BamaVol

We moved about every 3 years while I was working.  I think we sold 9 houses and now live in the 10th.  The last two moves were downsizing.  But I actually expect our next move will be upsizing.  I don’t like stuff and prefer to spend my money on making memories.  But our (hopefully) final move will be to live near one of our children.  Florida is full of 2/2 homes.  They are harder to find further north. I’m picturing a 3/2 but I won’t feel any obligation to buy furniture for the 3rd bedroom. And the move will still be an opportunity to evaluate everything we already have before we pack it.

1 hour ago, asctony said:

Everyone has opinions. I respect yours. 

We cruise Princess & Celebrity yearly.

Both lines are compatible.

 

I really don't understand people who cruise and their biggest comment on food is Pizza.

If you cruise MSC, PRINCESS, etc., people think that the cruise line they are on has the best pizza. That is something we can do with or without. 

Nickel & diming is said about all cruise lines. 

 

Food very subjective! We consider Celebrity has the best food. Compare to CELEBRITY, MSC, NCL, PRINCESS & RCI.

 

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days. 

 

It's a good thing we have choices. So, you may cruise whatever lines you want. 

 

Remember, each cruise is what you make it.

Wow.  We were on Enchanted Princess in June and there were 3 production shows scheduled in 7 nights.  One was understandably canceled because of rough seas. What happened on your cruise?

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

 

 

Pro Tip 2 - there will be kiosk to pay for the parking

Are there multiple kiosk locations?  I only saw them on the lowest level.

I read nine pages because I wondered if anyone had something new to say.  
 

And I did learn something: I’m not an alcoholic, I’m an AUDie. 😆

27 minutes ago, 555 said:

They send notification to your cell phone just prior. 

Yes, and show up 15 minutes after your order shows as delivered. They still seem to have a few bugs to fix. Lol

51 minutes ago, 555 said:

You know when it's about to arrive. 

If you do, your orders have been more predictable than mine.  Anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half.

6 hours ago, 555 said:

But they will be circling around looking for him with a tray in their hands.

It should give you a clue. 

Too much work. 

27 minutes ago, greenie082756 said:

That is true but the medallion has a locator and that is what he said when I asked how he found me. 

He found YOU. Your face was on his device to be matched. 
 

Last year, I was sitting on the lido deck with another CCer who had ordered a Coke via Ocean Now. It didn’t arrive after an hour so he ordered another. When the server showed up with 2 cokes she explained that she hadn’t recognized him in sunglasses. So, she had his location but didn’t recognize his face. 
 

I am assuming you and your spouse are far from identical. It would be an interesting experiment to swap medallions and see if anything gets delivered. Especially in a busy place, like poolside. 

On 9/9/2024 at 7:19 PM, greenie082756 said:

I had a surprising experience ordering a drink.

We were in the buffet, I ordered a drink and waited about 15 minutes and decided to go get me some food. 

Well as I was loading the plate, a young man came to me and said my name and here's your drink ma'am. Boy, was I embarrassed. How he was able to find me in the crowd of buffet eaters surprised me! Now, I leave my medallion with the hubby 😁

 

So, either leave your medallion with someone you know or just wait. 

The server will not recognize your spouse.  You order with your medallion, the server is looking at a picture of you on their tablet.

3 minutes ago, 555 said:

Not me.

I can still remember my dad at 91 years old slowly walking across the street, using his cane and stopping to pick up an old penny lying in the street. I guess I take after him in some ways.

I will pick up a coin off the street too. But all the found money in a lifetime hasn’t paid for a single one of my cruises. 
 

I think Princess marketing knows that many cruisers forget all about budgets after they board. Using the medallion or cruise card instead of cash drives additional spending. If I’m not mistaken, Club Med pioneered that approach with the use of beads instead of cash at their resorts decades ago. 
 

It also bothers the newbs less than the elites. And they’re marketing heavily to the next generation of cruisers who won’t remember that popcorn used to be free. 

2 hours ago, 555 said:

You've got to be kidding. 😵

 

So if I don't want to buy their pop corn, I go to the buffet & get a plate of fries, chips, cheese, ribs, etc. How does that save them a penny in the long run?

Sometimes I wonder how the people in corporate think. 

They’ve read all the studies that show people won’t cross the highway for a five cent lower price on gas and 90% of Americans shop at the grocery store closest to home.  They’re betting most won’t walk to the buffet for a snack after smelling the popcorn. 

20 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Trying out Princess was the biggest gift I gave myself. All my upcoming cruises are now booked on Princess, although I do have a free cruise on NCL that needs to be booked and taken before May 2025.

Don’t forget to pack toilet paper.

Good job finding 51 categories to rate. That’s a scary tp observation. That would keep me from booking NCL again because that’s hardly Charmin on Princess. 

11 minutes ago, Coral said:

I have booked a few Princess hotels and I agree, sometimes it makes sense. It definitely is convenient. There are 2x I have booked a hotel in London due to transportation and I liked the hotel Princess used. So I am not opposed to Princess hotels as a blanket statement like some on this board.

 

Vancouver is incredibly easy and with the price of the Pan Pacific and being right at the pier, I would do that over the Westin with Princess.

