Princess Secrets they Don't Tell You

[wyocruiser]

Thank you!!!!

[yuki5900]

not a secret but an opinion...

 

as a lifelong server in restaurants 25 to 400 seats, i find it interesting to see people recommending that guests ask the kitchen for special dishes (eg cuisine from the chef's homeland, something that was on the menu yesterday but not today). i just hope that everyone understands that ANY change to the routine slows down the flow of a working kitchen --- trust me, i know this from personal experience. that is why when i order the ny strip on a cruise and it comes with a baked potato but i would prefer mashed, i know that it is easier for the kitchen to just leave the baked potato on the plate and give me a separate side of mashed (versus removing the baked potato and replacing it with mashed).

 

we have all read on these boards and heard fellow cruisers complaining that the main course took forever...the chicken was cold...the steak wasn't cooked the way they asked for it...the ice cream was melted...well, i am here to tell you that the kitchen is set up to be a well-oiled machine but when you throw a wrench in there things get messed up. and when you are trying to feed a dining room of, say 1000 people essentially at the same time and 1 person at every table throws a wrench....well, you do the math.

 

as far as the staff being more than happy to honor such requests...well, let me just say that the couple who come into my restaurant and ask to split a cup of soup meaning 1/2 a cup of chowder for her and 1/2 a cup of minestrone for him, and make sure there are lots of potatoes in hers but NONE in his and can the kitchen please peel the peel-and-eat shrimp because they don't like getting their hands messy and also can you cut the chicken for my fettucine alfredo into cubes not strips...this couple also believe that i am thrilled to do these things for them because a) i am trying to get a good tip b) i am proud of the job i do and therefore have a good game face and c) what am i supposed to say?!

 

i know some people will be concerned about my aforementioned wasted baked potato (although in my case it is never wasted!), and it's true my views may result in food left on the table. i guess all i am trying to say is please understand that when your dinner seems a little slow, it just might be because someone went out and bought a new set of wrenches for their cruise vacation...;)

 

thanks for letting me vent.

[t60]

Not exactly a Princess secret but a good cruise critic secret

 

Click on the post #, top right, (1150 on my post) and you will get a copy to print just that post. Works wonderfully when you want to save good info.

 

I copy and paste what I need into a new document

 

Sandy in Spain

[tcs1366]

not a secret but an opinion...

 

as a lifelong server in restaurants 25 to 400 seats,

 

thanks for letting me vent.

 

great vent and makes total sense.

I for one rarely complain about a meal that I did not have to cook !

 

But very interesting perspective on the 'wrench' thing.

[compozer]

not a secret but an opinion...

 

as a lifelong server in restaurants 25 to 400 seats, i find it interesting to see people recommending that guests ask the kitchen for special dishes (eg cuisine from the chef's homeland, something that was on the menu yesterday but not today). i just hope that everyone understands that ANY change to the routine slows down the flow of a working kitchen --- trust me, i know this from personal experience. that is why when i order the ny strip on a cruise and it comes with a baked potato but i would prefer mashed, i know that it is easier for the kitchen to just leave the baked potato on the plate and give me a separate side of mashed (versus removing the baked potato and replacing it with mashed).

 

we have all read on these boards and heard fellow cruisers complaining that the main course took forever...the chicken was cold...the steak wasn't cooked the way they asked for it...the ice cream was melted...well, i am here to tell you that the kitchen is set up to be a well-oiled machine but when you throw a wrench in there things get messed up. and when you are trying to feed a dining room of, say 1000 people essentially at the same time and 1 person at every table throws a wrench....well, you do the math.

 

as far as the staff being more than happy to honor such requests...well, let me just say that the couple who come into my restaurant and ask to split a cup of soup meaning 1/2 a cup of chowder for her and 1/2 a cup of minestrone for him, and make sure there are lots of potatoes in hers but NONE in his and can the kitchen please peel the peel-and-eat shrimp because they don't like getting their hands messy and also can you cut the chicken for my fettucine alfredo into cubes not strips...this couple also believe that i am thrilled to do these things for them because a) i am trying to get a good tip b) i am proud of the job i do and therefore have a good game face and c) what am i supposed to say?!

 

i know some people will be concerned about my aforementioned wasted baked potato (although in my case it is never wasted!), and it's true my views may result in food left on the table. i guess all i am trying to say is please understand that when your dinner seems a little slow, it just might be because someone went out and bought a new set of wrenches for their cruise vacation...;)

 

thanks for letting me vent.

 

VERY WELL SAID!!!!!!!

 

I can't believe all the people that think they deserve something different.

 

And the ones that think they should get something for free that the Elite or suite people have as a perk or have paid big bucks for. Just ask the poor cabin steward - he wants a nice tip from you so he will do his best to try and get it. And of course he will give you a big smile. Do you think they really would say no to your face? I'd love to hear what they say about some of the passengers when they get back to the galley or their lounge. Never know, he may clean your toilet with your tooth brush. Or did they really exchange your dirty glasses for clean ones - what, you rinsed them in tghe toilet.

[5326jan]

VERY WELL SAID!!!!!!!

 

I can't believe all the people that think they deserve something different.

 

And the ones that think they should get something for free that the Elite or suite people have as a perk or have paid big bucks for. Just ask the poor cabin steward - he wants a nice tip from you so he will do his best to try and get it. And of course he will give you a big smile. Do you think they really would say no to your face? I'd love to hear what they say about some of the passengers when they get back to the galley or their lounge. Never know, he may clean your toilet with your tooth brush. Or did they really exchange your dirty glasses for clean ones - what, you rinsed them in tghe toilet.

 

 

ewww.:rolleyes:

[JBM]

Not exactly a Princess secret but a good cruise critic secret

Click on the post #, top right, (1150 on my post) and you will get a copy to print just that post. Works wonderfully when you want to save good info.

Wow!!!!! I wish I had known this years ago. It would have saved me an awful lot of writing. Thank you soooo much! Love these boards!

[Smokeyham]

not a secret but an opinion...

