Cruzinnana47

Caribe deck balconies are wonderful!  Perfect spot to enjoy for coffee in the AM or cocktails in the PM (or whenever...).

We enjoyed the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on our Caribe Deck Balcony in 2018 to celebrate our 50th anniversary while sailing on the Caribbean Princess.  We had more than ample room...it was great!

1 hour ago, Kay S said:

No, I'm sure that was a Princess thing.  They used to have themes like Italian Night and French Night, etc.  The wait staff had silly little uniforms for each.  Anyone remember the red or green stiped T shirts and the red bandanas?

Nope--not just a Princess thing, as we experienced this also on NCL & RCI cruises back in the 90's and into the early 2000's.  There were "theme nights" in the main dining room with often an Italian Night, French Night, International Night, also.   And the wait staff did wear special attire for those specific themes.   We remember the dining room crew standing on the stairs of the main dining room of the grand old Blue Lady, the SS Norway, singing "We are the World" (we have on an old video of that) which was really nice to see & hear.  Also back then, the maitre d' or head waiter would come around to the tables and prepare chef salad, cherries jubilee, banana flambe at your table and the Baked Alaska Parade featured flaming Baked Alaskas on the waiters' heads.  Quite a production.  

Looks like most of these traditions went the way of the Midnight Buffets...

Thanks, AstroFlyer. for posting the menu from the Princess press release.  Hadn't seen it yet.

We'll be sailing on the Enchanted Princess on Thanksgiving--our 1st time being on a cruise during the holidays.  Food choices look pretty darn good!  Even better when we don't have to cook.😉

Have sailed on the Gem and the Breakaway (Getaway's sister ship) and would definitely pick the Gem.  Smaller, a bit older with less pax, but you don't have to make reservations for the entertainment venues.  True, there aren't the "bells and whistles" like the Getaway would have, but if you are looking for a more relaxing and less crowded experience, the Gem would be a better fit.

We sailed on a 12-night cruise on the Breakaway from NYC to  the So. Caribbean in 2014.  The ship was lovely, but TOO big for us and too chaotic.   In comparison, our 10-day cruise on the Gem from NYC to Canada was a much more laid-back experience.   JMHO.

Forgot to mention.  As far as specialty restaurants go, the Crown Gill (steakhouse) and Sabatini's (Italian) are good and very popular.  Also for lounges...Explorers, Crooner's and the Wheelhouse (believe all on deck 7) have their own vibe.

Sure you will enjoy your cruise.  We love Princess as it's more sedate, but not boring.  No bells & whistles--rock climbing walls, flowriders, water slides, etc., as they have on the newer RCI and NCL ships.  

If you would enjoy a fantastic dining experience, the Chef's Table is wonderful (you need to call to get on the list as soon as you board).  Not cheap, but so worth it.   Also, the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast or Ultimate Balcony Dinner are great as well--so much food!

We found the International Cafe is a great place for specialty and regular brewed coffee, also teas.  They have sandwiches, pastries, cookies, salads.  When we sailed on the Emerald a few years back, we had a light lunch there on embarkation day, instead of dealing with the buffet crowds.  The piazza area (decks 5, 6, and 7) is a hub of activity day and night.  Next to the International Cafe is Good Spirits at Sea where you can get a good cocktail.  Agree with Dar & Bob about the Sandia en Fuego at Good Spirits at Sea.  We had them on our Alaska cruise on the Ruby (sister to the Emerald) in May, and it is now my DH's favorite Princess cocktail!

Other favs of ours: Promenade Deck, Club Fusion, Movies Under the Stars, Skywalkers Lounge and the Horizon Terrace/Outriggers Bar area aft (deck 15).

We loved the Coral when we sailed on her in 2008 for our anniversary and 1st Panama Canal cruise (full transit).  The small size suited us just fine, and we enjoyed walking on the full promenade deck.  One feature that we really liked immensely was the aft viewing area on our deck (Baja--11).  We discovered it was a great place to observe the operation of the locks from an aft vantage point, after being outside on several much more crowded areas of the ship.    We stayed out there for the later part of the transit with the added benefits of shade and lounge chairs.

