bugsy43

We've been on numerous Princess cruises in the past but our upcoming trip on the Majestic will be our first on a Royal Class ship. We want to start booking our dining times but I'm not sure which one to book. We prefer wherever possible to go to the same dining room with the same wait staff rather than going to the different ones. 
Our biggest priority (aside from the food of course) is to have friendly, accommodating wait staff. 
I'm just curious on people's recent experiences or recommendations. 🙏

It’s unfortunate for all parties as there is no room in the stateroom to get around and but yet it’s also a nuisance and danger to other staff and passengers. What do you do? 
 

*Make hallways wider on new ships?

*Add enough room to the entryway for the scooter to be able to be stored in the stateroom and will be an inconvenience to them?

*Create Scooter Class or Deck? 
 

I agree something needs to be done for everyone’s safety and satisfaction as I’ve received enough bruises and “run over” feet to last a lifetime but on the flip side, I’m getting older and have bad knees that most likely will at some point need replacement and so I would hope to still be able to enjoy cruising with any aids (not too soon 🤞) I might require and hope that by then there are better solutions that will allow everyone to enjoy cruising safely and comfortably as the number of walkers and scooters is only going to climb with an aging population.

The current Best Sale Ever is continuing until February 29th,2020, so I wouldn’t expect any big changes except for the last minute spring sale mentioned previously. 
 

21 minutes ago, Peckishpixie said:

That's another thing. Sometimes our parent company sets up a group amenity and no one can change it. It's the same thing for everyone in the group. We add you to established groups to save you money, but then we have less control.

I also concur for example the cruise line offers a list of amenities and assigns each a point value. Sometimes after selecting for example the casino credit, there might only be enough for the photo and rather than have it go unused, it’s there. They should change the way they do the group amenities as they’re sometimes not that great and can’t be changed. 

The birthday celebration package goes above and beyond the door sign and cake/song in the dining room in that they will decorate thE interior of the stateroom with balloons and decorations. This has a cost associated with it whereas the regular birthday sign doesn’t. This one I suspect may have been personally added by your agent. 
 

I can also concur that I wouldn’t be offended if you called me and allowed me to explain where and what I could do if anything. 
 

It’a obvious from your post that you have a lot of integrity and empathy about not wanting to hurt their feelings and I think they I’ll appreciate and it will strengthen your client relationship.

Please post any updates. 😀

Agree with most of what’s been said in that he will be fine with long pants and polo style or button down shirt and you won’t even get a 2nd glance.
 

But, and I’m just speaking in general here that by 12yrs old, they should be able to understand and respect rules and procedures regardless of whether they may like them or not. I’d wear my sweats to work but it’s against company policy and they don’t really care if I like the policy or not. 

The example it sets moving forward is that rules and procedures can be disregarded if they are inconvenient or the person doesn’t “like” them and sadly that isn’t how the world works as we would be otherwise living in chaos. In this case it’s a silly dress code but I’m just trying to speak in general. 

I didn’t post this to sound like Im being judgy and want nothing more than for your first cruise experience to be fantastic and you chose a great cruise line.

But I do expect that there will be some who disagree with my opinion and will let it be known with flames but it’s just my observation  as someone that has cruised many times both with and without children.

Again I hope you all have a great cruise. 

On 12/30/2019 at 10:35 PM, Ombud said:

I don't like soda ... never have. I think it's the sugary effervesents. And I use my own water bottle. I also get 250 internet minutes and 2 coffee pkgs as perks. That said, I did get the BSE pkg on my TA because it was listed at the same price as the best price fare. Glitch in system? For some of us it doesn't make financial sense. I'm just saying to price it out to see if it works. Now if they included $10 per day casino instead of either internet or alcohol I'M IN!!

LOL!  
 

If you do self disembarkation even faster. We made it to the airport one by 9 and even tried to  get on the earlier flight but it has just closed checkin. 
 

so you will be fine. 

On 12/29/2019 at 12:26 PM, Ombud said:

It might not be worth it for me. 

$40 day

- 14.50 gratuities 

- 0 ..... trading minibar for coffee card

- 0 ..... I get 250 minutes which is plenty

$25.50 for 1 glass wine MAX

 

less next 2 cruises since I'm carrying on & paying $15 -$45 corkage (1 cruise is 18 days + Sydney Au)

 

Do you drink anything else like soda, bottled water (especially when in ports)?

maybe you could try a new wine or dare I say go nuts and have 2 glasses or really mix it up and have a frozen, fruity drink (even virgin if you want). 
 

We don’t drink much at all either but we did the same calculation and decided that just being able to have as much as we wanted if we did feel daring one day and to try different things we otherwise might not. 
 

