Fa-Li

I'm sure I'm just overly sensitive to it. We could even smell it occasionally down on our aft balcony on deck 14, if the wind was right.

Thanks!

For those who have cruised on Majestic Princess, do you recall the if the area around the wake view bar is dedicated smoking area like on some other Royal class ships? I'm looking at some of the future Caribbean sailings on her, but with the front pool area enclosed, it seems like there might be fewer quiet deck spaces than on say, Enchanted, where we spent a lot of time around the Retreat Pool. We've loved the wake decks on other Princess ships, but on Enchanted, this space was full of smoke at all times. Not a pleasant area at all. (unless of course, you smoke)

I’m eagerly awaiting early 2025, maybe they’ll release the whole year?

I wish everyone was that considerate 💕

So, will your kids be happy to sit there and behave nicely for a couple hours, while not eating?

@memoak that was incredibly kind of you to self test and report the positive, even when you felt fine. You may have saved someone else from a much worse experience.

Switched to hard sided this year and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much more fits in the same size case, and how light weight the bags are. Ours fit under the bed with no problem. I especially like the kind that each side is its own zippered compartment. Really keeps things organized. Believe it or not, Target Carrie’s several very nicely made versions that are dupes of far more expensive brands.

Just got back from our cruise that included a stop in Grenada. We booked through ExplorerGrenada and didn't love the communication, but we LOVED our guide, who also does tours on his own. Kamal Campbell - his card says Island Thriller Taxi and Tours - was prompt for pick up, had a very clean and comfortable vehicle, and went over and above to give us a great tour in a limited amount of time (we were only in port 8-2). We wanted to hike Annandale Falls and he arranged an extra guide to meet us there at no extra cost to us. This way, in our group of four, we had two guides making sure we were moving safely across some pretty challenging hiking areas. He got us there ahead of large tour groups and we managed to have the area pretty much to ourselves - not an easy feat with a lot of passengers in port that day. Kamal had a wealth of knowledge about the island and he gave us a ton of info about the plant life as well. I had a some particular spices I wanted to buy, and he helped me find them and get the best price. When we changed our minds about some of the things we wanted to see at the last minute, he adjusted effortlessly and we got a truly customized tour. If we go back, we will book directly with him. His email is plantain93@gmail.com but we found the best way to reach most folks on these islands was through WhatsApp That number is 1(473) 457-4803

We actually thought it was less windy up top than by the pool itself. We spent every afternoon up there and found it very comfortable. The lower area seemed to make a wind tunnel effect. But it was fully occupied most of the time, so obviously not a deal breaker.

