Rudy888

I thought the changes would be great. Back to traditional dining, sharing a table with others. Bot my choices are share at 5 PM or private table at 7:30 I have gained same table & same waiters but lost same tablemates.

Thanks for the list. What sticks me is that the lists for plus and premier state that it is complementary by the glass. I thought we paid for Plus & Premier.

Thought I would try and book a reservation every night same time, shared table but not traditional (same table, same wait staff, same tablemates). Could not book a shared table past 6:20pm. It might work but what is the problem with sharing tables with traditional and reserved dining after a certain time?

Everyone has their own preferences, but we did the 10 day connoisseur land tour last year and were very pleased. Yes, a lot of time on the bus. Alaska is big and it takes a while to get from point A to B. 7 1/2 hours vs 3.5 hours maybe. Who wants to drive 3.5 hours without a stop. Justify a tour guide by talking? I want to know where we are and information about the area. Could be done with a recording. But the recording doesn't answer questions. If you did not get to view and experience Alaska on the LONG bus rides you didn't look out the window. We were in 5 lodges and found the food and service to be very good at all the lodges. We enjoy the company of others and met, had dinner with (arranged by the tour guide) many of those on our trip. I have taken road trips in a car, I drive and really don't see the area. Not fun. I am not a big fan of sitting on a bus but at least I get to enjoy the scenery. The lodges are not resorts, they are lodges. Big difference. No golf course or indoor pool. I did not see or interact any International workers. Most were college students. They are seasonal workers because it is a seasonal job. Most lodges are only open 4 months a year. I get it and agree. Don't waste your money if you do not like what they have to offer.

Trying to book traditional shared table 7:30 PM Enchanted Princess Feb. 2 ,20 25. The AP will not allow. Can book the 5pm. Had a similar problem on Enchanted Feb. 2023. Then , no traditional dining , would not booked shared after 6pm. We just booked a time 7pm and asked for a shared table when we arrived. Sometimes it worked. Other times not. Back then, not same table or waiter Now if I book, I am booking same private table with same waiter. I can ask but sharing does not seem to be an option. What is the problem?

I agree, having the same problem. Ypu can book shared at 5 but not 7:30.

Able to book traditional, Enchanted in February but unable to book a shared table

We are on the Enchanted. I can book 5 & 7:30 for ytaditopnal but cannot click for shared at least not yet. Could be a work in progress

I believe lounges close to the pier are no cost but umbrellas are extra

No BOGO on our February cruise. Looked up Princess Cays. I was amazed that I could rent 1 umbrella for $49.00. What a deal!!

We did the 17 day tour last year. 10 land and 10 sea. The land was a 90% full bus. OK , handled well. We had a great tour.

Maybe, we cried out of Tampa this February. Had a 12:30 flight. no taxis. A shuttle bus finally arrived and we got on that. Will plan better next time

We found with the Ap, past a certain time you could request on the AP to share. However when you came for dining you still could request to share.

Anyone have any idea on the early and late dining times for traditional dining will be?

Wr did the Alaska Connoisser cruise last year. We did 20 days on land, 5 lodges. What did the tour guide do? 1. My wife has slight mobility problems , the guide made sure all venue took that into consideration. 2. We enjoy dining with others. Our tour guide made reservations at the te we requested with different couples each night. Very enjoyable. 3. Our tour guide did narration along with the bus driver on our bus trips. 4. The plan/itinerary was put together by Princess. Over 10 days changes can happen. The bus driver is driving the bus. The tour guide makes sure makes sure everything runs smoothly. We felt our tour guide was worth the tip, based on what we saw and what we didn't.

Because they can charge you to select the room you want.

We did the connoisseur tour last summer, 10 days 5 lodges We felt it was worth the extra cost. Didn't have to think, "the halibut is 35.00 but the hamburger and fries are 20.00. We felt we received the value, others may not.

Removing gratuities and tipping individually won't work in all cases. It may work with your cabin steward but what about waiters and Assitant waiters. If your are anytime dining you may have a different wait staff every night. Do you then tip every night, what a bother. You can arrange the same wait staff but I believe they like the same time every night. It is a problem.

We did a connoisseur land trip last summer. Pur tour guide narrated during our bus trips from place to place. She made dinner reservations at the lodges which was very beneficial. If you have a problem , room, mobility etc. The tour guide will help make arrangements. The tour guide is more like a travel manager.

The difference is with traditional you have the same table , same waiter. And if you share the same tablemates, Reserved, same time. But maybe different table and waiter.

We did the cruisetour last year. The best part was the land portion. We cruised Alaska some 18 years ago. We felt the ports no longer felt like Akaska. They felt like the Carrebean, Diamonds Inter, etc. The lodges were great. These are not resorts they are Lodges. We were in 5 lodges over 10 days. Most rooms were basic. In general the common areas were great. The food in all was great. Most were in great locations. The bus trips were long but they stopped every few hours. The train, OH the scenery, that is what we came for and what we saw on the cruisetour. We were unable to visit Skagway and that may have changed our minds on the cruise portion. I would do the land portion again but not the cruise.

Lots to do in Tampa near the cruise port. Just off Contellation with 3 B2B. Trolley is nice, free. Pirate Water taxi. I'd stag before the cruise in Tampa. History museum, Childrens museum, Aquarium . Was not impressed with Ybor city.

I wonder if they are not used because they are not as comfortable as in the past. People are on the upper levels of the pool deck which are breezy when underway. I just do not remember from past cruise an empty prominaud deck, empty with chairs and people.