Oh2B@C

Consistency???

> Wrap around promenade vs none

> Alfredo's on some ships vs none

> Vista Lounge vs Club Fusion

> Princess Live vs Explorer's Lounge

> Skywalkers vs other type of club on the top deck

> Bayou vs Crown Grill

> Share vs Sabbatini's

Need I go on...:D

I like Princess especially for the choice in the ship's designs. I am going on the Caribbean Princess for the first time ever and cannot wait. I think they made some very positive changes in the 2017 refit.

Has the Salty Dog changed? When I was on board and went there shortly after it opened it was an interesting menu but the charge was $19 I think.

Now its free? But not the same menu?

Suggest you go to the Princess website and look at the Caribbean Princess deck plans. Find salty Dog on Lido Deck. Under Dining Options you can access the Salty Dog menu. HOWEVER, the original Salty Dog is in the Wheelhouse Bar on the Crown and Ruby. Used to be $19 for three choices now $12 for 2 choices. As stated above, Salty Dog on CB is free except for Ernesto Burger.

This thread will probably generate tons of varying opinions, some will be important to you and others not. For me, the ONE big change I have noticed may not be an issue for most people, but it is a big deal for me. 5 years ago, the cruise director's staff were much friendlier, much more approachable and much more organized. Plus they spoke much better English. On my last few cruises, the cruise staff has been distant, surly, seemingly not ready to improvise or banter with the passengers, and speak such bad English that you can barely understand what they're saying.

On a positive note, the introduction of an Entertainment director has freed up the CD to be more social and visible on the ship.

You can get sushi in Vines ONLY if you buy a drink. And then the sushi is just a pretty small sampler plate, 3 or 4 pieces. If there is sushi in the buffet, expect mostly rolls of average quality. If you do sushi often and are used to good quality - you will not be impressed by whatever they pass for sushi on the ship. BUT... it is VERY subjective as are most food related impressions. I would suggest you go to Vines and watch someone else order the sushi sampler first to see if it is worth the cost of a drink. You pay for the drink, the sushi is free.

So... I cannot get into the head of the lady who took her passport with her ashore and carried it into her backpack. But I can understand why some people prefer to bring their passports with them. It's sometimes nothing more than a habit. I CAN tell you however that she felt quite embarrassed that she did not take care to put it in her money belt before making the climb up to the fort. A moment of "forgetfulness" that she is certainly not likely to repeat EVER.

As for Princess, the couple certainly did not say that they thought the ship should have stayed in port. They were simply dismayed by the fact that the only response they received was "get off now!". In the heat of the moment, when you are feeling vulnerable and victimized, you look for a little empathy and support. It's more of a defensive response after going through a traumatic experience. Plus the TV show painted a very biased picture.

Many important takeaways though. I would definitely think twice before reporting my passport stolen or missing to ship's authorities. But as others mentioned, it would definitely depend on where in the world I am. I remember disembarking in Rome and simply walking off the ship, no questions asked. But there are countries that are much more scrutinous.

April 8 is a Sunday, so I would drive the morning of. If you plan to leave quite early, say 5 or 6 AM, you give yourself some leeway. If all goes smoothly and you arrive too early, stop somewhere for a nice breakfast. No point in wasting money on these overpriced FLL hotels.

BTW I should add one more thing to my original post:

The lawyer the TV show reached out to did mention that the passport requirements are mentioned in the passage contract. They show the lawyer accessing the Princess website to find it. I looked at my passage contract for my upcoming April 21 cruise, and here is the section:

2. GUEST'S OBLIGATIONS.

• (A) Before You board the ship, You must
  
  • (i) Pay Your Cruise Fare.
    
  • (ii) Familiarize yourself with the terms of the Passage Contract.
    
  • (iii) Bring all necessary travel documents such as passports, visas, proof of citizenship, re-entry permits, minor's permissions, medical certificates showing all necessary vaccinations, and all other documents necessary for ports of call in the countries to which You will travel.
     
    It is the Guest's sole responsibility to obtain and have available when necessary the appropriate valid travel documents. All Guests are advised to check with their travel agent or the appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents. You will be refused boarding or disembarked without liability for refund, payment, compensation, or credit of any kind if You do not have proper documentation, and You will be subject to any fine or other costs incurred by Carrier which result from improper documentation or noncompliance with applicable regulations, which amount may be charged to Your stateroom account and/or credit card.
    

