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Nearly ruined a trip to Jamaica for me years ago - you're right, seeing the Endo was like seeing God for me after a few long, long days! Ahhh, relief!

We bring individual packets of Via instant coffee from Starbucks (or your preference) to add to the room service coffee urn - one or two to the pot usually does the trick. Without the additive, it can be quite tasteless. The top of the urn just twists off easily.

Your suggestion about that link-up cable you used to stream from your tablet was a good one!

The best way to see both Oia and Thera is to take one of the water taxis from the tender dock (at the bottom of the cable car/stairs up to Thera) to Oia. Most folks will go directly up to Thera from there, which makes this suggestion even better! It's a beautiful ride in an open boat - takes about 20-30 minutes as I recall. The scenery is simply magnificent from the boat. You can buy a ticket (cheap) right there at the dock landing. Once in Oia, you can wander around and take a bus (pretty sure this was free) to Thera to explore that town. From there, you can (should) opt for the cable car down to the tender dock. On my first trip there, I decided to take a donkey down to the dock. While it remains a great memory and gets a lot a laughs when I tell the story - I don't recommend it! Enjoy your cruise!

The QR code menu, we found (Nov '22 on the Regal), was totally obsolete. Useless. No more Vall Llach Priorat by the glass?? That was always our go-to red at the Vines. The glassware thing would be comical if it weren't so frustrating. Fortunately, we found that they changed the juice glasses in the MDR to real wine glasses, albeit not Riedels. Up until our last Regal cruise, we always found the Vines staff to be unique servers - very cordial, congenial, and eager to please. That didn't show as much last Nov. They were pretty by-the-book - no lending the Riedels out (fairly standard on past cruises as long as we brought them back, which we always did), and little banter. We never warmed up with them even after several weeks onboard. The Cotes de Nuits was available throughout the cruise, thankfully. Back a few years, pre-COVID days, the Vines were a blast! I can recall being given the whole bottle of Priorat to take with us to the MDR - they would just comp us out by-the-glass. There were other perks that I won't go into - but let's just say that they certainly earned their tips! Sadly, the Vines are apparently being eliminated from the new ships and downsized on the existing ones.

Our first cruise was also on RC, way back in the early 90's. It was a try-me for me, as my spouse had already been on several cruises as a young person into her adulthood. I survived just fine and the cruising odyssey began. Our first long cruise was a memorable European jaunt from Venice to Athens that included Odessa in the Ukraine shortly after the demise of the Soviet Union. Also, Crimea at Yalta, Istanbul, and several Greek islands. We sailed on the old Star Princess back when Princess was still a predominately Italian cruise line. Service in the DR was "family style" with the waiters wielding large bowls of fabulous food and serving everyone at the table. The ship was elegant and the experience enchanting. We stayed with Princess for over 30 more, all very enjoyable cruises. But we like to try new things. We loved the Viking River cruises and that led us to a wonderful Viking Ocean cruise to South America. Viking is very good, but the onboard atmosphere can be a bit staid. There's only so much classical music I can take. Their river cruises are somewhat looser, but they too can get a little boring at times, and we've taken all the river cruises we wanted to try. We loved the Celebrity cruises we were on - particularly on the new Edge-class ships, but only in their excellent "Retreat" class. Their standard classes pale in comparison. On our last long, big ship cruise, we realized that our tastes have changed in cruising. We really don't want to be onboard with several thousand others, and all the ala carte amenities are annoying. Operational difficulties, cost-saving measures, and supply chain issues on the mass-market lines have become quite visible and difficult to cope with. So, off to Oceania. We like that the ship is smaller, with less passengers, more inclusive, and fairly easy to deal with. We booked two, but have yet to sail with them (we'll begin in July). As much as we loved our Princess cruises - and in all probability will sail with them again - we're not "loyal" to any corporation, service, or other commercial entities. We pay, they deliver - or not. That said, it seems like a period of adjustment and change for the big cruise lines, and we'd like to wait that process out for awhile. We're looking forward to our Oceania experiences. As SoFL residents like CruisinShips, it's an easy drive to the piers in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. We'll probably try a shorty on Mr. Branson's ships to see how that works out, but like CruisinShips noted, it may be a bit out of our demo for the long run. Happy Cruising all!

