BamaVol

21 minutes ago, wcook said:

Interesting. Never been to Alaska but assumed formal night was when you wore your nice flannel. 

That was me.  But I wore a sweater over it so only the collar showed.

Thanks for the Live.  I completely enjoyed it.  You have a great writing style and I look forward to the next one.

7 hours ago, HotRoot said:

We have always gone with the flow.  This time we picked a table for every night.  We really liked having the same staff every night.  We did not have to tell them we did not want the bread basket.  In the future we will pick a table and keep the same staff for the entire cruise.  

For some reason, even though I tell them the first night that I don’t eat dessert, they try to tempt me after every dinner.

10 hours ago, memoak said:

The menu is the same in all MDR’s

The decor is different.  The service may be different.  The location and sometimes the deck is different. The menu is the same. We stick to one dining room in an effort to get to know the staff, and vice versa.

3 minutes ago, EDVM96 said:

Its's some kind of funny. A "cheque"? Serious? Is it still used in the U.S.?

No, but “checks” are occasionally used in the US.  Especially if one is interested in slowing down the payment process.

I plan to shop for chips (crisps) in port in Mexico.  They will have flavors not readily available here in the US. And I always grab a few single beers in port to bring back home. The chips will go on top of the beers in the same bag. 

Has the tea party already taken place.  Asking for my 7 year old granddaughter, for whom it will be the highlight of our cruise.  If I’m not mistaken, it is on the final sea day.  Isn’t that today?

10 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

No, you are not required to get Princess Insurance.  

And you will probably save money with a third party. If you’re not familiar, there is a forum on CC that specifically addresses cruise insurance. 

We sailed Sapphire Voyage of the Glaciers last September.  Formal nights were relatively informal.  I wore a collared shirt under a cotton sweater.  My wife wore dark pants and a sweater.  We were not out of place.  For Floridians in Alaska, the primary concern is keeping warm.

So far I have only seen $99 deposits.  I think that offer expired yesterday.  But I have seen it several times.

18 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

seems quite a bit expensive. Cabanas start at $125 and then you pay additionally per person, and that doesn't even include food.

I didn’t think it was too much.  The food and drink prices aren’t outrageous.  I’m not crazy about paying another $19 pp for admission to Chankanaab Park next door.  But I think we will do it. My daughter saw pictures this week of a pool by the pier that looked disgusting.  A cool cabana, clean pool and nice beach is much more appealing. The place has a 5 star rating on TripAdvisor with over 200 reviews.

6 minutes ago, 555 said:

After eating at Sabatini's a while ago, I'm not sure if it was actually worth the extra $$. I think we'll be skipping it next time & just enjoy the included food in the DR. 

I think value is a different question than is it the same food as the MDR. I don’t do SD myself because I don’t see the value for money. Others must or the lines would be trying something different. 

2 hours ago, Traderboy said:

I see what you mean , memoak.

 

I meant the 1-device WiFi that is included with the Princess plus package.

 

It is not worth upgrading to the Princess Premier package for WiFi reasons.

 

Incidentally I don’t like the idea of lots of reserved seats in the Theatre for people on the Premier package.  No marks to Princess for this attempt at gouging the customers!

How is this “gouging”?  You pay more, you get more.  That’s how capitalism works on land and at sea. 
 

I have used wifi on Princess before and after the conversion to Starlink and found it at least adequate almost everywhere I went.  I don’t think I would be happy paying $25 a day, but when it’s bundled, you tend to forget what it costs.

Order the strip loin in the MDR.  Then have dinner at the Crown Grille.  If you can’t tell the difference, avoid specialty dining for the rest of your cruise.

3 hours ago, 2 to Sea said:

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The entire time on the cruise, the weather was warm and a little humid, which made time by the pool very refreshing.  My husband loves the heat and is usually in the hot tub, but this cruise was warm enough for him to get into the pool.  The inside of the ship was pleasantly cool, but not where you needed to put a sweatshirt on.   I would do this itinerary again.  We were jealous of those that this was their second week or those that were continuing today.  

Muchos gracias for the “live”.  Very much appreciated. 

28 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Waiting to board.  A truck hit a gangway, 

And boarding is backed up

I hope no one was on the gangway!

15 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

Logic defeats spin doctoring from teetotalers. 👏👏👏

Even with the old wifi price.

Included in base your fare are some exercise options outside the fitness center.  Mrs BamaVol will attend every Zumba class, Line Dancing class and Tai Chi class offered on board. I don’t think you can guarantee that all of those will be offered, but some will.

It should be refundable OBC.  You may just have to wait a month for the refund (assuming you don’t find a way to spend it on board).

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Obviously lots of problems with the app.

Excuse me for not reading through 76 pages, but is anyone else told that ‘this isn’t your booking’

My date of birth is also incorrect, it has me a year older and I can’t see how to change it.

Could someone please give me the Princess web site and I will see if I can correct it that way.

The only way I can get through to my booking is by going via an email I had when we first booked, inviting us to book excursions.

 

If you can open the app, you will see a chat option along the bottom.  I got an agent to fix my birthdate this way.  The “isn’t your booking” may be related to the wrong birthdate.  I think I encountered that as well.

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

why now? it takes 8-12 weeks now - for the US passport, and apparently less than that for a Canadian one. May to December is a looooong time.

It took my daughter’s family 3 weeks in December 2023.

32 minutes ago, ProfMHC said:

Terrific! Now I have a note to write to put in the little wallet for my own grandson!

I’m sure it goes without saying that I’m leaving him enough US currency to make this an adventure instead of a burden.

I always come home with a little extra foreign currency.  I put it aside in a drawer with a note to my grandson that upon my demise, he is to return it all to the country of origin.

Excursion prices seem to bounce around based on demand. I watched one increase by $10 before I booked it. A couple weeks later, it’s back to the earlier price point (no discount shown). Still “20 available “. 
 

I will cancel and rebook to save $20. 

Thanks for the “Live”.  You did a nice job.  I followed avidly in anticipation of our 6/15 Enchanted sailing.