Torfamm

If they valued smokers they could allow smoking everywhere in the ships.

The message I get is that casino players are Princess’s least valued guests. The choice to make the casino a smoking area speaks volumes

I was told that they like to scan medallions to keep track of dining room usage. While I’ve never waited in that situation, I’ve still been asked to scan occasionally

Good point, it was a bad example. It’s still possible though that a cruise could end up going to a port that has, or adds, a vaccination requirement.

Vaccination may not be required to cruise but can still be required to disembark by ports. I wouldn’t want to be unable to get off the ship. Itinerary or vaccination requirement changes are always a possibility

Turks and Caicos requires proof of vaccination

I would bring it. Even if the ports you are visiting don’t require proof of vaccination, there could always be an itinerary change. It would be a shame to miss a port because you didn’t pack your proof of vaccination

Shellac does refer to the gel that cures under lights. A plain pedicure uses regular nail polish

No, you will not be reserving the same table each night. You have to make that request onboard in the MDR. They can usually accommodate that request. There is no way to request that the same people be seated with you each night unless you know them and can list them as travel companions in the app. If you meet people onboard who also want to dine with you you can arrange it then

I think that it does help to limit congestion and wait times if not everyone has to pick up medallions (or cruise cards). We had a cruise where Princess received the medallions too late even to ship within the US. It slowed everything down. I’d rather wait 2 minutes than 20

I am pretty sure that today’s key cards use RFID technology not magnetic stripes. The Medallion also uses it

You can certainly be seated without a jacket. The only enforcement of the dress code is over shorts at dinner. People have been turned away over that although many have been allowed in. So long as you have long pants you are sure to have no problem.

The $200 per person deposit is the norm for free casino cruises. As for the final payment, that is the amount due to Princess from the casino department. It is normal to see it due. It sounds like there was some error that caused the casino department to fail to make that payment. It can happen but is not common and the casino department should be able to sort it out. Did your wife call the casino department or the general Princess number?

You will be able to get a table even if you don’t reserve. You might just have to wait a bit, in my experience it’s usually just a few minutes. I wouldn’t worry but one option if you are concerned is to to go ahead and book for a time that is typical for you. You can always cancel or change it

The wild card is how long it takes for the ship to get clearance so passengers can disembark. Even with all of those things on your side, early flights are still a risk. The decision all depends on how stressful missing the flight would be. I’ve sat on the ship waiting at the port in Fort Lauderdale till after 9:00 even when I was in the first group to walk off a ship that docked very early.

If you paid with a credit card there may be some travel coverage there.

Do shirts come back pressed if they are sent out in the laundry?

Hiring a guide for the first day in a destination is especially helpful after an overnight flight when I am not at my best. I've had really good luck with it.

In the past I have hired a tour guide privately to pick us up from the airport, sightsee, then drop us at our hotel or cruise port when we arrive really early

If you are flying domestic, have Pre-check, and no bags to check, and are using a taxi or Uber, 11:00 should be a very safe bet. If you are using a transfer from the cruise line, they may not allow it for anyone leaving before 11:30. We had a cruise in the spring where the ship's clearance was delayed and disembarkation didn't begin until close to 9:00 for the first walk-off group. I wouldn't book anything earlier than 11:00 for domestic or 12:00 for international unless I was comfortable with dealing with a missed flight.

It was required by a number of countries in Europe that passengers with COVID be disembarked and quarantine on land if they tested positive for Covid during a cruise. There was a thread on the Royal Caribbean board by one family with young kids disembarked mid-cruise and stuck in a hotel for quite some time. Regulations are changing quickly now. I'd look into each destination country if I were the OP and had concerns.

Menus can be found under “Dining” in the app

The only fields you need to complete in the query are “Show All” for the Query Option and a start and end date

Odds are good, but if clearance to disembark is delayed and there are long lines at security and also to check bags, it could be tight if you don't have pre-check or airline status to minimize those wait times. Are you flying domestic or international? Will you have to check bags? We had a cruise in Fort Lauderdale last March where we were in the first group to walk off but it was almost 9:00 before we were able to leave the ship due to delays in clearance.

You can check assignments further out by using the query function to enter the date you are searching for at https://pevvesseltraffic.broward.org/webx/