jeromep

Some of the waiters can be, almost, overly attentive. It is a nice surprise when they treat you that well.

In the olden days, not that many years ago, the maitre d' would hold office hours on embarkation day to sort out passenger dining issues, typically folks who were not able to get a scheduled dining assignment when they booked the cruise, would visit the main dining room (MDR) that the maitre d' would set up shop in, and would then work with them to get squeezed into scheduled dining. It was also the place you went if you were in a scheduled dining time that you didn't like and wanted it changed. I can't imagine that embarkation day was all that present for the maitre d' having to tell a bunch of folks that they can't move their dining time or that traditional dining is full and they will just have to live with Anytime Dining. But for what you want Speciality Dining, all you have to do is set up a reservation through the Princess app. Or, if you don't want to do that, you can call the dine line when you get on board and they will get you a reservation to the specialty dining of your choice. Demand for specialty dining venues varies from cruise to cruise and the clientele that composes who's on board. We did an Alaska cruise many years ago where Sabatini's and the Crown Grill were nearly empty most evenings. We did an Eastern Caribbean cruise a couple of years later and could barely get any reservation for dinner in either restaurant. No telling what your cruise will be like, but what is key is know how many guests need to be accommodated and book it now through the app or book as soon as you get on board. I don't think you'll have any difficulties either way. Specialty dining.

They have very normal coin-op laundromat equipment. Token driven, of course. So, you do have water temp and cycle selections on the washers. That photo in the thread is excellent, and those Maytag commercial washers are excellent washers.

Safari on both iOS and Mac is a fine browser, but has some deficiencies compared to Firefox or Chrome. Go into settings and allow cross-site tracking. That is one of the biggest issues I see with Safari is that it's cross-site tracking controls are not very sophisticated. Firefox, Chrome, et al., all handle cross site tracking much better as they intelligently determine if cross-site activity is legitimate, in that you are using a web site and you are asking for resources from that site which come from other sites or servers and is legitimate, or if the cross-site activity is less legitimate and should be prevented. Safari uses a sledge hammer, if you have cross site tracking blocked in Safari, which is its default setting, then it blocks all cross-site activity no matter the legitimacy. That does break some web sites on occasion. So, that is why I encourage Safari users to go into Safari settings or preferences and allow cross-site tracking. You'll be amazed as to how much it improves Safari's performance and reliability. Apple really does need to model their cross-site tracking feature to be what Firefox and Chrome do and not fly on their own.

I'd take the longer itinerary and be on the Crown. Some additional notes about booking cabins to follow. Astoria is a unique port stop. Lots of history in the area. I've perused some of the typical shore excursions they offer for Astoria and they are all excellent. The Columbia River Maritime museum is excellent, and probably within walking distance of the dock you'll end up tying up at. The Astoria Column is typically on a few of the excursions and the views from the hilltop it is located on, plus the views from the top of the tower are spectacular, assuming that you aren't fogged in. There may be an excursion that takes you to Fort Clatsop, which is one of the final points on the journey of Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. Well worth visiting. There may also be an excursions that goes to Fort Stevens State Park, which is a Civil War through WWII era coastal battery fort. Again, plenty of history to absorb. It is also one of the largest State Parks in the nation, and has one of the largest state park campgrounds I've ever stayed at. We typically make a week long vacation of taking the RV to Fort Stevens and camping. It is very popular. If you want to get your campsite of choice, preferably with full hookups, you have to be online and on the booking web site at midnight 6 months ahead of your first night camping there to get booked. That is how popular the place is. The shorter itinerary that doesn't include Astoria is ok, but all the ports are just your typical big city ports, with the exception of Victoria, which has quite a bit of charm in and of itself. In terms of giving your sister-in-law a good cruise experience, if you believe that ports matter, then the longer cruise on the Crown will probably do fine. Get the cabin with an obstructed view so you have some sunshine and outside light. Avoid inside cabins like the plague. Everyone I've ever known that cruised for the first time and bargain basement priced their cruise by choosing an inside cabin has never been back. Everyone I know that has had at least a balcony on their first cruise has done more cruises after their first. I will never cruise with an inside cabin. The Royal Class ships, like the Majestic are impressive vessels, and very modern. If you think the size, condition, and grandeur of the ship will matter when trying to make your sister-in-law a cruiser, then the Majestic has a lot more to offer. The Crown is a beautiful ship, but is from a different era and doesn't really reflect where I think cruise ships their size and scope are going. Many of us like the older Grand class ships due to their "smaller" size, but that size of ship at Princess I think is a thing of the past. I bet in another 10 years there will be very few of the Grand sisters left in the fleet. I recommend finding and talking with an independent travel agent if you are not finding rooms on the Crown Princess sailing that are to your liking. You might get lucky working through a travel agent. Travel agents, especially the independent travel agents, have resources and connections which may give them access to cabins which are not on offer on the Princess web site, but may be available to agents. Just food for thought. That is absolutely likely the reason that Astoria was missed or would be missed on any cruise. Weather conditions make getting over the bar very difficult. If getting over the bar isn't a sure thing, or if the Columbia River Pilots advise against it, they will cancel the port stop.