I think being right at the dock is less important post cruise than pre cruise. I love the idea of being that close to Stanley Park and a little further from the touristy areas surrounding Canada Place and the steam clock. But there are loads of hotels downtown with 8.0 and higher ratings on Kayak and the Westin price just dropped $12. We may end up there yet. But I would have liked the security of my Princess insurance for another 2 days. Who knows. Still 7 months out. 

3 minutes ago, Trimone said:

We’ve been given Blue Lane to collect medallion?

If there’s a green lane in the UK, it won’t have anyone but US and Canadian cruisers who can have the medallions shipped to them in advance.  I’ve heard that’s coming for the UK, but I don’t know when.

We are disembarking in Vancouver April 15 2025 and want to stay two more nights in the city before returning home.  Princess lists several hotels in port cities and I understand you can book them through Princess.  I assume it becomes part of your final payment.

One of the hotels in Vancouver is the Westin Bayshore.  We like the location.  I asked my TA to get me a price through Princess.  Once upon a time, the Princess website showed rates for hotels.  That seems to have disappeared.  The TA came back and said no second night was available and the first night was waitlisted. She offered to book through another means, but the price (this now includes breakfast) was higher than rates I see via Kayak and I like to keep breakfast options open anyway.

Question 1:  is it normal to see hotels unavailable through Princess this far in advance when they can be booked via the hotel chain website?  Or is my TA misinterpreting Princess and perhaps the hotel simply isn’t available to book through them this far in advance? I do understand that Princess may not want to overcommit, but in this instance they would be losing at least my post-cruise business.

Question 2: does a post cruise hotel booked through the cruise line extend Princess insurance coverage as part of the trip, or does my insurance end when I disembark?

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

If I am hungry I don’t think I would want to wait 49 minutes for some food. There are lots of places I can walk up and get some food   Also super easy to walk up to a bar for a drink

Depends on if you’re hungry or if you have a hankering for something specific. I ordered a chicken salad croissant via Ocean Now to be delivered poolside vs going down 7 decks to the IC. If I was just hungry, the grill was closer. But I couldn’t get chicken salad off my mind. 

3 hours ago, Mbcruiser704 said:

Is there much to do on Sapphire Princess for a 2 year old?  I see the kids' club is open from age 3.  We aren't really interested in dropping him off, we can stay with him.

I forget what a 2 year old does when he/she is not sailing.  I vaguely recall that they required a lot of attention. I didn’t take any of my kids on a ship until they were old enough to appreciate it. As a result, we all had more fun.

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Consistent with the cruise brand’s relentless focus on personalized and hassle-free service, guests will not have to do anything different onboard to access the different services.

 

If only that were true.  LOL

14 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Unless they slow it down to the same Wi-Fi crew has. Wouldn't be surprised if they did this.

I guess we wait for evidence or an announcement to that effect.

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Princess had a presser stating Max Wi-Fi would only be available with plus and premier.

 

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (August 7, 2024) – Princess Cruises, the world's most iconic cruise brand, today announced the launch of MedallionNet Max, a new level of onboard Wi-Fi service that will meet the growing demands of today’s intensively digitally-connected travelers and continue to expand the market for cruise vacations. MedallionNet Max will be available exclusively in Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages.

 

 

MedallionNet Max will only be available in the brand’s industry-leading bundles – Princess Plus and Princess Premier. These packages are engineered to give guests the maximum experience with the maximum value.

A la carte pricing for MedallionNet Classic remains $24.99 per day for a single device plan and $44.99 per day for a multi-device plan. Consistent with the cruise brand’s relentless focus on personalized and hassle-free service, guests will not have to do anything different onboard to access the different services.

 

I already acknowledged I was not correct.  Mea culpa.  I will stand by my assertion that MN Classic is adequate for the OP’s requirements though.

18 minutes ago, travelloverontario said:

I have recently read that there is a difference now, unless I misunderstood. 

What I understand is... if you have wifi as part of a plus or premier package, you get MAX (new and improved) wifi (internet)...whereas if it is daily with no package, you get the regular wifi that the ship has been using up til now 

That is a recent change and you are correct, but you will still find the standard internet acceptable for your purposes.  You do not need Max. 

There should be no difference between Wi-Fi purchased as part of the Plus package and wi-fi purchased on a day to day basis or for an entire cruise. You will be able to do all the things you want. From anywhere on the ship. 

2 hours ago, Alifay said:

I don’t eat steak, otherwise that would be great. I’m going to see if they can modify the seabass, it’s my favorite meal ever. I might have to forgo the fried prawns and the creamy sauce but it’ll probably still be great. 
 

You’ve seen low fat dressings?!  I was sure I hadn’t, which is why I planned to bring my own. 
 

Thanks for the advice !

I didn’t see them myself, but in June we took my daughter’s family with us on Enchanted.  My son in law has a degree in exercise science and nutrition.  He limits certain ingredients including fat and I saw him at the salad bar every day. I know he talked to a chef at the buffet before he took his first plate of anything. 

Filet mignon at Crown Grill. Virtually fat free. 
 

You don’t mention World Fresh Market, but the Princess buffets on every ship I’ve sailed have had excellent salad bars. And low fat dressings. Seek out a chef for advice at the buffet. 
 

I work with MDR and buffet crew to keep the dairy off my plate. It shouldn’t be difficult to get help keeping the fat content low. Consult with a dining room manager.