HaveDogWillTravel

I am sorry you have to wait until you get home to properly deal with your tooth. I had a similar issue on board a ship (not WS). I was given the appropriate antibiotic for tooth infections and hydrocodone-acetaminophen (which didn’t touch the pain). He finally gave me a suppository of diclofenac and that really worked!  I was told that a morphine drip would be the next option. This was in 2017 and on a much bigger ship. I really feel for you!  After all these years that pain is still a vivid memory. 

7 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

In our OPINION it should be a suite perk. Ridiculous that it's not. Especially when the upgraded room service menu is a suite perk. They should go hand in hand with each other. 

 

Wonder what percentage of cruisers choose a suite, but sail without a Plus or Premier fare?

We stopped getting the packages when we sail in suites. For all the reasons that @cr8tiv1 listed. I also don’t care for the white wines Princess serves so I bring my own anyway. In the Sky Suite you get full size bottles of alcohol and a Nespresso machine in cabin. On all Royal class ships I’ve gotten unlimited water, specially coffees, beer and free evening cocktails in the lounge. The day that Reserve Class dining is not good enough to dine in every night is the day I have to examine if I should be giving Princess my suite business.  Why on earth would I need a package?

And totally agree the $5 charge for using an included perk is ridiculous.  It’s insulting. Suites have cost me from $350 per person per day (S6) up to $1000 per person per day (S0). Lately the price of even S6 Vistas is creeping up. So I’ve started comparing and sailing other lines. For the price I’m paying for Princess suites they just don’t compare to what I’m getting on Windstar or Oceania.  I’ll still sail Princess out of SF as it’s just so convenient.  I have 2 more big dollar suites booked with Princess and after that my suite money will be going elsewhere. 
 

3 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

I’m on August 4, 2026 sailing that I booked on March 6th when it opened, sorry for any confusion.

No worries. Thanks for the clarification I’ll look at returning to NY as well. 

20 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

I booked this sailing for the interesting itinerary and return to NY on March 6th.

I suspected it might be a strong seller on those merits alone.

Now that it is being marketed as an eclipse sailing I understand the unusually high per diems.

Looks like a very interesting voyage.

I’m not sure which sailing you mean. The Eclipse is August 12, 2026. 

Thank you so much!  I googled it but didn’t search Cunard’s website after my person said she did not have any info on it. Duhhh much appreciated! 

11 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

There's a mention on the Cunard website Solar Eclipse in 2026

I received a marketing email from Cunard for the new 2026 sailings. I believe it was end of Feb but before March 5th. The verbiage mentioned a 2026 eclipse cruise.  Does anyone else remember getting that?  And if you still have it (mine is deleted from my deleted folder) would you be so kind as to post it?  Thank you in advance. 
 

Nothing on the Cunard website mentions it and my Cunard person has no information on it. The Aug 9th 2026 QA sailing is in La Coruna on the 12th (eclipse day) which is in the path. However, it is not being marketed (yet) as an Eclipse cruise.
 

 I am looking for that email to send to my Cunard person. She has also emailed marketing. TIA 

On 3/13/2024 at 2:01 PM, tnm6217 said:

Shame on me for not remembering the chef’s name, but I believe our sailing was his first. It certainly bodes well for Star Legend to have two chefs in a row who knocked it out of the park! I have five more Star Legend sailings booked so I’ll have plenty of opportunities for further culinary study 😉

I take pictures.  It’s the only way I can keep it straight. 

15 hours ago, RBCal said:

The Windstar staff are all excellent. I don't know how they can work so quickly and efficiently. Windstar's best selling point is it's flexibility in going to smaller and more interesting ports. The giant cruise ships are best suited to young families who want a Disney theme park like experience.

Exactly 

11 hours ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

We were never charged for ordering DR food by phone. 

Hi @AnyMajorCruiseDude  are you saying that you did not have Plus or Premier and were not charged for calling in your MDR orders?  If so that would certainly be good news!  I am in a suite on Discovery soon and was told by the shoreside suite concierge that without the package I would be charged. Thanks 

12 hours ago, Thrak said:

Remember that you can order breakfast using the hang tag for the door without being charged the Room Service Fee. (You can add stuff to the listed items but don't get crazy.)

You mean no Sabatini’s poached eggs over roasted potatoes on my hang tag? 🤣🤣🤣

On 3/12/2024 at 10:39 AM, TRLD said:

Yep there are many choices. One can also cruise for about $125 per person per day if they choose.

 

That is why the reports and articles are specific in comparing prices for equivalent.

 

One can go cheap onboard and expensive on land or expensive on board and cheap on land. It is all up to individual choice, but as the reports indicate in general cruising is cheaper than land based resorts at equivalent level.

True that. However, I don’t travel the same at sea as I do on land. I guess I should just stay out of this discussion 😂. As I don’t want to compare like to like on land and at sea. To me these are vastly different experiences and I simply don’t want the same things on land as I do on a ship. 

