Kay S

I think 35 is in use only when there is no room at the new terminal.

On HAL, I hang out in the Crow's Nest a lot. I also sit on the veranda. I never book the Sanctuary on Princess. My balcony is good enough for me, but DH is still miffed about Princess charging to sit at the front of the ship (with the great views.)

Very good service. Just like Princess of yore.

I resemble that remark?

Oh dear, will they use a pitchfork or just noxious chemicals? 😶

As I said, this thread has devolved into Elite bashing, and for what reason, other than perhaps jealousy or self importance, I cannot understand. You know, you don't have to read these threads if it upsets you so much (or utilize the ignore function and tune out the "snobs.")

I don't know the temp of the water, but I never send out anything delicate that might fall apart or fade. It's mostly undies and socks and my husband's white shirts for dress-up night. I have been known to go to the laundromat onboard to do wash myself from time to time.

Exactly. It's not cheating if you are just following the rules. I guess some people do "chase the levels," but that is true on any line. People who cruise a lot (because they are lucky enough to be able to do that) collect points almost by accident. We were Princess cruisers in the beginning largely because we lived near San Pedro where Princess docks all the time. We didn't want to take extra time to fly to and from a destination. The same principle applies for Carnival (and for HAL in San Diego.) When we were retired, we had more time to fly here and there. Princess had good itineraries, and a bigger selection. So over the decades, we accrued levels and made Elite on days (agree-no snark needed) simply because we cruised a lot. (We are almost to the top on Carnival and not because we are chasing levels.) I don't swing my medallion around and sing "free laundry, na na na na na" and I resent being accused of snobbery simply because I am Elite. This thread started out as suggestions to improve the system, but has devolved, sadly, into one of those Elite bashing screeds where jealousies (?) over status or the way they are reached get the full-throat treatment. My personal take on all of this is that Princess is degrading the perks, not improving them, because they want to attract a new demographic.

We did that cruise in November. I'm glad you had a good time. That is a very cute little girl. 🙂

The cursed app strikes again. Have you tried the web version?

The medallion itself is a grey, metal color. It has printed on it the name of the passenger and the sea witch logo in the color of the loyalty level. New cruisers, it's blue ink, (and so forth) and Elites it's black ink. The entire medallion itself is not black. The imprint is pretty small, considering the medallion is about the size of a US quarter. I guess if you have really good eyesight, you can tell the color of ink on a medallion of someone walking by.

This is not true. Elite is reached after 15 cruises or 150 days cruised whichever comes first. Look it up. Have fun over there on RCCL!

Well, somebody must care or they wouldn't do it. Would I be correct is assuming you are not Elite on Princess? Luckily, you won't be subject to constant chipping away at the benefits. I really don't remember ever meeting anyone who flashed his medallion around. Besides, the writing on them is so small, a person might get hit in the eye before he could read anything on it.

Can I say how much I loathe this app and all its complications? Oh, I guess I just did. 😶 Thanks for that info, Bill. I think I didn't know that.

There is a pinned thread here in this forum with all information.

A taxi is best. The driver will know shortcuts in case there is a traffic backup on the freeway. (An accident can turn the road into a parking lot for a long time. I think my personal record for being stuck in a traffic jam was 2 hours and 20 minutes.) The road around the airport itself can be a dead standstill or, if you're lucky, a crawl. A good taxi driver will know how to get through the jam with minimal time loss. A tip is to go to the arrivals level and take the escalator up to the departures level. You might miss some of the overflow TSA lines that way. But you will still have to go through the checkpoint. (I stress this method is risky.) LAX is my home international airport, and I have been a frequent victim since 1967. It's hell on earth, and a good taxi driver who knows the place will be your best bet.

Good photos, Tom. I think that gum wall in Seattle is the grossest thing ever!😁

If you want steak and escargot and lobster every night, you'll need to eat in the speciality restaurants. The MDR will have escargot and lobster maybe once on a cruise. Have you tried ordering escargot in the MDR on a night it wasn't on the menu?

We have a flight out of Heathrow after the cruise, and they keep changing the time. I have seen Stonehenge, so I don't feel any urgency to see it again. What I don't want is to rush through Heathrow. I've been in and out of there multiple times, and it is a nightmare. You need to decide if the risk is worth it. I wish you the best of luck.

For one, Azamara bought the Pacific Princess II recently.

My grandson's dream come true!

Loyalty programs attract older cruisers. Princes wants the young crowd. They are slowly chipping away at loyalty benefits. The handwriting is on the wall.

They have bought old Princess ships.

The best whale watching I ever did was in Icy Strait Point.

Highly rated, was it? Link? We will be doing the Sky this summer out of Southampton. I'm interested to see if the regional things you mention here will turn up. I'm also hoping for a full English in the morning. (I had a British grandparent. I like the food.)