mthomp5

10 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

20 minutes ago, I had a choice of Cabana Mini suites to choose from. Now they’re not available. I guess other people aren’t so chicken!

I just saw 11415 available still! 

Have a great time! Look forward to hearing about your time on the Enchanted! We absolutely loved The Catch by Rudi's which we tried on the Discovery. It is the best specialty dining we've had on Princess. We also tried Sabatini's for the first time and we enjoyed that too. One day, we will pamper ourselves and try out the Sanctuary.

7 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

AstroFlyer, our cabin was located very near yours, yet we never met you!  😞 We were able to meet Thrak and both of you are long term posters here on this forum.  

Anyway, was your room steward Nerwin.  He was wonderful but never intrusive!  
 

It was an outstanding cruise, to be sure .. the one to beat!  

 

6 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

Unfortunately we never met you & yes Nerwin was wonderful. Too bad at the M&G no brief introductions were made from those there. I talked to billco walking down the hall who was also nearby & mthomp5 at the M&G in addition to others we’ve sailed with previously. Would have enjoyed finally meeting after reading so many of your helpful posts throughout the years.

 

Cruise Raider, you were someone I was hoping to meet!  did consider myself lucky because the first person I met at the M&G was Thrak and the second was Astro Flyer.
 

We must’ve been nearby neighbors because we were also on deck 8 mid ship on the starboard side! It was terrific for the comfortable viewing of the eclipse.

2 hours ago, BOB999 said:

 

At LAX Uber Black picks up on the arrivals level in any White Passenger Pickup which is on the outer island. The pillars are numbered and your driver may ask which pillar you are at.

 

Unless you get lucky and get someone already in the loop it will take a little while for the Uber Black to arrive.

Thank you so much!  Very helpful information!

On 3/26/2024 at 10:09 AM, azbirdmom said:

 

It kind of reminds me of Warren and Annabelle's with upgraded food and attire.

On 3/26/2024 at 12:08 PM, Astro Flyer said:

Yes…sadly it was destroyed in the fire like so many other memorable places in Lahaina. 😢

 

 

When I saw this…I thought the same thing…Warren and Annanelle’s! Sad that they said they won’t be back.  
 

We loved that show and feel fortunate to have been to it. When we went, we had front row seats in front of the musician.  There is one joke’s punchline that my husband and I still laugh about to this day…the punchline was “Papaya!”.  The whole crowd was in on the joke except the one guy who left the room to use the restroom.  He eventually realized he was an accessory to making the joke funny.  

1 minute ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

We did Uber Black at San Pedro.  We RSVP'ed in advance and it was good we did.  There were people at the curb who had waited more than 20 minutes and some couldn't get drivers to even confirm pickup.  We walked right out and got in our SUV.  The pick up area is just a few steps out the exit door of the terminal.  It's maybe 100 feet from the exit door.  A RSVP Uber Black will wait for you for free for about 15-20 minutes and then will charge after that.  They won't leave until you get there.  You can also text the driver to give them your update.  BTW: use a porter they go to a special line and will get you out faster.    

Thanks for the tip! I think we’ll do a reservation in advance for port to LAX since it seems everyone will be looking for one at the same time!  We’ll estimate conservatively as to our pick up time since our flight isn’t until 3:40pm so we have a lot of time to kill.  

On 9/16/2023 at 7:55 AM, princeton123211 said:

There is zero reason to reserve in advance UberBlack from LAX-- just have them request a car in the app when they are coming curbside. I do this several times a year at LAX and have never waited for more than 5 minutes for UberBlack. 

 

Alternatively you CAN book in advance with an app called Blacklane, although you will pay a bit more than you would with UberBlack. For a short ride to Santa Monica though, just request int the Uber app when they get there. 

Hi Princeton, getting ready for our cruise out of San Pedro and flying into LAX.  Since I have an elderly mother, we are going to use Uber black service.  Is there a specific curb that we have to go to for Uber Black?  I thought we’d get to the specific curb (if there is one) before requesting the car so we don’t have to rush to the pick up spot and worry about my mom having to walk fast. Thank you!

