arxcards

I am awake, but no, I haven't pulled an all-nighter.

The locks seem a fair bit slower than usual, but I figure they are shifting water conservatively in line with their restrictions.

Those car carriers are huge. There is a bit of perspective here though, as she is only 2/3rds the GRT of Coral - much shorter.

For those watching live, Coral Princess is approaching the Gatun locks now. https://multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/gatun.html

A more recent Waterfront brekky menu.

Angelo's has a MDR feel, just more of a contemporary menu. Waterfront is the main MDR, and has general breakfast, lunch, dinner menus. Post #9 at this thread is a typical menu. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2567270-new-restricted-dinner-menu-on-pacific-explorer/ It is from 2018, but looks much like a menu we had last year. Note that the menu sits on a single page, and half of that is plus $$. I have a wife with a mushroom allergy and I am not a massive seafood fan, so that one is a good indicator of why we aren't big fans of Waterfront for dinner. In lieu of a recent breakfast menu, here is one from a few years back 😉

Royal Caribbean's socials have come out over the past day to say they had no plans to charge for pizza (must have us mixed-up with someone else). Pizza, burgers, fries, is generally bottom shelf food, and a cheap way of filling the bellies of the masses anyway. Their current prices for Jamie's, Wonderland, Chops Grille etc is for lots of nickels and lots of dimes.

They do, but it is a package and not as part of your fare, and doesn't include Alfredo's, internet or that special ice cream like the upfront packages have. Yes, it is possible to drink to excess - like I say to Barb, the drink cap isn't a challenge. There is one thing I really dislike about the packages, that is that there isn't enough staff to serve them. I am hearing about long lines at Cones to get those special ice creams, so if you want your included soft serve, you now have to wait 10 times longer than you would have last year. If you want a drink at one of the bars that does the "premium" juices, the bar staff are that run off their feet using the blender that you will wait in thirst, or head-off to another bar. There is no way Isaac would have allowed this to happen. If you want to book a specialty restaurant on a short cruise, it is likely to be already sold-out prior to boarding by the crowd holding two vouchers with their premier package. The same will happen now with Alfredo's. As much as we think the place will sound of crickets by adding a charge, it is likely the place will be so full of passengers with packages who think they are getting something for nothing. Package passengers who haven't done a fitness class will now be signing-up for them so they don't miss out on a freebie, making it harder for those that would already pay for fitness classes. So now it isn't just the potential of drinking to the excess, but everything to the excess. The only way they can overcome the pull on service levels is to limit the number of passengers that can book that way, especially on shorter cruises - a nice way of rewarding passengers that book early.

That's true, but there were lots of these booked in the lockdown days when the $40 per day was largely offset into a promo fare. $65 is much less free, even with the ice cream, as it is sitting on top of full-price (and increasing) fares. We found last year that plenty of passengers didn't even know they had a plus package until they started querying the lack of charges on their account. Even once they had the bar worked out, they still didn't know about having internet. I can understand how they would think their T/A arranged it, as it reads that way when you look at your travel docs.

I hope it isn't the thin edge of the wedge. For Princess, the recent changes are designed to get passengers to pony-up for inclusive packages, whereas P&O is slowly trackig towards a la carte.

And Royal has had that for years as well. As long as it is for Surf & Turf or high-end steaks, I think it is a perfectly acceptable option. Sadly, there are nights when we are looking at the P&O menu, that our eyes keep looking over to the paid options.

Yes & no. The only physical change is for a sit-down pizzeria or pub grub type eatery. Pizza slices & burgers are still N/C on deck, which is not the case for P&O.

Been on her a couple of times as Dawn Princess, and a few more as Pacific Explorer. We have done plenty of P&O, and are tired of the current format. We love the Sun Class ships. In Comparison to Coral Princess, the layout is very familiar. Cabin - you will have a Princess cabin - an old Princess cabin. Still pretty much the same furniture as the day she was built, but with new bedding. We have had little issue with cleanliness, but it is just older. We did a cruise in 2009 on Dawn Princess, and there was a broken spa jet in the tub. Forward 13 years and we cruised in the same cabin on Pacific Explorer last year. Yep, the same spa, with the same broken spa jet. Food - this is the big difference for us. Menus are rather static, but as a first timer it will feel reasonably new. While the menus don't change, you essentially have 3 different dining rooms, so that helps at dinner time. Only one dining room for breakfast & lunch, and less meal choices than for Princess. Food spec is also more on the cheaper side, as P&O reckons we all love having home staples to dine out on. As a highlight, Luke Mangan's restaurant overlooking the pool deck is well worth the price of a specialty dinner. The Pantry (served buffet stations) will seem different at first, but some of the layouts don't make sense, especially at breakfast when compatible items come from different stations. Pizza, Ice cream, burgers etc are all additional charge, but it is nice ice cream. tip - the thickshakes have double the ice cream and are no more expensive. Eggs Benny is an additional charge at breakfast. Charlie's looks a bit like international café, but all the cakes/snacks are additional charge. Bars - not much difference Trivia, shows, entertainment - I would give P&O a slight edge. Plenty of life in the crowd after hours, and sailaways are more of a party atmosphere. Public areas - amazing what a bit of paint, paper & styling can do. Blue Room is a prime example of that, and even the MDR doesn't feel like a Princess space. The staff are great. P&O is OK, but same menus as 8 years ago, so they have little to offer us for now. They do have a knack of having some different itineraries which will draw us in for the occasion, knowing we will just adjust our expectations. While that is all a bit meh for us, the menus will be new to you. I gather you are looking to cruise out of Fremantle, so it is worth going for a spin.

Go West Coast!! Swannies are in if WC can go on with an upset, and will leave GWS and Bulldogs to decide the remaining spot that is up for grabs. If we can get over Melbourne next Sunday, it looks good for a home elimination final.

Timing was the same for 3 out of 4 Princess boardings for us last season. Even with the 20 seconds it took to show vaccination certificates on our phones, we were straight through check-in. The one exception was for Majestic in October, following her first arrival for the season. Border Force held-up disembarkation for approx 90 minutes while all their boxes were ticked. That delay pushed embarkation back by as much. That day was painful for pretty much everyone, and similar to above, the queues snaked back halfway to the ferry wharves. My main point is, it was nothing to do with green lane or a bad check-in setup, but purely about officials adhering to the protocols that were faulty in March 2020. Any ship that arrived with tier 2 covid was met with a delay before the ship could be cleared by authorities.

Well, that was easy!!! Still down to the wire on the last week with 9 to squeeze into 8

I am glad that Iceland is worth looking forward to and thanks for your thoughts so far. We are really looking forward to Iceland in 2025, so are keenly awaiting your review of those ports.

$US. And it is eeew Fosters. Generally though, I will only drink beer from cans at the footy when I have no choice. Note, the fine print on the bottom of the price list does say that prices are inclusive of grats.

They will have a reservation, but any delay could alter the usual daytime transit. Fingers crossed.

I love the old drink list. For that time, those prices aren't all that special either.

I can't justify drinking at all. The al-inclusive Star Class loft suites are looking better now, unless they have boosted those prices as well.

If you are on the current premier package, you can eat them all day every day 🤢🤢🤢

There was mention that the intended wharf for 2025 WC is Manhattan. The roll call thread is long, and I am not sure where I read it, but was happy when I did see it.

Is there much of a turnover of passengers in New York?

Hi Carole, As much as I am encouraged by their response, ACA and CLIA have been shaking their tins for over a year now, to no avail. Carnival Australia has more to gain out of these protocols being dropped, yet the multi-billion dollar company hasn't been able to shift the resolve of the state authorities either - yet.