Jazzbo

I wear mine to sleep, then charge it when I wake up. It’s usually fully charged in less than an hour. My phone notifies me the charge is complete at some point after I’m out of the shower and doing my hair or makeup. YMMV - I suspect it takes you far less time to shower & get ready than I! 😉

Love the photos! I enjoy the clouds & cool soft rain and the watery lights.

I’m an Air Force brat so I treasure the service of those who choose to serve. It was actually my stepson who retired. USCG Petaluma wis special indeed. We saw so many wild turkeys and deer up close there! The younger grandson is in the Air Force — loved seeing him and his dad in dress blues! The older grandson is a USCG vet who went to A school at USCG Petaluma. Petaluma itself is a lovely town. We stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park in 2019 on our way from our niece’s wedding in Paso Robles to Monterey before catching our flight home from SFO the following day. Beautiful place!

I agree with your suggestion to visit Muir Woods National Monument. We flew into SFO the week before last to attend my stepson’s Coast Guard retirement ceremony at the USCG Training Center near Petaluma the week before last. I was bound and determined to see redwoods so we planned a stop at Muir Woods on our way to the base. Our adult grandsons were were both arriving at SFO around the same time we were and our daughter-in-law asked if they could ride with us, which was great, but they had to go to Muir Woods with us. What a spectacularly beautiful place! The grandsons loved it as much as we did!

@FeebeeH Half and half is half milk, half cream. Many Americans use it in their coffee: Half-and-half is simply a blend of equal parts milk and cream. Whereas heavy cream has at least 36 percent fat, half-and-half has between 10 and 18 percent. Half-and-half can be incorporated in recipes, but because of the lower fat content, it cannot be used to makewhipped cream since it won't hold its peaks. It also won't thicken a sauce the way that heavy or whipping cream does.

Jim — sorry to go off-topic, but would you mind posting a link to the thread where you and another CC member (maybe more than one) discussed VPNs? I tried using the VPN that comes with my McAfee in the DR recently, but it doesn’t give me specific locations in the U.S., only “U.S.” as a choice. On topic — really looking forward to another Jim_Iain Live and to the comparison with Celebrity. Bon voyage!

We are booked on the 11-night Denali Explorer Cruisetour August 26, 2025, on Sapphire, starting in Fairbanks and ending in Vancouver. Flights aren’t open yet, but I’ve been checking July-August flights to get an idea of what’s available. Coming from Orlando, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of choices — looks like Delta and Alaska Air have the most flights, but schedules and flight times (long layovers and red eye flights) are brutal! (I know — we’re flying about as far as we can within the U.S.) Is this a situation where EZ Air might be better? (I’ve read horror stories about EZ Air on this board.) Can you book premium economy or first class through EZ Air? Also thinking about getting the Alaska Air credit card for sign up bonus miles? We are new to Princess and have only done Alaska once back in 2005 - Inside Passage round trip from Vancouver on Celebrity Mercury.

We are long-time Celebrity cruisers (almost exclusively since 2003), and thoroughly enjoyed our last two cruises on Reflection: a 13-night Transatlantic from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale in fall 2022 and a 9-night Med from Barcelona to Rome in fall 2023. I did notice a decline in the quality of some of the food and a few misses in the otherwise stellar service last fall. Some of that would have been the difference between Blu (2022) and MDR (2023). My cousin, who has celiac disease, and her husband were with us on the Med cruise. She was impressed with the way they helped her avoid gluten and brought her the next night’s menu each evening in the MDR and offered modifications to dishes that had gluten. Entertainment is not a big deal for us. The Med cruise was so port-intensive that we were really tired at night and happy to sit in a longe with a drink and some quiet music. On the TA, we went to a few shows, but mostly enjoyed meeting and chatting with other passengers. We are doing an 8-night ABC cruise on Reflection in January to celebrate a big birthday and retirement for me with my brother and his girlfriend, but after that, we have 2 Princess cruises booked: a TA from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton on Regal in April, and an 11-night Alaska cruise tour end of August, beginning of September on Sapphire. I’m looking forward to trying Princess, and based on reviews from cruisers who regularly cruise both lines, I think we will enjoy Princess.