7 minutes ago, Globaler said:

We are on deck 10 on 6/8 so I’ll report when I get back.

Thank you! 6/8 will be here before you know it!

11 minutes ago, Globaler said:

We have always booked deck 9 on Royal class and have been fine also but the piazza setup is different on the Sun. They are using it as a major entertainment area. I’m hopeful but will see and do agree there has not been a flood of room noise complaints so maybe it’s not going to be an issue.

We booked mid-ship (one of the sphere balcony rooms) on deck 11 on the Sun so it does have one floor of rooms below us before the first public floor so that's a plus.  We love mid ship and lower floors since we like to take the stairs to the public areas. Our cruise isn't until Fall 2025 so I'm sure we'll hear reports by then. But if not, I'll definitely share our experience so others can have feedback. 

3 hours ago, 555 said:

They're had noise problems on all their Royal class ships near the Piazza since the first ship sailed. What makes you think this will be much different?

We always book rooms deck 8 mid ship on the bump out on the Royal class ship and have not had problems.  So “what makes me think this will be much different”?  I never had a problem with it on deck 8 mid ship on the bump out.  That’s why.  But thanks for your input…

2 hours ago, Globaler said:

Anyone report on noise in cabins around the sphere given the entertainment in the piazza? I’m in cabin 10358 upcoming.

I hope someone reports on the noise level for the rooms around the sphere too.  Hopefully, no news is good news!

3 hours ago, WEGL81 said:

 

I was able to book the H10 Catalunya Plaça using code "SPRINGSALE" for 5/3-10/2025 for a 5% discount.  SMART did not work.  The H10 ad says "Up to 15% off" with this code, but I suspect the 15% is for the most expensive rooms.  I booked the least expensive for 5% (plus the 5% club discount).  At any rate, it's pay at the hotel so no risk if I find a better hotel/rate.

Thank you! After I read your post, I checked and was able to get the 5% off using "Springsale" and 5% for the club discount too. Thank you for sharing this info! I was able to cancel my previous reservation and make a new one to get the additional discount.

On 3/8/2024 at 11:12 AM, marazul said:

Their reservation portal opens up reservations one year in advance.  I am not sure if it is by exact date or by month.

Email them and they can bypass the web portal for reservations.

Hi again, is it typical for Albergo del Senato to request credit card info to be sent to them via email to hold the reservation?  If so, I may just wait for the one year mark when online resettle open up.  

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Their reservation portal opens up reservations one year in advance.  I am not sure if it is by exact date or by month.

Email them and they can bypass the web portal for reservations.

Thanks for the advice!  I just sent them an email.  Provided our dates and requested a superior double room. Their website is promoting discounted rates including WiFi and breakfast! Hope I can get that!

3 hours ago, marazul said:

Most hotels offer a discounted, pay in advance, non-refundable rate. 

Don't do it unless you are booking just a few days out. Get the pay at the hotel, cancelable rate.

Great advice!  Thank you!

18 minutes ago, sasandy said:

I emailed Albergo Santa Chiara June 2023 for a reservation in September 2024. If you can not get a reservation online you could call or email. They were very nice and happy to make the reservation. They asked several questions so I could get the room I wanted. I realize this is not the same hotel but the strategy would be the same.

Thank you for the great suggestion! I’ll take the email route!

One more question…did you have to pay in advance?  Or at time of stay?  Thank you!

How far in advance does the Albergo del Senato allow bookings. I’m looking for September 2025.  

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

Hey, that’s my cabin next January.  We usually make sure we have passenger decks below and above, because they will not be subject to that noise.  I don’t foresee the noise being a problem in this cabin. 

Yay! Awesome! It looked like a good location for a deluxe balcony in the sphere section.  Maybe a little bigger balcony? (Crossing my fingers).  I like being mid ship and not too many flights of stairs from the public areas.  Whew…I think you’re right…having a floor of cabins below us should buffer it.  

