lakegirl16

Thank you. Can you recommend the restaurants on the water? Understand Downtown Long Beach may be more expensive, I did a little looking and compared to San Pedro not that much more, assuming the hotels are nicer. Thanks again.

Sailing on the Discovery Princess February '24. Looking at hotels for one night. We stayed at the DoubleTree last December, pre cruise. It was so so. Room was very worn and somewhat stale smelling. Not terrible but not great. We have two other couples sailing with us in February. I've read the reviews of the Crown Plaza and they seem about same as DT. Thinking about staying in Long Beach pre-cruise instead. Everyone is flying into Long Beach. Looking for hotel recommendations that would be within walking distance of a nice place for dinner. Dinner recommendations, welcomed too! Thank you.

Hello! I'm confused on the definition of a Pre Existing Condition and the lookback period. If I currently am being treated for a condition, that would be considered a pre existing condition, correct? How does the lookback period work and what does it apply to? I understand the insurance must be purchased within so many days of making my first payment and I must be medically fit to travel. Thank you.

I've sailed Princess before, am aware the menus are the same. But on past ships I have seen cruisers like one dining room over another, which is why I asked. Thanks very much!

Thanks! Wondering if anyone likes one dining room over another and why?. Location doesn't really matter. We were on the Ruby this past May, we dined in Botticelli and it was very noisy. Maybe they all are, depending on time and crowd. Thank you!

Thank you. I did read this but was very confused whether we were four or 5 days. Thanks for clarifying.

Assume this is 1? I looked on Princess site and it addresses days not nights, so I was confused. Thank you.

Just booked first cruise on Discovery. Would love some thoughts on the three dining rooms for dinner. Traveling with another couple, will be choosing a table for 4. Thank you.

Thank you so much. We are looking forward to our visit.

Glad to hear this. We arriving two nights prior in Barcelona and staying in that area. Did you tour on your own or use a tour company. Thank you.

Sneaker type I think? Thx.

If this has been covered, sorry for the repeat. Looking for a comfortable pair of walking shoes for Europe land/cruise. I have a wide foot, high instep. I'm older so style isn't as important as comfort. 🙂 Thanks!

Curious what ship this was on and when? Thanks for sharing.

Yes, I did sail in a Sky Suite on Celebrity. Which I why I didn't really do a dining room comparison, only mention of the slow service on the Ruby. Thanks for the other comparisons and comments. Every ship and every person is different that's what make this board so informative. Also, someone mentioned bringing a streaming stick on the ship. We brought a Firestick (I believe that was the device, could have been Roku) on the Solstice last December. We were able to hook this up to WiFi via the TV and stream Hulu. This was a Mexican Riviera Itinerary. We brought it on the Princess ship, as well, but the internet would not support it. Thanks everyone!

To clarify, I was referring to the Live TV offerings and thought Celebrity had more offerings. Perhaps I am not remembering correctly. I didn't use the On Demand.

Thanks, great to see another comparison. And I wish I didn't eat the cookies, desserts and ice cream but sweets are my thing! 🙂

Coffee - yes International Cafe - coffee was fine. More the service. I was shocked on the crew as well. Many we passed never spoke, dining room staff not very engaging. AND yes, the RUBY not the STAR. Too late to edit.

I thought I proofed this and caught where I'd said STAR, all comparisons were the RUBY. STAR was the ship we were on before. Too late to edit my mistake.

I've always considered these two lines more similar than different. We just returned from 10 Day Ruby Princess Round Trip Alaska. Most recent Celebrity Sailing was December 2022, Mexican Riviera on the Solstice. Both of these ships were built around the same time. I know this comparison is subjective and every ship is different, many will say the opposite of my opinions but wanted to share my thoughts. Happy to answer any questions. In no particular order, here's my thoughts ... Television - Celebrity. I know we don’t cruise to watch TV but Princess TV is terrible. Internet - Celebrity. Internet on the Ruby Princess was not good, very slow. In fairness, the Solstice had just gotten Starlink and we were sailing south and not north. Embarkation / Disembarkation - Even. Although I heard passengers complain it took them 1.5 hours in the 12:30 boarding group on the Ruby. Entertainment - Princess. We found the shows on the Solstice in December very average. Star Princess shows were great. I also like the wide variety of musical entertainment in the bars on Princess. Pastries - Celebrity - I always felt like the pastries I had on the Ruby were a bit dry. One exception, the almond croissant. Coffee bar - Celebrity - Location, setting and coffee selection. Service on the Ruby was terrible. Friendliness - Celebrity. I found a lot of staff on Ruby didn’t speak at all. Cookies- celebrity. Princess cookies were dry and hard. Overall food - even. I thought both had good and not so good selections. My one concern on the Star was often my food wasn't hot. Not cold, just not hot. Desserts - slight to Celebrity. I can’t believe Princess changed the Love Boat Dream to Raspberry! Cocktails - Celebrity - Martini bar, big plus. Beds - Even. I always sleep great at sea Activities- slight to Princess. I love BINGO! Apps - Celebrity hands down. Princess app is pretty worthless, can’t see menus unless you are booked in the restaurant. Spa - even. Although I had a pedicure on Princess and first time ever she didn’t try to sell me any products!! Toiletries - Princess love the hand soap Ice cream - Celebrity - love the Gelato! Casino -Celebrity - smoking on Princess is a no go for me. Dining Room Service - I’m not going to compare because our last cruise on Celebrity we were in a Sky Suite. I will say service on the Ruby was so so. In general servers were not terribly friendly. We ate in the main dining room 4 nights. Only one of those nights did we have a server who introduced himself, gave recommendations and was engaging. Wait times went from really poor to good. We had one lunch that took an hour and 20 minutes. Overall Ship Condition - Celebrity. The Star Princess is looking pretty ratty. Rusted off parts on our balcony. Furniture in Wheelhouse, leather peeling off couches, looks terrible. Before we sailed on the Solstice, I read lots of reviews saying the ship was in poor condition, I never noticed anything. I don't really "look" for problems because I'm enjoying my cruise. These things on the Star, I didn't have to look for, they were obvious.

Just returned from 10 Day RT San Francisco cruise. Highly recommend Gallant Adventures for a small boat wildlife tour in Sitka. Paul Davis is so knowledgeable and the nicest guy! His boat is very nice, enclosed heated cabin (which we needed as it was cold and rainy). He knows where to go to find the wildlife. We saw whales, sea otters, sea lions and various birds. Weather wasn't great but he still showed us so much. There were 6 of us on the tour and the boat seats 6 very comfortably. One of the best excursions we've ever taken. As a side note, after the tour we walked to The Beak restaurant. Chef was a James Beard nominee. Small restaurant but staff is so friendly and accommodating. I had lobster, mac n cheese, DH had rockfish. We also enjoyed their butter board. Loved Sitka, can't wait to return!

What room type have you booked? Thank you! Appreciate very much your posts on this hotel!

Could someone speak to the size of rooms at the H10 Catalunya? I'm reading they are small. I don't mind a small room but do want at least to be able to walk around our luggage. I booked the Double Room what's the difference in size between this and the Deluxe Square room? Thank you.

You mention being late to port? Curious what ports were delayed? I'm on next week and have an excursion Sitka I would hate to miss. Thanks.

@cruzin4us How's the internet been? Thanks.

@jaycruising How has the internet been as you traveled north? Thank you.