satxdiver

The crew works long hours and very hard so I certainly do not consider the daily fee exorbitant and have never reduced the amount. I just consider a part of the fees to cruise. We do give certain crew members (room steward, etc) extra tip at the end of the cruise. Don't cruise if you cannot afford it.

I just checked and it will not let me see my reservations but the planning part is up and let me see available cruises. I worked in IT and what happened caused them to totally or partially shut down the website. They put up the standard sign that the site is being ... However something seriously happened to cause them to shut down in the middle of the day. Having been there and done that believe me management is there breathing down their necks while the IT gurus fix it. Not a good day to be working in IT at Princess right now. Now comes the many meetings to figure out what happened and fix it.

We both love Sabatini's and go there every cruise at least once. Neither of us like red meat so the CG is out as the choices are limited for non-red meat dishes.

One definitely wants a tour in Roatan as Coxen Hole is pretty boring. Due to wind etc Mahogany Bay is iffy at best and many time ships are not able to get in. Not sure what CCL was thinking when they built that port. It really is a nice port and we love going there but often times have to miss it. We like to sail out of Galveston since we can drive to the port and not have to fly.

It has been a few years since we saw the SB on the ship. On that ship they set up a tail gate on tables outside in the pool area with all types of finger food including chicken. The attendants were busy serving drinks from the bar. Go early!

Interesting that the RCL ships have better thrusters and therefore more control of their ships than PCL and CCL have. I have found that PCL tends to be more conservative than the other cruise lines. Hopefully you will make the last two ports. Our cruise on the Ruby last spring missed Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya. The captain managed to get us in early at our last stop, Cozumel, the night before so we stayed in the port over night before returning to Galveston plus they gave us some OBC for missing the ports due to wind.

I just looked at the Ship Tracking map and it shows the Radiance OTS, Mariner OTS and the Disney Magic in Cozumel port. Looking at the Cozumel webcam both of the RCL ships are in fact there.

Two points further about FCD. 1. When you book a cruise while on board a current cruise, you will have the option to buy an FCD to be used on the cruise you are booking. 2. The FCD charge of $100/FCD will be charged immediately to your credit card, normally the one you have on file but can change it at the time without changing the form of payment on the cruise. It will not appear on your folio for this cruise. It is a separate charge. If you are a veteran of a uniformed service (army, air force, navy marine, coast guard) of a US or Canadian armed force, you will be given an OBC equal to the FCD OBC (eg $100 OBC) and they are stackable. You must apply ahead of time by submitting proof to Princess. Once on file and granted, you will not have to do it again until it expires and is automatically added to your booking. Don't forget, free money!

We both always have at least 2 FCD in our bank for future cruises. We always go on 7+ day cruises so we get $50+ FCC to spend on board. That is more than what we could get with the money placed somewhere else. They can be purchased only on board but used later. Great program.

I45 south bound lanes were down to one lane but the northbound lanes were open. We left the ship late, ~9:30, and by the time we got to our car and on the road it was after 10:00. I feel sorry for those boarding the 3 ships today. I imagine due to the one lane south on I45 the ships left port late because their shuttle buses from the airport were delayed. I was very disappointed last night as I was planning to listen to the band in the plaza. It disappeared from the schedule on my cell phone. I heard that some of the performers (rock band?) were sick with COVID.. I did hear a lot of coughing as we waited for our number to be called. Luckily we both feel fine. I hope everyone arrived safe home. Until next cruise.

We just debarked from the Carnival Dream using the terminal that the Regal will probably use. They were using the old fashion method of immigration checking, scanning and taking photos of those returning. No separate line for those with only a bc and state issued id. The lines were slow but there were several INS officers there. I have heard that INS is going back to the old method because too many errors are made with the newer picture kiosks.

We received the OBC and reduces the amount on our cc. We had paid for the Gratuity when we paid for the cruise. I trust you saw the road closure on I45 near Webster. Great timing! Safe trip home wherever that is.

We are on the Dream and crossing the Gulf to Galveston for a port return tomorrow. The ship hit a storm in the Gulf and we were all sent back to our cabins at about 1:30. We were just released at 4:07 from our cabins to again roam the ship but not on the Lido and other open decks. In all our cruises we have never been sent to our cabins so this is the first time.

Standing by in our cabin. We went to brunch this morning signing in at 8:50 and seated at 11:30! Partner ordered the cheeseburger and I stayed with the tried and true omelet. The cheeseburger was really good and much better than what is offered at Guys. I ordered a mimosa for the first time at brunch and it was good. Down time in the cabin was being used to pack the bags for tonight.