Hi, Just back from our cruise which included a stop in St. Thomas on a day with several large ships in port. Thanks to tips from this board, I had reached out to Aqua Action at Secret Harbor and reserved canopy chairs for our group of four. First, this was our first time back at Havensight since the restart, and I found the group taxi situation much improved. There was a large lot serving as a taxi corral, rather than just the one narrow spot with one or two of the open air bus taxis. It was still the big group taxis, but many of them, and a "wrangler" was ascertaining where we wanted to go and assembling groups accordingly. We ended up in an open air taxi with a large group going to Coki Beach, which made sense as that is in the same general direction as Secret Harbor. Saved a lot of time instead of criss crossing the island. There were actually private taxis available as well, which was new to me. Price per person to SH was $20 for one or two, and $15 pp if more than two in group. This was on a sign that listed destinations, also something I hadn't seen before. (maybe I'd just missed it, but overall, this was the least chaotic St. Thomas taxi situation we'd experienced) Dealing with Jessie of Aqua Action ahead of time by email was an easy and pleasant experience. Fees were clearly laid out, and directions were clear. It was $15 per canopy chair (loungers with an adjustable shade), plus a set up fee of $10 cash total for our group of 4. We also tipped the guy who set up our chairs. Taxi dropped us in front of the resort and assured us there would be plenty of taxis available throughout the day in the same spot. This was true and also not quite - when we were ready to leave, there were three bus taxis lined up, plus a van. The bus taxis had all been scheduled ahead of time by groups. They would have been happy to take us, but on the schedule of those groups and we would have been waiting anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. The van had also been called ahead, and that driver turned out to have room for us, so we were able to hop in and go fairly soon. There did not appear to be taxis just waiting to fill up with random fares. Of course, knowing St Thomas, we had allowed plenty of margin. I don't think you should stay on the beach til the last minute and then count on being able to get a ride immediately. We had not docked until 9, so arrived at the beach around 10:30. It was a lovely beach and the water was calm and seaweed-free. Something about the currents apparently protected it from the sargassum that was plaguing a lot of the beaches that week. Jessie and her crew were happy to see us. They had been defending our reserved chairs from many who wanted to rent them. They were completely sold out for the day. They operate out of a little dive shop with rental equipment, snacks, and beach clothing. Everyone was so nice and friendly! The loungers themselves were basic lawn-chair level quality, with attached canopies that could be adjusted to provide descent shade. We had our choice of where to have them set up, though the beach in front of the resort is reserved for hotel guests. The dive shop is attached to a larger building that is part of the resort, and there is a nice restaurant that was doing brisk business. The restrooms behind the restaurant were available to us. The Harbor itself is a marine sanctuary, and reef preservation groups are regularly doing coral grafts to improve the health of the ecosystem. As a result, the snorkeling was pretty good. There was actually a fair amount of colorful coral, and a variety of fish to see. The best snorkeling was out along the edge of the Harbor, which required a little bit of a kick to get to - and a little more effort to come back in against the current. The inner part right from the beach was very calm and clear- an excellent place for kids to swim or for a beginner snorkeler to become comfortable. We normally charter a small boat to do our snorkeling off-shore in St. Thomas but this time did not feel we had enough time in port to feel comfortable doing that. This was our first beach day on the island, and we were pleased to still get a good-enough snorkel in while also having a comfortable spot to hang out for the day. Added bonus that it was easy to get there and back. Anyway, this is the kind of info that I'm always looking for about a port, and I wanted to pay it forward after all the help I've gotten here. Happy snorkeling!

My husband speculated the same when I mentioned this thread. We went to dinner between 7:30 and 8, and to the 9:30 shows. All that hot food and all those warm bodies must have warmed things up! This would be a good tip for people who are flexible on times, and hot or cold natured.

@MissP22 i agree - it was a pleasant surprise to see all the lovely clothes on this cruise. I enjoyed seeing some men in tuxes on formal night, and for the passengers who went for the white and gold theme, there were some beautiful sparkly outfits. I wonder if different sections of the dining room are set at different temps? We sweltered in Club Class most nights, and were also quite warm in some of the lounges, such as the bar area for Crown Grill. The husbands wore jackets for the two formal nights, but ended up with them on the backs of chairs rather quickly.

This is interesting, how different all our experiences were on the same cruise. I guess it’s a subjective thing, based on what you are trying to do online? Or I’m just not computer savvy enough to know that it’s bad? All I know is that there was no cussing at the internet, which made for a pleasant cruise.

We had Johannes (sp?). He was wonderful. Tbh I’m not sure if maybe he meant only share photos from before entering. But we all took pictures inside. The waitstaff even paused and held bottles of wine so we could get good photos.

We were encouraged to share, but I suspect many do not want to spoil the experience. All the surprises were part of the fun.

They encouraged photos and asked us to post with a 360 hashtag. I searched and didn’t find many such posts on the social media I use, so didn’t actually do this, though I may yet. I don’t remember about video. Honestly, the experience was so immersive I think one would miss out if focused on recording. I did keep the “live” function on for my iPhone photos so I could show friends some of the cool effects in motion.

This just wasn’t our experience. All times of day, and sea days, were just as easy. It made it hard to get the hubs to take a break sometimes lol.

Indeed we are! She was hooked! Meant to add, we did 360 and they even accommodated her there, with no fuss at all!

