Honolulu Blue

Thanks for the note. This got me thinking about how many numbers I have that are tied to me. One thing I don't have is an employee number, because we're too small and backwards for those. 🙂 I can't say that I've ever inquired about any Celebrity employee's number. I can imagine that setting off a bunch of red flags. I only know a few last names. I imagine it's tough for them to figure out who is "Barry from the OVC", but not impossible.

I assure you this is one deposit I never want back. 😄 As for the next cut, one that I hope for but almost certainly won't get is a price cut. 🙏

I checked, no luck for me. ☹️ Thanks anyway.

You've been given wise advice by my colleagues. One thing I'd like to add is that some excursions in some ports offer the option of being dropped off downtown or some area that's close to the ship. It can be a good option for exploring the town after a tour without having to go back to the ship first but be aware that you're on your own and still have to be onboard in time for the sailaway. Enjoy your cruise and its excursions.

I'm a veteran of a couple of Princess cruises that added themes, but I booked after the theme was announced. You can expect the stuff related to the theme to be included at no extra charge - Q&As, lectures, maybe even a basic class.

An update on the Summit: It looks like it will still be sailing from San Juan from October 2024 to January '25, then it will take off for Fort Lauderdale and start sailing from there. Cruises from January 29, 2025 through April 12, 2025 will be canceled. Those who had their cruises canceled will get a refund, plus $400 OBC on another cruise for those booked in the Retreat ($200 for normal peasants who booked elsewhere). I apologize for those for whom this is old news, and I'm sorry for those of you who had their cruises disrupted. ☹️ Source: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/08/celebrity-shortens-summits-2024-25-program-in-san-juan/

One thing they've done for past themed cruises, but not this one (so far), is list it on their themed cruise page at Themed Cruises – On Board Special Events - Princess Cruises . Maybe it'll show up there eventually. I hope so. 🙏

Lucky you! 😋. Have fun!!

The themed cruises actually started two years ago with the 80s, comedy, and Love Boat themed cruises. They seem to be giving less and less notice these days and I struggle to understand why.

This may be true in general, but this theme was organized by Princess all the way.

One of the gems in the flyer that @ceilidh1 revealed to us was a soap opera themed cruise. Here's the blurb from that: Hold on, wait. 😮 "Dallas" was a very big deal back in the late 70s and into the 80s. It got higher ratings than Princess' favorite show from the era. 😁 Surely there are fans of that show and these actors that are roaming these boards. They snuck this theme and these guests on this sailing but gave virtually no notice other than this flyer blurb. Perhaps they didn't want to upset the "Dynasty" fans onboard who would demand a refund if they knew such things were happening. Here's the listing on Princess' site. See, it's not just a dream! What kind of company adds a theme like this with almost no notice and no hype?? Princess, you do some good things, but sometimes I wonder about you guys (and gals)...

So we won't be together after all. Too bad. ☹️ My cruise was booked all the way back in August 2021, so it's been a very long time coming.

I've cruised Princess three times since 2021, all solo, though none on the Sky. I've never dined in the MDR, so I'll let others explain the experience there. They do have meetups for solo travelers most days. I've never attended any, so again I'll let others explain what happens there. You can book shore excursions directly with Princess. I didn't find it too difficult to find places to sit and read onboard. They may not be super quiet (especially later in the day), but they were quiet enough for my purposes. I hope you find the answers you're looking for and I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise. 🙂

Most times I don't bother with lunch on a cruise - not hungry enough after breakfast and too much to do. Occasionally I'll have lunch on the ship. A couple of times I've had lunch in port.

I'm more forgiving (or should I say philosophical) about cruise lines and their strategic moves. Yes, it feels awful to be on the consumer end of a cancellation for any reason, but if they think can make more $$$ by repositioning somewhere else or chartering a ship or whatever else, I think they have to do it.

I was on the Millennium last November and the Summit (a charter) in February. There was turndown service on both. Room service was free on the Millie and about $12 per order on the Summit. About the buffet... oh man. 😮 The Millie's buffet was fine - it was cut down on one night, but considering it was sailing half full, it was as good as expected. Then around January 1, apparently they cut the dinner buffet back on ALL Celebrity ships. The were howls of displeasure from many of us who dine at the trough and some trepidation about what was happening by many others. But on my Summit charter sailing, the OVC for dinner was as good as ever. And I haven't heard many bad stories about the buffet since. There are other changes to Celebrity, as outlined by others, but they mostly don't affect me yet. We'll see what happens on my next charter on the Summit next March. This is news to me. Thanks for sharing. I like the chocolates.

