spyro1952

On 3/5/2019 at 10:27 PM, DeRon said:

Just returned last week from our Eastern Caribbean voyage on the Regal.  We were in a Club Class mini-suite on the Baja deck. 

 

What we liked:

• Nice mini suite layout. Very functional. Plenty of storage. 
• Food was good, not great. Very good at times. But good enough. 
• Dining room service was better than the specialty restaurants. We ate at both, and the waiter was doing everything for every table.  Needed help. 
• Lots of fun! Entertainment was great, and something is always going on until late. 
• Embarkation was a snap with the medallions
• Disembarkation was a snap (Club Class). Off the ship and in a taxi by 7:30
• Bed was comfy with nice sheets, pillows, etc. 

Could have been better:

• Not luxury. If you are looking for luxury, up the money and go on another line.
• At times crowded. Horizon Court was way too busy, no seats, etc
• Pool chairs hard to come by for even 2
• We paid the $$ and got the Sanctuary for the week.  Best move ever. However, we were in the line to reserve 1st day at 11:15.  They sold out!!!  What the?!?!  I had to tip a girl VERY nicely to get the weekly rental.  So we paid around $650-700 for the Sanctuary. Blah!
• Theater not grandiose and not as pretty as older ships. In fact, not pretty at all in our opinion. Crowded and cramped. 
• Speciality dining was pretty good, not excellent. 
• This is little, but our bath towels and pool towels are thin and small.  And they were stingy on the towels for the bathroom. 
• Showers had no water pressure. Worst ever that we’ve had on any cruise. 
• Did not enjoy Princess Cays. Way too crowded, no chairs available etc. and they use those clam shell chairs. No umbrellas.  So if you’re on the 2nd or 14th row, you cannot see the water.
• They have a serious elevator issue.  Slow, small, and crowded.  Worst we’ve ever had on a cruise. They had a lot of elevators, but it always seemed like 3-4 weren’t moving for some reason.  When you have this many people, you need to be able to move them quickly!

Regarding Sanctuary, do you mean 11:15 am embarkation day or the first actual cruise day (Princess Cay)?  

Been on Regal many times and your review is spot on.  It is what it is.

17 hours ago, suzyed said:

That's strange....I feel like I gamble (slots) about as much or more than others on the boards and have never been offered anything. 

You may think you are spending as much as some one else because you frequent the casino and see many of the same players.  But those players who get great offers are probably playing $5 a pull as opposed to 60 cents a pull.  I only play dollar machines and bet the max so between $3 and $5 a pull depending on the machine.  I have a week on the Regal on 3/31 with a 40% discount on MB mini and $800 in casino cash.  

On 2/23/2019 at 5:31 PM, Alsmez said:

We are Celebrity cruisers but have been talking about going to Alaska on Princess for years. My parents (late 70s; we are early 40s) recently decided that they wanted to try cruising with us and have decided that Alaska is their destination of choice, so Princess it is! We are a family of foodies and DH and I have long since abandoned the MDR on Celebrity for Blu, Luminae or specialty dining packages, not only for the superior food but also for the flexible dining times, quieter, more intimate atmosphere, and better service these restaurants offer. My parents will definitely want the same, especially because my father is very hard of hearing. I was hoping Princess offered something similar, but it looks as though your only choices are to book specialty dining a la carte (though at a more reasonable cost than on X) or sail in a Club Class Mini-Suite or full suite to make the MDR a bit less hectic. Is there something I'm missing? Would very much appreciate your input! BTW, we will likely be doing a round trip out of Seattle on Ruby, if that makes a difference. Thanks!

I’ve read most of the responses and I would suggest getting a balcony cabin for Alaska just to be able to see the scenery as you are cruising.  I’ve done AK numerous times and seen whales etc just following the ship.  I really don’t think it will  be that cold as I’ve done both early and late season cruises up there with great weather.

For dining I do not find the MDRs noisey at all and although there are some nights I am not crazy about menu, the food is very good.  I usually do Crown grill once on a 7 day cruise and maybe twice on longer cruises.  Also get a table for just the 4 of you since your Dad has hearing issues.

If it were me I would do the new locks on Emerald.  I like the bigger ships.  I haven’t been thru new locks yet but certainly on my list.  

You will always find a few negative reviews of certain ships or cruises.  I wouldn’t let a few disgruntled pax deter your plans.  I have been on the Emerald numerous times and always had excellent service, food, crew etc.

On 1/24/2019 at 1:38 AM, Sea Day Cruiser said:

 

Don’t let the above scare you off. I have done the chef’s table at least 4 times and always alone. No one has ever even mentioned finding a dining partner to me. In fact sometimes I think being alone makes it easier if they have a lot of people signing up because they will squeeze one person in where they couldn’t do it for two.  I also have a shellfish allergy and it has always been accommodated. 