We had an, well let's say, interesting experience on our last cruise with unused "refundable" OBC. As we had several times before, we asked for our OBC to be mailed to us up until this experience, this was always accomplished fairly timely (in corporate speak) and without any hassle. This time, months went on and no check. We had a few comedy routines with the reps on the phone about it, but it went nowhere. Finally we got someone to admit that yes, we are entitled to the OBC refund. It will be mailed out within the next two weeks we were told. About a month later we were still waiting so we called again. This time we had a name and direct line from the "two week" rep. She explained that the refund was made directly to a credit card. We didn't have any credits on our cards, so we asked logically, "what card?". She gave us a name on the card - someone we never heard of and the party began in earnest. Long story and countless phone time short, it turns out that the refund was put back on the card of the owner of the travel agency we used! We were never told that, we just did our own sleuthing and found out the name of the owner. The OBC's were from Princess, not the agency. We called back - again - and demanded that they issue us the credit, and we didn't care about whom they already refunded our credits to - not our problem. The agency is a very large cruise consolidator that must have literally hundreds if not thousands of transactions daily with cruise lines. We weren't about to get on that train. Another month passed, but low and behold we finally did the credit check in the mail. Very bizarre.

We experienced this in 2020 on the last Hawaiian cruise before the COVID shutdown. Even the Captain and his family were on that line! A dinner cruise boat was in the tender dock loading up. We went back to the Pioneer bar and had a great time with a couple we met onboard. The seas were really rough too - that tender ride back to the ship was a rockin' and rollin'! I can think of worse things than being stuck in Maui!

A little late to this party, but i just got home and had a message on the machine from our "Princess Cruise Planner" whom I have never spoken with before and frankly, didn't know we had a Princess Cruise Planner. Anyway, his message contained the phrase "over $900 in benefits". So, if I'm the CEO, I'd wipe the slate clean and eliminate all tiered pricing and benefits save for the various room categories (suites, minis, etc). Sell ONE beverage package that includes everything (within reason, but I'm including everything in the Plus and Premier (or whatever it's called) packages) and offer this in only two prices: with alcohol and without alcohol (mocks, soda, water, and coffees). Fix the stock-out problems onboard and/or improve the supply chain. Let's stop running out of Irish whiskey in Ireland, for example - or Malbec's in Argentina. Restore quality ingredients in all dining venues. Change up the menus. Onboard dining extras can remain, but are standardized. Eliminate the chair hog problem by stationing dedicated deck personnel to issue and monitor chaises - this is done in just about every Caribbean beach and it can be done here as well. The current practice of discounting willy-nilly has to end - replaced with scheduled sale dates and cruises. Frankly, most of us can't even figure out the pricing anymore. Some have mentioned the itineraries. We think that Princess's itineraries are among the best in the business - that seems to be a strong suit, imo. That said, the current practice of building floating condo buildings may be limiting the ports that Princess is welcome in. Consider smaller ships. Respect and embellish the Princess brand. It's been a long, slow slide into less differentiation from other mass market lines. This initiative will require a deep review of the history of the line from its' Sitmar days, through the Italian period, to the present. Let's shine up the past a bit and restore the line's uniqueness. The name "Princess" used to have cache, and that has been eroded under the present ownership. Finally, along with Holland American, I would explore the possibility of splitting off from Carnival and forming a new corporation apart from Carnival's control. A combo of Holland and Princess, each brand restored to their original identities would be a force in the industry.

They've gotten a little flat lately. Still like them, but the pay-up-front thing is ridiculous and the entertainment onboard, be it ocean or rivers, is thin. We're looking forward to trying Oceania.

