nautihog

 

Once we drop off the luggage and get into the terminal, I don't mind the wait. I have done everything I can to get started on my vacation. Now it's just a matter of them calling my group number, and it's all up to the cruise line.

 

Quite a few people will advise waiting an hour or two later than me - and they just drop off luggage with no traffic jam, walk right in and up to the check-in desk, and on to the ship. I like the excitement, others like the efficiency. (Waiting a little while would spread out the demand, I admit.)

 

 

Maddle

Thanks for the reply. I know how you feel. When I'm am ready to go then I want to get going. I always get to the airport early and have never missed a plane. I know people who have missed planes. I don't run at airports... unless a connecting flight is late. Caca happens. It will not hurt for us to get there early. If I were just walking across the street, yes, but I have to drive down I-95 (I for Insane) and have on several occasions had to wait for several hours when there was a bad accident. I does happen. I'll take the turnpike, but that is not much better.

I think I will try to arrive at Park N' Go at about 10:30 and the pier a bit before 11AM.

This is our first time to embark from Ft. Liquordale or Port Everglades on February 25 2016 and only our second Princess cruise so we will not have priority boarding. We are driving to Park N' Go and from there will be shuttled the Coral Princess at Pier 2. Our suggested check-in time is 1:30 PM. I prefer to arrive earlier in case of any traffic problems. Being too early is better than too late.

My question: Would arriving at Park N' Go (which is just a few minutes from Pier 2) at 10:30 AM and getting to Princess Pier 2 by 11:00 AM be a good idea or should we get there a bit earlier or later.

Any suggestions?

Whichever ship you chose for your next cruise, make sure it isn't coming out of a dry dock!

You are probably right. I came across this:

"Cruise lines try to schedule dry docks for as short a time as possible so the ship isn't out of service (i.e. not making money) for too long, but if the work isn’t finished in time it can spill over into the first cruise. These sailings have earned the unflattering nickname “shakedown cruises” because they’re designed to shakedown the ship and find problems or opportunities for improvement."

It make sense.

my husband takes his top hat and looks smashing .

Is he cuckoo31? Just asking. :)

Didn't realize holding an opinion amounted to "causing trouble".

Nobody said you were causing trouble. We are just having little debate. Nothing more and nothing less.

If we all agreed, this topic would have been dead a long time ago.

As do you.

 

It is not a requirement. It's optional participation.

 

Whether I choose to participate or not, I'll be eating in the MDR either way.

Not quite Max. You won't get in the MDR with flip flops, shorts a a baseball cap. You would get in with slacks and a golf shirt, but looking like you came from a Sanders rally will not cut it.

ME plans to wear jeans, casuals pants, nice shirts, and comfortable shoes on formal and informal nights. I will not throw food in the MDR, scream, or engage in any other rude behavior. I will be polite to my waiter, put my napkin on my lap, chew with my mouth closed, and enjoy my formal and casual food. I will admire the formal wear of those around me and not judge those who choose to wear casual clothing. I will remember that what I wear or don't wear was suggested to me on the website of the cruise line that we all bought our vacation from. Rich, poor, old, young, new cruiser, experienced cruiser......follow the suggestion as you will, BUT leave me alone and let me wear what I want. I promise I won't tear you apart for getting all dressed up!!!

Alright, but no flip flops or baseball caps.

Thanks, we are in the window to cancel our coral princess cruise. Will stay away from that ship!

Do I hear Twilight Zone music in the background.:eek:

My lobster tail tastes the same whether the fellow next to me is wearing a tux or dockers and a button down shirt. I can't understand why people are so upset by the dress of someone else in the dining room.

The button down shirts and dockers are not the problem. It isn't any different than going to a nice restaurant back home. People usually dress nicely even if casually at nice restaurants. If you had no dress code at all there would be a few who would be in the MDR with bathings suits, flip flops and baseball caps. That's what the buffet is for. You don't see anyone at the buffet with a tux either.

traditional dining will be dead in 5 years as it is a product that is falling in popularity as each year passes.

Maybe on some of the under 50 crowd ships, but it will always be available for the more traditional type of cruises. I see advantage for ATD, but if you are not in a heated rush or are no afraid to meet people you don't know, traditional dining is an interesting experience. Sure there are risks but this is a cruise and not going out to dinner like back at home. This is a cruise. Maritime adventures are filled with tradition. You will miss a lot if you reject it.

