graphicguy

I must have missed the whole “dress up to fly” trend. I’ve flown over 2 million miles (and counting) and never experienced that. But, flying is as common as catching a bus. I would imagine in the 50s, maybe even the 60s, it was more of a unique way to travel, given what I’ve read about aviation travel in the “early” days.

While I’ve had issues with NCL in the past for totally unrelated issues, I commend them for allowing passengers to dress as they please. No one will care one way of the other if you’re in a tux/gown or if you’re in a pair of Khakis/capri pants. Kudos to NCL.

Important? Hardly! The last vestiges of tux/gown/suit and tie wearing on cruise ships are quickly fading away. But, there is a line where those who want to dress up can book a cruise. I hear Cunard is the place to go.

Had issues with $2 bills in Bermuda. Restaurant there wouldn’t accept it (tried to get rid of it paying my tab). Same cruise, crew member said they couldn’t cash it on board, but had to take it to the land based bank to change it. My original question, why go out of your way to make it more difficult for foreign establishments and crew to cash what is clearly an attempt to be frivolous? I don’t get it. Other U.S. currency is normally accepted everywhere. $2 bills? Not so much!

The only time I’ve been able to use casino chips as tips is for tipping the wait and cashier staff. Everywhere else, it’s a no go. Even at the Customer Service dept. When I’ve tried to cash in my chips towards the end of the cruise at Customer Service, they always told me I could only do that with the casino cashier.

Don’t understand why anyone wants to make the crew’s life more difficult by insisting on giving them $2 bills?

You would have to ask the cruise line!

@JamieLogical….looks like my Bengals will be visiting your Bills this weekend!

@JamieLogical…..sorry to hear about your husband. Also, not the way you want to return from a trip (flat tire). I got the impression your Princess cruise was a “one and done” from your reports. I was Princess curious. I can drop them from my list (or at least way down from the ones I look at, which I do all the time). Got into a tiff with MSC about my upcoming May cruise with them. Apparently, they do not understand they advertise a rate, and when someone books it with a deposit, they are obligated on their end to adhere to it. Different story for another time. Welcome home.

Yay…yay…yay!!!!! Have a great trip!

Agree! I don’t know what their analytics are telling them, and what they are looking at. But, emphasizing their “premium” experiences, as in the Retreat, allows for higher margins per passenger.

Oh No! Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you’ve recovered. Our cruise was one of the best I’ve ever taken….mainly because of all of my fellow cruisers. I think Jamie just completed another cruise on Princess.

Thinking the same. Two separate issues. Taking a cruise this weekend and our car was rear ended. Your car is still going to be wrecked whether you take the cruise or not. May as well take it. If it’s the only car you have, take an Uber/Lyft?

I am really quite surprised the crew didn’t make note that the stroller in the aisle needed to be removed as a tripping hazard if an exit from the theater had to be made with the lights down. And, double thumbs down to the family for A) putting the stroller there to begin with, and B) not removing the obnoxious child from the theater.

Agree. Do what you can, when you can. But, airports, flights, excursions, and being on the ship....all are potential breeding grounds for a multitude of illnesses. Keep up on your vaccines, wash your hands, stay away from people who are obviously ill. That's the best you can do. The good news is, I'm thinking the passenger vaccinated percentages sailing on ships these days has to be higher than the general population in U.S. and Canada (81% of the entire population). My guess is on a cruise ship, where the average age of passengers is considerably higher, that number is probably closer to 97%+. Point being, short of not cruising, a cruise ship is probably a relatively safe place to be with regards to Covid because of the high vaccination rates.

FREE works quite well!! 😉

@KKB...been a while since I sailed Carnival. I've had mixed experiences. It's "different" than what I usually sail. Some like it, obviously, otherwise they wouldn't have passengers on their sailings. Not my "go to" cruise line. But, if the price is too good to pass up, I'd sail them again. @JamieLogicalyou've sailed a lot on different lines. We both have a lot of experience on cruises. We know what we like, what we don't like, and what we're ambivalent about. Sounds like this cruise was more the latter than the former. BTW....was at the Bengals/Bills game last night. Obviously, a tragic experience. I know you're a huge Bills fan. Football game takes a back seat. If there's a silver lining, seeing the players gather in the middle of the field, from both teams, praying for Damar Hamlin, reinforced my faith in professional sports personalities. The young man is at one of the top Cardiac Hospitals in the Midwest. Just heard most of the team (Bills) flew home. More important things in this world than football.

Since the restart, I've sailed Celebrity, Royal, and NCL. It's not just Princess. The only cruise line that came out of the restart and back to where they were (at least service and quality wise) was Celebrity. Enjoyed my NCL cruise, but that's because I had never done the itinerary before (NE/Canada) and some of my fellow posters were on board to hang with. Royal was nowhere close to being remotely ready to go (little in the way of entertainment, lines to even get into the Buffet, etc). Princess sounds like they're falling away in deep waters, too. Celebrity was on point. Point being, all these cruise lines have had 1.5+ years since the start up to get their "act together". From what I've experienced, and what I'm reading, some can't find a liquor wholesaler to service them adequately (NCL). Some have done big cutbacks on food quality (Princess). Some can't seem to get their personnel situation corrected. At first? Understandable. 18-20 months later? Inexcusable.

You, @JamieLogical, @ESCARGO and I have similar tastes in cruising. That’s why I value all of the posts I see from all of you. I’ve been Princess “curious” for a while. Jamie’s review doesn’t instill much confidence in me booking them…at least not in the foreseeable future. I’ll never say “never”…as never is a long time. MSC is next up. But, that’s not until May. I’m looking for something to “tide me over” until then. Trying to nail down something on Celebrity. But, the deals we got right after start up are a distant memory. Still, I’m looking.

Just like any cruise line, a little shopping (different dates, time of year, cabin categories, etc) goes a long way. Took a 7-nite New England/Nova Scotia Breakaway cruise as a solo in a Club Balcony Cabin in November. Took all FAS. Without the OBC that came with it, I think I was somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-$700 all in. Just have to shop a little bit. But, that’s always been the case.

Can’t help but getting a mental picture of the movie “Romancing the Stone” hearing about Cartegena. Looks like a place well worth while to visit, though. @JamieLogical…thanks for commenting on the entertainment. I hadn’t read anything about it. Sorry it was disappointing. But, maybe a campy way of entertaining oneself? 😉

Jamie….just love….LOVE this review. I know you said you would probably not sail Princess, again. And, I certainly understand why. But, I’m amazed by the itinerary and the trip through the PAnama Canal (which seems like it could not hold a large cruise ship). Hope things get better and you keep posting. Thanks!

Glad I jumped out of my NCL stock a few weeks ago. Nice ROI, but mostly invested for the OBC. Not seeing myself sailing NCL for a long while....higher fares, fewer services, across the board cutbacks...none of that makes for a compelling NCL experience.

OK…that’s one. I recall a cruise line being fined over and over for serious environmental sins they caused. I want to say it was Princess (no surprise). When the Costa Concordia ran aground, I recall an environmental impact study of the area stating the area around the ship would take decades to recover.

Some crazy reasons for bringing $2 bills on a cruise. I guess if you want to, so be it. More of a hassle for me to go get them, and for the crew to accept and use them on their end (if they can, at all). Still don’t understand why anyone would go out of their way to use $2 bills on a cruise ship?