JimmyVWine

While I have not stayed in one of these yet, I have scoured the internet for information and videos from both the Sun Princess and from P&O ships that have the same setup. Here is what I surmise from all of that: There are two types of Reserve Cabanas on Deck 9, all of which have access to the special Cabana Deck sitting area. The first are the cabins that reside adjacent to the sitting area. Looking at the Deck Plan, Port Side, those would be 9238-9320. "Traffic" is not really an issue as the sitting area is not a thoroughfare with people strolling around like one would on a Promenade. It is a sitting area. People find a place to lounge, sit down, and stay there. Could people who you don't know park down in front of your cabin? Sure. Especially the people who are in the second type of cabin discussed below, because they cannot park themselves in front of their own cabins. While traffic isn't the biggest concern, what bothers people the most is the complete inability to see the ocean from your cabin or balcony. The set-back distance between the end of the cabin and the high glass barrier really cuts you off from the water. Personally, that is a deal breaker for me. The second type of Reserve Cabana Cabins are those that are not set back. Those would be 9106-9236 and 9324-9358. These cabins do not have the sitting area adjacent to them, but the occupants of these cabins have full privileges to use the sitting area. These cabins also have a more typical view of the ocean as they are not set back the way the mid-ship cabins are. Reports are that the usage of the sitting area has been sparse, but that is likely attributed to the current sailing location and average daily temperatures. As we get later into the Spring and Summer, expect usage to increase. And after the ship completes its TA and sails in the Caribbean, expect an entirely different experience altogether.

Does the dinner include wine and/or cocktails?

While you may think that you have suggested another way to look at it, in the end, you did the math. Your entire analysis is based on what you would normally spend, what you would spend it on, all in comparison to the cost of the Packages.

The original post asked more than if there will be Formal Nights. The last sentence assumes that there will be, and goes on to ask if said Formal Nights will be more formal than one would encounter in a Caribbean cruise. So to those points: 1. Yes, there will be Formal Nights. 2. Princess does not enforce its suggested attire guidelines any more strictly than it does on any other cruise. 3. Given the nature of the clientele and the absence of tropical weather, you will see more people dressed formally than you would on a Caribbean cruise. Putting that all together, you will see a higher percentage of people dressed up on a British Isles cruise, but that is the result of their own choices and not the result of any stricter rule or enforcement by Princess.

OP: Please take two seconds to type in an adjective to remove the obvious ambiguity. (Sugar. Tobacco. Coffee. Banana. Cacao. Whatever.) The fact that you have posted the same question on 6 Boards and in all 6 the question has been raised but not answered leaves people with obvious uncertainty regarding the sincerity of the question. The concept of visiting a 17th-19th century mansion as a "tourist attraction" where slave labor benefitted the owners of the Big House through the creation of unimaginable wealth is a very touchy subject. Visiting a modern day, working banana plantation is not. The addition of a single word to your request can make a world of difference.

Right on the website it says that you can note your dietary needs in your profile on the app. Dietary Requirements – Inform us of any food allergies or dietary requirements such as gluten-free, lactose-free and vegetarian. And you have to know that a cruise line that is as big and mass market as Princess can accommodate vegetarian and vegan restrictions. And you knew that you could start a chat with a representative from Princess on their website instead of holding out for a response to an email. And you knew that you could search for menus on line. And you knew that you could ask questions and seek advice on this board. (You knew enough to complain here.). So your only complaint is that you didn’t get a customized, personalized email response. If that “insult” is enough to cause you to abandon ship, that is your prerogative. Seems like throwing the baby out with the bath water. But that’s up to you.

But they would still wear a lapel pin. It is as much a part of their "uniform" as stripes are to a ship's officer. (About 10 years ago, there was a somm who worked for Princess named David who wore the tastevin on a chain around his neck. We had many long talks about wine. Miss him.) And here are some cool pins to look for alongside the Sommelier Pin that we are starting to see more frequently. (In order of merit):

Back in the day when most Princess ships maintained one MDR for "Traditional Dining" and the guests who dined there did so by requesting that style of dining and were assigned a specific table at a specific time, it was frowned upon for those guests to then use the other MDRs if they missed their assigned seating, as the allocation of space was such that the extra people moving from the Traditional Dining Room to the Anytime Dining Rooms upset the balance, since the Anytime diners could not correspondingly move from their dining room to the Traditional Dining room. In other words, if everyone with a 5:00 seating skipped that seating and showed up at the Anytime MDRs at 7:00, it would throw the whole dinner service out of whack. This is not to say that it was never done, but it was considered bad form. I don't know if Deck 6 of the MDR is being handled the same way. I would say that if you are assigned a table on 6 and can't make that dinner, then going to the American Diner on 8 would not be a problem. But trying to squeeze into the Deck 7 MDR when there are already lines of people, and joining that line would just make it longer would probably be viewed in the same light as the old Traditional vs. Anytime situation was viewed.

How many Special Desserts do you get with the Premium Rail & Sail package?

