BamaVol

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.

They didn’t notice period. Boarded with a bottle of wine and a can of beer in my backpack.

Can I bring an open bottle of wine? I bought one last night and didn’t drink but one glass. Boarding in another 60 minutes.

Two days before embarkation I received a series of emails from Princess to inform me that my dinner reservations had been changed: but they moved me from the Savoy dining room to the Savoy dining room and from 6:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and only four out of seven nights. I’m puzzled.

Anyone can set up a gmail address. As long as it’s not already in use. Give your coworker pranksters some credit.

An office prank?

A minor inconvenience. Don’t spent 2 seconds worrying about it.

I’m betting you encountered one really negative post and a number of posts with minor issues or complaints. A lot of it is “manufactured outrage”. I’ve never had a bad cruise. But I keep my expectations reasonable. There is an excellent chance you will disembark happy and satisfied. Some small number of people will have a bad time through no fault of their own. A larger number will be disappointed and it’s really all about their lousy attitude. But the vast majority will be pleased and ready to do it all over again. I hope you are in that group.

I don't know about most people, but I do.

Based on what I have read on CC, I have a 6pm reservation each night for the Savoy. We leave in 2 weeks. Medallions on the way.

I think that’s the line for the bathroom.

LOL. Clearly not someone who has served in the military.

Me too. And I kept it.

You must not have children. I drink far less now that they’re grown up and moved out.

How was the motion in that cabin? I am not bothered by rocking or up and down but my wife is prone to seasickness.

Actually, looking at my Princess emails, the term they used was “premium” ocean view. I wasn’t quite sure which cabins qualified but wanted to exclude the forward facing ones. I’ve never been in one, but have read a couple reviews where the stewards did lock and unlock. A balcony for $15 seemed pretty cheap even if it was only in port. But my wife would not have been happy with that location. Likewise, I was invited to bid on a “premium” balcony. Again, I wasn’t sure which those were, but really just wanted a cabin with a balcony that we could access while underway.

The minimum for an upgrade on our sailing from ocean view to deluxe ocean view was $15. They are forward facing cabins with a balcony that is only accessible in port. I understand the steward will lock and unlock the doors accordingly. But I also understood the ride up there can get quite bumpy. The other two upgrades we were offered carried minimum bids around $300-350. PP per cruise.

We are on the 9/6 sailing of Sapphire Princess from Vancouver to Anchorage. This is the sailing with Jeff Corwin aboard. I grabbed a guarantee ocean view cabin to secure a spot - my wife insists on a window. But a friend told us “you must have a balcony for Alaska” so I bid the minimum to upgrade. We had three choices, including a deluxe ocean view all the way forward which I did not want. I did not hear a peep from Princess and it was getting closer by the day. So, I bumped my bid up to $450 and heard within 24 hours. Not the best balcony ever, but smack dab midship (port side unfortunately) on the Aloha deck. We will take it and be pleased.