CalTexCruiser

So you were right after all and the guy that yelled Yankee was "wrong, wrong, wrong"

The Coast Guard has set the following port conditions as of today: 1) Tampa: port condition ZULU (i.e., port closed) 2) Miami: port condition YANKEE (i.e., ships seeking to come in need to go to alternate) 3) Fort Lauderdale: port condition YANKEE 4) Port Canaveral: port condition YANKEE

Yes that is Harmony. Looks like its sailing in 10-15ft waves at the tail of Milton. Free roller coaster ride for all passengers... no queuing required.

Remember that the workers at the port will also be in homes without power, and likely will struggle to secure food, water, and supplies for their families. In fact, based on the videos of traffic out of Tampa, many of these workers may already have evacuated. Keeping cruise ships sailing will be way, way down on their list of priorities.

Unfortunately Milton now up to 180 Mph I’ll be shocked if Tampa port will be operational on Oct 11. Likely widespread power outages.

Tampa Airport has announced it is closing tomorrow Oct 8 (Tues). Milton's landfall is early AM Oct 10. You may want to check your airline to see if they are operating.

Looks like the captain's trying to stay on the "clean" side of Milton (the side with less rain). However, I suspect the sea will get a bit rough as the ship gets closer to Milton. The deeper the purple, the higher the waves.

Looks like Harmony is staying close to the Texas coast. It is supposed to be in Costa Maya Oct 8 (Tues). Doesn't look like it'll make it. Any reports from those on board? I assume captain has cancelled all ports and this will be an all-sea day cruise?

Milton now a 160-mph MONSTER. Hope everyone heeds evacuation warnings in FL. In worst case scenario, the storm surge up the bay in Tampa would be devastating as Milton pushes the ocean into a narrow confined space. Prayers that the track will stay south away from FL.

Thanks for the update @cruisedoctor Next time you speak to the hostess, could you ask what, if anything, they plan to do with the two walkways through the Sanctuary dining room to the Wakeview area. Do they plan to close these walkways during dining hours (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? Or will folks in swimming attire walking through the Sanctuary dining room be part of the daily evening entertainment?

Hopefully you'll be able to snap a few choice photos and post back here.

As I recall, you paid quite the sum for the Vista Suite. Good luck. Apex Retreat is beautiful. We loved it. We'll be trying our first NCL Haven experience on the Joy, 15-night Panama Canal in late November, and the Joy's Haven areas also look gorgeous. Princess' attempt at the ship-within-ship by comparison is pretty pathetic. It started out promising with the Signature Suites with their dedicated dining and Sanctuary area, but they've now bastardized it to a pretty weak offering.

Reports are that John Padgett (Princess' President) was on the last sailing prior to the TA. He must have seen the POS that is the Sanctuary Dining Room. This dining room is going to be so undesirable that the Sanctuary guests will all be opting for Specialty Dining every night with the new Premier Package, assuming space is available to accommodate the likely surge in demand.

Holy sh*t. A picture is worth a thousand words. I had no idea when others said that the walkway to the Wakeview pool is through the Sanctuary dining room, that it literally runs right through the gut of the dining room. And there are TWO (2) !?@ walkways. Ugh. That's pretty disgusting.

I was a bit concerned since most cruise ports are also commercial ports. In a video I saw, the president of the Longshoremen's Union said that on Oct 1, they will shut down all ports all over the world if their demands are not met. Probably just hyperbole. The targets of the shutdown are East Coast ports, including those in Florida.

Just a heads up to those with cruises sailing in Oct. The Longshoremen's Union has threatened to strike after their contract is up on September 30. The planned strike may start as early as Oct 1. The Biden administration has said they will not intervene. Not sure if it'll affect passenger cruise ships.

Where was the deck party held--I assume pool deck?

LOL. We will definitely ask for a table WITHOUT the "ocean" view, and as far away from the "ocean" as possible. Interesting that Princess management decided to stick the most expensive cabins in the least desirable dining location. I wonder if this will negatively affect how much people are willing to pay for the Sanctuary cabins, particularly the suites.

Oof. 20k for the Vista suite is a bit steep. The living room is a bit narrow and Princess has that silly curtain between the bedroom and the living room, so not the best privacy for 4 people For comparison we were quoted 22k for 5 on the Enchanted for the Sky Suite. And that comes with two master bedrooms, a large living room, real doors for the bedrooms, and a suite experience manager (AKA butler)

Yes similar underwhelming setup as Reserve Class dining on any other Princess ship

Agreed. I made Elite with Celebrity after 3 sailings (22 total days) due to sailing in upper level suites. That is now matched to VS 250 on Sliversea. Intrigued by our newfound status, we almost booked our first Silversea sailing through the Panama Canal this December, but ultimately chose a different line because we did not want to disembark in Lima, Peru during rainy season.

But is it unlimited with the 80 or 90 Premier?

Nothing screams Sanctuary than the banging and drilling of a construction zone. Will Sanctuary guests now be provided with complimentary ear plugs?

We are just Ruby and have NOT made final payment. Booked in a suite and able to book any specialty dining on the Sun for May 2025. But strange that you can book Signature Dining, as my understanding is that no reservations are needed. The system does not allow me to book Signature Dining.

We were able to book specialty dining now for May 2025.