BamaVol

Appreciated but somewhat out of date. The current limit is $15 for Plus and $18 for Premier. Rumors of bar price increases are also rampant here. But I would expect the variety and brands of drinks to remain relatively unchanged. As far as shortages, I will be very disappointed if the only beer on the menu that I find drinkable is not available.

Partial answer: Plus includes an unlimited juice bar. Surely there will be something without carbonation. I do not know how limited juice bar serving hours might be. In fact, it may not yet be implemented so no one here can be sure.

Correct on both statements. The count begins and ends at 6:00 am daily. which leads to the question (asking for a friend) - is there a bar open 24/7? Or does my friend need to order drink #15 before some particular closing time?

My wife has sensitive skin and would never rely on provided toiletries on board or in a hotel. OTOH, nothing bothers my skin so I am satisfied with anything provided free of charge. I’m guessing most people fall somewhere between the two of us. I’m only annoyed when nothing is provided since I don’t pack my own and have to rely on her Dove bar and shampoo with a decidedly feminine scent. Of course if you look at my profile pic, you would correctly assume I don’t go through a lot of shampoo.

Not my firsthand experience, but I have read here that it can be purchased on board, possibly only on day 1. As an accountant, I always run the numbers. It would not make sense for my wife and I if we did not drink 2+ alcoholic beverages a day. Internet and gratuities are worth $10 +16 daily PP. You would need to obtain $34 a day in value from two exercise classes per cruise, unlimited juice and soda, bottled water, specialty coffee and 2 “premium” desserts a day. Saving $10 on medallion shipping is meaningless as you can pick them up at embarkation with minimal effort, I am told.

Someone said you take the voucher to the shop to pick it up. That being the case, why do they ask you to select a delivery day? Does anyone have an opinion on the jacket? The picture is too small for me to see much detail. I expand, but it’s not clear. Assuming the price is the same on board, I guess I will look in person and make a decision there.

Try the cabin reviews thread here or search YouTube. You might get photos or a video of a typical obstructed view balcony cabin. I have an obstructed ocean view booked for our next on the Caribbean Princess. The review of that particular cabin here put my mind at ease. My wife just wants some sunlight. I found one between the lifeboats that offers a little more than that.

Thanks. Not a coffee snob, but I do have minimum standards. I agree that RCI buffet coffee is undrinkable.

I’ve read a lot of criticism of the free cruise coffee. I’ll drink it to wake up, But to really enjoy one, you have to pay. How was the iced coffee? I’ve read here that it’s not on the menu and not made well. I’m prepared to ask for the components and mix my own. As long as there’s almond milk available.

I will try them all before forming an opinion. Nothing mentioned sounds horrible to me, although “cleansing” can be a scary word.

A shot of rum improves almost any fruit juice.

I found this on the website.

There are companies that can help you measure the effectiveness of your advertising. Clever advertisers employ them pre-campaign. I don’t know what category Princess falls into. The RCCL ads featuring Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” always worked on me. In fact, when I hear the song, I still think about booking a cruise.

Look around CC and you may see MDR menus. I have looked them over and many items, certainly half or more, look safe for me. I may preplan meals with the staff the night before, or I may order off the menu with a question “is there dairy in this” or “can this be made without dairy”? There are certain foods I almost always avoid like oatmeal or mashed potatoes or scrambled eggs because many kitchens have a tendency to include dairy. I don’t actually miss any of those things. I’ve learned to order burgers and sandwiches with “no cheese on that” instructions and always ask for my salads to be served without the cheese. I know better than to order Alfredo sauce or au gratin potatoes. I don’t eat dessert. That helps because they're often massive dairy-bombs. Fresh fruit is my typical dessert. I’m sure you know the drill. What works on land should work equally well at sea.

I have looked for vegan foods on menus ever since my diagnosis. I know I can rely on them being dairy free, even if it’s not exactly what I would like to order (nondairy cheese on a pizza - yuck). Over time, you learn to ask questions and I always tip servers well when they make a trip to the kitchen to make certain. I’m encouraged by what I read here and feel like I can be happy and full after every meal on the upcoming cruise. In addition to aged cheeses, I have found I can tolerate butter, although I’ve never tested the limit.

I’m guessing they were on hold for hours until the call dropped.

Haven’t cruised with Princess yet - 40 days out - but share your problem. I will bring a full box of lactase pills and take 3 before any meal that might have dairy. I think there is a fruit option for dessert in the MDRs. That should be good enough for me. BTW, you probably know this, but the lactose dissipates over time. I am just fine with aged cheese. The problem is aged cheese looks just like unaged cheese.

I don’t eat donuts. Where on the Caribbean will I find fresh fruit?

I feel like I spotted a grüner veltliner on a Princess bar menu, but it wasn’t Austrian. Have you tried it? And disliked it? I will be disappointed if I cannot find a wine to enjoy with my seafood dinners in the MDR.

At some point in my life, I realized that my possessions owned me. The less I own, the happier I seem to be.

We all place different values on the individual components. Never having sailed with Princess, I am hoping I will not be disappointed with the dinners in the MDR that I have paid for with my fare. If I am, the next time I run the numbers, specialty dining will receive a higher value. Of course, that means that what comes with the base fare will have a lower value which might mean the next cruise is on another line.

It’s possible you will not be able to fix this. Is it likely that 5:00 in your preferred MDR is fully booked? I would be pretty upset if this was done to me, but I would not let it spoil the cruise. Good luck. I hope you can get it fixed. I going to look at my reservations now. I swear every time I get on CC, I discover something new that Princess might mess up on me.

I plan to pitch a fit when they deny me my 16th drink of the day. Just kidding. But after a 44 year career in accounting, I always run the numbers before making a decision. The Plus package will save us money. Not sure that Premier would. We both use the internet, tip, exercise and drink adult beverages. She might try a dessert. I will not. As with anything, YMMV. And I don’t really care what other people do. I’ll let Princess worry about that. If they see a way to make more money by eliminating, enhancing or shrinking either of those plans, I expect they will. Then I just have to run the numbers again. Most of you seem like sensible people who would do the same thing. But trying to influence Princess beforehand is foolish. We are too small a sample, and unscientifically selected at that, to base line-wide decisions on. They’ve just set this up. It’s too soon to make further changes without data. Let them see at least a few months of actuals.

Hoping for light breezes if I encounter that.

42 days out and I can bookmark the shows in the theatre. Nothing else of consequence. Who cares when the art auctions are scheduled. I’d like to know what movies we might be able to watch.