 

as a lifelong server in restaurants 25 to 400 seats, i find it interesting to see people recommending that guests ask the kitchen for special dishes (eg cuisine from the chef's homeland, something that was on the menu yesterday but not today). i just hope that everyone understands that ANY change to the routine slows down the flow of a working kitchen

 

thanks for letting me vent.

 

Thanks for bringing this up!

 

I also found the posts which suggested asking for something so completely off the menu odd. Stepping back for a minute, the kitchen is a mass production operation. This doesn't mean that the food is of poor quality; quite the opposite, but there is a limit to how much we can reasonably expect the kitchen to produce in response to special requests.

 

Given the limitations, I am happily surprised by how well they do respond to special requests.

[ibfern]

Thanks for bringing this up!

 

I also found the posts which suggested asking for something so completely off the menu odd. Stepping back for a minute, the kitchen is a mass production operation. This doesn't mean that the food is of poor quality; quite the opposite, but there is a limit to how much we can reasonably expect the kitchen to produce in response to special requests.

 

Given the limitations, I am happily surprised by how well they do respond to special requests.

 

Special requests related to food allergies are always honored but special requests for an item you liked a lot is hit and miss! On some cruises these special requests are easy to make if you give at least a 24 hour notice, on others its like pulling teeth!

[binkey36]

Not exactly a Princess secret but a good cruise critic secret

Click on the post #, top right, (1150 on my post) and you will get a copy to print just that post. Works wonderfully when you want to save good info.

 

Wow! I have been posting and "lurking" on this board for 11 years and DIDN'T KNOW! Very cool. Thanks again for "reminding" us.

[cruzisme]

Wow I never knew how to just save or print just one posting.

Thank you for sharing this major, not minor, piece of info for non-techies.:)

[Smokeyham]

I copied the last version of The List into Word 2007 and formatted it, and tried to put some like topics together.

 

If anyone has suggestions about how I might post this to make it easier for people to cut and paste, or just save, please let me know.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted such helpful suggestions! The one which struck me the most is "Always ask for what you want, the staff try to accommodate to the best of their abilities."

 

BTW... This is now nine pages long in Word! :)c

 

· Just returned from a great cruise on the Emerald Princess 8/22 - 8/29. Bought the ultimate drink sticker (UKP) and was told that fresh squeezed OJ was free with this sticker. Had to put up an argument with the waiter on Monday AM in the dining room about it, but they finally conceded that it was free with the sticker. Didn't encounter any problems about fresh squeezed OJ the rest of the week. One small disappointment - was told smoothies were free. Found out that the green tea smoothies at the International Cafe were NOT. Otherwise, things were great!

· Check out the Sanctuary $ (search the boards for description using the word Sanctuary) but you have to get there as soon as you get on board if you want to reserve for the entire cruise.

· Also Chef's Table is fantastic ($75 per person) but it includes all wine, food, a cookbook, a photo, and a rose for the ladies. I have done it twice and once on the Ruby, and it was the highlight of the cruise. You have to call the DINE line and ask to be put on the list, and there is no guarantee you will get it

· Ask your travel Agent to fax a request for the egg crates for bed tell them you want a top sheet as well, as I don't like the duvet cover without the top sheet.

· I always ask for a terrycloth robe and usually get it

· Most of the evening entertainment is focused on Deck 7, Promenade, with the Princess theater, Crooner's piano bar, Wheelhouse, Explorer's and Club Fusion. But, the entertainment on Deck5 in the Piazza also offers an alternative.

· For a really lovely place to have a pre-dinner or sunset watching cocktail, try the little area outside (aft) of Adagio. Also, Skywalker's offers incredible views if you prefer to be indoors.

· The International Cafe on Deck 5 is not the only place that you can use the coffee card. Use it in the dining rooms for espresso based coffees, and also on a few of the bars on Lido deck for same and brewed coffee. If you ask at one bar and they don't have same, they can tell which ones do.

· In the morning, you can get waffles at the pizza stand.

· Princess makes lovely ice cream and sorbets, which are on the luncheon and dinner menus. My favorites are the pink grapefruit and honeydew sorbets. They also make lovely soufflés.

If you want a breakfast (or for us hot tea) delivery before the times that are listed on the order card, just write in the time you want delivery. It will arrive on time, or most likely a few minutes early.

· If the ship has "Scoops" or an Ice Cream Bar on the Lido Deck, the ice cream there is now free and they have discontinued the free ice cream at the buffet. Thankfully, I was able to get free chocolate or vanilla hard ice cream at Scoops since I didn't care for the soft-serve. If you don’t like the cones, bring a small, empty dish from the buffet and tell them you have a wheat allergy. They'll put the ice cream in the dish.

· I don't know about the bigger ships, but the small ships have ice cream at the buffet from 3:30 to 4:30 each afternoon.

· Most importantly, don't disembark without a couple of future cruise credits.

· On our last cruise on the Grand we learned that you can have escargot anytime but you need to let the dining room know 24 hours in advance. That's also true for most dishes. I know we missed crab legs as they were the same night as our chef's table. So the maitre D took the order for us for the next night.

· At dinner, you can ask to see the menu for the next night, if you don't like what is on the menu you can ask for something different and they will make it for you, they are very accommodating. I also ask for fresh berries for dessert and they are usually very obliging.

· Many people think that the salads, sandwiches, and pastry in the International Cafe cost extra, but they are free!

· You can order a complementary plate of assorted stuffed olives at the martini bar.

· If you bring wine onboard you can pick up wine glasses at any bar or just leave your room steward a note to always leave clean glasses in your room.

· If you pre purchase internet minutes before you leave you will get free minutes based on the package you pick.

· If you are staying in an interior stateroom leave the TV on the bridge cam channel it will give the illusion of a window and if you leave it on all night it will serve as a night light.

· Cookies and milk about 3pm.

· Onion soup is available every night

· I use room service as my wake-up call. I hang the request on my door before I go to bed, they knock on my door at the time I request and they have coffee and pastries for me.

· Yes they have pineapple juice -- I have requested it on the card you fill in for room service breakfast. It isn't one of the choices on the card. Sometimes I get it and sometimes not.