Our cruise is in November 2025 so you’ll get to sail on her belie I do.  

On 3/2/2024 at 7:41 AM, Easyrider949 said:

We are in 10428 currently and we can hear the loud piazza Music past midnight the last two nights. It sounds like we are staying in an apartment over a bar in Paris or Amsterdam. Hopefully, when they open up the sphere it will reduce the noise.

We’ll be staying in 11438. Do you think one floor above you would make a difference in the noise level?

Delete

I tried to use SMART for a booking for a Sept 2025 cruise but reservation system wouldn't take it. So, I think my booking is too far out yet to use that promo code. But it was interesting to see that I could book out that far! I guess I'll wait for another promo code closer.

Also, it was interesting that I could book at H10 Metropolitan without having to pay now if I booked 9/11/2025 - 9/13/2025 (e.g. free cancellation) but if I booked 9/18/2025 - 9/20/2025, it required payment up front (allowed one change). Also, 9/25/2025 - 9/27/2025 did not require payment upfront (free cancellation).

I looked at booking at H10 Cataluyna and I'm able to book for the dates I want 9/18/2025 - 9/20/2025 with free cancellation so I think i will just book there.

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Pastry shop in the buffet, directly across from the specialty coffee bar, 

 

Thank you so much! I have always overlooked it!

2 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

And juice bar! 

Where is the juice bar?

14 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Lunch in Skagway MDR: Day 1

 

I lived in Europe for a few years. The crisp and crunch was amazing. The inside was moist and cooked through. The flavor is very good. Also, 16 to 22 year old boys loved the wheat rolls too. Very interested to see if this product is consistent throughout the week. 

Yes, it is possible to screw up green salad. They did NOT. It was nice and the ranch was good. 
 

Yes, yes, yes. Temp was pretty good, still a bit above warm. Lightly battered and crisp, with an audible bite. Heinz ketchup vs a lesser generic.
 

Very nice flavor and the dill sauce was really good. There was a slight overcook on the salmon that impacted texture, not flavor. The dill sauce offered the slightly overcooked texture a little relief and made a nice meal. 

Really delicious. And moreover, Princess put the tender in tenderloin. Not unlike Elvis — I love me tender 🎵 

 

We get it, it’s a rough rating. And we wanted more for this dish. The sauce leans a little toward Chef Boyardee in taste. 🧑‍🍳 It was also cold, which didn’t help the flavor, like below room temp and straight from a can. The pasta was closer to al dente, which is a good thing, but the temp killed it too. Too cold to endorse. Maybe this one just was a one off in poor execution. Either way, did not finish … a single ravioli, let alone the dish. 
 

I came to lunch for this soufflé and the beef tenderloin. They were both so good. Temperature made the soufflé sing. It was hot — steaming hot. The sauce was nice. Maybe a little dense, but, what do I know about soufflés? I can’t count the number of soufflés I’ve had in my life on three fingers. But after this, bring me some more. 
 

If you don’t like bananas 🍌, this is NOT for you. If you don’t like banana flavor, this is NOT for you. BUT if you are the one that grabs for the yellow Laffy Taffy for more than the joke on the wrapper, or you are the one that drinks 99 Bananas (and aren’t at a high school house party) then this is definitely for you. The ice cream is a little more icy than creamy, but otherwise very nice. 
 

I haven’t had fruit cocktail since third grade. Still not my thing. I put this with the ravioli. It reads a little hospital cafeteria. Not mad I tried and not upset. It’s entirely possible some people love this. 

Thank you for the detailed food reviews!  This is fantastic. I usually get the salmon and of course the soufflé for embarkation lunch but now I want to try the beef tenderloin!

P.S. subscribed to your you tube.  Can’t wait to watch the videos. 

1 minute ago, Steelers0854 said:

we were in a regular sea terrace and thought the beds were great and we love the Princess beds. 

Thank you for your reply! I actually do like the Princess beds too so I'm glad you thought the bed in the regular sea terrace was great.