SantaFeFan

I have always heard that phrase in the context of a mild insult, so I took it that way. Perhaps different people have different meanings for it?

Our only inaugural cruise was Celebrity Reflection, the fifth ship in it's class, because the itinerary and timing were perfect for us. The ship was brand new and had that "new ship" smell. Nothing was worn out, everything worked perfectly, and we had zero issues during our 14 day cruise. If there were any issues, they were unseen and did not affect us in any way. Granted, there were four previous ships in that class, so all the bugs could have been rectified before this ship was even built. Having said that, we probably wouldn't do another inaugural due to what other people have experienced on their inaugural cruises. No sense taking chances. We might have been lucky once, but what are the odds of being lucky a second time.

All we got was some personalized stationary, a picture frame, and a single photo of the group with the captain. Not sure why your "but you do you" comment is warranted. That phrase is a condescending way of telling someone that they are wrong. 🙄

And this from someone who in a previous post describes that she lives in a quiet, serene environment and relishes the sounds of people around her as a welcome change. Sorry, but you are the exception. Most of us deal with noise every day and want solitude on our balconies. That you seem to think we are too demanding for wanting that solitude is disappointing. Differences of perceptions based on differences of experience. Neither is right or wrong - just different.

On every cruise I have taken with a balcony, the only noise I ever heard out there was an occasional discussion by next door balcony neighbors, and even then it was respectfully subdued. Maybe I have been lucky to have avoided selfish people who think that what they want is the only thing that counts, and so they smoke, play music, or talk loudly. So, no, I don't subscribe to your "virtually impossible" and "need to be realistic" beliefs. People need to be respectful of others when in close proximity to each other. That is what I always do. That some don't agree with that simple act of courtesy is disappointing.

The flaw in your argument is that while you claim to "scan" the area for the absence of neighbors, there is no guarantee that they might suddenly appear at any moment after your supposed scan. All you can assume is that there wasn't anyone there ONLY when you looked. People come and go, and you will be disturbing them when they do show up. It is NOT a "first come, first gets what they want" situation.

Most of us live in the suburbs, where noise is a fact of life, so we hear enough noise at home. On a cruise on my private balcony, all I want to hear is the waves against the ship. Other people's noise pollution is not appreciated. I didn't pay all this money to be forced to hear what they want to hear.

There is not that much "crap". Just a few dollars worth of stuff that are more souvenirs than anything else. And no non-crew members are allowed in the engine room. Instead, you visit the engine CONTROL room. Some ships have windows that look over the engine room, but many don't. The tour that I took was approximately three hours long, with refreshments included.

I'll vouch for it being well worth the money. As well as those areas mentioned above, we toured the backstage area of the main theater, the area where the anchors are "parked" while at sea, the crew lounge and mess, as well as using the "I-95" corridor to move about the ship. (I-95 is the crew only lower level central corridor that stretches from front to back of the ship for crew and supply movements).

Imagine the actions that would be taken if the speaker owner threw overboard the speaker thrower! Would they both be removed for polluting the ocean? LOL!!!

Yep, his antics are hard to take. But, he seems to have some of the best cruise information out there, so I put up with it. His peculiarities keep me interested while "Let's go travel tips" causes me to doze off if I'm not careful.

Yeah, right! Somehow I'm having a difficult time believing that.

A San Francisco overnight is not guaranteed, so don't assume as much. Even with an overnight, four hours on a bus would deter many people from visiting. Personally, it makes no difference to me as I can drive to Monterey anytime in a little over an hour, which I do a couple of times per year. Just disappointed for people who will probably visit this area once and will lose out on a beautiful stop.

Not ideal at all. Then people will have to decide between two ports to visit, one a four hour round trip, instead of having both available. Monterey is pretty much dead when ships visit. Overcrowding is NOT an issue. I visit Monterey often. The peak season is well outside the times when cruise ships visit.

"It is Princess Cruise Lines who set the dress code SUGGESTIONS, not your fellow passenger." There. I fixed your typo. You are welcome. BTW: your "not your fellow passenger" comment is 100% appropriate for why you "hardliners" are so wrong.

Talk about a sense of entitlement!!! How about you look the other way for MY pleasure. Why do you think everyone should be dressing to please you? The dining room is not a fashion competition.

Why do you even care what someone else wears? I certainly don't. I have outgrown my "Billy is making faces at me" behavior a loooong time ago.

58 days for our March cruise. They may not have checked on past cruises, but there is no guarantee that they won't start in the future. Best to pick your preferred time just in case.

I doubt it was even sent. The quote "The shortcomings of this ill-conceived piece of technological rubbish have been well-documented in this forum..." tells me it was only written to be posted here for CC members to offer sympathy. How would Mr. Padgett, or anyone at Princess, know what forum the OP was talking about? Nope. It was not meant, or sent, to Mr. Padgett.

The so-called "dress code" is indeed only a suggestion. It is not a demand nor a requirement. The key word in what you are quoting as your argument is "SHOULD". It is not "MUST". Why do some of you have such a hard time understanding that simple, inarguable fact???? FYI: I follow the SUGGESTED dress code. Because I want to. Not because I have to. And I don't give a darn what anyone else wears. I am too confident a person to let what someone else wears ruin my dinner.

Thank you!!!

Seems it's always the traditionalists that make those unfounded claims. More hyperbole to try to make the situation more dire than it actually is to justify their own demands.

No one is flouting anything. The dress code is a suggestion, not a requirement. How can someone flout a suggestion?????

Did you order it before or after boarding? Who did you talk to? I want to have flowers for my wife since our March Hawaii cruise is to celebrate our 39th anniversary.

In those early days of flying, only the rich could afford to fly. Only after the Boeing 707 jet plane was introduced in the mid 50s, with it's much lower operating costs, could the average passenger afford it. Until then, people did dress up to travel on planes. Here is a photo of a Boeing Stratocruiser 1951 for example.