CynCyn

52 minutes ago, treesah said:

I saw that and I assumed it was a computer glitch.  Is it ethical to book a "0" fare knowing well that it's a mistake?  Very few things in life are free and certainly cruising is not.

I have free offers from the casino.  I would be super-disappointed to learn this was a glitch.

On 4/30/2024 at 1:24 PM, martincath said:

Any chance you narrow down (dis)liked foods/genres, budget, how far you're willing to walk, whether you care more about a view than the best food, and some idea of what sort of restos you can access easily at home? 'cos from that hotel there are literally hundreds of restos that I'd personally consider an easy walk away, running the gamut from swankadelic to cheap & cheerful and covering at least a dozen ethnic varieties.

 

Without anything else to narrow down the field, for a single dinner in Vancouver I'd be inclined to point you to somewhere that's almost impossible to find anywhere else, and while not cheap it's at a very good pricepoint for the quality (but it would involve a bus or a ~$15 cab ride): Salmon'n'Bannock, our only Indigenous resto. Even if you're a Steak'n'Taters kinda person, they can feed you (try the Bison pot roast!), but if you enjoy game meats and interesting (cooked) fish that's where they really shine.

I have learned I can never go wrong with your recs! Any tips on transportation to Salmon’n’Bannock? Will be in YVR for a day after debarkation.  It will be a Tuesday if that matters.

As a smoker I believe that they should have kept the Churchill’s and made the casino nonsmoking.  Then, no one would complain because they have no need to enter Churchill’s.  On my last cruise, we had a few wander in.  I really think one came in just to complain about the smoke- no lie!

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

She was not “dumped”. Her medical condition, whatever it was, could not be safely treated on board. And for HER safety and wellbeing, she was medically evacuated to a shore side medical facility. At that point, her travel insurance needs to handle her transport. 

Maybe they could have taken her thing to her……like her passport and meds. 

In all of this the thing that bothers me is the 80 year old lady who was dumped at the clinic and left on her own!!!

When I asked for more info on the hotels, the sales lady offered to zoom with me but wouldn’t give me access.  That’s a no for me.

22 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

We park at the San Pedro cruise terminal so I can’t comment on the Princess transfers - it seems some people are reporting difficulties with the process. We have always had good experiences with Princess transfers when we have used them in other ports. 
 

But, to your comment about the transfer bus being able to drop people at their departure terminals at LAX, I just want to clarify that taxis, Ubers and car services can do that as well. The requirement for taxis and ride share services to use the shuttle lot only is strictly for arrivals not departures. So the OP could use a taxi or other service and still be dropped off at their terminal. 

Thanks for the clarification.  I was misinformed.  I still like the ease, especially when traveling solo.

I am in the minority but I love the transfers because they drop you at the departures area instead of at an outside lot where you then have to haul your own luggage onto and off of a shuttle bus.  I’ve never had trouble leaving the ship and getting to the busses.  The longest I waited to leave was 30 minutes and it is nice to have it all arranged.

On 2/20/2024 at 4:09 PM, HBCcruiser said:

Or it is just the Discovery? My TA did tell me that they are switching out one of the higher-up officers (hotel GM perhaps I can't remember) for someone who has a good track record for making sure guests are taken care of. I hope this is the case. I do know that climate, attitude, and customer service starts at the top.  

That’s nice to hear.  I was disappointed in my December short cruise.  Had a Spring Break 7 day scheduled but am cancelling.  I need a break from Discovery after that one.  

@mbglib I am so very sorry you were treated this way.  While I love cruising, things like this make me so angry.  I feel like the ‘caring’ stops when the cruise is over for both those who are ill and those who are well.  

On 12/30/2023 at 3:36 PM, SargassoPirate said:

Generally I agree about passing judgement on a cruise line based on a single sailing, but after 7 days in the NCL prison ship called the Epic, we vowed to never waste our fixed income resources on NCL again.  Worst cabin design we've ever seen, topped off by indifferent service from the crew.  

 

Princess, Cunard, Viking, HAL, and RCI work better for us.

I was one and done with NCL too.  We were only there 3 days and only enjoyed the ocean.

1 hour ago, richstowe said:

Interesting . I'm booked on a Prestige Cruise and we got the "This reservation is not eligible for Princess Upgrade at this time." message . Others got the same and nobody has mentioned getting an eligible to bid message. So on a casino cruise there may be less available ?

 

It just took longer because they don’t pay on the same schedule.

On 12/24/2023 at 6:35 AM, cruisemom67 said:

I booked through Princess, am within time frame, and paid off. I can't bid either. I think the time-frame is their general rule, but they open it when they want. Good luck and happy bidding (when you finally can).

