rbtan

We did the Star(now a P&O sip, I believe) in late Jan.2020. As you can imagine, the Bug was making itself known.We felt that some of the "Flu" cases on board were most likely Covid.This was a Hawaii trip. It was amazingly cold in Sanctuary as the Aleutian current runs fairly strong in the winter off California. My spouse pretty much had the entire Sanctuary to himself, due to the cold.He booked every sea day. Attention to detail was excellent. We do Club Class(now Reserve) and we think they attend to CC & the Suites a little better.I did a few times & really liked to food & Mauritso our attendant was second to none.My Spouse prefers less sun so he was totally bundled up like you see on Titanic.In the Caribbean on the Regal it was much warmer.Keith frequently would do full days & read & stay curled up on the comfy lounger. On Oceania Line ALL loungers are thickly padded everywhere on the ships.This is the line we do most often & alternate with Princess when we like the itineraries more.I think when thee is less pax on board the service is better, but we found it fine on the Regal to be excellent as well. We'll just have to wait & see.

If you wish to eat like this every night, then book Oceania! Jacques Pepin is the culinary advisor & it's the best food we've pretty much ever eaten on a ship. If you're a meat & potatoes sort, then I'd say skip it. You really need to be a gourmand to fully appreciate the food.

I thought it was over priced. We drink very little & have no problem paying the auto tip as usual. I don't know whether we can book this while on board. We do have a Sky 14 day trip next Jan. We'll see the reviews, but still doubt we'll go for it. I mean the desserts are not a strong point except the Norman Love desserts, which I hear are no longer offered. I'm a professional pastry chef, so I doubt I will be impressed.The Norman Love deserts were the only ones I thought were pretty good. We normally do Oceania & their desserts are like nothing you'll see on Princess or most any other line.

My spouse booked a 14 day B 2 B on the Sky in Jan. 2024. The cabin # is M108(Marina Deck) It sits just above the bridge & is a Reserve(Club Class) cabin. We see it has a large wrap around balcony, but don't know much more than that. Any experience would be welcome. I have heard that while cruising the cabin door to the balcony is closed & locked. Likely this is due to the strong wind.Any thoughts would be appreciated. All Reserve cabins appear booked, so moving is unlikely.

We've liked both lines There are differences, however. Celebrity really does not offer anything quite like Club Class(now called Reserve) In the suites level, Celebrity wins hands down. Only the new Princess Sky suites come close. Perks on Princess for suites are few, with the exception of a large cabin. No Butlers/no Luminae Rest. Just a "special" seating in the main Rest. Food on Princess is mediocre at best. You'll find USDA Prime in specialty rest.on Celebrity. On Princess it is USDA Select.(they actually won't tell you the grade)Much more nickel & diming on Princess & more annoying photographers. Entertainment is better on Celebrity, but not what is was several years ago. Princess has more caring staff, who are really concerned you are having a good time.(among the nicest staff we've seen anywhere)Princess has better & more reasonably priced excursions. Itineraries are often better. The new Sun Princess should show where the line is headed in the future. For us, we choose Oceania most often. A little more pricey, but worth it. We've met a lot of cruisers who have jumped from Princess to Oceania. We do prefer the smaller ships & the much more elegant feel. That & the great food. We're both in the food industry & it's an important issue for us that the food be excellent. All 3 lines have their schtick so to speak. I suggest a 7 day cruise to get a feel for Princess. Do it on the Royal Class. The older ships look & feel old. Royal class on Princess & Solstice class on Celebrity offer a similar feel. Choose the one best for you.

Diagnosed Vegan? You make it sound like an illness LOL!

If you are on a line such as Cunard, the manager of the restaurant IS the Maitre D.This is the person who is best at handling issues such as this. I've been in this field for over 30 years.

As I said..On our trip to Hawaii the room service menu had more choices.

What if the dessert has dairy? Will you still eat it?

Sorry. You still should meet with the Maitre D of Crown Grill. They are your best source of info.

Ours was better on our trip to Hawaii. You had more choices. That was in 2020. Maybe it has changed.

No. There is too much concern about spreading "pests". Save your money! You can order, but I'm pretty sure you can't bring flowers with you when you board ship(except fake)

Minisuite(especially Reserve )should offer a better selection.

Is she Vegan or will she eat dairy? Your best bet is to contact the Maitre D in the dining room that is paired with your room.He/She will be best able to help.

