charliedalrymple

I always note at booking that I am celiac, but I don't think that message ever gets to the people who serve you. As people have said, the best bet is to let the Maitre d know, as well as your server. I have also been brought the next day's menu the day before to pre-order, and that's really helpful. I haven't cruised since COVID, but back in the good old days of set dinner times and the same server, it was never an issue. The waiters knew my issues and were always ready to advise me (and occasionally steer me away from things I tried to order that seemed GF but weren't). Alas, that level of personalised MDR service may be gone with the advent of anytime dining.

If people are leaving these uneaten--or fishing out all the doodads and leaving on the table so it sort of resembles a sundae--Princess is bound to notice sooner or later and make a change. Or is that giving Princess too much credit?

We've also stayed directly across from the laundromat and there was never a noise issue--certainly not like being above a bar or below the pool deck.

True on both counts. I have noted that cruise prices are higher on the Australian website. I've tried to use the U.S. website and book there at a lower price, but I can't access it from here.

Yes, completely agree--and I always make it a point to recognise outstanding crew members by writing a positive review for them!

Thanks, 808. My next binge when I'm home sick or taking time off!

Completely agree with Don. If the gratuity is not being paid to the crew on my ship (including those I never see, which I don't mind), then I would reduce or eliminate the automatic gratuity and just give cash to those who serve me.

There is a reality series called "The Cruise" on Australian television with a behind-the-scenes look at a cruise ship during a sailing. Right now it is showing the Majestic Princess on a voyage from Shanghai to Sydney, and I'm totally addicted. (We sail on the Majestic this Christmas from Sydney to New Zealand.). In Canberra we get it on a channel called "Real Life" on Foxtel, but I'm not sure whether it's available in other countries. Based on the rather rosy portrait it paints of the ship, its perpetually cheerful and helpful staff, and the amazing onboard activities, I have a feeling that Princess had a major role in producing the show. It's nonetheless worth a watch for an cruise fan--and especially Princess Loyalists.

I had not seen it when I posted, but I have since then. Sheesh. What will they come up with next?

I was just looking at the ship information for Majestic on the Princess website. It says there is a Crooners, but I can't find it on the deck plan. Can anyone who has been on the Majestic recently tell me whether Crooners in fact exists?

Wait, what? I thought Alfredo's was available at no cost to all cruisers throughout the cruise. We've eaten there three or four times on some cruises. Has something changed that I don't know about?

I was about to say the same thing! I've always wondered whether Viking was worth the money and thought we might try it one day soon, but your review has convinced me otherwise. I'm rather surprised that you didn't enjoy the food more on Viking, in spite of the higher quality. No kids is definitely appealing, but free excursions is not a draw at all for us. We prefer DIY excursions--or none at all. You didn't mention the demographic aside from the fact that there are no kids on Viking. Do the passengers skew older than Princess?

Given the chaos of airline schedules lately, we no longer book flights that arrive on the day of the cruise. We always plan to arrive the day before and spend a relaxing evening near the pier the night before. It gives us some flexibility in case of a canceled or delayed flight.

Fortunately, we managed to see most of the typical tourist destinations in Europe in the 1980s and 90s, when travel was still rather civilised. At this point in our lives, we are not interested in fighting crowds while racing around European capitals to see landmarks, churches and museums. We would much rather spend ten days or so at a cute B&B in the Tuscan hills or a small village in France.

After reading this thread, I wonder why I've never tried the IC! I'm definitely going to have at least a few breakfasts there on our upcoming cruise this December. I understand from other threads that Princess Live also offers barista coffee in the morning and may be less crowded than the IC. Do they also have pastries and other breakfast goodies, or only coffee?

Okay, everyone--admit it. You opened this topic thinking that somebody wanted to know if it's okay to go nude in the spa! 😁

We haven't cruised since COVID, but I've always found the buffet offerings rather bland. I assumed they try to keep the flavours as neutral as possible because there is such a broad range of preferences on board. We have made it a habit to bring our own spices on cruises. DH in particular loves super-hot chili paste and can never find it on board.

My observations of fellow cruisers suggest there are very few who fit this description.

Developer of the first app in history and inventor of WhatsApp, TikTok, SnapChat and Messenger, with over 125 years of experience here--and I have no idea how to solve your problem

Can anyone explain why the PVSA was written this way? It makes no sense at all to me, but I'm assuming there was a logical reason why it came into being in the first place.

We did this cruise (and are doing it again for Christmas this year)--and it does indeed go through all three sounds. The scenery is breathtaking! We had perfect weather, but a crew member told us that they don't make it through all three about 50% of the time due to weather.

I beg to differ with this statement. 80% of the time I have called Princess, I have struggled mightily to understand the agent due to an extremely heavy accent. It may well be that their English is good on paper, but that doesn't matter if they can't make themselves understood.

Love it!! 😆

I completely agree! Thanks, snoozecrooze, for summarising the key points so clearly and succinctly. I'm a tech dinosaur and a bit intimidated by the medallion but--like Trixie21--I don't feel like sifting through all of the messages at the top of the page to figure it out. It might help people like me if there wasn't a "medallion" and the "medallion app," which is rather confusing. As for me, I'm going to use the "medallion" like the card and do everything else the old-fashioned way.

I did that once through the customer service number and was able to get my "non-refundable" deposit refunded--possibly because I was booking a longer and more expensive cruise instead. That assumes you get an agent on the phone who can understand what you want and act on it, which isn't very likely. I got lucky.