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The host/hostess will scan your medallion on the first couple of nights. It never ceases to amaze me, that after 13 days, people still walk up to this door….and very politely “guided” to the other MDR.

I had plenty of time to get to Narita. Ship arrived on time. Took the transfer and got to the airport by 11 AM. Flight back to LAX was at 5 PM. What time are you looking for? Disembarkation was easy. Did have to go through customs. No clear line....mass of people. You have to claim your luggage before customs. Check in at the airport had some long lines (not for us) at Narita. You have to clear security. It is difficult to predict if the Diamond will encounter any unexpected delays. If you are doing a international flight, give yourself some room to breathe.

95% of the time, I have been able to get the same table. 100% of the time, I’ve had the same waiter. Even when “someone was at MY table” I was seated in another section and MY waiter served me. On the Grand, the Reserve Dining Room (it will always be Club Class Dining…ugh) is on the Starboard (ship’s right) side. But yes, as you face the dining rooms….it is on the physical “left” of you.

Availability depends on the voyage. I was shocked that the Diamond in Japan didn't start getting passengers until well after 6:30. It was empty. Most of my cruises have been with "early" diners. Can't speak for Europe. The general patterns seem to follow: 1. Doors open between 4:45 and 5 PM for dinner. 2. The "first wave" takes anywhere from 60 - 90 minutes. If you "miss" the first seating, there may be a short wait if you come between 6 and 6:30. 3. There are "invisible" walls that separate the MDR from Reserved Dining; meaning, if more tables are needed they just replace the table cloths and it magically becomes Reserved Dining. 4. Unless you really require front row of window tables, you can just walk in at any time. They have no hesitations to place a couple at a table for 4. 5. If you have to leave for an event, you can always return for coffee and desert after it. Last seating is by 8:30 - 9 PM. 6. Most Reserved Dining rooms are on Deck 6. All that I have been in have been Starboard. I have heard of a few others being port.

Although I like the Sapphire (have been on the Diamond), I am much more familiar with th Grand. Have done many, many, many cruises on the Grand. In all honesty, you can't go wrong with either. Both have great features. I don't need to ever use the middle staircase on the Grand. I rarely go up to One5 on the Grand

Depending on the length of your cruise. For a 7 day cruise, there will be 2 (and sometimes 3) production shows and some kind of entertainment every night in both theaters. Comedians, vocalist, magicians, etc. If it is a full ship, not everyone can be accommodated by the 2 performances each evening. 45 - 30 minutes if you have a desired location. I usually go around 32 minutes before the second show. I read, recently, that the CB did a "matinee" show on a sea day. Have yet to experience that.

We had breakfast on the CB on disembarkation morning. First time EVER on any ship (that I have been on ... lol...only other suites were on the Grand Princess).

All ships need a bigger theater. When they built the Royal Class ships, they took away public venues (like Club Fusion, Explorers Lounge, Wheelhouse, Promenaded Deck, etc) AND did not increase the size of the Princess Theater. What were they thinking? (rhetorical question/aka Sheldon Cooper).

The CB is too big to port. All tenders take you into the middle of the town. Lots and lots of youtube videos on this. Is your excursion one by the ship or on your own? If on your own, do you have Elite Status? We skipped Newport on my voyage because the Captain deemed it too dangerous to tender. I did tender in Bar Harbor. I am elite and it still took me a little less than an hour from checking in to getting off the tender with a 20 minute ride. We had priority boarding. Took our group before all the others. Someone had told me they had waited in the dining room for a little over 90 minutes. I gave myself plenty of time to get to my independent tour. Left the cabin at 9 AM for an 11 AM tour. If you are on a ship's excursion, they will gather you in a location and you will have priority boarding on either one of the outgoing tenders or one just for your group.

Is it my imagination or is your cruise whizzing back? Glad you have been able to enjoy all ports.

Sapphire really isn't an identical sister ship to the CB. Sapphire: 2670 passengers ...sister ships: Diamond (and more similar to the Grand Princess) Caribbean: 3140 passengers (1 extra deck) ...sister ships: Ruby, Crown, Emerald. Same size Princess Theater trying to accommodate 500 extra passengers.

Recently off the CB. On sea days, LOTS of people milling around with no place to go. But you would find that on any ship. Just where do you expect 3000 to 5000 passengers to go? Air Conditioning in the MDR was downright cold. Needed a sweater/wrap every meal. There were hit and miss cabins that had AC issues. Only one elevator that needed a repair. That's better than most ships. Food can vary by passengers. I thought it was good for me. Rarely visited the Buffet. Love the Crown Grill. The new menu in Sabatini's is better than the old. Tendering is a huge problem. But is the same for every ship. Bottom Line: I did not see any major issues on the CB. With packed ships across the fleet, you are going to run into issues with any Princess ship you choose to cruise on.

The only issue I now have is that FCDs are only good for a year. Yes, you may be able to request an extension. Princess expects you to cruise more often than once every 12 months…yes, you can apply them to a cruise 2 years down the line. During the shut down, all of mine expired before I could get on a ship to purchase more. I sailed several voyages without FCD OBC.

The only “advantage” for applying a FCD after booking a cruise is if is going to expire. It’s already paid for so why not reduce final payment instead of a refund. No OBC. I have tried to apply FCD after the fact and never received OBC.

I don’t “bother” her unless it is an emergency. I do all the research and email it to her. Over the years, we have developed quite a nice friendship.

She does, but is still available 24/7 via text or phone call.

Not enough to get me on a Royal Class ship. But the 360 is tempting.

And this is why I ONLY deal with my travel agent.

Your suite will come with a fully stocked, one time, minibar. It will have 10 alcoholic beverages and 10 non. In addition, the steward will bring you bottled water every night (sometimes includes the first night, other times not). If you are elite loyalty, you will receive a second complimentary mini-bar. Often times, that is plenty for a seven day cruise. It was really nice when you could trade it for a coffee "card" You can still trade it in for a bottle of their "fine" (hmmmm) wine.

You can either go to another travel agency or book it yourself and turn it over to her when she returns. You can always cancel...if you do it with a refundable deposit.

I think you should join me for a July 2024 cruise to Iceland and Greenland. The later and farther north you go, the better are your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. I liked Denmark, not sure if there are enough things to do for 3 ports. Are these 50% off cruises if booked onboard?

The Caribbean Princess was at 7:30 and 9:30. Someone just reported that they had an afternoon Princess Theater overflow on a sea day. Very crowded. You need to be ther at least 15 minutes before. More like 30.

@triple7tahoe It comes as an email link from Princess.

I took the Princess transfer from the pier to the airport. I was surprised how far out of the city the SMALL airport was.

I’m vertically challenged. Once it’s done…that’s it, not OSHA approved.