiara or two and all the “other bling” necessary to dress up as a “Princess of the Princess Fleet!”
I was recently on the Caribbean Princess with the Royal Order Ladies. What fun! Just thinking about the joy they spread around the ship makes me smile. It will always be a great pleasure to cruise with them again. Tiaras and boas forever. Keep it up Ladies.
How can we join. This sounds like my “cup of tea”!
What fun….I’m so jealous!!:-))
I was on the Caribbean Princess, last month, when the Princesses were in court. During the first formal evening, I was in my finest military mess kit as I am a Captain of the Royal Canadian Air Force. We were in such close proximity to the ladies, in the midst of the crush surrounding the champagne fountain, that one took me aside and “knighted” me with her scepter, right then and there! One of the highlights of the cruise!
Keep it up, ladies! I look forward to seeing you all again!
To Prince Jim: Ahh yes, Princess S.V shared with the Royal Order that she had bestowed the honor upon a dashing Captain with a beautiful lady by his side – no doubt a princess from a foreign land. The Royal Order travels the globe – expanding the kingdom, all with the help of Princess Cruises. Prince Jim, we hope to to see you and your lady in days ahead.
I must agree, these ladies were such a joy to see around the ship. We didn’t know who they were. We nicknamed them the “Golden Girls”. The are the classiest looking ladies I had ever traveled with. They were so much fun to party with. May you continue to bring joy into your lives and touch us all around you. We love you.
Lorraine from the Gold Coast, Australia
Are the only “SENSATIONAL SHEILAS FROM OZ” all sailing on the Diamond Princess at present – I don’t believe it! Where are you girls? I expected heaps of “comments by now”.
We cruised with these ladies a couple of years ago and again this year. They were such fun to watch and had such a knack for including others in their fun. One night they wore Mard Gras masks and feather boas to dinner and handed out Mardi Gras beads to all the tables in their dining area. We looked forward to seeing what they would come up with next and trust me, they did not disappoint.
After a week of over-the-top elegance, they showed up the last night wearing the most outrageous wigs you have ever seen They called it “All Wigged Out”! What a hoot! They had a punk rocker, with red spikes, plus hot pink, bright blue, purple, platinum, and even Cruella De Ville. I think we took more pictures of the Princesses than we did our own family on that last cruise. They were such fun for everyone.
I think I have cruised with these ladies…I remember all their fabulous hats and how much fun they were to be around…Would love to see them again on a cruise ship some day. Their fun spirit was contagious for everyone. We should all embrace life with such gusto!
The Princess cruise ships that disembark from Station Pier, Port Melbourne ( Australia )
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make it so easy for Melburnians to jump on board … No queuing up at air terminals & waiting around !!! Too easy … I recommend trying a New Zealand cruise on the Dawn Princess or Sun Princess !!! … You’ll absolutely love it !!!
I meant to say “EMBARK” !!!
Loved your story. So much fun. Will look for you all when cruising. My partner and I are also in that “certain” age group and recently did a 13 day cruise on the Diamond Princess from Sydney – Auckland, taking in the christmas period. It was bliss. We flew from Brisbane to Sydney in the morning. Wandered around the rocks, admiring the beautiful ship from shore, before having a hassle free embarkation.We were amazed at the number of people we spoke to on board who were escaping the busy (and often frustrating) Christmas family get togethers! Way to go…Highly recommend.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of being included in an “incognito” cruise with five of the princesses. I can honestly say it was one of the highlights of my life. Prior to this adventure, I had never cruised (or flown). Four of these gracious women had never met me before, yet they all made me feel right at home.
I know, first hand, just how much fun and excitement these ladies bring to the room. Although they were not traveling under their royal titles, they still created quite a stir. Without a doubt, they were the center of attention at the art auctions!! Whenever they entered an activity, the fun began. Princess should snap them up and make them official ambassadors!
