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There are pros and cons to both. My grown daughter goes strictly to the MDR for breakfast. Her rational is that I serve people all the time at home and while I am on a cruise I want to be served. But as others have stated, the MDR can be a long-drawn-out experience. But it is easy to get a Bloody Mary or Mimosa in the MDR by just asking the server. Coffee, Bloody Mary, eggs benedict, a side of smoked salmon (in the quiet of the MDR) is a pretty good combo. On the flip side, I am a very early riser and up an hour or more before Mrs Fan. I can head up to the buffet area, get my coffee, maybe grab some eggs/bacon and catch up on some news on my phone or laptop. I then usually bring back some hot water for Mrs Fan to make her morning tea (coffee gives her heartburn). The crowds are light when it is early.

FYI, there are programs to remove things like fingers on the screen. Pretty easy to work. Also, we are on the Crown in Feb and looking forward to sailing on the ship and PCL again. Remove Unwanted Objects & Fix Imperfections with Inpaint Online! (theinpaint.com)

I like to go to the buffet sometimes later after dinner in the MDR. Lots of dessert choices.

We were on a Carnival cruise (I assume that Coke has the distribution contract on all CCL ship brands) and the bars had Sprite Zero. They had Coke Zero too, but Mrs Fan tries to stay away from caffeine and calories, so it was a good option.

The only time I've ever had issue with balcony smoking was on a Princess cruise to Alaska. Unfortunately, this was when balcony smoking was allowed. We were in one of the fjords/arms and the ship had slowed to a crawl. Then the smell of smoke. Two ladies a few decks below were chain smoking. One would light up, then it seemed that when she was done, the other would light up. There was never a break in the smoke. Mind you this was in a really pristine part of Alaska with crisp fresh air. Everyone was yelling over the railings at the offenders and they just kept smoking and then started flipping everyone off.

That is what I was hoping for. I can get a double bourbon Old Fashioned or just a double bourbon or scotch on the rocks. I have a simple margherita recipe for home that is a double shot of silver tequila, a shot of triple sec and the juice of 1/2 lime. No added syrup or that nasty green stuff sold as mix. Another question specific to the Premier package about the photo package. I know you get several prints, but what is the unlimited digital? Do they give you a link to a file to download, CD, memory stick?

Hate to say it, but you will probably need to file a lawsuit. Just remember, that Princess/CCL is not the enemy or foe. They will have no say in you getting compensation or not, that now falls to the insurance company.

@scooter6996 as a recent sailor on the Crown. Does Vines have a full bar offering or is it just wine? @travelin.sisters, I call it "High Tea", but I saw that it was tea and servers coming around handing out small cakes, sandwiches, and such. Kind of a "Middling Tea" LOL. Thanks for everyone who has responded. Since the pandemic shutdown, we have sailed RCL, and HAL and now we will go on PCL. Each cruise line has their own quirks and policies. I too have my own quirks and preferences. Don't really care for the shows, won't use the casino unless it is relatively empty (not smoky). I love to sit and enjoy a nice drink and listen to some music (HAL Music Walk was great). We are both cruisers who use it to relax and be served a little bit. @Steelers36 Got to see Superbowl X as a teenager growing up in South Florida. My old man had Dolphin season tickets and got the Steelers/Cowboys Superbowl tickets via a lottery for season ticket holders. Lynn Swan was MVP with his acrobatic catches. I remember the parking lot being littered with Steel City beer cans as the Steeler fans outnumbered the Cowboy fans probably 10 to 1.

Sorry if these have been answered but sometimes the board is overwhelming to me when looking for answers (see the over 2,700 posts in the dine my way thread – woof). Assumptions: We are sailing on a 5-night trip on the Crown in Feb. (41-year Anniversary) San Francisco to San Diego and Ensenada (R/T) We are in a standard balcony room and have upgraded to the Premium package. 1. Does Princess assign boarding times? a. When do they do this? b. If not, how early do boarding time slots open up on the App? 2. Will there be a time where I can pick a set dinner time or is there just anytime dining? 3. We are getting the Premier package. It says we can pick a Medallion accessory at some point. Do you do this once on ship or pre-order via the app? 4. Can I ask for top shelf liquor for a mixed drink and not run over my $20 ceiling? Example: Woodford Rye for an Old Fashioned or Gran Patron for a margherita as an example. 5. Can I assume that a double on the rocks will be charged to me as 2 drinks and not a single drink at a double price? 6. “High Tea” will be served on sea days? Mrs Fan likes to do this. 7. Will there be entertainment in some of the bar areas? Acoustic Guitar, piano, or similar. 8. I saw a Youtube video where the person was eating at Sabatini’s and it was a 3.5-hour ordeal? He was not happy and I would not be either. I assume that this is not typical. 9. Is there anywhere on the Crown to get sushi? 10. I have seen mixed messages on the self-serve laundry. Is it free or is there a cost to run the machines? 11. Any recommendations specific to the Crown would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all who respond. Oh – and Go Noles

