SwissDave

Currently onboard. Not had any issues with bar service, have used medallion app a couple of times to order when sat near crown grill bar. Drinks came in a very acceptable amount of time. Internet working a lot better than it did 6 weeks ago. Food good. Not a ‘sit in the sun’ person but not had any problems finding somewhere. 400 under 18s onboard, vast majority of passengers are new Princess cruisers, very low number of platinum and elite, same next week. 
weather is hit and miss, and if it is cool/raining then most people go indoors making it feel crowded, but that is no different to any other cruise I have been on. 
there is definitely more staff than my last Sky cruise. 
 

They took them out when the ship repositioned to Southampton earlier in the year, so does that mean they have put them back into the cabins?

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If you are referring to European river cruises then the answer is no.

Local currency should be used, e.g. euros if in a country that uses them. Bus driver a couple of euros, guide 5 or 10 if really good.

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If anyone opted out of receiving emails from Princess then they would not get this one. Wonder if that means those people will suddenly find themselves as ‘new’ cruisers again?

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You can always buy the Premier or AIBP (whichever name you want to call it by now) on the first day of the cruise after that you cannot purchase it.

Indeed you can, and I do. But it is not an alcohol package and it is not sold as such, it is for all types of drink.

huh? - then what did I get when I bought the Premium Beverage Package???

If your 'huh?' is directed to me, then the Premium Beverage package you purchased on board covers tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, spirits. Ergo it is not an 'alcohol' package, it is a package that covers all drinks.

Princess only sell one package that is only alcohol and that is the wine package.

If cruising in the Med and waiting until you board to buy it be careful of tax added. If you buy in Barcelona there will be local tax to pay. If you buy it beforehand then there is no tax to pay, and no tax on any drink 'purchased' with the package when in any port.

You can only buy the wine package on board. There are no other alcoholic drink packages available.

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Saga cater exclusively to the over 50's, and most pax will be a lot older than that. It is fully inclusive as far as food, gratuities, wine at lunch and dinner, shuttle buses, internet. I also understand that if you live in the UK there is a free chauffeur service to take you from home to the port.

Although I have just hit the age limit they do not appeal to me yet. I do know people who have cruised with them and enjoyed it.

Not a new concept. P&O UK have had at least 2 of their ships designated as adult only for many years.

Last week I disembarked Azura (P&O) and took the National Express to Heathrow. I took the 9.40 from Southampton and arrived at the airport at 11:30 (exactly as per timetable) . Cost was £16 booked in advance.

There is also a coach at 7:45 which I could have made but timing was a bit too tight for comfort, especially if the ship had been delayed at all.

If you have internet credit, can you use your laptop, in your room or else where, without any additional fees?

Yes, if you already have internet package/loyalty benefit then there are no additional charges to connect to the internet via the ships WiFi network.

The picture Astro Flyer posted is actually one I took aboard Royal Princess during the maiden cruise, it is not of the sockets on Sapphire.

I eat all the good parts and leave the rest for you to enjoy.

Obviously not if you are not eating the liver, kidney and so on. You carry on 'enjoying' all the parts that taste of nothing and are of dubious nutritional value.

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I suppose it all had to do with just how hungry a person is. When I grew up we had sufficient money to not have to eat the internal organs. Sweetbreads or offal just doesn't seem to be that appealing to most people which is evident by the fact that Princess doesn't even bother to serve them.

Really? just how low can your comments get?

So people only eat it if they are poor? Liver, kidney, hearts are full of goodness and are very nutritious, and prepared correctly are absolutely delicious.

If you are going to eat meat then you should be respectful to the animal and each as much of it as possible leaving as little waste as possible.

It's correct. The European socket on Princess ships (under the bed on non Royal class) takes the various different shapes of EU plugs, some are like the picture you posted, some are round, some have 3 prongs.

For UK cruisers, would I be correct in thinking that if the third prong on the plug is plastic, not metal, that means there is no ground, and therefore no surge protection?

Yes, 100% correct. Even those that have 3 metal prongs are probably not surge protected. You can usually tell by the thickness of the cable by comparing it to something you know is earthed such as a kettle, or if the plug is they type you can unscrew just take it apart and see if there are 3 wires inside.

A little off topic but at Southhampton embarkation Terminal--- in the off chance you bring a "leatherman" or multi-function tool , it will be confiscated from your checked baggage. 28 cruises never a problem , until Southampton. The explanation was along with the plyers, scissors, screwdrivers, corkscrew, etc on the tool, it contained a knife blade, which was smaller than the steak knife I used at the specialty restaurant. just FYI and have a great cruise!

Princess states no blades longer than 2.5" are allowed.

Don't forget you may also be impacted by UK laws on knives when travelling in the UK.

All of the information available leads to the conclusion that ONLY the Sip n Sail promotion has the 15 alcoholic drinks limit per day.

The AIBP package, when purchased, does not - at the moment - specify any limit.

Where is it supposed to do its business?

An area is set up in an out of the way place, usually a box type arrangement with bark/mulch.

I would suggest taking the National Express coach, from either Heathrow central for all terminals except terminal 5 which has it's own pick up point at the terminal to Southampton Coach station, then taxi from there if needed. Cost is from £1 to £25 per person depending on when you book. Smiths are based on the south coast and will charge in the region of £100.

For the chip + pin discussion. Capital One and USAA both offer cards with no foreign transaction fees, and true chip and pin. Although we used Cap1 almost exclusively on our recent trip to Italy, no vendors used the chip technology, but ran as a swipe. We only used it in very heavily tourist areas. I'm sure other parts of Europe will be different.

 

For the cash discussion: plan to use an ATM when you arrive. It has the best exchange rate and if you're on a tour or cruise staff will be able to tell you where a near-by one is. There should always be one in the airport. We tend to look for ones associated with a bank -- not a cash exchange place. You can generally look at an airport services map to figure out where they will be located. It's also a good word to learn in the native language in the country you are arriving in. When we've arrived early, sometimes shops are not open or there may not be as many amenities where the staff know English. The term "ATM" is not universally used.

Our credit union Visa debit card generally does not have any foreign transaction or ATM fees out of the country.

Asking for a 'Bancomat' on mainland Europe usually gets the required directions. In the UK - Cash Machine.

Just wondering where you were able to get the currency? We will be in Munich for 5 days and Switzerland for 4 before our cruise.

You can use Euros in Switzerland with no issues, but the rate is not particularly good. However be aware it is very expensive here. $200 is virtually CHF200, which will buy you about 1.5 (perhaps 2) fairly decent dinners, without drinks, depending on where you eat. It is not uncommon for dinner for 2 with a couple of glasses of wine to be CHF150. Big Mac menu for lunch? $15.....

On the subject of sockets, is there a Euro socket, or even a UK socket, under the beds in Azura balcony cabins? They do on Princess ships of same class (Grand).

I have a CPAP but as I live in Europe it has a 2pin euro plug. Really just wondering if I have to buy yet another adapter....

Yes, you can pay with a different card to the one registered. If you don't mind a small charge on your credit card, e.g. the last day/night spending then go to the desk the morning of the last full day and pay with whatever card you want. The queue in the morning will be a lot shorter than afternoon/later in the day. The pre-auth charges on your credit card will just drop off after a few days.