Kay S

You can make a nice little meal from the IC. Sandwiches, soup, salads, quiche, desserts.

Main seating for me every time. I hate that long line downstairs, waiting for a table.

I have been to Paris many times. (We have family in France.) A short drive around the city won't be very fun. If it takes you over an hour to get there and back, you won't have time for anything but maybe a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. Notre Dame was still not open when I was there last June, but when it does open, you can count on long queues. There is no way to see the Louvre in such a short time. Even if just to see Mona Lisa, it would take over an hour to clear security, find your way to the painting and then join the queue. France is famous for its strikes, and museums as well as transportation can shut down with little notice. I would advise against trying to do Paris on your short schedule.

Which ship? For what it's worth, I never smelled smoke in any Princess dining room (over 30 cruises.)

I love a good ruin! Thanks for the photos.

My question, too. Wouldn't that cause some security concerns?

That would be me. I'm waiting to see if they are serious about TD before I book Princess again.

I'm encouraged that they are doing some classical music on some ships, but I wish it were a more consistent thing.

Okay. Been gone awhile. Do Elite benefits still include priority dining reservations? I don't want to book and then find out I can't do TD since that is the only reason I would consider another Princess cruise.

Your photos are great. So enjoying following your journey. Have you had many tendering ports?

Nope. Not small ships. Not small pancakes. 🙂 I'm not much of a pastry/cakes person.

Good luck with either of those things. Policing people (done by passengers and not cruise officials) is a thankless job and not likely to change anyone's behavior. Non-washers will continue to not wash, and chair hogs will continue to hog. Maybe it makes you feel better to publicly correct them, but still...good luck.

Hmm..traditional dining. I might come back. Or not.

Do not get this retired English teacher started on "they/them." 😝

I have not heard that before. I was under the impression the dress code was less formal than other lines.

We haven't tried the smallest ships yet. I'll be looking for a good itinerary. I may be in a minority, but I can easily do without the Grand Dutch Cafe.

The wannabe police come in all flavors, drink policy, dress codes, deck chairs, service dogs, etc. You'll always find someone who needs to control other people's behavior. How did anyone know it was vodka? Did you taste it?

Sometimes I guess it's a miss. I've eaten at Dive-In multiple times and been happy with it. I must admit, though, I never ordered a bratwurst.

I love this thread. We are using our tiles as coasters. Good conversation starters when we have guests.

I see my crab cakes are there, so I will be too.

The burgers at Dive-In are really good, better than most cruise line burgers. The hot dogs are also good. People I know rave about the fries. I don't think you will be disappointed doing lunch there.

Is that expressly forbidden?

I'm not sure what a dad-bod is, but my husband is 6'2" and he manages fine in an R class regular shower. I'm short. No problem for me.

If tipping is a problem for you, don't tip. My French nephew always gets after my husband for tipping in Europe. My husband is a tipper. His attitude is that the server (bellboy, etc.) needs the few dollars more than he does. So when we are in Europe (where the nephew lives, as well as more of the extended family) it's always a tussle between my nephew (French-born culture) and my husband (American-born culture) when eating at a restaurant. (I'm Canadian. 😄) BTW, rudeness knows no boundaries. Rudest treatment I ever got was in Rome, and even in polite Toronto, you will encounter it.

Remember when US $2.00 bills were a new thing and people were using them for tips on the ships? I think they thought they were doing something special since the bills weren't really common for a bit. Now they have faded away again.