We have only been on 5 cruises (not counting 3 military cruises or 5 sail trips in yachts under 50 ft.), but it has been over a 35 year span and we have always had traditional dining and it was always interesting each evening to talk with our tablemates. I really don't remember any of the couples who did not enjoy it, but I know it is possible to end up with some jerks. If it really got bad you could make arrangements.

Now You tell me the difference between experiencing the same conditions in a 50 ft boat. FYI there is a BIG difference between a 50 ft boat and a Cruise Ship. There is a saying that Sailing is fear between episodes of sheer terrier. We survived Hurricane Bob and several others

Absolutely, positively a whole different ball game. Really, you cannot compare sailing and cruising.

It is interesting that most of the people on board RCCL ship were

upbeat, even in the most frightening set of events.

When you know that there are only 273 days left, you have reason to be upbeat.;)

Wasn't that all weather related? In that case is was not due to lack of good service or a run down condition or a sloppy crew, unless of course, they knew what they were going into.

Nevertheless, it would be a "cruise from hell."

How about on the big ships that have three dining rooms one room is traditional dining with dress code, one is anytime with dress code and one is casual. Then everyone can decide. Many want to eat the dining room food because it is better and not worry about their dress. Others can get fancy on those formal nights.

I'll tell you why. Because there would be those who would be offended and have tantrums because they would not be allowed in to the formal dinning room in their grunge wear. Back to square one.

They just don't want to offend anyone, not realizing that by setting standards they are unwilling to enforce they are offending many others who have gone to the trouble of complying.

Yep. The pandemic of political correctness has infected just about everything.

Might be a stick in the mud but I do like to dress up. Not every night but it's good to feel a woman /wife/lover.

Yeah, uh, er, well, yes. You got my vote!

but all was in good working order by the morning of the last sea day.

 

But to top it all off, we were then very nicely compensated for any of the inconveniences.

What? You have got to be kidding me. Was waterboarding part of the compensation?

At least it wasn't used for TP.

Yes, but can we be sure?

Past performance is no guarantee for future results, but I am optimistic and looking forward to the partial canal transit trip on the Coral Princess. Great pic!

I was giving an honest review of the cruise.

I re-read your original post and cannot see where anyone would have a problem with it. You gave pros and cons. And they appear to be valid topics.

If I were a member of the Princess Cruise Board of Directors, I would be very interested in criticisms and would check as many of them out as practical. It would be in their best interest. Cruises are portrayed and advertised as a form of hedonistic adventures and that is what people pay for, realizing, of course, that nothing is perfect, but perfection is what is advertised and therefore perfection is what the cruise lines should strive for. In deed and not just word.

Still, I believe a cruise is the best bang for the vacation buck, but caca does happen.

Maybe there should be a "Cruise to Purgatory" thread.

In short, one person's 'cruise from hell' and another's 'best cruise ever' can be both perfectly valid positions depending on circumstances (and reasonable expectations)

Except, of course, the "boogers in the bathroom" thinger.

Never expected boogers in the bathroom

What you say? Boogers in the bathroom! Get that thought out of my head! That is where I draw the line unless they are mine.

They have 19 days to get it right. I am going to be optimistic, yet keep in mind Murphy's Law. We have been on Princess before. It is hard to believe they screwed up that bad on that recent cruise. Nothing ever is perfect and problems are to be expected, but that cruise was a major screw-up.

Fortunately those poor people who put up a lot of money are being compensated. There are some that think you should just sit back and take it as some kind of life experience, but if it were not for those who demand what they paid for, most likely there would be no compensation.

I have never complained about a cruise before and we have enjoyed every one we have been on. (We have only been on 5 not counting 3 MSTS cruises.) Maybe we were just lucky. I demand what they promise; nothing more and nothing less.

Because cheating and theft are excellent ways to experience other cultures and demonstrate American exceptionalism.

Not to mention the multi-millions of good old "exceptional" American dollars that are spent in Cabo San Lucas. But, what the hell, they learned this from the latrines in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the few cities that you can easily dump a grand (or more) a day and still pay a restroom attendant for a paper towel.