As a tourist, I recommend all of your ground transportation in the Seattle area be conducted by Uber or Lyft; including going from the airport to your pre-cruise hotel, and after your cruise, from the port to your hotel, and from the hotel to the airport. They are reliable, their vehicles are clean, and Uber and Lyft give you the ability to see them coming to you, follow along on the app as they drive you to your destination, and if you have a problem there are some emergency assistance features in the apps. However, I doubt you'll have any issue.

That's going to be a very chilly cruise to Alaska. I hope the cruise prices reflect the fact that this isn't just shoulder season, this is neck and ears season.

There's quite a few services. And I'm not trying to be rude by saying that a Google search will list out all the providers sites, but it is true. You'll find all the black car services by doing a Google search, and their sties an booking engines. There is Shuttle Express, Seattle Town Car Service, Starline, and the list goes on. Also note that in Uber, when you are at SeaTac and you are hailing a ride, one of the options Uber offers is black car and black SUV service, similar to, if not identical to, the car services you are used to using. I hope you enjoy Seattle and your cruise.

We cruised out of Vancouver a few years ago on a wonderful Princess California Coastal cruise. It was the first cruise for that season out of Canada Place and it brings back happy memories. We nicknamed it the "prairie province grandparents cruise" because we were one of the few groups of Americans on the cruise, we were much younger than most on the cruise, we had our 22 month old daughter with us, who attracted a lot of attention from other passengers, again mostly Canadian grandparents from Saskatchewan and Alberta. That said... We drove to Vancouver, stayed at a hotel out by the airport that had a park and fly/cruise package, and we didn't bring any CA$ with us. We stayed a couple of days in Vancouver prior to the cruise so my wife could explore and get her Canada fix, and we exchanged CA$ at the hotel front desk when we felt we needed them. The exchange rate was like a flat 27% both directions, so it didn't follow the daily spot rate, but it was well within the acceptable range for exchange. We used very little cash in Vancouver. I think we mostly used coin to pay parking meters, but there were no issues using Visa or MC anyplace. Canada is a chip and pin country, where even when you use credit cards their systems are set up to use chip and pin to verify the user and legitimacy of the transaction. Credit card processing in the U.S., even though we have adopted chip cards, doesn't use pin numbers to verify transactions, it is still signature collection, or no verification at all. Canadian merchants will often be caught off guard when you use your card and their terminal doesn't ask for a PIN and also starts spitting out signature receipts. They immediately know you are not from around those parts. I'd recommend ensuring that you have a credit card that doesn't charge service fees for using the card in a foreign country. Your card issuer will also adjust foreign transaction when they settles based upon the daily spot exchange rate along with a built in padding by the card issuer for doing the exchange. Because CA$ is weaker than US$, everything will settle at a lower price than what is on your receipt. We kept our Canadian funds until the end of the cruise and we exchanged it back to US at the hotel when we picked up our car. So, what I'd say is that you can get along with your regular credit cards (with the issuers notified of your travel plans ahead of time), plus some US cash, but you should be able to exchange your US for Canadian at a hotel front desk for any incidental needs.

