suec12

Well when we went on our first Princess cruise I had read on these boards about the MDR option. So as we were boarding I asked several staff as we were moving along which dining room was open - they all said go to the buffet. The others I was with thought I was a bit crazy when I insisted there was an open dining room and went off to find it on my own. Yes, when we got there we were very well treated. But only by reading these boards would I have known to persist - and by the way, thanks to those who posted this info last spring before our Alaskan cruise.

But if you ask almost any staff member which dining room is open for lunch they will tell you to go to the buffet. The sit down lunch option is a secret for CC members! :cool:

Also please keep mentioning how the anytime dining is working out for you. We like to eat around 7 - I have read comments all along the spectrum as to if it goes smoothly or is just terrible.

Enjoying your review with food emphasis! We will be on the Ruby in a few weeks. We sailed on the Emerald last July and thought most of the seafood dishes were quite good. This is helping to refresh my memory on dishes I especially liked. We often ordered an extra side "for the table" of the fettucini that I thought paired very well with the seafood. Thanks for taking the time to entertain and inform.:)

We have always gotten a "free" drink package as a perk but will be on a tranatlantic next fall. I thought there were 2 levels of drink packages (with alcohol) but there are 3 - premium, classic and standard? Is the standard like really really limited? Is there detailed info on the X website what it includes? I'll try searching this board a bit as well.

Also, are drink packages wver discounted once on the ship? like maybe after several days?

You may want to check out the "ports" forum here on CC - esp. about if there is a HOHO. What I think is very close to Villefrance is Cap d'Ail and Villa Euphrisi which is wonderful. And possibly walkable from the tender docks. Otherwise it sounds like a small group, maybe connecting on your roll call, would be a good option. Tours by locals could be a good resource as well.

I'm always happy to be back on an X ship in the MDR for escargot and onion soup. The prime rib has usually been decent!

Not sure how many ships O has now but just be aware, on the older ones, the cabins and baths compare sadly with most of the X fleet. I'd love to sail on one of the new O ships but just can't pay the prices they are asking.

We did one O cruise - on one of the older ships - on those, cabins much below X. Food in main O MDR is a step or two above, service too, but it may come with a side of snobbery as can be found thruout the ship IMO. So even tho food is quite important to me, no way I'm paying the price for an O cruise in the future.

We usually just plan our own transportation but we arrive to San Pedro and need to get to LAX on a Saturday. Not in a hurry - plane does not leave until 3. If we sign up for the Princess transfer, is it likely we can leave the ship at a late disembark time? The LA traffic has me a bit nervous and not sure I want to Uber - we have had some bad Uber experiences here in Atlanta.

The town is beautiful (rumor has it they give the homeless that try to camp there bus tickets).

As I remember the town provides either a free or very low coast bus into town. You can find a walking tour pod cast to download narrated by "Mr. Peterman". There are some lovely murals in the courthouse and a Spanish mission a bit out of town. The beach was very near where Celebrity tenders went in.

But really, just stroll - it is incredibly scenic - looks like a "beautified" version of a Spanish town!

We will be on a Pacific coastal on Ruby and have chosen anytme dining. If we want to dine around 7, should we expect to wait? We are a party of two but would prefer to be seated with others so we can meet some new people. Can we make reservations? On X (our usual cruise line) you can make reservations, however they are often not honored :rolleyes:

We are primarily X cruisers but have tried a few other lines for various reasons. In July we were on Princess for the first time as it was a family trip, chosen by a sibling.

I do think Princess does seafood better (not necessarily fish tho). X is much stronger on beef and lamb. The everyday menu on Celebrity is way better IMO as I LOVE the escargot and French onion soup. I do like the buffet better on Celebrity too but part of that might have been it took me several days to get familiar with the layout on Princess.

Princess pizza - line waaaay too long unless you went at odd times.

We have done one HAL - I was fine with it, friends that went with us said they lost weight.

I think Oceania was the best for food but too pricey for me these days and there was a snob factor from other passengers and staff. I really liked Azamara too but again, not willing to pay those prices now.

We have done many X sailings, and just one Princess last July (Alaska) because family members chose it. For the most part, the product is similar, altho we usually do not go to shows, casino, or fitness facilities. I think X cabins are a bit better because they all have a small sofa, Princess has better storage.

I'm a bit of a foodie! I thought Princess had much better seafood (not so much the fish) but shrimp, scallops, even crab legs one night, than Celebrity. X has much better beef and lamb. We did not try a specialty restaurant on Princess, we like Qisine and Lawn Club Grill on X but I think they are overpriced (we use our OBC). I thought the lunch and breakfast buffets (and even dinner) were better on X. The everyday menu is much better on X IMO.

Stockholder credit policy much better on Princess. Drink prices cheaper on Princess. But either will offer a pleasant vacation experience. Enjoy!

Thank you Pete - as far as the time change - I obviously have not really wrapped my head around it at this point!:)

For those of you reading this thread, if you made reservations for select, were they honored? like within a 15 minute window? Last time we did select, our experience was dismal - but it was for a party of 6 / 8.

How many formal, er, chic nights? which nights? as far as you can tell, is the select dining still going smoothly? do you notice yourself wanting to eat later because of the time changes? THANKS!

thank you Jeremiah!

Could someone give a $ amount of a refundable / non-refundable cruise fare from HAL or Royal? I really don't want to have to try to learn / navigate another website! or even just a guesstimate would be appreciated - does length of cruise impact the price difference? THANKS!

just wondering - is there a charge to see the doctor for this or do they encourage this to the point that they do not charge? the time I saw the doctor on board, it was pretty pricey for not much IMO. (It was not for noro)

If you don't mind.....

We are looking at this exact same cruise for next Oct. We need to decide which category cabin - inside or balcony. And then dining option.

Could you add a brief note to your postings about the weather - is it warm enough that we would enjoy a balcony?

And we have done select dining in the past and it has been a scrum. I think you are select? you have reservations? are they honored? are people coming to the dining room and being given pagers?

Thank you for the info you are posting - great timing for me as we plan for next year. Continue to have a great trip!

What time are your dinner reservations for? Just for the 2 of you? We have been frustrated on other sailings with how reservations have been handled and are considering switching to assigned dining. Thanks!

Thinking about booking a cruise for about a year from now...how often does X run the $25 deposit sale? Are there usually sales around T-giving? Thanks!

We have done many X cruises, but never a TA. I see one that looks appealing to me but not sure my husband will go for all those sea days. Does X "step on their game" with activities (trivia) and commentators on the sea days? (We've found that overall, activities have been reduced in recent years).

So if you have done a TA, would you do so again? Anyone tried it once, never again? All comments welcome!

Sailed on the Emerald about 3 weeks ago - table of 6 - almost always had about 8 entrees - we all really liked the fettucini alfredo as a side for the seafood dishes!