OccasionalSanta

Last year, we did the NB and SB back-to-back.... My only comment regarding Hubbard vs, College Fjord is that the ship didn't get anywhere close to the Hubbard glacier. There was an excursion where folks boarded a smaller boat and cruised closer to the glacier, but it was a bit pricey ($300/person, if I remember correctly) and it will likely sell out if you don't book it early.

(For the record, we were on the Grand)

6 hours ago, Auntiejo said:

I thought I read recently that they’re switching Sabatini and The Catch locations on Discovery? Is that in the works?

My brother had mentioned that to me as well, but I heard nothing about it on the ship.

Right now they have closed down the Gastropub and are converting it to O'Malley's Irish Pub

1 hour ago, Astro Flyer said:

Sabatini’s Restaurant Manager (Headwaiter) said on 4/12 that the exchange was expected to be completed in 10 days. However disembarking the next day I don’t know if the swap has been completed yet.

It had not happened at of 4/27 when we disembarked

19 hours ago, Potstech said:

The Triple S hanger is not a shrimp but supposedly a langista   as explained when I had it on the Enchanted.  They may have changed it though.

You may well be right. I assumed it was a shrimp because the Triple S is described as Shrimp, Salmon and Scallops.

As an added note, I had to dismantle the "shrimp" since Mrs. OS doesn't like food with eyes

I haven't been a fan of Dine My Way since it was introduced. This is probably because we tend to not want to eat on any particular schedule except for when we hit the specialty restaurants. I kinda hope that the new system, which I hear will be rolling out this Fall, will be a little better. 

In general, I have found that day 1 of the cruise tends to be a nightmare for walk-ins, but the rest of the cruise is not bad. If I can't make a reservation for a specialty restaurant, I have always had luck chatting with the maitre d' early in the evening and being flexible about coming back an hour or so later

The second dinner was also excellent

The menu was the same as were the first appetizer and glass of sparkling wine

Mrs. OS had the Seafaring Stew for her appetizer which was served in a huge, crab-shaped dish

However, since she had also asked about the Tuna Salade Nicoise, the waiter bought that to the table as well

I had the Lump Crabcake

For the main, she had the Triple S Platter

Which was presented with a large suspended shrimp

While I had the Catch of the Day (Sea Bass)

For dessert, she had the Chantilly Lace

And I had the Delight in the Air

We recently cruised B2B on Discovery (Mexican Riviera and California Coast) and twice we ate at The Catch. While I suspect there will still be the complaints about the noise from the Piazza that were prevalent during the Bistro Sur la Mer dynasty, I have to say the food was excellent.

Here is a rundown of the first meal...

This is the menu

In addition to a glass of sparkling wine, we were served the first appetizer, which is not on the menu. It consisted of bread and dipping/spreading options. I don't remember what the ingredients were, but Mrs. OS seemed to enjoy it. (I was happy with just butter.

Mrs. OS' appetizer was the seafood tower.

While I had the calamari

Mrs. OS had the catch of the day (Swordfish) for her main

While I partook of the Concerto (pasta with seafood)

For dessert, she had the Mozart's Berry Composition (Yes, it was big)

While I had the Chef's Classic (crepes suzette)

We did not walk away hungry

17 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 

I haven't ever noticed these before - we always pay at the gate. I will have to look for them next time we are there. We have been going out of 92 our last few cruises and I haven't seen anything similar there. Good to know they exist.

If they still exist (and are working) they're near the area circled in red below. Unless you happen to park near them, they are only convenient if you are arriving at Berth 93 since you'd have to walk  around the Y-shaped ramp to get there from Berth 92.

On 4/9/2024 at 10:14 AM, karatemom2 said:

Parking at San Pedro is very easy. You can line up and drop your bags off with a porter, then go park your car. It's a huge lot - generally plenty of spaces available. You are charged at the exit gate on departure and it is easier to use a credit card - it's an automated system where you put the ticket in the machine and then pay with your card - although there is always an attendant there to help, so I imagine you could possibly use cash, but who would want to do that these days? 

There are machines near Berth 93 where you could pay on your way out to your car. But the last couple times we parked there, these machines were not working so we had to pay at the exit gate. Does anyone know whether or not they are still broken?

On 12/27/2023 at 12:11 PM, d9704011 said:

As a new perk, maybe Elite Plus can get their laundry back within 48 hours.

Personally, I've never had it take more than 48 hours

38 minutes ago, avonlady6390 said:

It's 15.00 a day unless you are platinum or elite then it's half off.

Standard rates are:

$15/day for 1 device

$40/day for 4 devices

Platinum/Elite get 50% discount

Note that the device limit is at any particular time.  If you purchase for 1 device you can actually use multiple devices over the course of the cruise but only one at a time

Yes.  I have done so on numerous occasions. 

I have always used a 3-prong (grounded) extension 

6 hours ago, WECRUISEUK said:

Hello,just like your culture,we in the u.k. are not overly keen on tipping

Which explains why restaurant workers in the U.K. (and other like countries) are happy to serve tourists from the U.S.

5 hours ago, Outerdog said:

Above is correct. Leaving PV now bound for LAX.

 

Gonna be a rough one

We were on the Emerald coming back to L.A. just ahead of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hillary in August and the seas were incredibly smooth ahead of the storm.

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I prefer to play Texas Hold 'Em poker.  Sure there is a rake from each pot, but I am playing other guests and not the House.  After all, doesn't the House always win?  (In the long run).

