ldubs

I was looking at some info on Oceania yesterday. They call the alternative dining venues "Specialty Restaurants". I kind of had the same thought when I saw that, but in truth I guess they are specialty restnts with or without extra fees.

Oh man, I guess I wasn't even thinking about land based Johnny Rockets. Never been to one of those either. I'm not even sure where they are around here but am sure I've seen them. I agree about 5 Guys. They are pretty darn good.

Never been to Johnny Rockets, but I understand they have shakes and maybe even malts too. Sounds like the burgers are similar to the ones available in the windjammer.

Interesting take and I agree where new table mates will be meeting each other for the first time. Cruise lines we frequent allow us to select other than fixed dining. So I don't think Mrs Manners will disapprove if we don't go on night one. 😀 We don't skip the MDR in favor of a specialty restnt. Most of the time after settling in on that first day we mosey on up to the buffet.

That is funny. While we didn't have aspirations, I think we were more aware of our status than you. Even with being on so many cruises, I still learn a lot on cruise critic.

I didn't have crispy chicken. I did have a burger and other stuff. I would call it good as just about any burger cooked on a grill is going to be good. I enjoyed it but it wasn't anything special. Just a burger.

I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

Oops - deleted. I misread the comment. Sorry about that.

We did National Bus from LHR to Southampton for the Oct North Seas cruise. It was easy for us to access the National Bus station at LHR. I think the total was under £20 pp. Overall, it was a good experience and we would use it again. At Southampton we jumped into a cab to get to our hotel. Returning from Southampton to LHR we used the Princess Xfer because of our flight time. If we were flying out of LHR the following day, an option we might consider is to stay in Southampton for the night then take the National Bus to LHR for the next day's flight. I guess staying in Southampton might be more appealing than staying near LHR. Except if the intent was to shoot info London for an evening.

Giving an opposing opinion or experience could seem like pushback I guess. I'm the same age group as you and had an entirely different experience. Not everyone is going to share your opinion. Just a friendly discussion I hope.

Sorry. I thought based on your OP the choice was a cash refund or a higher value FCC. If you didn't get an option for a cash refund for the flight fare difference then, IMO, that would be wrong. I admit I'm a little confused. Not your fault. I best bow out gracefully. Hope your get it resolved.

I was at CoCoCay for the first time in November. I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. But then I'm only 70. 😀 We were able to lounge around and go swimming in one of the lagoons. We also had some good food at an open air buffet.

Did the cash refund offer accurately reflect the difference in flight costs? If yes, then it seems thy are offering you a bonus in FCC's that have strings attached. If that is the case and I didn't like the FCC conditions, I would opt for the cash refund and consider myself made whole. I personally would have a problem if Princess offered a cash refund that is less than the difference in the two flights.

That isn't good at all. Did you have to go to another terminal?

1. Pick up luggage and then proceed to coach. 2. LHR terminals are not close to each other. All of our Princess Xfers drop us at our terminal. I would assume the same for Xfer-excursions. 3. Not likely, but have never checked. LHR has shuttle service to airport hotels. Last time we stayed near the airport at the Marriott the shuttle was £5 (exact change needed). That was quite a few years ago, so thing could well have changed.

I just kind of picked SLC to get an idea on miles involved. I can see how the southern route would be preferred depending on where you are starting. We just booked a May '23 SF-Alaska-SF on Princess. It is Sitka, Haines, Juneau, Tracy Arm Ford, and Victoria. We have been to Juneau & Victoria. Sitka and Haines will be new to us. We kind of jumped on it because the price was good, our calendar was open, and we are very near the embark port.

On our early cruises loyalty points were not even on the radar. Well, we may have thought how nice it was for those folks over there in the shorter line, but it wasn't something we thought much about. We also appreciate the perks and it did take us years to earn some on the same three lines you mention. Typically we are able to get what we want & enjoy on one of our preferred lines.

SLC to SF isn't as far as I thought it would be, but still a long drive. Driving to SF, do you have a stop over point or push through?

Clearly he meant it was not discussed between his father, him, the family, etc.

I notice that people on CC frequently mention that brand, Tommy Bahama, of the shirt they are wearing. They seem to be the official aloha shirts for cruises.

I agree a lot of people are dressed up on formal night. At the same time there are a lot of non-formal dressers. So, I think it fair to say it has already become normal. One problem with dress code threads is some will respond with what they want instead of what is. I am happy to see this thread is answering the OP's question with what is. My opinion is times have changed. Trying to force people into a "formal dress" requirement is out-dated and should be replaced. The current relaxing of the "code" shows that Princess recognizes a large number of passengers simply do not find it enjoyable. Another cruise line replaced formal night with chic night. There are a lot of people dressed to the nines. And there are a lot of people dressed casually. As crazy as it sounds, we all manage to co-exist peacefully in the same dining room and even manage to enjoy the experience without scowling at each other. 😀

I just want to understand why I should be concerned about tracking. I can't identify why I should be worried.

We are pretty adventuresome and will take some risks as long as there are acceptable alternatives. The 11:15 flight is very tight IMO. I wouldn't do it unless I really needed to. And if I really needed to I would make sure I had plan B lined up in case I miss the flight. We were at LHR in October. It was OK getting through security in T3. Thing I dislike about LHR is the long hikes from security to your gate.

No. No. There is a lot more to the medallion app than keeping track of you. That room full of men in black monitoring your every move is not its main purpose.

And, to be clear, not just anyone can track you and you can't just track anyone. You add the travel mates you want and they must opt in.