hllwdcruiser

This has nothing to do with a blood test, but DH was misdiagnosed in medical on a Princess ship last year.
He was given X-Rays and nothing was seen, so he was diagnosed with a torn ligament and was given a compression sock. The swelling and pain were unbearable. Once we were home he went to an orthopedist. Turns out he had a hairline fracture and needed a boot to stabilize his ankle. The doctor said he couldn't even read the x-rays that were taken on the ship and the sock probably made his condition worse.
After our experience I think Lady Arwen gave you very sound advice. If you are traveling for a longer length of time, perhaps you can find a hospital at a port of call and have them email you and the doctor the results? 

Have you received an email to bid for an upgrade? 
If not, is there someone else who works with your TA who can contact Princess?
I am also booked on the Enchanted in December, and I've noticed that the available cabins are disappearing quickly. I did receive the upgrade email for the December 8th sailing.
Good Luck! A balcony in the Caribbean is so worth it - I hope you get it!

Thank you for this great review, I'm loving it.
We almost booked the Ruby for a partial transit, but then decided we needed a relaxing holiday instead and just booked a 10 day eastern. Ruby was the first Princess ship we sailed on in 2009 and we were sold. A lot has changed since then. It was changing even before the shutdown especially in the food offerings.
I'd be interested to hear your comparisons to the other brands you have sailed, especially Celebrity.

When we don't have a beverage package we always order an Arnold Palmer at lunch time in the buffet. It's free and we haven't had a server yet who didn't know what it was. 
As others have already answered, water, lemonade, unsweet iced tea, hot coffee and tea are the only beverages that are available for free.

17 hours ago, CynCyn said:

This is going to go OFF on tips and I still want to know why OP is asking!

My guess is the OP is in a comped cabin and is getting less than stellar service. But we'll never know unless the OP actually responds and gives us a reason.

Looking forward to your report and so happy to hear the ship and staff are still excellent.
If you have a chance, would you mind checking to see if the have completely replaced the original Winemaker's Dinner with the $140 Caymus Winemaker's dinner?
We've really enjoyed the original one on past cruises, but I don't think we will be partaking in the Caymus one if that is all that is offered. 
I know you said that you may not do any fact finding, so no worries if you don't have the time!

13 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I'm sure Carnival will.  Also, Celebrity recently changed their AI package to not include gratuity.   I'm sure that is coming soon too to Princess and other Carnival brands.

The minute they eliminate the gratuities from their package is the minute we stop purchasing Plus. As it stands right now, we barely break even at $60 per day. We aren't big drinkers and can easily forgo or pay a la carte for all the other "extras" included in the package.

I'm really enjoying your review, photos and videos. Regal is one of my favorite ships!

We prefer the buffet for breakfast. We like the variety and being able to choose from so many options. We almost always hit the omelette station or they usually have some form of an eggs Benedict, you just have to wait for the ones they freshly make. I'm a huge fan of smoked salmon and capers which is almost always offered daily. We take our food to an outside table and enjoy a leisurely breakfast al fresco. After breakfast DH usually sneaks back in to grab a pastry or two, his "excuse" being that he's on vacation!
The thing is, we tend to like the more casual side of cruising and the MDR for dinner is enough for us. We've tried breakfast and lunch in the MDR a few times and it just takes too long and we like to be out and about. From your post, it sounds like you enjoy having the table side service once in a while. As others have said, you should try them both and see what suits you best!

1 hour ago, redtop101 said:

I see there is a QR code for duty on any liquor bought, either off shore or on board. Any idea what the duty is, and what ever happened to duty free? 🤷‍♂️

Is it a Galveston/Texas thing? 

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Not directed at you, but I don't understand why PCL doesn't label these partially obstructed when lifeboats are right below and yet they label mid-ship Deck 8 cabins as partially obstructed when the Promenade is just below.

100% agree. We were "upgraded" once from a forward to a mid ship in one of those cabins. One of the tenders was right below us and when in port we'd often find a crew member standing on top of it with a full view into our cabin. Our forward cabin had no obstruction and from that moment on we always mark our bookings as "no upgrade." I also make sure to double check where the lifeboats are before choosing a cabin. 

5 hours ago, Kmkub said:

This is a big bucket list item for me. We had to cancel the first one we had scheduled, because life got in the way. I feel for you! Your consolation prize is a pretty darned good one, though!! The Enchanted is beautiful. We can’t wait to get back to her.

I can't wait to hear your impressions, especially on all those days at sea and also because you and I have a similar sailing history.
This is our second time on the Enchanted although the itinerary is a little different. We are going mostly for the ship experience. It's been a tough couple of years and we need some Princess coddling!  

We had our first transatlantic booked pre covid but then life got in the way and we had to cancel. We had planned a 2 week land vacation in the Uk and Italy and then we were going to sail back from Civitavecchia to our home port in Fort Lauderdale. It looks like we may not be able to do this bucket list trip for another year or two and until then I can only live vicariously through these live reviews. So thank you and I'll be following along! We'll be boarding the Enchanted for a 10 day on the day you disembark.