13 hours ago, mom says said:

I haven't used a lock on my luggage in decades. Any thief can get around a lock in seconds, and could damage the bag in the process. I just zip tie the zippers together so they don't open due to rough treatment by the baggage handlers.  The nail clippers in my purse are all I need to remove them,

That's exactly what we've been doing for years.  

We watched only out of curiosity....was just about as lame as we figured.   Best part was Ted Lange (Isaac from the original Love Boat) showing up briefly.  Typical reality show tripe.  

Won't waste our time watching again.

49 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

Note that the ability to pick a boarding time does not show up on the app until shortly before you sail...maybe 2-3 weeks

We're sailing in just over 6 weeks and now are able to pick our boarding time.

I apologize if this has been recently discussed, but I haven't read whether or not the Winemakers Dinner is available on the Enchanted.  Sailing next month and would like to secure spots for us.  Recall posters saying that the dinner has to be reserved ASAP when you board.  Have done Chef's Dinner before (which was a wonderful experience), but we're interested in trying the Winemakers this time around, if possible.  The last I read, believe the price was $40pp. at that time?

Another vote to keep the Internet Cafe.  As a person of a certain age and not overly "tech-savvy", I appreciate the space in order to spread out a bit, get help if I need it and for printing as necessary.

Perhaps a few more years down the road, the need for the Internet Cafe will diminish, but right now, I say please keep it!

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

Maybe someone in the IT team will correct it. It may still come in the mail with the correct color. They usually arrive about 10-14 days before sailing.
 

But, when you arrive at the port, don’t bother going to the checkin area, just go through the green lane, if there is one and onto the ship.  You can stop at GS anytime and change it. Really only a few minutes.

 

Would be interesting to know if it arrives with the correct color. LMK

Yep...anxious to see which color DH ends up with...LOL...we'll just try to have it fixed on sailing day.

In the grand scheme of things, it isn't a big deal, of course.  Just glad we're sailing again!

Thanks!

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Your medallion should reflect your status when you sail. You are hoping to get the correct color in the mail, I presume?

 

What does the App show when your DW signs into her account?  Ruby or Platinum?  When you click on her photo and you see the seawitch is is black or red?

Is the website correct for both of you?

 

If it’s just the App that is wrong, you could call PCL first thing tmrw morning and ask for the Medallion App team and tell them to correct on the App.  
 

If they 

don’t fix it before you go, GS OB can verify the Platinum status and switch out the medallion.  It only takes a couple of mins.

 

 

 

Thanks for your response.  Yes, we want to receive the correct color of Medallion (in our case, Platinum) in the mail before we cruise.    As I stated, our Princess accounts both show our correct status, both when I log in and when my husband logs in, respectively.  It's the app. that is incorrect.  Of course, it's not really shocking, seeing how many issues the app. has had since the get-go.   Our Princess CVP didn't seem to have any answers, other than to suggest we have someone at the terminal correct it when we check-in.  I got a similar response from the person I connected with on "Live Chat'.  I called Princess yesterday and spoke to a girl from the Medallion App staff.  She said she sent a message to one of her "higher-ups" (her words).   

Not holding our breath for any further action, so will just wait until boarding day to have them straighten out hubby's status level.

We have an upcoming cruise in November and will finally be sailing at the Platinum level.  When we log into our Princess accounts, we both are now listed as Platinum, also showing on our travel summary.  

