westendgirl

File this one under 'what were they thinking'?? A slap in the face for the P/E/S lounge. Quickest way I know for Princess to alienate its most loyal guests. :mad:

We've booked Starboard for 2019. Did the same in 2012 and the views were terrific.

Minor little nit of a question. Did they have the little custard filled donuts at the IC or just the raspberry filled ones? I like the raspberries, but I love the custard filled.

I love them too! The custard-filled donuts are not there every morning, but as I recall (from our June cruise), they showed up a couple of mornings. Also fantastic are the almond croissants at the IC!

So happy that you're happy! I feel that way every time we book a cruise :D

You should love the Regal. There a few detractions but in my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives. Enjoy!!

The comments at the end of the article said there should be a ban on ALL cruise lines for these kids.

I agree.

What kind of adults will these idiots be?

Yes. Zero judgment exhibited. And the parents as well. :mad:

Just got off the Ruby on Saturday. We received two. However, a friend who had completed this cruise three weeks earlier did not receive one.

How wonderful for you!! If enough of us clap our hands, maybe the Upgrade Fairy will continue to live (like Tinkerbell). ;)

Princess' elite perks and onboard credits. Their loyalty to us is why we are loyal to Princess!

It looks like an angry whale shark with a jelly fish body.

 

It's horrid.

Bazinga Jeanie! :eek:

I'm not surprised you're the first one to spot this, Caribill. Terrific! :D

Happy to hear that you made it home safely but so, so sorry that your blog has ended.

You provided some much needed escapism 'between cruises' and I always enjoy your writing style and sense of humor. Your politeness and tactfulness should make Canadians everywhere proud!

Come back soon Marla, Rev. DH, and Florence the Tiny Zebra! You will be very missed :loudcry:

Marla - on your next Princess cruise, check the Patter for Bavarian Night at the HC. They usually feature both Sacher torte and linzer torte as desserts. You can grab one with your cold milk before bed!

You can add me to the 'I like it' column. It's distinctive, not tacky. I can't imagine anyone choosing not to sail Princess based on the livery.

Thank you Linda for taking the time and trouble to post this entertaining blog. I've recommended it to a good friend who's travelling to SA for the first time next year and know it will be a helpful planning aid for her.

The luncheon meats you pictured are known in the US as head cheese and pickle and pimiento loaf. If you don't have them in the UK you are fortunate indeed.

Can't wait for your next adventure!

Oh my!! But, as someone far wiser than I said: all's well that ends well. Thank heavens for Good Samaritans everywhere.

Anxiously awaiting the final installment Linda! Have greatly enjoyed travelling along with you and all of the terrific photos, especially Machu Picchu.

Please don't throw Florence under the bus. The problem obviously has to do with an anti-humor individual, probably male, secretly hacking your posts. Need to launch a bipartisan parliamentary investigation as soon as you get home to get to the bottom of this.

 

 

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Marla - so happy to see that Florence is sailing again!! I've been following you for years and your posts are so entertaining and informative!

We are not new to cruising..but still need help with packing.

 

Somehow bags are always overweight and purchases often mean we need to buy additional bags and pay for extra hold bag.

 

As we get older, we are finding it more difficult to manage heavy luggage on transatlantic flights, especially those involving a change of aircraft.

 

Please suggest how I can cut down, especially with shoes...think my lowest number to date has been seven....still working on that.

 

Helpful suggestions gratefully received. Thanks.

From a shoe-aholic who is managing her addiction: Wear your heaviest shoes (usually your walking shoes) on the plane. Comfort and suitcase weight management trumps fashion. Only pack shoes that work well with multiple outfits. One pair of black or beige embellished heels should do it for formal nights or dinner in the MDR. Ballet-style flats work well with a myriad of looks and weigh very little. I formerly packed shoes in the double digits, but no more. Good luck to you! Some men may be rolling their eyes, but this is one of the toughest packing challenges if you love shoes.

We've missed ports for the following reasons:

1. High winds made it impossible to dock (Azores, Grand Turk, Toulon, St. Johns NF x2)

2. Hurricane damage to the docks (3 ports in the Caribbean on one cruise 2004)

3. Anchored in a safe harbor overnight in Greece due to hurricane-force winds, missing Katakolon (Crown Princess)

4. Argentine government would not allow us to dock in Ushuaia since we'd just been to the Falklands (Star Princess)

5. Engine trouble en route to Kauai (Tahitian Princess)

6. Ship's A/C system broke down in HI; cruise cancelled 3 days early (Carnival Spirit)

The only time a port was substituted was in 2004 when we missed 3 Caribbean ports due to dock damages. Carnival stopped in Nassau in lieu for one day.

Just got off the Regal last week. The hotel manager told us the problem was with their supplier and not that Princess had discontinued the bags. We wouldn't miss them but a lot of passengers would.

It seems from these posts that Princess is very inconsistent from ship to ship regarding their FS perks. However I have found the crew to be incredibly accommodating especially once shown a printout of the perks menu.

Inconsistent from ship to ship in the fleet? Surely you jest! :D

Just got off the Regal. They had Reubens on certain days in the HC Bistro area and the server would put it in a sandwich press to warm it and melt the cheese! I love them as a cruise treat, but limit my intake due to sodium. I can count on one hand the number of times we have eaten lunch in the MDR, but once it was because they were offering a Reuben sandwich that day. Like the previous poster stated, it was room termperature and the cheese wasn't even melted. Bummer.

You can see by the number of people attending afternoon movies that it's not a big hit and I can only take so much sun by the pools so it gives me a chance to relax.

Lying in bed to watch a movie on a small screen just isn't the same.

Agreed floridalover5623! But we've seen the Princess Theater/Vista Lounge/Explorers full at times for afternoon movies. Guess it just depends on the film. We're just not MUTS fans due to the sound quality, both on the screen and from the viewers around us. ;)

If that's true then I fear they might eliminate afternoon movies at some point. :(

I'm afraid they're already headed there. On our last 5 cruises, there was a dearth of afternoon movies. Sometimes, there's just no other activity that interests us in the afternoon and we like to catch up on recent movies that we've missed on the big screen. It's a shame, but since revenue is not produced... We also heard from the hotel manager in December that Princess is not planning to add on-demand movies fleet wide. Hope he was misinformed. :(

Hi all, and thank you for being aware of my absence. I appreciate the concern and the friendship. Those who have my email have been in touch, but I suppose there are one or two of you out there who don't have it. ;)

 

Anyhow, we are alive, but not always well. I'm OK, but life with Mike is challenging. Inasmuch as we are restricted to local cruising, I decided to change venues and give the other lines a treat. I do post to my various roll calls, but pretty much just play on Floataway. Keeps the brain running in lieu of on board trivia.

 

Again, thank you my friends. Arrivederci. :)

Pia, you are truly missed on Princess! We only met once - on your marathon LA to Sydney to LA - but your Live From's and other posts provided so much insight and information over the years. You were always so generous in answering cruising questions, no matter how lame. All best thoughts and wishes to you and Mike.