Ignorance of the passage contract terms, sadly, is no excuse... Orincess was actually generous in offering the 3 day refund.

And on a personal note: When I was cruising the Greek Isles in 2012, on our way to Athens the Greek government requested that all passengers hand in their passports for inspection. We had to do this on the sea day before arriving at Athens. Cabin stewarts went to every state room to collect the passports, and they were returned later that evening. I cannot imagine what trouble someone would be in if they said "oops, my passport got stolen/went missing etc..." So getting back on the ship without telling anyone your passport got stolen might get you in some hot water if found out before the end of the cruise. Maybe even at the end of the cruise when you have to clear customs at final arrival.

Last night I watched this show on our local French language CBC; about a couple on Royal Princess who had a harrowing experience after the wife had her passport stolen in Kotor. This was a consumer advocacy show, therefore the story was, admittedly, heavily biased in favor of the customers. In the end it serves at the very least as a reminder to 1) watch out for your stuff wherever you travel 2) The princess ship must leave on time so they won't take any action that may cause delays and 3) read your travel insurance policy VERY CAREFULLY

Some highlights:

- Couple was mid-50's, seemingly well-travelled.

- They were on Royal Princess departing out of Athens (no mention of date or length of cruise)

- The wife had her passport stolen as they ascended a trail to some fort in Kotor. She said she usually keeps her valuables in a waist belt, but this time she carried everything in a small backpack. Her wallet and passport were lifted from the bottom of her backpack.

- Back on board the ship, the couple informed customer service immediately. They were told to go ahore and fill out a police report and then they would be forced to DISEMBARK since Princess would not allow them to sail without a passport.

- The couple asked if Princess would at least help them contact the nearest Canadian Embassy, but were refused. Princess referred them to the port agent for any further assistance, and continued to insist that the couple go to their room, pack their things and get off the ship. The reason given: "It's the law. You are no longer compliant with the law. So you must get off"

- Princess actually told the husband that he could stay on the ship if he wished since he still had his passport (I guess if he wanted to get divorced he could have stayed on the ship...)

- The couple is eventually removed from the ship in Kotor. There was actually another passenger removed as well for the same reason, a lone American lady.

- The TV show reached out to Princess but the company denied an on-camera interview. Eventually, after investigating the matter Princess did send an email to the TV show, stating 1) Confirmation of the law requiring passengers to have passports 2) That they did connect the couple with the port agent and 3) They understand that the couple managed to get back on the ship in Rhodes 3 days later - and that Princess would offer a refund of 2 cruise days per person

- The couple mentions on the show that the port agent was some 20 year-old kid who knew nothing about contacting embassies. After spending the night in a hotel in Kotor, the couple took a bus to Pogderica and had to go to the British Embassy since there was no Canadian one. To their credit, the British Embassy was able to help. The couple managed to get an emergency passport sent (incredibly quickly IMO), then fly to Athens and then on to Rhodes to meet back with the ship 3 days after getting off in Kotor. Total costs incurred = CDN $3,000.

- The show did interview a maritime lawyer who said that this is not a specific maritime law. However, cruise ship cannot carry passengers without proper documentation that would bar them from entering the port at final destinaiton.

- The couple called their TA and asked them to request a refund from Princess, to which Princess replied they had already agreed to a refund of 2 cruise days per person and that would be it.

- The couple also had TWO travel insurance policies. One from the credit card and another through a group plan on their car insurance. NEITHER of them paid out any money because the policies DID NOT COVER STOLEN PASSPORTS!! The travel agent had offered them coverage that would have covered this incident but they did not take it since they thought they were covered already (READ YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICIES)

- After the TV show pressed on a bit, Princess agreed to refund a 3rd cruise day per person. But the couple is still out the $3,000 in travel and passport replacement costs.

- And finally... the couple mentioned that the only crew member who showed them any sympathy was their cabin stewart, who welcomed them back on the ship with a water bottle they she had purchased herself.

Could Princess have done more to help? Hard to see how IMO. The ship has to leave on time. I guess that's why they connect passengers with port agents. Once again, a reminder to ALWAYS safely carry your valuables.

