DCThunder

Easter is March 31st this year, so the week of March 24-March 31 would be Holy Week. I was in Aruba on Good Friday last year and most everything was closed except for the big chain stores. Is Holy Week a big deal in these parts of Mexico?

I'd say if you want to cruise in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden for the next while, you'll need to enlist in the US or Royal Navies.

At this point on January 28th, they have told you that the February 8th cruise has been cancelled. If they believed on the day they made that announcement that the Feb. 18th sailing wouldn't be able to go, they'd have announced its cancellation at the same time. But they didn't. So at this point, I'd expect the Feb. 18th cruise to be as close to normal as is possible for an inaugural cruise on a new class of ship. If that changes in the next week or two, they'll tell you. Do you want them to swear on a stack of Bibles that the Feb. 18th cruise will occur? Or tell you that it's 50/50? Or 60/40? Or give odds like they were in Vegas or Monte Carlo? It seems you are looking for certainty in an uncertain world. And we all know how that works out.

What exactly do you want them to tell you? The "punch list" of items that have to be fixed or completed before the shipyard turns the ship over to Princess? And do you want a daily update on the progress of that punch list? I find it amusing that many of the many cruise bloggers and vloggers always advise "don't go on the last cruise before a drydock or the first cruise after a drydock" but there are many people upset because the inaugural cruise of a new class of ship isn't going off without a hitch. And that includes people who aren't even booked on the Feb. 8th cruise.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

I always wondered whatever happened to Andrew "Dice" Clay. The Diceman used to tell nursery rhymes too...😈

So the Curse has spread to the Great White North. Will the spread NEVER stop??? 😉

That's one of the many reasons I hate the Boston Red Sox and their fans. They unleashed the Curse of Sweet Caroline on American sporting venues across the fruited plain.

No "Sweet Caroline"?

You might be interested in this video of the complete building of a cruise ship. It's incredible how complex these machines are.

And you get to wear a cool visor/helmet!

I posted upthread about a 1 year delay in the delivery of the first guided missile frigate that Fincantieri is building for the Navy at a shipyard in Wisconsin. And that's for a ship that was originally supposed to be delivered in 2026. Methinks that Fincantieri might be a little "overextended" right now. And there are rumors that Carnival is about to announce plans to build some "Icon of the Seas" sized ships, although I don't know the shipyard that supposed to build them. Is Princess already selling cruises for Star Princess in 2025? People might want to temper their expectations on the first sailings if they are.

I'm not carrying water for Santa Clarita, but do you seriously think the wailing and gnashing of teeth would have been any less is this cruise was cancelled on January 1st? Or December 15th 2023? The lead ship of a new class is always going to be delayed. That's the way of the world. Does any massive project come in on time and under budget? I know it's impossible to compare naval warships with cruise ships, but look at the issues the USN had with getting the USS Gerald R Ford super carrier up and operating properly. Sun Princess isn't nuclear powered or have electromagnetic catapults, but LNG ships are relatively new technology, and this is the first Princess ship with Azipods not to mention all the whoop-de-do stuff for entertainment. A better question to ask is should Princess have scheduled the Inaugural Cruise on Feb. 8th or waited until March 1st or some other date to give themselves more leeway for the inevitable delays.

Land line??? What's that? Are you an 80 year old Boomer? Us 'utes don't have no land lines! 😎🍷

I totally agree with this. I'd much rather lose an hour a day than lose 5, 6, or 7 hours all at once on an eastbound flight to Europe from the East Coast of the USA, let alone 8 or more hours flying eastbound to the Middle East. I'm flying home from Sydney via Fiji and LAX next November and I'm already dreading it. Will be doing a Trans-Pac to get to Oz, but have to fly home when it's done.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine is also building new guided missile frigates for the US Navy at a shipyard in Wisconsin. It was just announced earlier this month that the delivery of the first ship the USS Constellation, will be delayed a year into 2027 because they can't hire enough welders and other shipyard workers. First Constellation Frigate Delayed At Least a Year, Schedule Assessment ‘Ongoing’ - USNI News

I meant buy the FCD on board BEFORE you talk to the Future Cruise Desk about booking something. The FCDs process in a day or so and then they're in your account. You can buy them from the app or on a paper form.

This may require cooperation from the airlines as I'm sure all the seats have been actually ticketed. That might complicate getting refunds on air as the airlines will have to refund money to Princess on ticketed seats which they almost never do. It's no different from when cruises/flights were cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid panic. They'll give credits for future flights, but a refund, fuggedaboutit.

I never ordered mine to be delivered. I opted to pick up at port from the time of order, so it was there waiting for me. If you ordered for home delivery and it didn't arrive before you left, that could account for the delay as they have to make one up from scratch.

That's the kind of bartender I like. Too bad he's not on Zaandam!

Day of sailing. Pick up at port is far preferrable. No angst about shipping!

I'd advise you to wait. Very often the Future Cruise guys on the ships can get better fares or lower deposits than through the website. Also, buy a Future Cruise Credit BEFORE you book. You can use that for the deposit and get some OBC besides.

I've gotten the medallion at the port twice. Once in Southampton and once in Civitivecchia. Each time it was smooth as silk. No delays of any type. I can't speak for Port Everglades or Seattle or other ports, but the difference between Green and Blue lanes is negligible.

I was a solo cruiser and I broke my ankle aboard Oosterdam in Buenos Aires last March. Fortunately it wasn't a bad break, but the medical staff arranged for me to see an orthopedic doctor in Montevideo to evaluate the x-rays taken on the ship. The ship arranged for a cab to/from the hospital, provided me with copies of the x-rays (although they took more at the hospital), and gave me the orthopedic boot I wore for the next 30 days. They did ask if I wanted to go home, which I declined. I had two subsequent x-rays taken on the ship and they sent them out to an orthopedic doc in Houston for a "consult". I had 3rd party travel medical insurance, and they covered everything. The docs and nurses on Oosterdam were first rate.

They usually confirm with the group the All Aboard time at the beginning of the excursion just to be safe. Usually you'll be back a good 60 minutes before that time.