talkorpi

You can go to this website and they have pictures of the windows from most cabins. Look for room numbers for the Sapphie and Diamond Princess as they should be the same. If you have the ability to choose your cabin, you might be able to snag an "obstructed view" that isn't really too obstructed! That's what I did for my upcoming cruise on Ruby and it was a great way to save money. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/ov.php?ship=Sapphire-Princess&cabins=E600-E633

Been on exclusively Carnival cruises but recently booked Princess out of Galveston. The stars just kind of aligned - the one week that I had open vacation time, coupled with the right price. Not going for the itinerary (I am getting so tired of the same 3/4 ports that are the only standard offerings out of Galveston) but I have always wanted to try Princess. Really looking forward to it and seeing the comparisons. I have always felt like I am more of Princess' target market, but I always picked Carnival for the price. However, Carnival out of Galveston has looked crazy expensive lately, and this Princess cruise was actually a little cheaper, even with Princess Plus.

Update - I bid on a premium balcony. Called a very helpful Princess rep who told me that they could move me to any available cabin if my bid is accepted and if I didn't want to move I could keep the same cabin I had. Honestly, any balcony is better than no balcony, though, and I would be saving over $600 through an accepted bid rather than if I had booked the same category directly. Shall see how it goes!

Looking for a more relaxed excursion in Cozumel that isn't a beach or a bar. I saw this reccomendation on a different thread but it seems relatively new. Has anyone ever done the Mayan Bee Sanctuary during a port stop? I don't see it listed on many shore excursion websites and I'm wondering how we are supposed to get there from the port (Cruising on Princess so I am assuming we are going from Puerta Maya). It looks interesting but since we don't speak Spanish and don't really want to rent a car just to drive here and back I'm wondering if they run taxis from the ports to this location. Anyone have any experience with this tour while stopping in port for the day?

Was hoping that someone with experience with the new upgrade bidding system might be able to help answer my questions. I got my email offer to upgrade today. I am in a cabin that is one of the best locations for its category but I would like to upgrade to a balcony. However, I have two pretty specific questions before I’m ready to bid: 1) If I am trying to bid for a deluxe balcony, but I only want to be in an AFT-FACING balcony and not one of the ones midship that just have bigger balconies, is there a way I can do that? Has anyone had any luck getting upgraded to one of these cabins OR with calling Princess after bid acceptance and getting moved to one of these cabins? 2) Is it possible to pay for these upgrades with a gift card? I have one leftover from Christmas and while I understand that you have to put in a credit card while bidding, will it also charge a card? Or when it gets accepted can I use the gift card as a payment method? Additionally, do you think it is better to bid earlier or much closer to sail date? Wondering the advantages / disadvantages of both. Very new to this and still figuring things out. Edit for context: on the Ruby Princess. Still plenty of cabins available in all categories. Answers appreciated, thanks so much!

Going on the Ruby in April. We have plus but my traveling partner was wondering about the non-alcoholic included options, specifically smoothies and milkshakes. Anyone know the availability / menus for those items on Grand Class ships?

Paid for my cruise in full today through my TA. I meet all requirements to upgrade. When I click on the "bid to upgrade" link in Cruise Personalizer, it says I am not eligible. Princess live chat was totally useless and said that they "didn't know how to help me since they don't know how to access it." How long after final payment does it usually take for the system to let you make a bid? I booked an oceanview but pretty quickly after decided that I wanted a balcony. Our sailing is less than 50% full and only 60 days away so I know there are plenty of cabins available. What the heck is wrong with the system?

I just booked the Ruby Princess on her second to last trip out of Galveston. I wasn't really planning on cruising during this time, but I have always wanted to try Princess and the price was right. I've been on five Carnival cruises and I know that the lines are pretty different. This will also be my first time in a cabin without a balcony... but I got one of the "not really obstructed" obstructed oceaview staterooms, so we will see how that plays out. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with the new room upgrade system (I have never recieved a cabin upgrade before or participated in a program like that before) and how much I might expect an upgrade to a balcony cabin to cost. If nobody knows that's fine - I'm just new here and not sure myself! 🙂 Just wondering what kinds of things one should expect coming in! What are the big differences from Carnival? Very excited to finally try the line I have been wanting to sail since I was ten years old!

Thanks for the tips everyone. I still haven't booked yet as I'm pretty hesitant but this is helpful.

I am considering booking a solo trip on Ruby out of Galveston next month. The price is nice and I could use a break at that time. However, I have never cruised solo before. On top of that, I've also never cruised with Princess before. Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect for both? I'm a relatively quiet person so I'm not looking for all the craziness found on Carnival or similar lines. Princess looks attractive to me but I would like to know what to expect both from the line and as a relatively shy solo travleler before I book.

Not a fan of the Vista either. Was my least favorite of the ships we have been on. Had great crew, but a terrible layout. Feels so cramped and has a terrible PSR. Also incredibly ironic that it is named “Vista” yet has so few windows in public spaces.

STOP TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE HILL COUNTRY!!! We are getting too big and it is quickly being ruined!!! ☹️

^^^ This. I actually started a thread in the MSC boards discussing this. It is mainly European people making judgemental comments about Texans, though, so didn't pick up the type of discussion I assumed it would.

