karatemom2

I can share my experience. I had the bangle bracelet, which I really liked and had used on a couple of cruises, when it broke on one of my recent cruises. Unfortunately, the kiosk was out of bracelets, so they offered me the necklace instead which I ended up using for the remainder of that two week cruise. In all honesty, I hated it. While it worked well enough to open our stateroom door and at some bars where the sensors picked it up, it was terrible for getting on and off the ship or at any point when someone needed to scan my medallion like at the stores, or at the buffet when ordering drinks. Either they had to bring the scanner up to my neck, or I had to lean way over to touch it the scanner because the chain is soooo short. I don't know what they were thinking with the design. If it was long, like a lanyard, it would have been much better - but it was a giant pain and actually made me feel awkward and uncomfortable. I ended up purchasing a new bangle bracelet on our next cruise that I am still using and love - it is way easier and they look very nice. My advice - skip the necklace!

The Call Center situation is terrible. Where we live in So Cal I could drive to Princess headquarters in Santa Clarita and plant myself in front of someone in less time than I am usually holding on the phone. But even worse is the general lack of knowledge when you do speak to someone. Honestly I don’t mind the outsourcing if Princess would just invest in providing their new staff with proper training and knowledge to provide accurate information and assistance.

There is no requirement to tip on your prepaid shore excursion. Choosing to tip or not is completely up you. Cash tips for the driver and tour guide are appreciated and in some cases they will have a little bucket or basket where you can drop a tip as you depart the tour. In most instances if you feel they have done great job and you enjoyed your excursion, it is nice to leave a tip. We usually tip - sometimes a nominal amount for a standard experience, sometimes more if the team has really exceeded expectations. But it’s a personal decision. You might want to take some cash with you in case you decide you do want to leave a tip.

This is a very good observation. Edinburgh is a tender port with a very long and sometimes choppy ride. The day that we were there the weather was so bad that they almost ended up canceling our port call. Although Princess does allow a deviation with prior approval, it may prove difficult at this port due to the tendering issue if people are getting off the ship with bags. Also, they would need to keep in mind that, although not common, there are times when they have to miss the port due to weather conditions that make tendering too difficult. Those are issues you would want to make sure to discuss with Princess in advance.

No more chocolates and no more complimentary Elite toiletry bag. They have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

The closets on the Grand are very small - a reduced version of the standard Princess closets. (See photo). If you Google “Grand Princess closets” you will find many images online. It won’t give you exact measurements, but should provide a good idea of the space.

