Btimmer

I couldn't find any policy, but I did read the policy that was shown to me by a supervisor onboard. It's a full ban except for recitations approved by Princess.

I asked and they wouldn't give it to me. I did read the official document.

They have specifically told me that the corridors are public spaces.

It was funny when the supervisor explained that we could decorate the inside of our cabin. We're trying to like Princess but they throw up many obstacles like disingenuous front desk help, no public front facing interior space, self serve buffets, this ban, slow drink service, a broken and incomplete app, inadequate tendering capability, and a few more. On the flip side, the food is good, the entertainment has been excellent, and the general ship vibe is good.

I was specifically told that the inside of the door is fine except for covering the peep hole.

Bingo!

No. It had nothing to do with the specific sign. It's virtually a total ban fleetwide.

I was told it was a 'safety' issue, but it made no sense and was being implemented fleet wide.

None of the above. It's a change in policy just being implemented without notice.

Totally agree and I told them so!

We were informed yesterday that per new Princess Company policy, no door decorations are allowed and we had to remove ours. After following up, a supervisor explained and read the policy which only permits company approved items in public areas.

When we purchased them on board, that was an option. I can't address shipping options when purchasing them off the ship.

We bought several of these on a past cruise and they were mailed direct to our home so we didn't need to pack them home.

Pete, I'll be very interested in your impressions of the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal (location, accessibility to sites, etc.). We've been to the Yokohama Cruise Terminal location many times and are quite familiar with it. I see that Haneda Airport is really close to the the TICT.

In July, 2023 we departed from Vancouver, BC for our Alaska cruise on the Noordam. It took 2 hours from the time we entered the terminal after 2pm until we were on the ship. The bulk of the delay was the CBP process. It's not a port that we enjoy departing from. But Boston was worse for us in 2022, and that's another story. . .

We've got the book and purchased our on board following a towel animal class. On our last two cruises in SA on the Oosterdam and the Zaandam, there were towel animal classes held.

There is another option. We recently completed the Grand South America which was RT from Fort Lauderdale. It was a fabulous trip including Antarctica but took 2.5 months to complete.

For more than 3 years I have used a simple white folding Bluetooth rechargeable keyboard with my iPhone or iPad. It was around $30 on Amazon. I think Pete has seen it. There are lots of options there.

We were recently on the Oosterdam South America & Antarctica cruise and the ship sailed at capacity. The LIDO was generally crowded for breakfast and lunch and occasionally for dinner. The Main Stage was very crowded and one had to get there 1/2 hour or more ahead of time for a choice of seats. They even broadcast some of the presentations into the Rolling Stone Lounge and/or staterooms. Immediately preceding it, we were on the Grand South America cruise on the Zaandam which only had 900 guests out of 1400 capacity. It was wonderful!

We loved Castro on our Grand SA voyage and highly recommend it.

We found that dinner options were better next door at the Princess Cruises area. There's a shuttle there or it's an easy walk. As mentioned, across the highway is an assortment of eating options including a Subway, pizzza, and more.

Make it three!! Oh, wait, we've done it three times. A fourth might be necessary. . .

We just got off of the Oosterdam Antarctica cruise on 1/29/24 and the speeds were good everywhere but in our stateroom 4107, and we paid for the premium internet but could not use it in the cabin and barely had internet connectivity there for even text. It worked excellent out in the hallway outside our cabin or in any public space. I reported the issue multiple times to multiple people with no change. On the previous cruise to Antarctica a few months earlier, we had excellent internet everywhere on the Zaandam but with only the surf package. On both cruises, there was really no degradation of service even in the Antarctic area. Both ships had Starlink.

There's all sorts of diet drinks including Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and many more. Just ask your server.

Our experience on many post COVID HAL cruises is that there has been a Mariner reception on embarkation day; however, our boarding times have precluded our participation. The Mariners award luncheon on our last cruise just completed on the Oosterdam in SA had the best food for a Mariner lunch we have ever had: a choice of a filet, or lamb or a vegetarian option as I best recall.