Bored on a slow monday morning at work where 90% of the employees are off for the holiday, so here we are. There have been some rumors of Carnival planning to overhaul the VIFP program sometime in the near future, and so I was wondering what everyone's ideas were if this were to happen. What do YOU want to see? What do you expect to see? What tweaks should be made? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally, I think that there should be a system that considers cabin category and assigns different value to that. Someone paying for an inside and a suite should not get the same number of VIFP points, for example. Maybe it can be something like Interior x1, OV x1.5, Balcony x2, and Suite x3? Also think there needs to be a tweak in the upper levels. Maybe something in between Gold and Diamond (Emerald ???), and then the slots for loyalty can be adjusted accordingly. Maybe something like: Blue: First Sailing Red: 1-24 Points Gold: 25-69 Points Emerald: 70-149 Points Platinum: 150-249 Points Diamond: 250+ Points Of course if we combine both of these ideas then the point thresholds would likely be higher. Finally, there need to be better perks for the higher levels. I think starting with Gold and moving up things should be bulked up. Maybe give the Gold + the free laundry perk. Emerald starts to get the appreciation parties. Platinum starts to get a free speciality dining credit per cruise. Maybe Diamond can get a set amount of OBC per sailing - $25 - $100 depending on length? Would love to hear everyone's ideas. This is meant to be a fun discussion about your ideas for changes. Chat away!

Probably not. Galveston seven day itineraries are pretty much limited to some combination of Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, and/or Jamaica. It's the furthest-away Caribbean port from the eastern Caribbean. Sometimes there are eight-day cruises from Galveston to the Bahamas, but I have never seen something shorter than 10 days from here that goes to the eastern/southern Caribbean. Oh well. We usually cruise for the ship anyways. With Carnival prices getting out of control, I hope to see MSC come to Galveston soon to give them a try.

Which is fine for them. I understand how bad their financial situation is. However, I am also sensitive to the economy, and unfortunately if they do decide to keep jacking up prices, I will be forced to look elsewhere. I can already barely afford the current prices anyways. I imagine many are in this same situation.

I’ve only gotten a great VIFP deal one time, which was my most recent Vista sailing. I was not in a place financially to book during the low COVID rates and the rates I see today already seem higher than pre-Covid pricing. With further increases on the way but no improvement to service looking likely, I just fail to see this working out.

Galveston is primarily a drive-to port. Most people coming here drive. Since Texas is such a fast growing state and they’re already so many major places within driving distance of Galveston, it is just becoming the hub for people who don’t want to fly to Florida, but who live in the midwest or south. That’s the primary offering it has, and lines are capitalizing on the explosive demand. MSC has likely been trying to break into this market for quite some time but there’s simply not the capacity right now to do so. Sounds like they finally have a chance to create their own capacity.

I think it is because Galveston is cannibalizing all of the traffic from New Orleans. Galveston ships can get out to sea faster = casinos and bars open faster. Both of these ports are drive-to ports and it seems Galveston is the lines' go-to for the future. I, too, wish NOLA would get a better ship. Can we swap Dream for Valor, please?!!

https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-carnival-have-bad-pricing-news-for-cruise-fans Weinstein commented on the matter during the cruise line's third-quarter-earnings call. "The issue is we are way too much of a value. We should not be priced at a significant discount to land, which is exactly the case today, anywhere from 25% to 50% based on itineraries," he said. Sounds like prices won't be coming down anytime soon. I undertstand what Weinstein is saying, but doesn't this seem a little strange? The whole value proposition of cruising is that is is "cheaper" than land and it is (mostly) inclusive of everything you can get on land at a lower cost. If you change that, how can you expect to sustain your existing customer base or attract new ones? With this new strategy I guess I will cruise less and less often. I totally understand that the industry was hit hard and CCL is still in the red with mutliple factors, but with higher prices for both base fares and onboard experiences, coupled with all the cutbacks and generally worse experience, it really puts budget-concious brand loyalists in a pinch. I expected prices to drop during a recession, not rise.

I read somewhere today that Carnival is planning on raising prices. The new CEO said in the most recent earnings call that their pricing offered "too good of a value." Maybe this is reflective of their new pricing strategy. If so... YIKES!

https://www.cruzely.com/is-msc-coming-to-galveston-port-approves-talks-with-cruise-line-for-fourth-terminal/ In a Port of Galveston Board Meeting on November 30th, there was a brief mention of a memorandom of understanding between the port and MSC to discuss development of a fourth cruise terminal. It sounds like MSC has plans to not only come to the Galveston market but potentially own their own building. I have never been on an MSC cruise but since Galveston is my homeport I might give them a try if this ends up happening. Quite the exciting news that seems to be going under the radar. Of course nothing is confirmed yet but this does show that MSC is planning to enter the market and in a big way.

I would jump on that ASAP if that's the case

According to the article, they sent out notices this morning. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news 😞

Was not particularly impressed on Vista in May. The food was good but not worth the price imo. The free wine was a nice touch. However, despite paying a premium for service, our MDR service was somehow ten times better than in the steakhouse. Our steakhouse host was extremely rude and the service was very lackluster across the board - very slow, very inattentive, wouldn't discuss food allergies (we basically had to guess and thought that was BIZARRE as our MDR waiter was super accommodating). I guess we just hit them on an off night? We probably won't do steakhouse out of pocket anymore but to each their own. Hoping you have a nice experience.