Do you have a casino fare? I had to wait until they paid to be able to book.

@donswife thanks for telling me to look again.  It was sent on 12/28.  I had given up.

9 minutes ago, donswife said:

I'm sorry you had a lousy steward.  We have had neutral ones but never a surly one. The steward we had on Discovery a month ago was excellent.  

 

Check in your spam folder for the survey,  they sometimes end up there. My DH didn't do his and got a reminder a week or so later.

I’ve looked everywhere, but will go look for a reminder! Thanks.😊 

3 hours ago, Shippy said:

That's ok. I didn't notice it at first.

Once when we were leaving the cabin, I asked the steward how he knew when to make up the cabin since there was no tag to hang on the door. He showed me the 2 buttons outside the door....small & easy to overlook.

One for privacy & one for make up the room.

BUT....he said with the medallion you have, they ALWAYS know when you are not in the room & assume it is ok to enter..

So, it is VERY important if you leave the room & do not want them in, that you hit the privacy button.

That may be the way of the future but my previous stewards have been able to learn my patterns in one day without my having to hit a button.  Also, it’s just kind of disgusting that he turned the bed before I left.  What if I got back in the bed? That just grosses me out!!
 

The bottom line is that this guy was entitled and aggressive in handling my complaint and wanting to be finished with my room.  Hopefully he will learn, but I expect he will find another career.  I’m so sad that I did not get a survey to provide constructive feedback for him and praise for the wonderful staff that made my cruise special.

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Looks delicious, but I can't eat grapefruit🥲. I take statins for cholesterol.

That is a bummer.  It was fabulous, but so was everything else.  You won’t miss out- I promise!

On 12/28/2023 at 2:51 PM, Shippy said:

did you hit the privacy button outside your door ???

if not they do the room

Not sure.  Guess it’s all my fault 😂

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

@CynCyn Great report and pics. Thanks for taking time to share for the rest of us. Just under 60 days until we board the Discovery for a week. 
 

How did the self serve soda work in the buffet? Was it activated by the Medallion for people with a package?

Thank you.

The self serve was located beside the aft bar behind the Buffett.  It used to be a water station.  You scan your medallion and then it gives you about 20 seconds to pour- more than enough time.  I loved it because I didn’t have to wait at the bar and ask! I thought I got a picture,  but can’t find it- sorry!

7 minutes ago, VersaliusPrimus said:

Glad to see others enjoying the Catch!  We dined there three times on our B2B on the Sky this past summer, trying out different combinations of appetizers and entrees.  We agreed later that the presence of the Catch on a ship would mean we never set foot in Crown Grill since we love seafood and can get surf and turf at the Catch without an additional fee.  

 

One question:  I've heard from a neighbor who just disembarked from the Hawaii cruise previous to yours that the Discovery is not yet using Starlink, but it looks like you had no trouble posting from the ship, including quite a few photos.  Is Starlink available onboard or were you making do with the older service?

 

Thank you again for your posts and report!

Thank you for reading!
 

I do not know what service Discovery used.  I never had trouble but I am sure that we only went far enough away from the coast for the Casino to open 😂.

Sounds like we had the same experiences- great dining, so-so rooms.  I noticed how they were controlling linens as well.  I used one washcloth for my toothbrush and it was not replaced.  Only had 1! 

Still had a great time.  Hope next time is better with service.  

54 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I am not sure about this response, but I would think Solo cabins are for only 1 person ( a single bed, and tiny).  Hence the name ' Solo".  I assume ( and again, I am not sure), that since you are adding a cabin mate, you will now be needing a double room.  I believe that would require cancelling the Solo reservation, then re-booking as 2 people in one cabin ( regular fare).  Extra charges might be due to cancellation fees, and the price difference with the current cruise price.  Like I said, I am not sure, but the logic seems to work.

Not on Princess.  Maybe NCL.

I enjoyed myself for the most part.  I went to read, relax, and gamble and did all three.  I’m not a big gambled- I played for 3 days on their $100 free play and ended up losing $200.  I got chocolate covered strawberries delivered to the room and an offer for a free interior with $250 in free play (so I did a little better in their eyes to upgrade to $250 instead of $100).

The Catch was the highlight for me.  The stateroom situation was the lowlight.  I’ll cruise again 😂🤣

Finally, I ordered the Chantilly Lace and Sudesh also brought the crepes Suzette.  The Chantilly Lace was not what I expected and was ok, but the crepes were DIVINE!

I love this restaurant and could eat here every night.  The decor and theme are amazing and the whimsy of the preparation of the dishes is outstanding.  

My entree was the Triple S- shrimp, Scottish salmon, and scallops. I did not like the salmon as much as the smoked salmon appetizer but loved the rest, especially the langostine.