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One has to learn street smarts. Letting a teen explore is one way to do that. Excursions are very controlled environments. Family isn't always going to be around. As long as you can keep time, you're good. Some old people can't seem to manage that.

If SE does approve, make sure he has money and a way to get hold of you, in the event of an emergency. I've cruised with my grandparents when they were still alive and I was underage, and like your situation, we didn't always have the same interests. When we did part ways in port, they gave me a wad of cash, an emergency meet up location, and the ship's phone number (roaming plans weren't in back then).

Same principle can be applied for those of us that live in metro areas and states with diverse ethnic populations like California or New York where the cost of living is higher and as a result wages are higher. As has been expressed by another poster, we’re not being snobbish, we’ve just have the ability to experience more because the ethnic restaurants are at our disposal and we have more immigration to the states we live in. It is what it is; we live where we live because our careers took us there, can’t help it. Don’t think it’s snobbish to snub Harmony on the Majestic of Umai on the Sun because I know that I can have a more authentic Asian meal without having to go to Asia when I’m at home and probably spend less than the cover. Also, The Catch isn’t French in theme. It’s supposed to be a seafood restaurant. Sodiman is a classically trained French chef like Pepin which is probably the reason why he added the deboning a fish table side, aside from the wow factor. Bistro Sur La Mer was scrapped because passengers weren’t interested in Princess’ rendition of French food.

I don’t think cafes and bistros are for just the wealthy. Those establishments aren’t The Ritz or The Four Seasons George V. I only know those hotels because I’ve used the sidewalk in front of them. 🙃

That was the point. Some cruisers might “ooh” and “ahh” at the food and food presentation on board, but if one has experienced more and/or tasted an authentic preparation then, the reaction just turns into “meh.” As far as deboning the fish table side, I don’t think that it was only practiced in Haute Cuisine. I remember eating at cafes and bistros in Paris and the waiters doing this in the 2000s when we ordered fish. Maybe they were putting on a show for us Americans? I can say that this type of service has gone by the wayside in the present time. Recently, I’ve only seen it at The Catch. That’s why in my mind it comes off as dated. Nouvelle Cuisine, which is all the rage now, prefers the fish be filleted off the bone even before it’s cooked. All I know is that is presentation is not new.

I agree with this. Not only where you lived, but what you have experienced in your travels. Living in a metro area, we can get excellent authentic ethnic foods. When Princess released the Teppanyaki and Hot Pot spots on the Sun Princess, I thought "yawn" and "probably won't be authentic." The "Mexican" options on the on the ship are more Tex-Mex than they are Mexican. The Asian options are very Asian American; sometimes spaghetti and linguine noodles are used instead of proper Asian noodles. (The Noodle Bar on the Majestic tastes very close to legit but is still not quite there; the "wontons" are frozen dumplings, among other things. Harmony, on the other hand, makes me want to hurl.) It seems like the deboning of the flounder tableside at The Catch is very new to many people, but that is a very dated way of serving fish; this has been part of the French culinary repertoire for decades. I experienced this when I on a trip to Paris as a kid; Julia Child and Jacques Pepin made shows showcasing this technique. But I get it...The culinary program on a ship has to follow a budget and has to appeal to all tastes, not just the exotic.

I really like the name below. It complements the celestial nomenclature that that Princess is fond of.

You are probably right. From the article I posted, it sounds like Rollglider is a division of Walltopia. Only speculating. The ropes course was for sure built by Walltopia because of the logos on the beams.

Based on photos of Park 19, the manufacturer of the installment was Walltopia. They are a very well known builder of rock walls, ropes courses, and active entertainment installations. Royal Caribbean used Walltopia an a recent build. They built The Crown's Edge on the recently released Icon of the Seas, which is supposed to be similar to Park19. https://walltopia.com/introducing-crowns-edge/ Park 19 photo below lifted from: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/photos-of-sun-princess

Do you have a computer or can where you can use the desktop version of your Cruise Personalizer? Or can you access your Cruise Personalizer by opening a browser on a tablet. IMO, it's better than using the App to manipulate your booking and everything is bigger. Chrome is glitchy, but Firefox usually always works for me, but it directs me to the old version of the Cruise Personalizer.

Terminal specific meeting points are in the Itinerary section of your Travel Summary. Reps will he holding up signs with Princess written on them and the Seawitch logo. Signs will be taped on a pole or on a luggage cart in designated area. One rep is usually standing outside as you exit customs. If you can't find a rep, ask the airport info booth in the post customs arrival area for help in locating them. At Heathrow, they wear office attire like a button down shirt and a suit jacket, but no specific color.

According to my parents who embarked from Buenos Aires on Celebrity...Ships will berth at the same place. Damaged terminal building was not in use. Passengers were shuttled to/from pier to Costa Salguero, Pabellon 6, which was the temporary cruise facility.

Don't remember that. I remembered the bum rush, walking around searching for our table, and having waiters help if you couldn't find your table.

Sending good vibes to passengers and crew. Hopefully the teething period is short and doesn't cause too much chaos. Would like to know table numbers are relayed to passengers for traditional dining; no more cruise cards so can't put them on those.

Used to cruise with my grandparents when they were abled bodied and less able bodied. Towards the end of their cruising, I came not to keep them company and spend time with them but as their aid. Life with mobility aids is not the same. Everyone on the ship has to make concessions. I'm happy give way, but it's just not the same for the person using mobility aids.

