Cruise Raider

It should come to $46 pp total if the base price, which is what I’ve seen, is $39. Although, if they raise the price to $45, which it seems they have done on the Sun Princess, then yes, it is $53 pp.

I would not tip extra on top of the 18%, as I believe that is sufficient. I also don’t tip extra in the spa when they have added the 18% onto my bill.

We enjoyed Cole as our CD on the Ruby and then again on the Discovery back in January. He was scheduled to go home before the Eclipse cruise but asked to be extended, as I believe he put a lot of work into this sailing. So glad he did. He is funny, energetic, thoughtful and extremely talented. His assistant was Oz. They started the wake show with the Cole&Oz..scopy show every day. They cracked me up! Anyway, so glad he decided to extend his contract to see the fruits of his labor for this very special cruise! The team had 250 commemorative coins made for this cruise and the only way to get one was to win one. We won ours by putting a letter into the wake show box. Yay .. so very special! Captain Tony and his wife, Renee, were also so very present amongst the passengers, always stopping to chat and a friendly smile. You could tell they were just excited to see the eclipse as we all were. The respect Captain Tony showed to the entire crew was incredible! They all loved him and spoke about him with so much admiration! It is a happy crew that is a productive crew and that comes from the top down. Lastly, Raymond, the new F&B director and Terry, the hotel general manager were both extremely present and asked for feedback from their staff and guests! What a huge impact they have had onboard this most beautiful ship! 🚢

I am with you .. I am excited to try out O’Malleys! I am just not sure when that will happen. I hear tale it might be open for lunch on sea days. I would love to try their chicken wings. They are messy but I can’t resist a great chicken wing.