The monorail isn't really a public transit system. It is more of a tourist attraction. It has exactly two stops, the Seattle Center and Westlake Center, a shopping mall. If I'm feeling nostalgic about Seattle and have friends along that have never really explored the city we'll get monorail tickets at the Seattle Center, ride it to the mall, kill and hour or two and then ride it back. It is a neat ride and well worth doing, but it isn't public transit; it's a hold over from the World's Fair of 1962. The World's Fair was also the reason that the Space Needle was constructed. I have a very negative view of Seattle's public transit. It is an uncoordinated mishmash of different systems, all half under construction, and none of which really connect to each other or make sense. Others may disagree with me, but the light rail, along with the streetcar are relatively recent developments in public transit in Seattle and service a particular market of public transit consumer. Seattle is basically a bus town. As for them being good for non-residents to just hop on and use, not really. Plus the homeless and public addict problem in Seattle is a major problem and those folks are frequently found on public transit and often times are using. Want a chance at a fentanyl contact high, choose public transit. You will save time and energy limiting your ground transportation needs to Uber and Lyft. I've only had good experience with rideshare drivers in the Seattle area. That is 5. That group will definitely want to consider Uber SUV so there is room for everyone to ride and all the luggage. Or you will need two Ubers, so your sister and brother-in-law will both have to have Uber or Lyft accounts and each hail a vehicle. I didn't know anybody called Lower Queen Anne Uptown. It has always been Lower Queen Anne to me.

What @Ferry_Watcher and @Prost Seattle said. It actually makes me cringe when folks talk about The Market and not use the correct words, and I don't live live on the west side of the state. That said, if you want to be right on top of the market, you can stay at Inn at the Market, and you will be about a minute away. https://www.innatthemarket.com/ This is a higher end property, so expect a higher end price. Seattle is an expensive city, be prepared for hotel rooms to be +200/night. Anything less and you got an exceptional deal or the place is a dump. Be glad you are not driving to Seattle, every hotel charges for parking, what a rip off. You'll be right near Beecher's Cheese when you visit The Market. Drop in and get some of their mac and cheese. It is to die for. If you miss it while in Seattle, they have a shop in Concourse C at SeaTac, right across from the Horizon Air gates, which I think are the C2 gates. When I'm passing through SeaTac, I always get a bowl of mac and cheese.

I think it is coming. It has to. That is what we used to say on the U.S. west coast all the time. Why can't we get a new build every now and then? And they finally did with the Discovery Princess. Prior to discovery being assigned to west coast home ports, Majestic was suppose to be home ported on the west coast and I felt that was a pretty fair upgrade over the older Grand class ships we'd been relegated to hosting. I wish you a new build in your future.

So far the discourse here is almost totally positive, at least in terms of people just wanting things to be better or right, so while this thread would be an interesting read and move on, I guess I'll jump in. I probably won't add much to what has already been said. Focus on consistency, especially with food, but with the overall experience. Folks who cruise frequently, like a few times each year shouldn't be on 2 or 3 or 4 or more ships and come back with wildly different experiences. If that is happening, that means your command and control over your service standards is either non-existant or not being enforced. While a mystery shopper program for cruising could be very expensive, it would help you identify ships and staff which are following standards and those that are not. Princess needs a secret group of staff which do nothing but pretend to be vacationers, going on cruises and reporting back to corporate how things are, or who are on board and can be contacted by corporate and asked to look in on something from a passenger's eyes on a moment's notice. Menu's on board need to be a balance of "Princess Favorites" (like fettuccine Alfredo, et al.), which are there every night, and more avant garde dishes which you may not see or even be able to find back home but which elevate the cruise experience and make it special. Certain deserts, like the Love Boat Dream, and the pistachio dome, need to be exactly the same from cruise-to-cruise, whereas there should be room for skilled bakers and pastry chefs to serve items they are best at preparing. I've seen a lot of menus lately and they are not all that inspiring. I used to know a couple in a Mac user group that would do road trips during the summer. Where did they eat while on the road? Applebee's. I asked them about this once as I expressed to them that I thought they were missing out on being able to experience the local cuisine in whatever city they were overnighting in. Their response has stuck with me all these years. Consistency. They ate at Applebees most nights because they knew what they were getting. I've read a lot of threads here about food, and the one thing that keeps coming back to me is lack of consistency more than any other factor that affects food presentation and appeal. Plus, people who choose not to pay for specialty dining shouldn't be punished with substandard cuts of meat or under-flavored dishes. The on-board goal should be that every meal is exceptional, not that every dish is exceptional, that is sometimes up to personal taste, but that everyone who dines on board finds something they think they will like and the overall dining experience will be exceptional. This also means tightening up MDR dining times, getting them down to an hour, maybe 90 minutes from start to finish. The two hour dinners with lots of waiting time between courses just doesn't cut it. Princess needs to be very careful to not nickle and dime people too much. Having an up-charge for everything on board makes the experience feel cheep. Many here have derided Plus and Premier, however if Princess pares down other package offerings, simplifies what can be purchased pre-cruise, this may be the bridge that allows them to continue to operate as a mid-market line. I like the fact that I can "buy-up" into a cruise experience that is more like an all-inclusive resort, which puts me closer to the lux lines than it does to the mass-market lines and without the lux line premium. Some of the earliest posts in this thread wanted to bag the packages and go back to a la carte pricing for everything, but that ship has sailed. And on top of that, this many months into the packages, if they were not working for Princess, they would be being dispensed with or the offering would quietly go away. More than anything else, now that the packages are a "thing", clean up the web site, remove the pre-pay options which seem to crash into Plus and Premier, and simplify the overall booking and pre-cruise management experience. Speaking of quietly going away. Notice how the co-branding that Princess was doing a few years ago has evaporated. The Salty Dog no longer references a chef name, and might be relegated to Lido deck food in the coming months on some ships. Same goes for Chocolate Journeys. And Curtis Stone and the Share concept hit the skids so long before all of this. I find it interesting that professional marketers never own and explain changes they make. Did Share not hit the same numbers as Sabatini's does? Is your time having use of the Salty Dog name coming to and end and you need to come up with replacement venues so you don't have a contract violation? You don't have to tell us the gory details, but it would be nice to know why some things have come and gone. With Share, maybe it is enough to say something pithy like, "while Share was enjoyed by thousands of our guests, they also expressed that they missed their favorite dishes and experience at Sabatini's. Many said that when they cruised they always looked forward to dining at Sabatini's while on a Princess ship. While we remain committed to bringing you, our valued guest new experiences, sometimes we have to stand back and listen and bring back those things that make Princess special to you." When I first started cruising Princess had virtually no co-branding. Everything was in-house. When you stepped on board a Princess ship you were in Princess' little world. No Starbucks, no McDonalds, no Applebee's. It was refreshing, you really were on vacation. Not that the recent co-brands they have done have occurred with people that are household names, it still felt out of place to have "celebrity" chefs names being attached to a desert section of an MDR menu or on a main dish in the MDR. Ditching the endorsements, co-brands, and celebrity chefs is a cost cutting measure that shouldn't negatively impact passengers. I suspect that Princess discovered that these associations weren't really getting them extra passengers or profit. That is just some of what I would suggest.

