BabySarge

On the World Cruise last year and then again on a recent trans-Atlantic cruise, both with Princess but different ships, we learned quickly to order two drinks at a time once we got a server as it was the only way to ensure we ever got a second drink.

Our very first Princess cruise was on the Regal in 1994, a 7-day Caribbean with Captain Antonino Vito. We had a wonderful time and were hooked on cruising with Princess and now have 43 cruises and 705 days at sea all on Princess. I confess though, that at least for us, the bloom has gone off the rose a bit as regards cruising with Princess in the past year or so as things are changing, and the brand seems to be struggling to find its way. Or it may be that we have just become too irrelevant for them. So, we're giving another line a try and will see how it compares. Hopefully, we will be back for cruise 44 and more.

Please bring back the Lotus Spa Eucalyptus Lotion, Shampoo, and Conditioner. Even if you have to leave those horrid dispensers in the showers at least fill them with the original Lotus Spa Shampoo and Conditioner. Since this is a wish list, I'm going to wish that there was a way, other than me having to be MacGyver, to turn off that dang automatic light in the closet that is so freaking bright in the middle of the night. I wish the Island Princess had an International Cafe like the Coral Princess. I wish that printed drinks menus were still available without having to ask for one at every bar you go to and that all bars on a single ship made the same drinks at any bar you went to. In other words, if I wanted a "Take 5" at the Crown Grill Bar on the Enchanted I could get it there and not just in the "Take 5 Jazz Club". I wish traditional set dining was an option when making a booking instead of having to deal with the Dine My Way app - I know, shocker but some of us like TD and don't like the DMW app.

At least you had a bus show up. We, along with approximately 100 other people, had booked the shuttle from Newark, NJ airport to the port of Brooklyn, NY for our New England Cruise with Princess in October 2022. The buses never showed, and Princess had us take taxis or Uber from Newark to the port and reimbursed us. Had to have cost them a pretty penny as the tolls alone from NJ to NY are $19.00 and then the Uber for DH and I was over $200.

Yes, but you have to request it for each cruise and it is contingent upon Carnival continuing the benefit which they have done year after year, but as with everything else things can change.

Great review.

Not sure what other products you might use that couldn't be put into smaller containers or purchased in smaller sizes, but I have found that it isn't always easy to find and purchase the same products you use at home in foreign countries, even in Europe. Plus, there is the language barrier - the packaging may look the same but oftentimes the ingredients are not so if you can't read Italian or Spanish or whatever. So if these other products are ones you really need or want to have with you then I would take them however you must in your checked luggage, double bagged in ziplock baggies in case them leak due to the change in pressure when flying. Transatlantics are wonderful, we've done multiple.

@Astro Flyer there was more than 12 when we did the Winemakers Dinner. Pretty much every table was filled at the CG.

No, at least when we did it on the Enchanted in November it was held in the Crown Grill which they closed for any other reservations that evening.

Whilst on the Enchanted we were approached during dinner one evening by one of the Dining Room Managers we knew from a previous cruise who inquired if we would be interested in attending. Told him yes, and he took care of the rest of it. An invitation was delivered to our cabin with the date, time, and location with a note to RSVP to the dine line. When we called the dine line they did inquire if anyone in our group/party had any food allergies.

Recently did the Caymus Winemakers Dinner (Enchanted Princess, November 2023). In our opinion and that of our travel companions, it was fun to do one time but not something we would repeat. We were neither impressed with the wine nor the food it was paired with and quite honestly felt that the food choices did not complement the selected wines at all and vice versa. It was, however, a fun, although a tad expensive, way to spend an evening but for us once was enough, at least with the Caymus wines.

Yes.

So, I have a total of one cruise with HAL from quite a few years ago but am not new to cruising having 700 plus days at sea with Princess, however, the bloom has started to fade from Princesses rose and DH, and I have booked what looks like a lovely itinerary for September and October of this year with HAL. With that being said, I have searched this forum as well as the "....for Dummies" thread and haven't had much luck in finding answers to the following so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. 1. Where on the HAL website or within my booking can I see or print out my travel summary such as what I am used to with Princess? I have attached an abbreviated example of what I'm talking about for reference (hopefully). Or is this something that is not available on the HAL website? 2. Both my husband and I are retired military and qualify for the military benefit that Carnival Corporation generously gives to veterans and on Princess, the amount of OBC is determined by the length of the cruise. For example, for cruises 6 days or less you each get $50 OBC, cruises 7 to 13 days you each get $100 OBC, and for cruises 14 days or more you each get $250 OBC. I have found that HAL does have a military benefit program and has qualified both my husband and me in that specific program but what I am unclear about is if we will both receive the benefit or if it is only per stateroom. Also, it is unclear if it is a flat amount of $100 or if it varies based on the length of the cruise. Thanks for your patience and any help you can give. Travel Summary Attachment.pdf

If you want to be guaranteed to have the brand and type, you are much better off bringing your own. DH drinks green tea, and isn't fussy about what brand it is as long as it is plain and not flavored; however, on our most recent cruise on Enchanted Princess in November/December while there was plenty of flavored green tea there was no plain to be found. I bought some on the local economy and have now added his green tea bags to my packing list.

