SargassoPirate

It's been about 50/50 so far, but my drink hits the table at about the same time I do.

Currently on a cruise with no package. Got wifi for half price. OBC's are covering the tips. A couple of drinks in the Elite lounge in the evening and I'm good. The plus package is pretty much a waste for me, especially with She Who Must Be Obeyed who doesn't drink at all.

"Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge, and now here I am, on the grandest ship in the world, having champagne with you fine people."

Maybe not, but it seems like over the years luggage fees have been the convenient excuse. If comfort is the benchmark, then how about flip flops and a bathrobe? ( I'm being sarcastic. I can always find room for a sport coat - even when I ride a motorcycle to the cruise port )

Cruise line staff, for the most part, are reluctant to enforce dress codes for fear of receiving low by ratings on their cruise by evaluation surveys. If the absence of enforcement, mob rule takes over and people flaunt their lack of manners and upbringing. When a guy in a wife beater, shorts, and a ballcap on backwards passes muster for smart casual, well, as the saying goes, clothes make the man and if it looks like a slob and acts like a slob, chances are it's a slob. A sport coat and a pair of slacks isn't going to put anyone over the baggage limit.

I wonder which would get more traction, a letter to the head office or comments on the end of cruise evaluation?

As one of the Elite old-timers, I can see the OP's points and feel his/her frustration with the changes before and after Covid. However, changes are happening across the cruise industry and one can either adapt, or quit cruising. There are many ships and lines to choose from. And there are many ways to adapt to changes over which we have no control. Don't like the nightlights with the sensors? Cover the sensor with some painters tape. No club chairs in the cabin? I bought a fold-up camp chair at Wally World before my most recent cruise out of Fort L. When I wanted to sit somewhere besides the bed, I had a chair. Carried it on at embarkation and donated it to the crew at the end. Don't like the MDR food portions and the disorganization? I ate my dinners in the Horizon Court or just enjoyed the spread at the Elite lounge. Both venues had good food, were not as noisy, took up less time, and I could walk in anytime and my table was ready with attentive staff nearby if I needed anything. Don't like the Medallion app? Don't use it. The servers will soon recognize you and take your drink orders, especially if you greet them with a smile and some conversation. Dollar for dollar, cruising is a great way to travel and any day at sea beats any day at the office.

I agree. But I guess the figure it's on the world and it's a cruise. Cunard plays fast and loose with their descriptions of a world cruise. To me a world cruise is when I embark at a port, sail all the way around the world, and then disembark several months later at that same port.

I'm following along and appreciate the time it takes to post the updates. Question - where is the Elite lounge gathering in the evenings. With no International Cafe, where does one get some nibbles and chi chi coffee drinks? Thanks

An additional word of caution - stick with tape over the sensor and don't complain about it. I mentioned how annoying the light is to the hotel director at the Captains Circle party. The next day a crew member with a step ladder came and "fixed" it by removing my painters tape and disconnecting the light all together. That took care of the light coming on when it's not needed but also meant I couldn't turn it on my when I did need it to see in the closet. I reached up, pulled the fixture down and reconnected the power ( simple plug in ) and recovered the sensor with painters tape. The light stays off and I can turn it on when I need to by just reaching up and tweaking the tape. Wouldn't it just be easier to not "improve" the closet light and leave it on a wall switch? Maybe I should find that hotel director and complain about the cigarette smoke migrating from the casino into the Piazza and see if he gets right on that.

"Holland buffets have better selections and they serve you instead of everybody touching the utensils to feed themselves." i'm glad Princess has relaxed and gone back to self serve buffets. I see no problem with touching ladles that someone else has touched since I don't stick my fingers in my mouth or touch my food after going through the buffet without sanitizing my hands after touching common use surfaces. A little common sense goes a long way toward keeping oneself healthy.

I also say it happens when they let the kids sit at the big table. Saw it at work too many times over the years.

