capriccio

Maybe you only met the show offs. Many cruisers are like us, whether in the Yacht Club or not, who just cruise to relax and/or visit new places with our significant others and/or (in our case) our family members who are cruising with us. We are cordial to anyone we meet but have no desire to make new acquaintances and never, ever discuss politics, religion or how much we paid for a cruise. I guess we are just anti-social but that isn't the same as entitled.

Happy birthday!

We have always gotten free bags on United flights booked with EZ-Air but that may be because of his loyalty level and not the United credit card that we also have. We've also gotten seat upgrades on EZ-Air booked flights obviously because of his loyalty level.

Emerald deck aft minis are fully covered. Those are ones we always book. I haven't cruised on the Diamond or Majestic Princess but have cruised on sister ships (Sapphire and Enchanted) and they seemed to be the same size to me.

Take a look at this current resurrected thread about family suites on Grand class ships:

What I am anticipating, unfortunately, is that Princess will turn both restaurants into the current Reserve format of MDR menus at breakfast and lunch plus one special dish at dinner. If that happens the suite passengers will lose the current suite breakfasts and the promised unique dinner menus. Just another diminution of the originally promised Signature suite experience.

That’s the same layout I posted in early April:

You may get some families but not as many as you would for a Saturday or Sunday departure since your cruise departs mid-week. While I've never stayed at the Riverside (since we are local) it gets very enthusiastic recommendations here and I think the location is the best in Fort Lauderdale for sightseeing. It has a water taxi stop (www.watertaxi.com) and the Carrie B (www.carriebcruises.com) sightseeing cruise out the back door and the free neighborhood shuttle (https://www.visitlauderdale.com/listing/laudergo-community-shuttle/18459/) out the front door plus lots of restaurants and bars within walking distance.

I'm not a shopper (on ship or off) but I've read plenty of reviews of late September Alaska cruises that say the bargains on board and in ports are great because the ship is getting ready to transit to a new itinerary and the stores in port are preparing to close until next season. So @Spindle7that may be something to consider if you like to shop or have a long list of gifts to purchase for family and friends!

University spring breaks are usually in March since many of them break for the summer no later than mid-May. Spring breaks for public schools (K-12) oftentimes occur the week before or the week after Easter. Next Easter year is on April 20. Demand for cruises and hotels those 2 weeks will be high. Finally the 3 day (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) Tortuga Music Festival is held in April and brings in around 100,000 spectators. This year it was the first weekend in April. The last few years it was the second weekend if I remember correctly. Demand for hotels, especially near the beach where the festival is held, is high. Book something now (or as soon as the schedule is released) that is refundable.

On the Coral Princess last year (round trip Australia cruise) our group of 2 couples each ordered lamb chops and filet mignon in the Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse. All was absolutely delicious and rivaled anything we've had in up market steakhouses in the US. It had been 13 years since eating in the Bayou but we have eaten in various Crown Grills in the interim and none were nearly that good.

Have one of the passengers without reserve make the regular reservations for everyone. There was section for traveling companions on the App where one person enters the booking numbers for everyone else and then can make the reservations. I've done that for up to 8 people (4 reservations) before but it was more than a year so I hope someone with more recent experience will chime in. I just checked the on-line version and there is an 'add guest' option. I would think that someone without reserve wouldn't have the option (of selecting reserve) so should be able to make reservations for all 7 of you in the regular MDR. Good luck!

I'm glad I could help. I wouldn't worry too much about other passengers not appreciating your kids being on board, especially since I know they are well traveled from reading your most recent 'live from' on the MSC board. Given the week you are cruising there will be lots of kids on board and yours are definitely the age that could really enjoy the kids club which gets very high marks on all their ships. Last summer we did a family cruise (with our 2 kids plus spouses and 2 granddaughters ages 8 1/2 and almost 4) and we all had a great time. The older grandchild, who was 3 1/2 on her previous cruise, decided to try the kids club for a few hours each day after meeting another girl at the pool and had a great time. The youngest wasn't interested in it. Given that none of Park 19 is open to the public yet, I would caution (because I worry about such things) to keep an eye on this board for reviews and, most importantly, any required age/height minimums that have not been announced yet. Having enjoyed your MSC 'live froms' I hope you do one on this cruise. Our cruise isn't until next January and I'll be interested to see if Princess has worked out some of their initial problems with this new ship class by that time. I certainly hope so for your sake and ours!

What makes you think that? I just pulled up the Skagway Port Schedule for September (https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/skagway-port-408?month=2024-09#schedule) and ships of just about every cruise line will be making over 75 port stops. @Donbar after 3 Alaska cruises with Princess I would still pick an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. The scenery is fantastic. Princess and HAL have the most permits (only 2 ships a day IIRC are allowed). National Park Service rangers board the ship at the mouth of the bay and give a running commentary. Princess (and HAL I think) have full time naturalists on board who give presentations in the theater and narrate wildlife sightings from the bridge. You can get more info on the Princess North to Alaska program at https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/north-to-alaska-cruise-activities.

The new Sun class of ships is Princess's first foray into the ship within a ship setup. It is a significant change and it is very much a work in progress. We are frequent Princess cruisers booking mini-suites. We had tried Princess suites for a period that ended about 10 years ago when we decided that while the cabins were nice, the perks didn't amount to much. Before covid we took our first MSC Yacht Club cruise (Meraviglia) and took our second last December (Seascape). When Princess started touting the new perks offered with the Signature Suites on the new Sun Princess - dedicated dining room with a unique menu, dedicated sun deck, dedicated lounge - in January we decided to make a reservation just to check it out. Since then Princess has diminished the perks and raised the prices. No longer is there a dedicated Sun Deck; suite passengers will share the Sanctuary area (now includes the Sun Deck) with many more passengers. Whether the restaurant will still have unique menus has not been mentioned and most likely some of the passengers in the current reserve restaurant will be accommodated in the suite restaurant (where else could they go?). But the lounge is still just for suite passengers. If you want an earful about the current changes check out https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3004897-sanctuary-collection-on-sun-princess/ Now for some of what is still missing comparing the Princess ship within a ship offering to the MSC Yacht Club: Cabins are not located in a single area No personalized check-in and boarding No butlers No unlimited alcohol (new bookings have the premier package) The Sun deck does not include a grill (it does have a bar) offering breakfast and lunch. Specifically to your questions and concerns about the Sanctuary, it has been reported here that the "only guests over 16" Sanctuary rule on all other Princess ships is still the rule on the Sun. The obvious question of what about kids traveling in suites is answered exactly like that. Suites Do get priority disembarkation when tendering. There is a concierge (I don't know the hours) in the Suites Lounge. Priority theater seating now is a perk of the premier package so I would think that since that package is now included (assuming you just made the reservations or booked with the premier package earlier). The premier package also includes unlimited Wi-Fi and daily crew appreciation gratuities.