Wonders By Wallis

It's a clip and it ships with the Medallion.

Everything included in the package has crew appreciation (i.e., gratuities) included. Other items will have gratuities added (e.g., if you buy a drink that is more than the $15 Princess Plus limit, you will be charged the amount over $15 plus an 18% gratuity on top of that).

To fill in some details. I'm a magician and a member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood. The Castle is a private club that requires an invitation from a member for entry. You are correct, guests who are not accompanied by a member must have a dinner reservation and purchase at least one entree. From what I've read, the drinks on board the Sun Princess bear no relation to the drinks at the Magic Castle (the bars and dining room do have a small mocktail menu). I've been to the 360 restaurant and the Chef's Table on the Discovery Princess and in each case, you can get mocktails instead of alcohol. However, the price for those experiences is not lowered due to the lack of alcoholic drinks. I imagine it will be the same for Spellbound.

When I was on the Discovery Princess in October, there were three somms on board.

The Journey view doesn't start populating until about a month before. Even then, not all days or events populate at once.

On my cruise on the Discovery to Mexico last month I ordered a different wine for each course when I ordered my meal and they were all brought at the right time.

Thank you very much.

This brings up a question I've been wondering about. If you pay the $20 corkage on embarkation, do you pay it a second time if you drink it in a restaurant?

Absolutely.

I ate at the Chef's Table Lumiere on the Discovery Princess last month. It included a galley tour for the 12 of us.

I get Princess Premier which includes OceanNow and tipping. My favorite is to sit down at trivia and order Champagne and sushi (Champagne is included, sushi is $12). Fifteen minutes later, they deliver it to my table.

I was on Discovery Princess recently (October and January). The January cruise was your itinerary. I enjoyed the ship both times. It is not a party ship but it does have a lot of things going on (so you should find something to interest you). I hadn't been to any of the ports so I booked an excursion in each one. I enjoyed each excursion but I especially liked horseback riding on the beach in Cabo San Lucas. On board I ate at two of the specialty restaurants as I had Princess Premier and any two of the three restaurants were included. I recommend all three of them but my favorite was The Catch by Rudi. It was the best. I also ate at 360 and the Chef's Table Lumiere. They were both very expensive but worth it (especially 360). The musicals in the Princess Theater were fine but I wish Rock Opera had a plot. I especially liked the cruise magician, Elliott Hunter. He performed a stage show in the Princess Theater and a close-up show in the Vista Lounge; both were great (and I see magicians all the time at the Magic Castle). I found the crew to be first rate and have no complaints at all. Several of them remembered me from my October cruise. I also found the ship photography to be excellent (digital downloads of all the photos and printing three 8x10s is included in the Princess Premiere package). One of the photos turned out so good I'm going to use it as my head shot. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Yes, you can use of the app on board whether or not you have Wi-Fi.

The only place they use facial recognition is to tie your Princess photos back to your account so you can see all your photos.

I can replace my polident. Now, if they stole my false teeth...

Well, the sushi is charged a la carte (at least on Discovery Princess). I think the cost was $12. As you noted, there may be a charge for the Champagne. OceanNow delivery is included in the Princess Premiere package so there is no added cost (even if you order it to your stateroom). I belong to a private club in a 1909 mansion with three floors and five bars. I wish they had OceanNow there. 🙂

Personally, I like the Medallion with Princess Premier. There is nothing like sitting down at trivial, ordering Champagne and sushi on the app and having it delivered to you in Princess Live.

Since others have answered your question, I'll just add that I love the Medallion. There is nothing better than sitting down for trivia, ordering a glass of Champagne and sushi and having it delivered to you. I belong to a private club in a Hollywood mansion. We have five bars and I would kill to have that service there. 🙂

As a friend of mine says, "You don't drink the bottle."

Well, Elliott was signed on for a year which will be up in August, so I doubt he was trying out. Since you mentioned the Magic Castle, Elliott is a member and started there in the Juniors program (for talented youth age 13 - 20). His photo is in the display cabinet that talks about the Juniors. I too wonder who I'm going to see when I board the Sun Princess for the Magic Castle Conjurors Cruise on November 9. I go to the Castle a few times a month (I'm going tomorrow) but no one has said they will be working in Spellbound. If I see Erika Larsen (daughter of two of the founders), I'll ask her if she knows.

Make sure you take time to see the magician, Elliott Hunter. He will have a stage show in the Princess Theater and later a fun close-up show in the Vista Lounge.

1. Yes. Just make sure you request it. I went to 360 last month via paid reservation and it was worth every penny. I also ate at the Chef's Table Lumiere and it too was worth the extra cost. 2. I always get Premiere. It's worth it for me as I drink from the high-end of the menu when I cruise. In fact, even with Premier I still pay the upcharge for some drinks (the Caymus Cabernet is worth the extra $2). 3. I can't help you there. I only started sailing with Princess last October (also on the Discovery Princess). Before that my last sailing was with Princess more than 40 years ago. 4. I go to Bellini's and pick something that looks good. 5. I vote for Gigi's. I went there in October and it was great. I went to the MDR last month and was disappointed. 6. I'm 0 for 2 on prizes, but I know a couple who won more than once. I checked the web page for the odds of winning each prize. They are only dependent on luck and not on how many cruises you've been on or if you've won previously. It's like slot machines in that each spin is independent of the previous spins.

I'm a retired Chief Information Security Officer and can understand the various reasons some people don't like the Medallion. The foremost being that if you walk past your room, someone immediately behind you can walk in. This is highly unlikely and avoidable (if someone is walking behind you just duck into your room for a few seconds and then leave). As for crew interaction, I was on the same ship (Discovery Princess) on two different itineraries (one in October the other last month). Several of the crew recognized and chatted with me without ever referencing my Medallion (in hallways or walking around where there was no Medallion station). I became actual friends with two of them (i.e., we exchanged contact info). I also love sitting at trivia and ordering Champagne and sushi and having it delivered. But that's just me. 🙂

All I've been able to find is this, "Platinum and Elite Captain’s Circle members, guess what? You can make reservations right away (before final payment). You get your pick of venues and times in appreciation for your loyalty!"

Sorry about that. My bids have always been accepted. I haven't heard back on my latest one though.