jasbo49

I'm surprised anyone takes these "articles" seriously. They're like teen magazine covers that call out about 10 ways to make your boyfriend/girlfriend fall madly in love with you.

They're not meant to be taken seriously, so I can't see arguing which ports are better or worse. They're more like fire-starters than journalism.

Of course, I think Aruba sucks and Mazatlan is wonderful, so I'm not entirely mainstream.

Jim

42 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said:

During the day, we found the Outrigger on the Regal (Royal's sister ship) fairly quiet, with some comfy chairs to sit in with a great wake view...

I agree. That's some of the most comfortable seating on the ship.

As for the Wheelhouse, the ones on the Royal-class ships aren't like the others. Instead of being tucked away and intimate, they're out in the open and exposed to constant foot traffic and the accompanying noise, just kind of an adjunct to the Crown Grill.

Club 6 is a possibility, but it's kind of an odd space. It doesn't have that many scheduled events (that I've seen) during the day and tends to take on the feel of a bus station at times with people sprawled all over the place, grabbing a little shut-eye.

Jim

For anyone who wants to do this, keep in mind that going directly to the Sanctuary may not be enough. You may need to be among the first to board too.

We went there right away on our Nov. 1 NYC to FLL 10-day cruise on the Regal and were told all spots had been booked. This was at 11:45 a.m.

Jim

9 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Has anyone else noticed that Princess seems to be throwing in non-refundable deposits without making it clear that they are non-refundable? I noticed a price drop on Royal Sept 14th 3 days out of Vancouver down to LA. I booked and placed a courtesy hold and the confirmation stated that deposit of 10% was non-refundable. I went back and looked at the booking page and couldn't see any "offer" associated with the pricing or any mention of non-refundable deposit. I called Princess and was told that this was a "Princess Saver" fare so the deposit was non-refundable. I don't have a problem with this if it is a term attached to the promo, but why isn't it listed somewhere prior to booking? Thankfully, I only placed a hold so won't lose anything but if I had put down a deposit then decided not to go, I would have lost my deposit....am I missing something? Now I'm worried about booking in case this is the case with other sailings, too - how do you know it's non-refundable if it doesn't tell you until after you have placed the deposit?

You're absolutely right and this, if intentional, is a pretty shady practice at best. Let's hope somebody makes this right on the site.

I've also been disturbed lately that whenever I get to the final stages of the booking process the default setting seems to be "pay in full" rather than using our FCDs as a deposit.

Jim

3 hours ago, JerseyGuys said:

I guess my question. Is if I want a grey goose martini for example does that exceed $12

The short answer is that it's hard to find anything above $12 at a Princess bar. Princess has much better prices on alcoholic beverages than most cruise lines.

I'm more of a gin guy than vodka, but most of the martinis I've had are around $10.

Jim

2 hours ago, pamwigs said:

No Punch cards from prior cruises will be accepted. 🙁

Old punch cards without an expiration date will be accepted through August. Use them for brewed coffee or specialty coffees. All the same.

Jim

Yes, you can. You can do it online or on the phone. The offerings are slim and are what you might call half bottles, but they're more reasonable than on many other cruise lines.

An example would be 375 ml of Jim Beam for $17.70.

Jim

I'm guessing this offer came right after final payment. We got one for the cruise before this (June 6 out of Southampton) right after the 75-day mark. We've had three such offers in the past and they were always right around one month before sailing, so maybe they're acting sooner these days.

By the way, our offer was called both an upgrade offer and an upsell offer in the Princess email, so it seems to me it doesn't matter what people call it as long as it's clear it's paid, not free, when discussing it.

P.S.: That does seem like a mighty good deal. Well worth the extra money.

Jim

I've never stayed in either one, but it does look like you lose a few square feet to what looks like a recessed door. And I think you can be certain that the balcony is the Royal-class standard 9 by 4.

One possible benefit of these cabins might be getting a good steward. Those cabins would probably have the same stewards as the nearby suites, and I've felt like the few times we were in a suite we had the best stewards.

Jim

21 minutes ago, MauiLvrs said:

The Royal ... The Bliss is NCL and NCL is NCL .... 🤐

And friends don't let friends cruise NCL.

Jim

I would go for C750. Both should be great cabins, but the Emerald deck cabin has the possible downside of noise from Club Fusion below. I can see no noise issues in C750.

Jim

On 3/31/2019 at 11:50 AM, travelphreak said:

 

COMPLAINT #1: This may be nitpicky to some but it was really frustrating to us - I think Princess has regressed and could learn from what was right about older ships.  When you step out of the elevator on older ships the sign would tell you what deck you were on and arrows for ODD and EVEN.  It was also easy to know which direction because the carpeting was red on starboard side (odd numbers) and blue on port side (even numbers)....

