richsea

On 4/20/2024 at 5:36 AM, startedwithamouse said:

"i regret to inform you"? 

 

What happens when the older elites pass in 20 or so years?  Princess needs new business. 

Today’s Ruby & Platinum members will take their place.

22 minutes ago, JordanF said:

We have cruise booked for 2026, and had already booked MDR reservations for all nights.  On Sunday I received an email notifying me that these reservations would be cancelled, and that I could make new ones starting today (April 17).  However, all of my old reservations are still there.  Will that continue to be the case?  Stay tuned!

My notification for our November sailing said you could make reservations starting June 17th. Our old reservation is also still listed despite them saying they cancelled them. I wouldn’t be concerned about it. 

Thanks for bringing us along! Have a ball!

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

 It also states the following, 

........

"Now whether guests prefer an early seating every evening, or change things up every night, or even change their mind, these flexible dining options ensure that their dining preference is effortlessly accommodated.”

 

which reads as though you could switch your dining preference mid cruise.

That’s not the way I interpret it. 

Looking forward to your report! Have a great cruise!

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

We are on the other side of the issue.  We never eat in the buffet for any meal.  We do not eat in buffets at home.  We have seen too many serving utensils dropped on the floor, picked up, and stuck back in the dish.  We only eat at specialty restaurants if they are comped.  We have never had a meal there that we thought was worth the price.  We have never eaten a casual meal.  We do MDR three meals a day.    

We’re the same when it comes to buffets, especially on any of the cramped buffets on older Princess ships; maybe once per sailing.

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

It is in the app under ‘explore the ship’ map.

the little door alcoves indicate where you walk in the door and the head of the bed is opposite that.  So, if your door alcove is on the left as you are facing it, the head of your bed faces forward, as in D407.  
This map used to be for all ships on the old app, but you could only see it for other ships than the one you’re on while on land.  Since it was in the old app, I know they can apply it to the new app for all ships or at least have it available at the future cruise office when picking a cabin.  
BTW, I think that for the inside cabins, the bed just faces the center.  
 

Thanks! Unfortunately, that feature doesn’t show while looking at deck plans on their website.

17 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I do miss that so I try to book early.  I need a specific type of cabin .. I know, I know .. I don’t really need it but I like it like it more when I can pick exactly which way the bed faces.  It’s a sleep thing for me.  So, if I can’t sleep well, why bother to book?  I hope that test fails miserably!  

Didn’t realize there was a way to do that. How can you tell which way the bed faces?

7 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It's actually not a surcharge as what they seem to have done is remove the lowest category in cabin classes, typically the "F" category, for being booked directly so the pricing that shows for "choose your own" is one category higher so slightly more expensive.

 

However it's annoying for people who preferred those blocked category cabins. 

We try staying in deluxe balconies cat. DB or above & most times can’t pick a specific room unless you book 3 people per room.

7 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Some of the current Princess ships I've been on have pools with steps. The Lotus Spa pools on the Grand class ships, the Retreat pool on Royal, the Sanctuary pool on Coral.

Yes they do, but the newer Royal class ships, like Enchanted, do not. We try not to book the older ships because of the lack of sitting area in their balcony rooms, preferring deluxe rooms on Royal class.

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Maybe don't think of ti as a surcharge to pick your cabin so much as a discount to NOT pick your own cabin...

It used to be normal to pick your own cabin, & a discount if you booked a guaranty; still is on other lines. Now, it’s definitely a surcharge, if you can even book a specific room.

1 hour ago, hpeabody said:

On my wish list is 1/ A FAIR PRICED PRINCESS PLUS/PREMIER package for light and non-drinkers.  I'm a very light drinker, but like an occasional specialty coffee.  IMO the packages are NOT A VALUE for a light and non-drinker. YMMV.  I really struggle with being taken advantage of with the packages. Maybe something like a tiered package, 5, 10, 15 drinks at graduating prices.  One size does not fit all. I'd even be happy if they just brought back the coffee package or at least let elites trade the minibar for specialty coffees like we used to do. 2/ Do away with the surcharge to choose your own cabin.  That is actually preventing me from booking a cruise I am looking at because I do not want Princess to choose for me.  I have more, but this is enough for now.