We are home and so far I’m still testing negative. Hubby and son are feeling better but still not great. It’s nice to be back after an eventful cruise, so I’ll share some closing thoughts. All cruises have ups and downs - this one certainly did, but I will say it’s the first time we have come home from a cruise not that eager to cruise again soon. We do have a Norway cruise on the Sky scheduled this summer which is a bucket list item and something we are really excited about. But we left this trip realizing that cruising has changed for us. We no longer really want to cruise just for the cruise - it will be very much destination driven and with consideration of the timing from now on. In large part that’s because the onboard experience isn’t exactly as fulfilling as it once was for us. DH enjoys the casino, but it was way too crowded on this sailing. The food across the board from dining room to buffet was quite good, but service was dismal and very unfriendly. I don’t even know why Princess continues to offer room service - it’s unreasonably slow and then delivered with items wrong or missing. Either do it well or don’t do it at all. The only time we were able to get drink service was in the buffet - other than that we went to the bar and procured our own drinks. Service was nonexistent in the lounges - even when I tried in vain to flag someone down. The New Year’s Eve celebration was awesome and the Cruise Director was terrific - entertaining and energetic. But the rest of the entertainment staff and events were lackluster. Trivia’s were boring and uninspired with a couple notable exceptions hosted by the CD - most felt like a box being checked. Production shows repetitive and tired and the talent is inconsistent - although I still enjoy Spotlight Bar. The live music onboard was weak compared to our other Princess cruises. Comedian was just ok. Things like the Egg Drop Challenge, line dancing, and arts and crafts from kits are getting very old. Princess needs to consider how to go about keeping the onboard entertainment and activities more fresh, fun and engaging. We realized in retrospect that we have highly romanticized memories of our previous holiday cruises to Hawaii which were idyllic. This cruise, like the one we took last year on Discovery over Super Bowl weekend, was frenetic, overcrowded, impersonal and not the least bit relaxing. The Mexican Riviera is a different kind of destination and though we had fun on our excursions it was largely because we have enough experience with these ports to choose our activities wisely. Going forward we will likely not choose to cruise during these super high capacity dates and to destinations that are simply convenient as opposed to somewhere we really want to visit. And we likely will stick to longer cruises - 7 day or less itineraries just don’t seem to offer the same level of care or service as longer cruises where you have more time to get to know the crew. It kind of feels like a “move em on, move em off” mentality. Please note, these are just observations and lessons learned about how our preferences are evolving after years of cruising Princess. This is not to indicate we did not have a good time (well except for the COVID part). We loved our 360 experience, New Year’s Eve was a blast, our port days were really fun, food was very good and we enjoyed seeing the kids onboard having fun. Hats off to the kid’s staff who appeared to be doing a stellar job keeping the young ones through teens entertained. There were tons of kids onboard and we did not notice one issue with any of them. As parents who raised our kids on Princess cruises, I really appreciate the way they offer a stellar family travel experience. The Family Fun Fair they held in the atrium reminded me of when our kids were little and joining in those activities. We are still big Princess fans and loyal consumers of their product - but we can be honest about where we see room for improvement and aspects of the service we truly miss. That being said, we are beyond excited for our Land of the Midnight Sun adventure on the Sky in 5 months! Thanks for following along on our most recent journey.

Thanks for thinking of this reminder. DH doesn’t charge to account - just cash to chips. He plays table games exclusively - mostly Craps. I took his chips down and cashed them in last night.

Yes, I took a bit of a break. Seas are rough these last two sea days and apparently a lot of people are seasick. I myself love the rocking and rolling! After a great day at Las Caletas with absolutely gorgeous weather for a beach day at the edge of the jungle we came back to the ship pretty tired. That fatigue seemed to linger into the day yesterday and by last night my son and husband seemed under the weather. Lo and behold and to no one’s surprise given that people are literally coughing everywhere, they both tested positive for COVID this morning. I’m fine, but likely a sitting duck - tick, tock…. They really have minor cold symptoms at this point but obviously we will be sticking to our cabin today. I’m the food and drink runner! Thankfully we get off the ship as a walk off first thing tomorrow morning and have a fairly short drive home. And the casino will just have to miss hubby tonight! We knew this was the chance we were taking on a crowded holiday cruise with all the COVID and flu going around. Thankfully we are all vaxxed. Cest La Vie! I will do a recap when we get home!

We had a fun day in Mazatlan today. We have been to these ports a number of times and Mazatlan is typically not one of our favorites. But we booked a ship excursion called Salsa and Salsa which we did once many years ago in Cabo and it didn’t disappoint. The margaritas were flowing freely and we made six different salsas - all delicious. And then we practiced up on our Salsa dancing. We had about an hour after to kick back and relax on the beach at the resort. It was a beautiful day and we had tons of fun. We were pretty tired and a little tipsy when we got back but managed to make our dinner reservation. It was Italian night tonight and the food was delicious. I especially enjoyed my lasagna entree. I will note a rare critique of our waiters this evening. We have been on lots of Princess cruises and I have to say these were the most unfriendly waiters we have ever had. No introductions, no friendly inquiry “How was your day?”, nothing. It was strictly business - menu in hand, order, food delivered. No offer of ground pepper, no parmesan for our pasta, no offer of coffee or tea with our dessert. It was so cold and officious! They brought us our dinner and the food was good so I can’t really feel too disappointed, it was just really odd and uncomfortable as they barely said two words to us. First world problems really! We had planned to watch Barbie on MUTS tonight but are opting to turn in early (except for the degenerate gambler) as we are losing another hour tonight heading into Puerto Vallarta and we have an early tour booked to Las Caletas. Looking forward to another fun day ashore!