· Yes, you can bring wine, soda and water on board with no problem....enjoy

· Volcano dessert, available on children's menu basically a huge banana split – yum

· Books in the library are free to borrow, as long as you return them before you get off

· And has anyone mentioned that if you've finished with your own book, there is a little cupboard in the library for 'passenger exchange'? This is open even when the rest of the library shelves are locked and - particularly at the beginning and the end of the cruise - you can find an interesting selection of those paperbacks which people have read and don't want to carry home.

· Popcorn during muts(MUSIC UNDER THE STARS)

· Always ask for what you want, the staff try to accommodate to the best of their abilities

· I bring packets of Crystal Light [so light to carry] and mix it with water and ice from the buffet and, I'm all set with my drink.

· You can bring an insulated mug [also very light] and use that to put your ice tea or your soda in. We also bring cans of caffeine-free diet coke.

· One of the dining rooms will be open for lunch on embarkation day although you are usually directed to the buffet. We think the dining room is a better experience and starts the cruse off perfectly.

· No one has yet mentioned what we thought was a Big Secret! Our TV on the last 2 cruises wouldn't shut off so called pursers desk. They talked us through how to unplug it, leave it alone for a minute and then replug! Now that in itself was great but, when you open the little door under the TV for the plug, well, there are extra outlets not being used! This was great when the shortage of outlets to recharge everything we needed to recharge was a problem!

· Sit at a slot machine and insert your cruise card (which is also your cabin key) and ask for money from your account to be loaded to the slot machine. The charge that will appear on your account is the amount you asked for with no service fee added. If you go to cashier a 3% fee will be charged. When you are finished at the slot machine, be sure to upload any remaining money to your cruise card (actually, it is to a ship's computer so if you lose your card, the money is not lost -- the cruise card is the vehicle to identify yourself). Then you can bring your cruise card to the casino cashier and ask to be given cash for the money that has been uploaded.

· Dumb and Dumber on some of the ships with the really good C/D's.

· The white pizza day.

· The grilled chicken on the LIDO deck at a table for two. The spa/wave pool without the wave machine going.

· If you want to find out about when your favorite item will be on the menu, ask your waiter or headwaiter, they know and are usually very willing to tell you.

· When you get to your cabin and meet your steward you can request topsheets for your bed (I don't like having only a duvet over me), extra pillows, ice bucket for chilling wine of champagne, extra shampoo etc., wine glasses, and you can borrow a corkscrew if you want to ask the steward for it.

· Some of the first things we do after boarding, is we always request that the steward remove the soft drinks and bottled water from inside and on top of the fridge to make room for our own drinks.

· Also, another request right after getting to the cabin is extra hangers. Even if they don't have wooden ones, they do have plastic and metal. Easier to hang things up (evening tops, golf shirts, etc) than making piles in the closet.

· Unpacked suitcases usually fit fine under the bed and leave more room on the floor of the closet for shoes.

· Another stop we make is a trip to the purser’s desk and have them make a hole in our card which we hang on lanyards.

· Whenever we fly to or from a destination to board the ship, we always include a weight hook to make sure we're not over whatever the allowance is when we check in.

· Under your bed is there is stored more bedding - only found it prior to disembarkation when checking that we hadn't left anything behind. Would have been useful as we did feel a bit chilly at night going through the fjords.

· You can get cocktails for $2.99 in all the bars after 8.00pm - limited range but includes Pina Colada and Long Island Ice Tea. PC in the Crooners bar was good as it was frozen.

· Get your coffee card on the 1st day - this entitles you to 15 coffees but also unlimited pots of tea and I think hot chocolate. You can sit in the peaceful surroundings of the International Café, and get proper tea in a nice pot. Save your coffee for when you really need it.

· Unless they changed the conditions within the past year, coffee cards never expire as long as you have at least one punch mark left unpunched. That gets you free brewed coffee in the coffee bars in perpetuity. I know becase I have been carrying around the same ratty old brown coffee card for many cruises. I don't mind the "syrup" served in the DR, but DH prefers the fresh brewed so each morning I stop by and get him a large coffee from "Princess Bucks". A nice tip at the end of the cruise is appropriate here.

· You get a lovely hot and tasty cup of tea in the dining room at afternoon tea - the only good tea we got on the ship!!

· There is another electrical point under the bed. If you forget your adaptor as we did, you can get one from your room steward but this is hit and miss. We forgot ours but Steward told us he wasn't able to get one for us - other passengers managed to get one though?

· If you do laundry onboard I suggest you bring a roll of quarters and powder laundry detergent (can't fly with liquid in carry on and it may leak in checked bag) because sometimes the coin machine and vending machine are empty or don't work. I used Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets. You throw it in the washing machine and it will release soap. Take the sheet out of the wash a place it in the dryer with the wet cloths and it's a fabric softener anti static sheet. If you can't find the Purex in Wal-Mart or the supermarket you can go to a Laundromat and purchase detergent there or you can just pack powder detergent in Ziploc bags.

· One more thing I forgot to mention - since you can't bring a clothing iron on board, and going to the laundry room to use theirs can be sort of a pain, a small bottle of Dove wrinkle releaser (which you just spray on, and then smooth out the fabric) works very well on minor wrinkles (but not really stiff creases). If you use it when you first arrive and then hang up your clothes afterwards, they're usually fine. And to avoid the really tough creases, ROLL your clothes instead of FOLDING them when you pack.

· I think the soda card is $4.50 a day plus 15% gratuity and the ultimate card is $9.00 a day plus 15% gratuity.

· They usually have spa and salon specials on port days. These will be well advertised so it’s not a secret.

· If you decide to eat in a specialty restaurant you may want to make the reservation for the last night. The Landfall menu is ordinary with choices like meatloaf (typist note: I love meatloaf) and turkey dinner with stuffing. The only thing you will miss is the baked Alaska which isn’t that great. If you decide to eat in Sabatini’s I would make a reservation for the night that they are serving Italian food in the main dining room.

