sloopsailor

We much prefer DMW. We chose different times and cycle through all the dining rooms for variety. And we like to see each dinning room from different perspectives, so enjoy having a table in a different location each time. It's quite interesting how different the view of the room looks from different tables. The "convenience" of the servers knowing our preferences is such a minor aspect that we don't miss it at all. Having different servers has not diminished the dining experience in any way. In fact, we enjoy meeting as many of the staff as possible, so different servers actually enhances the experience.

I agree fully with your comment. I was pointing out the reasons many Americans don't get a passport. Several people on this thread seemed to look down on people who don't have a passport as if it is a flaw in their character. If they don't need one, they don't have to get one. It has nothing to do with "stubborn Americans" not wanting to spend the money. Why spend money if they don't have too?? If going out of the country, then yes, if they refuse to get a passport because of a loophole in the requirements, then THOSE people are indeed stubborn - and careless. That we can agree on.

Why do you think they don't get a passport?

If people don't travel internationally, why would they need a passport? My mother was 71 before she got her passport. And that was because my wife and I wanted to take her to our favorite European cities for her first overseas trip ever. Until then she was perfectly satisfied with visiting federal and state parks, and famous cities and sites here in the states. For her it WAS because this country is so large and has so much to offer without ever having to leave it's borders. And I was in my late 30s before I got one for the same reason. Note, I have since taken a different route than my mother and my wife and I have travelled extensively since the mid 80s, visiting 43 countries during our 39 years (and counting) of marriage. We absolutely recognize the value of an up-to-date passport. But many people have different priorities. I don't think less of them if they don't see the value of getting a passport, unlike some people on this thread.

Perhaps it's because the US is so large that many citizens never need a passport to travel since there are so many places to visit in one country, resulting in that they never have a desire to go to a foreign country. If you look at the size of the US overlaid over Europe, this one country covers dozens of European countries where people used to need passports to cross borders.

Nor with talking about a cruise the author of the statement took. That sounds completely fake to me.

Lady Arwen is correct. The steps into the bathroom itself is not 8 inches, but more like three inches maximum. 8 inches is how high the steps for typical stairs are. No way does getting into the bathroom or shower have the same height as a stair step.

The comment was about San Francisco, not about various ports. I've never seen this in San Francisco, no matter the cruise line. Must be a screw up.

Yes. These events have always been over hyped and gradually people have gotten tired of them. We went to our first two, were bored at both, and have never gone to another.

However, the "What, me worry?" attitude that Princess management seems to have towards all the changes they are making must be inspired by this famous fellow's motto. 😁

The Princess Marketing Director looks more like this person:

Is that a bar that serves juices and smoothies or a frozen juice bar on a stick? 😁

And that is exactly how much OBC was given. Great fare, though!

Good TAs aren't always measured on whether the OBC they offer is refundable or not. If you knew how large the discount was on my fare, you would realize that the OBC given is just icing on the cake. Considering how much he saved me, I could easily afford to lose that non-refundable OBC and still come out far ahead in the end.

To put to bed an implication - you cannot be tracked by other random passengers. You voluntarily decide whom in your travel party has access to your location. All other passengers do not, and cannot, have that access.

The conditions of the excellent deal we received has the OBC as non-refundable. The rest of the OBC is shareholder benefits of $250.

Every cruise ship we have been on except Princess has had multiple levels to it's main dining room, most often two and sometimes three. I find those to be quieter and a much more enjoyable and spacious feeling than the low ceiling dining rooms on the Grand class Princess ships, which feel a bit closed in.

Quality and selection is also better on Celebrity, so it isn't that outlandish. Princess isn't know for the highest quality food, while Celebrity is rated higher. 6 Best Italian Restaurants on Cruises https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1947 6 Best Cruise Ship Steakhouses https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1942

Because of all the price increases coming around the middle of Feb (bev packages, crew appreciation, wifi, and now specialty dining), we have already booked the Plus package and two specialty dining reservations to beat the increases. Unfortunately, we had to pay via credit card instead of waiting to get onboard and booking using OBC, which we have a generous amount due to shareholder and TA bonuses, both of which are not refundable. If - and that is a BIG if - we don't use all our OBC up, is there a way to convert any unused balance into cash before the cruise is over? Or do we just lose it? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Looks like the difference between US and Canadian dollars. Are you sure you aren't seeing them in Canadian dollars since that is where you live?

This why I never go on a vacation without a pair of good ear plugs. The kind worn by construction workers are great.

And if you cancel service, how is that handled? For instance, when you move out?

Here is a comparison of the Terms and Conditions for Plus packages before and after Feb 20, 2023. Note that there is no mention that Plus packages purchased before December 15th are being limited to only $12 credit on drinks if used on cruises AFTER February 20th when drink prices are increased: BEFORE FEB 20: BEGINNING ON FEB 20:

And that is a big part of the so-called "tracking" being done. Areas where more people congregate can be enhanced for optimal enjoyment, while areas that are not used as much can be downsized or replaced in future ship rehabs. All ships have over and under utilized areas. Having historical data of actual area use can make a ship even more appealing to more people when those areas are adjusted to better spread out passenger loads.

Not strange at all. In my area we don't have annual contracts on utilities, for instance. Our billing is monthly. We can cancel anytime we want with no contract cancellation penalties. And there is no negotiation process. The price is the price, and if we subscribe to their service, we pay for what we have used. Most other services are on a month to month basis. Rare are services that require a yearly contract. For instance, for electricity, natural gas, and water we pay the going rate per unit multiplied by the number of units consumed. Use more units, pay more on the bill. Government required fees and taxes also are added. Those bills are good candidates to verify to manage any usage trends or discover waste from unnecessary consumption, such as water leaks. For home security or cable TV services, we pay month to month until we decide to cancel. Those generally stay the same price month to month, but we aren't constrained by yearly contracts that may have early cancellation penalties. We can cancel anytime. For home or auto insurance we are billed a yearly rate and we can chose to pay in one payment at the beginning of the yearly coverage cycle or spread it out over 12 equal monthly payments, as you do. In that case, the bill is always the same, month to month. Those don't need to be verified other than to review if any unexpected changes in coverage have occurred that we were not properly notified about. Those we can also cancel anytime. NOTE: My apologies to those of you who find this not relevant to the topic. I am just trying to describe that for some of us around the world, paying bills isn't as systematic as for others. Knowing our differences helps people understand each other better.