Thank you for another enjoyable review! One of our favorite vacations was 2 weeks outside of Lucca. My Mum and I planned it. We had a group of 12 friends and family members the first week and 10 the second. We couldn’t get one villa for both weeks so we moved from one in the flat farmland area outside of Lucca to the second in the foothills of the mountains nearby. My husband’s and my day trip to Cinque Terre was a highlight. For Barcelona next year, you may want to check out Aspasios.com. We have rented apartments from them for a couple of days pre-cruise in 2022 (pre- Transatlantic) and in 2023 (pre-Med, 9-days to Rome). The apartments were basic, but clean and in great locations (one was steps from Placa Reial). Good value for money and we kept fruit and yogurt for breakfasts and snack items in the apartment.

Great photos, Jamie! The ones of sail-in are beautiful. 😊

I have a very weird fascination with Scientology and Scientologists. I think maybe I have just watched way too many documentaries at this point. But I am especially fascinated with the Sea Org and their billion-year contracts. So strange! @JamieLogical Have you been to Clearwater, Florida? The Church of Scientology has bought most of the property in downtown Clearwater. You see lots of Sea Org members walking downtown.

So funny! We are at an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic right now. I told my husband he should pack at least 2 swim suits the day before we left and he agreed. We got here, and you guessed it — no swim suits! I had to pay $70 for one at the resort gift shop! I hope you were able to make it to TJ Maxx. 😊

Yvonne — thank you for such an entertaining and educational “live” review. Your writing and your photos made me feel like I was there! We are long-time Celebrity cruisers who decided to do Princess for my husband’s 80th birthday next September, so I was excited about how well the Island cruise went. We also booked a TA from FLL to Southampton next April, but it’s on the Regal. I hope there is another hotel director on board by that time! We are going to England because my cousin, who is like a sister to me, has dementia and won’t be traveling anymore. I needed a trip to see her and her husband, and taking a ship across the pond seemed like a good idea. Enjoy your Alaska cruise with your Dad!

The first time we had it was on the Solstice in January 2011. Our first S-class and our first time in Aqua class.

We love balcony cabins and we love Reflection. But taking balcony cabins out of the equation, I would choose Beyond — 6 days is better than 4!

My Mum was from Liverpool. She and my Dad met and married in Liverpool while he was stationed at an Air Force base near there. They had been married about 2 1/2 years and I was 6 months old when my Dad was transferred back to the States and my Dad’s family met my Mum for the first time. My Dad and my Uncle Tony planned to go deer hunting and were leaving early in the morning. The night before my Mum said to my uncle, “knock me up in the morning before you leave, Tony.” Needless to say, that became part of our family lore! Thank you for reminding me and making me smile. 😊

Looking forward to another JamieLogical live!

But what about the very British Patum Paterium Gentlemen’s Relish? Not being a gentleman myself, I’ve never tried it.

Excursion prices for our Alaska cruise next year have shot up. Maybe that’s what the maintenance was. My cousin who is joining us along with her husband was shocked at the increase. I am new to Princess, but based on experience with Celebrity, the steep increases may be in preparation for a “sale.”

If you like lamb, be sure to get the lamb chops at LCG. I liked them more than I liked my steak. Enjoy this precious time with your Sweet Mama!

When I saw this tile, I read it as more than 80 seniors at the resort! 😂

I met a man with seven wives…

I am thoroughly enjoying your live review. I love your writing style and humor. Your photos are wonderful! DH and I are long-time Celebrity cruisers and we have booked Princess for a TA to Southampton next April and an Alaska southbound cruise tour next August-September to celebrate a big birthday for my husband. (We also have a Celebrity ABC cruise in January to celebrate retirement and a big birthday for me.) Following your live review and a couple of others on the Princess board reassures me that we will enjoy cruising Princess. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your travels this summer! I will be following. 😊

Great photo of the two of you, Charla! Happy birthday!!!🎉🍾🥂🍸🍷🧉🎂🎉🎁

Yay! Another Gen X LIVE! And with the Gen Z bonus! So glad I found this at the beginning so I don’t have to stay up late playing catch-up. 😊