bjkTX

We almost always pick aft facing cabins - normally C-753 pn the corner.  The only time we were in a suite we had booked C-753.  They offered us a free upgrade to a mini suite - which is what we used to book all the time until I found C-753.  I said no, the Mrs said yes, and we were assigned a very nice midship AB (if I recall correctly) mini.  Then a week or two before the cruise we got a call asking if we would accept a full suite for $11pp more - we said yes.  It turned out we got the aft facing suite right next to C-753 - so a win win!  We much prefer the balcony at the aft - it can be used pretty much 24/7 since the ship blocks all the wind and weather you would get on the side of the ship.  We enjoy the white noise of the wake - and sail away parties with friends on the balcony as the last port fades away is fantastic!  Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide!!

1 hour ago, lbfluffy said:

Since they have this now, do they offer upgrades when you board?

Did they ever really do that?  It never happened on any of our Princess cruises the last 20 years!

2 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

On all 3 of my cruises the DMW reservations have been changed to undesirable times when boarding…no human intervention but a poorly designed app. Hopefully for you, it will work out better for your group than it has for us. 🤞

 

On our Christmas cruise I had made reservations for every evening at 6:20 - this was done several months out.  A week or so before the cruise I saw they had changed us to a 7pm time every night and I was able to go back and change them all to 6:30.  Two days before the cruise they changed them all back to 7pm - I gave up 🙂

2 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

HA! Never been called that before!😉

I have several OLD military buddies that still get together every Friday afternoon (today) for Happy Hour.  At 77 I am close to being the "baby" of the group. But when we were all getting ready to retire the thing was to go over 30 because when you did you would be credited with a 10th Good Conduct Medal, and since you can't get that many clusters on the medal you had to use 2 medals with clusters to fit them all :-  Great reason, right?? 🙂  Anyway - that's when the 30 years, 14 days comes in.  Two of my buddies had more "days" than I did - so to them I'm a quitter 🙂  

3 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

He is a princess CVP and said customer relations told him only active military qualified. I’m wondering if @ChangeOrderis active military and that’s why they got the free upgrade or are they a veteran and still got it. If the later I will go back to my CVP and push harder. But only if I know someone else says they were a vet and got it. 

I'd suggest that person has no idea....  The flyer itself says active and retired etc.

Just now, Ken the cruiser said:

No worries! BTW I was in for 20 years and 4 days and retired as an E-7 so I could get out and make some money! 😂

You're cruising so that must have worked out for you 🙂  I would have stayed in forever - but the money was certainly better on the outside 🙂

My military discount shows up as soon as I look at a cruise - basically indicating I would get it if we booked (not the exact amount because that depends on the length of the cruise).  We have a Feb 2024 two week cruise booked and the $250 military OBC was on our booking from day 1.

On 1/18/2023 at 8:03 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Did you refare an existing booking or book/rebook a cruise where you received a new booking number? 

Ken - sorry - I must have commented on something I took to mean something else 🙂  I just meant Princess had no problem verifying my military service having retired in 1993.  I didn't re-book or re-fare anything.

13 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Me too! 1994 after 27 long years.

 Doug

Quitter!!  1963-1993 (30 years, 14 days) 🙂

You got me to look at it - but an 11 day cruise with 4 ports just doesn't appeal to me not being a fan of sea days.  I was hoping they added some different ports.

5 hours ago, skynight said:

On the Emerald Princess if you wish to have a sitting area you have to book either a mini suite or a full suite. Balcony staterooms do not have a sitting area. On the Emerald Princess ALL mini suites are located on deck 9. T

 

There are also some mini's on the Emerald deck.

I'm still reading the "Reserved Collection" FAQ to determine what makes it worth $64 pp per day on our upcoming cruise....a separate entrance to the dining area (that was on the other side of a planter from where we we sitting on the last cruise)???  Oh yeah I forgot about the two half bottles of wine...

1 hour ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

 

Thank you!!!

I contacted our TA and had her order roses for me so they would be in the cabin when we arrived - no problem at all.  I wish they would go back to where we could order them online...

