PescadoAmarillo

Hopefully it’s a good thing! Details will be released publicly next week, but usually someone here gets some early information.

This has been done for at least 15 years. I used to call it the Elite penalty, when friends with only 4 Princess cruises could get a better fare than we could. The only new issue is that you had an expectation that Princess operated in a fair and forthright manner. Now you, like many of us, realize they do not.

No fingers needed. It all depends on legs and feet, as in track meet performances. Should know more after tonight.

The cruise is not sold out, so anything is possible. The Sapphire South Pacific cruise, another option, has sold out. Live is too busy to commit right now, and may not open up before the ship either fills or sails. Still have 3 nights booked at the Rydges in Circular Quay, so haven’t given up hope entirely. If we don’t make it, I’ll certainly enjoy following your adventures.

You know I’ll be reading! You are going to love New Zealand! Safe travels and bon voyage.

I would definitely book the inside and take the cruise. We’ve done up to 150 consecutive days in an inside cabin and I love them. The forced socialization of a cruise ship cause me to need to decompress often, and there is no better place to do that than in an inside cabin. We’ve booked plenty of balcony cabins, too, for our shorter cruises, and they truly feel like apartment living to me, where I hear everything the neighbors do and say. One difference is that, when we’ve booked extended cruises, we’ve always booked a cabin in the location of our choice, but if it meant the difference between taking the cruise or not (especially the cruise you’re considering), I would take an inside cabin anywhere. In all of our cruising we’ve only had three inside cabins in truly awful locations, (two of them on Princess ships, one on HAL) so I figure our odds of being assigned something tolerable are pretty high.

Ditto Global Entry renewals. During COVID, it took more than 18 months. I submitted mine a day after my birthday in January this year, a year before its expiration and had it back in just over a week.

Eureka! The Search function DOES work! Go Wildcats!!

We took HAL and Princess cruises in Alaska back to back right after cruising re-started. If you enjoy destination and naturalist lectures, Princess wins by a long shot. If you like small(er) ships, choose the Sapphire and Princess still wins.

MTG events….they are the best of times, they are the worst of times. I almost didn’t go back after our first invite, but have learned that, when people “click”, they’re a lot of fun. The officers also add a lot, as was proven during COVID, when they greeted guests but didn’t stay.

Thanks for your great comparative review! I’ve often been tempted to stray (and expect i still might, for the itineraries if nothing else). The Nautical is one of the R-ships, I think, and you didn’t say if you had ever been on one of those ships while Princess owned them, but they are definitely a different cruise experience from the mega ship). I think I could live with everything you cited except the 6:30pm dinner time. That’s late for us. When the economics of cruising are leading to larger and larger ships visiting too crowded ports, it’s nice to know that there are still some smaller options visiting more off the-beaten-path locations. I guess if I choose to cruise a small ship again, I should look more seriously at Azamara.

I thought it was a myth, too, until I did several Christmas cruises. Even then it only happened twice, but yes, it’s pretty irritating, especially when you get in the elevator on 5 and are getting off on 15.

Don’t forget you’ve got FOUR pillows.

I don’t have an answer to your question -sorry- but just had to tell you that, for someone with only 35 posts on Cruise Critic, I am in awe of your proactive defenses. Well done!

Actually, I thought the entire ship looked very much like a decorator got his/her hands on it. Stark, minimalist, designed to be photographed instead of used for comfort and relaxation. It reminds me a great deal of the white/gray/black minimalism I’ve seen too often in recently remodeled homes.

Hard to perceive this as anything but wet (but I understand your point. I just don’t think it’s valid in every situation).

Not a sentiment often seen on Cruise Critic. Innovation points for the Sun!

The same people who thought a tiny loveseat in the cabana needed four pillows that will immediately end up on the floor so people can sit there?

Love the gangway button. How many times have we gotten in an elevator and debated which deck the gangway was on that day?

He has a great YouTube channel. I love his enthusiasm for traditional British fare and the little stories he tells.

Just don’t hold a conversation. Those “balconies” will be echo chambers, and every word will be magnified.

We have had similar things happen in a series of B2B cruises. For example, we might not be able to get the cabin location we want for the first cruise, so we take the best available, and book the location we do want on subsequent cruises. Even if we have to move, the moves are simple and close. Then Princess, noticing that we are on B2B cruises, and despite having the reservations marked no upgrade, will move us into the first cabin for the second cruise, and so on. We have not always been successful in getting the original cabin back.

She has posted pics on another social media site. I would NOT want to have my “outdoor space” located on public space. You can’t look out at the ocean in the same way at all. Princess needs to get a handle on this issue (which, as others have stated) comes up more often than it should (which is never)), especially since they are now charging extra to choose a specific cabin.

Were you able to apply a credit, or did you have to pay in full and wait for a credit from the cancelled reservations?

We enjoyed Blackstone Bay even more than College Fjord, but the entire 26 glacier cruise was wonderful.