@brilliantseas - thanks for sharing. I enjoyed Epic Rock both times I saw it. It doesn't look like it will be on the two Carnival ships I'll be oo in the next six months. Here's a funny story about "Flick"... I saw it in the listing on one of my ships. My vision must have been blurry, because I was wondering what in the WORLD Carnival was trying to show us!! VV was just a vision in Sir Richard's mind at that point. I was both attracted and repelled by the thought of it. But then my vision was restored and its true form was revealed. Oh, never mind. 🙃

I'm sorry your husband departed on another mission early. 🙏 I'm sure someone had their reasons. Be sure to take some time to think about what you enjoyed about your cruise in January without your husband. If there was little or nothing there, then perhaps it's time to look at the refund clause in your certificates. If you think you can enjoy yourself without him, then you probably can. The crew and the other cruisers will help if you let them. I don't have much advice for ships, destinations or types of cruises except to perhaps consider ships with studio cabins and their solo lounges. Those cabins are small, but they might meet your needs. Good luck with whatever you decide from a fellow introvert. 🥰 Example #102345 of Why We're All Different. This kind of get together would be of little use to me, since I have more interest in the former than the latter two items. I keep advocating for cruise lines to have one or more special "single and ready to mingle" sessions, but they don't listen to me. 🤬

Thanks for the link! The Hollywood Insiders: Music Connection intrigues me, though I prefer a straight 80s theme. I'm not sure why Princess puts big themes on random ships with limited notice. Are they that desperate to fill ships?

I'm considering doing a transpacific cruise from the U.S. to Australia, so you're asking the same set of questions that I have. I don't have many answers for you that haven't been covered by others, but the season for transpacific cruises quite limited. Most of them TO Australia are in September and October. Most FROM Australia are in March and April. The exceptions are generally segments of world cruises. That means that cruises WITHIN Australia and to New Zealand and other (relatively) nearby islands on the mainstream lines sail between October and April. Good luck with your due diligence and good luck on your upcoming cruise(s).

I went to the Pat Benatar concert last night. The ride to the Native megacasino was easier than I expected. There was plenty of parking and the route that I took inside was familiar. The belly of the beast was somewhat familiar from my last visit about 5 years ago, though all the machines were different. My seats close to the front and center were as good as expected, maybe even a little better. The one downside was some of the people in front of me occasionally got up and did their thing, which made capturing photos somewhat challenging. But more on that in a little bit. Pat and Neil and the gang put on a great show. They didn't play all their hits, but they did get to most of them. A couple of the songs were deeper cuts that I didn't recognize. It was all good. The crowd was relatively old and skewed female. This bunch would have fit well on The 80s Cruise, if they had known about such a thing. This concert represented a good chance to try out my new cell phone and its camera. I thought it did better than my last one - especially late in the concert when I got used to everything. Let's pick out a few random photos, shall we?

This doesn't have much to do with the Medallion app, but I'll try to answer anyway. Sometimes people ask Guest Services about how many people or what % of capacity the ship is sailing at. Sometimes it's volunteered by the Captain, Guest Services, or the entertainment staff. And sometimes it's given for the following sailing. These numbers, IMHO, were far more interesting and relevant while the pandemic was still raging. Most sailings these days on mainstream cruise lines are sailing at 100% of capacity or more. Also, sometimes (especially on charters) there's an announcement that there's a sellout. That means 100% occupancy, and usually significantly higher.

Here are the tactics I use at the buffet: I do my best to grab everything I'm going to eat in one go and then find a place to sit Sometimes if I think I'm likely to get something else, I'll sit close to wherever it is, and either grab it before I start dining or make a short trip to pick it up later I tend to line up early at the trough for breakfast and normally skip lunch

Lots of things could happen. It all depends on where and when Hilary decides to go. Watch your emails and hope Princess keeps you posted. 🙏

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