Torfamm

Some great cabins open up as people cancel or have bids accepted. It’s unpredictable. You are right though, if you aren’t willing to take any cabin in the new category, bidding is a bad idea.

If your bid is accepted, your credit card is automatically charged and you are assigned a new cabin. If you don’t like the location, you can ask for a different cabin in the same category if there is one available. If not, I don’t know if you can move to a lower category, assuming there is availability. I’ve never tried that.

I think Princess and Celebrity are much more alike than different. Celebrity allows no indoor smoking at all, has slightly better food, and is somewhat more expensive than Princess. Princess has more unique, longer itineraries, huge closet space and offers self-service laundry which is very convenient on longer trips. We have easily had room for golf clubs in Princess cabins. I included a closet photo below I like both much better than Royal Caribbean, but it is definitely a personal preference.

The maitre ‘d let us know that if we wanted to commit to 7:30 instead of 7:00 every night he would arrange for us to have the same table.

Smiles never hurt! I was surprised these people got what they wanted given that the just kept insisting loudly that their non-English speaking companions couldn’t be without them, but got the sense that the agent was just exhausted by them. I’d have found the energy to send them all to the general waiting are if they’d been in my face about it.

If, as indicated by the title of the thread, is a regulation in Italian ports the way it is in Galveston, then the cruise line won’t matter. If it is about NCL not paying for proper permits, then it may not be a problem on any other lines. In any case, I sympathize with those who are unhappy to pay for a drink package that is unavailable. I don’t think that it indicates that they “can’t go a few hours” without a drink.

Definitely maybe. I watched them turn people away in Port Everglades but then relent and let one couple bring their guests in and board early on the same day

The best experience we had was simply due to staff. I found the locations to be very similar and it’s possible to order from any of the 4 menus in each of them

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to want what you’ve paid for. If a ship spends 4 days of a week in ports where the beverage package can’t be used, that’s a lot. Especially if the ship doesn’t sail till 7pm, which is very common in Italy.

I definitely noticed the smell of smoke in the Piazza on Sky, Discovery and Enchanted. Enchanted seemed the worst. It never was noticeable to me in the MDR though.

For me it is only about location. I think the aft MDR’s on deck 6 are inconvenient on any ship. I prefer the mid-ship locations

I was in F502 earlier this year and loved it. There was no noise from the casino nor could we smell smoke. There is a review with photos in the cabin review spreadsheet thread

I can't imagine getting up and going to get my own coffee in the MDR but I have actually walked out to get wine at Vines if we are in a MDR that is near there. 🙂

Yes, traditional dining is still offered by many lines. A consistent challenge is empty seats at tables when people choose to eat elsewhere. Passengers who like shared tables can be disappointed to find that they are alone at a large table on the evenings that the others assigned to that table don’t come to dinner. As an example, Celebrity used to fill those spots with people who had select dining as they walked up, but some passengers feel that’s not the traditional dining experience of eating with the same people every night and were unhappy with having the same “get to know you” small talk when meeting strangers every night. I’m not saying it’s impossible, it’s just more challenging to offer people a traditional dining experience when there are so many options available for dinner. I’d be curious to know what percentage of passengers eat in the MDR every night today.

Yes, OBC can also be purchased by phone pre-cruise with gift cards. They are only accepted on the website for cruise fare.

Before sailing it can be done by phone but not on the website. Shore excursions booked onboard are charged to your onboard account. You can have gift cards applied to the onboard account at Guest Services

Of course you aren’t. Lots of people miss it. I think it’s just harder to manage than it used to be.

The only way to eat with the same people each night is if you arrange it with them. With multiple MDR’s, specialty restaurants, the buffet, and other options available, I think the number of people who eat in one MDR at the same time each evening may be relatively low. It’s much different than in the past when the only place to eat dinner on a ship was the single MDR

There is no more early and late traditional dining. You can make reservations at whatever restaurant you choose for each evening if you want to. If you like, you can book the same MDR at the same time every night but you are not guaranteed the same table every day. You can make that request once onboard and they can often arrange it.

You will still need to check in even if you already have your medallion. It’s generally a very quick process though. They just check your passport (or other ID if you don’t have a passport) and make sure your security photo is acceptable. If necessary, they take a new picture. They also check your COVID test results and vaccine record if those are required on your itinerary.

No need to stress! There is always help available at the port

It will depend on your embarkation port. When you arrive at check in there may be separate entrance lines for general and priority (platinum, elite, and suite guests) boarding and also separate check in lines for the blue and green lanes.

Good point! There were separate green and blue lines in Whittier, San Pedro, and Port Everglades but it’s a big world with lots of ports.

When I’ve picked them up we went through the normal check in process at a podium then went to a counter to pick up our medallions. Even on a cruise where everyone had to pick up medallions due to a shipping delay, it was a quick process.

There is a charge for espresso based coffee drinks in the MDR. They provide “tap” water free but there is a charge for bottled water. I’ve never ordered the other item but if they are free in the buffet, I’d guess they would be free in the MDR