2 cruises a year

On 7/22/2024 at 4:10 PM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I’ve sailed in both D736 and D737. There will be no noise from club fusion. The wake is a bit loud though so that should be considered.  Baja deck is a bit quieter but aloha is my favorite.  The sound of the wake is perfect for me there. That said I’m in D736 for 22 days to Alaska next June. 
 

They finally stopped allowing crew to smoke on the aft facing promenade. So you won’t have that. There is a small smoking area on the starboard side promenade deck just outside the aft doors but I’ve never been affected by that. 
 

It’s a great cabin enjoy your time in it !

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.

21 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

On one cruise years ago on Coral Princess I would have really appreciated a visual clue as I found myself repeatedly trying to get "my" door to unlock before realizing I was on the wrong deck. Fortunately, nobody else was around. (No, it wasn't late at night. It was the middle of the day.)

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.

14 minutes ago, Incognito1 said:

We usually remove tips - and not because we cruise cheaply.  Don't make the assumption that those who tip personally are cheap.  I'd rather tip $500 for a cruise to people who provide excellent service than have it go to a pool where the excellent may not see a penny.  You do you, but don't try to denigrate those who choose otherwise.

4 minutes ago, memoak said:

So how do you tip those you don’t see. How do you tip the servers in bars, severs in buffet, room service people etc. Do you carry lots of small bills to hand out to everyone. ?  Yes I believe you are cheap or don’t realize where tips go 

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.

1 hour ago, memoak said:

We are also retired and could not go a single day of our lives without internet. We like to keep up on news and sports and of course Cruise Critic. Be aware that in the IC the regular drip coffee does have a charge

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

1 hour ago, PR-Texas said:

I understand that this change will cause problems for some folks but my guess is that fewer than 1% of cruisers are interested in coming in either more than 5 days ahead or staying more than 5 days after. Possibly a larger percentage for those flying halfway round the world for their trip.  The change was probably implemented to simplify the booking process.

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

4 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Even ones not related to Princess. 😉

 

So everyone who was born in the same month and year has the same PIN? Great.

 

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.

2 hours ago, mikjr said:

 

I would like to believe that is the case, my steward and direct servers would get the bulk of my tip.  But from what I am reading from others, the tips are pooled FLEET WIDE and distributed.  Not sure what that means and I haven't seen anything in print that says one way or another.  If you have something, I'd love to read 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.

On 6/11/2024 at 1:23 PM, DCThunder said:

Well, you can play Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, and Mortal Kombat, so there is that!  Maybe they can add Skee-ball!

Pong, Frogger?

On 6/11/2024 at 9:50 AM, memoak said:

Remember on the old Pacific Prrincess the casino, casino bar and piano player were all in one area and I don’t remember complaints about the noise

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

On 6/4/2024 at 8:50 PM, karatemom2 said:

If you want to have a view of land choose the Port side as you will likely use your balcony more on the way down when you are sailing away from the wind and are more protected. Sailing back up the coast tends to be windier and colder - definitely less optimal for balcony use. 

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.

26 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

If the cruise price was the 1-number (1 line-item on the invoice) price which is the cruise total price (with real all inclusive), the rails wouldn't be needed whatsoever at first place (no thread of such a topic would be generated).  From the other hand, there would be tons of other threads for that matter with variations of "Why don't I have a choice of selecting what I really need (maybe I don't want Wi-Fi, or multiple restaurants, or I'm not a drinker, I don't need a butler service or shore excursions, ...)?"

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?

2 hours ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

I’d like some designated staff whose job is to assist those with disabilities. That’s all their role is. Trained to understand & recognise the difficulties of travel when disabled and a good understand of what helps. Understand Visible and invisible illnesses. A trouble shooter and enabler. They can liase with other staff to help make as much as possible accessible to all.

 

It doesn’t need to be a huge group of staff but having some disability specialists on board means a few staff get specific and more enhanced training than the limited training other staff get alongside there other considerably large duties.

 

if you have notified Princess of a disability you get a the details of person to contact for advice/ help. I’m NOT talking bout them being a carer!
 

But there are enough disabled people on board to keep a specialist busy making sure as many barriers to enjoyment as possible are removed 

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.

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Princess currently has 4 classes of ships:

 

Panamax

Grand/GEM

Royal

Sun

 

Let's cannibalize all the good from each ship.  What would you like this NEW/but old Princess ship to look like?  You may not add venues that are currently not on any Princess ship.

