Iamcruzin

21 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I cringe when I read of Broadway style shows on cruise ships.  I always think they have never seen a real Broadway show.  Yes, there are a few of the largest, newest ships that have a real Broadway show.  But for the other 99% the show in the theater is more like a Vegas Revue.  EM

Former New Yorker. Broadway was at my fingertips. I cringe as well. I wouldn't compare the casinos to Las Vegas either.

27 minutes ago, rebeccac said:

 

If you don't care about the pools, then obviously that is not a deciding factor for you. 

 

I have also cruised many lines and while I don't find all the beds extremely comfortable, I think the beds on VV are the most uncomfortable of any line I have sailed on (I have been on 9 different lines).  They are barely 4" thick and hard as a rock.  If that is your thing, it might not be an issue.  For myself, I will often sleep in the hammock at night, because at least I don't wake up with every part of my body in pain.  

 

Like I said, it is definitely worth giving VV a try.  I will sail them again.  I just won't sail them exclusively.  

Thanks for the details. No line is perfect. We like some things on some lines for example the rooms on Celebrity and Royal are much better than the rooms on Princess. What it boils down to is the itinerary and the price. VV seems to have a unique experience compared to the 3 we sail and I would be willing to pay more for that experience. 

2 hours ago, rebeccac said:

 

Every cruise line has people complaining about downward changes in quality.  Some of that may be true, some may be people looking at the past with rose colored glasses.  

 

As far as tech goes, don't count on VV to be an improvement over any other line.  The app is extremely flakey.  We had a friend in tears trying desperately to get dinner reservations when they opened.  That is why we generally let our TA deal with that.  

 

I'm not trying to dissuade you from trying VV.  Certainly worth trying.  Some people never go back to the other lines.  Personally, I like variety.  And the fact that the beds in non-Rockstar rooms are very uncomfortable (IMHO) and that the pools are a joke will certainly keep me from ever making VV the only cruise line I sail.  

We don't really use the pool and people were complaining about beds on Princess for years and we never had an issue with them or any other line.

We haven't been on a cruise since 2019. We recently moved to Florida and wanted to get back to cruising. Our go to lines were Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. I have been reading so many bad reviews from seasoned Cruise Critic members about the changes in food quality, entertainment, service, as well as new Tech features that they promote not working that I thought VV should be considered. We never sailed with them so we will have no expectations. I was going to book a shorter cruise to try it out but from what I am reading it seems the longer cruises would be more of the vibe that we are used to. We are 55 and 64 yrs old and live in an active resort style adult community so there is always something going on here and I was just wondering how we would fit in on VV.  

The issue I have with this is the port charges that they will quote when booking the cruise can either go up or down by the time you actually get to the port of call. We have received refunds to out folio in the past as well as up charges in the past.

On 5/7/2024 at 12:45 PM, Lustate said:

Not that I could see. In fact (and I know I sound a bit snobby), upping the prices and reducing some of the offers has made the voyages more enjoyable. Some people were doing a "try it for the price" and not the people you would expect on a VV, ie They were pretty closed-minded, refused even to consider eating anything other than steak, chicken, and fries, and thought the entertainment was too "liberal." 

Since the price hike, the numbers on board have been stable, people who want and like the product have come on board, and there are fewer party animals, with very, very few people drinking to excess. Quality has not dropped at all from what I can see. 

I'll one up snob you by saying, "Let the finger lick-in good cruisers go back to Carnival or NCL".

On 4/29/2024 at 8:17 AM, -The-True-North- said:

Hopefully by RCL!

God forbid and that goes double for CCL.

Pot Smoking? How progressive. I guess that's the new High Tea crowd. This is what happens when you remove the Cigar Bar and replace it with an Arcade.

19 hours ago, canadarocks said:

We spent a month onboard the Emerald Princess this winter in a Caribe Deck deluxe balcony. Loved the balcony and the cabin, but my goodness the bathroom and shower were ridiculously small!! On the newer ships please tell me if the Caribe Deck balconies are still bigger, and where oh where do I need to book to get a decent sized bathroom and shower? Don't need a bathtub or a couch like the Mini Suites have...we were upgraded to one of those with an incredibly TINY balcony in 2023.

 

So a BIG BALCONY and A BIG SHOWER.....is that attainable?

If you are looking for a larger balcony like the extra large balconies on the Caribe deck you will have to stick with sailing on the Grand Class ships which at this point are old. Starting with the Royal Class ships the balconies are the size of a postage stamp unless you book a suite. Also the showers are all the same size unless you book a mini suite or above. They have a tub/shower combo. The Royal class has deluxe balcony cabins with larger obstructed view  balconies (no glass view) at the bow of the ship which to me is undesirable. Princess has the most uncomfortable rooms at sea. If you book below a balcony you only have a desk chair to sit in. Every other line has a love seat in every room category.

On 4/15/2024 at 11:01 PM, BamaVol said:

Only reservations for cruises departing Septmber 14 or later will be cancelled.  My June 15 reservations will stay.

