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CruiseCrabs

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  1. Between this and the Sanctuary rants, you need a cruise stat! Hang in there. The hide-always are all in good fun. If you hate ducks or whatever wee item is stashed, just keep walking when you see them. The plastics give us pause but we don’t duck shame since the intent is positive and they are few and far between. The best thing about cruising is that your cruise experience is yours alone and the less you worry about what others are getting or doing, the more fun you will have. Everyone has their “thing” on a cruise and some just want to bring joy to those who like to spy and capture or re-stash tiny, hidden creatures.
  2. Airline pricing is dynamic. There is absolutely no way one can assume that pricing will remain the same on different flights booked some time apart and Princess doesn’t control the pricing. Your belief that they should comp the difference on different business class flights is unreasonable. I get how you feel but this is one of those travel risks that cannot be covered by insurance as they will not cover cost increases. The potential for cancellation and possible venue shake outs are why we don’t book new ships for the first six months they are scheduled to sail.
  3. The Medallion enables you to summon a drink when you need one, virtually wherever you are.
  4. While the Sanctuary changes seem to be concerning for many, this is a new ship that is introducing new concepts. Some will work, some won’t, and adjustments will be made. The shade situation may be something that gets adjusted, especially given that the ship will head to the Caribbean but, again, padded loungers exist in seemingly quiet spaces outside of the Sanctuary space. The positive side of this is that padded loungers are in multiple locations—not just the Sanctuary—and Princess staff is great about getting to know their regulars everywhere. The Medallion should ensure food, drink, and more will be delivered anywhere. Yes, kids may be present but they usually are close to pools and play so the Sun is great for ensuring they have many spaces to go to, ensuring the spaces without those features may be quiet. The sculpted loungers by the Sanctuary pool are an odd choice, especially for sun lovers. It may be an unpopular opinion but I am glad to see that Princess is making the suite experience somewhat elevated. They have room to grow with the new approach but suite breakfast in Sabatini’s and dry cleaning wasn’t enough to make us consider booking suites routinely, especially on routes that we knew we wouldn’t spend much time in our stateroom. The small, interior lounges also seemed tight on Royal class. The exclusive spaces are a nice way to elevate the suite experience. Now, if only they made those Sanctuary cabanas sensible for those with the packages and a suite, which make some of the features redundant.
  5. You can order from anywhere you are, including your table.
  6. If you have toiletries you must have, either use silicone travel bottles and jars (they do not leak and some can be hung in the shower, which is super convenient), buy at your destination city, buy travel sizes, or buy onboard. If you are using global brand products, they will be available in most major cities. We also take a small in case of kit with bandages, blister plasters, wound gel, cold/flu meds, meclizine, and Pepto. This covers most of the minor issues that can pop up. We usually leave Rome around 10ish and roll to the port to board with few, if any, challenges or delays. We generally stay in Southampton a day prior to boarding to not worry about traffic issues on boarding day. We hit the International Cafe upon boarding for a light lunch (ham and cheese croissants, salad, and champagne) and boarding drink while watching the safety video so I’m not sure about the MDR.
  7. We make and hide wee felted wool crabs (profile image). They have a great message on their passports about not being crabby on a cruise and staff and passengers seem to love them. Three crabs per day tends to be the average but you need to figure out the magic number for whatever you are doing.
  8. With a completely new fuel system, larger capacity, complex entertainment venues, etc. that have not been seen on Princess before, we passed on the 1.0 version, the Sun, and booked fall on the Star so all glitches could (hopefully) be dealt with on the new LNG ships could be worked out and Princess corporate’s odd, seemingly protracted and delayed partner negotiations (Love by Britto, Spellbound) should not be an challenge like I think those also were. I also think the Sun was conceived under one leadership team and revised under Padgett’s “carnivalization” of the brand, which would certainly result in delays. By now, I would expect more ship tour videos from Princess of this is a truly revolutionary experience that was ready to sail, even if that may create confusion as it is so different from the other ships in the fleet. Let’s hope we have seen the last of the cancellations for the passengers’ sake and that Princess can share some good news soon.
  9. I don’t think Princess has a bead on how to market any of their products right now, let alone the new ships and experiences. The amount of potential change injected with the new ships will make the experiences across ship classes radically different, which also complicates the strategy. With the lack of communication about the new features, I’m curious what may disappear and not be present on the Star or what may change on the Sun over time due to the investment in radically new concepts and the amount of staff required to make those successful.
  10. I see a few advantages to those stairs. They present a great stair climb workout location without significant course deviation. They offer an opportunity to get from the rear sun deck to a stateroom floor directly and without waiting for a crowded elevator. The landings will like be a popular selfie spot for those who want the wake in the background. As someone who tries to avoid elevators/lifts, the more stairs, the merrier… but I would not want a room or suite adjacent to them!
  11. One ship does not make a cruise line and mitigating expectations for the fleet while allowing the new ship to generate its own buzz while working out its issues is beyond wise.
  12. EZ Air was the problem as the original flight continued to exist in the “real world” of the airline. Our reservations were moved to a different itinerary and we could not restore them with EZ Air and the airline couldn’t move the booking because of the fare type. I am abundantly aware of airlines function. I also know how contract flight bookers work. I simply will not gamble on EZ Air for connecting flights or international flights and, honestly, they haven’t been competitive for short nonstops.
  13. We have had two awful experiences with EZ Air (both international) and vowed to never go through it again. Nonstop flights are less of a challenge but flights with connections have been a saga of having to track multiple itinerary changes that were not airline itinerary changes, seat assignments that made no sense, and changes in connecting cities that severely increased the potential for travel delays due to weather. EZ Air was great many years ago but we simply won’t chance it anymore.
