LMADAMS91

This was our fifth Princess Cruise but we have cruised on a couple of other lines. This is a quick hit review, broken up into a few subjects. Obviously, it's subjective! We left the hotel (Embassy Suites on 17th) around 10:30 and were on board before 11. Rooms weren’t ready so we went up to the Lido deck, ordered a drink and relaxed for a bit. At 12, we made our way to Estrella dining room for lunch. (We asked a crew member which dining room was open for lunch and were told none were, use the buffet. I’ve heard this has happened to several others before so we found the Patter and found which dining room was open.) Lunch was great-the tenderloin was good. Before lunch was over, our room was ready. We had a deluxe balcony-R108. It’s been three years since we last cruised (on Sky) and I think I had forgotten how small the rooms were. The balcony may have been “deluxe” but the space seemed to have been taken from the room itself. There was a love seat in the room, which I liked. Our luggage was waiting for us when we arrived, so we unpacked and settled in. On our last cruise, the medallion and app were not very impressive. I couldn’t order anything with the app and I had to be right next to the pad by the door to get the medallion to unlock the door. My husband’s medallion opened it several feet away. This time, the medallion worked better with the door. We had problems connecting to wifi initially but a stop at the Internet Café and we were good to go. The medallion/app worked much better on this trip. We used them to order, locate each other, check the Patter and check our account. It worked great most of the time-the only issue I had was being kicked off wifi constantly. I used the app frequently to order cocktails and room service-it took anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for orders to arrive, but they always arrived! My only issue with the medallion was that I am allergic to the metal. I ordered a wrist band to wear it in-by our second day, my skin under the medallion was itching. By the end of the day, I had a hive under the medallion where it touched by skin. I took it off overnight and itching went away. I put it back on the following morning and within a couple of hours, the hive was back and again itching. I had brought the lanyard thing that comes with the medallion and switched to that-no further problems. I can’t wear certain metals for earrings so I assume whatever the medallion is made from contains the same metals. I don’t remember having a problem on our first medallion cruise three years ago.

In our entire cruising history, we have dined in the MDR almost exclusively. In that time, my dining experience nor that of my husband or family, has been impacted negatively/positively by what someone else is wearing. We usually stick to the suggested dress but the older I get and the more I cruise, the less I want to drag a bunch of extra clothes with me. My dress won't affect our experience and what someone else wears, as long as everything is covered appropriately, won't affect our experience. There are so many other things to focus on while on vacation; what the people sitting at the next table are wearing isn't one I want to waste time on.

We're on the 2/4 sailing on Sky and I booked the UBD for my husband and me. It was $100 (for both) when I booked a few months ago. I'm not surprised the price went up...everything else has gone up.

My husband and I are on a Princess cruise that visits Grand Turks in Feb. 2023. We're looking for SCUBA options near the pier or at least doable as an cruise excursion. We're newly certified and only to 60 ft. Suggestions? Thanks!

Times 3-4 depending on how many of our kids/significant others come with us! 🤣

"Every cruise ship operating in Australia" Thanks for the link.

Source? I've seen nothing about this anywhere. On a few random ships but not for the entire line and certainly not for all of the Carnival Corp ships.

I recently purchased some air tags. Our daughter was flying across country to Seattle on her own, only the second time she has flown alone. She's a nervous flyer and I thought having the air tag would be somewhat reassuring for her that her bag would be going with her. (Didn't think about her having a pixel phone but I have an Iphone and can track it for her. Oops.) Unfortunately.....She was in the air heading to Denver for a plane change and her luggage was still sitting at IND. I kept thinking it was because there weren't Iphones around to help transmit the signal (or however they work.....??) Then.....as she was heading from Den to SEA, I saw her bag on the runway at IND and eventually make it's way to Denver. She made it to Seattle...her bag was in Denver. I kept hoping it was just a techy issue....nope. No bag came off that plane. I watched her bag leave Denver, make its way across Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho and eventually arrive at SEA. I even watched it on its way to her location in Seattle. They absolutely work and work pretty darn well.

I've read on different threads that the UBD was booked but cancelled due to staffing/Covid....whatever reasons. I'm just talking about the dinner...not the cruise itself.

We're booked on the 2/4/23 sailing of Sky and I booked the Ultimate Balcony Dinner as a surprise for my husband, but can't find a lot of information about it. It sounds like there is a decent chance it may not happen unless things change between now and then but IF we get to do it...is there a set menu or do we have options? Are adult beverages included or do we need to order those to be delivered (we have the plus package.) My husband isn't much of a drinker but I like a glass or two of wine with dinner.. Are all courses delivered at once? Are the servers tipped separately at the end of the evening? Thanks for any info you could provide!

Can you order room service alcoholic beverages using the plus program? I saw answers all over the place on a different site. If you can, can you just order one at a time? I assume you would tip as with regular room service? Can you order soda (fountain)?

We've done both of these ruins. I wore capris and everyone else wore shorts. We wore closed toed shoes because of uneven grounds and rocks. We had no problems.