On 3/12/2024 at 11:23 AM, tnm6217 said:

The food on Star Legend last month in the Med was truly exceptional--the best I've had on any cruise. In my opinion, it exceeded the cuisine I've previously enjoyed in Celebrity's Luminae as well as on Crystal Serenity last fall.

We sailed last October on Legend. Joesph was our executive chef. He (and everything out of his kitchen) was simply outstanding.  Was that who you sailed with? 
He told me all wait staff did tastings of the menus every day so they would be able to discuss the dishes intelligently with PAX. Brilliant!  
 

11 hours ago, gardengalaz said:

simply too many people crammed into too little space.

You might research a different class of Princess ship. The Coral or Grand classes. There’s some pros and cons to both. But you might find a better fit there. 

On 3/10/2024 at 3:31 PM, Hlitner said:

We still think the perfect trip involves both cruising and independent land travel although we have no problem with decent small group land tours.

This is exactly our thoughts. We spent 3 weeks in Turkey and Greece with only one week on a ship. We sailed thru the Corinth Canal on our way to Athens.  This year we will spend almost 7 weeks traveling in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. Spain and France are primarily the islands in the Med….Elba, Mahon, Corsica…..10 days on Vista and 7 days on Wind Spirit (not consecutively). Planes, trains and automobiles.  We are hiring private all day transfers that allow us to visit some of the hill towns. There will be trains from home bases in Rome, Florence, Lisbon and Barcelona that we will book on the fly if we feel like it.  While we are more than capable (and young enough) to drive we prefer not to in most cases.  We find it more relaxing. Of course private drivers are more expensive but we just include it in the budget. 
 

Even with the private transfers and drivers the land portion is less per day than our per day costs on the 17 days at sea. (PH2 on O and a mid ship low deck cabin on Spirit). I don’t think I need to use Four seasons as a comparison hotel. I think the locally owned and generationally operated Pensions in Europe are a far nicer experience.  We are staying a week in each city either in or on the very outskirts of the historic centers for an average of just under $300 per night. My sailings are between $800 and $1000 a night (for 2). When on land  I won’t be forced to pay for things that I won’t use like on my sailings, so I don’t think they should be included in any comparison of sea to land trips as someone suggested. I compare what my land expenses are to my sea expenses and land travel is always cheaper for us. But things like the smaller islands in the Med, the Corinth Canal are best done from a ship. If I like an island well enough we can always make it part of a land trip. Our 5 days on Hydra while in Greece were magical. 
 

And thanks for the restaurant suggestion in Florence. I’ve never had truffles.  If I decide to try them it’s nice to know where to go for a good experience.  

14 hours ago, new_cruiser said:

The Bon Voyage email has a subject like:

Fwd: Bon Voyage! Here are your travel documents for your upcoming Windstar Cruises trip, Booking <booking number>

It has a pdf of the boarding document titled GTB Ticket.pdf

You could search your email for it. You don't need it to board, but info in it can be convenient to have because it has the departure terminal in case you are sailing from a city with multiple cruise terminals.

I’ve only sailed WS once ……so far….Legend,  Istanbul to Athens last October but I did not get that email.  When I asked my WS vacation planner about boarding docs he said just show up with your passport, they are expecting you. And that was exactly what happened. It was a bit weird to not have luggage tags or a boarding pass. A guy with a clipboard checked off our names on a paper list of all things,  took our bags and within a few minutes we went thru a security scanner and on board. They  ushered us to the aft lounge where we were handed a glass of bubbly and one of the band members checked us in. 
 

I loved this check in. So much more civilized.  I did bring my documents that showed our OBC, excursions, laundry package  and other perks but never had to use it. 

On 3/10/2024 at 6:35 AM, pinotlover said:

Fwiw, it’s been posted here multiple times, by multiple cruisers, that lobster on Oceania is typically best avoided. I see you have learned that for yourself.

A line that advertises itself as “The best cuisine at sea” should never allow this to be the case.  
in the last year even Princess has had reliably good lobster in its MDR. Over 80 days on 4 different ships in the fleet convinced me it wasn’t a one off. 

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Thank you so much for the link to your "Live From" thread. Excellent info and photos. 

 

The first voyage that caught my eye when browsing their website is one that included the Corinth Canal sailing. That would be a huge draw for me. I was on a cruise (Voyages to Antiquity) that was supposed to do it years ago and -- you guessed it -- it was closed due to rock fall.

 

 

We had our itinerary changed 3 or so times. I lost count. But in the end they brought the canal back and it was everything we dreamed it would be and more!  

Thank you for taking the time to give your impressions of the ship and your experiences.  We sail her in October and will love to follow along. 

6 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

As ak1004 said, there is an inclusive-package, but they also have other packages (e.g., drinks or laundry), or they did last time I looked.

Yes the laundry is a flat rate per day. It’s under $10 a day. I loved it!  On longer sailings it is included free. Our 17 day has it for free. Also last year I booked for 2025 and 2026 and All in Package was free.  

