nini

Actually, that is possible on some cruise lines; even during the school breaks; Viking Ocean and Virgin are two that I know of.

There are those on these boards who vehemently protest our experience on the Celebrity Reflection (pre-covid), close to implying that we are dishonest about our experience. We were not new to cruising in 2018. 1. Demeanor was snooty/ nose upturned attitudes from the crew. We wanted to relax in the Sky Observation Lounge one afternoon and a person met us at the entrance asking us for our invitation. She was very snooty when telling us that we were not of the upper class (had not cruised enough with Celebrity) to be there. 2. The bartenders never smiled, were very rude. I was told in a very derogatory manner that my beverage package only included two white wines. 3. Our first dinner in the dining room took about 3 hours. The service was horrid, very slow, unfriendly and aloof. And the food was mediocre. 4. Therefore, we ate in the buffet most of the time. No one ever smiled. After 12 days, I think one staff member asked if we wanted to order beverages. The tables were rarely cleared of dishes. Flies buzzed around and landed on the food- right where the stir fry cook was standing and other places. They did nothing to cover the food. On Princess, there are staff constantly asking if they can get you coffee, water, juice, cocktails, etc. There are also many clearing off the tables and clearing dishes. 5. The ship felt dark and enclosed. We are used to the bright and open atriums on Princess. 6. EVERY show on the Reflection included an aerial acrobatic act.... We loved our itinerary and did private (not through the ship) tours. Our cabin steward was a sweetheart and we tipped him extra.

Pardon me, but I really needed to respond. We do not care for a modern (chrome and glass) type decor and were attracted to this hotel as well. We stayed there one night (I thank God that was all) pre-cruise this past June. This was one of the very worst lodging/ hotel experience we have ever endured. 1. Please know that you will NOT be able to even come close to checking in before 4:00 pm. There were about 20 guests waiting in the hotel for check-in. We arrived at the hotel about noon the next day after our flight(s) from Washington State. We had been "up" for at least 24 hours Plus. Upon arrival, we were told that under no circumstances would we be able to check in before 4:00 p.m. (even though some rooms were most likely ready). The manager was very into her personal power authority. 2. When I made the reservation, I asked for a quiet location because I had read about the rooms in the front on the busy street. We were first in line to be checked in. 3. We received one of the very worst rooms! If you look at the photo on their ad, we were placed in the middle room with the windows just above the first yellow awning. 4. I think it was a Friday night and the extremely loud music and crowds droned on until about 1:30 am. The hotel restaurant and the one across the street were like a loud frat party and carnival until then. This street is closed to traffic and filled with partiers and pedestrians until the wee hours. The only redeeming factor was a sweet guy who I think was the Assistant Manager and I think that if I was reading his mind correctly, he was uncomfortable with the Manager and her control and power trips. He was actually a sweetheart with information later, especially when she went off duty. The sweetheart manager called us a cab the next morning to take us to the port and the driver was very friendly and knowledgeable, taking us straight to the Sky Princess, as there were about 5 ships in port that morning.

It is on the Promenade deck across from Gigi's. Bellini's is close by.

Thank you for sharing this positive experience. I trust DH is feeling better.

Without any moralizing, you may want to consider the Plus package if you enjoy 2 glasses of wine in the evening. 2 glasses of wine (including gratuity): $35.40 Crew Gratuities 16.00 Internet 15.00 (Daily) Total 66.40 For me, I would be adding a gourmet espresso drink in the am as well as two bottles of water (one to take ashore on my excursion). We always use one device for each of us and often go online or Facetime our kids. It works well. Enjoy Alaska!!! It is fabulous. we have also brought wine onboard from ports as well and it was not an issue. But that was before the Plus package.

LOL! We also discovered the Princess Live Bar and it was super convenient for us.

Remember to include morning drinks like good coffee drinks and hot cocoa. Do you like to take water onshore with you? We always grab water bottles for our shore excursions. We always use internet and tip so that is also included. I enjoy wine in the evening and maybe a Mai Tai on sea days. DH can't drink alcohol but enjoys a Virgin Pina Colada. Therefore, it is worth it for me and DH can come close.

We describe Princess as "Casual & Comfy Elegance", as well as affordable. We are able to cruise when kids are typically in school, therefore they are very scarce when we are onboard. We like the "Anytime Dining" concept because passengers can select a regular "Traditional Dining" experience or go to any dining room and at anytime they choose. Holland America did not have many activities and it became rather quiet about 8:00 p.m.The ship we were on was only about 4 years old at the time and I thought it was very well worn. We have only been on Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess. Our last Celebrity cruise convinced us to never cruise with them again. I know they have a very faithful clientele, but we describe them as "Lazy Snootiness". It was an all around negative experience, including the food and dining. The itinerary was really good and we enjoyed all of the ports.

Yes! I remember. The cruise and ship were delightful. Mother Nature performed very nicely.

@charliedalrymple Thank you for sharing your adventure with us. Please know that the time frame of your current cruise would have more kids onboard than usual. When we cruise, there are typically maybe 3 -4 kids onboard. I think there we saw 4 kids onboard last June on the Sky.

I am looking forward to your impressions of Sabatini's.

I read the reports of that particular cruise. As I recall, it happened a few weeks before we boarded the Sky this last June. We fell in love with the ship and crew. We had fantastic weather at each port except one. The Captain was very personable and the Cruise Director was probably the best we have experienced, including his crew. He had just boarded and his team acted as if they had all been working together for quite some time.

It is nice you have found some cruise lines to your liking. We sailed Celebrity twice and will not return. The 3 of us (all adults) experienced the same unhappy experiences on the Celebrity Reflection in the Fall 2018- before covid. We were quite shocked but really enjoyed the itinerary.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think you may be onto something: change in crew and later not so nice weather. As I have stated; we loved the Sky last June for Norway and Iceland.

As has been mentioned, Mother Nature became a part of your cruise as well. We loved the Sky last June for Norway and Iceland. Our only negative was our cabin steward. The job is not a good match for him.

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I know that we will NOT be staying where we stayed last time! NO WAY!

I am surprised that your TA did not contact you. We have a TA but also get notifications like that from Princess.

As @john watson has stated, those are nice larger balconies and they are partially covered. I typically do a search on "Images" for a ship and check out the photos.

I think you may have a good point. As much as DH and I think it would be fun to cruise over Christmas with or without the family, I remind myself of the very high percentage of kids onboard.

Thanks, @john watson.We are still so undecided on whether to book the Princess transfer from LHR on the day of the cruise, after spending overnight at an airport hotel versus taking a coach out to Southampton the day before and staying in a hotel there.

If you do rent a car, be prepared for STICKER SHOCK! And reserve ASAP.

Was this recently on the Sky as well? Or.......

Some balconies have partial or full coverage.

Thanks for your reply.