Twolittleboys

Thanks everybody. I am a bit surprised by this as on most other cruises I have been on you either had set dining or could just go whenever. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than 5 minutes. Anyway, I think I will just try my luck without reservations. The "prime times" are mostly gone already as I have booked so late and as I am okay with sharing it sounds like it should be okay.

Those 90 minutes would be without a reservation, right?

Hm, so what does that mean exactly? Does it mean I may have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for a table or will I have to eat at the buffet if I have no reservation?

I just booked a transatlantic cruise on Sky Princess, leaving in about 3 weeks (basic fare/no Plus or anything/interior cabin). This will be my first cruise on Princess (plenty on other lines though) and I am a bit confused about the dining process. I have looked at the Medallion app (lots of slots are booked up) and am still unsure how to proceed. I did look through this thread and have a basic understanding but want to make sure I am not way off, especially as there have been a number of changes lately. I would ideally have liked the "old" traditional seating (same shared table every day) but don't think that is still available. I will be traveling solo and I am fine with either sitting on my own or at a shared table. I would kind of like to make reservations but the activities don't seem to have loaded yet and if it is a different table every time anyway I guess I would rather stay flexible. So if I just show up for dinner at one of the main dining rooms whenever I feel like it they should seat me, correct? Any disadvantage to this?

I have had the same problem with my kindle at various hotels etc. but did manage last time by connecting via a hotspot on my laptop.

That's promising. I wonder whether it will work on a transatlantic though. Anyone know?

I was rather afraid of that. On my NCL transatlantic this spring Wi-fi also was bad. I had the impression that maybe Princess had upgraded theirs but would need to know for sure before I even consider the Plus package. Is the Lido deck covered?

Great, thank you! Not sure I can carry more than a 12 pack but possibly I can refill in the Azores. Not a huge drinker so a drink package is probably not worth it unless heavily discounted. I have had a package on a couple of recent (non-Princess) cruises and even then a glass of wine with dinner and a cocktail is about my limit. And to be honest I am just as happy with a soda instead of the wine so I think maybe a soda per day in the MDR (in addition to cans I bring) and a cocktail every couple of days will be fine.

I am considering booking my first cruise on Princess, a transatlantic on the Sky Princess. As I am new to Princess I do have a couple of questions: 1) How is the Wifi, specifically on transatlantics? I saw some complaints in October of last year but maybe the quality has gotten better? 2) Are there plenty of comfortable indoor areas on Sky Princess to spend time in if the weather is bad? 3) I believe you can bring a 12 pack of sodas on board, correct? What "free" drinks can you get in the buffet/around the ship? Is there free lemonade? 4) Anything else specific to Princess or the Sky Princess I should know? Really appreciate any tips you want to share!

Not sure if you are still wondering about this or whether your cruise is already over but I did a shore excursion with NCL that was pretty similar to the second one above (plus a visit at a horse farm). I had a great time and would recommend it (though the horse farm was one of the highlights). Unfortunately, I haven't done the other excursion yet so can't really compare the two. I did write up a fairly detailed review of my excursion (with photos) for my blog so if you are interested you could take a look at that to get an idea of what you would see (minus the horses of course): SHORE EXCURSION AZORES: ISLAND VIEWS, TASTES AND HORSES - Kitty meets World

Are you sure the cabin is bad? I am not familiar with the Spirit but I had an oceanview on the lowest (public) deck of Getaway recently and loved it.

It is absolutely fine to disagree with others and good for you if you are happy with once a day cleaning. But there is no need to be rude about others whose wishes and priorities may be different. Also, if you are not looking for trivial things to be mad about - why are you ranting on here about an internet thread? Have a blessed day.

If this is a regular/repeated cruise (i.e. Harmony is doing the same itinerary already) you can just use the Royal Caribbean app for the current week to see which restaurants are open when. This will give you the most up to date idea of what is offered.

I have never been on the Gem but I did just do a solo transtlantic cruise on the Getaway from Florida to Lisbon. I had a great time but do have a couple of things I would consider on a future cruise: Especially for a winter transatlantic with many sea days I would take a good look at the deck plans and see how much indoor space there is. The Getaway had loads of great outdoor spaces and our weather was nice and sunny so that was perfect. But I did notice that there were very few indoor spaces to hang out in if the weather is bad. Some areas really suffered due to the smell of smoke and the Atrium (Getaway's main venue for trivia/gameshows etc.) felt cramped and very noisy. Like I said, I am not familiar with the Gem but I would check to see if there are plenty of indoor areas. And I would seriously consider booking the Thermal Spa, at least on the Getaway. I also strongly recommend joining any roll call groups (here or other places). On my cruise there were quite a number of activities offered, from a pub crawl to L/R/C. Meeting up with others can make the cruise much more enjoyable. I was in a guarantee oceanview and loved this as it is like your own enclosed mini-balcony. Depending on the deck plan of Gem, consider whether you would be happy in an indoor cabin. I usually book indoor cabins as well and don't mind them but transatlantics do have a lot of sea days...