Just one or the other, but not both. Results with the "Better Than Best Price Guarantee" have been more negative than positive based on reports made online. You're better off asking for a refare by which ever method, straight refare or cancel and rebook, rather than waiting from Princess' backend to approve (or most likely deny a claim). By the time they get to your claim, the promo might have already ended and if the claim ends in a denial, you lost out. A refare can be done on the spot and the turnaround is quick. Less work too, no paperwork to fill out. Personally would rather have the money back rather than OBC which I still have to spend with Princess (which was probably the point when they thought of offering the "Guarantee"). Come on Princess we're not this stupid.

Don't recommend keeping exchanging currency. In the end you end up losing money. All money changers charge a fee. Sometimes it's a % of the transaction. Sometimes its by giving you a lower exchange rate. No one gives the spot rate. Budget wisely and spend all FOREX or save it for the next trip to those countries. Also recommend getting small bills, like 20s, 10s, and 5s, instead of large bills because sometimes, sellers don't have change. It takes getting used to but €1 and €2 are coins, not paper bills. Pretty much everywhere in Europe takes plastic. I find using a card more convenient in Europe than here in the US. Where I live some establishments still have a CC minimum when charging small amounts. In the EU there's a law preventing establishments from imposing CC minimums or passing the fees to consumer. You can buy a coffee and pastry for some miniscule amount and use a CC. Some taxis don't take CC. Also realize that public bathrooms are sometimes not free in Europe. Sometimes, you'll have to pay €1 or less to use the restroom. The money goes to the attendant keeping the restroom clean. Best to use buy something small in cash, like a soda, and take the change. Eating at a restaurant also gets you restroom privileges, even at a McDonalds. Having just come back from Turkey on a land trip. Most everywhere in Istanbul takes CC. Up to you if want to bring Turkish Lira for a day, especially if you're going to be on a Princess excursion all day. Many of the touristy shops will accept Euros.

Not being able to refare without cancelling and rebooking a new reservation on certain fare codes is a Princess thing and a recent change at that. With RC and X you can refare up to final payment no problem. No one says that the opening fare will be the lowest. Princess has threatened to not lower fares closer to final payment, but if you look at long voyages, this doesn’t seem to be the case. The 21 day TA on the Regal departing Southampton on 10/06/24 had 3 price reductions prior to final payment, probably due to low bookings. I was on the 30 day Pacific Crossing of the Majestic this past April; I booked that around 60 days prior and Princess had a 40% price reduction and gave me a resident promo of a $500 EzAir credit. When one books a non refundable flight and one wants to change their flight, rarely is there not a fare difference the has to be covered. If one has to cancel one can be given vouchers depending on the fare, but as has been stated by @TRLD, travel vouchers are only useful if one can use them. If the fare drops, the airlines don’t allow for refares. There’s a game with airline fares too with dynamic pricing; depending on the day you’re checking fares might yield different fares. Case in point I did a land trip to Turkey recently. I purchased tickets directly with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. I started checking fares last December for an August 2024 trip. They seemed awfully high, in the $1200s. In February 2024 Turkish had a Summer Sale. When I checked on at Saturday for the dates I needed, the fare was $979. When I checked again on a Tuesday for the exact same dates, the fare dropped to $897. I snagged it. Case in point, it’s not only cruise lines that play games, but also airlines. Had I booked a higher fare earlier on, Turkish wouldn’t have refunded me the difference.

Again, people in North America don’t realize how spoiled they are with refundable deposits. I do think that Princess and Carnival, for that matter, do care about non-refundable deposits because they have now created categories with non-refundable deposits—for Princess, it’s the lowest location category (usually the F location) and for Carnival it’s the Early Saver and Super Saver Fares.

I agree with you that it's capitalism. Instead of feeling resentment, just go with the flow. Travel companies have every right to take advantage of the market just like any other business. Like I said before RC Group have non refundable deposits for the lowest fare and can fill their ships a year or more in advance. Might have correlation with their high stock price? Also despite the non refundable deposits, RC Group allows for re-faring without having to cancel and start a new booking when the fare drops up until final payment. Princess used to allow this but now has some weird policy for some fare codes that make it so that they are only valid on new bookings.

Travel companies can't give every passenger the lowest fare. They'd go out of business if they did. Look up how airline fare buckets work to get a general idea of airline pricing. Cruise lines have the same Sad when consumers feel resentment against a company. One doesn't have to use their services if they don't want to. One can take land vacations and drive.

What's up with Princess hiding behind a curtain with regards to changes with the Sun Princess? First it was Park19 and now it's the dining. Why can't Princess come clean and issue an official statement and make it available on their website? Why do changes have to be announced using another channel? If you do the math from the cabin breakdown, there will be 215 Sanctuary Collection cabins, which means that at double occupancy, there could be as many as 430 passengers in this class. Doesn't sound so exclusive to me.

To maximize revenue. What goes on exactly behind the scenes isn't for consumers to know. Consumers just have to play the game.

Why do travelers find booking cheaper non refundable airline tickets acceptable? It's the same concept. Basic Economy is booming and even with higher fare classes one pays the difference in fare when it's the traveller that initiates the change. I'd be for cruise lines making the deposits non refundable but giving a rock bottom fare. In a way RC and X already do this. Also realize, North American bookings are spoiled with refundable deposits. Most cruise bookings other places in the world have non refundable deposits.