 

I'll start (in no particular order):

1.  a theater forward and aft to spread out the entertainment

2.  Gigi's

3.  Grand Class Window Suites on Deck 6

4,  International Cafe

5.  Crooners, Wheelhouse, Explorer's Lounge

6.  Keep the Piazza clear of large events

7.  No smoking in the casino

 

Your turn.

 

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

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Princess currently has 4 classes of ships:

 

Panamax

Grand/GEM

Royal

Sun

 

Let's cannibalize all the good from each ship.  What would you like this NEW/but old Princess ship to look like?  You may not add venues that are currently not on any Princess ship.

 

I'll start (in no particular order):

1.  a theater forward and aft to spread out the entertainment

2.  Gigi's

3.  Grand Class Window Suites on Deck 6

4,  International Cafe

5.  Crooners, Wheelhouse, Explorer's Lounge

6.  Keep the Piazza clear of large events

7.  No smoking in the casino

 

Your turn.

 

7 out of 7.  Great start. 

Wrap around Promanade Deck.  Completely, not partially, not mostly.

Personally, I book ahead. It is one less thing to worry about.

2 hours ago, TRLD said:

While similar from a dance perspective, waltze off is often used to mean a quick and easy departure.

I have a feeling that by now Mark_K has slapped his forehead and said "Oh, now I get it"  🙃🙃

To the credit of the crew, I don't think it would make any difference at all.  In my experience, Princess crew treat every passenger, from inside cabin to suite, many days at sea to first time  cruiser, like you are their best, most favorite guest.  This is how they really feel.  They will not be better or worse from the prior cruise.

13 hours ago, kirtihk said:

Perhaps, you didn't "translate" a meaning of my post properly.  It was about the fact that 10 years expiation is truly <10 years.  So, people pay for 10 years when in reality they pay for 9.5 years or potentially even less.

Yes 10 years is arbitrary, the State Department can chose whatever time the want, but your passport is good for 10 years, no if's ands or but's  You do get your moneys worth.  It is other countries that arbitrarily require the 6 month rule.  It is not practical for the State Department to try to satisfy the requirements every other country in the world.  It is up to the traveler to follow the requirements of the country they are traveling to.  As far as the U.S. is concerned, your passport is good for 10 years when in the U.S., and leaving or returning to the U.S.

4 hours ago, masonchar said:

I booked a 14 day Alaskan cruise directly with Princess back in January.  Final payment was three days ago.  We couldn't afford an oceanview cabin or better, this time around.   But, we decided to book an obstructed view cabin.  There weren't many left, but we found one with a pretty good view. ( I used a website that shows pictures of the views).  Last night I got an email saying they are moving us to a cabin beside the one we had booked.  They said the reason was that the one we booked could accommodate 4 people and there are only 2 of us.  The new (they call it an upgrade) does not have as good a view.  The one we had booked was between two tenders.  The new one is blocked by the front of the tender.   We aren't happy about this change at all.  Before I get on the phone today, is there anything I can do?

I can't find it now, but it has always been my understanding that if you book a four passenger cabin it is with the understanding that Princess can move you IF they need it for four passengers.  A more extreme, and unlikely scenario is that you can book a handicap cabin if you so choose, even if you are not disabled, with the understanding that IF Princess needs the cabin for a disabled passenger, you can be moved.

28 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

If you click through to find a cruise, you will find you book it on another site (that sells cruises), not CC. CC is advertising the cruises (for some sort of kickback, I assume) but not actually selling them. 

@cnice515 They just can't help themselves. And they don't bother to read all of the posts.

11 minutes ago, cnice515 said:

Understand that CC is a part of trip adviser but the site I linked is indeed a CC site at least for me.  However, so as not to offend the cruise booking site police I will never make the mistake of stating that CC is a booking site for cruises.  Thanks to all for letting me know how wrong I am lol.

I'm glad that you took that well, CC posters can be pretty nit-picky. 😉

16 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Not on Sapphire yet. 

 

I don't call anyone on anything written onboard a ship, when English is their second language. 

Well said.  And just as relevant, a different culture. They are all trying to do their best.  There isn't any way that they can know and  cater to every language and culture on board.  That is part of the fun of travel, experiencing different languages and cultures.

45 minutes ago, OSU Buckeyes 1980 said:

I don’t have a dog in this fight (we don’t decorate but I don’t have issues with those that do) but you have to admit they could make a pretty good Saturday Night Live skit out of this “dispute”. 

I agree, you can't make this stuff up.  Reality is greater that fiction. 

Any other expressions anyone would like to add?