On 12/11/2019 at 6:13 PM, srpilo said:

Elite in cabin canape's --> Chocolate covered Strawberries  on formal nights 

the Elite canapés in cabin are still available, however now you have to fill out the room service card with your selections and give to your steward in advance if you want them delivered. Many people (including us), ended up not eating them so they must have wasted a lot and figured this way, those that want them can have them.

Not to sound crotchety, but I can understand not having the Elite toiletries on the first transatlantic cruise since the products are probably originating in the US but am surprised this continued. 
 

I know it’s a small thing, but if you’re going to offer it as a perk to your highest level travellers, then you should have it. I quite enjoy finding it in the stateroom on embarkation day. It wouldn’t affect my trip in any negative way, but is a small touch that we look forward to. 
 

Honestly, only do it if you have room as we haven’t packed one on our last 3 cruises and by no means were we considered underdressed and not once did we get a strange look or comment. Just have fun. 

15 hours ago, skynight said:

Error? I would also like to know. Seems they should all be the same size, 222 sq. ft. 

After more research and calls, I can only assume it is an error as it otherwise makes no sense.

Hi everyone,

I apologize if this question has been answered but have been away from here for a while and can’t seem to figure out how to search the threads. 
 

I’m looking at selecting a Balcony Cabin on the Sky Princess. In order to save us confusion 🤣, we are looking at Caribe Deck as we’ve always stayed on that deck. I noticed that some of the aft cabins towards the very aft (Category BD) are bigger at 250sq ft compared to the other balconies (excluding deluxe and premium) and was wondering if there was a reason and if this was a good or bad thing? 
 

We usually try and stay more towards midship but if I can get a bigger cabin then it’s something I’d consider. 
 

Any feedback on the pros and cons of these cabins would be greatly appreciated. I’ve only sailed on the Grand Class ships so am not as familiar with the categories. 
 

Thank you. 😀

On 11/12/2019 at 9:16 AM, whitecap said:

My 2 cents, flame if you must:

When did common sense become a thing of the past.  An animal trained to detect a seizure, seeing eye dog and alike are providing a "SERVICE" to the owner.  A service dog allows many individuals the freedom to do things and go places that otherwise they may not be able to do.

An "emotional" animal provides no service, is there for the comfort of the owner and nothing else.  This animal should not be allowed aboard a ship, plane, train or any other public transportation.  They are not trained and are many times not well behaved.  If a person is not able to travel, shop or go to a public restaurant, without their animal, they probably shouldn't be traveling without being accompanied by a "trained human".  

Having experienced a number of cruises where people brought their "emotional pet" onboard, seeing them walk the buffet line petting the dog over top the food and touching the utensils, I find it a failure of the cruise line to allow this.  If it is so important to the cruise line to not upset these individuals then assign a crew member to the individual to get their food, drinks or other needs, clean up after the animal etc.  Otherwise, go by the ADA standard:  Certified/Documented Service Animals ONLY! 

Slightly off main topic however based on personal experience, I’m more concerned about some of the passengers habits and behaviours when it comes to sanitary practices on board. 😳😳

They can vary quite a bit ... depending on the organizer. ;)

And the participants too for sure! I’ve been to some where I’ve met people that I still keep in touch with years later.

I’ve also been to some where I’ve met people from whom I’ve then spent the remainder of my cruise hiding from because they were just that irritating. 🤪🤪😄😄

That's ridiculous. How am I supposed to know what night I want to try there until I see the menu for the main dining room? We've got a free meal at a specialty restaurant included this trip too. Going the the Ruby July 28th.

I agree. I don’t like it either. For our upcoming cruise in a couple of weeks, I think I’m going to prebook a time and then change or cancel it onboard. I’m thinking if I have a prepaid booking and request a change, perhaps they will

be more accommodating.

Wow! I’ve been cruising for 25 years and never thought to pre-purchase an OBC to significantly save on currency exchange. That’s just brilliant.

We are leaving on our cruise in less than 2 weeks.

If by chance you don’t use up all of your purchased OBC, is it refunded back to you (and if so is it automatic back to original card or do you have to arrange it with guest relations first prior to disembarkation). I don’t actually anticipate this happening but just wanted to know.

Thanks again. :D

Legally' date=' they cannot charge ore for an HA cabin than for any other cabin of the same category. However, on Princess all the HA cabins are located as near as possible to the elevators, making them in a higher location cost than some. So yes, it is possible to book a balcony HA that is categorized as "mid forward," while the next cabin can be categorized as "forward" and cost less. There are no far forward or far aft HA cabins on Princess. It is VERY convenient for the cabin to be near the elevator.

 

On the other hand, on DCL the HA cabins are far forward and far aft, making use of the curve of the ship to obtain the extra space needed. There are only solid balcony HA cabins, no plexiglass balconies (which cost more). SO, on DCL, the HAs are at the lower end of the cost for a type like balcony, oceanview, or inside. But they are at the far end of the hall, away from the elevators. This means you have to navigate around host carts, strollers that people may have left in the hall (a rule violation, but it happens,) etc.