· When we went on our Princess cruise I brought on a case of beer. I carried it in an open Sams Club bag and everyone could see that I had beer. I could hear peoples saying, "Does she really think she's gonna get that beer on?" Low and behold I didn't have any problems. As I was boarding the ship, one of the Princess employees even said, "Miller Lite, my favorite beer." No problem getting it on, at all. I also bought another 12 pack in one of the ports and no problem getting it on there either. We still ordered plenty of drinks on the ship but it was nice to have beer in our room to drink on the balcony. I have heard that it may depend on what port you are going out of but I took a chance and didn't have any problems in Miami.

· In May we were on the Caribbean Princess and they offer a Cocktail Hour in the Skywalker Lounge with great appetizers and reduced cocktail (Ony one to choose from at $2.99) of course you could get anything else you wanted at the regular price. Don't know if it will be offered on the Grand 11-08 sailing...hope so, it is available to Platinum and Elite as well as Suite (Not counting Mini- suites) They close off 1/2 the area and do check cards - but if even one in your group is platinum just have them pay for the drinks. It is every night of the cruise except the captain’s party. There will be an invite in your room. We really enjoyed going there.

· Ditto on the Purex 1 in 3 - saves a ton of hassle also we carry a roll of quarters change machines are often broken.

· You can buy used decks of card (almost new) for $1 in the casino.

· My favorite secret -- if you order the alfredo pasta (really good) ask them to serve it in a Parmesan bowl -- comes in a crispy melted cheese bowl -- how fun!

· If you want to take your own soda, buy the 12 or 24 can "box". Use duct tape and reinforce the edges and corners and "make" a handle. Put a luggage tag on it and put it with your checked bags. No trouble and it's delivered to your cabin.

· Menus are set up weeks if not months in advance. Every front desk of every restaurant has a three ring binder of the week’s menus. The menus are loaded into the binder for your cruise before you board. On the first day, we simply ask to see the week’s menus and look over what’s happing for the week. We then make our plan for the week there and then. What night would work for Sterling, any rush to get back to the ship on port days or does Horizon Court look good. The MD or any head waiter can show them to you.

· I have always found it at every MD station at the main entrance of any of the restaurants. I have only been asked why I wanted to view the book once and it has always been produced within seconds. Only problem is they are simply in order, not marked Sunday, Monday… We learned to take paper and pen and make notes since a faulty memory can screw up a night’s plans.

· Sabatini and Sterling serve fresh deserts that are not usually on the menu of the main dining rooms. At the end of the night when they close down 10:00-10:30, most of the deserts are taken up to Horizon Court. Nothing to plan your evening around, but if you’re in the area it’s something to check out.

· Since Princess cabins have mini-fridges, we bring a small Pur or Brita filter container because we enjoy lots of water. We also mix some of the filtered water in containers with Crystal light tubes which are the perfect size.

· We always bring wine and beer on board -- when we got stuck in Chile because of the earthquake in March we had lots of time to buy bottles of Chilean wine at a very reasonable price -- we just get wine glasses for our cabin -- we pick up local beers and wines along the way. Haven't had any issues with beer, wine or soda

· It’s a little inconvenient but I often go up to the Spa to shower. The showers there are great.

· The appetizers and sushi are free in the Vines wine bar but they charge you for cheese. We had a nice server on our last cruise. Since we were the only ones in the lounge, he gave us a plate of cheeses for free after I inquired about them

· Here's a tip I read a long time ago here on the boards, and believe me, it's worth its weight in gold: Take 3 or 4 of those black metal binder clips, and hang them on the bottom edge of the shower curtain. The extra weight will keep it from swinging in and "hugging" you while you shower. Try it - you'll be amazed at how such a simple solution relieves such an annoying problem!

· When you get to your state room, ask for robe & slippers plus a bed topper, and upgraded pillows....you won't be sorry !!!!

· Tipping cash to the bartenders goes a long way. You get better drinks..and some freebies besides !!!

· On our Emerald Princess cruise a couple of years ago there was dinner with the executive chef which was a new program they were starting. At that time you could only register once you boarded the ship and it was extremely limited (8 people and only done twice on our 10 day cruise). There's an extra charge, but you visit the galley during dinner rush, have French champagne with hors d'oeuvres (fois gras, escargot, caviar) in the galley, then we were seated at a special table with the executive chef and maitre'd in the dining room. Candles, centerpiece of flowers, special menu with free flowing wine selected for each course... After dinner we were presented with a group photo, and a Princess cookbook signed by the executive chef. Cost then was $75 per person, but it was worth every penny. We had full attention of the wait staff and the production certainly drew the attention of all the other passengers in the dining room. Food and wine was fabulous.

· Keep in mind that Princess allows each person to bring a bottle of champagne so getting glasses isn't suspect since you keep it in your room fridge.

· When you get off of the elevator to go to your room and aren't sure whether to turn left or right, look at the carpet in the halls. On one side of the ship on every passenger deck the hallways have blue carpeting. The other side has blue carpeting as well but there is some red in that side. I can't remember if the red is on the port or starboard side but it sure makes knowing which way to go much easier.

· If you go to a computer station in the Future Cruise booking area or Internet Cafe, click on the on screen icon to send a free e-postcard. There is no fee and it's an easy way to let the folks at home know where you are and how you're doing. There is a 300 character limit but you could send more than one message to the same email address if you need to get a longer message out. I used it on the Emerald in May and it worked great.

· You can also surf princess.com at no charge in the internet cafe or on your laptop using the wifi

· FYI, escargot was on the "everyday" side of the dinner menu and I had it every night on my recent Celebrity Eclipse 14 night Baltic cruise. Great beginnings to 14 marvelous dinners

· Perhaps it was a cost reduction, but escargot is not on the everyday side on the dinner menu on my current cruise on Royal Princess. I did ask for it and received an order the next day, but the Head Waiter made a "big deal" out of the fact that I ordered it. It was excellent as always.

· This is not a "Secret" and is very obvious to most of us, but when using your own PC onboard and checking your email, never read individual messages while you're online using up your minutes. Download everything by clicking 'Send and Receive' and then read it off line. Compose ALL your outgoing messages in Word, WordPad, etc before you go back online, and then cut and paste them into an email. Also, make sure all your email buddies know NOT to send you emails with elaborate attachments (i.e. all those "forwards") while you're on the ship as downloading them really scarfs up the minutes.

