keithm

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 5:59 PM, mlewing said:

Hello,

 

Does anyone know if there are any FOD gatherings on the Celebrity Equinox?

 

Thanks

I don't think FOD is used any more by ANY line! The Eclipse used to have a LGBT meeting on the activity board near guest services. It was NEVER in the daily news sheet. The meetings were always poorly attended. I mean Cunard was loud & proud & posted it daily in the paper. You'd think Celebrity, which kind of "brags" how Gay supportive they are, could do better. We did 2 cruises on Oceania & they are pretty awful about posting it as well. We still saw plenty of family on board, however.

This IS what I liked about Oceania the past 2 trips. It's smart casual. They call it Country Club Casual... NO shorts/jeans etc. allowed in the dining rooms(at least on our Riviera trips)What you had was nice collared shirts/slacks closed toe shoes. We wore Ralph Lauren type shirts long & short sleeve & khaki type pants(neatly pressed) In their specialty rest. we wore a sport coat, without tie. This was generally  quite common in the specialties. In the GDR(Grand dining room as it's called) usually less sport coats, but otherwise similar Saw one tux on our first cruise. the guy wore it one night & that was it. My spouse decide on a Hawaii trip this Jan. on the Star Princess. I booked a Club Class mini(really just a larger balcony cabin)to get the "food" perks/ambience that hopefully come with it. I tend to doubt the food will in anyway come close to Oceania. This will be our second Princess trip. For dress, we'll wear similar to Oceania, but will bring a tie/vest or 2 for formal nights. Tuxes we reserve for Cunard. Since it's been since 2012, since we sailed Cunard, we'd have to get new tuxes.

31 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

We're happily seeing the Crown Princess now allowing no jackets or even dress shirts on formal nights in the DR. Just a pair of Dockers & a Polo shirt are fine.

On casual nights even shorts are now being tolerated with some people even wearing cutoff jean shorts. 

There's the rub! When trash dress is allowed it just goes down hill. There really needs be at least a minimum standard in the MDR. I'm not talking tuxes, but cut off jean shorts, really?

15 hours ago, Mostonian said:

My wife and I are on the Ruby out of Sydney next month sailing to Fiji and New Caledonia. We have been on Princess many times and have always participated in the Formal Nights, even in Australia and NZ.  However it’s over three years since we have been ‘down under’ and have never been to these islands. What I would like to know is will passengers tend to participate in the Formal Night events, or should we leave our gladrags at home and go for a smart casual look.  Would like to think that passengers still took the trouble to dress up but if the trend is otherwise will follow suit.

Pretty much up to you. See if you can find some youtube videos of the type of cruise you'll be on. It should give you an idea of the dress style. For us, we just bring sport coats, ties, & vests & just mix & match. Other nights is smart casual for us: Collared button down shirts & khaki type pants. 

13 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Don't know if it will hurt the plumbing or not, but on one of our Princess cruises, the cruise director made the announcement one night "Except for the provided toilet paper, only things that you've eaten and drunk are to be placed in the toilet."

 

 

Boy, talk about blunt! The CD certainly didn't mince words.

15 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

 Does anyone know if it is OK to use Poopourri while on the ship?   I’m not saying that I need it; I’m just saying that I wouldn’t want someone else to do something that would harm the ship 😂😂😂

Thank you for your replies... I think.

As long as the smell is confined to your cabin, possibly. I'm extremely allergic to any of that stuff(the detergent aisle drives me nuts)I would consult Princess. Why risk causing other Pax possible problems. Actually, after reading some of the replies, it's for keeping the bowl "fresh". I thought you meant the scented twigs/leaves & such. I don't think it would cause issues at all. As for the alternate???? LOL!

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 4:16 PM, voljeep said:

ok, i'll post this, then ...frozen ..

 

we have NEVER removed the auto-grats, and if anything over-tip while on board...