We just returned a couple of days ago from the Total Solar Eclipse Cruise on the Discovery. It was absolutely amazing. Not only did the Captain, the navigators, both onshore and onboard, the entertainment staff, food and beverage directors get involved, but it was obvious that the corporate powers were also highly invested to make this cruise a very special one for everyone. There were special events, eclipse glasses, viewing certificates, a enrichment lectures, eclipse cocktails and cookies, commemorative coins, a planetarium set up in the theater, games, stargazing, constant communications, etc. to make our cruise so very memorable. The crew and even officers were handing out cold water, sunscreen upon request, cookies during the morning of the eclipse. Captain Tony was incredible in keeping us posted, cruising out to the best location in the path of the totality where there were very few clouds, etc and along with his team, he succeeded in every aspect of his extensive planning. The cruise director, Cole, invited Captain Tony on the wake show to answer questions from the passengers. There were some great questions asked and answered. Terry, the hotel general manager, assisted in making all of her associated duties happen seamlessly! All the loungers were removed from the top decks for the most room for the passengers and crew to view the event! Raymond, the food and beverage director also made his job look easy, even though we know it wasn’t. It was so impressive that the top officers made sure that as many of their crew/staff as possible were able to view the eclipse. What surprised me, as never having witnessed a TSE in my lifetime, was the neon tinge I saw during totality. Also, the eclipse seemed to last just one minute, even though it was over 4 minutes. It really cooled down quickly once the eclipse was in totality. I knew it would happen, but just not to that extent. I liken all of this to watching the rose bowl parade on TV vs seeing it in person. You can’t smell the roses or the horses or make eye contact with those on the floats from watching it on TV. It was a magical experience to feel the temperature drop, to see the colors of the environment around you change and to hear the cheers from all the other umbraphiles onboard! Here are a few comments about the entire cruise .. We booked a B2B so, we were onboard for the 3 day prior to the cruise. There was a meeting in Sabatini’s to instruct all the ‘in transit’ passengers on what to expect and instructions on what to do, where to meet, etc. I think there were 171 of us. Nicely done, Princess. We were in the same cabin so, didn’t have to pack up any of our things! We told our room steward to take turnaround day off for our cabin. He insisted on taking care of our cabin that evening but we told him we were just fine and put our do not disturb sign out. During the in transit passenger meeting, we were told our account would roll over to the next cruise. While our onboard credit did automatically roll over as promised, much to their dismay, there was some issue for those with the packages. It was all cleared up by guest services without question but had to be removed manually and so was a time consuming project for them, to be sure. I did realize how valuable it was for us to have a package after seeing our drink charges for April 3rd. Anyway, we had to disembark between cruises to clear the ship but we all met in a group in the theater by 9:30 AM and were escorted off the ship and back through a waiting area in the terminal before we boarded about 30 minutes later. While there were no seats in the terminal, it wasn’t a terribly long time to wait in line to re-embark. Time to start our super special cruise! We had the premier package for our cruise and made our specialty reservations ahead of time. I already knew I love The Catch by Rudi and it didn’t disappoint. They seated us at the balcony seats overlooking the piazza. We absolutely loved it! Many complained about it being too noisy there but, it didn’t bother us one bit! We ended up eating at the Catch 3 times over the course of our 13 day B2B sailing and every time, the service and food were spectacular. I tried the Dover sole due to a recommendation from a friend and think the lobster or the Chilean sea bass is so much better. The crab cakes and the tail of citrus on the appetizer menu are my favorites, although the calamari is also excellent. We also had one meal at the Crown Grill and it was also excellent, I just happen to like seafood so much and don’t eat red meat so, the Catch is my absolute favorite due to their more extensive options of fish and seafood. We also ate at the Slaty Dog GastroPub a couple of times and it was excellent. I heard some complaints from others about the food and/or service but that wasn’t our experience so, can’t speak to that. I think it was the best it’s ever been. Right after our sailing, they were starting construction to change it over to an O’Malleys Irish Pub so, glad I had the chance to go a couple of times on this latest cruise. The space for O’Malleys will replace not only the Salty Dog, but also the Gelato / Ice cream area .. at least that’s what we were told. I also heard that Sabatini’s and The Catch by Rudi will be trading spots. I believe that is happening soon, maybe it has already been started. I did notice the Crab Shack being held at lunch time on sea days in the GastroPub area. Of note, Churchills, the smoking bar between the Take 5 and casino, has been converted to an arcade. That may have happened earlier this year if not late last year. Ultimate Balcony Dinner: wow, wow, wow We’ve never done this before but our friend and the head of our travel group set it up for 12 of us on her suite balcony. They’ve never done a UBD for 12 people before but you’d never know it. The food and service were absolute perfection. I believe it is $110 per couple and may even be better than the specialty restaurants. It was way too much food but they sent the extra up to our cabin for us and we made a couple bowls of lobster noodle soup the next day. The Japanese noodle soup station in the buffet is so good and perfect for leftover protein to be added. OK .. now my friends may tease me about this but I hate wasting food so, I always use my leftovers for something yummy the next day. Yes, even on a cruise! 360° Experience: Again … wow, wow, wow I’ve never done this before either and am happy they have an early dinner option. I even saw they were setting it up for a lunch option on the last day of the cruise. They may have added that in over demand vs having that option available on a regular basis. I will say, I never will feel as though I would have to do that again as, it just can’t be beat! It is more like a dinner and a show than just a meal. I was wowed by the entire experience. This time, it wasn’t too much food, it’s more about the presentation, the wine paring and the 360 screen. It was so incredibly imaginative and just wonderful! We were treated to incredible meals and parties the entire cruise. I love the new small bite lunch menu. I did order chicken tacos twice and received fish tacos but, they were still great. The chicken curry on the pub lunch menu is delightful. Whomever is making the minestrone soup in GiGI’s should be given a raise. Actually, all the food was just spectacular throughout the cruise. And what about those French fries. They are my weakness but try to never eat them. When they are made like they did on our latest cruise, that was a huge challenge. Best fries ever! I fear it’s going to take me some time to work off the few pounds I gained. I always put it on my survey that I wish I could order a sandwich via the app with a choice for NO FRIES! I have no will power and hate to waste food. 🤣 At least when I go to the SD grill, I can ask for 3 fries .. they laugh but always comply. Our cabin steward was excellent, a bit quiet and non intrusive but gracious and so very competent! We’ve actually had that same cabin in the past and I swear, it was like brand new due to excellent cleaning procedures and maintenance. If I looked for an out of place hair or any dust, I would be hard pressed to find it. Even the balcony was spic and span. The first full day, the shower drained very slowly and we left our steward a note and it was fixed in no time flat, never to happen again. The entertainment was also phenomenal. I love the two production shows, Spotlight Bar and Rock Opera, on this ship but we’re always scheduled for something else during the shows. Thankfully, we’ve seen both of them several times in the past. Mockingbird, our favorite band, played throughout the cruise and even got the theater one night with a tribute to Adele! They just killed it .. in a very great way! I loved the officer engagement on this ship! They mingle with the guests and make sure everything is going perfectly. I really had no complaints .. oh, other than the extra pounds I brought home with me. Those dang excellent fries 🍟.. 😆 Oh and I don’t think I mentioned how awesome the eclipse cookies were, too! I really only had one little bite and knew better to get hooked on those, too! 😮 And for those of you that question the value of the packages, they are so worth it. Just when I didn’t think the cruise could get any better than it already was, my DH won a great prize through the Princess prizes on the last day! 😁

We were just on the Discovery, too and your information is exactly how it works.

We would have never noticed it until our room steward pointed that out to us and replaced them with new ones.

I think many of us were booked in that same area. It’s too bad we didn’t all get to know each other while on the cruise. A dear couple of friends had one of the Sky Suites and invited us up there for the viewing. Even though it was on the port side, it was absolutely perfect for viewing the eclipse! Another friend in our group of cruise friends set up a couple of telescopes.

