Cruise Raider

I have yet to see where you can take food from the ship onshore. Whether you get caught or not is anyone’s guess. You are ok bringing commercially packaged and sealed food from home on excursions without a problem, though. Take a granola bar or packaged nuts and you will be ok.

We’ve seen that in SF and in LA, too! We were able to bring beignets from Cafe Du Monde back onboard nice in New Orleans. It really depends on the port security, I think.

Thank you for this! Sometimes people just like an excuse for penny pinching at the expense of a hard working crew!

I don’t think it is a common thing but Princess has started to offer a cruise itinerary, mostly Alaska from what I’m looking at, as either two one way 7 sailings or as one 14 day sailing with a unique voyage number. This is the first year I’ve seen them offered as such. Another example is taking a B2B from Vancouver this Sept. You can also disembark the ship in San Francisco or start the cruise in San Francisco but if you start in Vancouver and go the full way through the canal, it is still only one voyage and will be counted as such. These cruises are rare but you can certainly book them as one voyage.

If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing. Princess uses elite status as their top tier and is granted after you’ve attained you 15th cruise credit. So yes, after you have completed you second leg of your B2B. You won’t need to link your cruises, it will be automatic. They will show separately in your personalizer but as one on your app. If you book this as 2 sailings, you cannot combine them to get the higher amount of stockholder credit. Applying for the credit is now done online through Stockperks. There’s no real perks or monetary benefits to booking a B2B but they seem to be having a ‘in transit passenger’ meeting onboard to explain the processes that will take place. For me, I would book it as two sailings. It gives you more flexibility and only $50 less in stockholders credits. Just my thoughts

That’s hilarious

You are going to get a multitude of answers here. We’ve brought food onboard before but in some ports, it’s strictly prohibited. We have seen big trashcans full of restaurant food in LA and in SF but then again, we’ve brought hot lunch back for some of our favorite crew members that couldn’t get off the ship while in port. It really depends on the port so, just ask when you get off the ship to find out their rules about bringing non factory sealed food onboard.

The standard cabins are build from the same mold, with very few exceptions. The exceptions for different cabin sizes are those inside ones that are laid out sideways or if the cabin is accessible. The balcony size might also differ and made be included in the overall cabin sizes listed. It is easy to determine which ones those are by the deck plans, though.

The contracts for the crew have changed since the restart. Each employee now works on a salary and it is derived from the ‘crew appreciation’ we all pay, whether it is from the package or paid separately. Bartenders are included in this payroll method. It kept things fair after the restart when some ships had 15% passenger capacity and some were at the full limit. It also keeps it fair when considering a large percentage of passengers on a specific itinerary are not from a tipping culture, as is in the US. Anything extra you give them is theirs to keep but still, many that work in a bar with the same teammates will put it into a communal pot to be shared with their other coworkers.

We’ve cruised in 4 different cabins in as many cruises on the Crown so far this year. The beds were super comfortable in all 4 cabins.

Depending on what ship and the type of cabin you book, you may already have a small table in the cabin. My friend took his and just put it on the desk in a standard balcony cabin and slept on that side of the bed. They have extra extension cords if needed, as well. Of note, you can also order distilled water (free of charge) to your cabin ahead of time. They will keep you stocked.

I’m kind of grossed out about a half eaten appetizer and to be honest, quite surprised. I’ve seen pot smokers on many sailings. I am actually more disgusted by cigarette smoke even though I don’t smoke either one. sounds like you found something that works much better for you.

Their beds are the best! Only the Discovery seems to have more firm mattresses. I attribute that to being released during CoVid when the supply chain issues hit nearly every industry. But even those are pretty comfortable compared to some other cruiselines.

I agree with all your points (can’t speak to breakfast in the MDR because we never go there lately). The coffee is the best we’ve had (we only get espresso based coffees) and the food has been great. I try to never eat French fries and not sure what happened, but they are simply irresistible now. Even the food in the buffet was so good and seasoned perfectly. And the food we order over the app is not only great but it is delivered in a very timely manner and always at the right temperature. Not one disappointing meal to be had! I can tell they have gone to great lengths to reverse people’s opinions about the food over the last year.

You still can’t check your luggage until about 3 to 4 hours prior to your flight.