I was solo on a recent cruise and didn’t make it.  It may have been b/c I try to sign up too late.  

On 2/18/2019 at 11:10 AM, Colo Cruiser said:

Don't tip extra then.

How do you know what a crew member makes? No one is forcing crew to work for Princess. They like their jobs and are there voluntarily.

If you dislike Princess so much as the majority of your posts indicate then there are many other cruise lines to choose from.

Funny CO cruiser I was thinking the exact same thing and voila!!!  This one is always complaining about prices etc.

Not gonna happen 🙅‍♂️ 

3 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

We sailed the Royal’s inaugural TA in 2013 and were disappointed that nothing special happened.

 

Being the first of that class of ship there was a lecture by an engineer who was deeply involved in the design.  Beyond that there were only Inaugural Crossing tee shirts & other Inaugural Season souvenirs available for purchase in the gift shop.

 

It’s possible that after 5 years I may have forgotten about something special on our inaugural crossing but we were disappointed by the lack of anything special. We’re also on the Sky’s inaugural TA in November & don’t anticipate anything special.

Although it is the maiden TA, it’s’ not the maiden voyage so I wouldn’t expect anything too special.  I am also on that cruise for 28 days including the TA.

26 minutes ago, TracieABD said:

You can do it on your Cruise Personalizer.

 

Personally, I request a table for 2, knowing they will not pair anyone with me- which is my preference. I use meals as times to catch up on my blog and reading. As a rule, I am pretty shy/ introverted/ socially awkward in person- I opt not to inflict that on other people!

Tracie, I feel the same way as you when I cruise solo.  I always bring a book or my iPad.  I also do not like sitting at a table for a couple of hours which usually happens at large tables.  I also don’t like to continually explain why I am cruising by myself, which I do quite often.

5 hours ago, cimarrongirl said:

My question is what are the benefits of the Medallion if you don't pay the extra 59.99 per person.  I have already paid for two but is it really worth it?

 

M

5 hours ago, cimarrongirl said:

My question is what are the benefits of the Medallion if you don't pay the extra 59.99 per person.  I have already paid for two but is it really worth it?

 

You do not pay for the medallions.  They are like your cruise card.  You use them instead of the cruise card.

Platinum studio is very expensive.   Small packages start at about 1800.00 or more.  

I would do a search on these boards as I know there has been previous discussions.  Most people end up spending between 2-3k.

Does anyone have a list of ships now offering Medallion.net packages?  

I am on the Crown TA in April and the old per minute packages are still listed on my On Board reservations page.

Changing of sheets:Really???  I’d rather sail in clean oceans, not full of phosphates, than have my sheets changed 

so frequently.  Can’t these complainers just enjoy their cruise rather than finding every tiny thing to complain about??? 

22 hours ago, fishin' musician said:

Well there goes the neighborhood...

Exactly.  Just another reason for me NOT to cruise on this ship.

I got my email this morning and completed everything except photo and scanning of passport.  I am thinking that if you complete all this then you will just have to show your passport and Medallion at check-in.

If a chair is causing anyone this much angst then it’s time for you to buy a Lazy Boy and stay home.

Elite will board first from a special area all others will be given a group number.  Boarding usually starts around 11:45 or so with elites that arrived early.

I am on the Sky inaugural cruise and TA and nothing about OM or medallion.net is on my personalized.  Unbelievable that they build a brand new ship without the MOST popular feature.

While I once was very active on roll calls I no longer participate.  One reason is that I have a friend who I met on a cruise a few years ago and we cruise together all the time and she isn’t interested.  The bigger reason is that I find most participants are just interested in organizing private tours which doesn’t interest me.  I like cruises with lots of sea days and keep busy all day on my own.

Thx.  Yes I will get what I need on emarkation day

Anybody recently disembarked or currently on Crown - is there an unlimited internet option or is it still just purchase minutes?

Thanks

Great pics.  Thanks. How was the internet on the Crown?  Did they have unlimited options or was it strictly on a per minute basis?  

Thanks

I’m not 100% sure but I think the unlimited program is for one device so you would have to log out on one device and log in on  line the other.  You don’t need to shut down just log off Princess net

12 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Gloria, wait until you go to Anytime Dining and get told "there's an hour wait" on Formal Night.  I only opted for Anytime Dining for one cruise, and that was my experience.  I ended up eating at the buffet.  I was VERY upset, and I have never done Anytime since.

I fear that these absurd dining times might be to try to force us to select Anytime.

I really don’t like anytime either because I want the same wait staff for an entire cruise.  They usually anticipate your needs or wants and after a night or two, they know exactly what to bring.  Now you’ll have to show up at ATD at 5:15 and wait for an hour or more because everybody still wants that traditional 6 pm dining.