I really think it may have more to do with the ages of the passengers onboard and where they come from. When we were younger, we couldn’t understand how people wanted to eat dinner at 6:00 PM, much less at 4:30 PM. Our preferred time to start dinner was at 8:00 or even 8:30 PM. Now that we are older, we prefer the earliest dining time available. At home, we’re known to be done with dinner by 4:00 PM and wish the specialty restaurants would offer the same menu at lunchtime, even if it’s at the same cost. Perhaps that is why the cruisleines are trying to attract more and more younger crowds, as their key demographic is aging. Anyway, it may be all anecdotal but we tend to see more people that are our age (seniors) seated for the earlier dining times than we used to when we ate later in the evening. Lately, we’ve skipped out of even going to the MDR for dinner and just get little snacks at either the PES lounge, food delivery, the buffet or at Alfredo’s for a bowl of soup. We have larger lunches and smaller dinners with each passing year.

All the way around .. never have we had a better time on a cruise!

I feel the same about your posts. You may have seen us .. my DH is the one with the Santa beard and pony tail .. a remnant of not being able to get his hair cut during CoVid. He just kept it so he can play Santa for the kids at Christmastime.

AstroFlyer, our cabin was located very near yours, yet we never met you! 😞 We were able to meet Thrak and both of you are long term posters here on this forum. Anyway, was your room steward Nerwin. He was wonderful but never intrusive! It was an outstanding cruise, to be sure .. the one to beat!

I know a couple of people that have won a free cruise .. one was my DH!

Thank you … Best cruise ever!

He was going home today, as a matter of fact.

The best red wine that is sold by the glass is Caymus and I believe it’s about $10 over the premier package limit. I could be a bit off on that estimate. The Seghesio Zinfandel, Grgich Hills Merlot and Silverado Cab are the best reads falling within the premier package. The Rombauer Chardonnay is no longer sold be the glass but believe you may be able to find it by the bottle for about $75 with a 25% discount if you have a package. Better reds are definitely easier to find than good whites, IMO, but I am a fan of a good Chardonnay, which is rather hard to find by the glass onboard.

I know you already know the answer to this! Unless there are some dramatic (very dramatic changes) in negotiations between Israel, Iran and Palestine in the very near future, you can count on stops in Israel being canceled.

We have run into her daily and thank you for the reminder to say hi for you! I’m sure we will be able to do that today. The whole trip has been absolutely incredible! It’s going to be ‘the one to beat’! when we are home, I will try to write up an entire review.

We’ve gotten and have accepted move over offers in the past. It’s one of the best offers ever and they go very quickly! We are usually very flexible with our travel plans and rarely fly any distance to our embarkation port and that’s usually on Southwest Airlines when we do. Basically, they give you a cruise with the same perks and move you to a cruise with a similar itinerary in a similar category and when you cruise again, they provide you with refundable OBC of your original cruise fare. If you are flexible and don’t have your heart set on a specific date, jump on it quickly! Others will do that if you don’t.

Again, we agree that Captain Tony and Cole are both exceptional! Before the CoVid shutdown, I never realized the captains played such a big part of our overall experience onboard but they really do. Captain Tony worked tirelessly to make this total solar eclipse cruise so incredible for everyone, the crew included. He worked tirelessly with the Navigation team, both onboard and shoreside to get the best positioning in the path of totality where the clouds did not interrupt our views. Job so well done! The whole team made it such a memorable day. There were even officers and crew on deck handing out water and sunscreen during the morning hours. BTW, there does seem to be a respiratory bug going around onboard as a few of the crew members have contracted it. I always am stunned that they are not sick more often with so many passengers bring new infections onboard every cruise and they live with no real downtime for months on end in such close quarters. Knock on wood, we seemed to be able to avoid it.

In my experience, there would be no reason you’d notice any difference on your cruise.

We are currently on the Discovery and while I sure your complaints are valid, we could say the same things as the OP has noted except for the dishes in the hallways. I can’t stand that so, very happy we haven’t seen that even once so far on this cruise. I am also pretty amazed that people bring their pets onboard. Perhaps it was a dog that could sense blood sugar levels but I highly doubt it .. just my assumption but it probably doesn’t stray too far from reality! And as much as I love everything about this ship, the smoke from this casino is the worst I’ve experienced. I can’t even sit in Crooners and enjoy a cocktail and the music with that smoke pouring out of the casino. It’s just awful. The beds on the Discovery are definitely not the ones we’ve found on other Princess ships but we ask for an extra duvet and that does the trick for us.

We’ve met a few that really know their wines but they are still very limited to what they can recommend onboard as the stock is so limited. When the only Chardonnays they have onboard by the glass are Canyon Road (total swill) or Flowers (no depth or uniqueness), how can they really make a decent recommendation? They are pretty good about recommending some reds they have by the glass .. maybe not all of them but for the most part, we’ve had pretty good luck when trying their recommendations. Most of the good California reds, we already know from drinking them at home but their recommendations have been spot on.

I believe they wear a black suit now, at least in the specialty restaurants. We have not gone to the MDR for dinner in quite some time. Their limitations are subject to the wines they have available onboard. But, they do take courses to meet the requirements to be considered a sommelier.

If you ar3 directly under a carpeted area of the Horizon Court, you should be fine. If you are under the pool deck, you may regret it.