TwoCruisers

After reading about all of the new updates, I’m getting even more excited about our upcoming cruise on the CB next March. :D

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I have 40 cruises with Princess, and 50 overall. I have the majority of my cruises with Princess for a reason. That being said, DW and I did a cruise to get out of the cold on the CB last December and noticed that there was a significant lack of upkeep.

 

We observed significant neglect in the cabin and it's bathroom, the Spa Treatment Room, the Spa Locker Rooms & Bathrooms (all truly deplorable and should have been taken out of service), as well as some of the public areas.

 

I know that the CB is/was scheduled for a Refurb (or hopefully 2) in 2017, but this was far worse than other ships that we have experienced awaiting refurbs / drydock.

 

I even, as a first, went to Passenger Services on Embarkation Day to request a change of cabin. There were none available. Had this been a hotel, we honestly would have walked out.

 

In a similar comparison to yours, we did a cruise on X in May, 2016. That was on the Constellation, which is about, and if not, the same age as the CB. That ship sparkled, as it was impeccably maintained for it's age. Also, the Azamara ships (R-Class) are even older and much better maintained.

 

So, I, for one, agree. In the Routine Maintenance Department, Princess does need to step up their game.

I have a cruise booked for March of 2018 on the Caribbean Princess and I have some concerns about the condition of the ship. My last cruise on this ship was in January of 2009 and I then thought it needed some sprucing up. It was scheduled to go into dry dock in May of 2014 to have some cabins added. I don’t know if any refurbishment happened. I’m concerned that the review I’m quoting is only 2-1/2 years later and there are some very disturbing comments about the condition of the ship. I know that it is scheduled to go onto dry dock again in March of 2017 for “Routine”. It will be interesting to read about the ship after upcoming cruises.

Please don’t tell me to book somewhere else because of my concerns. The cruise I am booked on is only one of four that Princess is doing with “True 14 day Itineraries” in the Caribbean.

I will book my specialty dining reservations while on board. If Princess starts charging ahead of time for excursions, then I will book them on board also. If I can’t use my cruise credits for something useful then what’s the point? And I am talking about in excess of gratuities.

Maybe I’ll just play the system and cash it all out through the casino.

I was recently on the Regal (Feb. 19 to Mar. 5) and yes, they had salmon on the Always Available menu. I also order it frequently.

Just a comment about exchanging your mini-bar for all water: The statement below is from the Princess web site. On my last two cruises I exchanged the mini-bar for all water. They say that it will consist of (8) 1.5 liter bottles. Well, they will only trade for the small bottles. The small bottles are 500ml each which makes them 1/3 the contents of the large bottles. To get the same amount of water they should give you 24 small bottles of water. They will only trade on a one for one basis giving you 20 bottles instead of the 24 bottles. This is a little less than the equivalent of 7 of the large bottles. This is not a very big deal, but I would appreciate it if Princess would print out the rules that they actually follow.

Question:What if I don't want any alcohol in my Elite mini-bar?

Answer:If you do not wish to have any alcohol in your mini-bar we will be happy to exchange your mini-bar for one of the following:

• Alcoholic beverages may be exchanged for non-alcoholic beverages on a one-for-one basis
  
• Full mini-bar may be exchanged for two (2) Coffee Cards
  
• All water mini-bar setup will consist of eight (8) 1.5 liter bottles of water
  

Sigh... Another tipping thread. Please do a search on the term "tipping" and you will find pages (and pages, and pages, and pages, and pages, and pages...) of comment on this topic. I am sorry to be such a butthead (really, I am not usually so crabby) but really... Please check other threads.

 

Of course it is already too late. Even if you got your answer in the first reply this thread is bound to grow to 300+ re;lies.

 

Answer to your original question: Despite what you read her the vast majority of folks don't tip extra in Crown Grill or Sabatini's. They have already agreed in advance to tip 15%. Most feel that is enough. If you were at a land-based restaurant and tipped 15% would you feel that you needed to tip more? Really??? (Yes, I know that 20% has become common in the US but I have to wonder WHY? My daughter knows a couple of waitresses. They are indeed paid poorly. So.... If you made $120 a day do you really deserve an additional $300 - $400 a day in tips??? That is the kind of tips my daughter's friends are making. Really??? $300 a day is over $37hr.

 

Granted that, in today's market. $120 per day isn't a huge amount. However, waitressing was never intended to be a full-time career and, even in California, minimum wage is not year $15/hr. ($15 x 8 = $120). I now many (many) here like to say how much they tip "extra". For the most part I think it is just to "be cool" or something. I used to work in restaurants when I was young. I was a cook and a damned good one. I never felt I was "owed" extra tips. I did my job for the wage offered when I was hired. When I wanted "more" I asked for a raise. Once, when I was told "NO" I tendered my resignation on the spot. I got the raise. (There is something to be said for being "the best possible" employee who gives full service to the employer. :))

Thank you, Thrak, brilliantly said.

My DD worked as a bartender during her college years and in the summers on South Beach. Those summers, she would come home with hundreds of dollars in tips nightly in cash - and that was "off" season! Living in South Florida we have had the privilege to personally know many officers who work for various cruise lines. Without exception they have all said that most passengers are completely unaware of just how much crew members rake in due to additional tips. According to them, they do very,very well.

 

We have been to many all inclusive resorts on the islands and because they cater to european/UK clientele, their policy is strictly "no tipping" even going to the extent of stating that employees will lose their job if caught accepting a tip. I worked for a summer camp in the Adirondacks during my college years that had a similar policy. We worked 7 days a week and yet most of us returned year after year....

