BabsinTX

1 hour ago, Teechur said:

How many pods do you use for each load? Thanks!

I use one pod per load.  Works like a charm.

Agree with other comments.  I bring Tide pods rather than using the stuff from the machine.  

We did the eight-hour "golden circle" ship's tour out of Reykjavik a few years ago.  It's still my favorite excursion, hands down.  I pooh-poohed the power plant visit, but it was outstanding.  Steam vents everywhere, and the building's architecture was awesome.  And I loved walking between the two tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park.  Whatever you do, you'll enjoy Reykjavik.

14 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

I just completed payment in full for the Sun Princess on June 1. Gave my TA an encrypted spreadsheet with 29 gift card numbers and pins. Thought it would be 30 but he only needed 29.

Just doublechecking. My TA can use my AARP gift cards to pay for my cruise?  Thanks.

On 2/15/2024 at 11:59 AM, Steelers36 said:

Not a problem.  You can enjoy entertainment anywhere on the ship and not have to use bar services, nor consume anything. There may be an exception for the new entertainment place Spellbound on SUN that is a combination experience and some sort of food and drink.  

 

ETA:  Even though you may have paid for a drink or drinks as part of experiential dining, doesn't mean you have to consume the alcohol drinks.

At least for Chef's Table, which is an experiential dining option which I love, you can choose the non-alcohol option for a reduced price.

Last August, Caribbean Princess had several Hermes bags, lowest price was $28,000.  Crew said none of them had sold in over a year.

Last year we sailed on Ruby out of Galveston.  The bars had signs saying the restricted drink menu was due to Galveston regulations.  Wrong.  The state set the dumb rule.  And they charge tax on alcohol purchased onboard, too, once you are back on shore.  

I have the new app but it doesn't show anything about "Shipmates".  

Somewhere I found an email address for this purpose, and received OBC for our two Cunard cruises this summer.  The email I used was sb@cunard.com.  I included the cruise info:

On 1/3/2024 at 5:59 PM, Bill B said:

I know it's selfish, but I love the feeling I get on the last night of the first leg of a B2B when I see all that luggage out in the halls and mine's not. 😃

Me, too!

On 12/31/2023 at 10:08 AM, CHOPPERTESTER said:

Save yourself some $$ and book the WP&Y railway directly. Dock to train station is a 10 minute walk. Use your HIA excursion for something else.

I was going to post the same advice.  By booking directly we were in a half-full car while the ship's cars were packed with passengers.  

Thanks for posting the menus.  We've booked our first Holland America cruise for September 2024 to Alaska, and we don't know what we don't know yet.  I hope our menus are as good as yours appear to be!

On 12/19/2023 at 12:15 PM, LACruiser88 said:

@Coral  We just booked the 54-day, 3/13/2026, Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific, roundtrip from San Pedro, on the Island Princess voyage.  Thanks again for the heads up!  🙂 

We booked it too!  Can not wait.

Coral, I can't thank you enough for your cruise schedule postings.  I love getting a head's up on new cruises!

Will there be a door between Club 6 and the new casino section?  I can't tell from the photos.  I'm a Skywalkers fan myself.

Thank you SO much for posting this!  One more off our bucket list!!!

Thanks for the report.  Our first HA cruise will be on Eurodam in September 2024 to Alaska.  We'll be in a Neptune suite too.  We usually sail on Princess which is also experiencing various upcharges, downgrades, etc.  They're sad to see, but I do want cruise lines to survive.

We're trying HA since we don't fly, and HA has some very long round-trip cruises we'd like to do.  

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

"Dine My Way" will now become "Reservations".

 

Then they need to change "Reserve Club Class/Reserve CC Dining".

 

I have witnesses SOOOOOOO many passengers who line up the the "Reserve Dining Room" and are disappointed to be turned away as it is NOT MDR for those with reservations, but MDR for Club Class (now Reserve CC).  There is a small sign outside that says "Reserve Dining".

 

The host/hostess and sometimes the Assistant Manager calmly escort diners to the "other" door.  

 

"AND SOME OF THE TERMS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED".  Princess really needs to hire an English teacher.

 

This is a big pet peeve of mine.  Why change from Club Class to Reserve Collection?  Idiotic.  Club Class is easy to say and remember, while Reserve Collection is not.  Princess needs a group of regular cruisers to give them feedback before they do anything else boneheaded.

It seems Princess is trying to upgrade our experience with name changes, while we all notice cutbacks on board.  Am I the only one to notice the flimsy toilet seats in cabins and public restrooms (spotted on Caribbean in August)?  Lighter weight = less fuel needed, but I had one that came off frequently.  Good grief.

19 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

But are they discounted as with AARP?

I've never heard of this.  What is the AARP gift card option?

9 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

In 2024, we board the Majestic on Dec 1st, in LA, for 50 days.  See you onboard!

We're going to have an amazing cruise!

8 hours ago, Pirateskigirl said:

Greetings from the Ruby.
 

We had six cruises on Ruby this year.  Loved it!

1 hour ago, cruisinsince75 said:

Do they have porters to collect your bags for you when you debark?  Hadn't thought about the elevators.  Going from ships with 600 PAX capacity to a ship with potentially 3600 PAX, might be a bit tricky for us.  Thanks!

On disembarkation day, it often is quicker to take an elevator up, then stay on for the ride down.

19 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Agree with others, our favorite meal OB.  We do it once on every cruise.  
We usually chose a port day, just before sail a way, or just at sunset leaving the port.  Beautiful backdrop and peaceful. Be sure to check the weather ahead.  I had to cancel one because rain was forecast and storms for Tahiti tomorrow.  You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before the UBD.

Enjoy!

The most fun balcony dinner we had was in St. Thomas.  While the waiters were away collecting even more food, it started raining so DH and I moved everything inside and grabbed hand towels for napkins.  The waiters came back and were horrified, but DH and I were laughing so hard, they realized we weren't going to complain.

In 2024/5 we'll be sailing on Majestic for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.  Now I really cannot wait!

The crew members usually bring a table, then return it if you have one in your cabin or balcony.  I feel like they would try their best to accomodate you.