Bemidji Ty

Thanks for your review. Cheers.

Thanks for your time and effort in posting this review. Appreciated. Cheers.

nzOdy, Hi. No, we didn't try any specialty restaurants this time. We have in the past with mixed results. Of those we tried, we liked Sabatini's the best with Share (pleasantly surprised) and lastly Crown Grill. We only tried them a couple of times so that is a small sample size. That said, neither one of us like the feeling of being overly-stuffed and thought that might happen again. During these past 2 years, we've upped our home meal prep game - my bride in the kitchen and me on my Weber grill. We met more than one passenger who decided to eat all their meals in the buffet. We had the same thoughts as far as staff shortages and supply chain problems. Best wishes for a wonderful cruise. Cheers

It was just the original DJ and sometimes MUTS that had the higher decibel levels. Someone on board said they always brought industrial, foam ear plugs. Not a bad idea. Cheers.

iamaqt2, Have fun. New Year's cruises are always a treat.

We just returned from the CA Coastal cruise Oct 15-22 on the Discovery Princess. A bit of background. We've been on about 64 cruises since the early 80's. We mostly travel on Princess but have also cruised on Royal Caribbean, Holland, Celebrity, Viking, Norwegian, Carnival and a couple of lines that are no longer in business. This was our first cruise since late Jan 2020. We are a retired couple who cruise to be at sea and enjoy the sounds, smell and feel of the ocean while we visit new and familiar ports, eat good food, see a show or two, dance a bit and chat with folks from around the world. Embarkation and Disembarkation: Quick, easy and efficient. We were quickly processed and were welcomed on board by a happy, friendly and professional staff. Disembarkation was similarly run. Ship: This is a very big, new, clean, beautiful ship. We did miss the promenade that wraps around ships like the Sapphire and Ruby that allows you to walk all around the ship or quietly lounge in a deck chair and enjoy the sea. The Discovery has a greatly shortened promenade with tenders blocking a significant portion of the view. There is a walking/running track near the top that we used daily. I don't know if the walls are thinner than other ships but you should know that the sounds you make in your cabin can be heard by someone with a hearing impairment in the adjoining cabin. I'm pretty sure the young newlyweds next to us were unaware of this. We both missed the gentle rocking movements of a ship at sea. It just wasn't there. We didn't use the internet but used the interactive in-room TV. It worked for making dining reservations, checking the weather, the day's activities and such. If you wished to view tonight's dinner menu, you had to wait 3 minutes or more for it to download. Dining: We are not food snobs but enjoy good food and felt the offerings were very inconsistent and somewhat bland. The quality ranged from very good to poor. One night, after we were seated and chatting with the couple next to us, they both recommended the beef. We ordered it. My wife's was “ok”. She said it was like diner food. Mine was full of gristle. The soups were very good. The first day's salmon lunch was also very good. Gigi's had excellent pizza, pasta and salad. The taco shells and chips in the buffet early on were very stale. One night, we ordered the surf and turf. Both shrimp and filet were undercooked. I ordered my steak medium rare. The middle was cold and purple. We each had a bite of shrimp and left the rest. The service was mostly good. Drinks: There seemed to be a gin and wine variety shortage. The ship's bars had Gordon's and Beefeaters. I hadn't had Gordon's since college. Not bad, but I prefer Hendrick's or Bombay Sapphire. Music and Shows: After our first day's lunch, we went out on deck to see the harbor, enjoy the view and soak in the reality that we were back on a ship. That is where we encountered their DJ. He looked at a group of vacationers who where overwhelmingly Medicare eligible and decided, “What they need is bass-heavy, techno 'music' played at a volume that makes their ears bleed.” While I didn't appreciate the 'tunes' or the volume, I was impressed that he continued to perform his duties while dealing with several spiders that had gotten under his shirt. My appreciation disappeared when my wife informed me that he was 'dancing'. In San Diego, we left the ship for a walk to Little Italy. The 'thump-thump' of his sounds were still audible a few blocks from the ship. We did not see any production shows but did enjoy a duo called VOP and made a point of finding them when they played. The jazz trio was mostly good but had too many rambling bass and drum solos for my taste. As a side point, one of our table mates told us how much he enjoyed one of the production shows. His credibility was called into question when he began telling us about the advantages of boxed wine. We heard the comedian was good and went to see him about 15 minutes prior to show time. We couldn't get in. Glad we went but this is first time I recall thinking, “This may be my last Princess cruise.” Probably not, but the thought was there. Cheers.

