Krozulo

No, I wouldn't pay for wifi. If I had it, I'd probably use it but since I wouldn't pay for it I don't include it when calculating the package value. You're right. If at the end of the trip I "missed out" on 2 drinks, is it worth being upset over? Not at all. But during the trip I'd be keeping a running total of drinks, lattes, bottled waters, etc and struggling to come out ahead. I just think it's funny how the package is freedom for most people, but it would be stressful for me. It's just how my brain works I guess.

Thing is, I feel like I can order what I want when I want, without counting, and come out ahead without the package. It's the port days that would really make it up. I just hate to lose at a corporation's game. They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone.

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite. When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

I'll be on a Princess cruise Feb 9-17, 2025 with a stop at Roatan on Feb 13. I was looking at the excursions and there's one listed as "Private All Inclusive Beach Break" for $70 but it doesn't say which beach it's at. Does anyone know? And more importantly, is it any good? There's another excursion, "Turquoise Bay VIP All Inclusive Beach Escape" for $120 which makes me think these are two different locations.

We'll be on the Regal Princess out of Galveston. Departing Feb 9 for an 8 day cruise. The first port is Belize on Feb 12. If I remember correctly from my first (and only) cruise to Hawaii, Princess changes the ship time to match the local time. Grilled lobster is one of the eats we're most looking forward to. But if we miss it for whatever reason, I have no doubt we'll find something delicious to eat.

We're considering going to Caye Caulker when we're in Belize in February. We're in port from 8am to 6pm, and it being a tender port I don't know when we'll get to shore. The water taxi schedule says it leaves at 8am, 9am, and 10:30am so I figure we'd catch the 9am or worst case, 10:30. If we don't dawdle and get in line right away to tender off the ship, what time can we realistically expect to be on shore? Coming back we'd be looking at 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm, but not the 5:00 pm taxi. That'd be cutting it too close. How full do the water taxis get, especially coming back? Is the 3:30 taxi back a safe bet? Or should we be looking at the 1:30? Our plans while in Caye Caulker are to walk toward The Split, eat some eats, drink some drinks, and shop for some souvenirs. If we catch the 10:30 taxi there and 1:30 back, is 2 hours enough time in Caye Caulker? fwiw there are two other cruise ships scheduled to be there on the same day. The other thing I was thinking about was a tour with Coral Breeze - the cheaper tour without the snorkeling.

You're right! I meant Casual Dining for $15/meal. The math is right, the word isn't 😉

I'm still considering the Plus package for myself. I wouldn't necessarily pay for Wifi so I'm not looking at that value. I would use OceanNow delivery, Specialty Dining, and of course Gratuities. That means the Plus package works out to $38/day for an 8-day cruise. Have a latte in the morning and it's only 3 drinks during the day. Perfect for sea days, but on port days that's 4 drinks between dinner and bed. That one is a little harder to imagine, personally.

Thanks for the replies. I can book the sideways cabin with confidence now.

I watched a couple videos on the sideways vs regular cabins and the sideways do seem more spacious. I'm not worried about someone in the hallway seeing the bed. We're practically newlyweds and are tied at the hip, and don't leave the room until everyone is ready to go. But that is good info to have just in case. I was thinking more that there'd be an issue with the rocking motion if there are waves. Maybe side to side is soothing like a rocking crib, but front to back is adrenalin inducing like a playground swing?

When it comes to interior cabins, is there much of a difference in comfort between regular rooms laid out port/starboard versus ones that are fore/aft? For example, the cabins at the top versus the bottom?

Is there a list of promotions that Princess has or has been known to have?

Vancouver'ish BC here. We just booked a cruise last night and purchased the Standard protection. Is the insurance valid if the site offered it and let us purchase it?