CruiseCrabs

🌈⭐

The Grand had spin classes last time I was onboard. I’m not going to say they were frequent or convenient, but they had them.

After being awakened by scraping sounds while loungers were dragged around at dawn by guests and crew, we prefer rooms above us.

My first Princess cruise was a 16-day Hawaii cruise in an inside cabin. We popped on the bridge cam when we wanted to check the weather, time, etc. but had no complaints. If the weather is good, you will likely find a deck chair somewhere between naps and activities so a window or balcony isn’t that important. Enjoy your cruise!

I wish they would drop a transcript into the app.

But… but… fascinators are day wear. Rock a tiara!

For us, this is not that formal…

Most group fitness classes onboard are very watered down and, if they are following the brand they claim to, modifications are available to accommodate most. The classes should be floor-based as well, which doesn’t have the learning curve of the various equipment.

Between this and the Sanctuary rants, you need a cruise stat! Hang in there. The hide-always are all in good fun. If you hate ducks or whatever wee item is stashed, just keep walking when you see them. The plastics give us pause but we don’t duck shame since the intent is positive and they are few and far between. The best thing about cruising is that your cruise experience is yours alone and the less you worry about what others are getting or doing, the more fun you will have. Everyone has their “thing” on a cruise and some just want to bring joy to those who like to spy and capture or re-stash tiny, hidden creatures.

Airline pricing is dynamic. There is absolutely no way one can assume that pricing will remain the same on different flights booked some time apart and Princess doesn’t control the pricing. Your belief that they should comp the difference on different business class flights is unreasonable. I get how you feel but this is one of those travel risks that cannot be covered by insurance as they will not cover cost increases. The potential for cancellation and possible venue shake outs are why we don’t book new ships for the first six months they are scheduled to sail.

The Medallion enables you to summon a drink when you need one, virtually wherever you are.

While the Sanctuary changes seem to be concerning for many, this is a new ship that is introducing new concepts. Some will work, some won’t, and adjustments will be made. The shade situation may be something that gets adjusted, especially given that the ship will head to the Caribbean but, again, padded loungers exist in seemingly quiet spaces outside of the Sanctuary space. The positive side of this is that padded loungers are in multiple locations—not just the Sanctuary—and Princess staff is great about getting to know their regulars everywhere. The Medallion should ensure food, drink, and more will be delivered anywhere. Yes, kids may be present but they usually are close to pools and play so the Sun is great for ensuring they have many spaces to go to, ensuring the spaces without those features may be quiet. The sculpted loungers by the Sanctuary pool are an odd choice, especially for sun lovers. It may be an unpopular opinion but I am glad to see that Princess is making the suite experience somewhat elevated. They have room to grow with the new approach but suite breakfast in Sabatini’s and dry cleaning wasn’t enough to make us consider booking suites routinely, especially on routes that we knew we wouldn’t spend much time in our stateroom. The small, interior lounges also seemed tight on Royal class. The exclusive spaces are a nice way to elevate the suite experience. Now, if only they made those Sanctuary cabanas sensible for those with the packages and a suite, which make some of the features redundant.

You can order from anywhere you are, including your table.

If you have toiletries you must have, either use silicone travel bottles and jars (they do not leak and some can be hung in the shower, which is super convenient), buy at your destination city, buy travel sizes, or buy onboard. If you are using global brand products, they will be available in most major cities. We also take a small in case of kit with bandages, blister plasters, wound gel, cold/flu meds, meclizine, and Pepto. This covers most of the minor issues that can pop up. We usually leave Rome around 10ish and roll to the port to board with few, if any, challenges or delays. We generally stay in Southampton a day prior to boarding to not worry about traffic issues on boarding day. We hit the International Cafe upon boarding for a light lunch (ham and cheese croissants, salad, and champagne) and boarding drink while watching the safety video so I’m not sure about the MDR.

We make and hide wee felted wool crabs (profile image). They have a great message on their passports about not being crabby on a cruise and staff and passengers seem to love them. Three crabs per day tends to be the average but you need to figure out the magic number for whatever you are doing.