VibeGuy

No, alcoholic beverages were still extra. But drinks were incredibly cheap because liquor tax was a bigger % of the bottle cost back then. A highball and a Shirley Temple were definitely well under $2 total because I literally learned how to sign a bar chit on Pacific Princess in that era. My aunt said to write a 2 on the TOTAL line and then write my name on the bottom. She was a decent tipper. as skills for a child to learn, I think it was a pretty good one.

They’re two booking numbers so you’ll get both $250 bonuses. They will show on the folio on the first day of each segment. If you don’t use the full $250 on the first segment, it will roll over to the second. Conversely, if you go over, the folio balance of the first segment will roll to the second and the new OBC award will be used against it immediately upon the start of the second segment.

Next time you can just call me by name. Sheesh. ;0)

The difference between MJA/Global Rescue and the evac coverage in essentially all other policies is really simple: who decides if the local care is sufficient, and where do you end up? MJA and GR get you from where you are to where *you and your US physician* want you to be. Not the “nearest suitable facility” as determined by the insurers read of the situation. I’m not a snob regarding local healthcare in some places cruise ships visit or we travel to for business or leisure. In fact, I’ve got doctors in two different cruise ports for elective procedures because they’re technically very talented and the care is excellent. If we had an incident in, say, Japan, I’d likely stay put until we could fly home commercial. The reality is, not every place we go is like Japan or Germany or Australia. When something bad happens, I want a ripcord that gets us to a place with high quality care, languages we speak (and not just the doctors - nurses and other caregivers), a working medical regulatory system and some professional accountability without needing to engage with an unfamiliar legal system. The grey zone between where all of these conditions are met and what a travel insurer thinks is “good enough” is too broad for my comfort. Yes, the hospital in Mazatlan is probably capable of adequately treating a femoral fracture. Can my husband communicate well with the caregivers? No. Are they well equipped to deal with the simultaneous brain bleed from the fall that broke the leg because said husband is on blood thinners? I’m not qualified to judge. If someone misses the brain bleed, do I practically have any recourse? None. I see travel insurance / international benefits for medical as covering the steps from onboard to shoreside / emergency room. I see MJA/GR as a completely different product that buys us another financially viable set of options about what to do next.

This. Nothing else even comes close. We upgraded to Horizon for the 50k cash advance facility, and DH has been informed that the day after his 85th birthday, we are not going anyplace where we wouldn’t be happy getting local medical care.

Salty Dog for the rebranding of the lido deck burger grill, sure. But that branding is on the way out for the extra-cost gastropub venue. If they get rid of Vines I would suspect it would be for the new O’Malley’s concept.

I also sailed the original Pacific and Island Princess and anyone who thinks the cabins looked anything like the ones on the show is delusional. I remember visiting a suite and being impressed they had an actual sofa. The tables in the dining room were much closer together than depicted and there were far fewer tables for two. The Pirates Cove was not nearly so inviting as pictured. The passageways were not bright enough to perform surgery. However, what I’m most upset about is that I have *never* encountered Charo onboard. If you think I’m kidding, read this piece by Amanda Hess of the NYT (no subscription required). The Brilliance of Charo

All the drinks fit inside the Plus package. You can also order a la carte. All the beverages demonstrated are destined for paying customers.

Out of curiosity, did you get cardioverted onboard? $1600 is a bargain if so. We bailed on one particular itinerary this winter because there were more than five days between ports with reasonable opportunities to get zapped if DH went out of rhythm, and I wasn’t able to identify anyone who had experienced an elective DCCV onboard. DH does not approve of my plan to DIY it with a used LifePak and a stop at a Mexican “farmacia alta especialidad” early in the trip for anaesthetic. His EP wasn’t sure how deeply they’d be willing to sedate onboard.

I mean, $129 to see a provider during office hours without a six week wait for an appointment? Sounds delightful to me.

Bringing back Steamers has probably been delayed due to the stuff hitting the fan with crab prices. The market is a mess right now.

I enjoy my Burger Queen burger most when I’m having refreshing beverages at The Asylum Bar. They’ll deliver right to you.

Medicare A+B covers nothing internationally. Some Medigap policies add international coverage. But many, if not most, Medicare Advantage plans provide urgent and emergent coverage worldwide.

