Kay S

2 hours ago, Tedferg said:

If they allow Reservations to fill unused sections of TD or Walk Up, that will cause confusion. 

As a devotee of the former TD late seating, I saw this happen all the time.  Of course those were the former "Anytime" diners, but when there were empty tables in TD, the staff would fill those tables with them.  

16 hours ago, Wayward Son said:

 

Another argument for smaller ships is that as more and more ports limit their capacity, the super-duper-mega ships are going to have fewer and fewer places to go.

 

Personally, I think once the current "cruise boom" is done, the biggest ships are going to find themselves in the worst position.

 

I agree on all points.  It's nice to dock in the town rather than be tendered in from a half mile away.  This "cruise boom" can't last forever, IMO, and I will be happy to see it.

On the topic at hand, I have sailed the Kdam a few times now, and I find it not "too big" or crowded.  You will find me in the Crow's Nest most days with a latte and a book.

35 minutes ago, beachbum6264 said:

Does anyone know if the no sugar added desserts use artificial sweeteners? They are a migraine trigger for me, don't want to take a chance. Thanks for any info you have.

 

I don't know for sure, but I think they do use artificial sweeteners.  The ones I have tried seemed to use them, from what I could tell.

5 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I'm really curious by this statement. Reserve class dining is not something that "just appears". *You* have to actually *go* to the dining room! (And...you have to book that category of cabin.)  Can you please elaborate on what you meant by that?

I wondered about that, too.  Maybe he means it wasn't "happening" in the sense of it being anything special?  Yep, curious.

3 hours ago, STLCARDS82 said:

In fairness, that's all cruise lines these days!!

So I've heard, but I still miss Old Princess.

1 minute ago, SiliconCruiser said:

By the time a customer reaches elite status, they usually know that everything isn't documented on paper.  We've been getting free laundry tokens ever since we turned elite.  If we have some left over, we just use them on the next cruise.

When I turned Elite, I forgot where the laundromat was!  Free laundry is the best Elite perk and I hope it isn't gutted like the Internet perk was.

I used to love Princess, but the old one is gone and the new Princess is not the class operation it used to be.  Old-timers know what I mean.  

That's a lot of chefs.  What's that saying about too many cooks, etc.?

I'm confused.  Did something get deleted from this thread?  There seems to be some criticism of someone who complains too much.  I missed that, I guess.  I see OP wants to see the room service menu and some others who asked for items the menu didn't have.  "Non stop negative comments"?  If asking for a menu and saying chips and salsa weren't available (without the intervention of a butler which not every passenger has) is "non-stop negative," it's lost on me.

Another feature of post-pause Princess.  

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

 

 

 Princess would do better looking to source solid, mid-level case production wines that are reliable and affordable and stop trying to pass celebrity plonk off as "luxury wine."  

I don't think the marketing people will go for "solid, reliable and affordable" over "luxury."🤣

That's okay.  It hates me, too. 😄

On 5/30/2024 at 10:16 AM, BamaVol said:

Because everything with a celebrity’s name on it is better. 🙄

Yep.  Here we go again.  Curtis Stone, anyone?  Tyra Banks?  What I'm wondering is the Pitbull vodka going to come in tiny bottles with the minibar? 😝

3 hours ago, memoak said:

Reserve dining is not really unique. It is a portion of one of the MDR’s. The good things are no wait, personal service and one extra entree the rest of the menu is the same as the other MDR’s

Yes, same menu with one special (it was usually pasta) in the front of the MDR just inside one entrance.  The main feature is the service.  The head waiter is always the same person, with the same small crew of wait staff, who always remember you and your preferences.  In fact, it's almost like the historic past in traditional dining where the staff knew you. 🙃  I found that the extra cost for the cabin was worth the service in Reserve.

I've done that California coastal several times and always taken my passport.  Maybe because it's short and "local" people get the idea it's not international.  Those cruises always call in Ensenada, which is definitely in Mexico.

2 hours ago, kevingastreich said:

You'll have plenty of music choices.  No problem.  

But are they the right ones?  I can handle the changes, but DH is very bummed about the Lincoln Center dismissal, and the reports of classical music replacements have been hit or miss.

Will those of you who emailed please tell us what you hear back (when or if you do.)

I haven't seen a move over offer since pre pandemic, but then, I'm not booked on the Sun.

12 minutes ago, memoak said:

Just from experience everyone I know who sails HAL are all over 70.

We do a lot of HAL, and we even do Carnival from time to time.  There are always younger-than-70 people on HAL, and there are always plenty of seniors on Carnival.  Princess has lots of kids, IMO, because of their good youth program.  Anyone wanting to avoid children will prefer HAL, but that's not to say there aren't lots of younger people on board.

I've done both the Vista Suite and the Verandah with my scooter.  The suite has plenty of room to park and has outlets accessible.  I had trouble parking in a Verandah.  I put the scooter next to the bed, but it was a pain.  The doors are narrow on both types of rooms.  Anything over 23" wide will be impossible to get through the door.  Don't count on using the halls.  That is something a few stewards will allow, but not many.

1 hour ago, memoak said:

I meant grandparents as in they have the oldest demographics

Oh,  Okay.  Gotcha.

OP, when is your cruise?  The entire dining system will be revamped in Sept 2024.  LOng thread on this at the top of this forum.

20 hours ago, TRLD said:

I feel somewhat neglected since I manage to book and take about 70 days worth of cruises on Princess during this past 12 months and have not encountered any problems with the bookings, excursions, reservations, etc. One billing error on one cruise when someone else's drink got charged to my account. That was easily corrected on board using chat.

 

Apparently from all of the problem M others have reported I must be missing something.

You are the designated "Princess Satisfied Customer" they can use in their marketing.  😝

Or you just lead a charmed life,,,

19 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

Regardless, this is a black eye for Princess.  But I do not see them eliminating this promotion.  Do you remember when Princess Fine Arts was a reputable company with decent (even sometimes good) art like Wyland? 

 

Then Park West Fine Arts took over, first as Park West, then as Princess Fine Art? Now you have to register your cabin number to get a glass of their champaign.  In my opinion, they are shysters. 

 

I have so far managed to escape their cold calls or sales pitch on the ship.  I follow the adage: " too good to be true".  It is lucky for Cruise Critic Members to have these threads that forewarn them of such an approach.

Black eye indeed.  But will it change Princess' approach to making money?  No.  The goal is more money.  The methods they use seem to be "ends justifies means."  It's just so sad that the classy operation Princess used to be has devolved into all of this. 

17 hours ago, memoak said:

Actually Carnival is the parent company and I would think HAL and Cunard would be considered grandparents 

Carnival Corporation is the parent company, and Carnival Cruise Lines is the child.  So HAL, Princess, etc. are the siblings of Carnival Cruise Lines.