mom says

You are basing your assertion on a drawing. An artistic rendering. An artist's impression of a concept that as yet is not in existence. One that may or may not reflect final design or budget alterations. In other words, you assume too much, so don't let your expectations get the best of you. I will believe it when: a. The cabin category descriptions list a Nespresso machine as an included amenity in every category. b. There are actual photos of the finished cabins which show a Nespresso machine in every cabin category. And even should this miracle of modern coffee tech materialize, I seriously doubt the entire fleet will be retrofitted with them. Hence the desire for coffee cards.

I spent 4 weeks on the Crown in November. I didn't starve, and the food never sent me to the sick bay. So I think you can set your fears at rest. Seriously, ask 2 people on the same cruise about the food service and you could get 2 diametrically opposed opinions. I don't consider Princess dining to be excellent in either quality or service. However it is usually very good, IMO. In most other respects, we found our cruise experience on the Crown to be as good or better than on comparable ships and lines.

Look closely at the pricing. You are paying PER PERSON for the hotel room. Compare that to the price you would pay if booking directly with the hotel. Most times you'll be paying a LOT more for the same room. We book directly with a cancellable reservation.

So not a cabin crawl, as your title states. Not sure why you found it necessary to inform the ship in advance. It would have been much simpler if you had just circulated the crawl schedule amongst your group. Assuming you weren't asking the staff to do anything other than filling the drink orders of those attending and were only going to the bars that would be open at those times.

So you are fully aware that what you are planning is against cruise line rules, US Federal law, and against the law in many other countries. And you are willing to allow your wife to face the penalties if she is caught. Because it is she, not you, who would face whatever penalties that resulted after a sniffer dog got close, or an inspector wanted to open her bag. Trying to hide it would just make the consequences worse. I'm not sure why you would think that anyone is "looking the other way", or why US ports are different to others. Your wife should consult her health care provider for an alternate medication for the length of her travels.

Sure. Show him the cruise line's ironclad guarantee that their wifi will be fast enough for zoom calls 24/7. Oh, wait.... nevermind

I don't think you will always be close enough to shore to guarantee a shore side cellular connection, Canadian OR US. You do NOT want to end up paying the Cellular at Sea rates!

Sorry to hear about the issues you had OP. We were on the 28 day LA-Tahiti-LA cruise in November and experienced none of that. The October drydock was to repair the propulsion issues it had had during the Alaska season, and seemed to have been successful. As for the extra day added to some of the upcoming cruises; I believe that this MAY be due to recent maritime speed limits being imposed for ships sailing in certain waters where sea life, and particularly whales, are considered to be at-risk from ships.

Here's the link to the San Juan Ports of Call forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/80-san-juan-pr/

QM2 for me, too.

It is not at all unusual. It depends on the itinerary, and sometimes, the cruise line.

Cruise line is not the primary, or even secondary factor when searching for our next cruise. Itinerary is number one, combined with availability within our schedule. Ship size is next. No mega ships for us; prefer those well under 3000 pax. And we want a real balcony, so bye bye E class ships. Celebrity is sinking even lower in our desirability list with its lack of longer cruises and unimaginative itineraries, although we will do a series of b2bs if the combination is interesting enough. And then there are the price increases combined with reduced quality/service on board. Which ever cruise line can offer the best combination of itinerary, ship/cabin, and price during the time period we are looking at will likely be the one we choose. Except Carnival or Costa. Those are a flat no.

A month is my limit on a ship.

That should read " ETIAS will NOT be required until 2024."

Besides,or in addition to the above, buy a copy of Rick Steves Guide to Mediterranean Cruising. Learn it. Love it. Live it.

Do all of the different countries in South America have the same rules and regulations regarding drugs ( prescription and OTC)? I'm not sure there are many CCers who have visited every country and can state with certainty what the current laws are. We prefer not to gamble with what we might be able to get away with. Instead we have our pharmacist provide small bottles that are properly labeled. Some pharmacies can do the same with zip lock bags or blister packs. While not in South America, I've been questioned on 2 different occasions; the second time because one of my medications was tightly regulated in that country. Because my meds were properly identified and in the second case had the correct documentation, there was no proble,m.

If you're looking specifically for the Princess info, then try asking on the Princess sub forum. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/119-princess-cruises/ If you want general info on the Ports or excursions, look under the relevant pots in the Ports of Call forum.

I pack my lightweight summer clothes and add a pashmina for the MDR and theatre.

Yes.

I've no idea of the odds that YOU will come down with something. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. All I do know is that all I've contracted in 20 years of cruising is a couple of colds. But I've no idea if I'll stay healthy on our next cruise. Just like I have no idea if I'll be healthy next month at home.

The best place to start is to have a look at cruisetimetables. com and the port schedule for San Juan. Look on the dates you are interested in to see which ships are porting there. Once you've narrowed your choices, come back for opinions.

We will often have a recorked white wine on its side in the fridge. Haven't had one leak yet.

Throughout much of our married life DH refused to vacation on a cruise. Since his career was flying helicopters off navy ships, fair enough. But with our 25th anniversary approaching, he had a shore posting and I reminded him of the saying "happy wife, happy life". And a cruise was cheaper than a divorce. So we had our first cruuse- a 7 day eastern Caribbean on the QM2. Of course he loved it, and we've enjoyed many happy cruises in all the years since.

Look at the CDC site

I realize you've had to wade through many extraneous posts that have nothing to do with your situation, but the correct answer has been given to you more than once. Since you are a US citizen with a US passport, and NOT a US resident with a nonUS passport, you do NOT need a Schengen visa as long as you are a tourist staying for less fhan 90 days. If and when the ETIAS becomes effective, THEN you would have to apply for one (an ETIAS, not a visa) before entering your first Schengen country.