Muster Drill is always the highlight of my cruise. My favorite part is when the crew member mimes jumping off the ship with their life jacket on. Pure gold!;p

Hey Linda! I am excited to see the changes made to the ship, especially those two dining venues.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Any way a couple can pay for 1 and share? Hate to waste food:confused:

Or get a doggy bag? :)

During the day, breakfast & lunch, it is a seating area for the World Fresh Marketplace (buffet). There are also some selections on what was the original Cafe Caribe buffet lines. This is where the made to order omelets are prepared for breakfast. There is no charge during the day. The aft end of both table seating areas is a small comfortable sitting area, where you can have your coffee, read a book, or whatever.

This is kind of what I am expecting. When it was Café Caribe, it did not generate any extra revenue (unless Crab Shack). So it's not much of a risk to turn it into two $12 dinner venues and maintain it as sort of what it was with Caribe for breakfast and lunch. Caribe used to have one or two different things; and in any case was not open past 5:30 PM (on the Crown and Ruby anyway). It just takes away from free buffet seating space at dinner but many ships are using that aft space for fee-generation, like the Crab Shack. Besides, dinner in the buffet is never usually that busy. I am looking forward to seeing the new decor though. Maybe even try Planks one evening - have done the Crown Grill sufficiently often and Planks would have plenty of food from what I gather. Will be able to see for myself on April 21!

Has anyone experienced the new Planks and Steamers restaurants on the Caribbean Princess? I'd be curious to hear some impressions. Not just dinner either, what it is like to have breakfast and lunch there? Do they offer different food options than the World Fresh Marketplace?

If you decide to stay on the ship after your Lake Gatun stop, the ship will have many fewer passengers on it, which make the trip back OUT of the lake less crowded....you will see all the stuff you probably missed upon entering the Lake...as folks will be jammed packed against the railings all morning. Plus, you'll have the AC on the ship to escape to...it's so freaking HOT and HUMID in Panama!

I was going to make the exact same observation until I read this comment. This is valuable information, since knowing that a lot of pax will be off the ship only to be collected at the other end, I can save my outside viewing for the return trip - as I am not planning an excursion. Perhaps on the inward leg I can actually have a hot tub to myself... one can dream!

BTW prairie girl, looks like I am on your cruise!

I am looking at the Caribbean Princess' 10-day trips in April and May 2018 and notice that the 20-day trip combining Eastern Carib and Panama Canal show as "sold out" while the 10-day stand-alone trips appear to have tons of availability. I am considering booking each 10-day separately but just in case I don't pick my cabin at booking, I might end up in separate cabins on each leg. So questions:

1) Has anyone ever done a B2B in different cabins? What happens on turnaround day? Do you have to leave the ship with all your luggage; or can you leave your luggage with Passenger Services until your cabin for the next leg is serviced? I guess I could stay on the ship with all my luggage, but I think Port Everglades makes everyone get off and come back on.

2) What if I called Princess and asked them to price a 20-day for me, would they do it? Who/where should I call? I cannot imagine a lowly service agent would be able to do that for me? Perhaps those cruise consultants they email me about sometimes?

3) Would a TA be useful in this situation? I am definitely a DIY'er, but am willing to let an expert do the legwork if it would help

Thanks to all who are willing to offer advice:D

I am looking at the prices on the web site as a logged in captain circle member. $873.25 CDN pp + taxes/fees; which would equal $699 US at a 1.25 exch rate. (I thought they were using 1.30, but perhaps went down as the CDNS did make gains vs the US$ recently).

The single supplement is almost NEVER other than double... GRRRR!!

Another reason I am suspecting they have a lot of unsold space is the fact that traditional early dining is still available at both 5:30 AND 6:00 PM. Whenever I've booked last minute there was never any space in trad early dining; only waitlist, late trad or anytime dining.

Agree on airfare problem as we get closer and closer. Luckily there are lots of flights from Montreal. Keeping an eye on that as well.

Hello all,

I know pricing is often impossible to predict, but I wonder if any of you savvy cruisers have any experience or advice for this situation:

I am looking at the Caribbean Prince 10-day out of Fort L on April 11 (40 days away)

I am a solo looking for an inside cabin

Current price is $1,940 CDN incl taxes, fees etc (gratuities not factored into this price)

Air fare is on sale - $240 CDN off reg price

No OBC or other perk offered

I checked the cabins available on the web site and I coount 150 inside cabins not sold yet. To me, that is A LOT of unsold cabins especially 40 days before sailing.

So, questions:

- Should I expect a significan enough price drop to make it worth waiting a little? And given the airfare discount of $240, is it worth waiting for a price drop if the air fare goes back to normal?