Nothing like a manual switch for the light on the Caribbean Princess. I tried every switch and nothing helped. I carry a little travel tool kit, part of which is duct tape if it moves and shouldn't and WD40 if it's supposed to move but doesn't. I recently added some painter's tape wrapped around my small Sharpie. If you don't like the motion sensor on the nightstand, a rolled up pool towel will take care of those if you don't feel like crawling on the floor to cover the sensor.

Not all whiz bang "enhancements" dreamed up by whiz kids to look busy and justify their jobs are really enhancements. Case in point - the light for the closet that one used to be able to turn on and off on your own is now on a motion sensor. Looks good on paper, sounds good at the presentation. In reality, the first night on my cruise the darn thing kept turning itself on all night. The clothes in the closet were swinging back and forth and setting it off. The next day I fixed it. Wrapped a little painters tape around the sensor. When I need the light, I reach up and move the tape a little and the light comes on. It's on a timer, so it goes off on its own.

One drawback I have noticed with the app is that when I open it, I can't back out of it to another screen without shutting the phone off. I never use it once I'm on the ship.

Traveling solo means no committee decisions about everything. One can travel alone without being lonely.

Just carry your vaccination card with your passport and you are prepared.

I will say that it didn't seem to be such a struggle when there was only traditional dining. Once you knew where your table was, you just waltzed on in and dinner was served. Just look at all if the threads about dining reservations and the angst that accompanies trying to get a evening meal when you want it.

Wowzz, since She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't cruise much anymore and I cruise solo, I'm not "forced": to sit through a two-hour meal before or after an over-amplified production show - rushing from one to the other. It's very freeing when activities don't require a committee decision, in fact check out the solo cruisers board for some insights. Basically, my evening routine starts with a visit to the loyalty lounge for a wee dram and some nibbles. I then follow the strings, piano, or guitar entertainment at various venues while I enjoy another wee dram or two. Depending on the ship, I may take in an evening movie under the stars. Sometimes, depending on the weather, I'll climb up to one of the higher decks and do some star gazing or just sit on the promenade and enjoy the air and the sea. I find it very refreshing to break away from the herd and not feel obligated to participate in activities that I don't care for simply because "that's what one is supposed to do".

I quit the MDR years ago, even with the option of My Time or whatever it's called on the cruise I'm on. Too noisy, too much food that time of day, and too much time sucked up for me. I do enjoy the MDR for breakfast and lunch, and I try to eat light in the evening. Often the nibbles in the loyalty lounge is enough and if not, the buffet is good for a quick bite. I've found that avoiding the MDR be experience frees up a lot of time in the evening. Suggested dress code of the day is not a factor as I slip on a sport coat and slacks most every evening anyway. Just my opinion and my choice.

I have cruised with a person using a scooter and thus my question about the people who wouldn't move out of your way. When accompanying the scooter, I walked alongside. If we encountered some slower walkers, we either slowed down to their pace or waited until there was an opportunity to pass. There is little on the ship that is worth getting in a big hurry for and may not be there in the extra few minutes it takes at a slower pace.

Were those people who wouldn't "get out of the way" standing still, moving in the same direction, or going in the opposite direction?

Cabins above, below, and across the corridor!

After fifty-some cruises on various lines, I guess I take a little different approach to cruising, things I used to think were important, and drink packages. When I put the pencil to it, I rarely go for the package. I cannot drink enough to make a it worthwhile. A wee dram or three of a good Scotch in the evening is about tops for me, if that much. That being said, if my TA throws in a drink package, I will expand and maybe have a glass of wine with lunch and a chi chi coffee in the afternoon, but that's it. Any day at sea, with someplace to get something to eat and some good Scotch in the evening, is to be savored.

It's not only considerate to not park a mobility device in to the corridor, it's a cruise line requirement and against SOLAS fire regulations to do so. The corridors are paths of exit travel and include to the elevator lobbies since they are considered a crossover.