RNRcruisers

I don't mind the ones on the night stands, although I also had them come on if my feet dangled off the side, but the closet light is too bright. I don't want that bright light getting me fully awake when I get up to use the bathroom. This paper trick is a great idea.

I did get it to work later in the day. Seems to be back to normal.

Just saw this, I have been having this issue this week. Now it acts like it is logging me in but just keeps spinning. Not a good way to sell cruises....

I imagine room service increased a lot with the medallion, mostly because Princess heavily pushed it as a big advantage to having a medallion. I never ordered room service until we were on a medallion cruise and then we mostly did it for the novelty. I think they created their own problem there. I also agree that if I am being charged for the service then my expectations are higher. When it is free and doesn't ever arrive I just shrug and go get it myself. If I pay and it doesn't arrive then I am at the customer service desk to get a refund. As far as Alfredo's, we liked it and ate there several times - no wait. Delicious pizza. Not sure I would pay $30 for us as a couple to eat there though. Those saying just get a piece on the pool deck, Slice pizza is not the same. And many times the longest lines I experienced were up at the pool deck grills. I have a hard time believing that the charge will help with this problem. Also, presumably this will lead to less ordering of drinks with the app, so more will be going up to a bar to get a drink. In this case, maybe they need to make a more organized line at the bars. Many times I was ignored over a more insistent cruiser while waiting to order a drink. No perfect answers here, I understand that change happens, but it is definitely not an "enhancement" and like many changes it can create problems.

Oh no, so sorry you are sick! Unfortunately Covid is still out there. Hope you get well soon and can continue enjoying your cruise.

Sounds fabulous! We have only been on one Mediterranean cruise back in 2015. Need to go again!

I personally do not witness a lot of tipping on cruises. If people do then it is pretty subtle. I agree that mentioning great service by name on the survey seems to be very much appreciated by the staff. We cruise like you, an interior or window and occasional balcony, and it is just the two of us and we are not high maintenance. We will tip extra for service above and beyond, otherwise just the auto-tip.

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing!

Love your writing style - very witty and enjoyable. Our last NCL cruise was on the Encore and it was so crowded that it is all I can remember about that cruise. Never again. Sounds like the newer ships are even worse. I will stick with the older ships or different lines.

I had no idea the passport wait times are so long right now! We had a cruise in February this year and passports that expired in April. I knew that some countries require expiration dates to be at least 3-6 months beyond the trip but didn't think it would be necessary for a cruise. So after dragging our feet (we had been to London in the fall and should have renewed right after that trip) we finally decided to be safe rather than sorry and paid extra to expedite our renewal in December. The time back then was three to four weeks and I believe and we received them in four. I was never so relieved when they arrived. The old ones are invalid as soon as they are received by the passport office. That being said, we went on several cruises before 2013 when we got our passports for an Alaskan cruise. It wasn't a problem, although I much prefer traveling with a passport. And for those wondering why Americans don't get passports - we are a large country and there are many places we can travel without one. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel internationally but many are not that lucky.

I actually do see people saying that here. Personally I don't mind older ships - they usually have layouts I prefer. OP - I am sorry you aren't having a good start to your cruise. I would recommend you keep an open mind and try not to focus on the negatives and it may get better. I often find crowds worse on the first day than they are later as people settle down. We have been on NCL and prefer Princess but of course that is subjective.

I looked for a picture but apparently didn't take one. The lower bed is the same as in other rooms where it can be two twins or a queen, we had it set up as a queen. But on each wall above the bed there are fold-down beds that are fastened up against the wall. These are quite thick and protrude into the room so you can't walk upright beside the bed. If it were set up as twins it wouldn't matter because the beds would be under the bunks. Does that make sense? I found a few pictures online but not sure if I can share them.

Fabulous trip report! Your pictures are amazing. I have been to Alaska three times and now want to go again!

Hate it. They also changed the Pistachio Dome. When I had it in 2022 it was so rich and delicious and covered in dark chocolate. On our February 2023 cruise I bragged it up to our travel mates and was so excited to see it on the menu, but when it came the dark chocolate has been replaced by a light brown coating with little flavor. So disappointed.

We were a group of 8 on CB in February, Panama Canal. It was our 5th Princess cruise. Pros - I like the ship layout and design, I feel it is well maintained. We enjoyed Skywalkers lounge later in the evenings. Most staff were great, we enjoyed the Sanctuary several days, loved the promenade deck. Cons - Too crowded. It was full and felt it. I wasn't as happy with the MDR food as I usually am on Princess. We also couldn't get the same table/waiter every night. Wasn't impressed with the theater production shows. Hate that the atrium is very smoky because of the casino right next to it. Overall we enjoyed it and would sail CB again but would try for a less crowded ship, if possible.

Yeah we also had that issue on NCL Encore. Bad enough that we said never again. I worry that it will become a more common issue with the newer ships of all lines.

Disappointing to hear about the lack of seating in the lounges. That is one of our favorite parts of cruising. IMO that is a huge problem caused by adding private/pay areas and decreasing public areas. I guess I better move Sky down my list 😪

Have the menus changed? We were on the CB in February and had a hard time finding anything that seemed appealing on the MDR menus. The quality was OK for the most part but the choices were not at all to my taste. It was a disappointment from the previous year on the Regal.

Fabulous itinerary! I'm looking forward to it. We happened to be in London during the Queen's funeral. Some places we wanted to visit were closed, which was disappointing, but it was an amazing experience being there during that historic time. Loved the city and can't wait to go back.

I wouldn't book in the Sanctuary for a colder cruise. For us, it was a nice place to relax that was not as crowded or as loud as the main pool decks. It is not a social area. We socialized with our own group but overall it is a quiet area.

That was my thought too. Allow a limited booking and let people add later if there are still times available. I have to say, we have been on three Caribbean cruises with Princess and been able to get times in the sanctuary for two of the three, and the third we didn't try. The last one we were a group of 8 and even added an afternoon later in the week. So it isn't always sold out.

I have always wished that they had a line for plain coffee at the IC. That being said, when we were on Caribbean Princess in February the line there was not usually too bad, and that was a full ship. The whole atrium area is very small though, not much seating for coffee or evening activities. Thank you for the review. I had Ossobuco on the Regal in 2022 and loved it. It was in the MDR. Sadly not offered on the new MDR menus.

The women wore high heels on the pool deck 😆

I am so sad that they are phasing out the promenade decks. That is one of my favorite places on any ship. A few months ago on the Caribbean Princess it was very a very popular spot to relax.

I agree the shot glass sales are odd. We have never had that on Princess and we have been on Princess 5 or 6 times and were just on the Caribbean in February. It sure sounds like they are having a problem getting rid of the noro on board. This is not the first time I have seen delayed boarding for cleaning, including back in February when we boarded. The check in times don't really mean anything. They are probably an attempt to spread out the boarding more than an actual time allowed to board. Glad you are having a good time.