· Secret ~ at lunch time check out the menu by the dining rooms, they will tell you what is being served for dinner. If you don't like what you see, go to the Horizon Court, the food is almost identical to what is being served in the dining room, except you don't have to spend three hours waiting and eating.....

· Bring along some cheap magnets (you can get them in craft shops--or have a purpose in bringing home souvenirs). The walls have metal in them and you can "hang up" all those pesky papers you get every day in your cabin!

· On the Ocean Princess you can have almost anything you want just by asking, without extra charge. Order any special dish 24 hours in advance. The free ice cream is on in the afternoon. Extra wine glasses etc for entertaining in one's room together with mini-sandwiches and nibbles. You want blankets instead of the duvet - no problem. I think the service is amazing, and the crew so obliging.

· There are lots of things to do on the ship, lots of freebies if you hunt for them. There is the initial send off Scavenger Hunt and you find all the spots they want you to go, enter your card in the chance to win prizes. Go to the many poolside events and you have a chance to win Champagne. Art Showings and Auctions have a glass of free bubbly. Enter all the fun contests and competitions for chances to win free bubbly, travel bags, hats, playing cards, Luggage tags, t-shirts, mugs, etc..We always win something on the cruises! I am Celiac and they bent over backwards to make sure I could eat what I wanted! I saw the next day’s menu and it was adapted so I had gravy, pasta, etc and it was all gluten free! They will do almost anything for you. I love Crab legs as does my son. They brought us an extra serving. And we laughingly teased the waiter how he managed an extra portion and he said he sent the junior bus boy overboard to catch it for us. Now no one else could have extra because they didn’t get him back on the ship, it was going too fast.

· Duck liver pâté appetizer (they did not have pâté de foie gras, but to me, it's close enough, and delicious), various lamb entrees (I LOVE lamb and hardly ever get it at home - I don't cook and most restaurants don't serve it - so even though they have it fairly often on Princess, I could literally eat it every night!) and couple other menu items (including desserts) that I really liked and asked them to reserve for me again the following night, which they are happy to do. And, yes, the apparently fabulously popular escargot (and I thought I was the only one).

· If you befriend the maitre d, you will have a "special" appetizer at your table each night. This was true for us on the Ruby, Emerald and Caribbean Princess. Of course that comes with a good tip at the end of the week for the special service. Well worth it!

[VacationWhen?]

Tons of great information here! If anyone is interested, I took the list and rearranged it by "categories" to make it easier to read. I did a little bit of editing, too, to eliminate duplicate info, correct/update some things, and eliminate some unnecessary verbiage. Here's the rearranged/edited version:

 

Food

 

General Restaurant Info

· One of the dining rooms will be open for lunch on embarkation day although you are usually directed to the buffet. We think the dining room is a better experience and starts the cruse off perfectly.

· If you decide to eat in a specialty restaurant you may want to make the reservation for the last night. The Landfall menu is ordinary with choices like meatloaf (typist note: I love meatloaf) and turkey dinner with stuffing. The only thing you will miss is the baked Alaska which isn’t that great. If you decide to eat in Sabatini’s I would make a reservation for the night that they are serving Italian food in the main dining room.

· If you befriend the maitre d, you will have a "special" appetizer at your table each night. This was true for us on the Ruby, Emerald and Caribbean Princess. Of course that comes with a good tip at the end of the week for the special service. Well worth it!

 

Food Recommendations and Availability

· In the morning, you can get waffles at the pizza stand.

· You can order a complementary plate of assorted stuffed olives at the martini bar.

· Many people think that the salads, sandwiches, and pastry in the International Cafe cost extra, but they are free!

· Cookies and milk about 3pm.

· Onion soup is available every night

· Volcano dessert, available on children's menu basically a huge banana split – yum

· The white pizza day.

· The grilled chicken on the LIDO deck at a table for two.

· Sabatini and Sterling serve fresh deserts that are not usually on the menu of the main dining rooms. At the end of the night when they close down 10:00-10:30, most of the deserts are taken up to Horizon Court. Nothing to plan your evening around, but if you’re in the area it’s something to check out.

· The appetizers and sushi are free in the Vines wine bar but they charge you for cheese. We had a nice server on our last cruise. Since we were the only ones in the lounge, he gave us a plate of cheeses for free after I inquired about them

· If you go to the wine bar (Vines) and order a glass of wine, they will serve you "tapas" for free.

 

 

Special Requests

· On our last cruise on the Grand we learned that you can have escargot anytime but you need to let the dining room know 24 hours in advance. That's also true for most dishes. I know we missed crab legs as they were the same night as our chef's table. So the maitre D took the order for us for the next night.

· My favorite secret -- if you order the alfredo pasta (really good) ask them to serve it in a Parmesan bowl -- comes in a crispy melted cheese bowl -- how fun!

· On the Ocean Princess you can have almost anything you want just by asking, without extra charge. Order any special dish 24 hours in advance.

· Duck liver pâté appetizer, various lamb entrees and couple other menu items (including desserts) that I really liked and asked them to reserve for me again the following night, which they are happy to do.

 

Ice Cream

· Princess makes lovely ice cream and sorbets, which are on the luncheon and dinner menus. My favorites are the pink grapefruit and honeydew sorbets. They also make lovely soufflés.

· If the ship has "Scoops" or an Ice Cream Bar on the Lido Deck, the ice cream there is now free and they have discontinued the free ice cream at the buffet. If you don’t like the cones, bring a small, empty dish from the buffet and tell them you have a wheat allergy. They'll put the ice cream in the dish.

· I don't know about the bigger ships, but the small ships have ice cream at the buffet from 3:30 to 4:30 each afternoon.

 

 

Chef's Table

· Chef's Table is fantastic ($95 per person) but it includes all wine, food, a cookbook, a photo, and a rose for the ladies. You have to call the DINE line and ask to be put on the list, and there is no guarantee you will get it.

