Kay S

Ah the new Princess

What is "fancy dress" in the UK is "masquerade" in the US.

That will work.

The Royal class ships have the deluxe balconies. OP is considering Discovery which is a Royal class ship.

Just going by what I’m told. I’m not a sports fan.

DH misses his sports when we are cruising. Princess is not good at providing coverage.

Deluxe balcony will have a little loveseat, more floor space. It's not as costly as a mini but a little more than a regular balcony.

I got mine fixed on live chat. It took a long time, but now everything is working. Knock on wood.

My solution to the morning crowds at IC is to send DH to get my latte. 🙂

That is a kind of comparison. OP aks "Will I be disappointed?" Princess critics say "yes."

I guess if you're going to chair hog, you run the risk of stuff going AWOL.

I guess that's a lesson in pre-cruise research. OP asked for experiences comparing Princess with other cruise lines. That's what people are doing here. I have no doubt each one is telling the truth, based on their own individual cruise. That's what OP asked for.

It probably depends a lot on the itinerary. Caribbean cruises have been full, I hear. Families going to Alaska might fill ships. Also important is the season, or days of the week. I think anyone who wants to find a relaxing cruise can do it.

Never. LOL. After they finish this project they will start another one. I took my first flight out of LAX in 1967 and they have been “improving” it ever since.

The Wake Bar at the back of the ship behind the lido buffet has some nice outdoor couches and tables where we spent some pleasant evenings on theDiscovery while in Mexico.

Maybe you can answer a question. I was once told that certain kind of Hawaiian shirt was considered formal wear in Hawaii because the weather prevents gentlemen from dressing up in stuffy tuxedos. I always wondered if that was true.

OP hasn't been back since starting this thread, so I'm not so sure he'll be back to update.

In Nov of last year, it was in the Vista Lounge.

Sometimes there is appetizer that includes a little bit of caviar, but I never liked it. I don't think it was the expensive stuff. I do not remember the name of the appetizer. Menus are pretty much the same fleet wide, so the Emerald will have what every other ship has.

No problem in San Pedro at the dock. The nonsense is at LAX.

LAX has an area for rideshares that is not remotely close to the terminals. Since LAX is a behemoth in the first place, this "bullpen" nonsense is even more hassle. However, LAX is always "improving," so there could be something even worse by now. 🙂

Or even on the same ship. Every cruise is different. We hear from people who loved an Emerald cruise, so I don't think it's solely the fault of the ship. Emerald is the only grand class ship I have not sailed on, so I can't offer an opinion, but even with the Royal class ships, some have been more enjoyable than others. (I am missing just the Enchanted in that class.) Sun class? The FCC is finally gone this July, so I'll be over there on HAL and will miss the Sun and her sisters altogether.

I think he might be referring to Crab Shack that they used to do in the buffets on all the ships.

I prefer the Regal to the other Royal class ships. It was the second in the series and they fixed some stuff from the Royal debut. It’s a good solid ship without a lot of gimmicks added for marketing purposes.

You've got 50 on me, but I'll agree about Greenland. Freezing on shore, but the cruising was worth it.