It is hard to say as it depends on so many things - like the difference between ships, the itinerary etc. But I will give it a go and give some honest feedback. I have been on a number of Royal cruises (various ships) and only one NCL cruise - a transatlantic on the Getaway so my answers are somewhat specific to my personal experience. Entertainment - NCL's entertainment was pretty good though probably not as good as on Oasis class Royal ships. But if the largest you have been was Voyager class it should be somewhat similar. Food - Personally, I liked Royal's a bit better but the difference wasn't huge (and on my only Royal cruise after the pandemic I had specialty dining) Freestyle Dining - I much prefer set dining with the same waiters/table mates (I knew this ahead of time) but if you go for My Time Dining on Royal the difference should be smaller and it is convenient to go for dinner whenever Cabins - I am not too particular about cabins so go for the cheapest option. Seemed fairly similar. The service by room attendant was worse on my NCL cruise but I think that was due to them cutting back to once a day service and has Royal has done the same it is probably similar Drinks - I thought both beverage package and drinks were better on NCL Activities - That will depend on which ship you choose. The bigger Royal ships have more activities (flowrider etc.) but NCL isn't bad Overall I think the lines are somewhat similar. What I did miss about Royal: I think their design (art in staircases etc.) is better, the Getaway seemed a bit bare (but not bad and just a matter of personal taste). NCL seemed to have more upcharge stuff overall than Royal. I especially miss the solarium. The Getaway (this is ship specific I think) had great outdoor areas but indoor was quite cramped (much worse than I remember for Royal). Passengers seemed fairly similar to Royal passengers. The atmosphere was more fun-loving than on some Royal cruises (this depends heavily on itinerary etc.) and passengers were very open/friendly. All in all, I think you can have a great time if you go into the cruise with an open mind. As said above, choice of ship/time of year/length of cruise/itinerary will have a big impact on the cruise

I have been on various ships and never noticed anything about smoking (also didn't pay special attention). However, the Getaway was the first time I really noticed smoking. I didn't mind in outside areas (i.e. didn't really bother me) but on deck 7 it was pretty bad. A smell of stale smoke from the casino that extends through a good part of this deck. Quite unpleasant (at least on my sailing to me).

Should not be a problem. Check the offered transfers (either cruise line or something like GoPort). Else you could take an Uber - I was surprised that it was less expensive than I had expected (probably little more than shuttle for two people). Driving time should be less than an hour so if you disembark early you should have no problem (even if there is heavy traffic etc.)

Excellent, I am on a mission to try out all the major lines to find the best fit and HAL, Princess, and MSC are at the top of my list.

So does anyone know which cruise lines still have twice a day service? I know NCL and Royal have cut back and Aida has had only once daily service as long as I can remember...

I have never been on a Westward transatlantic but would assume that the make-up isn't that different from going the other direction. On my Getaway transatlantic (Port Canaveral to Lisbon) the majority of passengers were from the US with some Canadians, British, and Germans. Obviously also other nationalities but almost everyone I met was from one of those countries (mostly US).

Oh, I am aware and of course you are right - I was just explaining why I was surprised. Yes, I had heard about the cuts but based on prior experience didn't expect the long wait. And again, that for me is the whole point of such a thread: - Make people aware of the current way of things so they have realistic expectations/can adjust - Give cruise lines an idea of which cuts are more or less important to customer satisfaction

Well, it depends. If I have a major issue that I need resolved or for which I expect compensation, I will talk to someone on the ship. Internet sucked on my cruise (not just for me - it was the number one complaint on board) and I went to the internet manager. But if it is something more general I do think a thread on the internet (and Cruise Critic isn't some small website unknown to cruise lines) with many people chiming in will have at least as much (or more) weight than me writing a letter. And again, I do believe in sharing information. I did not like having to wait so long for my cabin but it wasn't a deal breaker. But it may be for others and they deserve to know if this is an ongoing issue. Another reason I like to post about it - it shows if it is just an isolated incident or more pervasive when others share their experiences as well. Honestly, if I go on a ship and know that my cabin won't be ready until 5 I can deal with it. But if I thought I could get in at 2 and I am not prepared it can be more difficult. Maybe I would check in a bit later. Maybe I will pack my carry-on differently. This was my fourth cruise since the pandemic (first ever on Norwegian) and the other three had the room ready from the moment I boarded. Granted a couple of those cruises were with much emptier ships but still - I did not expect the delay.

Of course not! But I don't see noting deficiencies (or what someone might perceive as a deficiency) as "just complaining". If I want to just complain I will do so to my family... I have two reasons when writing critical comments/"complaining": a) I think it is important to be well informed to make any decision, including where to vacation/what to spend your money on. So if someone reads a thread and thinks "Oh, well, I don't care if my cabin won't be ready until dinnertime. I like to hang out at the pool/bar anyway" then that is great. Someone else may hate the idea enough to choose a different cruise line (rather unlikely I think). And a third person may decide to board a bit later or have more or less carry-on luggage knowing that it may take a long time to get into the room. b) I enjoy cruising and want the cruise lines to be successful. Obviously, they want to/have to save money and that may include cut-backs. But how would they know if noone complains - either on the ship, in surveys or letters after or on the internet. Let's say a cruise line makes changes a, b, and c and after a while bookings go down. How are they to know what is driving people away?

Well, theoretically I agree but... I boarded fairly early. Once on the ship I got in line to make/change reservations. Then I went and had lunch. After that I explored the ship a bit. However, by around 3pm I was just done. I was lugging around my backpack (and yes, I do travel alone) which I didn't/couldn't really abandon as it had stuff I wouldn't want to lose. I sat in the Atrium for a while but it was extremely crowded and noisy. After some time, I had a headache and all I wanted to do was freshen up a bit and lie down for a short time. That is when I went to camp out on the steps. I probably wasn't there longer than 20 minutes at the most. So you are right, theoretically you could do almost anything you want while waiting for the cabin. Unfortunately, all I wanted was to lie down and have some quiet. Nope? Cabins were ready at different times on different decks. Unfortunately, deck 5 was not a priority...

Outlier or not: On my transatlantic cruise on Norwegian Getaway cabins on my deck were not ready until a couple of minutes before 5pm. A senior employee let me through the closed (not locked) doors to my hallway around 4:20 pm, feeling sorry for me, camped out on the nearby stairs so I got in a little earlier.