dreaminofcruisin

It is interesting how different each cruise can be related to being seated in the dining room. Just off the Sky and we NEVER even saw a dining room line. We were a party of 8, so had reservations each night between 5 and 6 (varied) and left sometime between 7 and 8:00 (pretty slow service most nights). Since we also had 2 little ones, even though our reservation was for 8, sometimes we were only 4 or 5. Still no problem. We were seated immediately at the appropriate sized table. The ship was sold out. I wonder if on some cruises, people are moving away from MDR dining?

I agree. I always thought Disembarkation morning made up for the 'missed' Embarkation morning.

We are just off the Sky and had a wonderful time. However, there were a few glitches that I thought might be helpful for others to know about and perhaps others would like to add to it. We all had the Plus package in our group of 8 in 3 cabins (included 2 little kids). It can't be repeated often enough. Check your folio daily! We had a random $4+ bar charge show up even though we had the Plus package. Guest services removed it no problem. I believe it was for a large bottle of water since those aren't included. (I had gotten a small bottle of water.). The most random thing is that on the Sky last summer, we had a bar charge for around $16+ something. They told us it was for 4 large bottles of water. (We had gotten 4 small bottles of water). Keep an eye on your beverage count. 2 of the 3 cabins went over 15 on the 1st sea day. In both cases, it was because 1 of the couple in a cabin always went and got the alcoholic beverages and got charged for 2 drinks. This meant they would go over with 8 drinks. With a scolding, guest services corrected it and told them to be sure and ask the bartender to charge 1 to each person in the cabin. I have read on CC in the past that bartenders alerted you to the fact that you were at 15. No such notification to our group. Beverages over $15. I have no problem with paying the amount over $15 + tip if I buy an $18 glass of wine, for example. However, in the past, the bartender always informed me that it was over $15. Usually, since it was wine and I was ordering from the menu, I knew it anyway, so no big deal. DS likes Gin and Tonics and decided to each time he got one, to try a different brand of gin. At one point, he had a bar charge which turned out to be a premium gin. I've never heard anyone mention this and since gin isn't listed on the menu by brand (I don't think?), how would one know? He didn't mind paying it. It just would be nice if the bartender had told him there was an upcharge, which he didn't. Just thought I would share some of our experiences. Like I said, we had a great time and these were just things others might want to know about. The next time we sail, will be our first "Plus 60" instead of the Plus 50. I would love to hear if there are experiences with casual dining of which we should be aware? 🙂

Really enjoyed your live post! I think both @Ken the cruiser and @ocean sounds, you went on the Gentoo Penguins Expedition at Newan's Station from Stanley? In the Princess description, it lists Restroom availability as NO for all pieces of the excursion. Was there no restroom availability for the 2 1/2 hour excursion? DH would not be happy with that and if so, I won't be booking it. I thought I would check with you two since you have first hand experience if this is the case. Thanks.

It used to be free. My understanding is they added a price to the pizza to reduce waste as too many people were ordering a lot of it late night and not eating it.....

I remember thinking the same thing one day as we cruised on the old Sun Princess (before they retired her) in New Zealand. However, the next day coming back to the ship from port, they were busy painting away the rust. I think the sea is pretty hard on ships and you might catch any of them needing a bit of paint at some point in time. For me also, paint is the least of my concerns on any ship....old or new.

I know you said you were done, but just in case.... If you have anything not finished on the check-in, it won't let you order medallions until you do. It also doesn't actually give you a nice message telling you that.....

Old app still works for me!

Carlsberg

We have found that especially when booking International flights, it is best to book them as soon as they become available. I think often the selection of flights (non-stop etc is better). Always pick Flexible flights and you can watch and Change them if the flight prices go down. You could also book them and cancel them later if you find a better price on an airline website. The first couple of years coming out of the pandemic, it seems Princess had lots of issues with EZ Air and actually getting the tickets purchased in a timely manner. However, it does seem to have improved. We have Vancouver/Alaska flights booked for this summer which already have been ticketed!

Do you have the new app? That's the one I am wondering about...as not sure how much longer they will keep the old app....

Question regarding Plus package on the New App: Once onboard, does it show the number of drinks ordered and if so, where ? We never hit 15, but since they sometimes charge me for mine and DHs drink, it wouldn't take as many and since we have sometimes been 'charged' for drinks we didn't order, just like to keep track. I have both apps, but we are sailing soon and I am not sure how soon Princess will get rid of the old app. On the old app, I know the counter is under packages.....which of course both apps say we don't have....I think it's because we have "Plus 50". Under the old app, it has always figured it out when we got onboard. Anyone with experience yet? Thanks!

Would you be willing to share the cost of this tour? Thanks.

On Enchanted in October, they had Piraat at the Crown Grill Bar and Carlsberg at Princess Live. This was a European cruise, so I don't know if that will be true on a North American cruise. It is frustrating, as it seems there are sometimes beers not on the menu and only at certain bars....so always ask the bartender what they have that's not on the menu...

You can also now order a 'double' Wine...basically a large glass.....

Of course, this stuff is all on the Old App too. Even though we have "Fast" pace selected, never makes a difference..... It will be interesting to see if it matters on the Sun.....

Thanks. (Phew) Leave her in good shape. We'll be getting on as you are getting off... 😆

Which week is your group on the Sky? Inquiring minds want to know....😁

We were on Enchanted in October and it was our best cruise ever! Enjoy your cruise!

We're doing an Alaska cruise this summer out of Alaska. It's been many years since we have boarded in Vancouver. It says on our Trip Summary that boarding time is 1 PM and the ship departs at 4 PM. That seems kind of tight to me. Any recent experiences? Is it likely that boarding won't begin until 1 PM? TIA

Yay! I was hoping to see a Live from for SA. We'll be doing BA to Santiago in 2025 and am just starting the planning stage. I'll be following every word. Have an awesome trip! 🙂

Never been on HAL or Disney, so not sure how they do drinks. Do note that if you do want to tip a bartender (or anyone) extra, you will need cash. Princess no longer gives little pieces of paper to add a gratuity.

No free casual dining either.... ☹️

This. Wish I would have read this before my DD spent hours trying to get the old app to work. She also discovered that the web version doesn't require a special character, but the old app does....

Yep. Go to Princess.com Scroll all the way to the bottom where you see the topics list. 1st column about half way down is "Refer-a-Friend". This brings up a pop-up box.