Cruise Raider

I love the Noodle Bar! I have 2 cruises booked on her this year so, will be sure to take advantage of that venue while it still exists.

I think so as well but we had a great time, nevertheless.

No, that is a violation and they won’t allow it. Of interest, I know others may argue with me on this, but wanted to tell you of my experience. We were to travel from Seattle roundtrip on the Royal, take the bus from Seattle to Vancouver to embark on the Majestic before disembarking in Los Angeles. We were informed it was not allowed even for the life of me, I could not see the violation. We had the option of disembarking in Vancouver to stay one night there, so we did that.

I am happy for those onboard to see the generous compensation being offered. Princess seems to have stepped up to the plate on this one.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, my comment was to imply that since the passengers have no control over the situation, they should make the best of the time they have onboard. As someone else stated in this thread, the only thing one has control over is their own attitude. Getting wound up into a tizzy, to the point that they can’t derive enjoyment out of anything, is not going to help the situation. True, some people need to just vent and once they’ve done that, they are able o move on and find some enjoyment, despite their disappointment.

By having no control over the situation, I was referring to the passengers.

Yes, it was PV where this happened. I’m not trying to say I am a badxxx but worked in very sketchy parts of town at times in my life and you just get desensitized to being yelled at for no good reason.

Our worst tour was down in Mexico and they guide yelled us at for going outside of the shop where he wanted us to shop. He wasn’t going to continue the tour until everyone on the bus bought something from the shop he took us to. That didn’t fly with us .. we refused to buy any overpriced jewelry just because he got a kickback from the store owners. It really ticked him off when we went a few stores down and bought something there. Then, he took us to the tequila factory and sure enough, he was made we didn’t buy any tequila there, either. We paid for the tour but no tip .. then he yelled at us for not giving him a tip! We just kept walking. It was a terrible way of doing business. While we usually tip a decent amount for excursions, yelling at us doesn’t make us dig into our pockets. Maybe it works on some people, just not us.

I truly hope you have a wonderful sailing!

Why would you even think I would bash you? It is not in my nature to ‘bash’ people so, if my comments have ever been misinterpreted, my apologies for stating them in a manner that could be misconstrued. My point was simply that continuing to get oneself all riled up over something they have no control over, isn’t going to help the situation. It will only serve to ruin what precious time one could use to seek enjoyment in this marvelous place and probably isn’t good for one’s overall health, both mental and physical.

No, I’ve actually never sailed on the Sapphire. I have a cruise booked on her for September, though.

The open ocean is absolutely stunning! It’s probably the reason why those that cruise frequently book cruises. Perhaps cruising isn’t the best vacation for those that don’t appreciate the open ocean.

While I can appreciate your disappointment, I still suggest making the best of every day. There are still incredible views, maybe not the ones you’ve planned for but nevertheless, incredible ones. I oftentimes find the best sites and sights when I’ve happened upon the unexpected.

I was thinking the exact same thing! Heck, they could skip all the ports, as far I am concerned. The true enticement of cruising in Alaska is just that, cruising in Alaska. Bundle up, grab a hot drink and chair outside and enjoy the slow ride up north enjoying beautiful open ocean. I would be in my own slice of heaven! But, I guess we are all different.

I have yet to see where you can take food from the ship onshore. Whether you get caught or not is anyone’s guess. You are ok bringing commercially packaged and sealed food from home on excursions without a problem, though. Take a granola bar or packaged nuts and you will be ok.

We’ve seen that in SF and in LA, too! We were able to bring beignets from Cafe Du Monde back onboard nice in New Orleans. It really depends on the port security, I think.

Thank you for this! Sometimes people just like an excuse for penny pinching at the expense of a hard working crew!

I don’t think it is a common thing but Princess has started to offer a cruise itinerary, mostly Alaska from what I’m looking at, as either two one way 7 sailings or as one 14 day sailing with a unique voyage number. This is the first year I’ve seen them offered as such. Another example is taking a B2B from Vancouver this Sept. You can also disembark the ship in San Francisco or start the cruise in San Francisco but if you start in Vancouver and go the full way through the canal, it is still only one voyage and will be counted as such. These cruises are rare but you can certainly book them as one voyage.

If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing. Princess uses elite status as their top tier and is granted after you’ve attained you 15th cruise credit. So yes, after you have completed you second leg of your B2B. You won’t need to link your cruises, it will be automatic. They will show separately in your personalizer but as one on your app. If you book this as 2 sailings, you cannot combine them to get the higher amount of stockholder credit. Applying for the credit is now done online through Stockperks. There’s no real perks or monetary benefits to booking a B2B but they seem to be having a ‘in transit passenger’ meeting onboard to explain the processes that will take place. For me, I would book it as two sailings. It gives you more flexibility and only $50 less in stockholders credits. Just my thoughts

That’s hilarious

You are going to get a multitude of answers here. We’ve brought food onboard before but in some ports, it’s strictly prohibited. We have seen big trashcans full of restaurant food in LA and in SF but then again, we’ve brought hot lunch back for some of our favorite crew members that couldn’t get off the ship while in port. It really depends on the port so, just ask when you get off the ship to find out their rules about bringing non factory sealed food onboard.

The standard cabins are build from the same mold, with very few exceptions. The exceptions for different cabin sizes are those inside ones that are laid out sideways or if the cabin is accessible. The balcony size might also differ and made be included in the overall cabin sizes listed. It is easy to determine which ones those are by the deck plans, though.

The contracts for the crew have changed since the restart. Each employee now works on a salary and it is derived from the ‘crew appreciation’ we all pay, whether it is from the package or paid separately. Bartenders are included in this payroll method. It kept things fair after the restart when some ships had 15% passenger capacity and some were at the full limit. It also keeps it fair when considering a large percentage of passengers on a specific itinerary are not from a tipping culture, as is in the US. Anything extra you give them is theirs to keep but still, many that work in a bar with the same teammates will put it into a communal pot to be shared with their other coworkers.

We’ve cruised in 4 different cabins in as many cruises on the Crown so far this year. The beds were super comfortable in all 4 cabins.

Depending on what ship and the type of cabin you book, you may already have a small table in the cabin. My friend took his and just put it on the desk in a standard balcony cabin and slept on that side of the bed. They have extra extension cords if needed, as well. Of note, you can also order distilled water (free of charge) to your cabin ahead of time. They will keep you stocked.