Paula_MacFan

Right, but if you just want to sail around the open ocean there are vastly less expensive cruises to do that. That's why we weren't shattered in January when 2 of our 3 Caribbean ports were cancelled -- been there, done that. However for many people Alaska is a huge, bucket list trip that is very expensive. Floating around the open ocean is a far cry from the Princess Alaska promotional materials. And before you start bashing me I've been cruising for 20+ years and been a member here forever.

We fly to Fairbanks next Friday for our 8 day pre-cruise land tour prior to boarding. Wonder how that works when we're already there but they're enticing others to cancel/move. Hence my concerns and why I'm following this closely. At least we've booked air & everything with Princess so we won't be out money if it's scrapped.

Our last cruise in January skipped 2 of the 3 planned ports -- stuff happens. But that doesn't mean people can't still be disappointed. Also if people have independent tours booked then adjustments need to be made. Asking for information is a logical expectation and if you aren't impacted by the Sapphire changes then maybe don't be nasty to those who are.

We are on the same cruise and really hope this gets fixed soon!

Have you checked out the Princess cruisetour FAQ section on luggage: https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/cruisetours

We leave for our cruisetour in a couple weeks, and our Travel Summary says on a couple days luggage will be transported separately and won't be delivered until later in the evening. We're planning accordingly 🙂 We also use air tags so we can track our luggage which is extra peace of mind.

Someone posted this handy PDF recently that shows all the dining options on all ships. Maybe this will help. Princess Dining Option.pdf

Thanks for the detailed review! It sounds like overall you had a great cruise and wonderful time. We've sailed on the Regal 3 times now, most recently in January. We've always had a good time, but on our last cruise we had the same observations as yours that I quoted above. Princess Live is an uncomfortable venue and Explorers is so much better, the Wheelhouse is not big enough (especially compared to the Grand class ships), Crooners is nice but there wasn't any music there on our last cruise, and the Vista Lounge is criminally under used. I got a chuckle about your 'commercial interruption' as we also never take an elevator on our cruises 🙂

We were on the Island in September/October 2023 for a port-intensive European cruise. We had a great time and enjoyed the ship. Our mini-suite was in good condition, we enjoyed both Sabatini's and Bayou Cafe (serves Crown Grill menu), there was plenty of evening entertainment, and everything went as planned. One downside is no International Cafe, as someone else has mentioned. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Island again!

We had an excursion cancelled by Princess for our upcoming Alaska cruise and didn't get a notice either. The only reason I noticed was it was no longer listed on our Travel Summary. A few days after noticing it gone we recieved a refund to our credit card. I was disappointed because it was a bucket list type excursion, but our port time was changed slightly so there was no longer enough time for the tour. I asked my CVP about it -- basically is this standard procedure? Their response was that Princess no longer has a dedicated excursion department so there's no one to complain to about it. We just booked another excursion and moved on. But I was annoyed.

I understood that from your initial post, but was responding to this comment: At that point I wouldn't waste time with someone you clearly thought/knew was misinformed, and would consult the source (Princess website). Bottom line you ate in the MDR and appear to have enjoyed the rest of your cruise. It's good you shared your experience here as a cautionary tale about Princess reps, although I (like @memoak) have never heard a CVP use the title 'Tripadvisor'.

Someone else posted this helpful PDF recently here on CC. It's a great overview of all the dining options on each ship, with pricing where applicable. Princess Dining Option.pdf

I understand your frustration with being given incorrect information by a rep; however, Princess dining is explained on their website. Included dining: https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/whats-included Other tabs on that same page describe specialty dining and other options. The website has detailed deck plans if there is any confusion over what venues are available on each ship. I get that people like to talk to a real person, but at the same time there is a large amount of easily accessible information on the Princess website that might be a good starting point before calling someone on the phone.

We were on Regal in January and they had the Nolan Ryan beef. We ate at the CG one night and it was very good. We had the surf and turf, so filets with the upcharge for lobster. We enjoyed it a lot and the couple at the table next to us remarked on our meals and said they looked so good they were making another reservation to come back later in the week and have what we were having 🙂 Having said that we are getting ready to cruise to Alaska in 3 weeks on Sapphire and haven't made any specialty dining reservations. We usually do CG and Sabatini's (in this case would be Sterling Steakhouse on Sapphire) but decided with the busy port days and higher prices for specialty dining, we're skipping it this time. Honestly for the pricing I think the Ultimate Balcony Dining is the way to go now as you get more for your money vs specialty dining.

Thanks for the feedback. Just to clarify -- the Patter looks like it's a 45 minute program, but the picture you posted says 'Step inside....for our 10 minute voyage'. So you have to sign up the day before and it's a very short program? Thanks!