SargassoPirate

Yes, and if you paused long enough to wash your hands.

I'll be back in OZ next year to finish what Covid interrupted. Love the country and the people.

I'm enjoying watching all of the angst about what's been lost and what's costing more as the cruise lines move toward charging more for most every "extra". I remind myself that I first and foremost decide where I want to cruise to. Then I see which line will be available when I am. Then I check the prices and loyalty perks. Finally I make sure the ship has a real promenade. Once I put the pencil to it, I go for the cruise that gives me the most bang for my standard cruising buck. Still can't make the Plus or Premier work for me, but I'm glad that so many go for it and help subsidize my standard a la carte cruises. I have a long cruise coming up, and what I'm saving a la carte versus Plus is enough to upgrade my flights from steerage to first class. All depends on what's important, and after more than 50 years of air travel - lots of it for work when steerage was all they would pay for - sitting up front is important to me.

Yes, and I love Australia. I was there in March 2020 and as they started to close their internal borders I scrambled to get across the country and get a flight out. The day I left Sydney, Australian police were pulling people with an Australian passport out of the boarding line and preventing them from leaving. Let's see, their own citizens were prevented from traveling within Australia and were prevented from leaving the country Sounds like a police state to me.

That's exactly why I say the continued testing requirements are theater. For example, let's say I fly from San Francisco to Sydney for a cruise and arrive the day before the cruise. I take the test 24 hours before boarding. I test negative - even though I just spent 14 hours on a crowded airplane. I board the ship and anywhere from 2 to 14 days later, I start feeling like I've got the flu. Could be the flu. Could be covid. Could be nothing and in a couple of days of symptomatic treatments I feel much better. What was the value of the pre-boarding testing requirement?

Tom, I always compare the price between booking online with Princess and booking online with my warehouse club. More often than not, the price with Princess is less, so I pick out the perfect cabin location and book it online with Princess. A week or so later I transfer the booking to my warehouse club. I then get their cash rebate gift card at the end of the cruise, and when I pay for the cruise with their affiliated credit card I garner another 3% cash rebate.

Let me know how that works out for you.🤣

Personally, I've never understood the appeal of a room service meal. I would much rather have a hot meal in the HC or the MDR and not have to bus my own cabin table. The chairs are a lot more comfortable in the HC and MDR as well. But, to each his own. That being said, SWMBO enjoys it when I take her travel mug to the HC and bring her a hot cup of coffee back to the cabin in the morning.

I look at it as a discount to let Princess stick you in some unsold cabin close to sailing - and there's a reason such cabins are available. I prefer to pick my own perfect cabin with PAX above, below, and across the corridor, have my TA mark it no upgrades, and then check every morning to make sure I haven't been "upgraded" to a cabin under the Melanoma Deck.

Pretty soon your cabin will be like a KOA campground cabin. Bring your own sheets and towels.

It's been my experience that there's no fee charged when you bring it on board. I've even resupplied on port days without a problem. While not totally correct, one can snag a wine glass somewhere, fill it from your cabin supply, and walk around the ship or enjoy a music venue while you sip it. I can't advocate it. I've just heard that people do it.😉😉

Good idea. If somebody questions what SWMBO means, I can send them your way to explain.😜😁

I still have a negative home test that I took quite some time ago, mostly to stop the nagging from She Who Must Be Obeyed after we returned from a trip that involved several flights. Maybe I should take a photo of it and keep it in case I need to show a negative test.😁 It's just as effective as doing a test at the pier before boarding after flying in and taking a bus from the airport to the ship. It's all theater. And don't get me started on plastic gloves...😁

Why pay $30 when the stairs are a free stairmaster and the promenade is a free treadmill? Marketing 101 - sell the sizzle and most consumers are sheeple.

Ditto. I'm always skeptical when someone offers something "for your convenience", a chance to opt into a new "retirement" plan, or an "inclusive package" for an upcharge: If these things weren't a good deal for the company, they wouldn't be offering them. But then, I'm the guy who drives 20 year old truck, stayed in the old and much better retirement system, pay off the credit cards every month, and go a la carte for most everything.

Once you get to Elite, there's nothing wrong with going a la carte, unless you need to drink a lot of alcohol to enjoy the cruise. Elite = free mini bar setup, half price wifi, discounted drinks in the P&E lounge. I couple the Elite benefits with some OBC and a post-cruise cash back gift card from my TA, and it makes more sense for me to go a la cate - especially since She Who Must Be Obeyed is a teetotaler and both people in a cabin must purchase the packages.

I would rather not spend money on things I'll never use to their full value. But then, I'd rather save money on a couple of cruises and have enough leftover in the travel fund to book a third. All depends on what's important to you and how you want to cruise. But then, I'm the guy who forgoes the paint protection packages and other dealer add ons when I buy a car or truck every 10-15 years. I'd rather wax them myself and do my own oil changes. A good friend of mine prefers to lease a new vehicle every three years and have the routine maintenance included. He also wonders how I can afford to cruise 3 or 4 times a year.

As long as we are still in a free market economy, the basic law of the marketplace applies: charge what the traffic will bear. In a free market economy, as consumers we can choose whether to pay for a good or service at the asking price or move on and spend our money elsewhere. Complaining or praising here does little good. It's only when the goods are left sitting on the table unsold that the price comes down. I vote with my wallet.

I am old enough and have cruised enough that as a free market consumer, I push back on price increases or things I just can't rationalize paying extra for. For example, if I want a chi chi coffee in the afternoon, I put two teaspoons of International Delight Instant Mocha in my travel mug, drop by the HC for hot water, and then find a spot to relax. I always pack a tin of two of the instant. Sometimes I'll let it cool and then add a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

Thanks for sharing your experienc.. I'm vaxxed to the max as well but never had covid. Not so much as a sniffle. And I've been tested many times pre-medical procedure and pre-cruises. I also only wore a mask when required, never stopped traveling, and started cruising again as soon as things restarted. Just goes to show how everyone's physiology is different.

You gotta put the pencil to it and figure out if it really pays when you factor in your cruising style. I can never seem to get the numbers to work for the plus package so I go a la carte. In fact, on my two most recent cruises, the OBC from my TA more than covered my tips and bar tab.

I avoid the MDR in the evening just because of the noise level - and hearing aids only serve to amplify all noise. I enjoy the MDR for breakfasts and lunches, but prefer the P&E lounge or the Horizon Court for evening meals. Much quieter and less time consumed.

Just curious. Were you vaccinated? What precautions did you take to protect yourself? How do you know where you contracted covid? How sick were you from covid? Thanks.

"To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary crew appreciation payment will be automatically added to your shipboard account.Crew appreciation amounts will increase starting with voyages sailing on or after 2/20/23 to USD $18 Suites, $17 Mini-suites, Cabanas and Club Class, $16 for Interior, Oceanview, and Balcony Staterooms per day (including children). This crew appreciation payment will be shared amongst those staff that help provide and support your cruise experience, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas. " That pretty much covers it.

Is Covid still around? Yes. So is influenza, the common cold, malaria, zika, dengue fever, typhoid, chikungunya, hepatitis, cholera, ebola, marburg, Montezuma's revenge, and a host of others just waiting for the unvaccinated and lackadaisical traveler. I'm not staying home under the covers for any of these, so why stay home for covid?