 

the OP asked if the staff got screwed ... I 'think' just the opposite ... but also realize that some _________

would try to go to the passenger service desk and ask for a refund as it had to be built into their fare, so in essence,

they are the ones who 'paid' the grats, and now want that taken off their account

 

j/s

We're in the hospitality industry & yes, we tend to over tip as well. You want to have some fun? Go hang out near the service desk & watch the amazing amount of pax lining up. Yes, a few are quibbling about unwanted/mystery charges. A lot however are trying to remove the auto tip. Stand close enough to hear the pax "Beyotching" about the horrid service they encountered. Some are probably upset that whips aren't included in their staterooms! 

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 3:17 PM, Daniel A said:

I usually do anytime dining and eat in the buffet.  When I prepay gratuities am I tipping the wait staff in the MDRs when they have never waited on me?

Do you ALWAYS eat in the buffet? In most cases then the buffet staff would be sharing in the tips. Overall it's a huge pool & it gets spread among nearly all the staff(non mgt. of course) I do believe the bar staff are NOT included in the normal tipping pool, but share in that nice little "charge" you see when you sign the bar slip. I'm pretty sure that's only for bar staff, as not all pax drink.

15 minutes ago, voljeep said:

who are the "housekeeping staff" ?

 

 

That would include steward assistants & staff you see cleaning in "common" areas as well as in staterooms. The person vacuuming the hall way is a good example.

5 hours ago, famski740 said:

Did you read the statement above or not?

 

During your cruise, regardless of which Princess ship you choose, you will meet staff who provide you with excellent service. Crew members often rotate to different vessels within the Princess fleet which helps to maintain our high standards on every ship. These dedicated workers reflect our philosophy that all crew on all ships are but one family who share in our success.

To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary gratuity of $16.50 per guest for suites, $15.50 per guest for mini-suites and club class, and $14.50 per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms. This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet.

No, actually, Potstech is correct . It does say "across the fleet". That means it's done on ALL the Princess ships. It does not mean that a gratuity you pay on the Regal for instance, is partially/wholly shared by any other Princess ship. The line just has the same rule fleet wide.

2 minutes ago, Potstech said:

No where in there does it state tips given on one ship are then shared fleet wife. Certain members try to interpret things to meet their own agenda.

It does say that, but I agree that it isn't spread fleet wide. Sounds like some corporate baloney to me as well. 

2 minutes ago, Lindaru said:

 

For me it is about the convenience of not having to budget for the gratuities separately.  I realize you pay more for the fare up front but the gratuities paid is just easier on me personally.

 

Either way, it comes out the same. We do budget the gratuities. Sometimes we'll pay them in advance. We still always pay them extra on the last sea day as well. Love to see the cheapskates who skip that last dinner to avoid doing that. They're often at the guest service desk removing their standard gratuity as well. If you don't believe me, try sitting there on that last night & watch. Some of the pax get quite vocal when asked why they want to remove the auto gratuity.

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 2:08 PM, CruiseNut24 said:

Just checking with others to see if you have ever signed up for the Chef's Table,  and was not selected to attend.  We are looking to try our first Chef's table, and would like to see what the odds are of being selected to attend.

 

Thanks for your time. 

Late response to an old thread. We'll sign up when on our Hawaiian trip in late Jan. We've done "Le Bourgeoisie" on Oceania's Riviera a few times recently. That was the dinner to measure everyone else's by. If we get to try it, we'll compare the 2. Pricewise it's about the same. You do get very nice wine tastings to go with each course of your dinner on the Riviera, however.

7 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

@keithmMy original avatar, Mickey Katz played clarinet and "glugged" for Spike Jones (your avatar) in '46.

You should join our Spike Jones Appreciation Society on Facebook. Several of Spike's kids are members.

Mickey was an enormous talent for the slickers, but no one could do a glug like Carl Grayson. Unfortunately few could drink like him as well & when Spike tempered the drinking, Carl was one of the first to go.

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 1:00 PM, calvindoth said:

Does anybody know if the FREE gratuities offers means that the staff does not get the standard tip? Or does princess make up the difference?

They still get their gratuity. Usually it's a package deal. In most cases it's really not free! You're paying for it through some kind of package deal.

5 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

I went from "Mickey Katz" (Google him), to Johnny Depp in Cry Baby, then briefly to John Waters, and then to Jimmy. Yes, my interests are diverse. No crime in that, I hope 🙂

Good 'ol Jimmy! Forever looking like he was weaned on a pickle!