We are just getting back into sailing since we are now retired and Covid shutdowns are behind us. We have sailed on Royal Carib with no package. The drinks package was outrageously expensive and you get nickel and dimed for even minor add-on things like The Key. With PCL, we were worried about how many drinks we were ordering, no cappuccino. I had to order a 12 pack of water for the room. Wi-Fi. I hated it. We have sailed on Holland where the package was bundled into the cost. We now have a reservation for Princess in Feb with a Premier package. The HAL bundle was great. Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and best of all lack of worry on my part. So, for me, the package is a no-brainer. IMHO, CCL corps has it figured out. Bundle up things that are important and useful (ok, maybe not those awful looking ice cream sundae things). I'd like to convince Princess management to drop the ice cream sundae abomination things and replace that with a cake shop with real (heavy) NY style cheesecake (Juniors), multi-layer carrot cakes (Publix), molten chocolate cake, hummingbird cakes and the like.

Let's face it. The travel sector waxes and wanes due to travel being a luxury and not a necessity like food, clothing or fuel. My financial advisor tells me that the cruise industry stock shares are basically junk stocks. I buy them with hopes of getting the OBC. Not that I need it, but it feels like I'm getting something for free. I did buy RCL about a year ago somewhere in the mid $30 range. Got $100 OBC (X2) on two RCL cruises (including one to Alaska). It ran up to mid $80 range and I sold it for enough profit to pay for the Alaska cruise. I used the OBC to pay for drinks and such. I don't expect that from CCL. For our Princess sailing, we have the Premier package so I'm not sure what I would spend the $100 OBC on other than some on-board trinkets or t-shirts. Maybe the spa, but Mrs Fan has quit going to any shipboard spa due to the hard sell of creams and such that they try to push on you (even after asking them not to).

There are other factors that come into play. Mrs Fan and I did a Carnival cruise a couple of years back during the first week of December. Not rowdy. Not a party ship at all. It was very relaxed, and the food was great. I guess kids, college students were still in school. Lots of working folks not using their vacation time to cruise due to Christmas being a few weeks away. Spring break (and most of the summer days) on a 5-7 day sailing in the Caribbean will be a rowdy trip. Times other than spring break or summer break will be less of a party group. Longer cruises (>7 days) will be less of a party ship. I do prefer the more traditional lines like HAL and PCL, but we had a great time on Carnival and I would sail them again if the timing (and pricing) was right.

I think they were looking to store them near the pier or downtown, then retrieve the bags and head to a hotel near the airport. It had nothing to do with waiting for the room to be ready. You probably don't need to be a member of the hotel guest program, but it doesn't hurt, and they are usually free to join.

Is this only available to Suite guests? Can you upgrade to club class?

Are you a member of any hotel chain frequent guest program? I traveled a lot during my days as a consultant. Many times, I would go into a hotel where I was a club member and just ask the concierge staff to hold my bag. Give the guy a few bucks and then come back later and retrieve it. I've done this with hotels where I just needed a quiet place to log on to work and transfer some files. I just go to the desk, show them my card and then ask to use the Wi-Fi for an hour or so. Again, give the desk person a few bucks. Hilton family of hotels has never turned me down. Never had any issues with the above, but YMMV. Remember that most of the concierge folks work for tips.

We raised our family living in Florida. We went on a bunch of the low-end cruise ships so we could afford several rooms. At least I call them low-end - Carnival and Norwegian. We went to Alaska in 2008 on Princess and loved it. But again, when the family wanted to cruise, it was back to Carnival. So we both retired and then Covid struck. Coming out of Covid, the now grown kids wanted to go to Alaska. Their choice was RCL on the Quantum OTS. I got really excited while scouring RCL Blog website and decided to go on a cruise with just Mrs Fan prior to the Alaska trip. This time I chose RCL (Voyager OTS) and came back disappointed in the trip. The "fit-n-finish" was just not there. I chalked it up to post Covid hangover in the cruise industry. Then we went on the RCL Quantum ship, and it was really bad. Don't get me wrong, a bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day sitting at home. The food was awful (I mean the worst meals I have ever had awful). Drinks seemed watered down. Everything was an up-sell and I felt nickel and dimed to death. The ship seemed crowded. I really was thinking that we would not cruise again. But we decided to go to Norway out of Amsterdam and we chose the HAL Rotterdam with the "Have it all plan". "The heavens opened, and rays of sunlight came streaming down". The Rotterdam and HAL was what a cruise ship should be. Excellent food, great drinks, outstanding service. We really enjoyed the Music Walk but I understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea. So, HAL has won me back to cruising. Our anniversary is in February, and we always go somewhere. We've been to Stowe Vermont, Whistler Canada, Jackson Wyoming and this year we are going to cruise on the PCL Crown Princess with the "Premier Plan" out of San Francisco this February. We wanted to do a west coast, Napa wine thing along with the cruise. So, for me, Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean are out, and I will not sail them again. HAL is totally in and at this point will be our go-to cruise choice. Princess in now "on deck" and we will see if they will be in the mix for future trips.