We did not receive the Platinum invite but will be there anyway. It is not like we just made platinum so go figure. As P and D we are promised a gathering with free alcohol on every cruise so I was wondering it they were going to ignore it. Thanks. As for the pounding we have been on many cruises and experienced it before. We just slept through it. Warning the Gulf can be very rocky particularly in the winter months. So be prepared. All of the ports we have been before so we only did an excursion in Curacao and Columbia. We stayed on the ship in the other ports except for Cozumel when we went to Poncho's and walked around the port. We will be doing a through PC cruise in April from LA to FLL. We have done a through PC and in/out before. The ports were as we expected from prior visits. The food has been at best average and mostly below average even for CCL. The Mexican dinner tonight was horrible. Mexican or TexMex restaurants in our home city comprise 60+% and there is some really good Mexican food served. We probably have both lost weight on this cruise when normally we gain 5 lbs. There has been too many C&W and not nearly enough rock music. We have had to spend way more time in the piano bar than normal. The comedians were all good and some even funny. I believe we have been comedian out for now. Surprising is the water on the ship. It has a nasty taste so I opted for ice tea when out or bought some bottled water. Interesting the bartender used bottle water to make my drink. Luckily I ordered a case of bottled water before the cruise and we have drinking it in the room.

We were notified before we sailed that platinum and diamond will not get the priority boarding or deboarding in Galveston due to the high number of those pax aboard. So no special deboarding for them. We drove to the port and so getting off is no big deal. we sent our laundry out Monday and it was on our bed Tuesday morning. The bag we sent was full to the brim so a lot of laundry. We have enough now to return home.

We were on the Ruby last March from Galveston and we missed MB and Costa Maya due to high winds. So all we had left was Cozumel almost making a cruise to nowhere. The captain managed to arrange out arrival in Coz the evening before at ~5 pm making it an overnight port and gave us our port fees and an OBC to make it up for our abbreviated cruise. You are most correct in that a day on the ship is way better than a day at work!

It is a nice verdant walk to the beach from the ship passing the usual shops and bar. You will cross the nice green area and the bridge before you get to the beach. It is a rather long beach so continue along the walk once you first get to the beach. There may be one other ship at the port to join you most likely a Carnival ship. The places to sit outside the terminal are extremely limited and a first come basis. Don't count on it. You will have to get in the standing line to enter the terminal. I did not realize they charge for soft drinks as part of the package while in TX water. My last encounter was on a RCL ship and charged sales tax only. The whole issue of only selling TX purchased liquor and not honoring any packages is a real PIA. Be aware that if you buy bottles of alcohol while on the cruise or from the ship, you will be charged state tax as you leave the terminal outside the Customs area. This applies to all pax no matter their origin or destination. You can just conceal it and walk on by the table. The US officials do not pass information to the state. Galveston is our major port of departure since we started cruising years ago. Although we have not been in the new RCL terminal just the two original terminals.

Yes but may have to pay state tax on the drink. Only alcohol purchased from a TX distributor may be sold while the ship is in state waters and it cannot be part of the package per state law. In about an hour after setting sail the ship will be in international water and the drink packages will be honored.

Yes you can bring a carry on bag on the ship but it must fit though the scanners (just like at the airport). There are no places to sit down until you are through the check in and waiting to board the ship. When you arrive at the terminal you give the checked luggage to the porters and they will load it onto the ship. Prior you will have to put a cruise ship tag on the luggage which you will get online and print out ahead of time. There are no reasonable limit on how many bags you check or carry through the security and check in process. Very easy.

With the way that "formal" is going it might be a fairly empty MDR. In mass marketed cruise ships the trend is for more informal dress. We are seeing the same trend in our daily lives. Princess and all the other mass marketed cruise lines are seeing this trend and many have already relaxed their standards. Personally I wear pants (e.g. khakis) and a short sleeved guayabera shirt and have been for 10 years or so. I am starting to see shorts worn in the MDR on formal nights. Since the pandemic I never eat in the buffet but rather always in the MDR.

Midship and lower deck is the best location for anyone who is sensitive to the ship movement. Forward cabins get more noise from the ship crashing through waves and hear the anchor being dropped. There is also more movement in forward cabins. The aft cabins will sometimes hear the generators (the propellers are run by an electric motor) but are least susceptible to movement or waves crashing into the bow. Any outside cabin listed as obstructed means life boats hanging outside blocking some views. We love port side since it makes it easier to remember where the cabin is located. In some ports-of-call port side maybe close to the dock and other times the dock will be on the starboard side. BTW if you have trouble remembering which side is the port side just remember that port and left both have four letters.

That time period was when they started wiring the ship for WiFi and the medallions. I have no idea what the OP is asking.

The medallion has an number on it that the ship computer uses to look in the database and find your account. You can go down to guest services and request that the medallion/database be modified to open other doors. It is not uncommon to have a medallion that will be programed to open other cabin doors particularly if you have younger family staying in those cabins. The plus package is on your account no matter where the medallion opens the cabin door.

One time in 2023 I forgot to make the last payment. Three days had passed but it was still listed as my reservation so I called Princess and told them my problem. They kindly took my cc information and the cruise was paid. So they don't always cancel the day you are suppose to pay. Call Princess and give them the payment information. I had never heard of an automatic payment at Princess. Other cruise lines I have heard of this but you have to agree when you book it.