sirclean

On the cruise Im on now (Ruby repositioning), the average age is a lot closer to "long ago retired" than the actors on the show. (rarely would one of the actors be 'long ago retired').

This was going to be my recommendation: "We took the bus to Seattle and spent one night at an airport hotel before flying out the next morning. We saved so much on airfare that the bus and hotel were basically free." Before COVID Princess could provide a bus for US citizens that sped you through the border in a 'locked' bus, so that you didnt have to deal with Canadian customs. I dont know if it has returned or not, but I would check. Flying out of SEA is usually a lot cheaper and has more options for airlines.

For the foot lights, I just rolled a towel and placed it on the floor. Even when the light goes off, most is blocked. For the one in the hall, in this room, (as Im on the Ruby now), it seems that if the bathroom door is in the 'right place' it blocks the sensor range.

Sea Day. Great education lectures! In the 'olden days' we would go to the port lectures and they were essentially sales pitches for all of the shops to see. On this trip (and it may be the ports we are visiting) the lecturer was a cruise director for decades and his lectures include the history of the area and pictures of a lot of the sites, including some from his early, middle and recent visits! (Today he showed 3 pictures of him holding a sloth and noted 'how old that sloth has gotten'!) These lectures include pictures of a lot of sights and HAD I seen these lectures before joining the ship (IF Princess would add them to the booking pages), I would have been so much more tempted and torn in picking shore excursions! He has done a great job! A drawback, not of this voyage, but of Princess in general these day is the internet speed. (I will include a speed test below). I am so impressed by the pictures that PandaBear has been able to upload and the content! (S)/he must have a lot of patience to type the messages (which are great!) and load all of the pictures, INcluding the pictures of the ship going through the canal! (How were you able to get those 'live action' shots?) Enjoying the cruise and reading about it live!!

Happy to see this post as We are ON THE SHIP too! The Cruise Critic was hosted on Saturday. All of the ships top officers were there and we had a short introduction by some! There is also a facebook group specifically formed for this cruise (which I found out about on Saturday, I think!) They have done several things together including a slot pull, pub crawl and shot glass exchange! The trip has been pretty good. Im surprised that you have been able to upload so much information and so many pictures! It is 11:39 pm, the ship is at least 1/3 empty. AS indicated, the average age is ... well ...lets say "retired for some time". Many I have had meals with are easily in their 70s. Tonight's table included an 88 year old and his wife. Lunch had another nearly 80. All looked spry, but there are very few kids that can be gone for a 16 day repositioning cruise! Still, internet speed is SLOW!! My current download speed is .4MPS (see below).

On The Ruby now (repositioning from Galveston to San Francisco through the Panama Canal). Found that my mini bar was missing the Tonic Water (Perrier). No matter, i was going to trade it for ginger ale anyway. I called and explained that they shorted me everything, but that instead of sending Perrier, to send 2 ginger ales. I wasnt in when the swap was made, but My Bride was. She said that the steward noted that we were short 2 Perrier AND TOOK BACK The Ginger Ale!! I noted this on the 'how are we doing' report that came in a few days later. Nothing has come from any of this! (Except that I have the chance now to let everyone on Cruise Critic, note the issue and to warn everyone NOT to trust that it will work out! Get the missing items and THEN make them swap them out!)

Bring your own pillow. No matter how good the 'hotel' pillows are, they are not YOUR pillows! I need a pillow between my knees to keep my back from spasms. Even at home, there are six pillows on the bed, but only ONE is the right one for that task! The ship pillows are too big/fluffy for that purpose, so I bring my Special Pillow with me. It is one of the things I need to sleep (along with my bite guard and CPAP.... I bring those too!)

I was up there in November, and it was pretty windy up there too (and we were in port at the time). Anyway, that was my first perceptions.

The big 3 for sure! You will have tips paid, the drink package and one internet account. Whether you get deserts, I m not sure. I had the package before the price increase but the premium deserts were not available yet.

I have not traveled FLL since COVID, but with my other trips, there was a lounge.

That is what I thought/feared. No way to find a win win (an open specialty dinning place, when the menu might be less appealing to us) before we board. I suppose I will continue my practice of using the in room TV to find it, as it is easier to read than my iPhone screen. (and it will help keep my remote control skills sharp!)

Im still discovering new things about the ap. Last month we were on a cruise and I could see the day's menus on the TV in the room. A table mate indicated that the menus were available on the phone, but it was late in the cruise when I found that out (too late to be usable) . At this point, im 3 days from the next cruise. Id like to see what the MDR menu may be for as far ahead as possible to see if I may be better off booking a specialty place before there are no more time slots left. So far, I keep getting a message to try back closer to the departure. Any idea when it will populate, and how far in advance the menu will be available on the ap?

I check on the mini bar and try to exchange the less desirable items for the more desirable ones. for sure I get rid of the tonic water. Im not a beer fan, but one of my usual travel buddies IS, so depending on who is traveling with me, I tailor the fridge for us. I check the room for other items that we will need - like laundry bags and ice. IF we have been away a while, or have specific clothes we will need soon that need to be laundered or didnt travel well, those get cleaned that day. IF I have a drink package, one of the orders of business is a Dirty Banana. setting up the phone for the ship system always seems to take longer than I think it should, but I dont know the system well enough... just enough to be dangerous (mostly to myself!)

I agree that the Pub Lunch Experience is not captured when the food is on the buffet. I also agree with Antsp that it may have been a beer experience that also fed you. I dont think that you will get a properly poured Guinness in the buffet (and certainly not as fast) as you would in the other area! Ive never been to an actual pub, so I dont know if they serve their food buffet style, and then you have to search for a seat (hoping for one near a window, or away from noisy kids!)