Quality of food on Oceania is still pretty much the same, however, portion sizes have gotten smaller on certain dishes. Rack of Lamb was so small, we thought it might have been Rack of Rabbit. One thing we did notice (and really disliked)was skipping of ports & using this "Save the Seas" load of crap to in reality save money on fuel at the expense of the cruise. They go fast when going down into the Caribbean, but then would arrive at ports at 11:00 to nearly noon. Nothing like losing half a day! We have a cruise booked next Jan. on the new Vista & my spouse just booked a Reserve cabin on the Sky for later next Jan. We can't take both & will decide the best option as we get into the fall.We do like the extra attention to detail in Reserve/Club Class. We just wish that like the Luminae rest. on the Celebrity ships, Princess would up their game on the higher accommodations. This is the one thing we feel where Princess can lag behind its competitors. With the exception of Princess's rather bland (downright poor at times food) the rest of their trips are as you said declined the least.

If anyone dines in the Miami are, you'll notice an added service charge of 17-20% this is the gratuity added automatically. This was done because of cheapass Spring breakers who frequently stiff the waiters at these venues.In Reserve the tip is between standard cabin & Suite tips. This is mainly because of the higher skill level of the staff. We've done everything from inside to full suites & the attention to detail is pretty obvious. The more "green" staff get lower wages(not drastically) as their skill level is not as high. It's done like this on most lines. The full Luxury lines pay much higher wages & don't need to add tips. We cruise mostly Oceania & we've seen a lot of pax from Princess who feel the standards have dropped on Princess. Food for example is MUCH better on Oceania. The fares are higher, but the cost of an inside on Oceania is about the same as a Reserve cabin on Princess. On Oceania you get: No photographers/No endless announcements about crappy garbage art auctions/Endless Gold by the inch & other rather worthless jewelry/NO extra cost restaurants..These are included unless you do a wine tasting/All water & soft drinks are free/Illy Coffee is free at the Barista.A staff/pax ratio close to 1 to 1. With Princess you get: Great staff(about the best we see anywhere)/Great excursions(among the best of any line) /Better overall entertainment/more varied itineraries. It's simply you get more if you pay more.

I'm talking Per Person, not per couple. That should have been clear enough, but I guess not to everyone.

Good to see an angel among those who are not on this blog. Basically the minisuite is considerably larger than a Balcony cabin. 320 ft v/s about 250 ft. You get a larger bathroom with tub v/s shower. The Club Class(now called reserve) is the same size but with better locations, priority boarding & disembarkation, Canapes on request, little wait time for a table. More attentiveness by the staff(less pax overall) The staff who are(hopefully) tipped by your friends have to turn this in for a pool for the other staff. If you tip over the auto tip the staff who receive it are able to keep that. The increase of the auto tip for Club Class does go to those staff who take care of the Club Class pax. Best employees get the higher wages.

When you say look up the word gratuity, just where do you stand on the issue? It looks rather obvious. What makes these threads a battle(as you say) is when pax choose remove the auto gratuity. On our very first cruise in 2004 on the QM2, we traveled with a large group. One couple(mother & son) bragged how they removed the tip. They were banned from dining at our table. They almost got kicked off the bus ride home. We were not involved in this. The trip organizer was furious with these people. We were friends of the organizer. They were a large group, all family related except us. After that we chose to only cruise ourselves. That being said we do truly despise those who remove the tip. Those who claim "We're giving to those we like" are full of it. Ever notice how empty the MDR's are last night? Some say it's people packing. Or is it those avoiding giving a few extra $ to the staff who worked hard for them. There are also long lines at guest services. Some may have billing questions. What are all the others there for? Listen in & you'll hear how many are trying to remove the auto tip. I'm glad most lines are starting to make it very hard to do that. For those who feel "Oh, it's too much extra money" or "It's NOT my job to pay the crew" Just stay home! If you choose to flame me, it will show who you are!

Are we talking added tip or reducing the standard crew appreciation? We're in the hospitality field so we tip over & above. If pax wish to add more that is fine. Those who as they say "stiff the staff" will have to deal with those consequences after they pass. As to "The boards" to have free & fair expression. Well, we've seen plenty of censorship by the mods, so we take that platform with a grain of salt.

I think you are way off!! Club Class is NOT $220 per day extra v/s a standard minisuite. Please give the facts to back that claim.

We think it is. You'll not have to wait fore than a few min. for a table. The attention to detail is much better(wish I could say the food was) You get priority boarding. You'll be eating where the suite pax eat. The head waiter makes a "special" entree each night(not always better, though) The staff do go the extra mile to please. I think you'll be happy. In most cases it's now called "Reserve" rather than Club Class, but it's still the same.

You may be in the same area each night or you may not. You certainly may ask the host/hostess to seat you n different areas(depending on availability)

Research? Oh you mean by reading posts on the O site?

My spouse has to taste test the sauces at his catering co. a lot of chefs smoke/vape. This can & does affect taste. Most often food is way over salty. If you eat out & the food tastes this way ask if the chef is a smoker/vaper. You'll be surprised how many are.