We have Starlink at home and we used it on a recent HAL cruise. The home service is fast, but jittery at times with I believe latency to be the culprit. I am hoping for improvement as more satellite "trains" are launched over time. It may not solve the latency problem, but might give me a more seamless signal. On the ship, it was really great (at least for HAL/Rotterdam). Way better than any Wi-Fi used on past sailings on any line.

Update - Just booked the Crown for 5 nights out of SF in February (our anniversary month). Booked a balcony cabin but was tempted to go to a full Suite since we have never done that, but the suite would have doubled the price, and we are (pre-cruise) going to spend 2 nights in Napa and then a night in SF. Then fly to LA, post cruise, to visit our son. So, hotels and car rentals started adding up. I did upgrade to Premier for some of the extra perks. All told, it will be a 10-day west coast trip for us.

Considering a cruise on the Crown in February. Not totally newbie to Princess, but last time we sailed was probably 15 years ago. To me the value is in the drinks, pre-paid gratuities, WiFi and more. The desserts look like something teen-aged kids would enjoy. I would be nice if you could get something a little less candy-ish and messy looking and something more decadent. With that said, I'm glad for these boards as I am trying to figure out all the new lingo and nuanced stuff offered by PCL in the various packages and room perks, etc.

We are seriously considering the Crown out of SF in February and are about 90% convinced to go (Anniversary trip). Might go to Napa for a few days, then board the ship. After the cruise, head down to LA and visit our son. Some of the reviews have given me pause about the Crown though. It appears to be love or hate with folks. In the past 12 months, we sailed on RCL twice and HAL. I will never sail on RCL again. HAL (Rotterdam) was the best. Great food and entertainment. I'm afraid that HAL has now created an experience that cannot be replicated it was that good. I know that PCL is in theory similar class to HAL. We sailed on the Sky Princess many years ago and the experience was good so I am hoping for the same. A lot of things have changed and I am trying to get up to speed on the new offerings and nuances. I will probably grab the Premier option as it was only a $200 upgrade from our big warehouse travel agency.

We were just there in August 2023 (on HAL Rotterdam, sailing from Amsterdam). Greatest place we've ever visited on any ship. Just stunning. It was a bucket list thing for me. If you are physically capable, get on a RIB boat tour (we booked an independent tour). It was great and allowed us to get close to the cliffs, and waterfalls. I can't emphasize enough how stunning and beautiful the fjords are. Act fast, Norway is looking to halt fuel driven ships into some of the fjords. Only those with full electric (Hybrid) will be allowed. Havila lines has already started sailing hybrid electric ships. We saw one in Bergen that was just launched and one sailed into Geiranger while we were there.

We just got off of the Rotterdam. This was our first HAL sailing. We had been on 2 Royal Caribbean sailings earlier this year. I have to say that we are totally done with RCL. I'll never sail them again. They nickel and dime you to death, the food was awful. The ship was crowded - I mean shoulder to shoulder crowded at times. The food on the Rotterdam was outstanding. We ate mostly in the MDR and had a night in the Pinnacle Grill. Never once had a bad meal. The HIA package was well worth it too. The ship never felt crowded. The rock band in the Rolling Stone Rock room were beyond great. The only real negative might be the Billboard on Board piano team. To me, they were just meh.

We just got off of the Rotterdam. We had the HIA package as did my sister and sister-in-law. I told them to check their account balance the next to last day of the sailing and sure enough, both still had $50 credits. They went to the shops and bought some jackets that were marked 50% off.

Hal newbie. Sailing the Rotterdam out of Amsterdam in a few days (Aug 12). Several Questions We have dinner reservations at Pinnacle on sea day at 5:30. Got it thru Costco Travel/HIA deal. I'd like to move the time to later that evening as Mrs Fan wants to go to "high tea". I'm afraid to cancel and rebook due to the reservation being a credit. Will I be able to change the seating time once on board? Does HAL have a lobster night in the MDR? If so, do they limit you to only 1 tail (like RCL)? We have just been assigned a 2:10 boarding time in Amsterdam. Is that pretty much a hard time or do you think we can get on the ship a little earlier - say 12:30 or 1:00ish? I want to thank everyone on the CC board. There is so much helpful information shared. Also, we have recently sailed with RCL and I am so done with them. I am hoping for a much better experience this sailing on the Rotterdam.

Probably a contract group (aka) outsourced to an outside vendor. IT services, across all cruise lines seem to be notoriously bad. We were on a RCL sailing earlier this year and their website was up and down all the time with outage messages, non-existent pricing on items and more.