It was quite a party last night!! We started off in the more low key Take 5 party and moved up to the outside deck party. It was jumping. Great music, lots of great energy from the entertainment team and dancing the night away! We passed by the Piazza on our way up and it was standing room only. We were happy to sleep in today and then have a relaxing day in Cabo. I was reminded why I still find priority tendering to be one of the best Elite benefits. The regular line to catch a tender was so long! We were directed to one of the dining rooms and actually got on the first shuttle which left early as we had already been cleared. We were onshore and in our taxi to The Sand Bar on Medano Beach by just after Noon. We had massages scheduled at 1 so just enough time for a quick Margarita and nachos beforehand. Our massages were great as always and such a bargain at $36 for an hour. Way better than the spa on the ship and with a nice ocean breeze! We took a water taxi back with a detour around Arch Rock and Land’s End. We finished off with a bit of shopping at the port before heading back to the ship. The line for the tender moved quickly and it was all very easy. We had a great dinner once again in the MDR. The chilled banana and rum soup was delish! Also really enjoyed the leek and goat cheese tart and peach flambé for dessert. I took a pass on the Queen trivia and Music Bingo tonight even though we generally love the music themed trivias. I’m pretty tired and we still have two fun port days coming up. DH still managed to muster the energy to hit up the Craps table. That’s why Princess loves him! 😊

Taking a little break from the festivities to rest and refresh and get ready for the parties starting in about an hour. The ship is buzzing - people dressed up wearing their party hats and headbands. Our dinner experience at 360 was nothing short of amazing. It truly exceeded my expectations. The seven course meal by itself was amazing, but when you add in the drink pairings and production and narration, it was just spectacular. Worth every single penny!! My entire family loved it and it made this New Year’s Eve extra special. After dinner we watched Spotlight Bar in the Princess Theatre which we all agree is one of the better production shows. The singers and dancers on this ship are all quite good. We are looking forward to ringing in the New Year in a few hours - there are three parties scheduled - one in Take Five, another in the Piazza and one on the top deck hosted by our Cruise Director who is determined to out party the Carnival ship traveling next to us. It promises to be a fun filled night - glad we don’t get to Cabo until Noon tomorrow.

Happy New Year’s Eve! We are enjoying a relaxing day at sea and had our first trivia win at the Jeopardy game thanks to my son’s encyclopedic knowledge of flags. I have attached today’s schedule for anyone interested. Lots of parties planned for tonight! It’s formal night and we are eating light today in anticipation of our 360 Experience reservations this evening. We are super excited and hope it lives up to the wonderful reviews!

This ship is rocking both inside and out! We are rolling from the swells which I love - and it’s very crowded onboard but in a fun way! We had an excellent dinner - food and service were great. I’m so glad we had a reservation - we were taken right to our table in the Skagway Dining Room. The line for people without reservations was long and looked to be slow moving. Had fun with some 70s music trivia and I headed back to our cabin while my husband headed to the casino which is really busy. He plays craps and the table was full - he had to wait for a bit to get a spot. Losing an hour tonight so I’m going to call it a successful first day and get some sleep!

Walked right in as soon as we had our medallions. The wait was the line to pick them up. It was like waiting for a ride at Disneyland!

We drive to port as we only live a little over an hour away. We got there right around Noon and it was very busy. Took us about an hour to board, but my daughter and her husband walked right on as they had their medallions. We have had them shipped before and also picked them up at port with virtually no wait, but going forward we will always have them mailed. It was just soooo much easier for people who had them already.

