jasbo49

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

This afternoon after an early sailaway, we went to Beat the Cruise Director, which was totally fascinating and not what we expected. I’m not going to say how, but I highly recommend you go to see it if Dan France is your CD on an upcoming cruise. I’ve got say, Dan has been one of the most multitalented CDs we’ve ever had the pleasure of sailing with. 
 

 

 

Then, on the way to watch another lecture by Angela Kelly, we saw a few of the The Real Love Boat actors taking a selfie!

 

 

But understandably, you can definitely tell this is a younger crowd on this cruise by the attendance at her lectures reflected in the below picture. All totaled, there may have been around 20 or so there. 
 

Her lectures are interesting for us old folks, but not all that exciting if you’re a younger person who is on vacation!

 

 

 

It's disappointing to me that Angela Kelly's talks were so poorly attended. I've always found the enrichment lectures one of the things that made Princess stand out among mid-priced lines.

Jim

I would look at itinerary before worrying about the ship. La Paz and Loreto are smaller and less developed than Maz and PV. Your choice.

Now, for the ships, there is one important distinction if you are planning on having your kids share your cabin. A mini-suite is almost required for four in a cabin, and the mini-suite balconies are roughly twice as big on Diamond.

Most mini-suite balconies on the new ships are only 4 feet deep. The Diamond has 8-foot-deep (or is it 9?) balconies on minis.

Jim

16 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

 

In the past, the "wine" police have been hit or miss when reboarding.  If they are there, you are still subject to the two bottle "no corkage" rule.

Just to be clear, the two bottle allowance is at embarkation, not at each port. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. 

Jim

In our brief experience, just a couple of pre-virus Elite sailings, those "upgraded bathroom amenities " were always hard to pin down. Never sure what they were supposed to include. Sounds like post-covid it's even harder.

If you have specific needs, I'd bring them along.

Jim

Wherever I am, I will go for a gin and tonic or a scotch and soda. If we can't find the tonic or the soda, we'll get by.

Jim

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Hi.  What dates are you sailing on Regal in October?  Have you visited the Roll Calls?  We are looking for a couple to join some of our small-group private tours (typically six maximum).

 

We're boarding Oct. 15 for just the 11 days from Barcelona to Rome. And yes, I joined the roll call a few days ago. We've already hopped onto one tour, in Naples, but are open to others. Is there a way to PM here?

Jim

Ken, have you checked out deck 18 for a walking track? There's little to no shade, but early or late it's a great track. At least once I remember them having little fruit skewers at a couple points around the track. 

Thanks for doing this thread. We board in October, so are following along and enjoying vicariously. 

Jim

28 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Washboards are quite effective and you can always play them with the band. 

I believe washboards are what we need to accompany the Princess Choir. 

Jim

4 hours ago, HappyCruiserettu said:

That's why we always book Anytime Dining.

 

I think maybe I wasn't clear. What I really like is Club Class. I know it's expensive, but it's the only dining option other than buffet, etc. that gives us real control over our evening schedule.

Anytime Dining leaves you at the mercy of buzzers and other people's schedules. Traditional sometimes takes two hours. With Club Class, you can be in and out in an hour or so.

Only once have we paid the full rate for CC, and that cruise it wasn't much steeper. But we've taken several upsells to a suite partly based on how much we like CC dining.

Jim

14 minutes ago, MCC retired said:

We had a MA mini suit , Anytime , on the Sky 2 weeks ago .

Got complementary upgrade  to CC mid cruise .

No explanation why , figured they were just previewing it 

to us for the future ?

 

Now that was a sweet deal, at least according to me. The ability to just show up when you're hungry and be seated almost immediately is worth quite a bit.

We like to go to shows or catch musical acts when the spirit moves us, not when the dinner gods force us.

Jim

I can only tell you how it was on our BI cruise last June. It was pretty calm most places but was real bouncy up around the northern part of Scotland, probably two rough days.

Jim

New frontiers in brevity. 

Jim

In our experience,  the Regal in particular seems prone to the 1 p.m. room ready declaration. Sometimes you can get in earlier and sometimes not.

Jim

Honestly, a better question would be: Can you get away from NFL playoff games if you just don't care?

I'm 99% sure they'll be on the big outdoor MUTS screen, plus a few other places.

Jim

Yes. It's the same as if you call the general Princess number or book online. 

Jim 

3 minutes ago, High Flyer said:

If I book a cruise via a Princess Cruise Planner can I still control my booking, like make EZ Air reservations, or do I have to go thru the cruise planner?

No. You have to call.

Jim

I'm pretty sure hot chocolate is free and readily available during breakfast hours in the dining room and at the buffet.

Jim

Premium is strictly about location. Some might have a bigger balcony too.

Deluxe, regardless of location, is distinguished by having a loveseat. And they're a few square feet bigger interiors.

Jim

It probably depends on how many ships are in port and what kind of "parking spot you get.

When we were there 5 years ago it was actually worked into the comic's routine. Something that seemed to take forever was described as being "Longer than a tender to Belize." We probably spent 30 minutes in the boat each way.

Jim

Yes. All side-facing balconies on Aloha deck are covered.

Jim

Just tell you waiter for the night. He'll want your cabin number, probably. Other than that, it's the same as with traditional dining. 

Jim

Glad to hear it. It doesn't affect us, just a fairness issue.

Jim

19 minutes ago, skynight said:

Doubtful there will be embarking in New York as the cruise is not being sold that way, but definitely no disembarking. Disembarking would be a violation U.S. law.

My mistake. I was assuming this was a 2-step repositioning cruise (FLL to NY via random Caribbean islands, then NYC to Quebec). Not the case, I see.

Jim

3 hours ago, PoohUnderstands said:

If a chair is important due to medical reasons, then make sure to book a premium balcony that has a sofa or a mini suite that has a sofa/chair.  Spend the extra money for a person's needs.

 

Pooh

Please note that premium balconies are simply location. Only "deluxe" balcony cabins have the loveseat. And they are only on Royal class ships.

Jim