suekel

5 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

A little change…pizza “delivery” is free with the package, it’s the pizza that has a charge.

that is true 😄

4 minutes ago, RocknRoll22 said:

 

We ordered Pizza and a salad, which was offered as a choice on the App. Hard to believe it wasn't a "covered" item, since it was a standard App choice, and not a special order.

 

When I asked about the charge at Guest Services, they tried to tell me that beverages were no charge, but they charge for any food delivery price. I don't believe that is correct, as they advertise Ocean Now as part of the Medallion and Plus perks. And the amount they billed to my folio was the actual food price in the App, not the Ocean Now one time $14.99.

Pizza delivery is not free.  The price should have shown on your app.  

I tip room service.  I tip for drinks by the pool or in the casino, usually $1 per drink which leads to much better service.  Then at the end, I tip my steward, my favorite bartenders and the servers in the MDR if I have the same ones every night.  I budget usually $100 in extra tips.  

1.  No reservations for breakfast, just show up

2.  Room service is complimentary if you have a package, otherwise you pay $14.99 to activate the medallion or $5 for delivery.  You can order from the main dining room menu but the room service menu is no different

3. No idea about the sanctuary as I don't use it unless it's a long cruise and can make reservations at any time..  But yes, I see your point about not being able to get there.  They should come up with an alternative.

4. No to the coffee machine but you can trade it for water or sodas.  They no longer offer a coffee exchange.

5..  I usually get to the port about 10:30 and there is a slight wait if the previous disembarkation had no issues.  Depending on where you are leaving from they might have an elite/suite waiting area.  

It doesn't show any of that on your summary but it will show that you have plus.  That's all you need.  

Princess Plus has nothing to do with OBC.  You should look at your travel summary and the Plus perks will be on there.  

I would book for the 4 and as soon as you get onboard, find the person who handles reservations and talk to them.  My cruise in December, that person was in Sabatini's but just ask in the MDR.  

I was on the Sky in December, and I thought the Alfredo's was the worst that I've been to.  Service was indifferent, they were out of eggplant and my Pizza was bland.  No comparison to Majestic or Discovery.  

I love the new lunch menu with one exception.  If we sleep in and have a lazy morning, I liked being able to go to the MDR and have Eggs Benedict.  Not an option anymore.  

They announced that dinner reservations are only available until I think March 29.  In the past with new ships, that except for the first few cruises, you cannot make reservations until the ship actually sails.  

We did a land tour to Machu Picchu last year.  Everything was included.  Hotels were 5 star.  Tour guides were amazing. 

I love the lotion, my sister-in-law loves the shampoo.  On our last cruise, our steward took his refill jug and filled us empty water bottles so we could take some home.  Not all the way full but enough to last until my next cruise! 

Couple years ago we took a Pulmonia to the Costa De Oro.  It was maybe $35 and then you got that amount in food and drink.  At that time, the beach was pretty much washed away but it could be back.  Nice pool.  We had fun.  

When I did a partial a few years ago, we took the excursion that took us on a ferry all the way through and they bussed us back to the ship.  It was long, it was hot, it was amazing.  I read The Path Between the Seas before I went which really added to my appreciation.  It was so hot that I told my husband next time we're doing a full transit so we can go back into our cabin into the air as needed.  Which we're doing on th Ruby in March.  Plus, a ferry cannot go through the locks alone so you have to wait for a larger vessel which added hours to the trip.  The beer man on board was our new best friend and he sought us out for pictures at the end.  Then the bus broke down on the way back to the ship, they had to wait for us.  The dining rooms were closed, thank goodness for a mini bar and room service.  If you can handle the heat and don't mind a really long day, this was a great excursion.  

6 hours ago, nini said:

@Sulialto

Thank you so much for this upbeat review. We have never been on the Ruby... maybe someday.

 

I believe that in one thread you mentioned that the Ruby has received a high rating amongst the Princess ships. Can you please clarify that and direct one to finding the ratings of all of the Princess ships? Thanks

I know the Sapphire was number 1.  After spending 18 days on her last spring, I concur.  

16 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Wonder if something is going on behind the scenes with comped cruises being eligible in the future for loyalty benefits?

 

It will be.  I always upgrade my cabin so they do get money out of me.  Wonder if that will make a difference.  Guess we'll find out!  

On January 11, 24 hours before my flight, United canceled one leg of my flight to LA.  I called the EZ Air department and they were able to switch me to American on the way to LA, keeping the flight home.  Call them.  

I've noticed this too in the last couple weeks.  I also thought it was weird.  

What is a mini balcony suite?  There are mini suites and balconies and suites.  

I booked a guarantee balcony a few months ago and within weeks they had upgraded me to a Premium Deluxe Balcony.  I might try it again!

22 hours ago, Drdarkknight said:

Trying to figure out flights to Fort Lauderdale was beyond a pain in the butt. It was only a few years ago I booked similar flights direct to FLL - also in January - for about $400. When I checked this time it was $1800. We waited weeks. I was continuously checking Westjet, Air Canada and Expedia and the cheapest I could find was $1200 - and that was usually if I wanted to stay overnight in Toronto. Unreal.