I'll know Saturday. We went from a balcony BA to a DA on the Dolphin deck. Both cabin and balcony seem to be a bit larger and it is mid-ship. I'll write a review when we get back. Started packing today. Cheers

We got an upgraded cabin with more room. But we went from our preferred aft cabin (we really like the movement) to mid ship. I didn't see any location option when I was bidding. I lo-balled two upgrades. The highest was rejected and next level up was accepted. Cheers.

OP, Thanks again for doing this. Does the ship seem to be at full capacity?

I suspect an attorney-driven CYA. Cheers.

Thanks. We board in 2 weeks. Cheers.

Yup.

Thanks.

Hi. Does anybody know which dining room on the Discovery Princess is open for a sit-down lunch on embarkation day? Thanks.

Yep. Exactly my experience.

Hi. We're on the Oct 15 Discovery CA Coastal. I put 2 lo-ball bids on balcony cabins. One deluxe and one premium deluxe. I got an email saying the premium deluxe wasn't accepted. Then, about half an hour later, I got an email saying the bid on the deluxe cabin was accepted. Looks like it is a slightly bigger cabin. We started on a BE, got a free upgrade to BA then, bid to a DA. Get me on a ship, give me a gin and tonic, the sound, smells, feel and views of the ocean and I'm good. Cheers

Thanks for asking ad answering this question. We depart in 3 weeks. Our phones are old, work fine for us and no not support the Medallion app. Cheers.

A quick internet search reveals several injuries, some fatal, from using metal straws. Here in Calif we are doing our part by replacing plastic straws wrapped paper with paper straws wrapped in plastic. Cheers.

Mikado, thanks. That's exactly my understanding and what I've been told. We board on Oct 15. I appreciate you bringing this up. Smooth sailing. Cheers.

Mikado, thanks for this thread. We are in the same situation with embarkation on Oct 15. Could you please either post if your test was video monitored or not? I've been given different answers from Princess reps on chat and phone. The majority have said monitoring was not required. One wasn't sure. Cheers.

Thanks so much for your well-written review and the photos. Cheers.

We did that a few years back with a group of 12 friends. We got 2 tables for 6 and decided we would change seats every night. Worked out fine. Cheers.

I just checked that link. It appears to be unchanged from what was posted earlier this month. It says unvaxxed need to upload, "Self-administered Antigen OR medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days" unless you are going to Greece or Canada. I have contacted Princess via phone and chat a few times this month to clarify and confirm this requirement. Mostly, they have confirmed the above statement to mean exactly what it says. I have been told by at least one Princess rep that he was certain it meant something else. I'll keep checking. Good Luck and Cheers.

We are on the CA Coastal 2 weeks later. My cruise Health Status documentation requirement for non vaxxed is: Upload Negative PCR / Antigen Test Please upload a photo of your negative self-test with proof of a negative result. Make sure your name and test date are clearly visible in the frame or written on a separate piece of paper. When I chatted with a Princess Rep today, I was told this test needn't be proctored. Just take a photo of the test with the requested info and be sure to have a copy of it on my phone. We also got an upgrade notice today from our TA.

I've looked on the website, I've spoken to Princess employees on the phone, I've chatted with Princess via their website. I get different answers from different people. For my "vax" status, for my voyage, it says, "Self-administered Antigen OR medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days". My question remains, has anyone had experience with reporting a self-administered Antigen test to Princess and, if you have, what was required? I have been told with absolute certainty by Princess reps that it requires a proctor and on a different occasion that I just need to take a photo of the test stick with my info on a piece of paper. "Upload Negative PCR / Antigen Test Please upload a photo of your negative self-test with proof of a negative result. Make sure your name and test date are clearly visible in the frame or written on a separate piece of paper." Thanks.