2 cruises a year

I agree about the wake being a bit loud. Not a deal breaker, but I enjoy sipping a top shelf whisky before bed and I do find the higher up, the more relaxing the wake is. If that is the only wake view left, it is still better than any non-wake view cabin.

I've done the same exact thing. Right down to the middle of the day. An no, alcohol was not involved. When my card didn't work, I knocked on the door and wondered why my wife (who I knew was our cabin) wouldn't let me in. Luckily, no one was else there either.

I also believe that there is a huge amount of ego involved. Gotta be seem handing out cash. There isn't any self satisfaction tipping using the CA method. Sorry if this sounds denigrateing, but that is how I feel about people that buck the system.

Plus, all of our bills are paid online. They need to be kept an eye on.

I agree completely. But reading this forum, most posters seem to believe that they represent 99% of cruisers. 🙂

But not the same Medallion. You need both the Medallion and birth date tied to that Medallion. If you lose your Medallion, and someone found it, unless they know that it is yours, and know your birth date, they can't abuse it.

It took some doing. Under FAQ and Onboard Experience It really is pretty fair in my opinion. For example, It keeps the poor bartender at the least popular bar from feeling bitter (somewhat). It balances between popular busy cruises and less busy (profitable) cruises. Everyone can't work the busy cruises and bars. This spreads the pain and keeps crew from moving on. Spread this thought to all other "TIP" dependent jobs. The crew know what they signed up for and how it works. They keep coming back, so it can't be all bad. All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.

Pong, Frogger?

There's a Blast from the past. Talk about the Good Old Days. That was a great ship!

Great point! I like it. I never thought about that. The only time, before now, that I was concerned about which side is Tran-Ocean (east to west, or west to East) sailings. POSH is the sunny side for that trip. For north/south sailings through the tropics, POSH is the cooler side.

You don't have to choose a package. Anything you like can be selected individually.

I haven't read through this whole thread AGAIN. This has been discussed ad infinitum. First of all, in life tips don't go directly to who ever you are tipping. This includes restaurants, bars coffee shops, what ever. It always goes into a pool that includes who served you, the dishwasher, the buss boy, bar-back, the salad maker, who ever. Princess is no different. They pool the Gratuities, and divy them out. They tell you this, it isn't a secret. But withholding Gratuities cheats everyone. Divying them out as you see fit is bucking the system and doesn't accomplish anything. They have to turn your tip in to the pool if you don't contribute to the pool with the daily Gratuities. Don't try to tempt them to keep it for themselves, they will only get into trouble. It is not worth it to them. If you do pay the daily Gratuities and tip them, they can keep the extra above the daily Gratuity. Maybe it is a shell game, but so what, the crew has to be paid, and you are going to pay them, one way or another. AND LASTLY, the crew knows better than we do, what they signed up for. It is none of our business how, or how much they get paid. Do you sit down at the bar and ask the person next to you how much money they make?

Your point of specifically trained staff is an excellent idea, and well taken. But I would like to extend Kudos to the crew doing this these days. They do a damn fine job at this without any special training. Their care and compassion is second to none.

I'd say that we are both fans of Grand class ships. 6 out of 7 on your list are Grand class features.

7 out of 7. Great start.