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

It will be interesting to hear what our TA finds out today, as I retired many moons ago back in 1994. 😂

I retired in 1993 and there were no issues 🙂

We were on the Emerald in Oct.  We had reservations at the Botticelli dining room because we had a aft facing cabin and it was convenient to go down the aft elevators.  But it seems like every night after dinner we';d go to the casino and end up on the other end of the ship anyway.

We joined friends at the other dining rooms during the cruise and didn't notice any difference - they are all pretty much the same with the same menu.  So I guess your pick should be based on convenience to your cabin location primarily.

We did not eat at Sabatini's but we did eat at the Crown Grill one evening.  It was very nice, great service and good (not great) food - but some times you (I)  just need a slab of beef - and that's the place to get it.

I didn't see or hear of any sales or packages for the Specialty restaurants - doesn't mean they didn't exist - I just never hear of them.

As for formal night I would imagine it'll be on your first sea day.  Have a great cruise!

2 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

While I'm not sure either if the reservation system is always followed, we did see several people getting told that their reservations were for a different dining room and that they should go there. This was on the Ruby last April.

We were on the Emerald in October and the Ruby in December and had standing dinner reservations each night.  Some nights we were asked to join other couples in a different dining room and time - and never had anyone tell us our reservations were elsewhere.  If we had time I cancelled the standing reservation, but it wasn't always possible.  I guess YMMV.

5 hours ago, davekathy said:

Falls under the category of to each their own. If necessary on our longer cruises we have used the ships laundry service. With RC and Celebrity we each get a complimentary Wash N Fold bags of laundry with our tier levels. Would be nice if Princess would have that as part of their tier level perks/benefits package.  We aren't on vacation to sit in a laundromat. 

Maybe I'm not looking at apples to apples - but as Elite on Princess we get free laundry service.  I had to laugh on our last cruise when all of my t-shirts came back on clothes hangers.

18 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Good reason to mark your booking no upgrades.

Although others have said above they had the same thing happen even with no upgrade marked.

2 hours ago, ImperialLady said:

bjkTX  thanks for your hints and suggestions....looking forward to lobster boils and/or bakes and clam chowder.  We are looking forward to seeing the colors and enjoy this area of our country that we haven't been to.

That is what caused us to take our first (and what we thought would be our only) cruise.  We were thinking of the places we hadn't been after 30 years moving around in the military - and the East Coast was the answer.  That was....25 cruises ago 🙂 

I sent the flyer to my TA a week or so ago and she got back to me yesterday saying "Princess has no idea if and when this will happen" and that they had heard it might be part of some future promotion.  But as always with Princess YMMV depending on who answers the phone (if they do).

We took a nice night light on our two cruises the past 3 months - but as others have said the cabins we were in had the automatic light in the ceiling outside the bathroom door, and on the Emerald under the cabinet in the night stands - extremely annoying.  Easy to shut off the ones on the cabinet (a towel, a shoe, anything to block it) but the ceiling one would need to be covered and taped - I tend to have to get up several times during the night and that bright light coming on, and staying on for awhile, was a nuisance and our small night light would have been fine.

We have done that cruise 5 times - in fact it was our first cruise - on the Golden Princess.  The last time we did the version from Quebec to FLL with an overnight in Quebec.  It's been several years but reading what others have said mirrors what I would recommend as well.  If you haven't been to Boston before there is so much to see - we did a Princess walking tour one time, and wandered on our own or did the hop on hop off.  The last time we were there we took a train and went to see Salem since I'm convinced my wife's family are from there....  Do lobster boils and bakes any chance you get.  In Newport right on the dock is the Black Pearl and some of the best clam chowder we have ever had.  So much to see and do - you won't go wrong whatever you pick!  Have fun!

24 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s one the Island Princess does in 2024.

 
https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details/?voyageCode=2413

 

That looks fantastic!!!!

49 minutes ago, LadyL1 said:

For us from the UK, lines are the same for entering USA! Have you thought of taking transatlantic crossing from NY to Southampton and return to tie in with a Northern Lights cruise? Can highly recommend if you have time.

I hear you.  When we got back the lines in Houston were almost as bad - 20 booths available but only 2 with operators...  I have been looking at the TA - we'll see 🙂  Thanks!

4 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

We'll be visiting St Lucia next year on a Princess cruise - it will be our third visit that we are very much looking forward to 🙂