While my commitments have been such that I have not been able to cruise with them again, I look forward to the day when that will happen. I treasure the friendships that I made and I look forward to meeting the other members of The Royal Order of the Grand Princesses. Long may they reign!
My girl friend, her Sister, Aunt & niece just returned from a trip on the Carribean Princess this month. My girl friend lives in Alaska and when we graduated from High School she went into the Peace Corp and I ended up getting married. She was sent to Barbados in the Virgin Islands for two years when Kennedy was President. She always loved it & spoke of the friendly helpful people there. She taught school while there as well as working in the office. I always wanted to see where she lived and taught school so we booked a cruise leaving from San Juan and arriving each morning in a different Port. We loved Dominica with its rain forest and our last stop was Barbados. I got to see the small home she lived in & where she taught school. We traveled to the highest point on Barbados for a beautiful panoramic view. One of the fun things we did on the cruise was sing in the Princess Chorus.
We both don’t sing well but had so much fun singing with eight others and performing in the
center of the ship on our last day at sea. Princess has a new ship coming out next year and I hope we can book a trip on it. RIght now I’m looking to book a trip to Hawaii with our entire family to celebrate my 50th Anniversary in Jan. 2013. Happy Cruising
As soon as I saw this story, I was sure I knew some of these ladies. They have so much fun and they are such fun to watch. They act like little girls playing dress-up every night and at the same time they are so classy and so elegant! I love their Princess spirit!
Are group is the “seesters” it’s small be we have fun. We try and go 2X a year. Leaving for Hawaii next week. only 2 of us this trip. We are always looking for new members.
To the Grand Princesses!! You boarded our evlevator after a formal night dinner just my husband and myself! He was “trapped” with us all and said “oh no what am I in for now”!!! You all asked if he was treating my nice and has he bought me some nice jewllery!! You all told him of the wonderfull jewllery store on board! Then as a group you waved your wands and made a wish and told him to buy me something nice!! Something that costs lots one of you said!! I am happy to report that he did buy me a nice necklace! He is still talking about his encounter with the Grand Princesses!!! Wishing I was back on board as we are having a terrible storm here on the west coast of Canada
I love it! Having known one of the “princesses” my entire life, I can say that while every day may not be an escape from reality, any time you have the pleasure of spending time in the company of these ladies, you’re in for a real treat. I can’t imagine anything more fun than running into the Royal Order of the Grand Princesses while on my next Princess cruise!
The Crown Jewels of Canada are planning their next cruise for February 2 nd 2013 -western Caribbean out of Galveston. If any Canadian Princesses wish to join us, contact us through our website http://www.crownjewelsofcanada.com
We love to ” dress up” and have FUN!
Hey, Web Goddess my head is spinning. You are the woman binhed the throne of success. Hang in there (’cause the more you do, the more will be expected?). The whole site is growing great. We are rooting and counting the weeks.
Hi Ladies, you all look great. I was wondering if you have ever thought about joining the Red Hat Society. It is a great social organization that is known all over the world that wears Red Hats and Purple Dresses for 50 and older or Pink Hats and Lavender Dresses for under 50. It is all about fun and living life to its fullest and gets together weekly or monthly depending on how active you want to be.
And let’s not forget Tammy!
These Royal Princesses are the grandest group I have ever had the pleasure to work with. If you think they are fun, well just try working with and talking to them all year long. Never a dull moment. Was trying to have them selected as God Mothers of the new Royal Princess, but so far that announcement has not come along. It would be grand to reward these Royal Ladies with such an honor. Tried all the angles I could think of, but so far….nothing. Anyone know anyone who can help with the selection? If so….do not delay. The Royal Order of Grand Princesses await the title announcement with tiaras and royal jewels polished, boas, hats and royal clothes clean and are prepared to do their Royal duties aboard the Royal Princess . I know, as I am the “Best Royal Travel Agent in the Whole Wide World”. Title decreed by the Royal Order of the Grand Princesses on January 16, 2004 upon my person.
See I have fun with them too.