Cruise Raider

Thank you for the very fair and balanced review. We absolute love Princess cruises as they have quite a few ships to choose from on the west coast, namely our home port of San Francisco. They also fit within our travel budget as they oftentimes have had solo fares, deep discounts when booking onboard, OBC promotions, etc. I do see a lot of those specials going by the wayside as they are filling their ships without so many giveaways. But, I still find great value in what we receive and am so glad to her that @HaveDogWillTravel will still cruise on Princess out of SF. I also pretty much love the constant entertainment, activities, food options, service, the medallion app, etc. While I’ve been tempted to try Oceania, for their nonsmoking policies alone, this really isn’t the first time I’ve heard the food is just not all that spectacular. I’m not much of a foodie so, I’m not sure that would really bother me but dinner at 6:30 PM and the show being at 9:30 PM really just doesn’t work at all for either me or my DH. I really appreciate hearing your perspectives ..

We cruised on the Emerald a few months ago and we found it quite easy to avoid the smoke. Smoking is allowed in the casino and specific outdoor areas, these will probably be your biggest worry as one of those is on the promenade deck and sometimes people are just too lazy to walk outside to smoke as they can be found in the casino just to have their cigarette, not even gambling. The casino does have a nonsmoking side, though and it seems to not be too bad over there. I’ve never smelled smoke in the theater and as others have mentioned, just go in via deck 7 or even through the starboard side of the casino to the theater. If there are a lot of smokers in the casino, it can sometimes waft into the piazza or by the guest services deck, though. I have very rarely experienced smelling any smoke while I’m enjoying my balcony unless it is directly above or below one of those smoking areas and have had no problem while the ship was at sea. I simply don’t book cabins in those areas.

I’ve seen them get so excited about finding a cruise duck! We have several friends that are crew members and I’ve seen their collections … yes, indeed, many of them just love the little ducks.

That same itinerary caught us off guard, too! Although, we hadn’t had any money in our casino account. It was just onboard credit. We had almost $200 left and were actually going to gamble with it but neither the casino or shops were open that last day and a half. I spent an insane amount of money on eye cream at the spa was the only place I could spend it and their appointments were completely full. We tried to donate it to the crew aboard the Royal but even that wasn’t allowed. We could just donate it back to Princess. Live and learn! We’ve always gotten messages on our in cabin phone if we had money left on our casino account.

We’ve even gotten phone calls in our room to make sure we cash out.

Probably not as they scan your medallion on the way in. I don’t think it’s much $$, though. I suppose you can always ask, though.

Wow! And I’m having a hard time convincing my DH of doing a 22 night sailing but since it leaves from our home port, he’s reluctantly agreed to it. Our longest cruise to date was 19 days and was actually a combination of a 12 and 7 night. The 7 night had solo fares so, I booked him a separate cabin in case he wanted to go home after the 12 night. Ended up that one of his best buddies also booked the 7 night so, he ended up staying and did have a lot of fun. So, there’s still hope he will enjoy that 22 night one. It’s just one cruise with no option to get off early. 🤞

I’m beginning to cave as my DH loves those little ducks and has found quite a few of them. It’s almost like collecting throws at a Mardi Gras parade. The crew absolutely love the collecting the ducks. However, I want to see these little ducks made out of bird seed or at least something that won’t cause any trouble in our environment!

You can also just upgrade on your app. I prefer to do the upgrade through an employee, they get credit for it. As above, you won’t have a hard time finding someone. They will be out in full force on day 1.

There is alway one in the crowd … not sure if it’s because it makes them feel superior. I know this is horrible but I have been known to pipe up and say “maybe I will be there, too when I get to be your age”! 😆

This is no secret to my cruise friends that I would always take a Royal class ship over one of the older ships in the fleet. And if it were my first time up there, I’d definitely recommend an easy itinerary, such as Seattle roundtrip or even Vancouver roundtrip and one that includes Glacier Bay, if at all possible. But I say that because I really don’t care to fly anymore so, we just go right out of San Francisco instead. Those itineraries are 11 nights, though and not sure how much time you can take. My other advice is to take in all the Alaska events they have on the ship, talk to the ranger or naturalist onboard and go to their lectures, attend the totem pole carving demonstration and puppies in the piazza if they have them on your ship. Book a balcony if at all possible within your travel budget and layer your clothing, it may be warm, it may be cold, it may be raining. All are possible! Bon voyage!