Happy New Year’s fellow Princess cruisers. I haven’t done a live thread on our recent trips but thought I would attempt one for our cruise on Discovery. It’s been a few too many years since we did a cruise over the holidays and it’s great to be back on board a festive and beautifully decorated Princess ship. Boarding was a bit of a hassle - unfortunately we didn’t have our Medallions shipped in advance and the line was very long. My entitled self was none too pleased to find NO dedicated Elite line where we could just waltz through as we have become so used to doing. I was in full pout!! But even though it took us nearly an hour to board we managed to just make lunch in the DR. Now just enjoying a cool and slightly rocky sail away thanks to our high surf here in So Cal. Looking forward to a fun getaway with our adult kids along as we ring in 2024.

Thank you so much for your soapbox response to my comment which simply related to our PERSONAL experience bringing drone on and off the ship. No problem. Related to the direction you chose to take this conversation - yes every location has different rules. Any licensed and experienced drone user like my son in law are well aware. He researches the laws and limitations for each port in advance and respects a complies with any rules and restrictions. It’s really not hard. Just part of being a responsible and respectful drone owner. So, thanks for your “thoughtful” response to my comment. I’m not the least bit concerned about my SIL ending up detained or in jail - he is a trained, licensed professional and knows how to follow rules wherever he travels.

On your visit Hilo, you might enjoy the Hawaii Tropical Gardens. They are quite lush and lovely and easy to access by taxi from the port. https://htbg.com/ Other enjoyable things we have done besides the Volcano in Hilo is visit the Zoo, Macadamia Nut Farm and Hawaiian Vanilla Farm. Any of those options are a worthwhile use of your port time as well. Kona is a great port and if you enjoy snorkeling offers convenient boat tours to Kealakekua Bay which is a pristine place to view underwater life.

Sad to say, I have to agree. We generally get comped a specialty meal or two by the Casino, and our last two meals at Sabatini's on Enchanted and The Catch on Sky were very disappointing. I was quite glad we hadn't paid for them. We still find Crown Grill to be reliably good. I wonder now about our Casino comped meals - will we be charged the gratuity fee? Guess we shall see!

In many instance the cruise lines are using the same tour operators in these ports - just sharing times, dates and capacities. Pricing will likely be similar as well. I would not choose my Alaska cruise based on the ship excursions but on the itinerary, scenic viewing locations and the time in port. And, as has been pointed out, Alaska is a very reliable place to plan your own independent excursions. We virtually never book through the ship in Alaska anymore as over the years we have found it so easy, cost effective and usually more enjoyable to book independently.

We just print, fold and staple the luggage tags as instructed and have never had an issue, but many here swear by the plastic tag holders. The dining rooms and public areas can be quite chilly at times, so I tend to have a sweater or shawl handy. A handful of people decorate their doors. It’s not terribly common on Princess but we always spot a few decorated doors on every cruise.

We generally always book specific rooms, but for our upcoming New Year's Eve cruise we just booked a guarantee for our daughter and son-in-law's reservation. Our cruise departs December 30 and still no room assignment showing up on their cruise personalizer. I'm not very familiar with guarantee rooms, so hoping someone here can shed some light on when we might expect their room number to show up on their reservation.

We disembarked the Sky in Southampton on our recent cruise in September and we did walk off which was incredibly easy. We walked off the ship at 7:45 a.m. and met our car service driver by 8 a.m. and were on the road by 8:15 a.m. If you are able to walk off with your luggage, you should be able to disembark very early and expediently.

Well no wonder my DH got so many fantastic offers for the Sun in its opening months. They clearly want the gamblers onboard. I'm very excited to travel on this new ship - sadly none of the dates or itineraries worked for us this Spring. But I'm looking forward to a day when one does! Clearly, the casinos are becoming an even more important component of financial success for Princess and must really help shore up the bottom line. Makes sense they are touting this grand and large new venue on the Sun - it would be nice if it was smoke free, but at least they have smoke free areas and smoke free evenings.