On 3/6/2024 at 12:18 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Could you expound a little on the Windstar experience? What sold you on them? How are they different from/similar to lines like Oceania? 

 

It's a line I've never seriously considered, but I am finding fewer and fewer lines with small ships that I can afford to cruise with.

Yes I’d be happy to. 
 

Here’s a link to my Live From that I did. Lots of pictures. Towards the end there’s a discussion of the All In package. 
 

i am the one who has always booked the cabin with the largest balcony I can afford. I have the Sky Suite on Discovery Princess booked for the upcoming eclipse. It’s the biggest balcony at sea I believe. So I get the hesitation to sail with only a French balcony. Honestly we were absolutely fine with a French balcony. We made sure to get one of the “old” design cabins where the living room is next to the balcony though. 
 

The cabins are under 300 sq ft which for me is really small but the layout was such that it really felt much bigger. We had to adjust to the storage space but managed just fine. 
 

The senior officers, HGM, Executive Chef, Maitre D’hotel, right on down the line, on WS are constantly out and about talking with passengers and making sure every detail is up to snuff. I had coffee with the captain almost every morning. The open bridge was so nice, Adam really enjoyed it. 
 

I know everyone always says how great the crew is on every sailing and WS is no exception.  However, what stood out to me is just how truly HAPPY they were.  Many had come from larger ships and told me that they’d never go back. 
 

Food is subjective but it was my experience that the food on WS was superior to Oceania. Here’s why I say that. WS had smaller menus than O, but every single bite was perfection. On O I had hit or miss several times…..nothing horrible but meh too many times for the price points. I ordered French onion soup on O and got this brown tasteless broth with almost no onions, bread or cheese.  I will use the fresh fruit as another example….on WS every berry, every piece of melon all of it was not over ripe nor under ripe.  Melons were never cut too close to rind.  On O this was not the case. It came down to the details. I was only disappointed once on WS. I ordered a waffle (room service breakfast) and it was not a yeast waffle as I expected rather it was a more rustic style.
 

The upper deck BBQ with Santorini glittering in the background was truly amazing.  The white glove dinner in the ruins of Ephesus at night with the Aegean Quartet was magical. Things that were included and executed brilliantly.  
 

I do not find that WS costs more than O, but then on O I don’t book the cheapest cabin.  I book what I want on the ship I’m sailing and as long as it runs between $400-$600 day/person I’m happy. If I get what I want at a lower price I’m really happy. 
 

10 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

Hey Strenz……lamb…….delish. I’ll take it over prime rib any day.

Im looking forward to the Spirit…..as my first WS cruise was on the WindSong years ago. Tried the Wind Surf , but liked the smaller siblings better. Breeze and Pride…..just wonderful…..

 

Is there any chance you might consider a Live From?  No worries if not, it’s a lot to ask. We are sailing the Wind Spirit this October, our first time on a small sailing ship. It would be great to see some pictures and read thoughts about the sail if possible.  Happy sailing! `

25 minutes ago, KathyL2537 said:

Appreciate everyone’s input and suggestions. I really like the smaller ships, after a few expedition cruises even the Nautica seemed like too many people to me! so not all that interested in moving up to one of the larger Oceania ones. But again, depends on price and itinerary. Will also look at Windstar, as several of you have suggested; I hadn’t even thought about that so thank you! 

We are taking Wind Spirit. She has less than 150 pax

37 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Interesting that you mention Windstar.  The Star Breeze was anchored alongside us in Bora Bora and also disembarked in Papeete the same day we did.  Its homeport is now Papeete.  The ship held roughly half of the passengers than the Nautica did.  When we were at the Intercontinental Hotel after disembarking we talked to a lot of folks who were on that ship and to a one they all raved about Windstar.  The praises continued from those we talked to at the airport.  If we ever decide to return to that area we may look into Windstar.

I have 322 days with Princess over 200 just since the restart.  I sailed Oceania O class 10 days and Windstar Star Legend 10 days last year. Liked O but simply fell in love with WS. 3 more booked with WS, 2 more booked with O.  I do have the sky suite booked for the Eclipse cruise on Discovery and 2 more Princess cruises after that. Moving forward I will only be sailing Princess out of SF as it’s just so convenient and my friends & family sail out of there. If I travel to a port it will be Windstar first choice every time. 
 

This October I have an O sailing Barcelona to Rome on Vista and 2 weeks later I have Wind Spirit Rome back to Barcelona.  Guess which one I am most excited to do?  I’m happy to hear such positive reports from recent WS passengers!  

Google What to do in port ……….(fill in the port stop).  Read the posts on CC for Mediterranean sailings. Get some Rick Steves, Let’s Go or Frommer travel books.  Go the websites of those companies and read the blogs. 
 

You need to do some research and then ask specific questions on the appropriate forum. Planning is half the fun. 

@niftrip thank you so much for coming back and posting those pictures and answering questions.  I love that layout! Adam can’t do the front of the ship unfortunately ughh. So I’ll never get to have it.