nymshowdown

Didn't know! If they wish to pull it please go ahead, was an honest mistake.

Princess sending out surveys about Plus/Premier packages. Looks like they might be considering some new benefits such as shore excursion credits (meh) and unlimited specialty dining (woah)

Interesting. Wonder if this is the case on every ship that they upgraded the MDR Princess Favorites meat option to NY Strip from the chicken.

The first post in this thread is from a passenger currently onboard who spoke directly to the Sanctuary Manager. I think I'll trust that information over some youtuber's tour

The Sanctuary on the Sun looks like a bad version of the (free!) Retreat Pool found on the Royal Class ships. Same padless seating, but now with an even denser layout. Complete lack of any planters, greenery, etc separating seating areas into smaller chunks; it looks like mass-market Lido deck pool seating. Little to no shade options. And they want to charge more for this?!? Heck, how can they justify charging people period when their older ships offer a better space for free? I really don't get their decision making when it comes to the new Sanctuary design.

Similar issue on the newer Royal Class ships. The lack of Skywalkers/Club 6 means they place the late night dancing in the Piazza. The late-night noise bleed is bad for those trying to sleep. As someone who loved Skywalkers and would go every night, using the Piazza for late night dancing is a horrible choice of venue. The last thing many ppl want for late-night dancing is to be in a light-filled atrium and on display to three decks of onlookers. At least the photos from the article above show that they have some lighting features/turn off the house lights for late-night dancing on the Sun. Looks way more inviting than on the Enchanted

Looks like Roman-style Pizza al Taglio (by the cut). Out of all pizza styles, it's definitely one of the better "sit around on the counter for awhile" slices. Hope it's popular enough to stick around, love this type of pizza!

Curious if they'll use The Dome for more than the few custom shows for the space, kind of how the Vista Lounge sometime has comedians/other performances. Also, really hope they use that space for the late night DJ. The other ships in the fleet that lack Skywalkers/Club 6 use The Piazza and it's a horrible venue for that

Sometimes it doesn't go as smooth as others are saying. We had to wait 90 minutes in the terminal in Whittier two years ago when our medallions wouldn't work at check-in. It happened to tons of people, we all had to wait for them to slowly make us cruise cards. Once boarded, we then had to go wait at passenger services to trade the cruise cards for medallions. Wasn't a great way to start the trip, but this is what happens with lots of "tech" things. Heck, I tried to go back to my cabin at 3am midway through my last cruise and found my medallion was dead. Thankfully they can make you a new one 24/7

Those (checks notes) fire escape staircases really look great when lit up at night Still shocked the revenue maximizers aka corporate placed outdoor staircases all over the aft instead of balconies/suites

Any idea if Princess plans on naming the decks as they do on all other ships? Deck plans still only showing numbers, even for the cabins. I've always liked the deck names, idk why but it seems a bit "classier" than just using numbers like some other lines. And at least for me, having the letter plus three numbers makes it a lot easier to remember my cabin number rather than having 5 numbers to memorize.

Many have already pointed out that EZAir can offer some great discounts on F/J cabins on international flights. Even better is that they sometimes offer excellent deals on one-way tickets. Almost all airlines "punish" you when booking a one-way international ticket by charging close to the RT price. EZAir doesn't in many cases There have been a few cruises where I was able to find good milage redemptions for one of the flights but not the other. This is where EZAir can come in clutch with the great one-way pricing. Last year I redeemed AA miles for my outbound to FCO, but couldn't find anything decent for the return. Checked EZAir and it was only $800 for Delta One FCO-ATL-MIA

Since you prefaced your post with "not carrying water for Santa Clarita", I will do the same but for RCCL. Tried them twice and did not enjoy both cruises, I'm a Princess loyalist forever (to a fault). That said, this is a beyond embarrassing situation for Princess, especially in comparison at present moment. Royal Caribbean are launching a new class of ship, the biggest in the history of the industry, and it arrived early. 20+ days of preview sailings and so much positive press from media/bloggers way in advance of the first sailing. It's all the buzz here in Miami and on many online media outlets. Meanwhile all of us Princess-stans are now in limbo, hoping some CC members/bloggers will be on whatever is actually the inaugural to give us a first look.

Look at the deck plans Nikulai posted. The cabin in question is forward of the fwd stairs/elevators. Definitely no conflict with the back of house for Mix/Slices/Salty Dog on the deck above. All of that would be aft of the circulation core.

It's a shame they stopped their partnership with, I forget the name, but it was a California craft brewery. Was maybe 5-10 years ago. The Sea Witch IPA was great, would choose it over a Lagunitas any day of the week. Had a few other craft selections as well such as a brown ale and lager.

On the Ruby/other Crown Class ships, you can also get specialty coffees at the ice cream spot on the Lido deck

Highly recommend it. Second favorite cruise I've done behind Alaska. As many have said, port intensive, but it's a good mix of some really great stops and some that are a bit more laid back. What I loved most was that many of those ports weren't like the typical Mediterranean stops. Coach rides to the cities/highlights were much shorter. The cities, while beautiful, have less to try and cram in with limited time than say a Florence or Rome. Finally, you'll find much less crowding in ports and more tolerable weather compared to a Med cruise. Really makes each stop more enjoyable and less exhausting by the end of the day.

