Hlitner

Kind of funny because we do not like excursions and avoid them like the plague. But on this short 2 week cruise we got a tonof non refundable OBC. So booked a few excursions to use some of the OBC. Now they cancel our Belize tour. We might need to buy expensive booze in the shop to use up some of this OBC. Princess is not making it ez to book excursions. By the way, we are enjoying the cruise and the food/entertainment has been above our expectations. Hank

We are on the Sky now , back to back and have still received no notification of the itinerary change. Our cruise agent did get an email, today, about one of our excursions being cancelled, with little explanation or no chance to book an alternative. Hank

They also add 18% to any of the add on extras in the MDRs such as the lobster tail. Filet mignonette, etc. That is mentioned on the lower left side of the menu in very small print.

We boarded the Sky last Saturday. Are simply Elite with Green Lane. Took an Uber to the port at 10:35 and was on the ship at 10:56 (DW looked at her watch). Embarkation was so easy and fast we could not imagine that VIP lounge thing worthwhile except for the Red Eye folks who need somewhere to go. Hank

We love the YC and also have plenty of Princess time (on our 33rd Princess cruise at the moment). Put simply, nothing on Princess matches the YC although this could change with some offerings on the upcoming new Sun Princess. Outside the YC we would prefer Princess although some would disagree (especially if doing Aurea Class). Hank

As we posted, it is the fine print near the bottom of the actual onboard menus.

More than 50 years of extensive traveling and cruising has taught me a very valuable lessen which is to safeguard your Passport. Losing it, or having it snatched by a pickpocket can cause you lots of grief, money, and quickly ruin A trip. If you do carry it, find a way to keep it very secure and never off your person. Those who plan on swimming or going to a beach might want to give this some serious thought. As to whether we carry it, only when absolutely necessary (which means rarely). Hank

The problem is getting into these venues between 5:30 and 8. If you wait until after you board to make a reservation it might be near impossible. Many here are on back to backs (including us) so they can reserve their 2nd week before you board for that first week. The venue managers do try to squeeze folks in (without reservations) but that involves luck and can often mean dining late. In this cruise even the 8:40 slots are fully booked.

We have not been charged anything for our package included meals. I have also been a little surprised that almost all the reservations have been sold out for all the specialty restaurants during our 2 weeks on the sky. We were aboard early in Ft Lauderdale and were able to snag 2 Sabatinis. 2 Rudy’s Catch and 1 Crown Grill, but they were all quickly gone. Keep in mind all of our reservations are late (after 8). Last night we were able to dine in the Crown Grill without a reservation, but that was because the nice manager said he could seat us if we waited to 8.45. The ship is full and getting reservations reflects the large crowd. We finished dinner in the Crown Grill around 10:30 which is fine for us, but many would not be happy. Hank

On the Sky now and the alternative restaurants all have language on the bottom of their menus that they add 18% to everything including cover charge a d add on items. So the $39 meal is actually $39 + 18%. Hank

Absolutely, but not without an appeal by us and our cruise agency (part of a powerful consortium). O offered a future cruise credit but we insisted on a full refund.

First attempt was Marina which we cancelled when they not only altered much of the itinerary but also moved debarkation from Lima to Santiago (only about 1500 miles which was done less than 3 weeks prior to embarkation. Our current Vista booking has already had 2 Turkey ports cancelled (after final payment). Hank

Our issue with O is that we can never get the itinerary we have booked. No other cruise line plays so fast and loose with itinerary changes.

Funny thing is most other cruise lines are still going to Turkey and have no issues with future scheduled port calls in Turkey. Guess the war only impacts “O.” And Turkey is over 1000 miles from Israel.

This simply depends on the port. Some ports, around the world, have local large shuttles and other ports depend on cruise ship tenders. Hank

We have a jazz quartet plus singer in Take 5. There is also a rock group , a violin/cello duo, a guitar/singer (we have yet to hear). The jazz group is decent smooth jazz. Hank

I get it but wonder where you will go? Hank

We are talking about the flex air options found on HALs air booking engine. You can access that through your online account but must have a booked cruise. When you pull up the air options there is a column with flex deals and another where you are locked in once booked

I have long thought that Princess casinos smelled like a dirty ashtray. No thanks

ROFL. I used to live newspapers when they were focused on journalism. Tiday, the few that remain are political rags pushing their agendas. But even in the day, we never read papers at the dinner table.