When I ordered our Medallions on the app., the first order showed us as Ruby.  Ok, I figured since I ordered the Medallions shortly after we returned from our last Princess cruise in May, our accounts hadn't been updated yet (completing the May cruise finally put us into Platinum status).  Fast forward to Aug., checked the Medallion order again, found we hadn't been upgraded to Platinum, so decided to just cancel the 1st order and reorder both our medallions.  Now, in Sept., just 2 months before sailing, was checking the app. and, lo and behold, mine shows I'm platinum, but DH shows as ruby.   Have used Live Chat, speaking to our Princess CVP and talking to the dept. that handles medallion issues.  No luck.  All I get is wait until we get to the port....ugghh....

Why is it so hard to get something as simple as this straightened out?

We got our "upgrade offer" early this AM.   Not exactly like NCL.  When we sent a bid on an NCL cruise a few years ago, there was the similar sliding-type meter showing "weak" to "strong" and we could put in the maximum we were willing to pay, but the Princess upgrade offer starts at a pretty high price (for their "weak" accepted minimum and the "strong" is way more than we'd ever pay.  No thanks.  We're staying with our original cabin (Prem.Deluxe Balc.).

Thought it was odd that all the choices given us with this offer---e.g., Club Class Mini-Suite, Vista, Premium & Penthouse Suites---are available, when they're showing as unavailable for our sailing in Nov. on the Princess website.

BTW, our bid through NCL was accepted--from an Oceanview to an Aft Balcony, and the upgrade price was quite reasonable, IMO.

Have used EZ Air several times and are pretty satisfied so far.  Only once we had an issue with luggage being lost...but that was the airline's handling, not the fault of Princess.  Right now, we are booking non-stop flights only to avoid any problems.

6 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

They were not free in our recent cruise. You are spending a considerable sum on a cruise, if the laundries are free then good, if not be prepared to spend all of $3 for a wash and $3 for a dry. Detergent if you need it costs less.

Not free on our cruise on the Ruby in May, either...$3.00 for washer and dryer (each) then, also.  We bring our own detergent.

Agree with others' suggestions, including Lunenburg, Peggy's Cove, Citadel, but please consider visiting the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic right at Halifax waterfront.   Many Titantic related articles there, including one of the wooden deck chairs from the ship.  Also, the Halifax Public Garden.  Small, but lovely.  

Our Alaskan Cruise on the Ruby in May was the 1st sailing that deleted Victoria and substituted it with Prince Rupert.  We had never been to Victoria and were very much looking forward to it (especially seeing Butchart Gardens).  The people in Prince Rupert were very friendly and we made the best of it.  There were only a couple of excursions available, and we chose a visit to the Musuem of Northern BC.  That walk uphill from the port was pretty steep, but the Musuem had some interesting artifacts and we also saw a demonstration of local Tsimshian heritage & traditions by young local children and teens.  Although we enjoyed the museum, we still were disappointed in the swap of ports.

Finding this thread interesting as we're sailing in a few days out of SF on the Ruby.  1st Alaskan cruise for us and I'm pretty sure I've overpacked...I can't imagine getting all of this stuff into a carry-on only, so will have each a large suitcase & a carry-on.  Bringing a lot of stuff for layering.  Also going to wear our hiking shoes onboard & carry jackets to lighten the load a bit.  Usually check the large bags with porters and roll on our carryons.  Hoping we can drop those off in cabin before lunch.

5 hours ago, 1965 said:

I see posts from time to time asking how far before cruise do medallians arrive. We depart May 11. Our medallians arrived today, April 28. Two weeks out.

Same for us---we sail May 10th and received our medallions yesterday, Apr. 27th--13 days prior.

We were able to pick our Arrival Group just about 60 days out -- in March.  We're sailing May 10th.

Can't pick departure group yet.

If you're going to be in a cabin on Caribe deck, mid-ship, then that is a great location with, as others have said, a larger, half-covered balcony.  We love the Caribe deck balconies!   Enjoyed ours with an ultimate balcony dinner--plenty of room.

Enjoy!

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

The public terminal area...before checkin, is really not a big area. You won't have any problems finding the site. I am sure it will be well marked.

Thank you - appreciate your response!