On ‎10‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 9:30 AM, neilrr said:

Hey Keith: Sorry we won't see you down here in S. FL  Hope you have a great trip to Hawaii. It sounds wonderful and you will have a great time...It is nice to do something different. I am sure you will meet others on-board. We are looking forward to our Christmas cruise on Celebrity Reflection... Take care and be well...

Thanks, as always! I know I'll miss the food. Oh well.

12 minutes ago, Marronnier said:

I shall be sailing on the Star Princess in January. The cruise personalise shows there will be 3 'formal nights'. Is the menu in the MDR special in any way on formal nights? 

I want to book some speciality restaurants but would not want these to clash with the formal nights if there is something special on offer in the MDR. 

Thanks for any information. 

Usually the food is better. That's NOT saying it's incredible. Usually the top seafood & beef selections occur these nights, but it's still not like it was say 5 years ago.

4 hours ago, dulcemariamar said:

I had a fantastic time on my Baltic Cruise on Regal Princess but I am a bit annoyed because the cruise I want to do next year, British Isles, is also on Regal. 

 

Can I assume correctly that all the shows will be the same? 

Would you book the same ship again or would you try to find a different ship even if the itinerary isn't as interesting for you?

We're kind of creatures of habit(me & my spouse)If the ship has great features food, entertainment, etc. We'll book it more than once. We did 5 on QM2/3 on Celebrity/2 on Oceania(would have been 3)Others have been once here & there. We'll do another on Princess in Jan. Hawaiian trip. Entertainment often stays the same, but enough "one" nighters & such come along to keep it interesting for us.

1 hour ago, steelers36 said:

Popcorn is running low.  Time to make a new batch.

REAL butter on mine, please!

On ‎10‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 4:04 PM, neilrr said:

Hi All:  We I will throw in my 2 1/2 cents...😁

 

My Partner and I have logged over 40 cruises.  We primarily cruise with Celebrity and Princess, though we have been on the other lines a couple of times and they were not our cup of tea.  We do not even discuss NCL as an option (after one cruise) in our home - but that is for another conversation. We did enjoy two of our three cruises on Oceania - but that is a totally different market segment. 

 

My Partner prefers Princess; I personally prefer Celebrity.  We are at the top tier on Princess and Elite on Celebrity.  Celebrity by far has much better perks then Princess - though we we now get a free Mini Bar on Princess vs. free 2 hour Happy Hour daily on Celebrity. We enjoy free laundry on both - but did check to see if a pair of socks counted as one or two pieces of clothing..😊 It only counts as one--thank goodness.  We always seem to know the bartenders and waiters on the ships along with a couple of Officers and we are always treated respectfully on both lines as a gay couple - though do not emphasize it in a public forum (Don't ask; Don't tell).😊 

 

I personally think they do nickel and dime you a bit more on Princess, but Celebrity on-board prices have increased quite a bit, as of late, as they are attempting to compete with the higher-end rather than the mass market lines...  Another issue  -- we are late seating diners and Celebrity has many of the shows "pre-dinner" which my Partner was not too happy about.  We do prefer the shows after dinner which Princess does do. We did not get to see one show on the last cruise on Celebrity, as we do not like to rush on vacation - especially when finishing up the two hour Happy Hour.🎈🍸 

 

We actually have two trips planned on Celebrity for Christmas in the Caribbean and to Iceland in the summer of 2020, but it looks like Princess for Spring Break 2020. It is a tough life but someone has to do it... LOL😁

 

Happy Sailing to All!!!

 

 

 

Hey, guys! Yes, you're not alone about NCL. I don't know if you heard, but Richard got an e-mail from Princess about a trip to Hawaii next Jan. Well, he dug in his heels about always going to the Caribbean. So now I ended up cancelling the trip on Oceania & we'll be on the Star Princess. Sure going to miss the food on Oceania. I booked a Club Class Minisuite(really just a larger balcony room)for the perks. Pricewise, it was not much cheaper than Oceania. I did prefer Celebrity to Princess. At least the Royal class was pretty equal. I do have to say I never saw so many drunk pax as we did on the Regal. I did like the fact that Princess does a better job of having LGBT meetings than either Celebrity or Oceania. I posted an inquiry on the Gay cruise section about the Hawaii trip. No responses so far. Like on Celebrity/Oceania, we'll see other same sex cruisers, I'm sure.

