Kay S

Carnival does tend to get a bad rap. In my experience, there are two Carnivals: the short trips and the longer ones. It's those 3-day booze cruises that get the most attention. I have seen my fair share of those sailing out of Long Beach. That's where you would more likely see the fabled fist fights and vomit in the elevator. The longer cruises (7-10 days) tend to be more civilized. There will be fewer families with kids and more old folks like me. I actually prefer the food on Carnival over Princess. The decor will be more colorful, but decor isn't my number one concern. Princess is not really "stuffy." The decor is more Versailles than Vegas, but the etiquette police are not following you around issuing sneers. If it's just the two of you looking for romance, Princess is probably the better bet. (I would choose HAL, but that's not the question you asked.) 🙂

These are the best balconies on Princess. The covered part is good if you have iffy weather. They are large enough to spread out and invite friends over (take the chair inside out to the deck). They provide some privacy from the decks above, so you can do whatever unseen. 😉 The Royal class ships have no balconies that compare (as far as I know.)

All of this uncertainty is why we're in Club Class next month. It seems a shame that what used to be the Princess experience, no lines, same wait staff, "better" food, now costs extra. I really do feel "forced" into it. However, since it's all FCC (good-will credit) we're doing it on Princess' dime. (Doubtless some local "expert" will chime in and tell me I'm all wrong about this. 🤣)

Call me cheesy, but I always watched the egg drop. Then again, I was a fan of elevator roulette, too. I guess I'm easy to entertain. 😜

The TBGCS (haha) is not like the dessert souffles (which are pretty blah.) It is moist throughout and incredibly rich. I can't eat a whole one, so I split it with DH. One thing it is not is tasteless. Very cheesy.

Formal night isn't non-smoking anymore? I seldom visit the casino, so I guess I didn't notice.

Eyesight problems and arthritic fingers make using tiny phone screens a challenge.

I had a friend who ordered it every single night. I like the spaghetti and meatballs. They used to be available every night from the kids' menu, but now it's only on Italian night. I also get the shrimp cocktail most nights.

Gratitude?

I think they called it American night only on Princess. Other lines will have different names.

I haven't done Princess on Thanksgiving, but on HAL there was holiday food available in the buffet. My friend who did Princess last year said the special food was in the MDR at dinner. At home, we do the big lunch, too.

Yes. 😉 Maybe I changed my mind since the last thread. 😁

They do a lobster tail one night. Very small. It comes with risotto, which is not very good, IMO.

On the Coral, through the old locks, we spent part of the time in the Piazza Bar at the window. We wanted to get a close up look at the "walls." It was fascinating.

Me too. I love Loreto. It's historic and not touristic. But it can be brutally hot sometimes.

My experience on the Majestic in the spring. Loooong lines waiting to be seated. Maybe they have improved since then.

Yes, they look fake. I guess in the olden days they did use real ones. It has been a very long time since I was served a "wedge" rather than a "slice."

No, I'm sure that was a Princess thing. They used to have themes like Italian Night and French Night, etc. The wait staff had silly little uniforms for each. Anyone remember the red or green stiped T shirts and the red bandanas?

Fortunately for experienced cruisers who know it was coming, they could vacate the dining room before the festivities started. 🙂

🤣🤣🤣

As I said, "slowly being scaled back."

Yes, that is true to an extent, but the Elite perks are slowly being scaled back, too.

You can also meet others on your cruise by joining the Roll Call.

I guess the title printed on the menu "American Night" and the red, white and blue uniforms are gone, but it's nice to know they are still doing something festive. Is this happening in every dining room on the last night?

Remember "American night"? The waiters dressed in red, white and blue? Meatloaf on the menu? Remember the end of the evening when the "junior waiters" paraded through the dining room, each carrying a Baked Alaska with a candle (once a real one with a flame, then a fake one)? The staff would be introduced (head waiters, chef, etc.) and thanked with applause? Lights down, loud music, guests twirling their napkins? This was, in my experience, the ubiquitous final goodbye on last night of every cruise, regardless of itinerary. Now, I must clarify that I was always in the traditional dining room at the late seating, but I was under the impression (at the time) that this was repeated in the Anytime rooms and also the TD early seating. I suppose Anytime diners who dined and left earlier would not have seen the production. Apparently this is no longer a "universal" experience. So when did it stop? ( I found a YouTube video as late as 2018.) I imagine with covid restrictions, it wasn't a good idea to wait dirty napkins around in the air and send the staff all over the dining room, up and down and around the aisles, but was the practice discontinued before that? It was cheesy and fun and just another silly cruise tradition (and practiced on cruise lines other than Princess.) Lots of people hated it (DH among them) but I thought it was harmless fun. Is it gone for good?