I agree with the OP and I think that Princess should look at how they are now offering the Plus and Premier for longer voyages and for ships that don't offer as many or as interesting casual dining venues.
Granted, the casual dining perks aren't what would entice me to purchase a package, but for others it may. One could argue that the Premier offers unlimited casual dining, but that still doesn't help in the Grand Class or older ships such as Coral and Island.
If they offer more OBC for a shareholder and FCCs on longer voyages, why can't they adjust the amount for casual dining and exercise classes? My guess is that they want to push you into choosing Premier if those things are important to you.

2 hours ago, roxievegas said:

If you want water, order the case of water to be delivered to your room.  You have to order prior to the cruise.  There are 12 16 oz bottles per case for $7.05.  I purchase packets of powdered lemonade, or gatorade and add to the water bottle.  Some people are happy to bring their own container and fill it with the bathroom sink water.

We normally get one coffee each at the international cafe in the morning, then have more coffee in the MDR or buffet for breakfast.

Even when we had free room service delivery, we only used room service once during the cruise.  So not getting room service is not a problem for us.

We used to do things like that. We would bring our own water, sodas and wine on board and then have those small bottles of alcohol delivered to our cabin. We would then mix our own drinks, G&T, Cuba Libre etc and be so proud that we were beating the system. I used to bring flavored creamer on board to make the old coffee syrup drinkable on the grand class ships.
Of course, we didn't get to sit at the bars too often to try new concoctions because then we would put ourselves in the negative column. We limited ourselves to one or two alcoholic beverages a day from the bars. Forget ordering a drink poolside on a whim or grabbing a coffee at the IC when returning from an exhausting day at port. We had to watch our pennies! 
Once the alcohol package moved to the all inclusive, we started to purchase it and we couldn't believe what a huge difference it made to our entire, overall experience. To give you an example, I have to drink a lot of water during the day and I love a non alcoholic spritzer. I now had the freedom to go up to any bar and order as many cranberry juice spritzers as I like without worrying about the charge.
If you think about it, in the same vein, we always choose a balcony over an ocean view or inside cabin simply because of the experience. We never sit and do the math as to whether it makes financial sense for us to do so. 
On the other hand, I do understand that if you don't drink much alcohol and you don't use wifi, then the all inclusive packages don't make sense. If you don't mind bringing your own soft drinks onboard or it is cheaper for you to order water onboard, then the all inclusive packages might not make sense.
We are about to go on our 11th Princess cruise, so basically we are still newbies in comparison to most on this board. I have learned to pack lighter and love the fact that we don't have to bring anything but ourselves and a small suitcase each on sail away days!

 

27 minutes ago, antmaril said:

Thank you.  I did a search on YouTube for a “Sky a Princess Forward Facing Club Class Mini Suite” and the tour of the cabin showed solid balconies, both on the side and the front.  However, the video I was watching didn’t really say what ship they were on.  I believe the cabin number was L103, but I am not positive about that.  I would have to look again.  Thanks for your help.  

You are correct. It isn't plexi.

I don't know why I thought it was.
Oh well. I doubt we'll win the bid anyway.

Sorry for the misinformation! 
That cabin is huge though, as is the balcony.
Now I'm considering canceling my bid.

2 hours ago, antmaril said:

Thank you for for your response.  

 

So, are you saying that in a Forward Facing Mini Suite there is a regular PLEXI-GLASS balcony on the side (where you can sit and look at the water) in addition to the huge balcony facing forward (which, I understand, is not plexiglass)?  
 

 

I am pretty sure this is the case, but now that you are questioning me on it, I'm not going to say that I'm100%. I believe I've read reviews that have photos and the side balcony is plexi just like the other cabins in that location. We can search the cabin numbers and see if we can find a photo.

2 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

It's not only that point but including things that many people don't really need, like unlimited internet, those ridiculous desserts, exercise lessons, having medallions mailed and even including not having to pay to use their medallion. 😄

All totally unnecessary. 

I, for one won't be taking part in the exercise classes, the ridiculous desserts (well, I might just try one) and I don't care about the medallion being sent to me. 
None of those factored in to us deciding that it made more financial sense for us to go with the Plus than the Standard. It is annoying that Princess is marketing them as a benefit, but that's a discussion on a different thread.

36 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

The important thing is that you feel as though you got a deal & are happy with the package.

