HELP! I'm feeling lost in switching back to Princess

[flarad]

Oh my gosh, DH and I are thinking of booking an Alaskan cruise next May on Discovery Princess. I realized it's be 17 years since our last Princess cruise. I am so lost. Somehow we've gotten sidetracked and have been cruising mostly Celebrity and NCl with an occasional Royal tossed in to the mix. Now I'm completely lost on all the new Princess systems. Please help:

Medallion- is this something everyone who books gets?  

What are the "Reserve  MiniSuites" on Discovery? Is it really worth booking? We love Aqua on Celebrity, is this similar? 

Does dining still work the same? Assigned times and dining rooms or have they gotten more flexible? 

Do they still have"formal nights?" Not sure I'd want this on an Alaskan itinerary.

Is there anything else about the differences in lines you think I need to be reminded of or told about? I appreciate all the help you give. I know there are a lot of dedicated Princess cruisers.

[azbirdmom]

35 minutes ago, flarad said:

Oh my gosh, DH and I are thinking of booking an Alaskan cruise next May on Discovery Princess. I realized it's be 17 years since our last Princess cruise. I am so lost. Somehow we've gotten sidetracked and have been cruising mostly Celebrity and NCl with an occasional Royal tossed in to the mix. Now I'm completely lost on all the new Princess systems. Please help:

Medallion- is this something everyone who books gets?  

1) What are the "Reserve  MiniSuites" on Discovery? Is it really worth booking? We love Aqua on Celebrity, is this similar? 

2) Does dining still work the same? Assigned times and dining rooms or have they gotten more flexible? 

3) Do they still have"formal nights?" Not sure I'd want this on an Alaskan itinerary.

Is there anything else about the differences in lines you think I need to be reminded of or told about? I appreciate all the help you give. I know there are a lot of dedicated Princess cruisers.

 

Welcome back!

 

1) Reserve mini suites are mini suites that are in prime locations (generally mid-ship but on Royal class ships there are 4 forward that have massive balconies).  They include access to a special part of the dining room where you can go whenever you want when the DR is open and at dinner there will be a special dish offered that is only served in that portion of the dining.  It also includes extra amenities such as two splits of wine.  Not sure about Celebrity comparison since I haven't sailed on them.

2) If you are in Reserve class you can go whenever you want.  If you book a normal mini suite (or below) there is no more traditional dining.  You can just show up and possibly wait, or you can reserve dining times in the app.

3) Officially there are still formal nights but one or more may be labeled Dress to Impress, the latter of which remains undefined on the Princess website.  The formal night definition is still the same as it has been for years.  However in reality you will find a mix of attire on formal nights, some dressed to the nines, others in smart casual wear especially in Alaska.

 

Feel free to ask any other questions.

[Rick&Jeannie]

The "medallion" is simply a small round pocket-sized device that takes the place of your cruise card.  It automatically opens your cabin door for you as you approach the door.  It is also scanned as you get off & on the ship...all the same functions as the old cruise card.  Purchases are made using the medallion in shops.

 

One thing that confuses a lot of people is the distinction between the physical Medallion and the Medallion App.  You absolutely do NOT have to use the Medallion App while on the ship...but there are some perks if you do.  You can order drinks, food...whatever on your phone from anywhere on the ship and it will be delivered to you *wherever you are*.  The physical medallion serves as a "locator" so that crew can find you wherever you are.  Try that with an old cruise card! 😄

[donswife]

Our favorite use of the Medallion is being able to easily find each other (unless we're both on the move 😄). If you don't want to carry a smart phone,  you can use the interactive maps around the ship.

[sunviking90]

6 hours ago, flarad said:

 

What are the "Reserve  MiniSuites" on Discovery? Is it really worth booking? We love Aqua on Celebrity, is this similar? 

 

@azbirdmom did a good job answering most of your queries, but I can address Aqua class. Reserve minisuites have access to “reserve” dining (formerly club class) which is in a separate part of the dining room. We love Aqua class on Celebrity mostly due to Blu, but this is not really similar.  I believe there is 1 additional entree at dinner not an entirely different menu like Blu, more personal service, no waits, etc. It lacks the intimacy of Blu in my opinion. Reserve is also not “all inclusive” the way Aqua class is now. You would still need to purchase the Plus package to get what you get with Aqua class. 
The minisuites are larger than your Aqua class stateroom, but the balcony will be smaller unless you pick one of the extended ones. HTH.

[mtnesterz]

19 hours ago, flarad said:

Somehow we've gotten sidetracked and have been cruising mostly Celebrity and NCl with an occasional Royal tossed in to the mix. Now I'm completely lost on all the new Princess systems.

Medallion- is this something everyone who books gets...I know there are a lot of dedicated Princess cruisers.

I doubt you've gotten sidetracked so much as you've found other lines that work better for you. I also wouldn't say we are dedicated Princess cruisers so much as saying we found a line that works for us.

Yes, Princess is getting more complicated.

We would not recommend the Discovery Princess for Alaska. It is too big to take the inside passage and that's a lot of passengers going ashore at small Alaskan ports. Order of preference for Alaska, Sapphire (for it's sightseeing areas) then Coral, then Grand. We prefer to avoid the May mosquitos and go late season.

 

[flarad]

Thank you for all the answers and advice. We have a cruise to New England in a few weeks and than we will make a decision. You've been super helpful and I think we will book Princess.

[Oceansaway17]

Give up on the phone app as it is a mess and doesn’t always work

bring paper  opt of final invoice for proof of payment and room number

 

getting QR code is useless

[Prost Seattle]

HELP! I'm feeling lost in switching back to Princess

 

Don’t worry about feeling lost, they’ll change policies, procedures and pricing at least once before 2024 Alaska season!

[reedprincess]

2 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Give up on the phone app as it is a mess and doesn’t always work

bring paper  opt of final invoice for proof of payment and room number

 

getting QR code is useless

There is no QR code needed, or required. All that ended July 31. 

As of Aug 1, Great or Blue Lane. That's it. No arrival times, no QR codes, nada.

 

App works fab for me... Absolutely no issues at all, either off or on the ship.. 

[Oceansaway17]

6 hours ago, reedprincess said:

There is no QR code needed, or required. All that ended July 31. 

As of Aug 1, Great or Blue Lane. That's it. No arrival times, no QR codes, nada.

 

App works fab for me... Absolutely no issues at all, either off or on the ship.. 

it suddenly work later for me for some reason

[LDVinNC]

I, too, feel that Princess has gotten too complicated.  Medallions, the app (I do not want to have to carry my phone around all the time), Plus and Premier, green line/blue line, etc.  Last cruise was November 2019 and a couple of early-pandemic planned cruises were obviously cancelled.  That was easy.  In the meantime I have been widowed and will be sailing solo so no-one else to help me figure all of this out.  Oh, well, I have a year before my Greenland cruise to study up!  Will follow the boards religiously!