DCThunder

If you pop over to the Enchanted Roll Call for the Apr 9 TA/Baltic, there's a lot of discussion on how exactly where we'll be going now that the Baltic cruises have been cancelled.  Since we don't know what the new itinerary is, we're calling it the Magical Mystery Cruise.  It's coming to take you away....

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I'd be interested to know what would be expected to be on the menu on Easter Sunday.

Possibly lamb here in the UK, 

At least in my experience, Easter in the US often means a fancy champagne brunch, usually after church, or roast leg or lamb/lamb chops with various seasonal spring veggies if eating later.  Sometime a baked ham or roast beef. 

Probably not all that different from the UK.

What can I expect with regard to an Easter dinner aboard ship?  I'll be on Enchanted doing a TA and Easter Sunday is a seaday.  Any past experiences of food on Easter would be appreciated, although I understand that pre-COVID cruising was totally different with regard to dining experiences.

6 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

It was to good to last long.

Amen.

There was a clothesline in the shower on Enchanted too.  I was in a deluxe balcony, though.

33 minutes ago, Tonsoffun44 said:

Wonder for sailings starting/ending in U.S when testing might be dropped all together.  Some places around here have cut down their test hours once the masking was dropped.  Personally don't sail until January so got plenty of time but still curious. 

Your lips to God's ear on them ending pre-sailing testing entirely.

Do you need to play table games to get offers or is playing the slots enough?

10 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

Hi everyone, I would love to go for a swim in a Princess pool. Walking not so good using Rollator. Does the lift get you back on your feet where my husband can help me up? Is it hard to use ? TY No problem in the pool just stairs and walking! I dream about a swim!

 

 

 

On Enchanted in January, I only saw lifts on the hot tubs, not the pools, but I I didn't see the pool in the Sanctuary so perhaps there's one there.  Not sure if this is true for all ships, however.

I have an old Echo Tap (the portable, battery powered speaker that I'm not sure they sell anymore) that I always take on trips.  I connect it via Bluetooth to my iPhone and the phone to WiFi and then listen to SiriusXM (or any other radio streams). I used this on my January cruise on Enchanted with no issues.  While I can't do the usual Alexa stuff I do at home, my workaround is good for listening to music or podcasts in the cabin.  Any Bluetooth speaker would work as well, I just happen to have this portable Echo.

Does anyone think that at some point later in March (or at any time) they will totally eliminate the pre-sailing negative test requirement?  Or is this testing here to stay, like taking off your shoes to go through security due to TSA "requirements"? 

11 minutes ago, NavArch64 said:

A few days ago, I thought Riga and Gdansk, but now I don't think so anymore. With US troops being added in Poland and Lithuania, and perhaps Estonia and Latvia as well, possibly under NATO command, this looks very dicey to me at this point. There are also rumors of Russian interest in expanding the enclave of Kaliningrad. That could bring US, NATO and Russian military forces into direct contact and conflict.

With all due respect, I haven't seen any reports of "US troops being added in Poland and Lithuania".  What is your source for that statement? There is lots of mis/disinformation out there right now (from all media sources.).

Historically, when would I expect to begin to see cruise itineraries for 2024 to be available?  I know there's a perk for the Super Duper Elites of getting early access to them, but when do itineraries filter down to the proles?

17 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

One of my close friends works for a company that sells liquor to the cruise lines and duty free shops and Princess is one of her clients.  I just texted her and she said that the whole country is low on Crown Royal so it makes sense that many ships don’t have it.  (And just as I started drinking it again, go figure!)

Lots of logistics issues getting things to cruise ships as well. 

 

 

Thankfully I am flexible with what cocktails I have.  LOL

The Crown must be tied up in that trucker protest in Ottawa.  😄  Or else a shortage of purple felt bags, which probably are imported from China.

1 hour ago, loge23 said:

Ate at the Bistro Sur La Mer on our recent Enchanted cruise. 

There are four (4) entrees on the menu: a Filet Mignon, sliced Duck breast, a veal shank dish, and a sole fillet. The waiter talked us out the sole and the veal - the veal, he explained, is not like an Osso Bucco shank but, as he put it, a stew with small chunks of veal in it. Sounds odd.

Odd also was the escargot  appetizer. The escargot was minced and combined with breadcrumb to form little balls, which were deep fried. Note: There will a petit filet (mine was served perfectly and I was offered another) and traditional escargot served in the MDR over the cruise. 

We settled for the duck. It was good, but not any better than what we used to get in the MDR - and there was a duck breast offered in the MDR later in the cruises as well. I make a cracking Filet at home and we prefer to order things we don't usually make ourselves.

Having the beverage package, we opted for a glass of the excellent Santenay on menu - I should also note that the by-the-glass selection is paper thin, btw. Once again, the waiter almost begged me to "try the Bordeaux" instead. The bordeaux offered is a relatively inexpensive Phillipe Rothchild - good enough, but we wanted the Pinot Noir. Once we finally prevailed with our choice, he timidly reminded me that the Santenay was an upcharge ($1)! We knew that, and off he went.