 

Many restaurants in Miami now add an additional 18% service charge to restaurant checks. We rarely add more. What is different on a cruise? I have no problem paying the "optional" gratuity (in fact, I always prepay it) I just wish that I didn't have the "American guilt" where I usually feel obligated to tip more.

Finally, a thread about tipping, with a touch of reality.

And Cruise director?

 

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A new captain took over mid cruise ( I think on March 1, 2017 when we were at Montego Bay).

He is Captain Craig Street.

The Cruise Director was Bob Hygate.

I just returned from a cruise on the Regal Princess two days ago. I pre-booked two Princess excursions shortly before leaving for the cruise. I did not pre-pay for them. They were placed on my shipboard account as they always have been in the past. I don’t know if Princess is planning on changing this in the future.

I also havehad a problem with the final posting putting words together with no spacebetween them.

Go to thefollowing link and see posts #4 and #5.

Link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=52297106#post52297106

I hope thispost doesn’t also squeeze words together.

I stopped playing Blackjack on the ships years ago when they started using continuous shuffle machines. I couldn’t count on them having straight decks in the machines.

Here is a link to the roll call for what I believe is your cruise. (Feb. 25, 2018 -8 day southern Caribbean)

Link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2330235

This link takes you to the beginning of the roll call and at this time it is 12 pages long.

Added note: easyboy, you must have posted a few seconds before me

On a web site that shows which cruise ships are at a port of call, it shows that on Mar. 1, 2017 two ships are at Montego Bay. They are the Regal Princess and the Carnival Dream.

Thanks to all I'm going on the Regal 2/19 and will book the next Cruise probably Hawaii then when I get home will start doing my homework lol thank you for sharing

Mjkny,

Come over and join the roll call for this cruise. I post a detailed list of everyone on the roll call. I will post the list one more time, so if you come over and introduce your selves I will include you on the final posting of the list. Would you like to attend one or both of our planned M&G’s? See the bottom of the roll call list for the M&G information.

Link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2268944&page=26

Hi! We're sailing in three weeks (7 day Caribbean), and I'm in planning mode, so your offer comes at the perfect time. Here are my questions:

 

1. Are there formal nights? One or two? Can women get away with a cute dress even if not black tie style?

 

2. There's an adult-only swimming pool area that doesn't charge extra, right? How crowded is it? Do you have to claim a chair before breakfast to get a spot? (We went on the Royal some years back and it was very uncrowded, but that was a Med cruise so maybe people were there more for the ports than the sun).

 

Thanks!!

Depending on the cruise you may have to claim a chair before breakfast. But, do not place something on the chair to hold it while you leave for any extended time. This is a very HOT topic on Cruise Critic and the rules are that if a chair is unoccupied for 20 minutes your belongings can be removed for someone else to sit there.

Hi Everyone!

 

No need to worry.

 

THere's a feature on the site that allows new folks to simply push a single button and add a posting to a Roll Call.

 

Here's a sample page that has that feature: http://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/brilliance-of-the-seas-january-28-2017/

 

If you look in the right column on that page, you'll see a button that says "I'm Sailing". A newbie to that page only needs to click it to post if they are logged in. They will then begin to receive notifications of new posts to the Roll Call, and hopefully join in on the fun.

 

I don't disagree that we can make the messaging a bit clearer to those already participating on the Roll Call, so I will add that to my "TO DO" list.

 

Laura

Laura,

Thanks for the explanation.

I am currently on three different Princess roll calls for upcoming cruises. I am keeping a detailed roll call list for each of the cruises which I post on the roll calls periodically. I have noticed in the past few months there have been 5 people signing on to one of the roll calls using the very same wordage, which is: “Hi Everyone! I am sailing on this cruise and looking forward to chatting with all of you”. This is usually their first and only post on Cruise Critic, but they have a signup date from a few years ago. They never come back to say anything else. If it isn’t their only post then it is their second or third over a few year span.

Are these people real? Is this the work of a Troll? Has anyone else noticed this happening on their roll calls?

In your request for the M&G setup you may want to request a staffed bar being available. Make sure you request a NO HOST BAR so everyone pays for their own drinks. The first time I set up a M&G I didn’t state a NO HOST bar but luckily there was a note in my stateroom when I boarded the ship that said that I was hosting the meeting. I had to spend some time trying to explain to a manager that I wasn’t paying for all of the drinks for everyone in the upcoming meeting. I think they should have known that I wouldn’t be responsible without a specific request.

This is an issue of cutting back on waste. If a butter dish is on the table after the meal is finished, the remaining contents must be thrown out. If you want more butter they will always give you more. At the beginning of the meal, I ask for the amount of butter patties that I think I will need for the entire meal.

The deluxe balcony room is just slightly larger than the regular balcony room. The deluxe room has a small couch which is more comfortable to sit on than just the chair in the regular room. Others have already told you about the obstructed view.

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I know from experience that the water is delivered all at once. I ordered three cases of water and they were delivered on a tray. I placed it on the floor of the closet in the back and filled the refrigerator. It worked out well.

I am guessing the beer will also be delivered all at once. Just put them in the frig.

I recently mailed (snail mail) mine to Princess and it was posted on my cruise personalizer in 6 days after mailing.

We were in the Star, 15 days to Hawaii, just a little over a month ago. I didn’t notice any things that detracted from the cruise. This was my 17th Princess cruise and probably one of the best ever. The crew was absolutely great, friendly and competent in every way. We had the BEST cabin steward, waiter and assistant waiter ever. I would go back in a minute.

As mentioned in earlier posts, there are no extra waiters for taking drink orders. There is just your waiter and assistant waiter who take care of several tables. If there are several people asking for drinks or wines it slows down the meal service to all tables. Sometimes it can be a crawl just getting your meals and forget about making the after dinner show.