 

I've actually been told several times that HA cabins on Princess "cost more," always by people who don't understand the idea of price being based on location. Not true. It is just that they are in the more expensive locations.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks for the further detailed explanation.

I dislike the bathrooms in HC cabins. Because there are no thresholds the room floods when showing. It always feels damp and weird to me. I personally would avoid these cabins.

Oh, that’s a good point that I hadn’t thought of. Thanks

So far, I’m starting to think we might be better off with what we have. I was just hoping not to have to move.

Thanks for all the feedback.

do accessible cabins cost more than say the cabin next door?

No they don’t. They are the same as the other cabins in the same category. That would be horrible if they cost more.

A member of my family has a physical need for the HA cabin' date=' so we always book them. We have never had an issue on Princess with noise related to the cabin location. We've had a balcony cabin and a window suite on the Caribbean Princess as well as inside cabins on the Diamond Princess. We've had far more noise from neighboring cabins than from anything relating to our cabin location. On Princess, the bathroom configuration is quite good in the HA cabins. You do have the added space, and do not lose any significant features that are present in a "normal" cabin. When you move up to the mini or full suites, you lose the bathtub and have other changes.

 

You do need to be aware that if a person needing the HA cabin wishes to book the cruise and no other HA cabins are available, there are circumstances under which you would be moved. It is not likely given that the cruise is in a few weeks, but it can happen. It usually results in you being given an upgrade...again pending availability. Each cruise line has policies specifically detailing how this is handled, but the bottom line is that a person with a physical need for the HA cabin has priority over an able bodied person who has booked it for convenience. I'm not trying to be ugly here...just making you aware.

 

Example...we were booked on another line. 4 days before the cruise, my daughter had a situation which would have been minor in anyone else, but put her completely in a wheelchair due to her underlying condition. We contacted her main doc and physical therapist, then our TA. We told the TA that IF we could move to an HA cabin, we would be able to do the cruise. If not, given that she was unable to walk at all at that point, we would use our insurance coverage and cancel the cruise. It turned out that there was an able bodied person who had requested the HA in order to have more space for his scuba gear. The cruise line swapped us--he went to our higher category cabin, we went to the HA. Since then, her condition has deteriorated, which is the expected course for her disease...and we always book HA.[/quote']

 

First, I’m so sorry about your daughters condition and I hope things improve. :*

 

Thanks for your feedback. This is exactly what I thought/was aware of.

 

Again, we didn’t want this cabin for any reason other than the fact that it was the only same cabin available on Caribe Deck for both legs of the back to back. I just happened to notice it today as I was looking.

 

We are fine to stay with what we have and don’t want, nor did we ever even consider taking it away from someone in need.

 

The fact that it would offer more space wasn’t even really at all involved in our consideration.

 

Happy Cruising.

No. I sincerely doubt it would be a noisy location. We have had a Caribe balcony cabin that you could see the cabin door from the elevator waiting area and it wasn't noisy. I do have to ask though, if there is a reason you should be allowed to book the HC cabin. If you have a need for it I can see booking it. If not, I can't see taking the HC cabin when someone else might need it. We did have one once but it was an automagic upgrade from Princess (from inside forward on Lido!) so it was obvious that nobody needed the cabin.

Thanks so much for the feedback. We had no desire or need for the cabin but as we are sailing in 2 weeks and the same cabin was available for each of the 2 legs (along with another accesible one across the hall on same deck), I would have to assume that it’s perhaps not needed at this point. Perhaps like in your case, it wasn’t needed and as such was being offered for general use.

FYI, and I know this from professional experience, IF someone were to come along that needed it, they would “bump” the person that wasn’t in need for it to another stateroom of equal value or higher.

Hi All,

I’m hoping for some expert advice. We are doing a back to back cruise on the Caribbean Princess in a few weeks and are currently having to switch cabins between the 2 legs. It’s not far (from Starbord to Port) between the two but would mean the hassle of changing.

I just discovered that one of the accessible staterooms is available on both legs but I’ve never stayed in one before. I know the cabin is much larger and the bathroom is configured differently which is fine with us. My only concern is with the location being directly facing the forward elevators/stairs. Would this location be noisy? We are on Caribe Deck 10 on the Caribbean Princess.

I am trying to figure out whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?

Any advice would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks, 😀

Perfect! Thank you so much. I appreciate your quick response.

HI There,

I would like to set up a Meet and Mingle with passengers on an existing Roll Call on the Caribbean Princess. Does anyone know how to contact someone with whom I can determine a venue and time on the first Sea Day on our cruise? I would also like to invite Officers to our event but do not have their contact inflormation. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.