While 3 rows may not have been a lot of seats, it was more than sufficient! There were a lot of empty seats until they moved the blue seat covers! (Then the mad dash started with the Large Family Crowds.) Im not sure that Plus is worth the expense, and the Premium is not for me, so Im glad that they only had 3 rows reserved, especially when even 3 rows was not filling up. Im glad that they are not removing more seats from the rest of us. (I also complained when they introduced Club Class eating... it was crowded enough in the MDR before they removed that capacity, which often sat empty while lines formed for those of us in Cattle Class.)

I had the same problem, and my cruise starts on Friday! I had called Princess and was told it was a 'glitch', but it never resolved. Then yesterday I got an email that I was missing some form and an arrival time. I had both of them, though! I called again and all that was missing was the Health Screening. I thought that had to be done no sooner than 72 hours before, but I was told that it can be done 7 days in advance. Once it was complete, I turned Green! So my advice is to make sure that all of the documents are done in your ap (which is all you can do!) and then when you are 1 week out, try the health check and if that does not resolve the issue, call Princess. From what I was told, once you have the QR code, that is the big hurdle. The wait differences between green and blue (from what I was told) is minimal, especially if you have reached Platinum/Elite Status.

I was on the Ruby last month. The reserved seats were in the lower section, closest to the stage. It was 3 rows worth. Blue bags on the back of the seats. Those people seemed to be able to get their seats, and about 5 minutes prior to the show it quickly filled up with gaggles of families with kids (as it was Spring Break).

It didnt exactly have it when we were on the week of Thanksgiving (2022). They did have the general food choices in one section of the Buffet (I think on the first sea day).

"d. You cannot use your NEXUS card at Global Entry kiosks outside of Canadian Preclearance locations. At all other ports, you will need to use your passport or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident card." You do NOT use your NEXUS Card in the Global Entry kiosks. Your passport record includes the global entry with it. You use your passbook Book in the Global Entry Kiosk. As I indicated, I m pretty positive that the process of Getting the Nexus card Included Global Entry. However, the Nexus Card includes an RFID chip that helps with land crossings. Global Entry is used in the Kiosks and requires the passport to be scanned. There is no longer a Global Entry Card for US Citizens (as I understand it). You simply use your passport and the kiosk reads your biometric information (finger prints and eye scans)

I have Elite Status, so I m not a cruise new-be by any means. Usually, I try to get my luggage to the room (if I can), meet the steward and then find lunch. I used to hit the buffet, but recently someone suggested the sit down lunch was better. Of course, I make sure that I get my safety checks done. In the Olden Days, (Before COVID), there was a 'scavenger hunt' to help you learn the ship and enter a drawing. I would do that. I dont see that as an option anymore. Fortunately, we dont have to muster anymore either. I dont really miss sitting (Or Standing!) in the evacuation station to learn to wear a life preserver. What do YOU do on your first day on the ship? (What advice do you have? What should I consider doing in the Post COVID Cruising Days?)

Port fees, taxes, and tips are per person. When you go alone the fare is a bit less than double the fare advertised for double occupancy. (IF you get a package - like Plus, it is per person too). (But you get 2 captains circle credits, getting you to Elite Status a bit faster!)

This article reinforces what I believed (That you can use Global Entry anytime you enter the US, not just from Canada). https://thriftytraveler.com/guides/global-entry-vs-nexus/ " Our Analysis When considering Global Entry vs NEXUS there are a few factors you need to consider. If you frequently travel between the US and Canada via land and/or air, NEXUS will likely be the better choice. It is cheaper and allows for expedited entry when crossing the border by car, something Global Entry doesn't yet offer. Additionally, at a cost of only $50 and the fact that it is free for minors, you can save a bit of money by opting for NEXUS. Especially if you live near the Canadian border and often cross it with your vehicle. On the other hand, if you often travel internationally outside of Canada, the NEXUS program will lose much of its value. If you live in the southern part of the United States, finding an enrollment center to complete your in-person interview would be tough as they are only located in the northern US. Once you have it, you can use it at any Global Entry kiosk when entering the US, but getting it will be more difficult." Also: " People also ask Does NEXUS include Global Entry from Mexico? Entering the United States All NEXUS members can enjoy the benefits of Global Entry at no additional cost through using the Global Entry kiosks for entry at participating airports.Sep 25, 2015 "

However, when I looked at this article, it indicates that you may be right and I need to explore this some more: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/global-entry-vs-nexus Since I usually fly internationally to Canada, the Nexus has been best (as indicated in the article). For other international travels, I am usually on a ship, and it hasnt mattered as there are no ports (except one in Seattle of Vancouver (I forget which) That has a global entry kiosk. I did look at my Trusted Traveler site, and the link to upgrade to Global Entry was not activated, indicating that I already have it! So I will ask some questions when I next get to a Big Airport with a Global Entry location!

Another one: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/frequently-asked-questions " For NEXUS and SENTRI Members at Global Entry Kiosks All current NEXUS members, and U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents who are SENTRI members, are eligible to use Global Entry kiosks once they provide fingerprints and document information to CBP. If CBP already has your fingerprints and document information on file, you can use Global Entry kiosks without further action and at no additional cost

It is my understanding that I was qualified for Global Entry when I applied and passed the Nexus process. I am able to use my passport in any global entry kiosk when arriving into the US from any country, not just Canada. https://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov/faq?lang=en "f you are a U.S. citizen/lawful permanent resident and you provided provided your passport information and your fingerprints were collected at the enrollment interview, you will automatically be eligible for Global Entry benefits"