If you have miles with American, I recommend booking an alternative with them. Their last minute redemptions are sometimes priced really well, and the miles are refundable up to departure time. Gives you a very flexible/refundable alternative that also won't get you stuck with future flight credit

Haven't seen beer buckets available on my last 5-6 cruises. Asked a bartender on the Enchanted last month why no more beer buckets and they claimed it's because too many passengers were taking the buckets themselves home as a souvenir

So much of it is as simple as just picking some decent music. RCCL nails this almost every commercial, the recent stuff has been great, but even better were some of the old commercials. Every time I hear "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop I'm immediately mentally transported to a RCI ship. So small but really leaves an impression

The stateroom TVs typically have access to two "extra channels" that are labeled "Special Events". This is where you can typically find the NFL/NCAAF games for the day. Sometimes clicking on the channel in advance of the game will pull up the schedule of what games are being shown that day. They can put these channels on in the casino, and typically they show the big games like the Rose Bowl at MUTS. I was on the Enchanted two weeks ago and they showed the full NFL Saturday and Sunday slate up there

Had a Princess rep call me the other night offering their "Future Cruise Package". When you run the numbers, it does sound like a decent deal if you're already planning on booking $3k worth of cruises over the next 24 months. You're basically paying $49 for a 5 night resort stay, but it's limited to "thousands of top rated resorts" and I'm skeptical on their definition of that. Could easily be $1,000+ in value there depending on what resorts are bookable. Here's a summary of what the package includes. Anyone with any experience booking this package? Princess Future Cruise Package provides incredible incremental value and flexibility by allowing you to reserve your next Princess cruise without having to commit to a specific sail date. Priced at $3499, your package includes $3,000 Future Cruise Credits, $100 Onboard Credits, $350 Hotel Credits, and one 5-night Stay Certificate. Future Cruise Credits (FCCs) Future Cruise Credits allow you to purchase your Princess cruise(s) once you are ready to book. Each FCC is worth $1, allows you to sail over the next 24 months, and can be used towards any future cruise booking with Princess. FCCs may be applied to one cruise or multiple cruises - the choice is yours! Onboard Credits (OBCs) An Onboard Credit (OBC) is a dollar amount that will be credited to your account for the first cruise booked as part of your Princess Future Cruise Package. Onboard Credits can be applied to expenses charged using your Princess Medallion during your cruise and can also be used as credit towards shore excursions, beverages, items purchased in the Shops of Princess, and services at the Lotus Spa. Hotel Credits Hotel Credits are exclusive to Princess Future Cruise Packages and allow you to save on hotel rooms found in the Princess Promotions hotel store. This booking engine includes tens of thousands of hotels around the world, including some of your favorite resort and island locations. Your Hotel Credits expire in 24 months, giving you plenty of time to find your next exciting destination. Stay Certificates Your package includes a 5-night Stay Certificate that can be used to reserve accommodations, at thousands of top-rated hotels and resorts around the world. You can combine your Stay Certificate as a pre- or post-stay with your cruise or use it for an entirely separate vacation. Like your cruise, you must complete your stay within 24 months of purchasing your package.

Got off the Enchanted on the 18th and had a great time. That said, many of the issues mentioned in this thread were prevalent there (and shared in other reviews). Most frustrating of all had to be the bar service. 10-15 minute wait every time at almost every single bar onboard. The bartenders were for the most part friendly and efficient, but they were visibly understaffed and overwhelmed with the crowds/OceanNow orders. When I'm on a cruise, I do my best to stay positive and upbeat; it's vacation! But it was obvious that many others were frustrated, including a random lady who made a scene at the bar when the bartender took someone else's order before mine. She was shocked that I did't seem to care and felt the need to argue on my behalf? I nicely explained "we're on a cruise, I'm happy to be here, it's not the end of the world if I need to wait 2 more minutes for my beer, I'll have it soon enough" I suggested in my post-cruise questionnaire that Princess should start providing some self-serve beverage options onboard (besides the buffet). I'm thinking mainly for things like water, frustrating to wait 10 minutes for a glass/bottle of water, and I felt bad taking time away from the bartenders making actual drinks. Could even have self-serve beer or wine options like some airline lounges have. With the Medallion tech, this should be very easy to implement to ensure those with packages aren't charged/those without are.

Even be careful sending out dry cleaning or pressing. They once took great care of my suit jacket but sent the suit pants through the regular wash. They were shrunk and destroyed when returned to my cabin. Thankfully I had the receipt from the laundry "order" that clearly said they were for dry cleaning only and passenger services reimbursed me for the cost of the pants without a fight.

Second this. I'm one of those people who have the Total Wine app open when in the shops. I was disappointed in most ports with the duty free prices, especially St Thomas: it used to be the best, now everything was a rip-off! Found some very low priced Mount Gay XO and Campari in Antigua, but plenty of other brands were priced the same as back in the US or even more. Regarding buying on-board, your advice is spot on. I waited until the last day to check out the duty free selection in the shops. 1L bottle of Patron Reposado was an ok deal at first, but when the clerk saw me debating the purchase she informed me it was 20% off. That then made it a great deal, but note, she said it was for only one bottle, so don't plan on buying multiples with the 20% off deal