We think the Bistro will probably go the way of Share, the short-lived Curtis Stone venture which we also tried once and wouldn't return. 

Save your $29pp. The meals in the MDR were all better than our experience at this ersatz Bistro. 

I ate at Sur La Mer on Enchanted in January and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The amuse bouche was very good, and frankly I liked the escargot in the little balls.  I didn't miss playing with the shells and the little tongs in the standard presentation.  I had scallops (perfectly cooked) served over orzo pasta with little peas and carrots in a butter sauce as a main.  Did you get the tuna tartare too?  That was also quite tasty.  I had a nice glass of Sancerre with the meal and a French 75 to start.  The only disappointing dish was the baba au rhum for dessert.  It was kind of meh. 

If you're on Enchanted, try to get "Princess" Leah as your server.  She's a marvel!  No cinnamon bun hairdo or golden bikini though.😄

On Enchanted in January, they ran our of Grey Goose. A drinking companion was reduced to having to quaff Absolute.  Quelle horreur!

2 hours ago, XBGuy said:

There have been a couple "Live From" threads in which solo passengers have consistently been able to share with other passengers.  You might check threads posted by @geoherb.

On Enchanted in late January, we did this.  A core group of about 6 of us (it varied somewhat) usually met for a pre-dinner drink at the Wake Bar and then went down to the MDR and asked for the same table which seated 8.  We were always accommodated with no issues.  Along the way, the hostess seated others with us and we met some really interesting people.

I saw a Scot wearing a tux with a kilt, sporran, and all the trimmings.  I don't think he was wearing his dirk, though.  😄

8 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Is that on top what was automatically added to your onboard account if so you have tipped her twice.

 

Yes, and I knew that.  I may be frugal, but I ain't cheap.😀

The young woman who was my server at Bistro Sur La Mer on Enchanted was also a morning server on the outside area to the stern next to the buffet area.  She was so nice to me that I gave her a combined tip at the end of the cruise to cover both the Bistro and the outside service.  She (and many of the Enchanted crew) were from the Philippines.

Anyone who's a CCL shareowner may have received the proxy information for voting at the CCL annual meeting in April.  There are some interesting little nuggets in the material such as the compensation of the members of the board of directors as well as senior members of the executive team.  It also lists the names and ages of directors and what other boards they may serve on.  It's interesting to me that at least two members of the board are involved in the gaming industry, and the former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy is also on the board.

Anyway, since Mickey Arison (Chairman of the Board) owns 121M shares (17% of the total), it's unlikely that not voting for him to stay as chairman will make any difference, but I always find these proxy materials interesting to read.  Here's a link to the statement:  Carnival Corporation (proxyvote.com)  I don't know if this link will work for everyone, but check it out.

3 minutes ago, marden1970 said:

We'll be taking our first Medallion cruise in July.  Do you need to 'tap' the medallion to anything; for example: in the gift shop or getting on or off the ship or in the casino?. I understand that for most things just being close activates the medallion (like opening your stateroom door)..I was considering the necklace but it would be awkward if you need to tap it.  Thanks

My experience was you needed to tap the medallion on a reader when returning to the ship after being ashore.  Sometimes, it was necessary to tap it to readers at a bar.  Once or twice, I had to do it to enter my stateroom, but most times the door was opened by mere proximity to the door.

I bought the sports clip ($10 aboard) and I'm a bit ambivalent about it.  I got in the habit of hanging the medallion on the lanyard on a hook in the cabin with my mask and sunglasses so I'd always remember to take it with me when I left the cabin.  When I shifted to the sports clip, I found that the medallion itself is also magnetic so it sticks to the wall so I don't forget it, but I found the clip to be awkward to actually clip onto a shirt pocket or my belt.  And the clip isn't that strong, so I constantly worried about losing the medallion.  If I just put it in my pocket, I had to remember to take it out again.

When I wore a shirt with a pocket, I'd stick the medallion in the breast pocket with the lanyard around my neck and that seemed to work best. 

So I'm not totally sure what I'll do on my next cruise in April...🤷‍♂️

1 hour ago, franktown said:

Not being able to book economy seats with British airways is until the flights are paid is regretfully standard.  

LOL, Princess made damn sure I paid them when the booked the tickets...

2 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

Some but not all airlines do allow early seat selection. Most will allow early selection if you have "status" with the airline or simply membership in their FF program.

I have a reservation made through EZAir home from Copenhagen first on British Airways and then on American from JFK home.  Neither BA nor AA will let me select seats until ticketed at 30-45 days out.  And I'm an AAdvantage member, albeit without any special status.

12 hours ago, Kmkub said:

It wasn’t available on Enchanted 1/19 to 1/29.

Nope, but you could get a "fajita" that was actually more like a quesada.  Somehow, I don't think they serve those to the Queen every afternoon at 3:30 or whenever.