- Should I expect perhaps an OBC offer to pop up?

- Would calling Princess and asking for a deal (price/OBC) make a difference? I tried this a couple of times and although I never got a price reduction, I did receive some "goodwill" OBC.

And to clarify: I won't be crushed if I don't make this cruise. I am able to book at anytime, even last minue, i.e. no time commitments. So I'd be OK with waiting for price drop/perks and take the risk they don't come (did I just anwer my own questions...:D:D :)

I appreciate any help/thoughts/suggestions you may have.

Thanks

Hello, this is your friendly neighborhood OP here... I guess I shoudn't be surprised at the overwhelming number of counter-productive comments, for example:

"I never order two entrees so the change doesn't bother me" - See below for changes that MIGHT bother you

"They made the change in March" - gee thanks Cap'n Obvious...

"They stopped encouraging gluttony" - What's it to you Commander McJudgy?

"Compared to a land-based restaurant, $29 is a bargain" - Idiotic or moronic, I cannot decide. Did you pay $3,500 to walk inside the door of the land-based restaurant?

The reason I posted this, other than I was bored and there was nothing on TV, is to point out how disappointed I was to lose another nice little perk, and how exasperating it is that the slow removal of those types of little perks seem to be the norm rather than the exception lately. If I cannot decide between the lamb chops and the filet mignon, well I can have both if I am hungry enough. What's it to you? Maybe I don't do dessert - you don't know... And believe me, I don't leave a SINGLE bite behind on the plate, so no starving children in Africa need be insulted. I am quite sure in fact that by shelling out the $29 I am helping feed hungry children in the Phillipines, Serbia, Thailand or wherever else my waiter is from.

For the unfortunate masses who commented that they are not bothered by this change because they are not affected, how long do you think it will be before your favorite cruiseline makes a change that does affect you, for example:

- You like to watch the shows from the first few rows of the theater? Well now those seats costs $5 each

- Do you enjoy dancing in the Wheelhouse Bar in the evening to the sounds of a live band? Well, sorry, we cannot afford a band anymore so from this point on the music will come from a boom box sitting on top of a stool. It will be the same CD every night, playing on a loop.

- A special seating section for evening movies: Introducing the new Odeon Class of Cabins, which give you access to a special section of the Lido Deck from where you can watch the movie in state of the art vibrating massage chairs, enjoy complimentary upgraded popcorn and two free drinks (I can actually hear people saying "gee that one sounds great, I'd pay for that")

- If you so much dare to have a quick look at your photos in the photo gallery, your cruise card (or medallion:rolleyes:) will automatically be charged 35 cents per second - see page 34 of the passage contract that you didn't bother to read

- Want to play trivia? Not before you pay a $10 deposit for each pencil you take out of the box. You'll get back $5 of that deposit when you return the pencil in good working order. Hope you have lots of OBC... All carry on and checked luggage will be scanned for writing instruments and each pen or pencil will be charged a BIC (blotting instrument charge) fee - get it? BIC... wah hahahahahahahahaha:')

Darn... Game of Thrones cannot start soon enough...;)

I was curious to see if the Crown Grill menu had changed lately, so I accessed it through "Specialty Dining Reservations" inside my booking manager online for my upcoming Mexico cruise in September.

I was disheartened to read the following at the top:

Cover Charge $29 per person

Dinner includes one main course. Please enjoy any additional mains for $10 each

As one who in the past thoroughly enjoyed both the NZ lamb chops AND the 8 oz. filet mignon, and not leaving a single morsel in my plate, I have to say: Princess, you've done it again. Found another way to squeeze a few measly $$$ out of passengers.

How much longer before the menu becomes "choose one from each course"? Until then, IF (a big IF) I do go to the CG this cruise, I'll be loading up on the starters.

Me: "Bring me another BLACK TIGER PRAWN AND PAPAYA SALPICON please"

Waiter: "But Sir, that is your sixth one tonight..."

Me: "Better make it two more then...":evilsmile:

Well you can add me to the list of Happy Canucks!

I spoke to an agent at the Princess 1-800 number and he offered to check with a supervisor and one minute later came back to tell me the credit was added. This is a 10-day Mexico in late September 2017 that I booked on June 29. I booked it on the Princess website and I saw absolutely no mention at that time of this promotion. I got $100 OBC for an inside cabin. I also have some mystery $15 OBC that suddenly appeared and the agent couldn't explain (but I'll take it!) and will also receive $25 Elite loyalty credit for cruise #23. That gives me $140 total. Margharita, Margharita!!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the OP for putting up this thread!!!

