Flafun888

I'd vote for the Silo - but then again, I've done 3 voyages on her, so I'm a bit biased. I love the ship and the friendly crew. Entertainment is the weak spot - their guest entertainers are good. But I don't care for their inhouse productions at all.

We just returned from St Thomas and St. Martin. I don't really agree with the "bombed out shell" assessment, but a lot depends upon what you want to do. The French side of St. Martin is gone - very bad. The Dutch side is working hard to get back on its feet, doing pretty darn good and is definitely welcoming tourists. We did a horseback excursion and some shopping in St Martin and had a GREAT time.

Just added it to my AK cruise. But agent had a bit of a problem applying the promo - so think they're still ironing things out this first day for anyone who hasn't called yet. You may have to wait on hold a bit.

I adore Celebrity - only did one Princess on Grand and enjoyed it a lot...but still felt X had the edge for what we liked/wanted. But Princess has way better pizza, embarkation day lunch and the 24 hr cafe - big points there!!! Biggest negative for us was the smoky casinos - we wouldn't even go in...just walking by was tough.

Since Princess is so well known for its AK cruises -and has the glacier bay permits, Celebrity wasn't even in the consideration set for our first AK cruise next year. So looking fwd to another comparison. :D

Really can't go wrong on either.

(Totally embarassed to admit it, but I also enjoy the 24 hr Love Boat broadcasts ----on our last Princess cruise, I watched them each day on the gym treadmill. So there's that too. What can I say?) :o

Have any fellow Floridians used EZ air from FLL to Seattle for an AK cruise?

My recent experiences have been to book with the best offer available & then if there’s a better sale to switch to it.

 

Last year I booked with Sip+Sail and opted for the &150/pp. OBC which worked best for us instead of the PBP. After that sale the 3 for Free offer provided the same amount of OBC but added free tips & category upgrade.

Thanks! :)

While we all wait to book, quick question for Princess pros. I normally sail Celebrity, so not as familiar w/Princess promos. For a standard 7-day RT Seattle AK cruise where I wouldn't choose the drink package, does this sale seem like one of the better ones?

Or are one of the others typically offered in past yrs (3 for free, sip & sail, Red, white, and blue) generally more generous? AK balconies rarely drop in time to book flights at decent rates, so I'm more focused on the perks.

Thanks for any opinions!

Well, being the OP the information I provided was not based on fake news. :rolleyes:

 

If you’re dealing with TAs that don’t have any details then maybe consider a new TA. The sale’s terms & conditions and the e-flyer I shared are from an email my TA received a week ago on 4/17/18. The email notification was sent by the Princess VP of North American Sales (John Chernesky) to share with their clients. My great TA gave me the advance notice for this upcoming sale which I shared on CC because others have been seeking the next sale.

 

As I posted, I haven’t found the cruise fares which apparently have not yet be released. If me or anyone else finds the cruise fares & all available cruises then it’ll be posted here.

 

I don’t provide fake news but you have the prerogative to ignore this information. And why would anyone take their valuable time to create a fake news thread...definitely not me! :rolleyes:

fake news...pretty harsh. We're talking someone with almost 20,000 posts here - CC royalty! Respect, people! LOL. ;)

Thanks for posting - I have an AK cruise - fingers crossed it's on the list.

Where did you find the Ma Doudou? We will be there in Nov. and that is what I was really looking forward to.

Hi - for anyone this may help, we just got back and I'm glad to report that the little liquor store we purchased the Ma Doudou at 2 years ago is still there and doing well. They carry a nice selection of both the little and larger painted bottles in various rum flavors to the right, just as you walk in.

The shop is called Cannegie Liquor Store - it's on Front Street

are there any "obstructed view" balconies that save you some money over regular ones? I know there are obstructed OV, but I really like a balcony for the fresh air, privacy, etc others have mentioned and love the cold - so will probably sit out there a lot. But wouldn't mind an obstructed view to save some coin and just go on deck during glacier bay. Right now, splurging on a Caribe deck balcony for 2019 trip....still time to change though.

Another big thanks for the review - I've been thinking about RC, but always hesitated just because it seemed like a kid-heavy line and we're looking for more of an adult vibe. But the entertainment sounds nice. We've done 1 princess and 4 celebrity cruises and love celebrity. Liked Princess very much, but just a tiny bit less than X. But Celebrity's weakness is definitely entertainment....like their guest entertainers. Hate their in-house production shows - but it's all so subjective, right?