Yea, I think most places are cheaper than living in the Bay Area. But, it’s my home and I love being so close to a cruise port. You are right about the crowds .. it was so simple right after the restart! Now, they are really filling the ships! We’ve only gone early recently to try to beat the rain .. we weren’t so lucky last time. Oh well, once onboard, I forget all about it!

I agree on your one point .. the premier package doesn’t hold as much value on the Grand class ships. On our last cruise, the wait at the Gastropub was just too long that we never made it in there. I did get one charcuterie board at vines but I don’t eat red meat so it was just cheese and vegetables for me. It certainly wasn’t what I would call a meal. On your other point and I am glad we don’t all like the same things. We absolutely love the Royal Class ships. The only thing I like more is no air travel to get to the ship and since the Crown is home ported just across the bridge, the Crown it will be for this cruise season. We got so spoiled with the Royal being here in 2022 .. so sad to have seen her go.

$20 is for the corkage and yes, you can take it to any dining venue or even just pour a glass in your cabin to take with you. if opened but not finished, they will store the bottle for you and it can be retried from any dining room for you.

That room has a huge balcony! It’s just part of the design of the ship . If you look straight down, you will see part of the deck below but I would certainly not call it obstructed by my means. Great cabin if you can snag it!

They oftentimes have some nice choices for red but whites, especially their Chardonnay is really hit or miss. We’ve had everything from excellent whites, such as Rombauer, which is no longer sold by the glass to absolute swill, ie: Canyon Road. On our last couple cruises, I had such great choices that were just a couple dollars over the plus package, however we had already pre-purchased the premier package. It includes so much more than just better wines. We mainly get it for the unlimited dining options, photos, etc. We probably didn’t get our money’s worth on this last trip, as the Crown/Grand class ships really don’t have many options for casual dining. But, we are known to never even go to the MDR while on Royal class ships.

It’s doubtful they will take any bottles of wine away from you but rather, just have you pay the corkage. Our last few cruises, there hasn’t even been a wine table set up near security to even charge the corkage, in which case, you would pay when taking them to the dining room. One ship we were on had such horrible wine selections that my friend bought me 2 bottles while in port and they had no problem with her bringing it back onboard. Less her heart!

Yes, they do! Not at the luncheon but at a ‘Get to know the Captain’ event in the theater, one man just went on and on and on about the elevators, trying to prove he was the smartest man onboard. Finally, the Captain said, ‘OK, you’ve made your point, let’s move on’. Others in the audience clapped when the Captain said that. Some people aren’t happy unless they are complaining about something! What a life they must live ..

Oddly enough, though I hate that aft dining room, we’ve had the best service there on our last few cruises. We only go to the MDR for lunch anymore so it might be a quirk but wow, we’ve really enjoyed both the food and the service back there.

The Majestic is my favorite ship but unfortunately, I can’t answer any of your questions except, that I’m sure they will make you pretty much anything within reason that you want in the suite breakfast restaurant. Pancakes are certainly within reason. bon voyage!

I noticed that, too.

I used a CVP for all my Princess bookings.

Exactly! Not sure of how that process is handled in Europe, as we’ve never been. But, I can only imagine there are protocols that need to be followed like anywhere else.

What a nice gift from your in laws! Without any packages, you are charged daily for the crew appreciation on your folio. So, while you won’t receive any discount on your fare for leaving the ship early, you won’t be charged for anything more once you’ve already departed. But, as others have mentioned, it is absolutely imperative to ask the cruise line for a route deviation and as soon as possible. There is always the consideration that some ports of call are missed, dates are changed or taken off the itinerary completely. If none of those happen, you will still need to formally seek permission to disembark early. If you already know all of this, bon voyage and have a great time.

We used to get a casino discount for years and years but now, just nothing! We gamble as much as we used to and still get land based comps but nothing on Princess for over a year now.