· On our Emerald Princess cruise a couple of years ago there was dinner with the executive chef which was a new program they were starting. At that time you could only register once you boarded the ship and it was extremely limited (8 people and only done twice on our 10 day cruise). There's an extra charge, but you visit the galley during dinner rush, have French champagne with hors d'oeuvres (fois gras, escargot, caviar) in the galley, then we were seated at a special table with the executive chef and maitre'd in the dining room. Candles, centerpiece of flowers, special menu with free flowing wine selected for each course... After dinner we were presented with a group photo, and a Princess cookbook signed by the executive chef. Cost then was $75 per person, but it was worth every penny. We had full attention of the wait staff and the production certainly drew the attention of all the other passengers in the dining room. Food and wine was fabulous.

 

 

Menus

· At dinner, you can ask to see the menu for the next night, if you don't like what is on the menu you can ask for something different and they will make it for you, they are very accommodating. I also ask for fresh berries for dessert and they are usually very obliging.

· Menus are set up weeks if not months in advance. Every front desk of every restaurant has a three ring binder of the week’s menus. The menus are loaded into the binder for your cruise before you board. On the first day, we simply ask to see the week’s menus and look over what’s happing for the week. We then make our plan for the week there and then. What night would work for Sterling, any rush to get back to the ship on port days or does Horizon Court look good. The MD or any head waiter can show them to you. Only problem is they are simply in order, not marked Sunday, Monday… We learned to take paper and pen and make notes since a faulty memory can screw up a night’s plans.

· If you want to find out about when your favorite item will be on the menu, ask your waiter or headwaiter, they know and are usually very willing to tell you.

· Secret ~ at lunch time check out the menu by the dining rooms, they will tell you what is being served for dinner. If you don't like what you see, go to the Horizon Court, the food is almost identical to what is being served in the dining room, except you don't have to spend three hours waiting and eating.....

 

 

 

Room Service

· If you want a breakfast delivery before the times that are listed on the order card, just write in the time you want delivery. It will arrive on time, or most likely a few minutes early.

· I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but on our first cruise (Feb/11) we tried the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. It was fantastic - 5 or 6 courses, served by 2 attentive staff, cocktails, champagne and a photographer to boot! At that time it was $50 per person, but definitely worth the extra $$. We will definitely do this again. Hint - don't eat much during the day!

 

 

 

Drinks

 

Bringing Your Own

· Yes, you can bring wine, soda and water on board with no problem....enjoy

· If you bring wine onboard you can pick up wine glasses at any bar or just leave your room steward a note to always leave clean glasses in your room.

· When we went on our Princess cruise I brought on a case of beer. I carried it in an open Sams Club bag and everyone could see that I had beer. No problem getting it on, at all. I also bought another 12 pack in one of the ports and no problem getting it on there either. I have heard that it may depend on what port you are going out of but I took a chance and didn't have any problems in Miami.

· If you want to take your own soda, buy the 12 or 24 can "box". Use duct tape and reinforce the edges and corners and "make" a handle. Put a luggage tag on it and put it with your checked bags. No trouble and it's delivered to your cabin.

· Keep in mind that Princess allows each person to bring a bottle of champagne so getting glasses isn't suspect since you keep it in your room fridge.

· Since Princess cabins have mini-fridges, we bring a small Pur or Brita filter container because we enjoy lots of water. We also mix some of the filtered water in containers with Crystal light tubes which are the perfect size.

· I bring packets of Crystal Light [so light to carry] and mix it with water and ice from the buffet and, I'm all set with my drink.

· You can bring an insulated mug [also very light] and use that to put your ice tea or your soda in. We also bring cans of caffeine-free diet coke.

 

 

Coffee Cards

· Get your coffee card on the 1st day - this entitles you to 15 coffees but also unlimited pots of tea and I think hot chocolate. You can sit in the peaceful surroundings of the International Café, and get proper tea in a nice pot. Save your coffee for when you really need it.

· Unless they changed the conditions within the past year, coffee cards never expire as long as you have at least one punch mark left unpunched. That gets you free brewed coffee in the coffee bars in perpetuity. I know becase I have been carrying around the same ratty old brown coffee card for many cruises. I don't mind the "syrup" served in the DR, but DH prefers the fresh brewed so each morning I stop by and get him a large coffee from "Princess Bucks". A nice tip at the end of the cruise is appropriate here.

· The International Cafe on Deck 5 is not the only place that you can use the coffee card. Use it in the dining rooms for espresso based coffees, and also on a few of the bars on Lido deck for same and brewed coffee. If you ask at one bar and they don't have same, they can tell which ones do.

 

Soda/Drink Cards

· I think the soda card is $4.50 a day plus 15% gratuity and the ultimate card is $9.00 a day plus 15% gratuity.

· Bought the ultimate drink sticker (UKP) and was told that fresh squeezed OJ was free with this sticker. Had to put up an argument with the waiter on Monday AM in the dining room about it, but they finally conceded that it was free with the sticker. Didn't encounter any problems about fresh squeezed OJ the rest of the week. One small disappointment - was told smoothies were free. Found out that the green tea smoothies at the International Cafe were NOT. Otherwise, things were great!

 

Drink Specials

· You can get cocktails for $2.99 in all the bars after 8.00pm - limited range but includes Pina Colada and Long Island Ice Tea. PC in the Crooners bar was good as it was frozen .

· In May we were on the Caribbean Princess and they offer a Cocktail Hour in the Skywalker Lounge with great appetizers and reduced cocktail (Ony one to choose from at $2.99) of course you could get anything else you wanted at the regular price. Don't know if it will be offered on the Grand 11-08 sailing...hope so, it is available to Platinum and Elite as well as Suite (Not counting Mini- suites) They close off 1/2 the area and do check cards - but if even one in your group is platinum just have them pay for the drinks. It is every night of the cruise except the captain’s party. There will be an invite in your room. We really enjoyed going there.

 

Other Drink Info

· Yes they have pineapple juice -- I have requested it on the card you fill in for room service breakfast. It isn't one of the choices on the card. Sometimes I get it and sometimes not.

