iTownPrincess

So, so true! DH and I sailed Equinox in June and Caribbean Princess in November. Our Equinox cruise was wonderful, lovely aft cabin, excellent MDR experiences, liked the OVC. I do agree with OP that service in the bars was abysmal - at Martini Bar we practically had to beg for service and there was a general lack of customer service at the other bars (except for OVC and MDR - excellent bar service! Of course OVC has its own bar, so there’s that!) Unfortunately our Caribbean Princess cruise was IMO one step up from a Carnival cruise - partly our fault for booking a cruise that departed on Halloween. The public spaces were cramped and our forward balcony cabin just adequate. Ironically, the great bar service was the highlight of that cruise. Not to mention I think the crew at the IC were either androids or aliens, because the same folks were there day or night and disturbingly shared a sullen attitude and inability to smile or even assume a pleasant facial expression. As always, YMMV. 🧐

I sent in my renewal right after Thanksgiving and received the new passport in about 2 weeks. Haven’t received my old one back yet, tho’.

Too right, kenthecruiser! Thanks anyway! 🙂

My husband and I debarked the Caribbean Princess early this morning and caught a taxi to our pre-cruise hotel to pick up our vehicle and my husband left his wallet in the cab. We have no idea what cab company it was. Can someone suggest a way to find out what company it may have been? Broward Sheriff’s deputies were managing the flow of passengers to the cabs so I thought of calling BSO in the morning to see if they have a list so I can start making calls. Any additional ideas/suggestions are welcome!! Thank you in advance.

Great suggestion - thank you!

I request some help/suggestions - my husband and I walked off the ship this morning early and caught a taxi from the stand outside the terminal back to the hotel where we stayed pre-cruise to pick up our vehicle. My husband left his wallet in the cab. Neither of us has any idea what cab company it was. I already called the hotel but no one had turned it in. Broward Sheriff’s deputies appeared to be managing the flow of passengers to the cabs. I thought I would contact them to obtain the names of the cab companies present so I could start calling around. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Pardon me for answering for kenthecruiser but I think your friends may have been referring to the Sandra Maria Duo? Piano & violin in the Piazza. We enjoyed them but found the very long pauses between songs strange. I assumed they would perform a set playlist but it seemed like they were disorganized?? I can’t say but the music was OK.

Once you have been on a few more cruises you will probably discover that your unique style is far less unusual than your first experience indicated. I have seen some truly bizarre and outlandish (IMO) outfits on many passengers. Something they all had in common was having a great time! I urge you to let your style flag fly high and enjoy yourself to the max. Attitude is everything! 😀

I’m changing it up big time for embarking our October 31st cruise from Fort Lauderdale - mid-calf floral sundress, white denim jacket, and white canvas sneakers. Depending on our autumn Florida weather I may have to revert to white jeans & cute blouse and ditch the jacket.

Speaking strictly for myself I’m not excited (yet) to sample the Lavazza on Princess. We sailed Celebrity Equinox in June and the Lavazza coffee in both buffet and Cafe Al Bacio (like IC on Princess) was one step above “hot water with a brown crayon dipped in it” quality. One evening in MDR the coffee was actually drinkable and our waiter told us the DR was making an effort to brew it stronger. I feel snarky about this because it’s JUST COFFEE - it shouldn’t be this hard!!!

I was commenting on buffet and MDR both, but the coffee in Cafe Al Bacio (comparable to Princess’ International Cafe) was nothing to crow about either … all coffee on board had a sour under-note. I’m guessing poor storage and/or lack of attention to proper brewing. I recognize I’m a horrible coffee snob but I think the “specialty “ coffee at least could be decent enough to justify the prices. I believe Celebrity has the most expensive drinks packages of the mainstream cruise lines and frankly I expected better in the coffee department.

Celebrity also touts the Lavazza coffee. DH and I were on a Celebrity ship last month and UNimpressed with the coffee. The flavor is so dependent on how it is brewed and most of it tasted like hot water with a brown Crayon dipped in it. It was slightly better in the MDR but not consistent. We will be on the Caribbean Princess in October so looking forward (in a snarky way) to comparing poor/indifferent brewing results between the two cruise lines.

SAS shoes are my favorite. (San Antonio Shoe Company.) Lots of styles and W to WW availability on most. They are known for their high toe boxes (on closed-toe styles) and being made in USA. They are not cheap but wear very well. I recommend their “Free Time” and “Tour” styles. The Tour is definitely a sneaker but the Free Time comes in both smooth and brushed leather and are less sneaker-ish. BTW I used to be a HUGE Birkenstock fan - year round! Then one day out of the blue I just couldn’t wear them - they hurt my feet! Inexplicable but it did open my eyes to alternatives.

Shopping for cruise wear is one of my favorite activities! I set up a rolling clothes rack in my bathroom when I’m within 90 days of a cruise. I have a great time building my wardrobe, hanging new purchases, adding and subtracting items, planning accessories, etc. You know what I mean! And it’s never too early to start!

I was on the last cruise of the season on a girls’ weekend back in 2016, the last week of October. It was pretty cold (no surprise) but Hopewell Rocks was closed for the season. I knew that going in but didn’t realize at the time just how much we were missing. I would love to do this itinerary again and would plan for mid to late September, first week of October at the latest. I hope you have a fantastic cruise!