Cruise Raider

The imposed limit probably has more to do with discouraging sharing of the beverage package vs cutting one off after 15 drinks. I can’t even count the number of times others have said, “No way will I drink 15 drinks, so I’m just going to share them with my cabin mate!” Just look at the prices of buying components of the package separately, if two people are staying in one cabin. You come out even or ahead by both buying the plus or premier fare package vs buying the stand alone beverage package for one.

We were on the Solstice followed by the Discovery. I know, one is older and one new but it was more than that. We were just a little bored on Celebrity with no daytime activities to keep us occupied. I must say, I think we really missed the Medallion and the app on Celebrity and the ability to get a snack in the middle of the day without going to the buffet or being in our cabin and paying a room service charge. Also, I think that Princess handled the embarkation and immigration processes better. But, I am well aware that those things can be handled differently week by week depending on circumstances.

I see most of your questions have been answered except for the one that you asked about retransferring it. That is not allowed unless your travel agent you’ve transferred it to releases the booking. More trouble than it’s worth. My advice is to transfer it only once you’ve decided upon a travel agent and to one that doesn’t charge a cancellation fee. If you really want to use a different TA after that and it is before final payment, you can cancel and rebook with the agent of your choice. More so than that, it is just proper to leave it with the agent you’ve chosen.

If it’s booked as two legs, it will be like two separate cruises in terms of stockholders OBC and onboard charges.

I would love a 4 PM show! That fits right into my schedule.

We did a side by side cruise last year on Celebrity and then crossed over to a different terminal in the same port to board a Princess ship. Our comparisons of the two were stark for us! There were some definite advantages to Celebrity but our go to line is now Princess. The atmosphere being bright and light goes to Princess. The food options and alternate dining and snack venues also go to Princess. The comfy beds, definitely go to Princess. The open closet design goes to Princess. The lower cost pricing goes to Princess. The WiFi goes to Princess by a mile. Constant activities and events goes to Princess. Food is subjective but I have to go with Princess for us. The stemware / glass wear goes to Celebrity. The captains circle happy hour goes to Celebrity. Entertainment venues goes to Celebrity. The larger staterooms with a seating area goes to Celebrity. The stateroom bathrooms go to Celebrity. The non-smoking in the casino is a huge Celebrity win! Our bottom line is that we choose Princess almost exclusively now. We would love for them to cut all indoor smoking areas .. that’s still a big sticking point for us. But all in all, they have overtaken Celebrity as our favorite cruiseline. We love the inclusions on the Plus package on the Crown/Grand class ships and the Premier package on the Royal class ships.

Those are generally my favorite cabins, as well .. that is when a balcony doesn’t fit into my travel budget.

My fingers are crossed, too. I even see where the app includes so many more wines than they used to have.

The Sunken Gardens and the museum are both within easy walking distance from the port and both are small but definitely worth a visit. There is a nominal fee at the museum and no charge for the gardens. In the opposite direction (from Cow Bay), there is a trail along the waterfront that will provide excellent scenery along your hike. If you stay onboard the ship while in port, you can go to the starboard side to see the crabbing operations if a ship is in town. So fascinating! Love this port .. such lovely people! There is a Safeway and Walmart not far from the museum if you want to pick up some treats for the crew.

Exactly! they could get a Bogle Chardonnay for $8 a bottle and I’d be happy. Flowers just doesn’t have any character.

Princess expects 5 glasses of wine from each 750 ml bottle. But, with the premier package we currently have, they do seem to be generous with their pours. I would say they are at least 6 oz.

We’ve been so very pleased on the Crown Princess with the availability of getting proper stemware for our wine. Nobody even bats an eye when we ask for a decent glass. Looks like someone in the purchasing department knows what a difference this makes. They even bought some awesome little espresso cups and the coffee has been outstanding. Love this change so much!

On the Crown right now, we’ve found Kendall Jackson Chardonnay at Vines and it’s included in the Plus package. Sure wish all the bars carried that over the Flowers Chardonnay. We are in port so much on this sailing that Vines does not open until late in the afternoon. We have had no trouble getting our wine poured into a proper glass on this cruise, even to go. This hasn’t always been the case so, it’s so nice to see our comments in the post cruise survey have been recognized. We ALWAYS return these glasses to the bar we got them.

The white wines under the plus package are … well, I will say, not so great! Cheap red is so much better than cheap white. But great reds are so much better than cheap reds.

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That’s our favorite cabin on the Royal class ships! I book it every time it is available.

I absolutely love the Royal class ships but cruised on the Emerald Princess last year. I had such a great time on the Emerald and thought she was in great shape. I especially love what they had done up on the buffet area. It looks so much more modern and clean. I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise on the Emerald again!

We were on B737 on the Majestic, a sister to the Discovery, and it was half covered. it was a wonderful balcony!

That Princess rep was not correct. You are both fine with long pants and a nice shirt or blouse. Believe me, you won’t feel in the least bit out of place. PS .. with a button down short, the tie is optional. No jacket required.

I would say, what’s the harm? Go for it! You will get the OBC at least once!

I always figured that putting the expensive suites right under the pool deck was the biggest mistake Princess ever made. Not sure what they were thinking!

No real catch but you need to spend x amount on the Princess CC to receive your OBC. If you keep the credit card, there may be an annual charge or if you take out credit and cancel repeatedly, it doesn’t always look great on your credit score.

Congrats on the win! So interesting about having the claim the prize in international waters but that makes sense now that you mention it.

I don’t know if they check but my DH just saw a sign onboard that the age for smoking cigarettes while in Alaska is 22 years of age or greater.

I think the only activities she won’t be able to do is drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes .. not that I’m suggesting she do either. I believe she will be able to gamble if she wishes to do so.