· You get a lovely hot and tasty cup of tea in the dining room at afternoon tea - the only good tea we got on the ship!!

· Tipping cash to the bartenders goes a long way. You get better drinks..and some freebies besides !!!

 

 

Rooms

 

 

Things to Request

· Ask your travel Agent to fax a request for the egg crates for bed tell them you want a top sheet as well, as I don't like the duvet cover without the top sheet.

· I always ask for a terrycloth robe and usually get it

· When you get to your cabin and meet your steward you can request topsheets for your bed (I don't like having only a duvet over me), extra pillows, ice bucket for chilling wine of champagne, extra shampoo etc., wine glasses, and you can borrow a corkscrew if you want to ask the steward for it.

· Some of the first things we do after boarding, is we always request that the steward remove the soft drinks and bottled water from inside and on top of the fridge to make room for our own drinks.

· Also, another request right after getting to the cabin is extra hangers. Even if they don't have wooden ones, they do have plastic and metal. Easier to hang things up (evening tops, golf shirts, etc) than making piles in the closet.

· When you get to your state room, ask for robe & slippers plus a bed topper, and upgraded pillows....you won't be sorry !!!!

· You want blankets instead of the duvet - no problem. I think the service is amazing, and the crew so obliging.

 

 

Electrical Outlets

· No one has yet mentioned what we thought was a Big Secret! Our TV on the last 2 cruises wouldn't shut off so called pursers desk. They talked us through how to unplug it, leave it alone for a minute and then replug! Now that in itself was great but, when you open the little door under the TV for the plug, well, there are extra outlets not being used! This was great when the shortage of outlets to recharge everything we needed to recharge was a problem!

· There is another electrical point under the bed. If you forget your adaptor as we did, you can get one from your room steward but this is hit and miss. We forgot ours but Steward told us he wasn't able to get one for us - other passengers managed to get one though?

· I thought I'd mention that on our last cruise on the Diamond, we took our own 4-socket plug board. We're UK residents, so we just needed the one US/UK adaptor to plug in the plugboard, and then we were able to charge up our laptops, phones, iPad (I know, we're sad) through sockets on it. Also has the added advantage that some of our appliances have oversized plugs, which won't necessarily fit as the space around the main socket is quite cramped.

 

General Room Info

· Under your bed is there is stored more bedding.

· Unpacked suitcases usually fit fine under the bed and leave more room on the floor of the closet for shoes.

· Take 3 or 4 of those black metal binder clips, and hang them on the bottom edge of the shower curtain. The extra weight will keep it from swinging in and "hugging" you while you shower.

· Bring along some cheap magnets (you can get them in craft shops--or have a purpose in bringing home souvenirs). The walls have metal in them and you can "hang up" all those pesky papers you get every day in your cabin!

· If you are staying in an interior stateroom leave the TV on the bridge cam channel it will give the illusion of a window and if you leave it on all night it will serve as a night light.

· I use room service as my wake-up call. I hang the request on my door before I go to bed, they knock on my door at the time I request and they have coffee and pastries for me.

 

 

 

 

 

General Ship Stuff

 

Ship Tips

· For a really lovely place to have a pre-dinner or sunset watching cocktail, try the little area outside (aft) of Adagio. Also, Skywalker's offers incredible views if you prefer to be indoors.

· When you get off of the elevator to go to your room and aren't sure whether to turn left or right, look at the carpet in the halls. On one side of the ship on every passenger deck the hallways have blue carpeting. The other side has blue carpeting as well but there is some red in that side. I can't remember if the red is on the port or starboard side but it sure makes knowing which way to go much easier.

· Another stop we make is a trip to the purser’s desk and have them make a hole in our card which we hang on lanyards.

· Sit at a slot machine and insert your cruise card (which is also your cabin key) and ask for money from your account to be loaded to the slot machine. The charge that will appear on your account is the amount you asked for with no service fee added. If you go to cashier a 3% fee will be charged. When you are finished at the slot machine, be sure to upload any remaining money to your cruise card (actually, it is to a ship's computer so if you lose your card, the money is not lost -- the cruise card is the vehicle to identify yourself). Then you can bring your cruise card to the casino cashier and ask to be given cash for the money that has been uploaded.

· Check out the Sanctuary $ (search the boards for description using the word Sanctuary) but you have to get there as soon as you get on board if you want to reserve for the entire cruise.

· It’s a little inconvenient but I often go up to the Spa to shower. The showers there are great.

 

 

 

Things to Do

· Most of the evening entertainment is focused on Deck 7, Promenade, with the Princess theater, Crooner's piano bar, Wheelhouse, Explorer's and Club Fusion. But, the entertainment on Deck5 in the Piazza also offers an alternative.

· Books in the library are free to borrow, as long as you return them before you get off

· And has anyone mentioned that if you've finished with your own book, there is a little cupboard in the library for 'passenger exchange'? This is open even when the rest of the library shelves are locked and - particularly at the beginning and the end of the cruise - you can find an interesting selection of those paperbacks which people have read and don't want to carry home.

· Popcorn during muts(MOVIES UNDER THE STARS)

· They usually have spa and salon specials on port days. These will be well advertised so it’s not a secret.

· You can buy used decks of card (almost new) for $1 in the casino.

· There are lots of things to do on the ship, lots of freebies if you hunt for them. There is the initial send off Scavenger Hunt and you find all the spots they want you to go, enter your card in the chance to win prizes. Go to the many poolside events and you have a chance to win Champagne. Art Showings and Auctions have a glass of free bubbly. Enter all the fun contests and competitions for chances to win free bubbly, travel bags, hats, playing cards, Luggage tags, t-shirts, mugs, etc..We always win something on the cruises! · The spa/wave pool without the wave machine going.

 

Computers and Internet

· If you pre purchase internet minutes before you leave you will get free minutes based on the package you pick.

· If you go to a computer station in the Future Cruise booking area or Internet Cafe, click on the on screen icon to send a free e-postcard. There is no fee and it's an easy way to let the folks at home know where you are and how you're doing. There is a 300 character limit but you could send more than one message to the same email address if you need to get a longer message out. I used it on the Emerald in May and it worked great.