Agree with you.also, I drink but my wife doesn’t, so it never pays for both of us to get Plus or Premier. I was able to buy a drink package just for me on a Royal Caribbean cruise once, & a drink package for me & soda for my wife by calling their customer service pre cruise another time.

1 hour ago, phabric said:

When building new ships, have a pool with stairs.

Amen! Thought I was alone with that.These old knees have a tough time climbing the pool ladders!

40 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

Any recommendations for what to do in Huatulco, Mexico? The shore excursions don't have the best reviews....

If we just head to the beach at the cruise port, any thoughts on the best beach club/restaurant to grab lunch and lounge chairs? 

The one time we visited, we just walked off the ship to the town, which is right off the pier. There is a beach with calm waters where you can rent chairs/umbrellas; all within sight of the ship. Everything is conveniently located. Nice quiet, relaxing day.

On 1/30/2024 at 2:49 PM, JGmf said:

 

....um, gotta ask...what do you think is in the water?

I don’t know, it may have something to do with desalinization. I know that my ankles also always swell on a cruise. I tried bottled water & it only helped a little, probably due to having Jack on the rocks everyday. My cardiologist says it could also be due to salt in their cooking.

On 1/24/2024 at 4:20 PM, MissP22 said:

Maybe they will start serving butter, but only for those that are dressed for it. 😊

Lol. Honestly, we didn’t even notice that we weren’t served butter on our Emerald sailing in November. In fact, we loved the fresh baked rolls.

1 hour ago, blondee419 said:

Will anyone think of the barrel chairs?!?!?!

Please don’t get me started! It’s a disgrace that Princess removed the only place to sit in their ill designed  rooms that, unlike every other mainstream lines, lack a sofe.

On 1/21/2024 at 2:20 PM, Wishing on a star said:

 

Some of the best music we have seen on Princess has NOT been the onboard scheduled entertainers.  But when the ships staff, those who play instruments and sing, get together and put on a show one night.  The first time we saw this take place was on the Regal, pre-pandemic.

They hyped up the show, they were gonna have ROCK music in the Piazza, and they were gonna play it loud, as god intended.  OMG, it was great!!!!!

Another time, it was a similar occurrence.  They were setting up in the Piazza that afternoon, and doing 20 second clips of songs to make sure everything was good to go...  It was like  "More!!!  More!!!...

We were on Regal when they did that; probably the best entertainment we’ve ever seen on a ship. And to think it was all crew members!

19 hours ago, DCThunder said:

We can give you chair hogs, smoking in the casino, or mandatory tipping if you'd prefer.  😉

But as an old timer, I miss thr dress code wars!

17 hours ago, TW6cruiser said:

Hi, are the TV's in the cabins mounted on the wall, or up on the high shelf? We just got back from Carribean Princess and don't mind some of the older ships but the tv up on the shelf was annoying. 

11 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

This could vary based on room layout. We had a standard interior room. Ours was up on the high shelf. Our TV was huge compared to the size of the room.

We were on Emerald last November in a balcony room on Caribe deck & the TV was wall mounted. That old TV shelf is now empty, so it can be used for whatever.

On 12/20/2023 at 10:21 PM, Steelers36 said:

Has anyone got a CVP or higher up at PCL to explain exactly WHY they changed the booking system to prevent guests from booking Deluxe Balconies that can hold up to three people when the typical majority guest is booking for two?  I agree with the insanity term in some posts above.  No matter that a CVP or TA can accomplish it, it is just plain stupid.  They are also doing the workaround in some manner in POLAR to get it done.   I think it was documented that it also affects Minis???

Couldn’t agree more. Their policy of only offering guarantees is just bad public relations.

Looking forward to following along!

It’s a shame that Princess seems to be the only main stream line that lacks anyplace to sit in their balcony rooms other than a small desk chair or the bed. They even removed the barrel chair from their balcony rooms. We recently got off Emerald & said that was our last sailing on other than Royal class ships in a deluxe balcony.

In our experience, NCL is a big step down from Princess, Celebrity, & Royal Caribbean in everything but entertainment, & they are the king of the nickel & dime.  We’ll only sail them with the grandkids.

Are you really saying to avoid Regal Princess, or any ship for that matter because of the internet speed? Seems a little drastic.