I was expecting this to be a repositioning cruise of some sort to move the Majestic into its fall/winter season of cruising, but the fact that it is RT Vancouver disqualifies this as a repo. I also live in Washington, but on the east side and all of these stops (not thinking about Ketchikan) are over 2 hours drive from us. A port day in Seattle would not be interesting or exotic, but Astoria is an interesting place to have a port day, and with enough hours in Victoria, that also makes for a nice port day. And who doesn't like Ketchikan? Also, there is a pretty big gap in the itinerary for the Majestic in September. It does two 7 day Alaska runs at the beginning of the month, and then there seems to be a week that is missing until this cruise. Is she going into dry dock?

I've experienced the sewage smell on a couple of ships in the distant past. Many, many years ago on the Golden Princess. Caught the smell in the elevator lobby near the entry to the theater. And then years after that on the Star Princess, same location, elevator lobby near the entry to the theater. I suspect a combination of age, and a design flaw in sewage holding tank venting that was causing the issue. Difficult to know if it was bad ventilation, a problem with sewage holding and treatment, an aging sewage system, or ventilation to the outside which was being sucked back inside by a fresh air inlet placed too close to a sewage vent. Note that the Golden and Star were nearly identical sisters and very close in age. Both ships have been transferred to P&O Australia and sail under different names now.

So, read the press release for The Catch and I'm afraid it is a hard "nope" for me. Too many dishes with shells and exoskeletons still present, at least that is what I saw when I opened up the photo gallery that was linked to the press release. Bistro sur la Mer's menu was something I was more inclined to enjoy, and a bit broader selection than just seafood. However, without a menu and only photos of what are probably the signature items, this isn't going to be a draw for me. As for the pub changes, Salty Dog changing to an Irish pub concept, that isn't a tremendous stretch. I find it interesting that the Salty Dog branding is being relegated to the grill on the Lido.

Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.