Not sure if the Bistro ever found a following, but our experience on the Enchanted when it was new was abysmal. The waiter actually talked us out of our first three choices! Once we did settle on whatever we had (it was forgettable), we were underwhelmed. The place was empty when we walked up but the gate keeper played the "exclusive" game with us to the point where we had to return the next night (it was empty then as well). They apparently got our reservation wrong and booked us for the night after we wanted, so we were already wary of the place.

Any enhancements at all to their wine program is welcome news. It's been a rather steep downhill slope for wine lovers on Princess in recent years with the absence of The Vines on their new ships and re-dos and the stock-out situation for many varietals. Then there's the simply unacceptable generic descriptors for wines by the glass (Cabernet, Pinot Noir, etc. with no label name).

I don't think The Vines made the cut on the Sun, alas.

Simply put, it is not a requirement by any means. We're fairly regular on Princess since the 90's. Nowadays, the percentage guesstimate of jacket and ties would be a little less than 50%. Hardly anyone (less than 10%) wears a tux/gown anymore. Suits and ties are about 30%, with dress slacks and jackets another 30% or so, depending on the itinerary. Nice camp-style shirts (think Tommy Bahama) and dress slacks seem to be popular and perfectly acceptable for the men. Women tend to dress better anyway, but the gala-style gowns are rare. Relax, you're on a cruise!

The dreaded universal question: "What do you want for dinner??"

Super thread Raffy! Best regards and get home safely! Until next time!

We were on a TA that morphed into a British Isles cruise a few years back. We were on the Ireland part of the cruise. I went to the Vines bar (it was a full bar) and asked for an Irish whiskey, neat. "Out of stock!" I said, you want me to pick some some up for you outside?! On a related note, we were in France on a river cruise. The bar ran out of Veuve Clicquot. Oh no! A few hours later, the barman told us it's back in stock - he had actually left the vessel on his break and purchased more nearby. I guess Princess/Carnival has an exclusive with a distributor. Oh well. You guys are resourceful - enjoy your cruise!

I afraid Princess has really dropped the ball on the wine program all around. Several years ago, they were cited for Excellence by the Wine Spectator, but those days sadly have passed. It's become hit or miss on the ships now as to what you may find. That said, perhaps the sales just weren't worth the investment - although we did our best to help float that boat! I noticed that the Embruix isn't on the Vines list, but you did mention it early on this cruise. Is there any left?! Congrats on your new Panama purchases - you wear it well!

Either way beats air travel - even in Business class. My wife likes to say that the TA's are the only civilized way to cross the ocean. On our last East-bound crossing the time change was taken at noon each day to allow for the crew to get their proper rest (as limited as it is). We found that to be an amiable solution all around, although there were the inevitable grumbles from people who like to grumble. We arrive in Europe totally rested and refreshed after the days at sea - a wonderful contrast to the zombie-like feeling of the first day after a flight crossing. Coming back is fine as well, picking up the hours and reflecting on the adventures you just had abroad. Another benefit that we like on the Atlantic crossings is the time of year that these cruises go: shoulder seasons in Europe - less crowds and no intense summer heat (Europe is becoming unbearable in the summer) - and for my fellow curmudgeons: few or no children running amok on the pool deck! Happy cruising!

You get what you give! Bon appetite! Did Danny jump ship?

It's our experience that bringing wine onboard while in ports in Europe is completely hassle-free: no corkage, no storage. As far as a limit, I don't know but we carried 6 onboard at one port.

Made our own last night and we were telling our guests that the pizza on Princess at Alfredos (and its's successor) is on par with the best this NYC native has ever had. Looks delish, enjoy! On a another note - those pics from San Antonio reminds me of Long Beach CA. Thanks for all the updates!

Danny (Boy) will be breaking out the St. Patrick's Day tunes tonight!

I see that Danny Rembadi is onboard! Danny's terrific - his sing-a-longs are a lot of fun and he can play a terrific Spanish-style guitar as well. One of my all-time favorites of cruise ship performers! Great to see he's back! Have fun!

We love that Embruix! It's our go-to at the Vines. Hard to find that particular label at home.