Torfamm

We just got off the Enchanted and was asked by the Future Cruise/Loyalty Mgr why he hadn’t seen us in the lounge after the first week. When I explained that we’d been joined by friends who are not Platinum or Elite, he invited me to bring them. I would never have asked though. It’s nothing special on the Enchanted so I’m not sure why you would want to bring a guest there. Cheese, carrot sticks and egg rolls in the boring Vista Lounge where there might be 10 people. Grabbing snacks from the buffet would be nicer. Visiting the lounge In Skywalkers on the Caribbean Princess where they served better appetizers like sushi every night when we were there in April would be a nice invitation however and I can imagine wanting to bring a guest. It was always pretty full though. I’m not sure they would even have space to allow everyone to just bring guests It’s interesting how different the experience is from ship to ship. A venue with entertainment, special appetizers and a nice view is a nice perk. I can understand keeping it invitation only.

We took that boat trip yesterday. Spending a day enjoying the sun and sea breeze and having a swim in the Aegean was a great break from museums and archeological sites and the lunch was very nice. I’d recommend it too! https://www.alldaycruise.net/tour/unique-sailing-experience-to-agistri-moni-aegina/

We really enjoyed the tour we did of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses with Curio Travel. We were a group of 4 and everything about the tour was exactly as promised and our guide was terrific. It was much less costly than a ship excursion I would definitely recommend them. We were given the choice to visit or NOT visit carpet, leather, or pottery shops. We were direct with the guide about the fact that we had absolutely no intention of making any purchases. https://www.curiotravel.com/tours/mini-group-tour-1-option-with-terrace-houses-ephesus-artemis-temple?tur_id=23

We were just in Athens twice during a Mediterranean cruise and had a fantastic experience with Hellenic Private Tours. https://hellenicprivatetours.com/ We used them twice. Once for a private tour to ancient Corinth and also for a city tour of Athens. They were easy to book with, responsive to emails, and provided excellent information ahead of time. Once we were in Greece, they were prompt and used very nice Mercedes vans with friendly English-speaking drivers We were impressed with both of our tour guides. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

I had a fantastic experience at the AD Athens Luxury Rooms and Suites. We had a “one bedroom suite” at under 200 Euros per night. I would describe it as small for a suite but very, very spacious for anyone considering a hotel “room” in Europe. It did not have a sitting area separated from the sleeping area, but more of a dressing area with closets and dressing table. It was all brand new and modern. They serve breakfast on a lovely rooftop terrace with a view of the Acropolis and the li action in the Plaka was very convenient for walking to restaurants and visiting the museum and other sites.

This has been true for a long time. I certainly haven’t seen it done any other way since the restart. It seems much more efficient.

I’ve been to The Catch a couple of times. It’s a very nice space and the food was good. They had not received deliveries for both entrees I was interested in (King Prawns and Dover Sole) when we ate there the other day though so it was a bit of a disappointment.

There are no up charges. A couple of new items including chicken fingers have been added. Food is now served on metal trays instead of in baskets.

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Thanks. I don’t recall seeing it on the hard copy presented, but I suppose it’s possible I missed it. In any case, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

Interesting. In my opinion that is a rare hamburger, not steak tartare. I love a rare burger The appetizer had what appeared to be a fried quail egg on it. The whole thing was room temperature and the sauce tasted like barbecue sauce. With a bun, cheese, and bacon I would have enjoyed it for lunch. If they’d called it seared steak tartare, I’d have known not to order it and waste everyone’s time as well as the food itself A pet peeve of mine is the drastic changing of traditional dishes without describing it as such on the menu. It may be something that lots of people would enjoy, but it is not what the majority of customers think they are ordering when a restaurant has steak tartare on the menu.

I was agreeing with you that there are a number of circumstances where passports are required on a closed loop cruise. I mentioned a second one in addition to your example about minors traveling with only one adult. Sorry for any confusion.

I have very rarely chosen to throw out my lunch or dinner and eat out, but yes, I have to admit it’s happened. I wouldn’t plan to do it though, so I just don’t see it as a great analogy for eating in specialty restaurants Whether specialty restaurants are worth $40 per person is absolutely a subjective decision. I have no issue with the choice to go at all.

Document requirements depend on itinerary, age of passengers in the party and other factors. For example - any Caribbean cruise calling on Martinique or Guadeloupe requires a passport regardless of whether it is a closed loop cruise. If one adult is traveling with one or more minors, Princess requires a passport from everyone in the party on any itinerary. You can see Princess’ Travel Document requirements here https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

Cruises stopping in Guadeloupe or Martinique also always require a passport even on a closed loop cruise.

Document requirements depend on your nationality, itinerary, age of passengers in the party, and other factors, but Roatan and Belize are not ports that require a passport for all passengers. Martinique and Guadeloupe are the only two Caribbean ports that always require a passenger for Americans. You can see Princess’ Travel Document requirements here https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

It’s a math problem. Plus is $60 per day. Internet and Gratuities are about $31. If you feel you will drink more than about $28 (plus 18% gratuity) in specialty coffee, soft drinks, bottled water, beer, wine, and cocktails each day, you will come out ahead. A $4 coffee and two $15 glasses of wine with dinner will make you a winner.

I said never again to the Crown Grill when they served my steak tartare seared. Who cooks steak tartare??????

The difference is that most of us wouldn’t buy ingredients to make a meal and also go out to eat. if I know I’m going out to dinner on Friday night, I don’t shop for that meal and throw the food away. I either don’t buy it at all or eat it another evening. I agree that the food and service in the specialty restaurants often isn’t enough of an improvement to make it worth a $78 charge above the meal served in the MDR. My last two meals at the Crown Grill have been okay at best and I’d have paid not to have to eat at Bistro Sur La Mer on the Enchanted ever again. The atmosphere was like the food court at a mall with everyone walking through it and the one meal I had there took an hour and a half to arrive at the table and was awful. The Catch is much better food wise and the space in the old Sabatini’s is very nice. I still don’t know that I liked it that much more than the MDR though.

Yes, this discussion was about turnaround days on the Enchanted this summer. There are no special requirements. You carry your in-transit pass and treat it like any port day.

As of this week there is no requirement to go through immigration.

There are many options in some of the port cities that are walkable. The ports of call boards might be helpful, it all depends on your interests. When you say you don’t want an excursion do you mean you want to only stay in the port area? Would walking tours appeal to you? As examples- Barcelona has many sights that you can see on your own but you might need a taxi unless you are up to a longer walk. Naples has the underground Naples tour that is close to the port and very interesting and there are also many restaurants and sights near the port. Kotor is a lovely place to walk around as is Mykonos, where you can easily take a bus or water taxi to Mykonos town. It’s also easy to enjoy a walk and a meal in Heraklion. Istanbul’s port is right in the city as well.

That wasn’t the case Saturday. Nothing at all had to be done in Barcelona

I wouldn’t let the food on either of your cruises over the last 6 months determine your future travel plans. You could as easily have decided that you will never sail with any line but Celebrity based on your great experience in December as to not ever cruise with them again based on your cruise in May. It’s a big jump to assume that the food has somehow become horrible on all Celebrity ships based one one cruise. On the other hand, if it was so awful that you wouldn’t risk going on another Celebrity cruise, you are definitely entitled to make that choice.

No you have to apply for the credit for every cruise. I have listed multiple cruises in a single email with no problem.