namowal

On 10/29/2022 at 6:54 AM, Daniel A said:

 I still don't watch Love Boat re-runs or on my cabin TV, but I do get a good chuckle every time I hear the Love Boat horn on the Royal class ships.

 

I agree that the show was campy and that it's a little tacky, but sometimes campy and tacky can be amusing and fun.

 Same here.   Not a big Love Boat aficionado, but hearing the theme blasting out of the ship's horn  cracks me up.   Sure, it's kitschy, but kitschy can be fun

I've gotten a different one with each cruise.  If you take them out of the little lanyard case they make decent fridge magnets.

Are there any quiet places to read on the Discovery Princess?  
I know some ships have a nightclub area that's usually quiet  in the morning and into the afternoon, but not sure about Discovery.
Thanks in advance!

Does the Majestic Princess have any quiet places for daytime reading?   My go-to on other princess ships was the Skywalker nightclub (which was quiet and rather uncrowded during the day,) but I don't believe Majestic has one.  

My dad is having similar problems- was booked for a cruise in November and got bounced.  Not sure of the details, but it sounds like they had his payment information but never charged him.  When he tried to contact them by phone, he couldn't get through to anything but recordings.
I wonder what's going on?  Sometimes companies start getting very dysfunctional before they declare bankruptcy... 🤨

I've been told some people attach a candy bar to the cabin steward's cash tip. 
I also hear two opinions about the practice:

1.  It's a fun gesture (provided the actual tip is generous- a big Milky Way bar is no replacement for cash)
2. Don't do it!   It's condescending (they're capable of getting their own candy) and/or weird (you don't throw in a Hershey bar when you tip, say, the cab driver or the person who cuts your hair.)
   
   Do anyone do this?  Unless I hear otherwise I'm leaning on the just leaving a cash tip, but maybe I'm being too cynical?  

11 hours ago, Gimer said:

Yes, the plain Croissant were buttery and light, though, they seem a bit smaller in size.

Then I stand corrected.  I'll have to give them another try the next time I'm there.

10 hours ago, CynCyn said:

Emerald and Ruby

Star and Grand too.   

18 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

Croissants are made with butter.

Are you referring to cookies or biscuits? I don't remember ever seeing cookies at the IC.

Croissants are supposed to be made with butter (at least to qualify as a croissant,) but I think the ones on the ship are made with shortening.  By "cookies" I meant the American/Canadian definition (the things the rest of the English speaking world call "biscuits.")

It's all good.  My only nitpick is that some of the baked goods (croissants, cookies) don't taste like they were cooked with much (if any) butter, but maybe it's my imagination.
If you get up at sunrise, it's a nice, quiet place to enjoy the ocean view and your coffee.  

Has anyone else had trouble navigating their webpage and booking online excursions?  I've been able to do this in the past, but recently it seems to get hung up on "processing" the payment information.  I remember a note that the website was to be under partial maintenance last night, so maybe it's related to that?

On earlier (pre-2018) cruises, there was a prepaid drink package that offered nearly unlimited coffee, soda, juice, wine and cocktails.  Yet when I browsed through the packages for an upcoming Coral Princess trip, not only was this missing, but the soda/coffee /wine options were separate packages.  IIRC, the soda was further divided (one price for fountain drinks, a more expensive one for cans.)  Is this something new?  Or something specific to the Coral Princess?   Or something they offer on longer trips?

If you eat at the buffet, consider coffee, water or iced tea to drink, even if you have a soda (or liquor) package. Otherwise, the waiter/waitress has to go outside to a bar to fetch your drink, and that can take awhile. ( Might be worth the wait if you want a specific drink)

If it's crazy busy, you can also fetch your own iced tea (or water, or coffee) from the drink stations.

Also, if you use the laundry rooms, nearby cabins can hear your conversations: think of it as a mini-intercom and don't bring up anything you don't want to be shared with strangers.

We received an entertainment E-mail last week from the cruise director for our California coastal cruise on the Ruby for March 10th. Get this, no picture of the cruise director (only a darken silhouette) and no name mentioned. Then to top it off, no mention of the production shows, movies, comedian or guest entertainer. A total waste of an E-mail.

I got something similar for an upcoming Star cruise. I suspect it's an automated thing where someone is supposed to add the info. Maybe it's broken. Or maybe they aren't aware that, even without info, the mail goes out anyway.

I had to send your post to my mom and sister. That is so funny!

 

I had a cockatiel that passed away at the ripe old age of 20. I can just picture him squabbling with people if they tried to take something away from him and trying to whistle like the ship’s bells.

 

 

Yep. The first cockatiel who stows away on a cruise ship will also be the last.

My parrot is getting ideas now!

 

 

I have a cockatiel (small cockatoo) and we often joke about how ill-suited he'd be for cruise life: Squawking, stomping through buffet trays, getting into squabbles with people as to whether or not their things, in fact, belonged to him, etc. No way he'd last 14 days. His relative overseas must have better manners.

One [crew member] was so shockingly rude to me, on day 1 of the cruise, that I was tempted to formally complain.

:oWhat happened? What did he or she do?

I sleep much better with a weighted blanket (similar to this one.) Will there be a problem getting something like that through security? There's no wires or electronic parts, but I'm concerned that the dense filling (and the fact that it's a relatively unusual product) will get it flagged as potentially hazardous.

For those who've cruised recently, are there any food items (MDR, International Cafe or buffet) do you recommend? Anything to avoid?

Also, are smaller portioned meals available in the specialty restaurants?

And while I have never investigated the changing rooms on the older Grand-class ships, are they and the lockers accessible to those who have not purchased a spa treatment or a thermal suite pass? Or simply easy enough to evade detection?

I remember there being lockers (but no showers) on the Grand Princess. Probably technically "for" spa customers, but nobody told me to scram when I used them to change into my gym clothes.

I ended up only using them a few times, as it was simpler to change in my cabin where a shower was available.

What I like:

• Meeting people and learning about them, including comparing notes on their cruise experiences.
  

What I dislike:

• My hearing isn't what it used to be. If the room's busy I have trouble hearing what everyone is saying. It's awkward.
  
• The meal takes longer.
  

 

Grandpa on Halloween

All three grandchildren screamed and ran away fast

 

Howard

I would have cracked up laughing to see a zombie at the piazza! Too funny.:D:evilsmile:

I like it. Not too pretentious, but not a Chuck E. Cheeze Spring Break combo either.

I've had good luck with the burgers (though in my case, they were cooked fresh, not left to mummify under a heat lamp- perhaps this varies depending on the crowd and/or who's running the grill. Haven't tried the hot dogs. The BBQ brisket was a disappointment- very tough. In my experience you need to slow cook that kind of cut until it falls apart- which might not be practical on a big ship that has to feed a bunch of people.

Eww. Thats a bit morbid.

Didn't someone post upthread here that their customer asked specifically for this suite and asked for a discount?

I didn't catch it earlier, but yes, there's a post about someone asking if the crime would lower the price of the cabin. I'm all for saving money, but that's mighty tacky.