_rusty_shackleford

Not OP but we just got notified that our sailing from Whittier as part of a B2B on 8 June has Glacier Bay shortened by about 1:15 (depart at 6:15pm rather than 7:30pm) and that we will be tendering at ISP.

I don't have anything specific but that category of cabins (DW) are the only ones we stay in on Royal class ships. Much bigger balconies, the nice sitting area/additional space of a deluxe room, and pretty quiet location other than anchoring noise. They're "obstructed" in the sense that there's a bulkhead where the glass typically is for a balcony but you have clear views everywhere else and no lifeboats in the way. You will be very happy with the choice. Part of the balcony is also covered by the cabin above you.

Sailing the Royal this coming June. Crown shows as $39pp in the old app, $35pp for Sabatini's. New app shows Crown for $63pp, $55pp Sabatini's. When you go to purchase, the new app's total updates and matches the old app/existing prices ($39 and $35). Not sure if the displayed price in the new app is a currency conversion error given where the ship is sailing now or what's going on.

The couple of 14 day cruises in Alaska we've done in the last couple of years both gave us 2 credits each. They can also be booked as 2x7 which we're doing this coming year.

Do you happen to know if you can be refunded for previously made speciality dining reservations if you upgrade to Premier? We've got a B2B booked in June and enough OBC to pay for the upgrade from Plus to Premier so I'm thinking that's the play once we get onboard. I just don't want to wait to get on the ship and find out everything is booked/only bad times are left to pick from.

My wife and I did this the first time we were on the Royal. No objections from the crew at all.

I mean there kinda used to be. When I first started cruising Carnival the old Fantasy class ships (probably others but those were what sailed out of Tampa at the time) still had the topless deck up by the funnel. Whether or not the experience was worth it: that's for the fan to decide.

EDLs (Enhanced Driver's License) are also proof of citizenship and are only available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. They are different than a normal DL so if he didn't have an EDL and didn't have a birth certificate to go with his standard ID he wouldn't have been able to go.

I believe it was NorthStar when we did ours last year.

Internet is extremely hit or miss on Alaska cruises and generally not very fast. I wouldn't count on having it for any extended period of time especially when you're in the fjords.

It's showing up on the app for booking now. It won't let me cancel a duplicate Harmony reservation (which I think was originally Bistro) so we'll see what happens with that before we board.

Hope you're having a great time! Have they officially closed/converted Bistro in favor of The Catch? We sail next weekend and had made reservations at all 3 specialty restaurants (Bistro, Harmony, Crown). Now my Bistro reservation is showing as Harmony for a second time.

We had it on Sky today as well. Not sure how many people participated but there was a pretty lively crowd watching all around the Piazza.

Turns out I was wrong! They hide them in the Celebrations candy shop on Deck 5 in the piazza.

It's a time of year thing really. Feb-March are particularly brutal with the easterly winds wreaking havoc down in this part of the globe. It was pretty obvious from the conditions in Belize yesterday that CM was not likely to happen today. You've got a much better shot at the end of the month or so than we did.

No, and in my experience you don't nor do I expect any. Weather clearly is not under Princess' control. Would have loved to dive today but even if we had been able to dock there's no way our dive boat would have gone out. If you really wanted to make a scene at Guest Services they might give you $25 or so to placate you but for me it's a bonus day to sit on the balcony, have a man soda, and read a book. Hard to complain about that.

I'd say your best bet is to beat feet to the Matre'd as soon as you board but I've heard that CC roll call groups will get one reserved ahead of time in the past if there's interest.

No, unfortunately. I have a confession to make: I'm one of those weirdos you hear about that doesn't like cheese. I'll eat mozzarella on pizza but that's about it. I'd hate to take a spot away from someone at a dinner where I know there will be fantastic dishes with cheese that I will not eat. I love the idea of the winemaker's dinner but to me it's not fair to other guests or the chef to expect accommodation for a taste preference like that.

General update time. To my friend that was looking for ship models, I did not see any in the gift shop. They are doing both Winemaker's and Chef's Table from what I'm told. Onto the news: We did not dock in Costa Maya today due to high winds and rough seas. This is now 2 cruises in a row for me where we haven't docked so I'm going to take the hint and assume it's my fault. I have no idea what the cruise lines were thinking with this port location. Zero breakwater and full exposure to the Caribbean and all of the winds. The captain told us the Allure of the Seas (Oasis-class are the largest ships in the world for those unaware) attempted to take our berth when we didn't dock and was successful (for about 30 min) and they too were forced to leave. Seas are 8-9ft over open water with winds around 30-40 knots but getting better the further north we go. Apparently the week previous they had a pretty substantial water leak/pipe burst. This might be devastating to the 4 or 5 EFFY fans out there but they had to move all of those events to Deck 7 because of it. They had quite a few blowers going on the carpeted piazza areas, some of which are still roped off. It must have been a doozy. Much better dinner service last night. Having an experienced staff and eating after rush makes a difference. Rack of lamb and Beef Wellington were both very good.

I would have to think so (at least most) but there are no prices on their physical menus or the QR code menu for me to tell you for sure.

Ain't that the truth. Nothing wrong at all with constructive criticism if it comes from a genuine desire to help and improve but sheesh some people it seems can't wait to jump down the throat of a worker to soothe some kind of inferiority complex. I watched someone throw a fit because they didn't have blue cheese stuffed olives for her martini that had 4 other modifications. Yikes.

I really think this is a combination of an (obviously) very new staff member and short staffing. We'll see if we're told the same thing tonight with a different dining room and staff.

It is, thank you. The Sky is a lovely ship but we're very near and dear to smaller ships. I think I mentioned it in a previous post but I grew up in Tampa and the Spirit class ships for Carnival (~2100 passengers) are our sweet spot. The only Princess ships we've ever been on are Royal-class (Royal and Sky) and we're on the Majestic for another 14 in May. Quite honestly we find it difficult to find vacation breaking faults no matter what ship or itinerary we're on. We've never had a bad crew, never had a steward who wouldn't go above and beyond, and all in all really never had a bad meal. Too many people it seems get hung up on small inconveniences and let that ruin their vacation rather than take it in stride and be grateful for the opportunities they have in life. I really hope you get a chance to sail her at some point! Edit: your Arby's comparison is spot on. That's exactly what they reminded me of too.

I believe that is our dinner menu as well on Sky tonight (not a formal night). We didn't sail Princess until September 2022 so I have essentially no history but we do have plenty of Carnival experience. I can tell you beef tenderloin would only be formal night, and zero chance Beef Wellington is served at all. On Princess this is an average day's menu and tenderloin has been available for lunch as well. Yes, I know we're paying a premium over Carnival but we have been more than happy with the food choices on Princess compared to Carnival but we don't have the history others do. My wife and I both agree the buffets on Princess are either as good as or often better than the average Carnival MDR quality wise.

If I see any at any bars I'll let you know but I don't recall seeing any thus far.