Good point, We have always thought that HAL was being ridiculous when including non-alcholic beverages as part of the limit. DW and I never had an issue as we are fine drinking ice tea and tap water for most non-alcohol drinks. Interesting that Princess only includes alcohol in their daily 15 drink limit. To be honest, after our last 6b week HAL cruise, DW and I decided not to book anymore HAL voyages until they get their act together on many issues (the drink package was the least of our problems). But including things like canned water in their drink package limit is symbolic of the cut-back mentality that seems to guide HAL thinking. Hank

We recently returned to Japan (for a 42 day HAL cruise) this past March. I say "return" because when I was a younger man in our USAF, I lived in Japan for two years (and loved every day). Every port (and we had many) had its highlights and DW and I did many ports on our own, some on private tours, and a few on HAL excursions. But a cruise around Japan is limiting, and I wanted to expose DW to more of Japan. So, we flew in 12 days early, spent 5 days in Tokyo, and than trained to Kyoto for a wonderful week. For most cruisers, I would suggest something similar. Tokyo is a huge city and certainly worthy of a few days. But Kyoto (or some of the nearby towns) is a very special part of Japan and a terrific base for all kinds of day trips. Most cruises will give you 1 or 2 days in Osaka (getting to Kyoto is pretty easy) but we do not think it is nearly enough. I would urge fellow cruisers to find the time/money to spend some time in Kyoto (and also Tokyo). Keep in mind that if you spend a week in Kyoto, and have a JR Rail pass, you can daytrip to places as far away as Hiroshima. Hank

Lets have fun with some math. Assuming 5 oz wine pours (which we think is close to reality) if one were to have 15 glasses of wine in a day that would be 75 ounces or more than 2 QTs! If somebody is drink that much wine, most days, they have some problems. But lets assume they simply have cocktails where the pour is about 1 1/2 ounce. 15 cocktails would be over 16 ounces of booze....and we that is not a good thing. Even 15 cans of beer is not generally considered a good idea. As to the glassware on HAL, it is not Reidel or anything close. They are generic commercial wine glasses that are designed to survive the very hot glass washing machines. We could start a fun debate about whether glassware really matters. Yes, I know that most oenophiles (of which I am one) will swear that the right glass matters. Like most Oenophiles, we have our selection of glasses at home, know the basic rules, etc. Does it really matter? The shape certainly has some impact, but we cannot logically agree that the quality of the glass makes much (if any) difference. At home, my favorite red wine glasses are huge (about 23 ounce) balloon glasses. These allow lots of room for the wines to breath, are easy to swirl, and do a great job gathering the bouquet. I cannot accept that a special Bourdeaux glass makes Bordeaux taste better, or a burgundy glass makes a pinot noir taste better than if I poured it into a large balloon glass. But we wine lovers have so much fun with all the hype around wine that we would not want to change anything. Imagine how boring it would be if we all agreed that one wine glass was perfect for all wines. But the sad thing is that on HAL (and nearly all mass market lines) you are not going to get "fine" wine glasses in most venues. Hank

My turn to preach :). The Internet and connectivity is only part of the issue. We have watched the changes in cruising over fifty years and the changes are dramatic. When we started in the 70s. cruising was much about socialization, bringing folks together, etc. Everyone dined at fixed seatings and there were very few 2-tops. The norm was generally tables for 6 or more. When I think back to our cruises in the 70s and 80s, the best voyages are memorable because of the new friends we made...often at shared dining tables. We are still in touch with several of those folks, have had visitors from Europe (that we dined with in Asia) and we have visited several old cruise friends in Europe and the USA. Now, folks fight to get 2-tops. They post here on CC about "we don't know what to talk about with strangers," "don't want to meet folks," etc. In the 70s and 80s most would have called the current behavior "antisocial." Today, many insist it is the norm. Some folks will sit at a dinner table (at home, restaurant, or cruise ship) and ignore everyone so they can text, read their e-mails, browse the web, etc. DW and I have actually watched couples in good restaurants spend their entire meal on their phones....never communicating with each other (unless they are texting). As Internet improves on ships, more folks will use it as a convenient excuse to avoid socialization. I think (and this is my own opinion) that many younger folks do not have the skills necessary to enjoy a conversation, face to face, with strangers. They often hide behind their screens and social media. It is easy to post on social media (when you can be anonymous and avoid confrontation) as opposed to actually talking with a person and exchanging ideas. DW and I have long followed a rule in our home which is no phone calls or texting at the dinner table with one exception...if it is the grandchildren (shoot us for being hypocrites). Whenever I am on a Princess ship, I enjoy spending the early morning near the International Cafe enjoying my cappuccino (DW is still asleep). At one time it was easy to start chatting with others at nearby tables, and those early mornings have led to some long lasting friendships. Today, you will usually see nearly everyone with their faces focused on their phone screens. Kind of sad. Hank

You are in for an interesting, and different experience. For our two cruises, the ship was never more than 1/3 full, which made it nice in terms of the dining venues. Although we were still limited, in terms of reservations at both Marble & Co, and Sakura, the reality was that we could just show-up at any venue (without a reservation) and be seated. Many of us do have some concerns about how it will all work when the ship gets closer to its 900 passenger limit. Hank