 

one of the YouTube cruise bloggers ran an unscientific poll last week and got 3,000 replies. Only 18% want traditional dining.  I project an imbalance.

I'm not surprised. The last time we at in traditional was 2006. It was about the time they had introduced anytime dining and the main dining room in traditional was 1/2 empty every night. On some nights our table mates went to anytime dining. It was a new concept and I guess passenger didn't understand that you didn't have a choice between both dining types just because you booked traditional. 

Does Princess still offer the $1 deposit promotion? If so what time of the year do they offer it?

13 hours ago, rideev said:

Ok, I have eaten at the steakhouses on 4 different cruise lines.  Princess, HAL, NCL, and RCL.  I loved the salt selection at the Crown Grill, and have since bought some like it, but that is all I can say.  None of the four stood out to me.  Yes, the service was good, but the steaks were just ok.  Is it just me? 

 

I do like some of the other specialty restaurants.  I think Sabatini's is wonderful, along with Le Bistro on NCL.

I don't think I will ever book a steakhouse on a cruise again.  For our anniversary cruise we have Sabatini's booked for $90.  As to that the cost of the meal that we are turning down in the MDR and it turns into a pricey meal.  It will be good, but not any better than what we would get here at home for the same cost.

Honestly I find the same experience on land as well. I have had steak at Morton's and at Longhorn steakhouse and for the price I didn't notice a great deal of difference. Morton's is more presentation and atmosphere. The same applies to cruise ships. I would rather go 3 times to Longhorn than 1 time to Morton's.  When they forced you to dress on formal night we would go to the specialty restaurants. It was less expensive than buying 2 new cocktail dresses and more shoes that required us to pay for an extra bag on the airlines.

On 5/4/2024 at 3:24 PM, memoak said:

I don’t get why one would want to pay for the Sanctuary when you have a huge balcony and room service. 

Some would book an inside and hope to get a seat in the Sanctuary. It was a big saving for anyone sailing solo. 

On 5/4/2024 at 2:54 PM, Wishing on a star said:

I am seeing comments where a Suite guest had not been able to get loungers in the Sanctuary, but the the Concierge made the reservations for them.  They were able to get loungers as they wanted.

Has this been something usual in the past???  Is this new?

Of course Princess is not known for being consistent!!!  I know that access to the Sanctuary has not been a Suite perk.

 

If this is something new, then I am seeing the signs already posted that Princess will move towards taking the Retreat area and the Sanctuary,  and restricting therm to a new  SANCTUARY CLASS SYSTEM, like they now have on the Sun Princess. I would almost bet on it.  

 

I will say that if these Royal Class ships end up without an adult only area,  I will not be sailing with Princess.

 

We have one cruise booked on the Sun, that we are now questioning....

We have another cruise booked on a Royal Class ship, that would also be cancelled if Princess makes these changes.

           

Too me the Sanctuary was a waste of space on the ships and the retreat was just another money grab. It was impossible to book even arriving early and all week long it sat empty. Sanctuary class system or not, I will never be able to get a lounge there because I would never book that class. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean offer a better Adult Sanctuary experiences for free and without needing a reservation.  

1 hour ago, Southern Dan said:

I agree that Royal's main focus is currently on families and larger ships and let's be honest, they have a formula that is wildly successful.  There are only so many Oasis/Icon size ships you can have running though before the market is oversaturated as the potential customer base isn't infinite...

When Star of the Seas makes her debut in 2026 you are going to have 3 Icon/Oasis ships out of Miami, 2 Oasis out of FLL, 1 of each out of Port Canaveral and 1 in Galveston.  These are ships that are going to all the same destinations which by my count is 15 different Caribbean ports during the winter that can support them.  Two years later you are going to have Icon 3 and Oasis 7 in the mix and it gets more complicated.  One might go to Asia year round, who knows?

 

Let's look at the other side with the rumored new "smaller" ships taking bridge heights and environmental regulations that are coming into play.  You need one for Northern Europe in the summer, you would need one or two for Alaska at the same time, if you want to keep Baltimore and Tampa running year round you would need two there.  Isn't Australia cracking down on environmental regulations too?  That makes me think 6 is the magic number with all those things considered.  Or they could completely abandon the Baltimore and Tampa markets but that seems unlikely as there is money to be made.  The "just cruise Celebrity" line doesn't make sense from a business standpoint as they want to keep the parent brand as profitable as possible and both lines offer different things and can coexist.

 

All speculation and we can debate here and elsewhere until something is announced but I like wasting time on the internet and am excited to get some official word on the whole thing.

This is a very logical and well thought out statement. The smaller ships won't be around forever and they are needed to service particular markets.

35 minutes ago, captainannoyed! said:

With you 100%.  My vast preference is Radiance class, though Freedom and Voyager are okay.  But I’ll never sail Oasis or bigger.  No interest whatsoever.  Great for kids and families, and they should stay there.