While not *paid* speciality dining, the very tasty Gigi’s is open for lunch and I’ve seen the sushi bar open for lunch before but can’t predict exactly when.

It can be done. The amount to do so will always be at least ports, but it’s possible the single supplement was reduced from the standard 100% to as little as 5%. So there may be an add collect. what it shouldn’t do is trigger a reprice.

The International has a few non-banquette two tops, but not many. There *might* be as many as 16 but it’s more like 12 to my memory. Most are banquette as found in the midships dining rooms. If a window table is important to you, note that the Santa Fe window tables are exclusively reserved for Club Class dining.

Nothing earth-shattering. A specific request regarding event and location scheduling was made on a Monday. When it hadn’t resulted in action by Wednesday, someone else followed up and was told that the request was never made. When a witness to the original request replied that they were there and heard the original request quite clearly, they were quite directly told that the request never happened and they weren’t there if it did. The issue was subsequently addressed very thoroughly and capably by the Entertainment Director and Hotel GM/AGM after it percolated up to Santa Clarita later that evening and back down the next morning. I had given up. Other people affected by the screwup and gaslighting are waaaaaaay more reactive than I am, and apparently have better contacts inside HQ. Hence, I have no further use for Arrrrrrrmando. Any interaction I need to have with him going forward will be dictated by the responsibilities compelled by maritime law and custom. For example, I would absolutely throw a life ring and shout “man overrrrrrboard” if I see him fall into the water. Were he on fire, I would embrace the importance of extinguishing the flames by any means necessary. It’s not like he’s on my bad side. He’s just one of the very few things I don’t like about Princess and now know to work around in the future. It’s like how Princess always has All detergent in the launderettes, and I prefer Persil, so I bring some. It’s just a reality that I’m powerless to change structurally, but can avoid easily enough. The rest of the CD staff were very glad to see the usual CD return from their well-deserved vacation.

It’s a cocktail that used to be on at least some Princess menus that is pretty linearly the drink requested. I can’t recall if they were served “up” (in a cocktail glass, strained of ice) or if I just preferred mine on the rocks and ordered them that way.

I’m not one of those people who usually places great import on the cruise director for any given sailing. They all have their strengths, they all have their weaknesses. That said, I’ve had sufficient Arrrrrrrrrmando for an eterrrrrrrrnity. He’s the first onboarrrrrrd employee in at least a decade that I’ve caught in a bald-faced lie. Not a miscommunication, not a misunderstanding, but a blatant misrepresentation of facts, in a way that others felt compelled to escalate to shoreside executives and that came rolling back downhill in spectacular fashion. Forrrrrrtunately, he appears to just be doing vacation coverrrrrage.

Usually one hot selection (sausage rolls, samosas, meatballs, dumplings, spring roll), crudité, fruit, a composed salad, a mousse or similar dessert, cheeses and garnishes, and then a rotating daily feature item such as smoked salmon, shrimp, steak tartare, guacamole, Stilton cheese (why can’t I recall the other two?)

Princess actually has excellent passion fruit purée in all the bars. It used to be Perfect Purée of Napa Valley but now it’s a surprisingly good aseptic pouch one. To order, ask for a Passionata up, made with Absolut Vanilia, or have the recipe handy. Princess has improved their rum selection of late. Myers has returned, there’s always some decent Appleton, Bacardi 8 does mix well, and they’ve introduced Metusalem and Wray & Nephew.

I would be shocked if Carnival Corp operates anything with any of their existing brands for the Chinese market before there’s a snow-cone stand in Hades. They pulled the old Costa ships, didn’t send the intended new builds, and are building the Adora brand as part of the JV with the state-owned enterprises. China as a growth opportunity of meaningful impact/scale for Carnival Corp is as dead as the midnight gala buffet. With the promised reductions in newbuild velocity, to pay off the massive debt run up during the shutdown, Princess is going to need Majestic in the fleet for years to come, and they’re almost assuredly going to homeport her in one of their traditional markets.

Sometime after midnight, day-of.

Not a single Seattle-based sailing stops in Prince Rupert. The OP was specific in his ask.