Princess is proud to announce the rollout of its new, customized packages: **The "Get Connected" Package--Includes: Crew Appreciation Unlimited Wi-Fi for up to four devices Unlimited use of Ocean Now remote ordering and room service. **The "Get Fit" Package--Includes: Crew Appreciation Two Spa Treatments Two Fitness Classes Per Day **The "Get Fat" Package--Includes: Crew Appreciation Two Specialty Desserts Per Day Two Specialty Dining Credits Front of the Line Privileges at the Buffet 😁🤣😎

That definitely sounds like a great option.

Dang! If I ever booked an excursion for 7:00 a.m., I would be back on these boards asking for recommendations and suggestions for solo cruising!!

Does the van portion of this trip return from where the train stops, or does the van continue on to Carcross and then turn around?

Agree...except...Dad would be assigned the task of being the driver, and Mom and Daughter would get to see Moose and Squirrel while Dad kept his eyes on the road! That is the only reason why we opted to leave the driving to someone else.

Is there no plan to expand the service to connect the east and west coast? Maybe the Everglades is an insurmountable obstacle.

Just so that we are all on the same page here, there are numerous references to the term "pull out bed" or "fold out bed". That is what the older ships had, and the spring mattress did in fact come out of the sofa with the head of the bed at the wall, and the foot of the bed toward the desk, with little room in between. Those looked like this: But the newer ships (Royal Class) have a different sofa bed in the Mini Suites. It does not fold out at all. It converts to a bed with the head at the night stand next to the main bed, and the foot at the slider that leads to the balcony. It is parallel to the wall rather than folding out from the wall. This is a photo from Sky Princess but Discovery would be the same. The mattresses on these sofa beds are a world apart from the spring contraptions on the older ships, do not jab you in the back in any odd way, and are as comfortable as the main mattress. They are just a not as wide as the old fold-outs.

Doubtful. One would have to factor in 90 minutes each way minimum for the ferry to/from Haines, and then once in Skagway, the tour we were on is a 6.5 hour tour all the way up to Emerald Lake. So that would be a 10 hour excursion and the ship won't be in port long enough to accommodate that. Better to stick with adventures that are specific to the Haines port.

Perhaps not so obvious. There are tour agencies that operate small van tours out of Skagway that follow the same route as the train, so you get pretty much the same scenery, but the vans make more frequent stops for photo opportunities that you don't get on the train, and they go much further into the Yukon well past where the train trip ends. The train ends here: But further along the van trip, you get to here: And ultimately here, (Emerald Lake): The stops at scenic overlooks and the trip to Carcross Desert and Emerald Lake make the van tours worthy of strong consideration.

I'm not aware of any recent change that disallows this. If you don't want any of the inclusions in the Packages, you don't buy a Package, and instead buy things a la carte. Everything offered in the Packages is available for individual purchase except, I think, the ability to get reserved seating in the theater. If you want pyrotechnic Special Desserts, you can buy them. If you want to go to Sabatini's, you can go and pay the stated fee. If you want internet, you can go to the Internet Lounge and sign up. And if you do it on board, they do not charge you double what you should pay and then immediately credit your account with OBC. They just charge you the Elite price. The title of the thread says that we can disagree. But I'm not so sure I am disagreeing with your premise as much as I am just not understanding it. You wonder why you cannot just spend your money on the things you want, and you can. You might pay more, but the math is up to you.

They were (are, and repainted??) owned by Mears. The Magical Express Service to WDW and PE was a cooperative arrangement with Mears that Disney ended. The promo with Carmen's name on it pasted into the post above certainly does look like a transportation/parking "breakthrough." I will leave it to the Floridians like our Host to determine if this is a game changer or a diaper changer.

Agree. So refer back to the website closer to departure date. We also sailed out of and returned to the Mayflower Terminal on our cruise, but the Queen Mary 2 was having some work done and was hogging one of the closer berths. @MrsK : You may already know this but if you do use the Ocean Terminal, it is walkable from the waterfront area of Southampton. But the Mayflower Terminal is decidedly NOT. You would want to arrange for transportation to/from that terminal if by any chance you happen to be using it.

Schedule says Ocean Terminal, #46. https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

Yes. The Travel Summary shows all of the wonderful (and useless) things that I get with my Premier Package, listed at MSRP prices to make me feel really good about the fact that I am only paying $80 per day.

With the new Medallion system and app-based check-in, I wonder how long Princess will choose to own and manage this type of off-site lounge. It seems as if its purpose is to get Suite passengers out of the Ellis Island atmosphere that used to exist at the terminals. But on my last three cruises, PES passengers were being processed onto the ship about as fast as humanly possible. On our last cruise, we barely made it into the PES waiting area with enough time to grab a glass of orange juice when we were being ushered onto the ship. And non-PES passengers were getting on almost as quickly. (This was in Southampton). Given the choice of waiting in this new Lounge where the FI/FO van departure system could cause a long wait as noted above, or simply heading to the terminal to be whisked right onto the ship, what advantage is there to the former? If, by 11:00 one could be in the International Café or Good Spirits Bar or sitting poolside on the Lido Deck, what advantage is there to an off-site Lounge where one waits frustratingly for the van to return to pick them up? Seems as if the team that developed this Lounge wasn't really in synch with the team that was developing the app-based check-in system and they were working to solve a problem that doesn't really exist any more.

I'll make sure to look for the pins on my next cruise. I haven't seen an MDR staff member with a pin in a long time.