teecee60

Just off a 15 night cruise on Emerald for the solar eclipse and Panama Canal. Great ship, no complaints at all. Just not as glitzy/new as any Royal Class ship. Would go again any time.

You forgot to tell kecat about the awesome enrichment speaker on that cruise! 😉

Just did 20 nights on Island Princess in January... wouldn't hesitate about doing more!

Looks like I will get the next the next couple of weeks off... who'd of thunk...😕

Twelve out of the first 15 cruises are sold out... "more excitement" seems unneccesary. As an enrichment speaker scheduled for the 18 February cruise, I just got my airline tickets to Rome as well as hotel and shuttle reservations from Princess Corporate HQ. I am quite confident the Sun will sail on the 18th.

There's a great enrichment speaker that will be on the Regal with you... check it out. 😁

Just for the (new) inaugural. (18-28 Feb) I will have a VERY quick turnaround to be on Regal for 21 days in March, followed by the Eclipse Cruise on Emerald in April.

No, I just wanted to share some info from my enrichment programs... about the OTHER sun! The sun, of course! The OTHER one... along with astronomy and space exploration. 😉

I am an enrichment speaker for Princess, recently assigned to Sun for the 18 February sailing. They are flying me to Rome next week... so there are a LOT of "someones" at Corporate HQ that are at least somewhat certain that the sun will sail on the 18.

There will be an astronomy enrichment speaker on the Regal from March 3rd - March 24th.

Someone who presents audio/visual programs on interesting subjects for cruise ship guests. My area of expertise is astronomy and space exploration. Besides my "sun" program shown above, here are a few more programs scheduled for the February 18th cruise...

I am an enrichment speaker for Princess Cruises, and I have just been assigned to the February 18th sailing of Sun Princess. The company is flying me from Tucson, AZ... to Europe... then back home, so at least SOMEONE at Princess Corporate HQ is definitely planning for that cruise to sail. 😉 The fact that the ship was not ready, rests with the SHIP BUILDER who signed a legal contract with Princess Cruiselines to deliver the ship on a specified date.

I resemble that remark...😁

Why wait 'til next year... the Nov 10th 15 night Sky Princess T/A is available for under $600pp.

The Nov 10th, 15 night transatlantic on Sky Princess is available for $539pp. That's for an inside cabin, not a suite... but THAT'S a DEAL. 😉

Your itinerary looks absolutely fantastic but also fairly pricey... (if I have the right date... care to share the specifics?) I recently spent 17 nights doing a transatlantic on the Island Princess and enjoyed it very much. (inside cabin) I will be doing 20 more nights on it in January. It IS a little older and smaller but still quite comfortable and enjoyable. The Bayou Cafe specialty restaurant was thoroughly enjoyable with the BEST food on a cruise ship in nearly a decade. I also spent a fair amount of time at the Wheelhouse and Crooners'. Be aware that you can get that same cruise for several hundreds of dollars per person less than Princess prices by going through a well known online travel agency. (that cannot be mentioned here) Have you checked the prices of airfares through Princess EZ Air? You can save a LOT of money that way. Best of luck and let us know whatever you decide.

I have booked flights through EZ Air for 12 out of my 13 Princess cruises, and I have had access to the aircraft seating charts, and picked the exact seats that I want, each and every time. The advantage of using EZ Air... is that it will almost always save you several hundreds to several thousands of dollars on international flights... while locking in current prices AND being able to cancel those flights and rebook later at a lower price. Name one airline or travel site that lets you do that. For the the November 10th Sky Princess Transatlantic, I can get a one way flight from Tucson to LHR for $360pp through EZ Air. Just do a quick search what that flight would cost ANYWHERE else.

Different strokes... THAT is why it's so great to be offered so many different dining options. 😉 We were invited to 360 gratis... enjoyable, but no way I would pay $49... let alone $149.

Duct Tape... never leave home (or the Earth) without it.

We were just on the Emerald in Aug/Sep for a 19 night Panama Canal transit. Although the ship is over 15 years old, it is in fine shape. Food and entertainment were ok, but the service was outstanding. The 15 night March 6th 2024 itinerary is being offered at a very reasonable price by Princess, and several hundred dollars per person LESS, by well known cruise consolidator travel agencies. $714pp inside, $1060pp ocean view, and $2309pp balcony. Just know that the taxes are over $500pp in addition to those base fares. Also know that you can get $250 OBC for military service, as well as $250 for shareholder benefit, and yet another $150 (or more) for using a Princess Future Cruise Deposit. Have a great cruise!

MY winning strategy... is booking the absolute least expensive cabin I know I will be satisfied with... and then making just-above-minimum (weak) bids. It has worked two out two times I have tried it... inside to ocean view on one, and inside to balcony on the other...for much MUCH LESS money than booking the higher category from the start.

I just checked the Princess website and there is a deal on the January 20th Discovery for $418pp with $126 in taxes. That is the dual occupancy rate, but quite reasonable even when doubled. The Crown is an older ship that has had a LOT of complaints recently. The "deals" start whenever they get behind in bookings, and end whenever they catch up. If you are flexible as to exact dates, it almost always pays to wait until after final payment.

OR... (as opposed to "oar") you could consider the LONG TERM perspective...

I lived close to where it was berthed at North Island, but I never landed on that boat...😁 For any airedale who served in the Navy... frigates, destroyers and cruisers might have been ships... but aircraft carriers were always BOATS! 😉

The enrichment programs from the astronomy guy on board are also pretty cool...