msmoger

19 minutes ago, pathi said:

Any news on the Sapphire? No posts good, bad, or otherwise in a while. We are sailing her in late Sept. 

That's because the first cruise on the Sapphire is a 10 day Mexican Riviera on September 24th. 

No

It's called EZ Check.  We just used it after our Caribbean Princess cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.  We've used it multiple times before and as always it was great.  The only caveat is your airline has to be a participant but most are.

33 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

Do you have to pay to use the Hollywood Conservatory pool?

No

We've taken quite a few Princess cruises in many different parts of the world.  As has been said many times, you will see a broad spectrum of clothing styles.  Certainly non U.S. based cruises, especially in Europe, you will see more folks following the traditional formal guidelines.

Having said that, we recently returned from a Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess and I was quite surprised by the significantly higher number of passengers that went all out compared to our expectations.  That's not to say that there weren't many who were more casual.  

It was very noticeable.  My theory (take it for what it's worth) is that this was after most schools were out for the summer.  As a result there were many  families AND there was an unusually large percentage of first time and newer cruisers.  I have to say it was kind of nice.  It wasn't so much traditional tuxedos and evening gowns but rather lots of dressy contemporary "youthful" clothes.

Been to Alaska twice.  Both times in July.  The first time was beautiful weather everyday (including our 7 day land portion on our own).  The second time it pretty much rained everyday.  Definitely a crap shoot.

I also agree with picking an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay and a Grand Class ship.

25 minutes ago, Level six said:

IT is super crowded, most crowded ship I have ever been on in over 30 cruises.  Just be prepared. 

It was near capacity on our cruise which ended 6/25.  Never once did I feel it was crowded.  Everybody has their own perceptions.

Just curious, where do you see this package offered?  Do you have a link?  I see the Classic Soda Package which id fountain soda, not canned.

Just finished a week on the Caribbean Princess.  Had a great time.  MDR and specialty restaurant food was excellent.  Didn't eat much in the buffet but when we did it was fine.  Crew was fantastic also.

12 hours ago, boltnut55 said:

I just returned from Ruby.  Buffet is closed from 4:00-5:30 for transition (or rest or lack of staff) and closed at 10:30.  One night, we dashed from the show to the buffet.  They used to let us sit there for as long as we want, but they turned off the lights at midnight (hint, hint, I know).

 

International Cafe closed at midnight.  Room service 24 hours a day, which we ordered about 5 times... we placed orders between 1:00-2:15AM, and service was inconsistent.  We waited between 25-50 minutes after placing the order.  One night, we called every 10-15 minutes (range 5-6 times each) between 1:00-1:50AM.  Finally I called Guest Services, and they had someone call us back w/i 10 mins.

I'm guessing this was particular to the Ruby.  We just returned from the Caribbean Princess and the buffet was consistently open until about 11:00 PM.  Also, the IC was open later than midnight.  I can't vouch it was open 24 hours but definitely later than midnight.

43 minutes ago, travellgirl said:

Hello. 
we have the specialty dining promotion included with our cruise.  Does anyone know how many nights that is for an 11 night cruise?  We tend to mainly eat in the specialty restaurants  so I need to know how many nights to purchase

thank you 

As stated above, it's for one night only.  If you are also asking if Princess has any type of Specialty Dining package where you can dine multiple times for a discounted price (as NCL has), the answer is no.

Just now, Eaglecw said:

What are the fee's now to dine at the Crown Grill.  Does anyone have a menu?

$29

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/Crown-Grill-Menu-Sample.pdf

9 minutes ago, doog442 said:

 

We have a Soton cruise coming up. We're doing the formal evenings to the hilt but for the rest in the MDR and speciality restaurants I'll be wearing chinos / long trousers and a collared shirt (polo or otherwise) so smart casual. The better half will be nicely and probably better dressed than me.

 

Imagine a decent UK restaurant. It's our first time on Princess, we at least hope people don't take the mick. I really don't want a chav cruise or it will be goodnight tokyo. 

Sorry but this Yank needs a translation. 😉😁

3 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

To answer your question directly, I think NZ is definitely worth a 22 hr flight, but not specifically for the fjords. NZ is a great place to visit. The fjords are a small part of the experience.

 

I fjords are your priority, Norway wins.

