BabsinTX

I've had different issues this afternoon; maybe the whole website is messed up. I got an email saying I can book embarkation day spa treatments for up to 25% off. When I try to do it, I get a message that spa treatments can't be booked now since it's more that 60 days out. And the cruise leaves in January. My other Princess email was about the 2024 cruise I booked yesterday, implying that excursions are available to book. When I follow the link, I get a white screen. Someone is sleeping at the tech desk.

I agree. And the seating in the new ships' "disco" is awful".

So glad you're doing this. We're booked for a B2B on Ruby in January, then two more sailings in April. (We really, really want Princess to keep sailing out of Texas!) We love Skywalkers, so would appreciate any comments about it (good DJ, bartenders, etc?) And are people playing trivia?

Chrome gave me fat, short luggage tags. So did Edge. Rats.

We've sailed in this cabin and the similar cabins on Lido. We usually book aft cabins, but in some cases I feel forward-facing cabins are better. Examples would be for the Panama Canal, Norwegian fjords, or Alaska. Unless there's horrible weather, you should be fine. FYI, you'll have to keep your cabin curtains closed at night because of the bridge below you. The added attraction for me is that you're in Club Class, so dining is much more pleasant with no waiting in line. Have fun!

I was on the Joy to Bermuda in late October. We booked aft penthouses in the past (still our favorite cabins) but stayed in the Haven proper this time. Since my husband is handicapped, this worked much better for us. And, the Joy was packed with people. Everytime I ventured out of the Haven it felt like Times Square on New Year's Eve. We did eat at Ocean Blue and Le Bistro; both were AMAZING. And the Haven Restaurant menu never changing is nuts. NCL obviously never plans to do a world cruise....

. I find the beds hard too. After two nights on Viking Star I asked for some toppers. Here are photos. (I've never posted photos before, hope I didn't mess them up.) On top is the original mattress pad. Then a thin down duvet/mattress pad. Last but not least, a memory foam topper, I'd say around 1.5 inches thick, give or take. In your case, I suggest you ask for these before the cruise or the first day.

My DH has been looking for football, but didn't notice any hockey games. Sorry.

We're on Viking Star right now. Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale. We've had a few college games on Saturdays, but no NFL games so far.

We stayed there last November and really like it. Highly recommend!

I just tried to book one of the new cruises, but none of the new cruises are loaded into the Princess website. We should "keep checking" to see if the cruises are online.

Same here. My TA called Princess and was told to "keep checking". Organized like a train wreck. I expect more from Princess.

So how do I find the "Live Chat"??? We cruised on Viking in 2019 and didn't have any problems making reservations (same cabin category). Now, I'm refreshing every few minutes but seems like I'm not the only one having problems.

On a Panama Canal cruise, the ship was freezing, despite the very hot outdoor temperatures. I ended up buying a light jacket in the ship's shop. Now I always take a light jacket, regardless of the itinerary.

I was on the same cruise and loved it. People are often on the outer decks as the ship comes into ports. And that's a great time to say "What a beautiful place!" to someone standing nearby. By the way, on longer cruises you'll see lots of people your age. Who else can take off from work for a month? And probably quite a few walkers, scooters, etc. And for the $$$ concerns: There are lots of inside cabins and ocean-view cabins on the ship and they will all be full if possible. Many folks onboard may have spent less that you to be on the cruise. And there's not much you HAVE to pay for onboard. We never buy photos, jewelry, watches, clothes, etc. We'd rather buy experiences than stuff. Try to be up on deck if you come into port early in the morning. The loveliest sunrise I've ever seen was on this cruise.

This reminds me of a story from decades ago: "… Robert Crandall, the head of American Airlines at the time, calculated that if they removed just one olive from every salad served to passengers, nobody would notice and the airline would save $100,000 a year. Creative cost-cutting took off from there." I don't need goodie bags, turn down service, towel animals, free wine or bar setups, lobster on the menu, fancy shows in the theater with complicated sets, photos, etc. I do need a clean cabin and ship, safety-conscious, healthy and well-trained officers/crew, and interesting ports of call. I DO want Princess to survive for the long term. I think about how much $$$ was wasted on the stupid app and how it aggravated so many passengers. That was a self-inflicted wound that had nothing to do with the pandemic.

Yes, but if they found jobs at home they aren't traveling to Alaska.

I just read today that Alaska is at a all-time low unemployment rate of 4.9%. That might explain the closure.

I just read this article about quarantining after a cruise--very eye opening and lots of details to consider. https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-covid-isolation-hotel/

We were on Majestic in March and had the same "delayed" toilet flush happen several times. Never got an explanation.

We love the Sun, though we haven't sailed her for years. We don't need bells and whistles and love the smaller size. Plus, the aft mini-suites/Club Balconies? are fabulous!

The aft minis/Club Balconies are amazing!