Just looked at a few interesting itineraries on the Caribbean Princess, and I see from the deck plans that the ship went through quite the makeover recently. The buffet completely redone. New Planks Seafood and a BBQ joint ($12 each), both aft of the buffet. New decor for the Ice cream, Pizza and Grill on the Lido; etc... I am curious to hear impressions from anyone that has sailed on her since the changes. Thx!

Once around the ship is 1/3 of a mile (assuming the "proper" promenade deck of ships before Royal)

Assume walking speed about 3 miles an hour

You burn around 250 calories walking one hour

So: 9 laps takes one hour and burn 250 calories

Therefore one lap will burn: let's generously round it up to 30 calories.

Therefore... don't even THINK of going to the buffet after just one or two laps;p

Hello all,

Since I am leaving Cruise Critic, I wanted to submit a helpful and positive review of my experience with the Crowne Plaza San Pedro - along with a few helpful tips for those arriving by car (or not...). Especially since someone recently posted a very nasty review of this same hotel/package and I almost cancelled my stay there - GLAD I DID NOT!!!

As I said, I booked the Park and Sail, arrival 1/6/2017. Sailing on the Ruby 10-day Mexican Riviera (See my very positive review just posted:)).

Price for the package: $179 USD + tax

What you get:

- Parking for up to 15 days

- A very comfortable and modern room

- Two breakfast buffets (I was a solo, and was able to give my second one away - you get them in the form of 2 vouchers)

- Two free shuttle rides (you get 2 vouchers for that as well).

- Two free glasses of wine from the bar. I was allowed to take them back to my room.

I booked the package directly from the hotel website.

The parking experience and tips:

When you arrive, DO NOT VALET PARK!!! Rather, enter the hotel parking lot from 7th Street (it will say Enterprise Parking). Facing the hotel, 7th Street is on the left. Go down as far as possible underground (only one level is underground). Remember your stall number and give it to the bell captain. If the front desk says that you must Valet park, IGNORE THEM. Just tell the bell captain where your car is, hook one half of the parking tag (received at the front desk) to your car mirror and keep the other half with you. Keep your keys with you!

If you Valet Park, of course it will take forever to get your car. Remember that ship you just disembarked, well the same number of people are leaving to get ON that ship, and a lot of them are leaving from the hotel. It is a madhouse out front of the hotel on departure morning.

When I returned from my cruise, I went to the front desk and asked them for a pass to get out (there is a gate). The pass worked fine and I was on my way to enjoying the wonderful LA freeway system:eek:

The hotel

Great hotel!! Fabulous rooms, friendly staff, great food. Just one little nit-picky thing: slow elevators.

Location

Cannot beat the location. 15 minutes walk to the cruise terminal. I walked. It is a mad dash outside to get on the shuttles. Tip: First "official" shuttle is at 10:30 but the driver will make a special run at 10 AM if you talk to him beforehand. He does it for extra tips I am sure, but the hotel is fine with it. You'll get to the terminal waaaaaay too early but if that's your thing, then go right ahead, beat those crowds... I believe the last shuttle is at 12:00, but again, speak to the driver about a special trip after official hours;)

All right, happy to answer questions. If your experience was not as positive as mine, well that's just TOUGH!:cool:

Phil (not "The OP")

For a more upbeat review, please read the new thread I just posted.:cool:;)

Hello all, I noticed other reviews of this cruise already, but since this will be my last post on Cruise Critic (yup, sad...), I thought I would leave on a mostly positive note. I will monitor questions however for those who need to know something I did not mention.

I also plan to leave a review of the Crowne Plaza San Pedro on the west coast departures board.

DISCLAIMER: These are MY subjective opinions, based on MY OWN experiences. Got that?;)

Embarkation: Here's my tip: if you have preferred boarding, show up early. If you don't, I suggest you show up later. So you'll miss out on 2 extra hours on the ship, so what! In San Pedro anyway, non-preferreds are herded like cattle towards the back and you are sitting there shoulder to shoulder with all the other peons, while the preferreds waltz by you easily. I am Elite on Princess and walked on with the second group at 11:45, easy peasy!

