startedwithamouse

9 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

It is a bit strange, particularly if it increases the liklihood of someone catching COVID from breathing in the smoke on another nearby balcony.  On the other hand, Princess is probably thinking that smokers are going to smoke no matter what, and if you don't let them smoke on the balcony then they are going to smoke inside the quarantive cabin, and that maybe increases the fire danger (and the smell in the cabin for future occupants).

Crew, who are also in join the ship quarantine, are allowed to smoke also. 🙂

Always, but never to our cabins!

16 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Don't those cost money?

 

(I'm all about the free for my key card)

They're on Amazon for around $4, shipping included. 

5 minutes ago, Princessfan20 said:

I guess you have never hear of hotel award stays, airline awards and free car rental?  Princess does not offer that.

A Disneyland 5 night park hopper is over $400, which gets you admission and that's it. Not even the new fastpass genie or lightning lane. 7 nights, add another $250, so that's $650pp to get in the parks. Doesn't include meals.  Princess doesn't nickel and dime. They are a great value.

1 minute ago, Princessfan20 said:

Ensenada is definitely exciting this time of year.  

Oh fun!  Our ship doesn't stop there. 

4 hours ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

Huhhhh? Quarter of the price?  I do not thank so because our family has 2 mini suites booked for a 10 day cruise this summer to Alaska and the minis alone are over $16,000.  

 

That does not even include excursions, drinks, tips, and all the other things that are yet to come.

 

We easily could do Disney for a lot less money.  

 

Princess has cut back services and product wherever they can and are charging more.  No way a cruise is all that great a value when you compare it to other types of family vacations out there.  Found the commercial to be very vague in proving  the point?

When was the last time you cruised with Princess? 

4 hours ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

Huhhhh? Quarter of the price?  I do not thank so because our family has 2 mini suites booked for a 10 day cruise this summer to Alaska and the minis alone are over $16,000.  

 

That does not even include excursions, drinks, tips, and all the other things that are yet to come.

 

We easily could do Disney for a lot less money.  

 

Princess has cut back services and product wherever they can and are charging more.  No way a cruise is all that great a value when you compare it to other types of family vacations out there.  Found the commercial to be very vague in proving  the point?

We just booked $359 base fare plus $200 port taxes and fees and $280 for proncess plus (which is all drinks, unlimited wifi and tips for a week on the Discovery.  Single occupancy balcony room.  $839pp  for a week TOTAL PER PERSON. Includes EVERYTHING 

Edited to add we have $350 obc too.  Please let us know how you can book Disneyland for that. 

1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Half the price may be an understatement. Have you seen what a week-long Disney World vacation prices out at these days?

It's truly eye-popping: low end, basic hotels that were going for $120 a night pre-pandemic are now regularly $250 and up. They've removed free transportation to/from the airport. Access to the new version of Fastpass is now $15 per person, PER DAY (on top of your ticket into the park).... and for the top rides, you either wait in line or have to buy a $20 pass for that single ride!

It's *bonkers.*

You are talking WDW, and we thought of Disneyland! Any on property Disneyland hotel is minimum of $500 per night in the summer!  It is truly crazy! 

How about a quarter of the price?  Cruises are great value. Disney is around $125 to $150 a day in the summer months, add on a couple lightning lane passes and genie, $200 per person per day! Which doesn't include food or hotel.  Families want to vacation, and cruises are a great value. 

7 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

So I lost that quarter sized medallion after two days, the guest services lady gave me a nice new one that was the size of a key card but with a medallion stuck inside.

 

Never lost that one.  

We have watch bands to wear them. Never lose them. 

There's no slot for a key card. The Medallion can be programmed to open multiple cabins. Ours always do. Guest services can do this for you. 

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

Would someone currently onboard please see if they can confirm departure time from LA for the April 29th coastal? It was originally 11pm but now the itinerary is showing 5pm - which screws up my flights. GAH

What does it say on your reservation?  There should be an email sent with a PDF containing time of departure.

4 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Then I guess it's now OK to save seats in the Show lounge.

Right after they starting using the "perked" typed seats they stopped making the announcements about saving them.

They can't have it both ways without arguments. 

Actually, Princess can do this, and they are. Apples and Oranges. These are seats which are a perk, not in the traditional sense of saving seats for others.  Is someone there saving seats?  No.  The concierge will walk in with the party and lead them to their seats. 