@MissP22 Haha - I haven't been on this site for quite a while due to personal reasons. In the past you and I have agreed on more topics than not, but I guess I should have chosen my wording more carefully. 
When I went on this site and saw all the changes, and then went on Princess to book a cruise, I have to admit I was a tad dismayed. Wait, what? They are starting to charge for things that were originally free? The Plus is now $20 more pp, pd than it was before? I know I don't have to go into the details.
Still, I did the math and realized that we were within $5-$10 dollars a day for both of us on Plus as opposed to Standard. Seriously? A difference of, at most, $100 total for the both of us for a 10 day cruise??
For us it's a no brainer. A glass of wine with every dinner, maybe splurge with some Harveys in my morning coffee from the IC....the freedom to make choices without having to worry about that credit card bill at the end of the month.
Instead of "feel", I should have said "know".
I know that you choose Standard and are happy with your choice. To that I say, "Good For You!" Isn't it great that Princess offers us so many choices on how we cruise with them?
Excuse me while I get my sea legs back as I navigate this site once again. I forgot how literal some on here can be! The latter said with absolutely no ill will.😉

Am I the only one who got tired of shlepping soda, bottled water and wine to the port? Unless I really wanted to bring an expensive bottle of vino onboard for a special celebration, I no longer feel the need to carry on bottles anymore.
We never got the alcohol package before when it was just that, but the Plus is a no brainer for us. We like the unlimited internet, take advantage of the coffees, indulge in a few drinks a day and grab bottles of water for our cabin.
Prior to Plus we used to get the coffee card and always paid for the gratuities up front. We used our free internet minutes, watching them carefully so we wouldn't go over. We also used most of our OBC to pay for whatever alcohol drinks were consumed, carefully watching our daily statements to avoid sticker shock at the end of the cruise. Now we use our OBC to indulge in things like the WMD or specialty dining. In the past, we didn't have enough OBC to cover any specialty dinners and had to pay at the end of the cruise. Now we often have credit left over and by our last day are looking for ways to spend it! 
We are not big drinkers, but with Plus I feel we either end up even or a little bit ahead.
That being said, in answer to the OP's original question. Doing the math, I think even moderate drinkers end up being ahead, so I would think a high percentage would choose Plus. Now Premier is a different question....

6 minutes ago, antmaril said:

I wonder if someone can answer a quick question for me.  I received the email offering upgrade opportunities for a Caribbean cruise we are taking in January on the Sky,   I am considering placing a bid on a Club Class Mini (we are in a mini now).  They also offer a Forward Facing CC Mini, which I do NOT want (the minimum bid is lower for this cabin).  If I bid ONLY on the CC Mini, is there any chance they would put us in a Forward Facing CC mini?   
 

TIA 😁
 

 

I just bid yesterday for a forward facing CC mini and don't want to be placed in any of the midship CC minis. We are currently in an extended balcony on the Enchanted by the retreat pool. We've had this cabin before on the Sky and the Enchanted and really like the location and the cabin.
We have been on the forward facing balcony cabins before and loved them, so would be thrilled to get the forward facing CC. It also has a regular balcony on the side of the ship and the forward balcony is huge. I can see where there would be an issue with wind, but honestly, on a Caribbean cruise it really wasn't a problem at all and the balcony doors were never locked.
All that being said, we bid the minimum and if we don't get it, it's fine by us. I'll be interested to see the responses to your question, because like you, if we don't get what we bid on, we don't want any other cabin. From what I understand if we don't win, we just get to keep our original cabin.
 

On 3/24/2022 at 1:03 AM, Steelers36 said:

Wow - they really upped the WMD cover charge!!!  Up 50%.  Or was it $45?  

 

Used to be a no-brainer compared to CG at $29, considering the wines included.  Now it seems as though there is an allocation for the more intimate experience.  I do think the charge was still $40/$45 when Princess started up last year, so this seems more recent.  I also recall when they ran a special wine theme dinner on a non-RC ship, the cost was $60/pp and was held in Sabi's.

It was $40 pp in February on the Enchanted

15 hours ago, Married15 said:

If you have the ship wifi, you can turn your wifi calling on, put phone in airplane mode, turn on phone wifi and send and receive calls and texts. Of course this only works when you have wifi. 

We just did this on the Enchanted - iPhone 13, Verizon Carrier. I was surprised one day when my phone rang and I received a call from my dog's vet confirming an appointment!

2 hours ago, mellon1 said:

So, we have Verizon and I am still learning Iphone with Verizon service.  We have the package, so can I text without charge and call while at sea for free?  Anything I need to do special.   

Please see my response above - the only issue I had was trying to text two of my kids who don't have iPhones. None of my messages got through to them - but since none of the messages were important I didn't bother to delve deeper into the issue. I'm sure there's an easy fix though - someone on these boards may be willing to chime in.

Just make sure you put your phone on Airplane Mode (you DON'T want to keep your cellular turned on) and turn on wifi calling if you want to make and receive calls.

Great story and great comeback. You handled him way better than I would have. Give me a little too much vino and I lose all filters. Especially with boorish idiots. Congratulations on your self control!

Looking forward to the photos.

@capriccioHave you spoken to Silvio Zampieri, Director of Restaurant Operations (Maitre'd!?!)?

After our disastrous first night, we were given a table for the remainder of the cruise in the Amalfi dining room that was in one of the little private alcoves by the window. We made fast friends with the two couples seated next to us and it was exactly like the old traditional dining. We had the same waitstaff every night. 

The one night that the foursome next to us went to the Crown Grill they sat another two couples at their table when they didn't show up. They waited a good 40 minutes before they seated the new people.

I hope things get better for you soon. I honestly think that most people gave up on DMW on our cruise and just used both dining rooms as Anytime Dining.