Papa Yoda

I'd avoid a VS on Caribe - the balcony is too cramped for us.

14 hours ago, Pluto_fan said:

 

So excited to have booked the Sapphire for our Alaskan adventure!

 

Can you tell me what the Sapphire's Thermal Suite includes?  No aft suite for us, but I'm considering booking the week-long Thermal Suite pass if it's a nice facility.  Thanks.

5 heated tile loungers, gentle sauna, gentle steam, and aromatherapy rooms, just forward of the Lotus Spa (adults only) pool.  the only negative is no thalassotherapy pool

Triple ditto:  Sapphire - get an aft covered balcony and you have it all, especially an aft suite.  If you get a suite you also get Thermal Suite included, this ship has one of the best TS of all Grand class ships (the Grand has no Thermal Suite).  The Sapphire also has a wide promenade deck.

Sapphire has Alfredo's, are you sure it didn't come from there?

Those ships are almost identical and issues can happen on any. We tend to avoid Vista Suites (S6) on Caribe or Emerald decks aft - too many pillars.  Dolphin Deck Vista Suites are our favorites, but don't tell anyone!  But you can't go wrong with Penthouse or Owner suites on Aloha or Caribe.

I like to hang out at the Lotus Spa pool where there are 12 padded loungers.  I observe that folks will often get up and obviously leave the area but leave towels behind hence my thumb rule that towel(s) alone do not indicate a chair is in use and is up for grabs.

We like this so much we now make it at home when we feel withdrawals from cruising...using a recipe posted here on CC

31 minutes ago, Woobstr112G said:

Well I'll be spending the last two days of my cruise in the cabin. Darn luck.....

Boogers  🤧

You can ask for anything within reason, may need advance notice for some things.  My favorite change of pace is just an Iceberg lettuce salad with avocado, sunflower seeds, and chives or scallions with bleu cheese.  Getting sunflower seeds turned into a funny interaction with our server... he said looked all over the ship for them 

PS: check out the Kid's menu, I've heard there are possibilities including the Volcano dessert.

Agreed.  Saddens me that they swapped out the Star and kept the CB, 

2 minutes ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Picking a Boarding Group is optional, not necessary to get into the Green Lane. 

Maybe, but I seem to recall being blue lane until doing that step

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

"Although we do not offer mobility devices onboard for personal use, you are welcome to bring your own device. Alternatively, we do partner with the following companies who provide wheelchairs and other medical equipment for rent, and they can deliver directly to the ship. If a rental is a better solution for you, please do contact them directly.

• Special Needs at Sea: 800-513-4515 or 954-585-0575, or visit the Special Needs at Sea website
• Scootaround: 888-441-7575 or 204-982-0657, or visit the Scootaround website"

You likely need to pick a Boarding Group.  I ran into this but now can't remember all the steps, it wasn't hard but it's a few menus deep.

2 hours ago, Woobstr112G said:

So tonight, for formal night, we will be enjoying dinner in Sabatinis as guests of the Executive Chef.

On Grand in April and Sapphire in December, we found we enjoyed Sabatinis Dinner over the CG and Sterling Steakhouse (similar menu to CG).  Sole Piccata was terrific.

Headed for the Golden Gate just before 5PM

Way to go!  Welcome back.  We did this itinerary on Royal's maiden LA voyage in March  2019, and we did it twice b2b, 1st in D727 then L108.  

10 hours ago, lennythenose said:

It looks like everyone has their personal favorites but Princess does not have a special embarkation day feature drink as some lines do. Just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss out on it if they did. 

Right, they usually do have a special embarkation drink but it varies, I don't know that I've ever seen a recurring special or featured drink.

3 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I was only questioning the "few dollars worth of stuff" comment. The photos did include the Captain  with us, fyi. Also, the galley tour was informative in showing how much stuff they really make onboard: it's AMAZING! 

I think you had quoted the wrong message.  You were not really replying to @SantaFeFan

We agree the Ships Tour is one of our favorite "excursions", just watching the sheet dryer/folder is amazing.  I still have plush robes that I use all the time - retail they are ~$50

You can see how logging off/on works for your crew -- and-- then upgrade to the 4 device plan on board if you need to, you may pay a daily rate but it need not be for the entire cruise.  We take a laptop, iPad, a travel router for the 2 Kindles *, and 2 phones so along about sea day 4 or 5 the pain level is reached  and I upgrade one of us. 

* Our old Oasis' can't seem to get through the ship's WiFi splash page.

7 hours ago, jeromep said:

We have had D737 on the Ruby and C751 on the Star Princesses. The Grand Class ships have the best aft balconies because they are fully covered and generally quite deep.  Some of the balconies are listed as having an obstruction, C751 has an obstruction, which is a major structural element running through the balcony, it just separates the two halves of the balcony a bit more than you might expect.  Since the Grand class ships have a galleon stern, those aft balconies are all fully covered, and the overhang of the deck above provides excellent shade and weather cover, not to mention privacy.

 

I'd opt for the aft suite any day.

Ditto!  Caribe deck Vistas have a pretty cramped balcony, Dolphin deck are the best, but don't tell anyone.

The bathroom shelves vary from ship to ship - I recall the older Grands having shelves,  Crown, Emerald, and Ruby - no shelves.  We always pack the over-the-door solution.

Island's L723 is a copy of  Royal class suites - some shelves..

1 hour ago, damiross said:

(I hate Apple products.  They are way overpriced and I hate that Apple doesn't allow the user to decided what to install on his devices.)

Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.  

We have dear friends (3 sisters and DH's) that just returned from Royal's Mexico cruise - based on their FB posts they had a blast - they definitely have fun on a cruise.  Maybe they're easy to please?

 Doubt this has changed: due to covid there is no Galley tour part of Chef's Table so dress nice and no need for close toed shoes.

36 minutes ago, Fairgarth said:

 

Good question, but no.  It was January.  I don't know if Hogmanay has ides you should beware of, I'll have to google it.

They might have Calends