1. I'm not sure what you are asking, but with all hotel decks, you want to avoid the deck directly above any public venue, especially an entertainment venue, like the Vista Lounge, etc. You want to avoid that first hotel deck above the public areas of the ship as a place like the Vista Lounge will have shows and music generally well past midnight. Most people report that they can hear the music through the floor. And you want to avoid the hotel deck directly below the Lido, you'll may get a lot of foot traffic noise or furniture movement noise. The problem with the Royal class ships and the aft cabins is that the ship has a "fastback" rear, so all of the aft cabin balconies are only partially covered, some with more coverage than others, but none being fully covered. This is a huge departure from the older Grand Class ships which have a galleon stern and the aft cabins are all fully covered. Plus, you have no privacy on those balconies as folks that are standing on the public decks on the aft can look down a see your balcony. 2. Give yourself plenty of time both on embarkation day and on disembarkation day. I don't ever recommend arriving by air on embarkation day or departing by air on disembarkation day. I always pad myself one overnight in the embarkation and disembarkation port to ensure that I'm in the port city on the day of embarkation and stay overnight and fly out at my leisure after a cruise. I tend to be a tense traveler and this reduces my stress level so much. 3. I can't think of anything that we didn't need. I think the better question to ask is what should you bring. Also, a better question is what didn't you bring that you should have. Make yourself up a medpack. It should include some basic first aid items, OTC meds for many different maladies; allergies, digestive, motion sickness, pain, etc. In this day in age, I highly recommend a "dr. heal thyself" mentality to cruising. If you have cruise or travel insurance (and if you don't, get it!) you can probably be reimbursed for a visit to the medical center, but a visit there will cost you hundreds of dollars out of pocket and charged to your onboard foilo for every visit, no matter how minor. Go if you are actually injured. Their medical staff is excellent. However, if you have the sniffles, hit your medpack for an OTC that will provide you comfort. Shoes are very important. You'll need something nice for on board. Something athletic if you use the gym or exercise on the top deck, and you'll want something that is waterproof or boot like for port days in Alaska. 4. I'm a guy. I pack slacks and a shirt and tie for formal nights, along with a nice pair of shoes that look good with slacks and a tie. That is about as dressed up as I get. I did a cruise once with a full, rented, tux. It was cool, but a big pain to carry the tux on and off the ship, makes the luggage heavy. Lots of other cruises I packed slacks, shirt, tie and a blazer. Blazers get messed up in luggage pretty easily, and are bulky and heavy in luggage. So, I'm down to pants, shirt and tie, and that has made my life so much easier. Alaska tends to be less formal. You'll fit in in the dining room most nights with nice pants and a decent shirt and nobody will bat an eye. 5. Magnets to post paper work to the wall of your cabin, a lot like you would to your fridge. Magnetic hooks for hanging up things like bags and purses. I've never actually packed magnets. We find other ways to hang things up and store things. But it is a good idea. Join your cruise's roll call in the roll call section of Cruise Critic. You'll be in contact with other cruisers on your sailing. They will also be asking for advice and providing information. Plus you'll already be somewhat familiar with some of the people you'll meet on board.

Go ahead and check out the higher end jewelry on board, however I would not be afraid to buy a nice watch. Value and quality of jewelry is all in the eye of the beholder. The thing about watches is that there is a lot less to wonder about in terms of quality as they are all standardized and basically mass produced. The brands on board are all good to excellent and any manufacturer warranty is valid as Princess is a registered dealer for all the brands they offer. I've always thought Citizen made a nice watch for the price and you are buying it duty free. And when you buy watches or jewelry you get it when you buy it, they don't hold it till the end of the cruise like booze or smokes. I should also add that if you price compare watches on board to watches at your local jeweler, you may find the price on board very competitive. I purchased a watch on a cruise many years ago and it was at least $200 less than my local jeweler and it was tax free. But you have to know your prices or be willing to hop on the Internet and do a bit of research. Oh, avoid the sea day "yard sales" in the Piazza. It is almost always a mad house and on top of that, what they put out is the inventory they need to let go of and everything is basically lower end. I like the suggestion of blowing your OBC in the spa. I've never had a bad treatment in the spa, always been treated like royalty, and the therapists are all very professional and skilled. Plus, if the spa is a bit slow during the cruise, you may be offered discounts on repeat visits directly by your therapist after your treatment. Don't hesitate to take them up on the discount and get booked for another treatment. A tip about the spa, don't indicate on their intake form that you have any skin issues. They use that form to try to upsell you the cosmetic products they sell on board. Since you have the OBC, if you like the stuff buy it, but otherwise, I'd pass.

