Pipo

I just booked my first Princess cruise (Discovery, Mexican Riviera), but I selected a guaranteed balcony. I have booked guaranteed cabins before (on Royal Caribbean), and my stateroom has been assigned within days after reservation, and I have been able to sail without issues. But recently I read this article which makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/30/royal-caribbean-passengers-denied-boarding/71749345007/ Are there any previous cases of denied boardings to passengers with guaranteed cabins on Princess due to oversold sailings? What insurance do you recommend that covers plane/hotel expenses in case I cannot board the ship? Thank you.

Are free juices available at the MDR?

ANY room service, including breakfast?

I'm planning to take a cruise on Millennium without paying for drinks. Is it possible to get a free juice from any bar? What are my options other than the juices offered on Oceanview Café during breakfast time?

Why you're mentioning room service? Don't tell me they are now charging for that too...

Hmmm, that sounds strange. Actually an experienced cruiser youtuber stated that specialty restaurants are being reduced or relegated because the MDR is improving the food quality, hence making specialty restaurants less attractive to guests. Celebrity is an upscale line so the need for extra cash is not as evident as it happens on the standard or popular lines.

That will represent a higher workload for restaurant service staff. The only exception could be Celebrity Flora, Xpedition, and Xplore.

It's also possible to be seated with people from the same country. The Maitre d' arranged that by himself during my Greek Islands cruise on Reflection. We were seated on the formal night with a family from Costa Rica. It was a nice surprise and we became friends after it.

I don't think they will be upgraded, it's very likely the package will be cancelled and the paid amount applied as on board credit.

I'm seriously considering on writing a letter to customer service and Captain's Club to share my feedback. They're currently on the "test phase" so it is very likely the comments will be handled properly and have a greater impact. Let's see what happens...

We're actually discussing that here:

Whenever drinks are sold individually, anyone can do the math and calculate if they will break even. On a transatlantic it perfectly makes sense, but on a five-port cruise... no way it is going to be worth. From my experience, the packages have been clear enough.

Good point. Anyway, I bet a dollar Celebrity will bring back some of the small packages for the summer. I believe that getting rid of the soda package is a BIG FAIL from a customer experience and a revenue perspective. They are aiming to cater a younger crowd, but simultaneously are eliminating things that young people like. This has no sense.

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That's what I'm actually thinking to do. Stick to lemonade and only pay for glasses of wine on dinner.

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective. I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

I'm booking a 7-night cruise on Millennium out of Puerto Rico on March. While reviewing the current drinks packages I can only see three options: classic, premium, and zero proof. No soda package, no kids package, no wine packages. Were those actually eliminated or will be available for purchase on board? Thank you for your clarification.