  14. We don’t use Princess at all after my parents had a really bad hotel experience a few years ago with them. We find that Uber/Lyft/taxi is more convenient then their crowded port transfer, too.
  15. Most European countries use WhatsApp for communication and have for years. I assure you that if you had leveraged the app, you could have been able to connect with the person. Email works cross-platform as well. Lots of things can cause a cancelled port so no port is ever a guarantee so we mitigate planning challenges and consider port changes or cancellations part of the adventure. Overall, nobody wants itineraries to change (especially key refueling and provisioning ports) so I’d hazard to guess they tried to figure out how to make it happen to no avail. Keep in mind, too, that the ship may not know everything corporate knows and not every department has all of the info you may think they do.
  16. The wines and single-bite “pairings” aren’t really worth the time and effort if you have to pay for the tasting and the staff works from a script that they may or may not get right each time. If Princess wanted to be serious about the tastings, they would have a tight, progressive tasting with quality wines and wineries represented (bonus points for the regions you are sailing, in some cases), and, if they want to squeeze a buck, have the ability to direct ship wines you like from the wineries to your home (where legal). The Vines tasting (save for the blending one) were always great but the dining room tastings aren’t great, sadly.
  17. With Princess sailing ships with differing amenities and restaurants, leadership has created an impossible task for their guest relations team: providing clear information. You have the two new ships attempting to reintroduce class structure, 360 on only one ship, Vines on some ships (and being somewhat phased out in terms of what should happen there, etc. Add to that the ever-shifting plus and premiere packages—which really should be a handful of add what you need packages rather than what they are now. I feel for people who are new to Princess. We have paused sailings for a bit while Padgett and co figure out their stuff or leave. The two, new ships look beautiful but we miss the ability to reasonably anticipate what the experience will be. Padgett is destabilizing the brand identity, disenfranchising the existing customer base, and is seemingly making decisions—marketing and product—that suit his preferences, not an identified target customer. It is sad to see and I hope this all works itself out soon.
  18. Post pandemic, we have surmised that most (like us) have struggled to fit into the formal attire. 😉 We chose festive but not truly formal for the last few post-pandemic cruises—especially since they were California and Florida launched—but there’s a goal to get back on track squeeze back into the good stuff for the next cruise out of Southampton. My husband misses pretending he is James Bond for the evening and I have a couple of dresses purchased for cancelled cruises that need their promised debut. That said, dressing up for a formal night can be fun but don’t do it if it isn’t fun for you. Formalwear police do not exist. Only judgy people who have no business judging others do.
  19. I’ve found that people with projects tend to pop up spontaneously whoever you can find light, refreshments, and some light entertainment. Our last Royal class didn’t have an official meetup but many of us (a needle felter, a tatter, and two knitters) found ourselves together in Crooners often mid morning. I love the seats with windows out to the promenade that are in the hall but so many people use those for perpetual naps that those are hard to get!
  20. “Now how many in recovery, how many diabetics, and how many who just aren't so addicted to alcohol that they need 10 drinks a day?” Was what you previously posted. It’s clear how you feel about alcohol. There’s a myriad of possible reasons why but not one is anyone’s business. Keep in mind that there’s more to the packages than just alcohol and let’s all refrain from assuming things about those whom we do not know. Not everyone who drinks is addicted to alcohol and, honestly, it’s not anyone’s business how many drinks they do consume with a package. They chose the additional spend. I think it is clear that drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you don’t remember your trip and abstaining doesn’t mean you remember it better, Lets not have another thread devolve into judgements and insults. I think we all vacation to escape that sort of stuff.
  21. Every holiday is what you make of it. I’ve been on a transatlantic over Halloween a few years ago that had a few dress up but it wasn’t universal. This go-around, my husband and I are tool old to not have fun so I foresee some door decor and possibly some costuming, even though our next Halloween cruise is out of the UK and Halloween is a wee different there than in the US.
  22. We bring a nice bar of soap for the shower, a small oil diffuser for the room, and either pack shampoo and conditioner or pick up Keratase shampoo and conditioner onboard. The communal toiletries—which are getting more and more common as locations reduce “single use” plastics—are simply gross in my opinion. Who knows who has put what in there or how old the product is, let lone what the ingredients are. Just ew.
  23. It only costs $795 for some prepaid package. A smart man (or person—time are changing) will pop the question where and when it is appropriate, whether the hires out the details or takes on the strategic planning oneself.
  24. My DH and I were married on the Grand in 2018. The arrangements were via a third party entity and occasionally frustrating but, once onboard, the team was simply amazing and made the day very special. In 2021, my now brother in law proposed to DH’s sister on Nee Year’s Eve. Princess happily helped him with flowers, a location, the photographer, and all of the officers pretended to have a “staff meeting” to be nearby so they could congratulate them. They do everything they can to make a moment special. Go for the package or reach out to guest services onboard of you want help but we have been on excursions with surprise engagements and have seen them happen with little to no coordination. He needs to do what is right for her, not anyone else. Tell him to go for it… from another Princess bride. 🍾🥂
  25. Post-pandemic, they tested the concept with some brief performances in the piazza that match the description, save for the potential for aerialists. If Princess does multiple 20-30 minute performances in a central space, it should not require an up charge. As for the new, configurable theater, it will be interesting to see what they design for that but I don’t foresee an up charge unless you mean a more expensive cruise. 😉
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