You made a great point that is frequently ignored. Noro could be coming on board from passenger contact with something in a port stop. When it seems like a ship just can't shake it for numerous sailings, like the Caribbean seems to be suffering right now, I can't help but wonder if there is a port stop on its route which is "reintroducing" it to the ship. So the introduction isn't happening on turn around day, but there is some activity or eatery in a port which is infecting passengers halfway through the cruise. This is all academic as it is very difficult to pinpoint where Noro gets introduced into a "system". I too am super cautious, and am an avid hand washer. I wash before every meal. I'm the weirdo that visits a restaurant, orders, and after having handled the menu am compelled to visit the restroom to soap up. I've felt very positive toward the cruise lines for putting in hand washing stations in the buffets. Too bad they can't make the handwashing thing a bit of an airlock, or better yet, a squeeze chute. You only get into the buffet if you walk into the "washing chamber", and you don't get through the next set of doors in the buffet unless you wash up. Don't want to do that? Go to the dining room, hit up the grill on the Lido, have somebody hand you your food.

I have Premier on my next cruise and was getting indications of there being a shipping charge. So, I bagged it and decided to get my Medallions at the port. I see no need to have them delivered at home and then have to carry them with me to the port. One more thing for me to loose in transit. That would be like the cruise line mailing you cruise cards 2 or 3 weeks before your vacation and then having you bring them to the port. Makes no sense to me. And for those that don't have Plus or Premier, I hope you too choose to get your Medallions at the port. The message needs to be sent that up charges for unnecessary things are not acceptable. The more people that don't pay for the "service" the less likely that the service will continue to be offered. On top of that, I suspect that Princess is using a third party to do their app and Medallion program development. It is unlikely that Princess has hired an extensive programming staff to work on the Medallion and its companion app. They are farming this out to a third-party programmer and therefore Princess has to deal with extended programming times, and issues with programming quality control. I also suspect that the programmers do not have the tools necessary to actually test and validate the programming changes they are making, which means that we are all the "beta" testers for the Medallion and the app.

I'm an RVer. I have to dump tanks. Just because you wear gloves when doing the tank dump doesn't mean that when you are done you rip off your gloves with careless abandon and go on with your business. You have to be pretty methodical in how you take off the gloves to prevent contamination, and you always have to wash up right after you get the gloves off. No RVer in their right mind "raw dogs" their dump routine. That isn't to say I haven't witnessed it way too many times to count. These are the same people that are walking around at the dump station and letting their tanks rip while wearing flip flops. In much the same way, if you were to wear food handlers gloves in the buffet to serve yourself, you would still have to have a routine to remove the gloves when you return to the table in such a way that you do not contaminate your hands with the outside of the gloves. That is actually more difficult than it appears. Note that in food service, if you are serving food, the proper procedure is to wash then put on the gloves. Then when done you remove the gloves and wash again and move on to the next task. Instances of Noro on cruises would go down and stay down if buffets were no longer self service. During the "sick" time of the year, typically fall, winter and early spring, the cruise lines could probably prevent full on outbreaks if they moved to served buffets before the sick season started and before somebody that is sick and has poor hygiene gets on board and spreads it around.

Well..., until details are made more public, a 4 week dry dock, which is about what the gap in schedule seems to indicate, can get a lot done. It is about 2 days to transit from San Francisco to Portland, plus it is a bit slow going heading up the Columbia River and to the Willamette River. I suspect at least another day of transit to get to Vigor in Portland, assuming that the suggestion I read in the thread indicating that the dry dock is going to occur in Portland is correct. Probably another day to float the dry dock. And then reverse the whole thing back the other way again to get to San Francisco for the Panama Canal Cruise. So the dry dock will probably only be about 2 weeks, and maybe a couple of extra days. A lot can happen in 2 weeks, with enough workers and good project coordination. A 2 week drydock is going to handle any mechanical needs that can't be done while the hull is wet. I suspect hull painting and coating will occur. Propeller resurfacing is also likely. Inside the ship they can change a lot. And a lot of soft surfaces will be replaced, lots of upholstery, and carpets to be changed. Sure, they aren't going to be doing major structural changes to the ship, but once done I suspect she will be incredibly fresh and new.

I have some TA OBC. It is currently attached to my cruise similarly to the OBC I got for the promotion I booked under and my shareholder OBC. The three are broken out seperately, but they are totaled up as part of the total OBC I have available to me right now. I've already used some of it to book at shore excursion.

The Horizon Court setup on the Grand class ships is generally poor. It was ok on the Grand, Golden and Star when you only had 2600 passengers on board, but the moment the class was modified with the extra hotel deck and their numbers were closer to 3100, like the Caribbean Princess, the buffet was basically totally inadequate in terms of people flow, and service capabilities.