Incognito1

We're waiting also. Trying to decide between a few different vacation options for 2024.

I'm sure Princess will still have an option for those who don't use a "smart"phone. There are still 10% of adults under 50 who don't use one; and, according to Oberlo, 60% of people over age 65 do not. Given the demographics on Princess cruises, that's going to be a not insignificant number.

This was incredibly helpful when we got directions from several different people and walked around the city with no idea where we were.

Thanks to someone on this board awhile back, we also customized our photos. I'm sure they weren't appreciated by every passenger, but we got a kick out of it. It will also show up on the big screens for a few moments after you've used them unless you make the effort to log out. Caught one guy laughing and taking a photo of mine (no, not sharing it here, but it was certainly what could be considered a polarizing photo ;-)).

We were happily surprised with an outstanding buffet on the last Discovery cruise. MDR was good, but boring menus. Pub Lunch was a highlight, as were the fresh salads.

Guess you've never cruised Carnival

Duvaul was an amazing director. I felt that he really wanted to make everyone's cruise as good as it could be, not just a "job" for him. He was so funny and we actually looked forward to the Wake Show instead of cringing. For me, The Diamond Trio mariachi band was the highlight of onboard players. Beautiful voices and the band was approachable and friendly. All of the entertainment was good except for The Drop rock band, which I'd call mediocre.

Some times Take 5 was closed for private events, and a couple of other times I popped in but the music was very loud (good music, just loud). Next time, I will try the other spots y'all mentioned.

Where, oh where? I have been looking for a quiet place all week. No library and the Internet Cafe is off the piazza.

Free on Discovery. Apparently on some ships the token machines were broken enough that the labor cost wasn't worth it. Good news for us!

They're GIANT, almost like short maternity pillows 😀. We also couldn't find one we liked, nor could our steward. I'm using a rolled up sweatshirt for sleeping. Maybe they're those $5 clearance ones from Big Lots. They certainly are not quality.

Best cruise we've been on this year. Food has been excellent (except the guy can't make a decent omelet.) Chocolate is back on the dessert menu instead of just mousse and cake. Mariachi Band (Diamond Trio?) is a blast. Biggest asset other than the special guests is Duvaul, the cruise director. I can't remember a better one. Funny, smart, personable, and approachable. Of course, the musicians are wonderful. Kimberly Locke has an incredible voice! Hadn't followed her since AI, but definitely will now. Wow. Discovery is beautiful -- however, it lacks a library or any quiet spots at all (or at least I can't find them). Last week was a casino tournament where more than 700 cabins were comped and a bar was turned into an additional slot area. I'm told that next week will be the same, so sorry for those of you booked on that cruise if you don't gamble.

Cabo doesn't really cater to kids like some other areas. But it's beautiful when the weather is nice. I would hire one of the boat guys on the beach to take you out to the Arch/Lovers Beach. It's a better beach. Last time we were there, we hired a guy on the beach with an umbrella - an English-speaking broker of sorts for the boats. The boat ride out was great and they'll give the kids a tortilla to feed the fish. The sand on the main beach is coarse and will cut up bare feet so don't forget the water socks. Also, get the guy's phone number for the trip back so you can text/call. Our ship waited more than 30 minutes last time for a couple whose boat never came back for them. Or walk around the marina. That was nice and there are clean touristy things to do. Everyone raved to us about The Office for lunch. We weren't impressed and it was US prices. Treasure had a good idea with staying on board. Or leave the kids onboard. I think you can pay for the Kid's Club on board while you and the wife hit the beach (not sure of this.)

Edit: Just got the notice that the mini-suite bid was accepted. $5 over the minimum. However, it's a handicap room. But it's in the middle of the ship with a larger room and larger balcony than most mini-suites. Only bummer is no bathtub. We were in the lowest balcony class near the front of the ship, so pretty happy even sans tub.

You can get a topper; just ask your steward.

My OBC still hasn't shown up. *sigh* I think someone lazy got it, didn't want to bother making the screen bigger (the brokerage has the date and the name on opposite sides), and just let it go. I've emailed a couple of times and nothing. Will try to hit Guest Services the first day -- oh, joy. It's how I want to spend my sail off time. Any chance there is a phone number for this?

3 days out and our mini-suite bid came back with a "counteroffer" for less money, but less of an upgrade -- from balcony to deluxe balcony. First time that's happened. Unfortunately, it's not worth the money when we have no idea where we'd end up. Hard to complain, though, as we've been upgraded for free on 3 of the last 4 cruises we've been on.

We were on one cruise where about 50 people showed up for the event, and the crew member knew absolutely nothing about the stars. Fortunately, there was an astronomy nerd passenger and she took over. It was great! I think the crew members get "stuck" with events rather than choosing things they're interested in.

Just out of curiosity and nosiness, why the need to renew the vows every 5 years? Are the vows only for 5 years at a time? (I went to a wedding where they agreed to marry "for as long as you both shall love". Is it something like that?) Did someone break them? Feel free to tell me none of my business. It's just curious to me.

Might be extra popular with some cruisers.

For the apes, be on the EARLIEST possible tour. Don't do it on your own -- the reason is that there are TWO lines to get in; one for the tours, one for everyone else. Our experience was that once people started arriving in substantial numbers, the apes headed for a feeding area that's inaccessible. There is a separate payment if you want to walk the nature preserve (where most of them are). Make sure your tour ticket includes that. There is a beautiful botanical garden next to the cable car. We spent more time there than at the Rock (and it's free). For Rome, take a look around Romewise.com -- she's also very responsive to any questions you have.

When you get off the ship, if you go left about 3/4 mile, there is a public park - Playa San Pedrito. We were lucky enough to hit it during a festival. It's all locals; decent beach, volleyball and soccer courts, decent simple food, cold drinks, a big touristy Manzanilla sign for photos, small playground. It's $1US to use the bathroom stalls. The cement building takes US$ for food and drinks; the vendor stalls take only pesos. Depends upon what you're after. We liked the local vibe, but it is Mexico. If you're okay with that, great day. YT video of the festival we hit:

We found the opposite on the last cruise. Only two funny comedians out of the whole bunch; one disabled with self-deprecating jokes that were hilarious. Those in the 18+ just seemed to cover up their lack of talent with as many F-bombs as possible. Completely UNfunny.

Did that actually work for you? I know on our last Mexican cruise, we had a lot of non-refundable OBC to use up. Had a nice time in a cantina that heavily advertised the ability to use the Medallion. When it came time to pay, "Oh, sorry, our machine isn't working right now." Won't make that mistake again.

Negativity is not a good way for a new poster to "contribute." Bad day? Bad week? Bad lifetime?