YES THERE WAS LUNCH ON EMBARKATION DAY IN THE DINING ROOM. No indication that this will change in the future.

TIP: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, (and I do mean NEVER), ask a crew member if the dining room is open for lunch when you get on the ship. You will always be told: no Sir/Ma'am, but you can go to the buffet. Don't be so lazy, find out for yourself!

Crew (other than the cruise staff): Amazing, incredible, friendly... best cabin steward ever! Efficient and chatty, but just the right amount of chatty...;)

Cruise staff (the ones who run the activities) They are getting worse and worse. More interested in their own performances than relating to passengers. Most of them seemed downright uncomfortable relating to passengers one on one. Again, MY OWN experience, but I am a SWEETHEART!

Buffet: I thought the food quality was better than usual. Much better in fact. On the Ruby and most ships not in the Royal Class, the lingering problem with the buffet remains the tight cramped space it is in. Very hard to get around when busy, or even when there are a handful of people. Very hard to get around all the people just browsing, standing there looking at the food with no plate in hand. Usual people who cut in, and don't get me started on the long-reachers, those people who cannot wait 5 seconds for you to move on before they grab for a serving spoon from four feet away:mad:

Main Dining Room: Went there 3 times, thought it was fine. Not bad, not great. Excellent service, but they HAVE TO STOP BRINGING TWO MAIN COURSES AT ONCE. Can't they fix that somehow, it cannot be that difficult.

Crown Grill: Went there once. Menu hasn't changed in years, could use a tiny bit of an update. The filet mignon is too thick, so even when you order rare, the outside is done too well. And they brought me three main courses AT ONCE(?!?!?!?!). Hello? Do you need this table for later? Slow down chief! The appetizers are fantastic however. If I ever go back (big IF), I will load up on every appetizer, which they seem to bring one at a time, and just go for the lamb chops.

And now a quick note of the eastern European staff: They are a bit gruff... especially the Russian and Ukrainian women. Sorry if this offends...:o Just what I experienced many many many times. Here's an actual quote from Jelena the Serbian hostess at the MDR: "Sir, this is the PO-LI-CY." Use a stereotypical accent for dramatic effect.

Share: Did not go but spoke to people who did. The ones who went said it was really good. I looked at the menu and went "Meh", but taste is very subjective. I looked through the glass on deck 16 aft and it is crazy empty in there. If you want to go to Share, here's a tip: ask the PSD for a 2 for 1... you might get lucky!

Gastro-Pub: Did not go. I did notice however that the PRICE IS NOW $12 and you now pick TWO ITEMS. Used to be 3 items for $19. I think that is a much better price point, personally.

Happy Hour: 4PM to 6PM in the Wheelhouse Bar every day. Staff very efficient. Here's a tip: go LATER. It is crazy busy 4-5, but by 5:30 it is pretty quiet. Guess it's because dinner just gets started.

They allowed me to leave the bar with my drinks. They also agreed to open one beer bottle and leave the other unopened. Some pax told me this is not always the case.

Best drink for a Mexico cruise: the 24K Gold Margarita. HOLY MAMA!!

The shows: I don't go to the shows but spoke to many people who did. Everyone said they were great. They had Magic to do and it was very well received.

The Ship: The RUBY PRINCESS IS AWESOME!!! One thing that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fact that they have tiered seating facing MUTS, so three tiers higher than deck 16 full of loungers. Great for a little more privacy.

Whew... what am I forgetting...??:confused:

Fellow passengers: A fairly well diversified bunch, lots of people from the west coast, especially southern CA, Seattle and BC. Age mix about the same as past cruises, mainly 50's and over. Very few kids. I ran into the usual assortment of GRUMPS who just can't seem to be able to enjoy themselves unless they are b****ing at the staff. When I am cruising, I have a permanent smile pasted on my face - you GRUMPS out there should see how much better the crew treats you when you greet them with a smile.

BEST LAUGH OF THE CRUISE: My team, while playing Majority Rules, had the following question "Name a movie title where the subject is the world coming to an end" and we answered "Armageddon II - President Trump; this time there's no escape" (Aw come on, just a joke you guys...) We received roaring laughter.

OK, thanks for the memories everyone! I'll be happy to answer questions, although I'll be out of wifi range for a week or so (camping in Death Valley).

Yours very truly,

If you agree with my opinions, my name is Phil

If you disagree, my name is Jan Swartz

(My name is NOT "The OP";))