Outatown

They do not live in fresh water, shower = yes

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I was on the Island on Baha in the back for a Panama Canal cruise. Increased availability could be due to location. The Horizon Court buffet and Princess Theatre are at the front of the ship. Our dining room entrance was midship. It was a hike, a real hike, to get anywhere on that ship. Therefore, you can eat as much as you wish, because you will be working it off! Lol.

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I found Craps tables on the larger ships, but that doesn't mean there will be anyone around to run a game. Best clue is to see if there will be a free 'learn to play' morning or afternoon session, then I would expect it to be open that evening.

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This is going to get interesting. I can think of lots of complications: Will the current Platinum benefit be discontinued? (There goes a huge incentive to stay with Princess). Will special pricing only be available via pre-pays, creating another 'can't use my OBC issue'? E-Mail vs websites? How are they going to do that? Many Mail services are thru generic websites, so how will they tell what is mail and what is surf? if you fill out a prompt with your email address, maybe that does it? But many sites ask for your address, and they are not Mail services. I don't want to be connected to the world 24/7, will any VP at Princess believe me when I say that?

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It is expensive. Some love it. I'm not a "dog person" at all but the sledding experience would be cool. To me it's not worth it. To many (many) others it is a "must do". Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. Now it was cats... say Snow Leopards... it would be sooooooooo worth it to me. (My cat Bob would beat me if I didn't add that. ;p)

 

 

 

Yeah, I know. Dog folks just can't understand but Bob has been "in charge" here for more than 14 years.

Oh yeah, I would be right there for a Snow Leopard tour, that would be over the top! Then maybe my cat could learn a few things, like please distinguish between an axe murderer and a moth.

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Thanks - at least now I know not to keep looking for something that isn't there. -Jim

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No Upgrade

I cannot find a prompt in my Personalizer that would allow me to specify this choice. Was it there when I originally booked online at Princess, and I just missed it? I suppose I could call in tomarrow, but it just seems like it should be listed.

We did B2B2B on Regal last winter, moved from a bal to ms. We informed our steward a few days before the move, he located and introduced us to our new steward (adjacent area, about 8 doors apart), which was very helpful in verifying the procedure. It was all effortless, and I would have have no concerns about a cabin change in the future. As previously stated, you must go to a holding area, or perhaps even exit the ship for the zero count. When you return, you just go to your cabin. P.s. Don't forget to empty your safe!

Wow - This thread should be given to somebody's grandchild in business school. It is not about the CG or rubber lobsters, it is about the effects of how business operates these days, with their structure of accountability to corporate goals of efficiency and increased profitability lamented into each and every manager and officer. It is no longer satisfactory to say 'we met the expectations of our customers' on this last cruise, we must now say 'we increased our profits by doing more with less, as we said we would'. If that can't be said, guess who is out of a job. This scenario does not generate the kind of performance that translates into a better cruise experience. I have gone to the CG for many years, it has not change at all, I still cannot get something as simple as a red wine reduction sauce to accompany my filet. Asking for A1 is a supermarket experience, not that of a steakhouse. Last meal there on the Regal this winter our table neighbors had terrible ribeyes, full of bristle and fat. I suspect it was the first cuts from the small end, which are better reserved for beef tips or sauces. My point is, in spite of ample opportunity to improve the CG experience, that hasn't happened. Instead we have the Magicband guru from Disney hired to invent a whole new type of experience of cruising, that certainly has resulted in, or planned for, more crew reductions due to system efficiency. That can be the only justification for Medallion Class, otherwise it would have never happened. Time will tell just how this corporate decision plays out, in the meantime

I can expect 'less from fewer', and not a better cruise experience. This reminds me of the JCP experiment, hiring the technology guru who tried to replace cash registers with iPads, we all know how well that turned out.

After B2B2B on the Regal in February, we received a blue bag in the MS but not in the balcony, which was the first stateroom.

Thank you to everyone for commenting. It appears that arrangements for the 8 hour tour can be made. Yea! -Jim

I have been attempting to learn about the particulars of a Denali Cruisetour that features 'a full day at the park' and includes the History half day bus tour. I am not interested in that tour, but I would be very interested in the 8 hr bus tour that provides more wildlife viewing opportunities. Has anyone been able to do the 8 hr tour instead of the half day? Are special arrangements required? Thanks in advanced to anyone who can provide some insight. -Jim

I second the lens rental route. If you haven't tried it, take some shots at 300 in DX mode, that would make it equivilent to a 450. You will have fewer pixels but you still may be able to get satisfactory results, although this is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Good shooting.

