cgolf1

Maybe we will cross paths on Princess sometime, as long as our upcoming cruise is a good one that will be our first choice for cruising.

No and they didn't have them before they started to raise their prices is my point. But you want to be right so have at it. IMO the price increases and perks reductions were done for other reasons and not the casinos. We were guilty of spending way to much on merchandise on Disney ships, it flies out of the shops. Other lines probably sell a fraction of what Disney does. Not a casino, but it is extra cash for them. Celebrity is doing the same thing now, What is their excuse? I know the boards were talking about the higher suite prices and less perks, and now in 2026 we are definitely seeing price increases in the inside rooms. Our inside room for 2025 was a good but not great price on the eclipse. All in all, I think it is a race to see how much people will pay and the cruise lines will still sail at capacity, once they hit the tipping point they may back off. The danger for all lines, but especially Disney and Celebrity that have/had a good reputation, the more people pay, their level of expectation rises. Just see this board when the suites had perks like butlers removed when they are paying more this year, it wasn't pretty.

So you know more than someone who sailed Disney for many years at very good prices mind you and watched the perks changes and price increases happen that were far outpacing their competition? It somewhat mirrors what Celebrity is starting to do. It started on Disney at the suite level and has now hit all levels, again that appears to be the same with X now.

Thank you everyone, that makes a lot of sense and we do have our Medallions so we are good to go then. Each line does it different so just learning Princess now.

So we both checked in on the app, but only see the boarding pass for one of us. What gives? We have time so I figured I would start on CC and then give Princess a call. I have a guess which would give me the better and correct answer.

You are wrong about the Disney example. In the past their prices were inline with RCCL and Princess, we always checked, but in the 2015-2016 range there prices started increasing dramatically. We were suite level in 2014, and the next year the same room would almost be double. By 2019 or 2020 same itinerary and same ship an inside would have only been 400$ less than what we paid for the suite level room. Disney across the board seemed to raise prices drastically, as I had friends that did the parks every year, and they cut way back on that.

So we are doing our first princess soon. I am hoping that they do Gluten Free food good enough that we can make the switch. Looking at 2026 pricing and itineraries, Celebrity is more expensive and the itineraries are downright boring. We are liking the 10+ day trips and there aren't a lot of good options. The only thing that would keep us at Celebrity is how good they do the food allergy stuff. We ran into the boring itinerary thing with Disney along with rising costs and that is why we left. When we looked for a last minute deal this spring, Royal, Celebrity, and even Carnival there were no deals to be had, only Princess. Time will tell if that is because they suck and have to drop their prices to fill the ship. Right now we are stuck with cruises not that far from the states due to not having a ton of vacation time. I am looking forward to Transatlantic and transpacific, but my wife wouldn't want me to go alone lol.

Wonder if they are having issue with the engines or the thrusters? Have they mentioned anything? Hopefully it doesn’t impact your cruise or others.

There are people out there like us, at least I think there are, that don’t get a beverage package or the plus thing on Princess. The times the only option on X to book was with the beverage package, the most alcoholic drinks a day we had was maybe 5 on a sea day. So for us the elite happy hour will be nice and we are close to that level now. That said though looking at 2026 cruises Princess has the prices and itineraries that interested me the most. This year is our first Princess cruise and if we like it 2026 will be our second or third, we are now in the pattern of booking deals once the paid in full window closes to get a bonus cruise each year.

No but I am also very limited in land based restaurants we can go to unfortunately, and we do lots of research when traveling. Airports are rough and we usually just pack beef jerky or something similar for me. What I have liked is that by preordering, they can substitute things to make a dish for those with allergies that if you ordered the night of they couldn't. Having done galley tours on different lines, they all seem to have a separate area where the food for people with food allergies is prepped. So even if one is careful in what they order, it may be prepped in a common area and risk cross contamination. It depends on the person if that is ok or not. I really wish I wasn't gluten free, because I/we miss out on a lot because of it especially when looking to eat out. At home it is really a non issue.

We did set it up ahead of time, my wife is very impressed with the app compared to X and HAL, and my wife verified when she called this week because they applied it to both of us. It is just a learning experience with each line I sail. Thanks for the info.

Somewhere on here I saw it mentioned that people with food allergies should report to one of the main dining rooms when they board the ship. Is this just to confirm the allergy, or do they allow you to peorder that nights meal, I am gluten free? Or is this not needed at all? It would be nice to be able to preorder the first nights meal to make the first service go smoother for the 3 non GF people in our group.

Is that Port everglades with the tug? I have never heard of that happening before.

How was St Thomas being the only ship in port? We were going to stay on the ship because it has always been ridiculously crowded on shore. Then we found out like you we will be the only ship in that day. Will be nice to hopefully take a casual stroll downtown.

I am curious how the entertainment is onboard, between the main stage and around the ship. This will be our first Princess cruise and not sure what to expect. Last year on our first HAL cruise we were quite disappointed with the entertainment aspect of that trip, but still had an amazing cruise.