mtnesterz

Nausea and chemo is an often told story. Sorry you have this to deal with. Call your Oncologist and mention the cruise legal restriction and your developed resistance to what you have been taking, whether diphenhydrinate or diphenhydramine. He or she can recommend an alternative.

It sounds like you are calling the call center. This is not what you want. Most feedback here is they are nearly useless. You're looking to speak with an Ocean Navigator for your App concerns. If you decide Princess is for you. Then in the future, book through a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner (CVP), or a pro TA. That way, if issues come up, they.are your direct liason to the system. For your dining, when aboard, call the Dine Line, a number you can get onboard. You can select your own cabin by number, if available, and choose if you are willing to accept upgrade or not. Unless that cabin catagory is near sold out. I'm sure there are are things to learn for dealing with issues for any cruise line, for first timers.

Agreed! For those new, or those who are now confused after reading. Some passengers book under a cabin guarantee, which means you would not know your muster station until you know your cabin number, which may be assigned at boarding. To know your muster station to a certainty, when you get to your cabin, it is posted on the inside of your cabin door. Be sure.

We were on the Diamond in October last year for a circle Japan trip. One thing missing from your post is the time of year you will be going. I say this because climate wise, Japan is like California in latitude. In the summer in Nagasaki, it will be hot. In the winter in ports like Aomori, it will be quite cold. If that helps you choose. Spend your money for better than Princess contracted operators, which have better English speaking ability guides. Assuming you do not speak Japanese. What's that you say? What would we do if we went again? We would want to spend more time in places like Osaka and Kyoto on a Princess CruiseTour and less time onboard sailing between ports.

Go to the deck plan link. Choose your deck. For guests, select 4. Those cabins for four will be highlighted. Some interiors have Pullmans. Don't know how it works for suites. https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=SU

@Davey Jones Responded to your question above.

We have not sailed on the Sun, but I have read the reviews starting to come in and your experience seems to mirror what has been written. More staffing in the dining areas is needed. As to the rest, you mention you are new to cruising, let me explain the function of the Medallion function as it applies to drinks and dining. Whether or not you bought one of the packages, you will be scanned for drinks. If you did buy a package, Plus or Premier, it goes toward your 15 drink limit, it charges you additional if a premium drink selection, with the additional tip and it confirms that you are an adult ordering an alcoholic beverage. If dining on one of the packages, you have included dining. Scanning the Medallion accesses that. If you went Standard, then you need to be scanned for the drink charge, tip and to confirm you are an adult. For dining, you need to be scanned to be charged to your account for the meal for Casual or Specialty venues. Even if included dining in the MDR, you still will be scanned for your dining time, if you made reservation, or if you have dining preferences on record such as a table for two.

As you go to the Princess website for your booked cruise, there will be two boxes for downloading the App, Android or Apple. Below that it will say try our web version. Click that. What I have found is to log in using your booking number, so scroll all the way to the bottom. Some still have trouble with this, but we have found it is smoother than the app. It is however very slow to respond. I have a new Android, so very recent software and plenty of ram. Good luck.

A good comedian might find material in your mentioning an escape room in a wedding chapel. We cruise more than the average cruiser, though certainly far from as frequently as some posters here. Haven't seen anything like this onboard, though I've read about it.

The biggest change for you, since 2017, will be the Princess App which you may use to select the dining times you mention. We find the App pretty useless other than inputting all those things related to preboarding. Actually, we use the web based version and don't even download the App. You sound similar to us in the onboard preferences you state. If that comparison holds true, then the packages, either Plus or Premium, don't make sense for us. YMMV.

You can buy per day. I think it is $20 or $25/day now if not Elite. As of last summer, there was free Wifi for certain in Honolulu in the area of the Aloha tower. Pretty strong too. Other ports, don't know.

Yours is a common experience and complaint about the new Princess overseas call center. I don't know where you are in the booking process. If you can, call and get a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner (CVP.) They care pros and can sort it out. Then just go through them in the future. A pro TA is good suggestion too.

I think it's a great thing you are doing, this family vacation. As you can tell by my screen name, we are empty nesters. You mentioned elsewhere she is 15. In another year or so, she will not want to vacation with mom and dad anymore. Treasure this family time!!! JMHO, the package makes little sense for a minor sInce they can't order alcohol drinks.