14 hours ago, Cuedon said:

Currently on the Majestic...

 

Free restaurants:

Alfredo's - Good enough pizza, if you like the thinner crusts and lighter flavors. Most of my party prefers the agnolotti pasta over anything.

Poolside Noodle bar - Surprisingly decent, if inauthentic. Meat is kind of fatty though. Order system is haphazard; people keep trying to steal my soups.

Poolside Grill - Burgers, hot dogs, and tacos. Nothing spectacular. The BLT burger is fine, though sometimes the onion jam comes out a horrifying shade of grey.

Buffet - Hit or miss. Always check all the sections, as sometimes a mostly closed area can have a specialty station open. (Ramen and sushi were two that I noticed last week.) I personally prefer the freedom of the buffet (most MDR dishes can be found up here, albeit in a simplified form), though the post-COVID staff-served form is supremely annoying if you have unusual dietary habits... like I love one of their spiced chickpea sort-of-a-curry things, but trying to get them to understand that you want an entire bowl of it so you can eat it like a stew is practically impossible.

MDR - Service is hit or miss based on how busy they are. It's easy to check the dinner menu in the mornings if you want to bother with this or something else though, so that's a plus.

 

Paid restaurants:

Crown Grill is a solid steakhouse, and the marrow potato is fantastic and a fairly rare item. Don't fall for the photos that show the tartare as a carpaccio though; it's still actually a tartare.

Sur la Mer can't quite seem to decide if they want to aim for a bistro, a cafe, or fine dining... and kind of ends up as a jumble. The food itself is fine, if you like seafood (I'm allergic to shellfish, so this is based on other people I've travelled with; the non-seafood options are passable), but the service is godawful slow. Over two hours for a 3-course, plus whatever they name the dish they place on the table by default.

Harmony... most non-Asian people rave about it, but the Americanized menu is downright boring to me, and (unlike some of the other restaurants) I can cook everything on this menu to a better degree. The (psychologically) Asian continent that I've spoken to mostly view it as something closer to their palette, but not quite right.

Our little hole in the wall dive Chinese is much better than Harmony cuisine. 

16 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Got it, yep I know that you saw it in the early morning hours and I just didn’t see any scheduled cruises for the Crown. Perhaps they added some cruises with the Crown,I have no idea?

When I was in California in January saw quite a few cruise ships just floating( crew isolation ships I think) there off the Seal Beach pier.  Not sure how many are just floating there  now,but of course periodically they do cruise the coast line and then come back & anchor.

We have a friend on the Crown who alerted us. It's now the return to service crew on her.  Previously being used as a covid positive ship for CCL crews.

2 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Isn’t The Crown P. Just “ hanging “ out in LA port area? 

No, she isn't. Read my post and see the picture of her sailing next to us. 😉

16 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

The same seats were once again "reserved " last night. Since the ship isn't totally filled I suppose it doesn't present any problems.

When they do return to capacity sailings, it just might, especially when they begin making announcements to not save seats.

 

They are for the sky suite passengers. They are not saved, they are a perk. 

31 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I missed it. Which ships?

Majestic Panorama, Crown (which is starboard side at present time.

30 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I missed it. Which ships?

Crown is right beside us at the moment. 12:30am

Should have grabbed a shot of Coach Ks final game. Didn't think to. 

4 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Darn CC...  yes it's cold!

26 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

We also wear a mask at all times.  I am shocked at how many ADULTS made fun of us or asked why we were wearing them.  Sad.  

Ha!  We were.in the elevator tonight and a guy who was a smart blank said hey why are you wearing masks?  To protect you and your family was the answer. He had no response. We have masked the entire trip. Anyone looking outside for the last hour or so? So many ships!

1 minute ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

Don’t think so….He’s a long-standing poster and cruiser with lots of good information.  We have been on several cruises with them.  Always a reliable source, imo

Ahhh okay. Was he front and center at the second show last night taking pics?

54 minutes ago, CruzDayz said:

Wear something warm if you are getting off tomorrow. It’s chilly and overcast along the coast. Canadians wear your tank tops and shorts. 😂 Are you guys watching NCAA BB on the big screen?

Darn CC...  yes it's cold!