I'm from NY. If I wanted to go to Central Park it was there. Now that I live in Florida I'm 2 hours from the big theme parks. I won't go on anything bigger than a Quantum Class ship. The bigger the ship the longer it takes to get from one end to the other and it's just more pay for venues and shops. We don't even shop at the malls on land anymore. A perfect day a Coco Cay is great if you are traveling with a family but as empty nesters we need more adventure than a pool day in an over priced Cabana 

On 4/30/2024 at 8:28 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

Possibly, but you still have the 7th Oasis class ship coming plus Star and the 3rd Icon class ship. Just my two cents opinion, and probably not worth that much, but I think the majority of RCI cruisers won’t get excited about a new, smaller class ship (if/when it happens). 

I hate those monstrosity of the sea ships. Would be very excited for a smaller class ship that can fit into smaller ports.

1 hour ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

We will be doing one week land tour after Alaska cruise. Our sapphire princess starts from Vancouver Port and reach whittier alaska. We are planning to take a small electric rice cooker for this trip to use during land tour. Will cruise line allow small electric rice cooker?

Thanks 

No. Tuperware makes a microwave rice cooker. Many hotels have microwaves.

8 hours ago, skynight said:

From someone that has been elite for almost 15 years. I have been reading through many of the posts. My opinion. Don't buy your way by booking extra cruises just to become elite. Book cruises because you enjoy them.

I agree. None of these mass market cruise line benefits entice me. I'll get there when I get there and if I never do that's ok too. I just enjoy the journey and don't stress over laundry.

 I don't understand paying extra money by booking solo in a suite just for some well brand liquor and free laundry. If that's how you travel and you want to actually go on the cruise than it's no big deal but if you do it just for elite status it would be less expensive to pay for better booze and paying for laundry that will come back faster if you pay for it than by sending it out elite. There really isn't any value being elite. It's a marketing game to make you feel special and bring you back to spend more money.

1 hour ago, Happy2cruise said:

Anyone else have the problem of not being able to book a deluxe balcony on the
Enchanted?  Every deck I go into they are all guarantees, even tried booking one for 11/2025 and same thing.  Very frustrating.....am I doing something wrong?  Thanks!

Just about every mainstream cruise line offers a love seat and cocktail table in every category room including interiors without having to book guarantee. I never sailed Princess for the accommodations as they are the worst of all of the lines.  I wonder if you can book with a fictional third person and then just cancel the 3rd person?

19 hours ago, MacMadame said:

The whole point of a fleet-wife pool is to make it fairer for all the crew so staff you don't see who help the people we do see get tips and so crew on ships with majority low-tippers don't get punished vs. crew on ships full of us tip-happy Americans. (Yes, we're crazy.) So maybe it used to be that way or maybe it's that way on other lines but it's not that way now according to Princess (and people who have talked to crew about it and reported back).

 

Is it double-dipping? I can see arguments either way. But I don't see it that way. I see service charges on stuff that I used to tip as I went. i.e., I used to give the bartender a tip for each drink ordered but now there is a service charge so I don't have to. I see crew appreciation for everything that is included. It replaces the tips we handed out to our cabin steward and our staff in the MDR at the end of the cruise. So I don't see an overlap there.

I am aware of how the tip pool works for the people behind the scenes as well as those who you see. They started that back when they started anytime dining around 2006. The 18% at the restaurant is new. Those people were originally part of the tip pool and if you gave them any extra in cash they got to keep that. The bartenders were never part of the tip pool and an 18% gratuity was always added to the drink order. If you tipped additional in cash they got to keep that and it didn't go into the tip pool. If now everyone is in the tip pool including the restaurant staff and the bar tenders than it doesn't seem fair that bar tenders and the restaurant staff are taking money from the tip pool as well as getting additional. That would leave less money for the dining room staff and the room stewards as well as the behind the scene staff.

12 minutes ago, memoak said:

So is the 18% per drink double dipping if you don’t have a drink package ?

I was under the impression that the bar staff were not part of the same pool as the room stewards and the wait staff at the meal venues. Maybe that has changed but they were always separate from the other group.

23 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

The 18% does not go directly to your server. It goes into the gratuity pool. And the Crew Appreciation charge (which also goes into the pool) covers more than servers. It also covers your cabin steward, bartenders, and other hospitality staff.

 

It goes into the pool. The pool is used to pay part of the crew's compensation (as when Princess went to a pool system, they also raised wages) and to pay bonuses. Princess doesn't specify if these are bonuses only to high performers or bonuses that are more generally spread around. I am guessing the former.

So this is in addition to the daily gratuity fee that you pay when you book and they all share this as well? Sounds like double dipping from Princess. 

13 hours ago, FancyPants21 said:

Tipping extra is always optional. Now they are adding 18% I will not be adding any extra unless the service was truly exceptional.

Unless they cut up the food and feed me I can't see anything else that could be done to warrant any extra than the 18% tip. Aren't they also part of the auto gratuity pool? Plus you are paying an additional fee just to eat there and you are not using the MDR which you paid for in the fare. Where does the auto gratuity go on that night that you aren't there?