April 4, 2018[ATTACH]418901[/ATTACH]

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app

Thank you for updating us...much appreciated :D

Moving away from tipping and back to chair hogging for a sec, I absolutely believe change happens by taking time to call, email or post socially if this matter is important to so many people, which it seems to be. The proof?

Anyone remember last year when X tried to change departure time on last morning, (from 8am to 7am)? They said they needed people out earlier to get cabins cleaned in time for new pax, even though no other line seemed to have this problem.

Many pax were upset. I wasn't thrilled with it myself, as a 7am departure means a 5:30 or 6am wakeup call. I, along with many others called, emailed or posted on their FB site. A couple of weeks later, they rolled back the policy. People here made the difference!

This pool chair thing can also be solved the same way at virtually no cost to X: just tiny paper signs on chairs, as many posters already mentioned is happening on some ships. A few people ignore rules, but most comply when they see a printed policy. Or at least, tend to argue less when caught. :) Even 40 or 50% improvement would be a huge difference.

I'm sorry but you miss the point here, yes you will not remove the tip just from the pool people. But it is not about the money, it is all about the corporate office seeing that the lack of enforcement of the polices they put in place is costing them income. They look at the numbers and if the numbers go down they fix the problem.

 

If 10% of the passengers went to Guest Service and said they not happy with these polices, the corporate office may never know a thing. But if the overall daily service charge went down even 5% on a cruise that they would notice and correct.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't want the person loading dishes 7 days, 10-12 hrs a day in a hot kitchen to suffer just so I can make a clearer point to management about an entirely different service issue. Unless the grats you took away from Mr. dish loader & Mr. food prep guy are docked out of management salaries and bonuses so they suffer equally, (yea, right!) it's the little guy, as usual, that pays for mistakes of those at the top.

Trust, me I do understand your frustration here:

- But are you 100% sure that management really cares if a few more grats are removed?

- Is their bonus, annual review or another performance metric directly tied to gratuity rates?

- Their workers are on long term contracts in the middle of the ocean - they can't quit and walk out in protest.

Managers only prioritize what they're measured against. If they take a "wait and see" attitude for a few weeks or months vs reacting quickly, that's a lot of lost wages for people who didn't deserve it and can least afford it.

There's usually more than one way to solve a problem - it just takes a little creative thinking & the will to try. I believe most of us here are smart enough to find a different way to get the point across without resorting to this.

Imagine if you were that kitchen person - would you still agree with this tactic?

realize those tips are pooled and shared by people you don't see - working very hard in the kichens and behind the scenes elsewhere to make your trip better. Removing grats and just selectively tipping the restaurant and cabin teams seems like a poor solution to me, as it punishes the wrong people.

I use the "fishy" site that monitors cabins and get alerts when a class of cabin comes back on the market.

Just an fyi - that site hasn't been working for some time now. I had two cruises I was watching, never got updates on either despite several price drops and decided to investigate. Apparently the price drop alert hasn't been working for 6-8 months now - you can go on the website itself, but it's not actively tracking any price drops. Several people have tried emailing the moderator with no response. It's a bummer...really liked the site and have several open credits left:(

Was it Guavaberry Emporium? We bought a large bottle of hand painted rum with our names written on the back there. Be sure to try their Guavaberry Coladas! They are awesome and unique to the island.

Thanks!:D I don't have anything with original store's name on it unfortunately. But will write this one down in my notes. Hope they're still there post hurricane.

Not a huge selection but the painted bottles, yes.

Thank you - appreciate it. :D:D:D

We're just two adults & clean/neat in cabin; plus rarely ask for much in MDR - very easy going. My DH knows what it's like to wait tables from his younger years. Some people are horrible and nasty to the point of abusive - and many managers won't stick up for their staff - they always side with customers. So we both like to tip most servers well to compensate for the #&%* clientele. LOL.

Especially when someone smiles and seems glad to help us rather than bored or pained to be there.

We usually tip 30-40 to room attendant

We do select dining and have had a few MDR servers on past cruises that never offered up any menu suggestions when we asked and barely looked at us or greeted us. I know they still worked very hard, but we didn't tip extra beyond normal grats for them.