 

And then I remembered Princess does EZAir, which I had never tried before. It was really user friendly to check out prices through the system and to my surprise, the ticket price was significantly more manageable than I was seeing anywhere else. The only caveat was that the flight to Fort Lauderdale was going to be early - 6:30am. My friend and I chatted and decided this was our best option. It was cheaper and we’d actually get into FLL at about 6:30pm which gave us an evening to explore before the cruise. Thankfully I bought a house last year and it happens to be really close to the airport so my friend stayed over last night. We also combined our luggage so we’d only have to pay one baggage fee. 

 

The airport was surprisingly busy for 4am but I have Nexus and was sitting at the terminal bar by 4:45am. We grabbed a light breakfast and some beer. The airport is a lawless place. We headed to the gate for boarding and…nothing. Mechanical issue. I was getting a bit nervous since there was a lack of updates but we were able to board about 40 minutes late. We had a long connection time in Dallas so it wasn’t an issue for us but some people looked pretty stressed. I’ve never flown American Airlines before but they sure are efficient. We boarded quickly and landed with only a 15 minute delay. Even getting off the airplane was super streamlined. And they give you the full pop can! 

 

We had three hours to waste at DFW so we had a nice meal at Maggiano’s and a beer at Beer Union to kill time. The airport is massive. We totally missed that there was a tram between terminals and walked all the way. Boarding the second flight was on time and quick. I was impressed with the leg room in economy. I was definitely comfortable, for an airplane. And once again we arrived early, although there was a fair amount of turbulence. 

 

Once we arrived in Fort Lauderdale we waited for our baggage and then located the airport shuttle. Things got a little chaotic at this point. Our bags were sent ahead of us on an earlier flight for some reason. So we had to find them. Then we couldn’t figure out how to get the airport shuttle. However, as soon as I called the hotel they had someone there in literally two minutes. That’s good service. When booking a hotel for tonight we debated between booking somewhere near the beach or near the airport, since it was just for the night. Since our flight wasn’t landing until 6:30pm and we would have to get an Uber to the cruise terminal regardless we opted for a hotel with an airport shuttle. Not to mention all the hotels were incredibly pricey. Saturday problems. We landed on the Four Points by Sheraton Dania Beach. We previously stayed at Four Points when we did Halloween in New Orleans and liked it so figured let’s keep the trend going. 

 

For dinner we wanted something within walking distance. I had noticed on Google Maps when I was planning our trip that there was a place nearby called Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant so that was an easy decision for us to make. I loved how their menu had wine recommendations for each dish! We did end up taking an Uber there and back - we were just a bit too tired and honestly didn’t want to walk around this late by ourselves.

 

To our surprise the place was packed! Thankfully I had made reservations so we were seated in about ten minutes. To start we shared their cheese plate with a wine flight which was really fun trying the different combinations of flavour profiles. We then ordered a full glass of wine paired to our entrees. I had ordered the short rib risotto, which meant paired with the Cabernet Sauvignon. We waited awhile for our meals but were having chatting so didn’t really notice the time until a manager came over and apologized for the delay and then proceeded to cover our entire bill. We were shocked, to say the least. We hadn’t even mentioned anything. So if anyone is ever looking for a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale please show Cooper’s Hawk some love. 

 

Now we’re back in the hotel and can really feel that we’ve been travelling all day so I’m going to fall into a deep sleep for the rest of the night. Boarding the Caribbean Princess tomorrow morning!

We LOVE Coopers Hawk, even belong to their wine club.  You did the right thing by ordering the Short Rib Risotto!  

Have a great cruise. 

We're doing a Princess cruise in the future that ends in Trieste.  One of the excursions offered on disembarkation day is a day trip to Slovenia.  I'd really like to do it but...after the excursion you are taken back to the ship.  It doesn't say it's for B2B passengers only.  I'm not too concerned about having to go from the port to the hotel or airport depending on flight times but curious what happens with luggage.  Anyone have any experience with an excursion like this?  I'm getting on a cruise in a few days and can ask at the excursion desk, but I'll be surprised if they know.  

Can't access any Sun bookings today and the ship has disappeared from the plan a cruise function.  Any guesses why? Any inside information?

I have better luck using Firefox when looking at the website but even on that, it times out a lot.  

4 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

How did you find out that you are docking at Coxen Hole? I'm looking at the port schedule and it hasn't updated of course.

At the very bottom

ITINERARY CHANGE

Please be advised that due to cruise ship congestion and operational considerations in Roatan, Honduras, Sky Princess will now berth in Coxen Hole for our call to Roatan rather than in Mahogany Bay and will now call to Roatan (Coxen Hole) on Monday, December 25, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM rather than on Tuesday, December 26. To accommodate this change, we will call to Belize City, Belize on Tuesday, December 26 rather than on Wednesday, December 27, and to Cozumel, Mexico on Wednesday, December 27 rather than on Monday, December 25. Call times for these ports have also been amended.