Thank you; that's what I thought but wasn't completely sure.

This might be a silly question but is this Stockperks app only available for use with a cell phone?

Each book has to be opened individually to be downloaded; at least that's how it has worked on each of the Kindle e-readers I have had. Just seeing the books in your library on your Kindle e-reader and only opening one book does not mean that they are ALL downloaded; it only means the one you opened is for sure downloaded. Learned that lesson the hard way. Additionally, to the best of my knowledge, you cannot download or open a book that has not been downloaded whilst in airplane mode. You must be connected to wi-fi to download even when that book sits in your library.

I realize this doesn't necessarily have to do with the OP's question but thought I would share that on our most recent cruise in November/December 2023 on the Enchanted Princess I WAS able to connect my Kindle e-reader (Paperwhite 11th Gen) to the internet and download with no problems. This is not something I have been able to do in the past on Princess so I was quite chuffed about it!!

USPS has a paid service you can use for mail when you are going to be gone for more than 30 days which is the maximum they are "allowed" to hold your mail at the post office. Some people are lucky enough to have a local post office or postmaster who will agree to hold it for longer than those 30 days, but I think they are few and far between now days at least here in the northeast. The other thing you can do, this is what we for the 2023 WC as it was 111 days and the price for the paid service had gone up, you can put in a TEMPORARY change of address and have your mail forwarded for a specific period of time, up to six months, I think. Go to www.usps.com for more info on both programs. We generally drive from our home in DE to FL to pick up the cruise ship and rather than leave our car in FL for weeks or months we do a one-way rental down. While the cost of rental cars has increased significantly it is still cheaper than parking, easier than flying, and as we always get to the port a day or two prior to embarkation day returning the car is not an issue. Driving also means we are not restricted with how much luggage we can take. My only other piece of advice to add to the very comprehensive list @PescadoAmarillo gave was double check the expiration dates for ALL your credit and DEBIT cards. I had checked that information on our credit cards but not sure why I never realized our debit cards had expiration dates, so I never bothered checking them. It wasn't until we were in the middle of the Suez Canal, and I opened up an e-mail from our bank telling us our new debit cards were in the mail because our current ones were expiring. Not that we were using them on the trip but once we landed in FL if we wanted to access our accounts via ATM we couldn't.

We just got off the Enchanted on 8 December and if I could have taken a baseball bat to that damn thing I would have! So, to answer your question, at least on the Enchanted no they have not done anything about them and I think the likelihood of them doing anything is probably slim to none. I wouldn't even mind having it if there was just some way to either turn it off (without having to resort to being MacGyver) or dim the bulb so it wasn't so bloody bright in the middle of the night.

I am super sensitive to being able to smell cigarette smoke and can honestly say I never smelled it in Take Five; however, I often noticed the smell on Deck 6 and even at times on Deck 7 in the areas that overlook the Piazza. It was almost as if the "hole" or "opening" was pulling it out of the casino area as the doors leading into the casino were always open there. It wasn't horrible, but to me (and I am pretty sensitive to it) it was noticeable there but not in Take Five.

Sorry, yes; the Ian Bacon Trio.

Just disembarked Enchanted Princess on 12/8 after doing the TA and went to Take 5 almost every evening. Ian Baker Trio is currently playing with the occasional guest singer and/or musician joining. Don't know if they will continue doing it but the furniture was rearranged to solve the problem of people walking into the area and using it like a corridor. They could still come in and walk "through" but had to walk around rather than straight across. Be forewarned though that if you want to "listen" to jazz without a bar atmosphere and people talking loudly you may not get that; I know we certainly didn't. Seating for the first set was always at a premium but usually opened up for their second set.

Bon Voyage! Safe travels and see you Barcelona.

Unfortunately, it really does depend on what Princess ship you are on, who the medical staff are, who the hotel management staff is, and how many other passengers are ill at the same time. When my husband contracted COVID onboard the Caribbean Princess last year we were fortunate to have attentive medical, hotel, guest services, and cabin staff who checked on him/us multiple times a day and were quick to respond to all calls for assistance. This was a remarkably different experience than what we found on a previous cruise with Princess on a different ship where it was like pulling teeth from a very angry cat at times to even get information let alone assistance.