Outerdog

Thanks. I stand corrected. It is there... I see it now.

After having done a forward 4 times, I have never seen anything on the travel docs about accessing the forward balcony. There is a little sign on the door. I have never seen it enforced (by locking doors, etc.).

It's windy as you'd imagine. But weather conditions relative to the ship's heading plays a factor. For example, if the ship is steaming 20 knots into a 20 knot headwind that's a no-go. But if she's doing 20 knots with 20 knots blowing at her stern, that's a different story. The bulkhead shields the wind somewhat while seated, too. I remember spending some time out there while underway.

Did 10 days to Mex Riv in L107. LOVE that cabin. On the plus side: Bigger than some NYC apartments. The "divide" between the seating area and the "bedroom" is such that it's almost like two different rooms. The balcony is super large. You like sailaway balcony time? This is the one for you. We skipped going ashore in Manzanillo and just partied out there all day with the beverage package and room service. Awesome time. Plenty of room for guests. Only negatives I had: There is movement up there, so you will feel the sea. It is far from Piazza, but a super close walk to Lido. This is Royal Princess - L107: These are all the pics I could find on the quick, but these plus what you find online should give you a good idea of what's happening there. Here is L107 on Majestic, which is nearly identical (not my video).

He's Coast Guard... in Colorado, so. There ya go.

Pack what you would wear to Olive Garden or Red Lobster. If formal night is not your thing, don't stress on it.

There are plenty of examples here on CC of folks who were able to book a PVSA violation only to have Princess come around later and cancel it.

L107 or similar, possibly M deck. I've had the pleasure. An absolute wonderful cabin. Categorized as a mini-suite, these cabins outclass a full suite in my opinion. Excellent cabins.

It honestly makes very little difference. Choose a cabin, port or starboard, based on its location within the ship that suits your preferences. For example, choose mid-ship lower deck if you or your party are susceptible to motion. Choose location based on proximity to the ship's amenities over port or starboard. Don't sacrifice these considerations for a port versus starboard choice. Once the ship leaves port, what views there are of the land are pretty equal from either side. If you really can't decide port versus starboard, then go aft.

Sapphire is currently on course to navigate the Johnstone Strait and Seymour Narrows which are arguably as or more difficult to navigate than the current position of Volendam. Sapphire could easily navigate the same course as Volendam is currently. Also, the "Inside Passage" isn't limited to the east side of Vancouver Island. It runs from Olympia, WA to Skagway, AK and is the route along which you will find 99% of Alaska cruises.

Just off Ruby yesterday. They embarked contractors in SF and had a large crane loading materials onto the Lido deck. Lots of rolls of new carpet spotted on the pier, road cases (presumably tools and equipment), and lots of other materials and things. Gone were the usual stacks and obvious boxes of provisions (although there were some). I assumed we would see some work commencing during our 10 day voyage directly ahead of the dry dock. Fortunately there was none. Everything was open and operating as normal. I did note a couple of contractor personnel who were already onboard. Forgot the logo on their shirts, but they were IT related kinda guys and definitely not crew. But that was it.

Another consideration not mentioned so far is that while docking in Ketchikan may be feasible, the impact of the storm on the next port following the scheduled itinerary may be the bit that's causing concern. Thus, skipping a port and arriving early at the next. This happened to us a couple of years ago. Skipped Victoria and headed straight back to SF. The docking in SF during a severe storm was the problematic part, not Victoria. Sorry you're "irked" but this sort of thing is germane to causing. Get used to it.

Ah, you're right. I was thinking of Houston. Not my neck of the woods. Thanks.

Isn't fog problematic in Galveston that time of year?

And also, like a land restaurant, there may be open tables sitting there without sufficient staff to handle them. The same people complaining they couldn't get sat when they look across the room and see 7 empty tables are the same ones who will run back here to CC and complain that it took 3 hours to get through a Crown Grill dinner. And they won't be able to make the connection. It's obvious when people haven't worked in a food/service industry at some point in their lives.

Pretty sure that's exactly what I said.

Okay, now they have data on the guy who's 15 cruises in with 3 more booked. Much of that data they already had with the traditional cruise cards and POS systems. Now they've got some more data about how I like to wander around the ship. What value is this "data" to them except for perhaps improving their future offerings: "oh look, about 0.2% of passengers ever enter the library and it takes up 5,000 sq ft of space, think we should do something else there?" Or are you tin foiled up thinking their selling that sweet sweet pax movement data to a third party? Or what exactly is your angle about data and "habits"?

Perhaps. But that same disingenuousness is used by the hand wringers when they imply that they are being forced to use the app.

Of the 18 posters who have expressed an opinion about the Medallion and the app: Favor Medallion: 14 or 78% Oppose Medallion 4 or 22% About 3 or 4 other posters didn't make it quite clear what they thought. Small sample, but statistically valid? You decide.

You actually are. 99% of passengers simply do not care about the Medallion, the app, or whatever else. They just go.

That and angry letters to the CEO. I guess.

I guess it's "me and muh family don't wanna be tracked around the ship by that fangled technology!" type stuff. Some folks just gotta be contrarians. Bonus points for walking around the ship with the cruise card around their neck so they can use every opportunity to talk about what it is, why they have it, and how stupid everyone else is.

The mainstream cruise industry is moving on. They are using technology to enhance profits and efficiency. Capturing the younger generation is key to continued success. Let's not forget that there are billions in lost revenues to recover after the stoppage. Revenues effectively hit $0 but the costs to operate the ships remained. Not sure where people think that money is supposed to come from. As a result, you see the things we're seeing today with Princess. You're kidding yourself if you think that Princess doesn't need to find new revenue streams, same as all the other lines. Fortunately, there are options for those who which to embark a cruise ship in a full top hat and tuxedo after having arrived via stagecoach. It'll cost you though. Champagne taste on a beer budget ain't flying no more, folks.

You're not. There is a very vocal minority who complain loudly. I just don't understand it since the app is absolutely 100% not needed to cruise with Princess. I think the ships have moved on from allowing folks to swap the medallion for a classic cruise card, but reading the website suggests that is no longer an option. The medallion is the same as any old-school prox card used for door entry since forever, so the medallion for entry is really not the problem. The talk of glossy pamphlets, being greeted with champagne upon boarding and escorted to your room, set rigid dining times, formal nights... the world and the industry have moved on. Let me repeat this part for the folks in the back who are upset: you do not need the app to cruise.

This isn't accurate. There are 2 beverage packages: Plus Beverage Package, and Premier Beverage Package There are 2 UPGRADE OPTIONS packages: Princess Plus and Princess Premier (alongside Princess Standard, of course).