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:50 PM, donaldsc said:

 

We and many other people include gift return receipts w/o the price listed so that the recipient can return the gift if they do not want it or it doesn't fit or the color is wrong.  I am not insulted if something that I gift to someone is returned.  So what is the difference between returning a gift from a store and "returning" a gift of a cruise except that you have to live with the cruise gift giver.

 

I personally would not want an inside cabin as I need outside light.  I don't need a balcony or even an outside cabin with a larger window.  A cabin with a porthole if those cabins actually exist would suffice in a pinch but I need that light.

 

BTW - I would be interested in knowing the difference in cost between an inside cabin and an outside cabin.  I bet that it would not be much.  Perhaps the OP could offer to pay for the difference between the inside and an outside cabin.  However, if Mom rejects that offer, I would still say that the OP should turn it down.

 

DON

 

I think returning a neck tie is NOT in the same category as refusing a free cruise. Stop making this about you & your need for light! This was about a lack of appreciation.

  In regards to the price differences between inside & outside cabins, have you actually cruised?? You should obviously know the difference in price between an inside & an outside cabin. It's listed on ANY cruiseline brochure. In most cases it's well over $1K P/P. As for us we've done everything from suites(Cunard) to insides on Celebrity/Princess/Oceania. On Oceania, we did take upgrade offers. Not free, but reasonably priced.

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 8:32 PM, CI66774 said:

A GIFT is NOT an OFFER, Don. It's a PRESENT. GET IT? Good. :-)

Glad you pointed out his lack of "tact".

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 9:14 PM, pms4104 said:

But the OP stated that her mom "offered to pay for our trip" ... doesn't sound to me to be a gift or a present ... 

 

From my perspective, the saddest thing is NOT being booked in an inside ... but that the OP may not feel comfortable with "Thank you, Mom, your offer is very generous, but we can't let you treat ALL of us.  It's more than enuf that you book the girls in your cabin ... and we'll take care of arranging a cabin for us two.  Really, Mom, we so appreciate your very generous offer, but it is too much for you to pay for all 5 of us."    

If someone "offered" to pay for your trip, why would it not be a gift or present? If you had to pay it back, then yes, it would not be a gift or present.

On ‎9‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 7:19 PM, micmacmissy said:

We love Celebrity Solstice class but dates don't line up for us.  We have also been on Royal Caribbean and enjoyed it.

 

Currently looking at the Sky Princess eastern caribbean.

 

If our priorities (family of four, kids are 18 and 19) are relaxation, great dining, nice adult pool area, excellent service - will Princess fit the bill?

 

Looking for January...so not much time to research!  Thoughts??  Thanks in advance!

 

 

You'll find the Sanctuary is a great place to unwind. It was $40 a half day when we were on the Regal in 2016. Hopefully, it hasn't gone up by much. Dining was quite good. Much better than our 2017 Eclipse trip. Exception were the specialty rest. which were still excellent. The Regal buffet was the most varied we've ever seen. That does NOT mean the best(our 2 Oceania trips attest to that)but variety was exceptional. Sabatini's/Crown Grill were decent, but a far cry from the quality of Toscana/Murano on the Eclipse. I do recommend checking the lunch on the ship. They had an outstanding English pub style meal on our cruise on Regal & we loved it. Check with guest services to see if it's offered. There is an ok tea service offered daily, but a more high-end one offered for about $25 that was worth it. Again check with guest services. Check out the "Chef's table" or perhaps "Ultimate Balcony dinner". We're foodies & always check these things out. If you are in a suite, then they fail miserably compared to those on Celebrity. No butler service/no canapés/No Sommeliers' on any Princess ship. Overall Princess offers a good product, but just a tad below what Celebrity offers.

  I do highly recommend Oceania! That being said, we are on a 15 day trip on the Star to Hawaii. We don't expect the same ambience of Oceania, but my spouse wanted to try something different.