Overall, I agree with you about playing against other players. The annoying thing about the rake is that the dealer is automated. At a regular casino, there is a person dealing so you know that some of the rake is going to pay for the dealer. With an automated dealer, it's just more money sucked up by the casino.

On my last cruise, I played a hold 'em tournament and the casino cut was 20% of the overall payout ($60 to play, $10 went to the casino, $50 went to the prize pool.) In land-based casinos I always seen the casino cut as 10% of the prize pool (for example, $55 to play, $50 to the prize pool, $5 to the casino)

I guess you can just look at it as vacation tax. 

On 9/27/2023 at 4:29 PM, Thrak said:

The lobster, for instance, is not the same as the lobster tail you normally get in MDR on a formal night. It is what is served in Crown Grill.

I don't recall the lobster served in Crown Grill being different from what's served in the MDR other than the fact that Mrs. OS was not impressed with it in the Crown Grill.

11 hours ago, mpk said:

 

 

Any mosquitoes on this cruise?  🙂 

We were on this cruise and did not see any mosquitos

You have to call room service once on board to arrange delivery and I bet that you can specify the kind of soda you want

10 hours ago, suzyed said:

You are able to ask for the traditional Escargot rather than their version.  We did it a few times dining at BSLM.

Yeah, we heard about that after the fact. Kinda bummed that BSLM will probably be gone before we get a chance to eat there again..

On 9/5/2023 at 9:52 AM, kstrittm said:

I just sailed on Discovery, and we ate at Bistro Sur La Mer one night.  The service was extremely slow

It's probably just me, but when I'm on a cruise speed of service is not my first concern. I'm there to relax and enjoy the experience.* I found Bistro Sur La Mer to be a very good experience and am disappointed that it is being eliminated. Then again, I said the same thing about Share. Mrs. OS was disappointed with the way they prepared the escargot. Mostly because she likes it covered in butter and garlic like they do in the MDR. But beyond that, we found the food at BSLM to be very good and also thought the location near the piazza made it feel like an alfresco French dining experience

*The one exception to this is when we are sharing a table (which we frequently do in the MDR) and one of our co-diners is kind of a pain to be around. But you take your chances and sometimes it doesn't work out.

On 9/13/2023 at 11:49 AM, kiwimum said:

In the past, we were allowed to customize the pizzas a little.... For instance on the Pizza Hawaiiana, I would remove the chicken and perhaps add mushrooms. Is this still allowable under the new regime?

50 minutes ago, Oxo said:

What about one person going into the place and order a takeout for one. Then taking it to the open area where you have tables and then share it with the other person? Or ordering and have it delivered to a location on the ship?

Or are they not allowing takeout? 

WE have Plus. 

I would think that would be okay. Then again, I wouldn't put it past Princess to hire extra people to follow you around and make sure you don't share  😊

2 hours ago, roadster08 said:

On my Sapphire Princess Alaskan cruise prior to the changes, Alfredo's was  usually empty as well.  We went multiple times and found the pizza to be to our liking, fresh sauce, flavorful mozzarella and tasty crust that was crispy outside and slightly chewy inside. Pretty confident the crust is made with 00 flour and the sauce with San Marzano tomatoes. 

 

Many cruisers don't get very good pizza back home so they avoid it on board assuming it will be nothing special. Some just don't see pizza fitting in with the upscale dining experience they are expecting. They think any food eaten with hands is for barbarians. Yes,  we know who you are. 

 

Unless they research before the cruise they have no way of knowing how good Alfredo's really is. And Alfredo's even has forks and knives! 

I was on Discovery and Grand for 5 cruises in 2022. Granted that they were not yet sailing at full capacity, but we never had a problem getting into Alfredo's/Gigi's and several times there was only one or two other tables in use. I'm not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to start charging. The only thing I can conceive is that perhaps they had a lot of pizza orders over the app, because they certainly didn't have many people in the dining area.

On 8/23/2023 at 9:37 PM, trbarton said:

I'm on a cruise in December & just went onto my booking under "Food & Beverage Experiences" & could book either the breakfast or dinner.

 

I could pick which day I wanted but not the time so I assume the time would be done once on the ship.

We have done the UBD twice this year. Both times I selected the day when I placed the reservation, but also both times they called me on the first day of the cruise to confirm the date. (I assume you can change the date at this time, if needed) and also to set the time. I believe I had the option of 6:30 or 8:00.

We had a balcony cabin on the Caribe deck of the Crown and Emerald, which is larger than those on the Aloha or Baja decks. We also had good weather and ate outside both times. My brother tells me that he has done the UBD once or twice in the cabin with no issues. 

Just be aware that it's a lot of food, so don't eat a big lunch

7 hours ago, wallyj said:

 

I will be back on the Ship for the Aug 5 2023, Hawaii sailing and if he is scheduled to perform, I will report back.

I will also be on the Aug 5 sailing. Naathan is not scheduled for that cruise.

We saw him about a year ago on one of the ships (possibly Discovery)  I later found out he knew both of my sons from Fullerton College so we went to see him again at the Magic Castle. 

On 7/21/2023 at 11:56 AM, wallyj said:

I board Emerald tomorrow

If you are on the Emerald now, I understand that Naathan Phan will be performing. If so, I would recommend seeing his show and would be interested in hearing your review.

Thanks