Torfamm

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

There actually are separate green and blue lines when you check in at the port. You can be in the green lane even if you need to pick up your medallion. So long as all of the other steps are completed you’ll show as green lane in the app.

Those are the times for the Enchanted in the Mediterranean this summer

You might be surprised. The only time I got an email saying that two of my bids were declined was when one of the three I made was accepted. I checked my cruise personalizeer and sure enough, had a new cabin assignment

It also depends on what you drink. Wine is a lot more expensive than beer or mixed drinks. Even two $15 glasses of wine a day is $35 with the added gratuity. If you have just one coffee in the morning and a couple of bottles of water you already are about at the break even point.

Along with the free night there is the $250 resort credit if you stay at a Hilton resort property. The card pays for itself very quickly in that case.

I get OTC items in travel sized bottles or blister packs when possible. (I've refilled my little Tylenol bottle many times). I have a small pouch that comes on every trip with Mucinex, Sudafed, antihistamines, Tylenol, Immodium, triple antibiotic ointment, and Band-Aids. For vitamins etc, I hang onto the bottles from prescriptions and remove the labels, then tape my own label on the bottle and fill it with that item. I am lucky that I have no prescription meds, but if I did, I would probably keep them in their original packaging.

Thanks! I haven't had a shared dining table in many years and never on Princess. Was it an option on Princess to request the size of a shared table when they had traditional dining? I did it on Royal and Celebrity in the 90's and early 2000's and I think they just assigned you to a table. I don't remember having a choice about the size of the group. After on really bad experience I said "Never again" so my experience is pretty far out of date.

Having access to Wi-Fi has opened up lots of options, especially for people to take longer trips. The ability to check-in on work email or review and pay bills as examples are game changers if you want to be gone more than a couple of weeks. I personally want to be able to communicate with my family pretty regularly although it certainly isn’t a “need”. I wouldn’t normally go more than a couple of weeks without being in touch. Knowing that I can be reached, especially in case of an emergency is also important to me.

Do you mean that you can’t request a size for shared tables if you want to book a shared table for every night? I’ve never booked a shared table, always private for my party.

We were on that cruise and the options for ballroom dancing were very limited. There were a few evenings when one duo played a few songs. There was a fantastic trio on the Enchanted in February though, especially if you like Latin. Keeping my fingers crossed for future cruises!