BamaVol

I got an unpleasant surprise last week. My wife was out on deck and I was in the bathroom, about to take a shower. I heard the door open and called out “hello”, expecting my wife to answer. Instead the door of the bathroom opened, and there was the cabin attendant. He was very apologetic, and explained that he thought he had left a bottle of cleaner in our bathroom. Upon reflection, he made two mistakes. First, he did not knock and announce himself. Second, the screen at the door should have shown that I (or at least my medallion) was present in the room. It’s no big deal. At least for me. He may have needed a case of mind bleach afterwards. But, it was a reminder that there are locks on cabin doors for a reason.

I looked at my March folio. No Ft Lauderdale taxes were charged. That could mean one of several things. I may not have had a drink while in port, but that’s unlikely. They may mot have recorded it until we left port. They may not have been charging taxes in March. There may have been no FTL tax in March. Who knows?

Yes, my Princess Plus included up to 15 drinks a day. As I explained, the drink charges on my folio were glasses of wine that exceeded the $15 limit. I paid the difference in price, plus a service charge, plus tax in one location. My Alaska cruise did not port in Florida. I don’t recall paying a tax in Ft Lauderdale on a previous cruise. I’m not sure I still have that folio from March. I provided Juneau as an example that it does happen.

It can be accessed via the app while on board. They email me a copy prior to disembarkation. I had Princess Plus. The bar charges are from buying wine at Vines with a price greater than $15.

It can be accessed via the app while on board. They email me a copy prior to disembarkation.

Even with a beverage package, there is an adder for tax where charged. You don’t sign anything with Princess. At least I never have. You will see it in your folio if you look. others may not specifically charge the tax, but they do remit it. But that’s like the furniture store that advertises “tax holiday” pricing. The tax is built into their prices.

Mention it to whom, the Princess employee working in the Internet cafe? That person had nothing to do with the language on the website. Go ahead and complain here. You have. Thats fine. But drop it after that.

Don’t expect lots of vegetarian options in a Princess MDR.

We don’t even drive in the same day. We’re about 5 hours north of Ft Lauderdale and bad stuff happens on Florida’s Turnpike every day. Much safer to book a room and enjoy a day at the port city.

I just checked my folio and we were charged 8% for a drink purchased while docked in Juneau, AK. It was about a buck and a half.

From what I have read here, you are very lucky. Most posters win little or nothing. IIRC, they downsized the prize program earlier this year.

That’s how it worked for us. We kept our Plus60 benefits when we went from ocean view to balcony. I’d have been outraged if we had lost anything.

Germs will not jump from your phone to your body. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose and eyes and you’ll be okay.

Just getting off the Sapphire. I was served canned soda at several bars and not charged despite having a Plus 60. I was initially puzzled because I figured all bars had a fountain for soda. I still had to pay the difference for better wines at Vines though. That cost me a lot more than a couple cans of Diet Coke.

From Sapphire this week. You’ll need to bring your own.

I have used the app to 1 find where my wife is located on the ship 2 quickly locate a bathroom 3 check my folio from anywhere on the ship 4 determine which event I want to attend next. Other things too I’m sure, that were impossible or less convenient before the medallion app. Prior to boarding, it’s a PITA. But I’m a big fan while I’m sailing.

I’m just getting off Sapphire. Crab Shack was a pop up in one of our MDRs at lunch. I think it was only 2 days. I didn’t bother.

I am disembarking this morning from my second Princess cruise. I am lactose intolerant and deal with it by avoiding all dairy while sailing. The process has differed slightly between ships. On the Caribbean Princess I was given a card to present to my waiter. On Sapphire, I just mentioned my restrictions to the waiter on the first night. In both cases, they brought a manager to my table to work with me. I stick to a single dining room and a consistent time. But that’s not a requirement. I order my food the night before. Nothing I chose was ever turned down. However, my food sometimes looked different from the same dish my wife ordered. only once was a mistake made. An assistant waiter put cheese on my pasta. I signaled to the waiter and it was corrected instantly. my food has always been fresh and at the correct temperature. in the buffet, I ask for a cook (tall hat) to show me what I cannot eat. Never an issue.

I would have surrendered it if asked. It’s not for consumption onboard. But I feel better retaining possession.

Oops, I did it again. 4 pack sampler of Alaskan beers from the liquor store right at the Ketchikan dock. Went through x-ray but no naughty table set up.

I noticed differences but didn’t realize they were that significant. I confess I never attended any shows on CB. Just sat there waiting for excursions. I agree that CB could use a bigger theater.

Last night was our first night on board the Sapphire Princess, sister ship to CB. It appears to be close to full (not many children so assume 2 per cabin). We had 6 pm dinner reservations and waited less than a minute to be seated. I have not seen crowds anywhere except the theater for Jeff Corwin. Of course, it’s not exactly pool weather, but there’s a surplus of seating on deck, including the buffet at 11:30. Contrast that to CB in March where pool seating was toweled by 7:00. We never waited more than 10 minutes in the reservation line at dinner then either. There are always workarounds. I’m not sure skipping a dining venue for dinner is a good one. I did notice today that they were moving very smoothly in the coffee line at IC by having servers take orders from those waiting in line. It does appear well staffed everywhere I look. I hope the same can be said for CB.

It made it onto the ship, no questions asked. All gone now. It wasn’t anything special, just a local screw top merlot/cab blend. I thought we should try a BC product while we were there.

I can find you an unfavorable review of any ship in the fleet. That doesn’t mean you will encounter any of the issues mentioned. It is a small minority that does. Our 10 days on CB in March was nothing but pleasant. On the Sapphire right now and there is nothing I would complain about although I’m sure some would be able to find fault.

There was no X-ray on the ship. Nothing after customs. Just security eyeballing pax. The wouldn’t have any idea what was in a backpack or bag.