Couldn't agree more.  New Zealand was a fantastic cruise, including Fjordland.  Norwegian Fjords are spectacular.  These are two very different itineraries, both worthwhile experiences.

. 

6 minutes ago, voljeep said:

that you know of ...

You certainly seem to thrive on cynicism 😂😁

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

as is:

will TA refare after final?

will TA forward upgrade offers, MOVEOVER offers on a TIMELY basis?

 

anser coming:  "our TA is the greatest" - 8-12% discount - not OBC

8 to 12% discount plus OBC (always).  Also, yes on the upgrade offers on a very timely basis but I have also received them directly from Princess.  Have never had a move over offer.

I guess it pay to have the right TA.😉

We sail 6/18 out of Ft. Lauderdale and we received our Medallions a half hour ago.

22 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

2023 European cruises were published long before the current Russia/Ukraine war and related sanctions. Some cruise lines like Norwegian (and sister brands Oceania/Regent) have taken preemptive steps to remove Russian ports for 2023 and craft new itineraries and/or redeploy ships. Other companies like Carnival Corp (which Princess a part of) and Royal Caribbean Group are taking a more “wait and see” approach to make a decision for 2023. 

At this point I think it's somewhat disingenuous of Princess or any cruise line to publish these itineraries when there is an obviously high probability that SPB will not be included.  I realize it's early but I think it would make much more sense at this point to not include SPB and in the unlikely event circumstances change, add it back in.  Why would this be any different than the reverse (drop SPB and add alternative ports).  I'm surprised how many folks have appeared to have booked these cruises.  Certainly booking private excursions is a bit of a crap shoot.  Just my opinion.

Maybe somebody with inside knowledge concerning the logistics of how the cruise industry plans itineraries can chime in.

I guess I assumed when an itinerary is offered there is some communication between the cruise line and the port to confirm dates and berth availability.  Having said that, I would think this would not currently be possible with Russian ports.  I would assume communicating with the port authorities would be a violation of of the sanctions.  I'd like to hear from anyone that might have first hand knowledge.

Also, besides for a Stockholm overnight, I'd love to visit ports in Latvia and Lithuania.  Also some additional ports in Sweden and Denmark (just not on the Island Princess as is being offered this year 😉).

Finally, I'm pretty sure a vast majority of Cruise Critic users know you need to register your kids in advance. 😁

I've noticed that Princess (as well as Celebrity and RCL) have included St. Petersburg on their 2023 Baltic itineraries.  Given the current situation are folks that have booked these cruises doing so with the assumption that there still might not be an opportunity to visit SPB in 2023?  I'm certainly not trying to cause any type of philosophical debate.  I'm simply stating something that has to be considered.  Certainly if the sanctions are still in place there won't be any SPB port calls.  For me personally, I would welcome a Baltic cruise that called on some of the less visited ports in the Baltic states, as well as an overnight on Stockholm (as was done this year).

BTW, I searched this board and was not able to locate any threads that discussed this topic.

4 minutes ago, PatriciaF said:

 

It is a smaller, older ship.  It and its sister ship, the Coral Princess had many additional staterooms added so if sold out there may be lines and service issues.

 

 

 

 

The reconfiguration was only on the Island Princess.  The Coral was scheduled to also have these changes but they were never made.

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I apologize, but we just got off the Caribbean Princess a couple of weeks ago, which sailed from SF, and are getting ready to go on the Regal on a Med cruise leaving out of Barcelona in July and we have never been required to upload a picture of our CDC cards using the Medallion App. Passports, yes, CDC cards, no. However, we did need to show them when we first embarked on our cruise in SF.

 

If I might ask, where are you seeing this requirement in the App?

On the App go to Travel Checklist, then Health Status then Health Documents.

It's very buggy, only allows you to upload one picture (so if your CDC Card has your boosters on the back you're out of luck) and then you get a message that the "Document Pending Approval".  For us it has stayed that way for several days now.

Doesn't the new "Premier" (or whatever it's called) pricing go into effect today or tomorrow?

There appears to be no pricing for any cruise out of Southampton in July or August except for the Emerald.  There must be some adjustment being made.

15 minutes ago, Belinda Van Krevel said:

 

you can take Zep with you because people will smoke in the rooms if you are that sensitive about it

 

 

Just to be clear, smoking is expressly prohibited from all cabins, including the balconies.  If you are caught violating the rule you can be charged for the cleaning process.