warthog2608

Just what skynight said! We've sailed out of SF on the: Grand, Royal, & Ruby. The Ruby is our favorite ship.

Here's what we had in our minibar in Dec '23 on the Discovery. I traded all the gin and vodka for more scotch. (Would have preferred rum but not available)

We find that PCL really makes you jump through hoops to use these casino offers. DW gets offers between 250-450 after every cruise, but using them has been difficult. Our TA has had trouble getting Princess to credit the offers, they tell her it will be "credited soon". One time we never could get a $350 offer credited but when were on the cruise we brought the paper offer to the cashier and they credited it onboard.

I have to put myself in the fun category. We did a Christmas cruise on the Grand in Dec '15. Then we did a New Years cruise just before Covid hit on the Royal in Dec '19. Both were great, the ship was decorated to the hilt and the whole theme was magical. We've also done a couple Canada Day cruises (which just happened to overlap with the holiday for you Yanks) as well as Thanksgiving and Halloween. I really enjoy all the decorations. Have fun on your cruise.

Yes, I'm thinking of a rather tall fellow... BTW, what is the rule about not naming TA's? Is that a CC rule?

Yup, not confused about that!

This is really one of my major pet peeves! I hold my tray in my left hand, use the right to handle the tongs and don't touch the tray. Then on the way to sit down I go by the sanitizer station and get a big dollop of sani and re-sani my hands when I sit down. It seems so many people have no concept of what they are doing and subconsciously lick their fingers. I like they way Don the Youtuber describes this situation. I'd like to see someone lick their fingers with Don in line behind them, lol.

We are brand new elites, just sailed our first cruise as elite. We enjoyed the included wine tasting, the wines weren't that great but the pairings and presentations were nicely done. I was looking forward to the tea in the stateroom benefit. But when I called room service I was told I had to order it a day in advance. I apologized that I was a new baby elite and didn't know all the rules yet. She laughed and said, "I'll see what I can do" and lo and behold, a nice tea service arrived! Haven't experienced the priority tendering yet, really looking forward to that! We'll be on a 16 day Iceland Greenland cruise soon, laundry will come in handy! Enjoy your elite benefits.

Hah, I think Viking cruises didn't get that memo! I can't believe how many catalogs I get from them. We took one Viking cruise last year and they continually mail a never ending supply of paper materials.

My wife, who is Mexican, regularly brings packaged food items onboard from Mexican ports. As you mentioned, chips as well as candies and cookies and it has never been a problem.

We were last on the Ruby July '23. We had very good meals in all the different restaurants. Right now the Ruby is our favorite ship, hoping to sail on her again soon.

I'm looking forward to this redeployment. (sorry Aussies). Sailed on the Grand several times pre-covid, thought she had the best crew in the fleet. Due to scheduling conflicts we've gone on 2 Western Caribbean cruises, but have yet to visit east and south. Looks like dong a B2B on the Grand will cover a lot of new ports for us.

Thanks for the review. I'm interested in the Caribbean Princess as we will be sailing on her July 28 out of Southampton. We did one cruise on her back in June 2018 on a Western Caribbean. I really liked the ship, as I do all the Grand class ships.

Love your live review with great pictures! We are boarding the Caribbean Princess in Southampton July 28 for an Iceland Greenland cruise. I really like the Grand class ships with the walkaround promenade.

Yup, ditto!

On the Disembarkation Information sheet that is handed out the last day it says, "The US Agricultural Department reminds you that heavy fines can be imposed for bringing any fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants, meat or dairy products into our ports of call." This doesn't say anything about baked goods, cookies, or any canned goods. My DW has been known to accidentally forget a muffin or two...

I've always thought this is strange, the whole minibar for just 1 bottle of wine?

I also miss that mag but would be happy with a downloaded copy. Anyone have a link to download the last couple years worth? I couldn't find it on the Princess website.

DW's friends have convinced her to sail HAL for the first time and I was a bit nervous. But this thread has been fun and informative. I'm looking forward to our first sailing on HAL. I tweeted the same and Holland America Line responded and said they "...can't wait to show me what I've been missing", lol.

Exactly this! We love Good Spirits.

Yes, that is probably it. The Good Spirits had them stacked on the back shelf. The bartenders seemed somewhat confused and for some reason they wouldn't hand me a can but told me I had to order it on the app. Once I ordered it on the app it immediately showed up on their terminal and then they would hand me a can. When I asked about them on the last cruise on Discovery in December, no-one had heard of it.

We were on the Discovery in October '23. The Good Spirits bar had these Post Meridiem brand canned cocktails. I asked the bartender about them and he said you have to order them via the app. I found them in the app menu and ordered a couple to go. They are pretty handy as togo cocktails to enjoy in the cabin. When we were back on the Discovery in December '23 they no longer had them, and I couldn't find them on the app. Has anyone seen them on any other ships?

I live close to SF so that is my favorite port, don't have to fly anywhere. But we've flown into Long Beach several times and Uber'd to our hotel in San Pedro and it is easy. As far as the Grand vs the Ruby, done 3 cruises on each and it's a toss-up as to my favorite. I like the covered pool on the Grand, and the Skywalkers on the Ruby. If pizza is important the Grand has Alfredo's while they both have Slice. They both have our favorite hangouts; Good Spirits, Vines, and the International Cafe. I do love sailing under the GG Bridge and always get up early on disembarkation day to look at the bridge as we sail under. Well, I guess I haven't been much help! Looks like you have to list what's important to you as well as any sightseeing goals to make a decision.

For half a dozen medallion cruises I used to go get a cruise card. Not to use, just to fit my wall display. I have a frame, which I think was made for baseball cards, to display my cruise cards. For the first few medallion cruises it was no problem, GS just issued me a cruise card so I could put it in my display. Then things started getting complicated. The cruise card de-activated my medallion so I had to go back to GS and get a new medallion. I gave up after that. My cruise card collection has now become a medallion collection on the fridge.

'Nuff said! This sums it up exactly. Now we always have the plus package but I used to order a couple bottles of Bacardi.