Paula_MacFan

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I carry my phone around to take pictures because I love to document our vacations. That doesn't mean I'm using it for anything else 🙂 I could never 'leave it in the safe the entire cruise' just for that reason! I like the medallion technology though -- it's easy to use, opens the doors, and as many have said it's totally usable without any apps or smart phones.

You can usually get your picture taken with the captain or some officers if you're interested in that. We've only done that once with a captain we really liked. Normally we don't care who is running the place 😁

I also keep things documented in my phone, but have found some customer service people aren't comfortable reading off someone else's phone. So sometimes paper is helpful, although I agree it's somewhat old school 🙂

I vote for Crown Grill. We've always had good luck there and we love the Regal. Also we are fans of Alfredo's but that may not be fancy enough for your anniversary dinner 🙂

I totally agree and do the same thing. For our last cruise in January I got a new file folder that fits in a backpack with easy access at the top, similar to this. Super handy to access while on the go at the airport, in line at the cruise pier, etc. Love it!

Right, but you don't get an updated Travel Summary email every time you book an excursion or make other changes or purchases. That's why I keep an updated copy after any changes or purchases are made and bring the final with me on the ship.

I do the exact same thing! I also print out our Travel Summary and bring it along. Better safe than sorry.

Every cruise I've looked at lately has only guarantees for everything. I am unable to see any specific cabin no matter what category I select. That is ridiculous. I let my CVP know it when I spoke with them this week too. Wasted my time and his by having to make a phone call to book our preferred cabin (which is not a lead-in category BTW). Thanks OP for taking the time to voice your frustration with Princess and for reporting back to us!

Search function:

Same for us. It pays to compare, especially for first class. I check our EZ Air flights to LHR daily. Right now we're $800 less then original EZ Air fares and around $1,200 less than if we booked direct through United. All first class.

I've enjoyed this thread but not as much now that it's been hijacked by coffee talk.

Agree with this 100%! Anyone who has done the galley tours knows they prepare the food way in advance and it's plated with covers. There is no way they are 'preparing to order' for hundreds of people in the MDR. I also find it interesting that somehow the MDR food is supposedly so elevated but the buffet is slop -- when they are being prepared by the same staff led by the same chef.

I totally agree! We love Alfredos and usually eat there several times per cruise.

Sure....with a fork! BTW I eat pizza with a fork at home too. While we're talking about public hygiene -- we recently cruised on NCL and attended muster in the MDR. The tables were all set with glasses and silverware. We watched so many people handle the tableware during muster-- ugh! Then people came in and ate the evening meal an hour later. No thanks!

We also frequent the buffet and have never gotten sick. I take individually wrapped wet wipes that we use after we get our food. I also never get foods that you eat with your hands -- silverware only. Maybe I'm crazy, but never been sick either 😁

Many times in the past we've seen the same menu items in the buffet as listed on the daily MDR menu. A few years ago I started a thread after one of our Caribbean cruises where I kept track of what was posted outside the MDR and what we saw in the buffet. However, that was pre-covid so I can't attest to what the current standards are.* Having said that, we like the buffet for convenience and doing things on our own schedule. The buffet always seems busy so others must like it too 🙂 *We have cruised post-pandemic, just not yet on Princess. We'll be back onboard in September.

It's been my experience that EZ Air is cheaper than independently-booked flights, but it probably depends on the specific itinerary and demand. You didn't say when you're flying, but one of the big attractions of EZ Air for us is the ability to change flights with no fee up until 45 days prior to your cruise. You also don't have to put down any money using EZ Air, while if you book independently yourself then you pay immediately. I usually book EZ Air the day flights open up for our cruises (typically 330 days from the end of your cruise) and get something locked in. Then I check prices every day and rebook if/when fares reduce. I've had great success with this method many times in the past, but now with post-pandemic demand for flights on the rise, decreases in fares may be less common. On a side note unrelated to your EZ Air question -- we just did a Hawaii cruise in January and had a great time. We are longtime Princess cruisers but chose to do NCL's Pride of America instead of Princess due to the great itinerary NCL offers -- every day in a Hawaii port vs all those sea days to and from the West coast. I'm sure you'll have a great time too -- just some food for thought if you're not into a lot of sea days 🙂

I was editing my initial comment when you were posting. Perhaps for us the difference is our United Mileage accounts keep our info and carries it forward. My point being we too have had differences between EZ Air and United and not had a problem boarding.

I feel like this has been discussed several times before? EZ Air regularly lumps our middle initial into our first names and it's never been a problem. Pretty sure others have reported this same thing (lumped MI or missing MI) with no problems boarding the plane and not being worth a call to Princess. Edit to say we've also flown United and not had any problems. I carry forward our Known Traveler numbers and have never had a problem with passport info on flights with the MI. Maybe I'm not understanding correctly 😊

That's why I compare as I stated in my post. The Princess website lists specific travel times and times at each attraction under the Excursion Details tab of the description. It's fairly simple to compare to the vendor's description using this tool. Plus the OP's question was 'does Princess use local vendors' not 'do Princess tours match local vendors'. I was answering their question on some ways to determine that.

I typically Google the tour using Princess' description and can usually see from the results what company they are using. From there I read reviews and compare prices. Sometimes even the pictures they use in their descriptions match the vendor's website for further confirmation. You might also post the question regarding the specific tour on the corresponding port page here and see if anyone has taken that tour and what the reviews or comments are.

Google found this Youtube video:

For basic issues I've called the general customer service line and been told my CVP would see any changes or questions we discussed as he is assigned to us. If it's something minor I don't want to waste his time. Also he is in a different time zone as me so sometimes it's easier to just call the general line.

Granted we are lowly beer drinkers 😊 but during the day while we're out and about on the ship we stop at a few bars and use our handy blue Princess tote bag to take them back to cabin fridge for later consumption. Sail away on our balcony with drinks is one of our favorite cruising activities. It's nice to come back to a cold beer on the balcony after a day in port.