Last time, we had an amazing waiter/assistant waiter duo- so friendly, fun and helpful. We asked for their section every night. Tipped 50 to waiter; 30 to Asst waiter. They deserved every penny. Probably should have left more.

We tip $1/drink to bartenders, since they're already getting 18% on every drink. (Unlike the pooled grats that so many different people must split.)

That's where we got our Ma Doudou this trip. Previously we'd go to Old Street but it's pretty much destroyed now. Remember that old yellow roadster at the front of the street? It's destroyed and pushed nearly all the way to the end. Only a couple of shops open there now.

 

One note - as of 3/15 several card readers didn't work so you might want to take extra cash. Same thing on St Thomas.

Thanks for posting and for the head's up re: card readers. We'll make sure to have cash. (Learned that the hard way during a Cozumel trip where we didn't bring enough cash and discovered no one took credit cards at the places we were at - including the cab driver to get us back to the ship!)

Did you find those cute little painted bottles at the store you visited this trip - or just the brand of rum itself in a normal bottle?

Was it?

Friendly's Duty Free - Sells "Sangsters"

Ma Doudou - Painted Plastic and Glass Bottles.

 

No idea if they survived the hurricane.

Thanks so much for the quick response! :cool: At least now I have a tentative name to search for once I'm there. Maybe someone else will chime in who's visited recently.

I posted this question on another St Martin discussion thread, so forgive the dupe if you've already seen it. But since this is a shopping-specific thread, thinking maybe someone who sees it here may know. I'm looking for a little liquor store about a block back from the boardwalk: they sold cute little painted bottles of coconut rum in all different colors and sizes.

Anyone know the place and if they're still open? It was two years ago and I can't remember their name or where they were located. I read about them in a wonderful trip review on CC, but of course can't remember the poster. :rolleyes:

Does anyone know the little liquor store about a block or so back from Grand Case main boardwalk that sells little decorative bottles of coconut rum in these cute painted plastic and glass containers? They're all different colors and have cute images of fish and other sea life on them.

Was hoping to buy a few more from them on our upcoming trip - but totally forgot the name & location of the store and I don't know my way around well enough to remember where it was.

I read about it on a CC Celebrity Silo review 2 years ago - someone had tasted the rum in a cocktail on the boardwalk and the bar owner told her about the liquor store.

Any chance someone knows this store - and if it's open? :):):)

Book at your own risk ;p You may not be able to go back to anything less! Once I booked balcony, I could never talk myself back down after that. I just love having my own private, quiet water view to escape the crowds - I spend hours there reading and listening to music. Coffee in the am, drinks in the pm...sunrises, sunsets. :hearteyes:

Also, while odds are slim that you'll get sick or have any problems, if you ever did catch anything like the flu or noro onboard and were confined to your cabin, you'd at least be able to get fresh air anytime you wanted. I am always paranoid at booking an inside or oceanview and then the worst happens and I'm trapped inside for 3-4+ days. :eek:

I know many disagree and people certainly get great deals on lower level cabins, all while enjoying the same ports and ship benefits. But we don't do specialty restaurants, spas or casino - so the balcony is my one guilty pleasure I'll never give up.

Hi again ~ one of our friends on St. John just sent this report on Honeymoon. Hope this is helpful. Your view will be over towards St. Thomas. Enjoy!

 

Sandy, and the latest ground seas have eliminated the steep incline. All the services are open with also a little bar. Kayaks, hammocks, bathroom, lockers and a little shop.

Thank you so much! :D Was debating whether to cancel, but sounds like it should be a great day, weather permitting. Really appreciate your efforts - and by the way, great review of your cruise - looked forward to reading the updates daily!

I asked our friend who lives on St. John about Trunk and she said right now Trunk is OK for snorkeling and better f than Hawksnest (which is just before you get to Trunk and might have been another suggestion). The water yesterday was very rough as they were getting residual weather from the Nor'easter hitting the east coast.

Anne: thank you so much for updating us. I'm not too familiar with St. John, as I've never visited before, but booked a Celebrity ship excursion via boat to Honeymoon Beach (St. John side) for snorkeling. Is that near Trunk? Have you heard anything about that area specifically?