 

This whole navigation thing became a lot easier for me when on our last cruise (Regal) I realized that almost every time I got off an elevator I was facing forward. There are just a couple of odd elevators at midship (those glass tube things in the Piazza) that faced the stern. 

So, for the most part, when you get off the lift, just go left if you want the port side and right for starboard. No color codes necessary.

Jim

23 minutes ago, rickadoo said:

We've stayed in C-752 and loved it. On a northbound trip through Alaska we've been told the side E-729 is better. Also, it's a suite. They are the same price. Trying to decide. Any input would be appreciated!

I would go with E729. Just to be clear, it is not a suite but a mini-suite. No real perks beyond the welcome bubbly, but the extra space is great. Another thing I like about this cabin is the extra large balcony. You get the normal mini-suite balcony (9 by 7, I think,) plus an extended area to the aft.

I know C752 has a healthy balcony too, but I like the extra room inside the mini.

Jim

20 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

??

What, you can't read my mind?? OK. It's $59 each way. Old age is sneaking up on me.

Jim

We have transfers booked from London to Southampton in June at $ pp each way.

Jim

52 minutes ago, Notonboard said:

Do you worry about going on a cruise during spring break? Does anybody have some hotel stories regarding spring breakers? Is my fear of teenagers jumping off balconies incorrect?  Oh do tell!

Does any of this have to do with Princess?

Jim

I'd go for C751. R411, 415 have scrawny balconies.  Check the deck plans. 

Jim

We've been on two transatlantic cruises but have been to very few of the ports you are visiting. One of our TAs did end in Barcelona and I would concur with teecee60 in post 2 that Barcelona deserves a few nights before your cruise. If you can stay in the Gothic Quarter, you'll find yourself in a spider web of little alley ways with shops, cafes, etc.

As for passing time on the crossing, there are usually a couple of enrichment classes/speakers. I also love to join the Princess Pop Choir, where you meet on sea days for rehearsals (giving you something to fill your calendar with), then perform in the atrium late in the cruise. If your have a couple of things to build your day around (for me that's a lecture or two and a Pop Choir rehearsal) you can find other things to fill out your day.

Obviously, books and movies are useful. And there are always art auctions, bingo, zumba, stuff like that.

You'll be fine if you have any capacity to make your own entertainment and combine that with a couple of Princess-provided options.

Jim

 It's important to know when you're going. Things like whale watching, for instance, are entirely dependent on season. Big wave surfing is exciting to see, too, but again, it only happens during the winter.

Jim

35 minutes ago, Clampram said:

 

What a screwed up process this is........

 

I'm with you. I've often marveled that the same team that does a respectable job at lunch and dinner can't seem to put one foot in front of the other without tripping at breakfast.

Wrong orders, missing parts, late food, cold food. Are they all hung over or what?

Jim

This is an absurd and short-sighted bit of cost-cutting. We were already reluctant to book balcony staterooms on Princess because they don't include a sofa as they do on other mainstream lines. Now, I'm dead set against it.

So in the future, if we want an itinerary where the Princess mini-suite is beyond our price point (which sometimes happens with popular itineraries like Alaska or Europe, we'll just look for someone else to sail with. For the past four years, we've sailed on Princess 12 times (I think) and zero times elsewhere. They'd be losing a pretty loyal customer if we decided to jump ship.

Jim

They're sold out for that sailing. If you look at something later (Sept. 4, 2020 transatlantic, for instance) they are available.

Jim

Because there is so much to learn on this trip, there will almost certainly be lectures on the history and technology of the canal projects. There may also be enrichment lectures on something totally unrelated. I've seen lectures on Hollywood film history, aviation, money management (yawn) and navigation (fascinating}.

If you're musically inclined, there will probably be a Princess Pop Choir, where you can join 20-40 other cruisers and learn a few songs to be sung in the atrium area late in the cruise. You practice on sea days, so it gives you something fun to do each day in case you aren't sold on other activities. I think we also had steel drum lessons on our Panama Canal cruise.

If you like live music, I'd suggest sampling all the groups playing in the bars and the Piazza early on. A couple times we've found one we like late in the cruise and wished we'd discovered them earlier.

Jim

I can understand wanting a certain kind of wine. But I don't understand how no pinot grigio translates to "Terrible customer service."

Jim

7 hours ago, antsp said:

Apart from the buffet, and more modern decor, I can not see one advantage to the Royal class ships. 

Ummm, better coffee?