Marketing marketing marketing. "Premium amenities" may imply 'upgraded', but this is not necessarily the case. Balcony vs Mini, only differences I noticed in the Mini on the Regal (Aloha) was (1) a larger table on the balcony, which made entry and exit very annoying, (2) a couple of glasses of champagne in the fridge, uncovered, just sitting there, (3) the sofa and its own tv, and (4) a tub, not a shower only bath. No additional outlets, no changes in bathroom supplies, just a few extra square feet of space.

We also were on the Regal and tried the CS pork belly. We thought it was delicious. First time takers on that item, but the seasoning and tender meat was excellent, on 2 different nights. Would

I order this again? Yes. But I would pass on the other CS 'menu' items.

We finished B2B2B on the Regal last month, in the CB also. The first night on each segment in the MDR there was prime rib, and it was a nice lean, thick cut of at least half an inch, all 3 times. It was delicious, and arrived cooked to order. During the week there was beef spareribs, New York strip, filet mignon, and beef Wellington available on different nights. But no, there was not a 'steak' on the always available menu, but it has been that way for at least a year. Some folks have quick triggers, did these friends even check the evening menus, or did they just huff off because after 2 nights there wasn't a porterhouse steak on the menu? Maybe there really were not any streaks on that B2B cruise, but somehow I don't feel that is accurate. But if these friends were disappointed that there wasn't a traditional steak on the menu every night, that would indeed be the case, and if that was their expectation then yes, their disappointment is valid. One has to read the menu entirely, and something interesting may not be the first item listed. Case in point, although we are not Curtis Stone fans, the Regal menu included 1 dish designed by his staff every night, it appeared at the very bottom of the right page of the menu. 2 pork dishes were exceptionally flavorful, one being pork belly which we had never tried before.

We were on the Regal Jan 22 for B2B2B, 2 different rooms, BA and MS, no new fluffy beds in either. If they were replaced, they certainly are not as luxurious as the new ones on the Ruby.

The shrimps are wonderful!

We were on the Regal for 3 weeks, starting Jan 22. We inquired about the signup procedure at Passenger Services during week2. Were told to come back to Pass Serv by 11:30 at the beginning of week 3, because they couldn't schedule until the ships calendar flipped to the next cruise. After having to leave the ship for Custom Immigration, we were probably the 30-40th folks back on, there was no line at Pass Serv, and it was a few minutes after 11. Upon inquiring about the Tour, the dude pulled out a 3 ring binder from a drawer and said the Tour had been fully booked since last the previous Friday. Therefore, the ships clock is irrelevant, and the reservations are not made into the ships electronic scheduler. In my opinion, to get on a Tour you have to be someone special, or extremely lucky, most likely the former. I doubt that I will ever attempt this again.

As for walking distances, I would say 30 feet to 300 feet. And yes, there was 1 restroom stop.

We took that tour in August 2015. It was interesting for us since since we had no experience in the big city except for port to airport transfers. However, since we were staying at a hotel for a night post cruise this worked great. Ship to tour to airport, and then to hotel transportation from airport. There were a few interesting stops, one on a hill with great views. Walking distance will vary depending on tour bus traffic, it appeared to be a popular route. Interesting commentary from the guide, however he spent much time talking about how much the city had changed, via population growth, and that he was leaving. Sort of like the last day on the job.

Just ate at the Crown Grill on the Ruby last month. The filet was superb, tender aged beef of high quality and grilled perfectly. Although its not listed specifically on the menu, we always 'add' a lobster (it will be grilled, not steamed) to our steak selection, no extra charge. We reserve a dinner once a week at the CG, always enjoyable and well worth the extra charge. But Sabatinis is a different story. Billed as Italian, it is not traditional enough for my old fashioned taste. We have found the selections on 'Italian Nite' in the MDR to be far more enjoyable.

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Have these changes affected the fish and chips noon lunch that was served in the Wheelhouse on sea days? Always enjoyed that lunch, I hope it still exists on the Ruby.

To the OP: I use the tools on the Princess website to investigate situations like this. From the website, select Onboard Ships, then select your ship, and select Deck Plans. You can explore the ship by deck, see all the rooms, and if you click on a specific room it will provide details of that room, including size. Next to the small room picture there is a diagram. Selecting the diagram icon will display things like chairs and sofa. On my iPad I can zoom in on the room to get a pretty good idea of what it is like. Then one can explore rooms on other decks, and get an idea of the ship's layout. It also is something to do when at home in the easy chair, awaiting for your next cruise, and it's lots of fun!

I just called Princess to check on mine. As of today, Oct 17, they are processing those requests received on Oct 10. As an aside, I mentioned to that I had used last years form (thru July 31, 2016). I was told by the rep that the old form was valid, and that I did not have to resubmit with the current form, which is good thru July 31, 2017.