· You can also surf princess.com at no charge in the internet cafe or on your laptop using the wifi

· This is not a "Secret" and is very obvious to most of us, but when using your own PC onboard and checking your email, never read individual messages while you're online using up your minutes. Download everything by clicking 'Send and Receive' and then read it off line. Compose ALL your outgoing messages in Word, WordPad, etc before you go back online, and then cut and paste them into an email. Also, make sure all your email buddies know NOT to send you emails with elaborate attachments (i.e. all those "forwards") while you're on the ship as downloading them really scarfs up the minutes.

 

Laundry

· If you do laundry onboard I suggest you bring a roll of quarters and powder laundry detergent (can't fly with liquid in carry on and it may leak in checked bag) because sometimes the coin machine and vending machine are empty or don't work. I used Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets. You throw it in the washing machine and it will release soap. Take the sheet out of the wash a place it in the dryer with the wet cloths and it's a fabric softener anti static sheet. If you can't find the Purex in Wal-Mart or the supermarket you can go to a Laundromat and purchase detergent there or you can just pack powder detergent in Ziploc bags.

· One more thing I forgot to mention - since you can't bring a clothing iron on board, and going to the laundry room to use theirs can be sort of a pain, a small bottle of Dove wrinkle releaser (which you just spray on, and then smooth out the fabric) works very well on minor wrinkles (but not really stiff creases). If you use it when you first arrive and then hang up your clothes afterwards, they're usually fine. And to avoid the really tough creases, ROLL your clothes instead of FOLDING them when you pack.

· Ditto on the Purex 1 in 3 - saves a ton of hassle also we carry a roll of quarters change machines are often broken.

 

General Tips

· Whenever we fly to or from a destination to board the ship, we always include a weight hook to make sure we're not over whatever the allowance is when we check in.

· Always ask for what you want, the staff try to accommodate to the best of their abilities

· Most importantly, don't disembark without a couple of future cruise credits.

[Smokeyham]

Tons of great information here! If anyone is interested, I took the list and rearranged it by "categories" to make it easier to read. I did a little bit of editing, too, to eliminate duplicate info, correct/update some things, and eliminate some unnecessary verbiage.

 

Food

General Restaurant Info

Food Recommendations and Availability

Special Requests

Ice Cream

Chef's Table

Menus

Room Service

 

 

Drinks

Bringing Your Own

Coffee Cards

Soda/Drink Cards

Drink Specials

Other Drink Info

 

 

Rooms

Things to Request

Electrical Outlets

General Room Info

 

 

General Ship Stuff

Ship Tips

Things to Do

Computers and Internet

Laundry

General Tips

 

 

What a great arrangement!! Thanks so much. This is such a great thread!

 

Just a thought. ....... Can I suggest that anyone who is adding more tips tell us what category they would fall under, so we can keep this list up to date? I edited the list above to just show the categories.

 

 

I am organizing a group of friends to go on an Alaskan cruise next year, and will be providing everyone with a copy of the list.

 

Thanks again VacationWhen? :)

[balanceok]

Great thread, great help.

 

Thanks.

 

:D

[Bettyboop66]

VacationWhen? you are my hero!!!!!

[KansasCityTBone]

You can get coffee at the buffet 24 hours a day.

 

Here's a secret: THe "coffee" available 24 hours a day is not really coffee. It is a caffeinated flavored concentrate that is mixed with hot water when you turn the faucet. It comes in a gray cartridge! How else to serve 10,000 cups a day!?!?!

[Iamcruzin]

It's no secret after one sip

[usahawk]

ok i finally read through all these post (it took awhile belive me) was reading post dated 2010 and people are saying that there is no limit to the amount of wine you can bring onboard--some say they bring a case and tag it with their luggage--others say you can bring all the beer you want as this is not considered alcohol--i have just read princess alcohol policy and it says one bottle of wine per person---not sure what to believe anymore--can someone set the record straight--will be cruiseing NYE and would love to take 4 or more bottles on board. thank you for your help

[mrspaper]

ok i finally read through all these post (it took awhile belive me) was reading post dated 2010 and people are saying that there is no limit to the amount of wine you can bring onboard--some say they bring a case and tag it with their luggage--others say you can bring all the beer you want as this is not considered alcohol--i have just read princess alcohol policy and it says one bottle of wine per person---not sure what to believe anymore--can someone set the record straight--will be cruiseing NYE and would love to take 4 or more bottles on board. thank you for your help

I assume you're traveling out of FLL. No problem to bring lots of wine on board at that port. We stop at Total Wine on our way to the ship. We don't mind paying the $15 cork fee. Sometimes, we don't even get charged; then we leave a nice tip.

[avhomes]

We bring a digital alarm so we can see the time if we wake up in the night...it is so dark in our cabin...you'd never know if it was daylight...

[tcs1366]

we don't even get charged; then we leave a nice tip.

 

question -- what if there is no cork? Wollersheim Wine, which i plan on bringing a few bottles, uses screw caps. Will I still be charged when i can open it myself?

[mrspaper]

question -- what if there is no cork? Wollersheim Wine, which i plan on bringing a few bottles, uses screw caps. Will I still be charged when i can open it myself?

If you bring it to the dining room, you should be charged.

If you open "any" kind of wine in your stateroom, you are NOT charged.

[mrspaper]

We bring a digital alarm so we can see the time if we wake up in the night...it is so dark in our cabin...you'd never know if it was daylight...

We have an alarm clock from LL Bean. If you wake up and want to see the time, you touch it and it lights up.

[IECalCruiser]

question -- what if there is no cork? Wollersheim Wine, which i plan on bringing a few bottles, uses screw caps. Will I still be charged when i can open it myself?

You question is probably asked tongue in cheek but the answer is if you bring wine to a Dining Room there will be a $15 "corkage" charge but obviously no charge in you room. The corkage fee covers service (but not tips/service charge), wine glass breakage and some of the lost revenue from not selling a wine off the wine list.