L11

Thanks for the update @Cruising Julsand @donswife. We board on 12/4 and we were hoping The Catch would be open. That sea bass looks to die for!

I really REALLY hope you are correct and that Princess has learned from their mistakes. That having been said, I am still not going to download the new app right away, especially not before our 12/4 cruise. All new apps have bugs (my DH calls them "undocumented features"). ALL of them. Even Apple's initial release of IOS 17 had a few minor bugs in its first version as I understand it. I would like to think the bugs in the new app will be small and will be fixed quickly. We'll see. Personally, I will wait a while and see what happens since it appears we have until February. Keep your fingers crossed for a smooth release.

I absolutely will not be downloading the new app before our 12/4 cruise. I had to threaten my husband with grave consequences if he tries to do so. My DH is that guy who downloads updates to anything the second they are available, often experiencing a good deal of frustration when the latest and greatest version still needs some bugs worked out. In this case, it seems like a particularly bad idea to immediately switch to the new app just before a cruise given the numerous problems reported with the Medallion app. We have been lucky and our problems with the Medallion app have been pretty minor so far. If it ain't broke (too badly)' don't fix it. We will watch to see what happens and will happily enjoy our cruise using the old app. Always assuming of course that my DH doesn't give in to the lure of the new app. Aaarrrggghh.

Your DW is quite right to be concerned. That is exactly what happened to us. We will book a Reserve Class mini suite now but that is about the only other class I can now get my DH to book because he won't sail without the Reserve Class dining. Even then, he misses the pampering he gets at the suite breakfasts and the added space of a suite. Added to all of that, as far as I know, there are no mini suites with an aft view so the only time we book one is when there are no aft facing suites on our preferred decks. SO very much a first world problem. Bottom line, you are in serious danger of uping your cruise game on a permanent basis if you go with any of the the aft facing suites. They are seriously awesome as you can see from the pictures that @Ken the cruiserposted. Since you already like the aft view and wake noise, you will love them but consider yourself warned...

Thanks so much!

Just ran across this wonderful trip report. May the rest of your trip be just as terrific as the first part. Quick question if I may (that has little to do with your trip, at least not directly). In a couple of your photos, including embarkation, you are wearing a great guitar themed shirt that my husband would love to steal off your body (no, he isn't a pervert or...maybe... you never know...but I digress). Could you tell me where you found your shirt so I can see about ordering one for my DH before our upcoming cruise in 3 weeks? Thanks in advance and enjoy the rest of your time on board!

I had the same question. Since we sail on 12/3, I went ahead and contacted Princess. They told me the the reservation would be automatically moved over to Catch. Now, whether or not that actually happens...who knows? I intend to check once I get on board. Wish me luck!

We are on the Discovery Princess to Hawai'i in December and would also like to know if they still have the ukulele and hula programs and if so the names of the ambassadors. We love these programs and enjoy bringing our own ukuleles to strum along. Thank you so much for your excellent live report!

We currently have an ME mini suite, a casino comp. Conventional wisdom seems to be that upgrade offers are extended for 4 categories above your assigned category. We seem to have beaten the odds on this one. We have been offered to upgrade to: a forward facing Club class mini suite, a regular club class mini suite, a premium suite, an aft facing vista suite, a regular vista suite, a penthouse suite and a sky suite (forgive me if those are not in order, but there are 7). I placed a total of 6 bids. I passed on the sky suite since the starting bit was $6130 per person--ouch. Not all of those categories are currently available for my sailing but we will see what happens. Maybe I got such a wide range of offers because of my casino status? Only princess knows for sure I guess. I will be happy with whatever I get, if anything. We sail in around 55 days so I probably won't know anything for a few weeks.

I have the same problem as BarBug. No indication on the casino rate booking as to how to add Plus. I will be booking shortly. Unless anyone has any better idea, I will either do the booking by phone (braving what will probably be a long wait) or call just to add Plus (same long wait). Sigh.

Another vote for leggings here. I like to wear them occasionally to the MDR on all my cruises. As other posters have said, they can be dressed up with a nice tunic, jewelry and even a scarf. If you get a nice thick pair that fits (yes @hunt182644they DO come in sizes), you can disguise any "bumpy bits" quite nicely. Many of them now come with pockets (yay!). They are a godsend for long plane rides! Linda

Those pistachio buns are the BEST. I found out about them on this forum. DH, who loves pistachios, was beyond thrilled. Sometimes spontaneity needs just a little nudge since I am not a wander-around-in-the-morning type as a rule. For these pistachio buns, I will get up early. Linda

You shouldn't be blasted for having an opinion about Viking's processes. Especially the ones regarding reservations for shore excursions and restaurant reservations. It is definitely stressful hovering over the keyboard at your appointed hour to try to get the excursion you really want no matter what category of cabin you have. I do understand their metric but that doesn't mean it isn't sometimes stressful to the consumer. Whatever happens, go and enjoy your cruise! Linda

OMG, that is so true. My DH, heaven love him, is absolutely addicted to his GPS. He has not one but 2 of them in his car and uses them to go everywhere. I believe in my heart that, if they both went out, he would have trouble finding the grocery store in our own neighborhood. And try taking away a kid's cellphone (or in some cases no so much a kid). You might as well amputate their arm. I am all for the benefits that technology has brought us but it has brought an uncomfortable amount of interpersonal alienation too. That was one of the things I used to like about cruising -- the chance to get away from all that and reconnect on a more personal level. Now, not so much. Ok, let me pull myself out of that wallow in nostalgia before I contribute to the dreaded thread drift. Carry on with our discussion about spontaneity. Linda

Hi, OnTheJourney. I certainly cannot argue the point that everyone has their own perspective as to what constitutes a good or "better" cruise experience. In my personal opinion, Viking provides a much superior (not perfect) product for a price I am willing to pay. I support everyone's right to make their own decisions regarding their own cruising dollar based on the pros and cons of each cruise line. In balance though, I think Viking gives the best value for my money (though they are on the pricy side) after factoring in a lot of intangibles, most notably customer service on and off the ship. I could talk you ear off on that subject, especially after my 3+ hour hold time recently with Princess and a similar occurrence with X. I have had only excellent (and timely) interactions with Viking so far, both on and off the ship. Again, my experience. YMMV. Anyway, wherever and with whomever you chose to cruise, enjoy! (By the way, when we booked our upcoming cruise we were definitely asked about insurance - it was not automatically added) Linda