mrmarklin

For me being in a foreign port and being able to sample what the locals eat, is one major reasons I travel. Tapas in Spain, fois gras in France, etc etc are what make travel worth it. Silly to eat on the ship when one doesn’t have to. This may not apply to certain US ports if you’re American, but c’mon man!

Exact same cut. Both venues. Frankly, I’m used to a thick cut of Ribeye. These were about 1/2” thick.

Maybe it was the Sterling Steakhouse. Other wise, the facts are what I stated. The voyage was pre 2021. Quite a nice trip. Went to Murmansk and saw the nuclear icebreaker.

The meat on CG is very mediocre. At home we buy Prime grade beef and either smoke it or grill it to medium rare. Only the very top of the line restaurants are comparable. And sorry, CG is not one of them. On the other hand, CG is a lot cheaper than a top of the line steakhouse. Seriously, multiples.

I think that on the Royal class ships a few excursions and cabanas are held back for Suite passengers. On one cruise I was able to obtain an excursion from the Concierge in the Lounge that was “sold out” on the website.

At the Crown Grill I ordered the Ribeye steak a few years ago on the Pacific Princess. The next night it was on the menu in MDR. Same exact cut. Haven’t been to the Crown Grill since. And won’t.

It’s quite surprising to me that Princess is having so many problems adjusting to a Class system. After all, Cunard , its sister line, is discriminatory all the way. They’re both owned by the same umbrella corporation. Three classes on Cunard ships, Britannia, Princess Grill and the pinnacle, Queens Grill. Princess and Queen each have separate dining rooms, with the masses in the large MDRs. The Sun already has separate dining rooms for the Classes, and can control access everywhere on the ship with the medallion. This new Sanctuary thing dilutes any exclusivity, other than the Suite Lounge. Incomprehensible.

No upgrade at all. As a Suite passenger, I feel "screwed". there is actually a dilution of benefits, in that more people will be eating in the Signature dining room, and our exclusive area on top of the ship in the Sanctuary portion is given over to hoi polloi as well. The only thing left is the Signature Lounge. Certainly don't want a bunch of peasant types in there.;-) Seriously, it's a step back. I'm sailing in May, hopefully, none of the changes will be made by then. And they will honor the target date of October. Yeah, they had the nerve to send me news about the (non) upgrade!!!! Cunard, here I come. (Queen's Grill) Thank the Lord, the Class System is alive and well in the UK. Our own Tea Lounge, too. If you want to have a gripe session I'll be in cabin 15639 next to the Signature Lounge>:-)

Panda Express uses only fresh ingredients. You will find it better than many Chinese restaurants. Particularly if you don’t live in an area with many Asians.

I received upgrade notice. I’m in a full Suite. Seems the Concierge Lounge is still Suite only. This new policy will stop the “race” to the Sanctuary, as one must buy the appropriate cabin to have access to these amenities.

Because of traffic in the UK, nothing can be guaranteed. When we did this last year, our flight was around 5:30. I believe Princess advises that if your flight is before a certain time, you shouldn’t take the tour.

Yes, a separate queue for Suites. The best part of the Suite life, is not waiting in line.

If the concierge has been helpful, and they usually bend over backwards, I tip 50 $ or € at the end of the cruise. Currency depending on where I am.

Very typical. One pot per couple, however. Or family group. The broth is on boil, which did not seem adequately demonstrated.

If the Sun is anything like Cunard lines as to food, the Reserve will have MDR menu plus one extra dish and the Signature will have Reserve menu plus one extra dish. This is what Cunard does with MDR, Princess Grill and highest level, Queen’s Grill. Also, In Queen’s Grill, they will cook to order if requested a day in advance. We ordered Chicken Tikka Marsala in this way one time. Cunard is a part of the Carnival Cruise line family. 🙂

I must say, the Currywurst is nothing like I’ve ever had in Germany. Germany is the home of this delightful street food.

I’m not sure. I bought my wife a fairly expensive necklace in one of the shops on Discovery Autumn 2022. I had to pay with my AMEX. The item was over USD 8,000. Other than that purchase, I’ve only ever used medallion. Frankly, I prefer to use the medallion and leave my wallet in the safe.

I think you just walk in. No reason to have a reservation. At least that’s been my experience with club dining.

On your sample cruise you note that $336,000 in tips are collected. That is only $48 per crew member per day, assuming 1,000 crew. That’s not even minimum wage anywhere in the US. Most of the service staff make far less than $500 per month as a “wage”. With tips, that less than $2,000 per month for working 12 hours most days. On an hourly basis it’s around $6.40 per hour. Justify it any way you want, some of you are just cheap.

It might be too early for this, but go to Joe Jacks in PV for lunch. Your group will easily handle the whole grilled fish. Highly recommended.

If one looks at the plans for decks 15-17 it seems that this area is for Signature Suite passengers. It seems these passengers have two lifts that allow aft access to dining areas all the way to the top of the ship. The rear cabins on deck 15 for example have a wake view, albeit somewhat limited. The real wake view is in the signature area aft on these decks.

What possible motivation does the Captain have to lie? He gets paid whether the ship docks or not.

Fora? possible scam.

Sickening, really. 😞

It’s really not. Just ate tonight at Delmonicos steakhouse in the Venetian, here in Las Vegas. It was $560, including tip for three of us. We do not drink alcohol. One of the mains was split between two people, and the dessert was split three ways. Food and service was excellent. It was a great experience. I have done 360, and it is a bargain.