In theory, each one's picture shows up on their screen to tell passengers apart. Also they ask each one's cabin number. In practice, we attend the PES lounge and have gotten charged the price of an alcoholic drink, and we don't drink alcohol. Others here have mentioned the same experience. Doesn't seem to be a priority to fix this issue. So your question is valid. There is a system problem.

Here you go. A look out the window anyway. On the deck plan, E620 shows a black triangle indicating a third Pullman bed. But I do not know to a certainty. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/ov.php?ship=Sapphire-Princess&cabins=E600-E633

Confirmation is needed. Speculation and heresay from a contract worker about what will be allowed could result in someone being denied and disappointed. At the Hollywood location, a jacket and tie is a hard and fast, no exceptions rule. In fact, Magic Castle will loan you a jacket and tie if you show up without. Princess isn't going to do that.

We did an 18 night, Chile to L.A., My Medallion battery went dead near the end and replaced no problem at Passenger Services. I've wondered why that cruise was my favorite. There wasn't any one port or experience that stood out, in fact I was happy to get home. Something about just being out there that long. Point is, try a longer cruise if you can take the time, a different vibe. For one thing, I've observed the longer the cruise, the fewer kids.

Since you have not been on Princess before, terms others have mentioned above will be new to you. Crew Appreciation is Princess' term for a prepaid tip. It is automatic, but adjustable, or removable, at the business desk onboard if you don't buy a package. If you do buy a package, you are "buying" the tip. It has been years since we've sailed X, so I don't recall how they worked tipping, except that they provided envelopes in the cabins Years ago, Princess and Celebrity were considered close, but reviews lately suggest the satisfaction gap is widening.

Applaud your, in your own words, "After a few beers," solution. I am concerned for passengers who follow you, leaving sharp edges where the metal broke. For safety, have the sofa sent out to be rewelded and edges ground down. They must have crew onboard who know how to weld. Could have it back in your cabin the same day.

I looked at your post history and see MSC and RCI, but not Princess. If you are new to the Princess, you may not know this, but you can go onto the app and change your dining time, or better still have your TA change it to your preference. Reason being, you can anytime dine by showing up, but you may wait in line. With a reservation, you go straight in.

Yes, there are! Though not on Princess. You may or may not be aware that HAL has a standby program if you can travel with a couple days notice. Uses several ports of embarkation but Montreal is closest for you. In our case a similar situation, just need to get to San Diego from Los Angeles. If interested: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/standby-program

My information is not current. Yes, you used to be able to order off menu for the following night and we have ordered Indian. Nowadays, with anytime dining, different table each night and different waiter, I'm not sure how this would work. Ask your MDR waiter if you can place an order for the next night, but you'd need to be in the same waiter's section. Ordering off menu may be a victim of progress.

I have read that the scrambled eggs are made from reconstituted eggs, as part of some health regulation for cruise ships. Because they must sit out in the open, they're a pasteurized product. I'm not stating this as a fact, but I'll agree shipboard scrambled eggs seem to have a difference from what I cook at home. In general, I find the chefs have no idea what western food is supposed to taste like and are only following what they are told to do. This, I believe is the root of all things from hash brown to the upalatable Thanksgiving dinner. The worst offender, consistently and predictably bad, is the breakfast biscuits. Overworked dough and not enough lift. I wrote Princess once with a really good recipe for yeast-rise biscuits, but I speculate that what they buy is a penny cheaper per thousand.

May vary from ship to ship and the itinerary. On our most recent, Congee, or Jook, Porridge, whatever you prefer to call it, was every morning, but taste varied, maybe just the person assigned to the job. Definitely leans to the Asian style regarding available additions. You could also get either oatmeal one day or Cream of Wheat the next. Lunch and dinner, yes to both.

We were there, Diamond Princess, in Sept. '23. Suggest reading threads about Japan and Immigration in the Ports of Call section here. We learned so much doing that and I can't imagine those that don't have the resource such as we have on CC. Even got personal advice on the Yunyu Kakunin-Sho, which otherwise was a 150 page download of instructions. We have traveled to several countries in Asia, and lived in Singapore for a time. But Japan is unique, so be well read as you can. We enjoyed out time and hope you do too,