Just home from 10 days on the Enchanted. I asked so many anxious questions about wifi and connectivity before our cruise, that I wanted to come back and report our experience in case it could help someone else. I realize that the ship has now set out on her TA, so that will be a different situation, but perhaps this will reassure those who are booking for next season in the Caribbean. This was a southern Caribbean itinerary, with early stops at Princess Cays and St Thomas before heading south and west. We had 4 sea days (one unexpected due to high winds.) The ship was full. My group of four had two suites on the aft corners of Riviera Deck. (I have no idea if location or class had anything to do with our experience) All four of us had no issues whatsoever connecting to the internet, at all times of day, anywhere on the ship. We were able to do everything on our phones or tablets that we can do at home. On his work computer, my husband was able to participate in video calls in the cabin. Downloading his large volume of emails and attached files did take awhile, but he was able to leave that process running while we went to breakfast, for example, and the connection stayed active and working without constant supervision or need to reconnect. I was able to stream my apple fitness workouts with no lag or buffering time. Calls over wifi were also possible. The only time we lost wifi connection was on our balconies under the metal overhang. If we moved back closer to the glass doors, we were able to reconnect. (These are huge balconies, and that's a lot of metal to ask a signal to pass through) Connection was good up on the open deck above the Retreat pool, where we spent a lot of time in the afternoons. I never ran a speed test, as for me the main test is "Do I give up on my google search out of frustration?" I never got frustrated with the internet, so for me it was fast enough. Having said that, the internet was not the best at sea I've ever experienced. That was on Harmony of the Seas last April. But this was certainly not the dreadful internet I'd come to expect from recent discussion. I hope others have the same good experience going forward.

@MsSoCalCruiser I just wanted to come back and thank you! Just got home and my friend had the best vacation ever! She went the whole ten days, eating whatever she desired, with not a single allergic reaction. They were just as good about taking care of her as you said they'd be! As for the original point of this thread (thank you OP for being so gracious about me highjacking it), we had a wonderful embarkation day lunch in club class in the mdr. It was a nice way to meet the servers who would be taking care of us the rest of the cruise, and the food was top-notch.

We did 360 last week on Enchanted. It was a perfect experience. I loved that it felt special with an invitation issued because we were suite guests, though judging by excited posts on the facebook group throughout the cruise, others were also invited. Someone was even pulled from a line at another restaurant to fill a last minute vacancy. The whole set up worked to make it feel serendipitous and magical. I would happily pay quite a bit to do this experience again, but I'm not sure it would feel quite the same to simply reserve it rather than excitedly hope to be included. The personalization and the story, plus the amazing service, really made this a top notch experience. In addition, the food was very creative and very good. It felt special to share this with such a limited number of people, all of whom were excited to be there. Princess has a real winner here, and they are planning to constantly tweak and update it, which should make it fun to repeat on future sailings.

I see now that you have already declined. That’s a shame. If you are onboard, or haven’t gone yet, it may be worth reaching out and seeing if they can add you back on. They can tell you if they can accommodate your wife’s restrictions without revealing the whole menu. I will say, there were no nuts involved, which is they only allergy I can think of at the moment that would prevent someone from even being in the room. it truly was a one-of-a-kind experience that I would have thoroughly enjoyed even without the fabulous food.

We did this last week. Without spoiling the surprises, I can tell you in our group we had a pescatarian, a person with a severe dairy allergy, and a picky eater (it me). Everyone was accommodated perfectly, with minimal intrusion on the experience. No lengthy discussion needed, no reminders, and no mistakes. I did not even voice my pickiness bc I knew I could pass a plate to my husband. However, they apparently watch you like a hawk because the one dish I actually didn’t touch at all (most I found plenty on the plate to enjoy) , was quietly and quickly replaced with a more appealing alternative. If/when you get an invitation, you will be asked about any restrictions. They have clearly put a ton of thought into the dishes, which each go with the narrative, and have thought of every contingency

Tom, this is a complimentary experience