alwalaska

When NCL switched from Pepsi to Coke, they included Coke Zero and that made me very happy. I'm debating whether or not to get a soda package on our upcoming Princess cruise because I strongly prefer Coke 0, but can stomach the diet as long as it isn't served in the can. I'm glad we can still carry on sodas and waters on Princess. We'll at a minimum bring diet mt dew for hubby since he doesn't like colas really at all.

I know it was a long time ago, but we stayed at the Doubletree in 2017 and loved it. I was only Gold back then and we were upgraded to a suite on the top floor overlooking the marina. We spent two nights there and enjoyed the overall experience. Service was good, hotel was clean. I'm looking at it again for an upcoming cruise, but we may end up at the Crowne Plaza depending on points and costs. I wiped out my Marriott and Hilton points on our last big vacation.

Do they charge for the shuttle if you are staying there, or is it included in the price?

Please let me know how your rental with Enterprise goes. We did something similar in 2017 and returning the car was a long and hard process. They didn't have anywhere to line the cars up to return, so the employees would go and put one car away before processing the next. What we did was hubby dropped me at the ship with all of the luggage and then he walked from Enterprise to the ship. It is too long of a walk for me, but not for him.

Someone complaining on another cruise lines forum said that with the Princess app, you could see the menus for the whole voyage so that you could pick which nights you would prefer to do specialty dining or the buffet, etc. Is this true or an exaggeration?

Thank you for taking the time to post all of that. It is very helpful.

@XBGuy Do you happen to have a copy of your spreadsheet that you would be willing to share? I tried to look through your older posts, but wasn't able to find it.

I thought on Reserved you would be able to pick different times on different evenings. Way back in 2018, last time we sailed Princess, you could reserve a different time each night. Traditional is same time whole trip, same table, same people, etc. I hope that is what it will be again.

Thanks all. I think we have decided on booking the historical locks. I appreciate all of the info.

I wonder what will happen on ships with only 2 dining rooms, like the Coral Princess?

Thanks. What is DMW? Is that Dining My Way?? If yes, is that different from the previous Any Time Dining?

Thank you so much. That is really helpful. We love the Spirit and Sun and the NCL overall "philosophy", but the Joy was the only ship that met all of the timing and itinerary locations we were looking for. You also confirmed for me without my asking that Elements is the only major show. That is kind of disappointing. I like Elements, but we've seen it many times. I laughed when it was advertised as a "new show" when we were recently on the Spirit. We saw it on the Spirit in 2011.

I'm looking at the deck plans and it is hard to tell where the walls are and if there are any doors. Would this include the International Cafe and the hallway along the photo shop? Is it all one big room?

Thanks. Our small ship option is Princess, not NCL due to times, ports,etc. I know the Joy is big, but how does it compare "crowd" wise to the Explorer and Symphony? I thnk it has as much to do with layout as it does total people. I don't mind making reservations, but I don't want to still have to show up 40 minutes and stand in line after the reservations are made. I hope this makes sense. I do want to sail on the Jewel class ships someday. I just haven't found the right itinerary and timing yet.

Hi! We've only sailed on Princess a couple of times and the Coral Princess to the Panama Canal next Feb is the favorite contender right now out of our final two options. I plan on booking the regular price and not the plus. We sailed a similar itinerary on the Island Princess 1017, which is our most recent. What do I need to know? What will we miss by not having the Plus option. In general, it looks like the cost does not even come close to being worth it for us. Here is a bit about us: 1) We don't drink 2) We don't care about specialty dining, but we do like pizza and burgers by the pool, a decent buffet, a reasonable wait or ability to make reservations for Any Time Dining. 3) We like the shows in the theater and listening to an acoustical guitar or piano player in the evenings. 4) I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and will get migraines. Are there areas on the Coral Princess for me to avoid?