DCThunder

Well, Siri fits in my phone, and Prince Albert is in the can.

I endorse everything that's been said about casual dining on Island as I was aboard for 30 days doing the Norway/Iceland/Greenland B2Bs in July/August. Not much besides the Horizon Court, the MDRs, and the specialty restaurants. One thing to add, however, is that during the turnaround day in Southampton, the Bayou Cafe changed from a New Orleans themed menu to something much more akin to a Crown Grill/true steakhouse menu. I ate there both before and after the change, and while the New Orleans themed food was kind of MEH, the changed menu was awesome and well worth the $39.95 cover charge. The Bayou Cafe decor hasn't changed, but the food (and service) certainly has.

So saying, "Alexa, turn off the night light" doesn't work? Who knew... 😁

In my experience, they load your stuff onto a bellhops cart with anything on hangers on the top and the suitcases on the bottom, move it to a holding area, and then on to the new cabin when it's ready.

When I did a cabin move on a turnaround day on a B2B, I talked to my cabin steward about his preferred procedure. As a result, I packed up my stuff, left it in the closet, went on a shore excursion for the day, and returned to my new cabin with all my stuff hung up in the closet. I just had to unpack the suitcases and I was all set. Easy peasy. I know you might prefer to move your stuff yourself, but you do have to be out of the old cabin in time for them to get ready for the next guest and can't move to the new cabin until that's ready for you. Leaving it to the cabin stewards seems the best course of action, to me.

I don't know if the "2 casual meals" would carry over, but I've done several B2bs with two booking numbers, but one continuous cruise. Each time unused OBC from the first leg has seamlessly rolled over to the second leg and additional OBC has sometimes been added for the second leg. The only thing that doesn't roll over is any casino credit you might have. That needs to be cashed out at the end of each leg. If you have two booking numbers, you can get 2X shareholder OBC as well.

With a little Google-fu you can often find the same (or very similar) local tour providers that cost less than Princess (no middleman) and may be more flexible in time at locations. Despite all the fearmongering about missing the ship using a non-ship excursion, I've found private excursions to be preferrable.

They did the same thing on Regal on our TA from Rome to Port Everglades in December 2022. A highlight of all of the cruises I've taken.

They did the same thing on Island during both legs of my recent Norway/Iceland/Greenland B2Bs. After the same old "culinary battle" between the Executive Chef and the Maitre D' (or Director of Restaurant Ops), they took everyone on a lap through the galley that serviced the two MDRs. It was interesting.

Is it possible to store luggage in Sydney post-cruise to allow for land tours? I'm booked on a trans-Pac cruise from SF to Sydney and would like to do a land tour (not necessarily with Princess) before coming back to the US. I'm not sure I could get all my crap in suitcases/carry-ons that meet those size/weight requirements.

OK, that makes sense. I sailed out of Vancouver last year on HAL and the check-in process was a total mess and that didn't involve medallion pick-ups. Disembarkation wasn't much better either. (I though Canadians were so efficient 😉) I agree having free shipping for Elites would be a nice additional perk.

Why not just pick it up at the port for free? That seems to be the simple solution to all the angst about Medallion deliveries. I just did this in Southampton and it was a snap. Perhaps that's an outlier, but I'm planning on doing it again in Civitavecchia in November.

I just got off Island and did 16 days in an aft balcony on Baja (B736 to be precise). Here are some Pros/Cons: Pros: It was very quiet from noise from other cabins It was near the laundromat, but not so close as to be intrusive. Very convenient to the Lotus Spa Not as much motion from the ocean as you might expect Cons: It was a LONG way from the Horizon Court buffet meaning a long walk the length of the ship to get breakfast. Also a long way from the elevators to the main piazza. There was some vibration from the engines but you got used to it quickly. No noise from engines, just a vibration through the hull. Rumble from the thrusters when coming into port. It was evident when they were on TL;DR, I didn't think the aft cabin was bad, but I've come to prefer more forward cabins. Hope this helps and happy cruising. For an older ship, I liked Island and if you like to have a cocktail, see Chris and Akin in Explorers Bar and tell them Peter and Pat sent you!

When I've travelled solo I always get a shared table in the MDR. You usually meet some interesting people, and even if you don't, you've only wasted an hour or so of your time. The Solo Meet-ups are a mixed bag, and usually for me, at an inconvenient time. Sometimes its sit around in a circle and say your name and where you're from and something interesting about yourself. They feel a bit like a college freshman mixer except there are no name tags! 😉

Do you use one of those poofy scrubbers too? Maybe we need some pics!😉

Very true about to each their own. But most silly internet clickbait lists of "Things Millennials Are Making Extinct" all include bar soap, since only old fogey Boomers still use it. I hate body wash because I'd use up a whole bottle in about three showers!

Boomers of the World Unite! Give us back BAR SOAP!!!! I, too, bring my own.

Because I'm sure I'd mess it up, and I'm lazy. 😁

I don't know the reason, but Andi boarded in Southampton in mid-July before we set out for Norway. It could have been an "emergency" deployment, but if so, it wasn't evident to the guests.

I'm not quite sure why the list of officers keeps showing Karen Rogers as CD on Island. Andi Sanders is currently aboard until sometime in October. I finished 30 days on Island and Andi was CD for ever one of them.

Andi Sanders is CD on Island now.

Picked up a Medallion in Southampton 11 days ago and was on the ship 20 minutes later. Don’t sweat the Green/Blue lane stuff, but YMMV.

I've seen Twinings (many varieties) and Lipton. I think I've seen Celestial herbal teas as well. If you want Luzianne for making your own ice tea, you need to bring your own. The ice tea from concentrate is awful.

If Capt. Kevin Beirnaert is still Master of Oosterdam (and I'd expect he will be), you could ask him if they'd douse the aft lights when you're down around Cape Horn for a night or two. Even without an astronomer, you can download sky maps which show various stars and constellations you can see and identify. You do need clear skies, which sometimes is a challenge, but you do see things that you don't see in the Northern Hemisphere. Of course, you won't see Polaris or other northern stars, but on a clear dark night, you should see the Milky Way very prominently.

Don't take it personally. It's "social media" in 2023. Did you really expect everyone here on CC to agree with you and say you should have gotten your sundae?🤷‍♂️