RNRcruisers

Lack of a sofa doesn't bother us much - certainly not for the price difference. We don't eat a lot in the room, maybe the occasional coffee or wine but that is about it. And we don't mind watching TV from the bed. 

19 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I call it the lost art of reading!  

 

Haha, love that!

Sounds like a fabulous time so far! Thanks for sharing!

I avoid ships without a promenade deck. It is one of our favorite spots on board. Very disappointing that newer ships are being built without it. 

I like the medallion and don't mind the app as I've never had issues with it. I'm with the OP on the dining though, nothing to do with the app, I just prefer traditional seatings.

Our first cruise was also in 1990 (I believe we actually had a key for our room! 😄). Many things were better then but a lot are better now. I did enjoy getting our tickets in the mail or from the travel agent - so exciting. And we would go through the excursion leaflet and pick out which ones we wanted to book when onboard. Our first cruise included airfare and they flew us there the day before and paid for the hotel. Those were some definite "better then"s however, check-in took hours. So there is that.

21 hours ago, ExploringTheGlobe said:

I disagree with people saying this is nickel and diming.  Of all the dining locations now categorized as Casual Dining, Alfredo's/Gigi's is the only one that was complementary before.  All the others had a charge. Now if you have a fare package, all those locations are included, either twice with the Plus or unlimited with Premier.  To me, this is making all these options more inclusive and I like it!

It is different for everyone, but from my point of view, we only use complimentary dining. We enjoyed Alfredo's for lunch - complimentary - and now will have to either have plus or pay. Along with the additional charge to activate ordering food with the medallion and the new room service charges, it is more charges for things that were included. Yes they are relatively small charges, hence "nickel and diming".

We were on her in February and it was fine. It was a full ship and at times felt crowded but I don't really remember being in lines, so not sure where they experienced that. Temps were fine, plumbing working, no obvious wear that I saw. Go and enjoy!

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.

On 8/30/2023 at 9:26 AM, RNRcruisers said:

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 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.

33 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

 

You almost never see posts here warning prospective cruisers away from older ships...

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.

17 hours ago, cometjr said:

Hi, we also booked a guarantee inside stateroom on this ship. Do you have any photos of your room? I'm just trying to picture the room setup. Did one of you have to sleep in the bunk bed or was the bunk bed just in the way? Thanks!

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.

22 hours ago, Glide said:

We had that problem with RCI last October. Too many venues that were too small for a ship of 3500 passengers.

It meant that we ended up in the same few areas each evening because we don't like early dining.

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.