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Yes, you can ask steward to swap out mini-bottles for other mini-bottles, same for cans of stuff in the fridge.

Strap-in and read-on if you like long reviews. Here's mine... Overall, this was a wonderful cruise for me and my wife, a 50-something couple who needed some sunshine! Ten days to islands in the Caribbean, on the February 26, 2024 – March 7, 2024 sailing, did wonders for us. The itinerary was tremendous, especially St Lucia, Dominica, and Antigua. The ship was/is beautiful; and the service level of the onboard staff was outstanding. While my comments below may dwell on the negatives sometimes (we all love reading about juicy bits on these boards), it’s important to stress that the overall cruise experience was excellent. If we had to do it again, we would…and we hope to. The ship we're talking about here... EMBARKATION The process at Port Everglades was pretty straightforward and as fast as we could’ve hoped for. We were dropped off at the port at around 9:30 via Uber; and we were on the ship a bit after 11am. There was a decent line outside of the terminal, a hundred-plus people long, at first kind of a mess, but staff split us into green versus blue lanes. We had our medallions mailed, so our green lane provided a quick and easy process to get to the check-in person who verified our passport and retook our photo (which I wish they would just load on the Princess database and link to our Princess ID number). After checking-in, they tried to hand us the boarding group plastic placard, but we mentioned we were in a full suite; and we got shunted upstairs….pretty cool, me thinking we were going directly on to the ship…nope. Instead we were directed to a quite-full waiting room. No big deal. DISEMBARKATION Super fast. We had a 10:45 flight at FLL. We walked off the ship with our luggage at 7am, took a Lyft ride to the airport, and was through security heading to our gate WAY EARLY at 8am. Should've slowed our pace, as we had plenty of time, but my better half likes to be at the airport earlier than later... THE VIBE Well, a 10-day cruise while school was in session probably foretold that the ship would be overwhelmingly populated with retirees with very few ‘young’ couples and virtually no children (may 10 total??). That was the case. It may explain no real nightlife that I observed after 11pm. I wish there had been more of a ‘scene’, but so be it. I met a lot of tremendous, friendly people from all over North America (read: a lot of Canadians!). It was really nice. Ode to our brothers and sisters to the north... THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS The ship was generally clean and sparkling; and I was impressed by how new and fresh it felt. The only recurring problem I witnessed was no soap in the rest rooms, which seems like an easy fix. (Hope you're reading this Princess). I’ve mostly sailed on NCL ships, but I loved the Enchanted’s deeper and more abundant pools; more hot tubs; and seemingly way more lounger availability. I did miss, however, the lack of a “Waterfront” deck with bars like NCL ships have; but I used the Wake View Bar as an almost-as-good substitute. The bar staff there were constantly slammed, but Ferdy, Braulio, and Patty did an excellent job keeping us, um, hydrated. They really made it a fun atmosphere. Wakeview bar, Ferdy behind the bar working his magic. Our nighttime hangout was the Bellini Bar. Same thing: three excellent staff (Josh, Alex, and Aeron) made our many hours there more pleasurable. We loved that location for getting a seat by the overlook into the Piazza and watch the various dancing and happenings. We had a great vantage point there for the 80's dance party that they moved inside b/c of the weather. Josh and Aeron at Bellini's Menu at Bellini's. Wife absolutely loved the "Raspberry Romance" drink. STATEROOM – SUITE B101 We booked this forward-facing suite and largely enjoyed the space. The angled wall was not an issue and the smallish balcony was fine for us. Some don’t like these way forward rooms (we were obviously the last stop at the end of the hall), but the walk was good exercise. Our steward, Henry, was maybe the best steward we’ve ever had. (Thanks Henry!) As mentioned, we were generally really happy with the room. There was one big problem however: the shower….which became stuck on one temperature: scalding hot. Actually, on day one, it was only abnormally hot, not scalding, but we thought we weren’t working the controls properly, so we lived with it, but it got progressively worse, such that we had to turn the water off after lathering, just so the new burst of water was cool enough to rinse…and then do it again for the next bit(s). (Yes, we turned the dial as far cold as we could, and tried various stops in between, but nada, still scalding). We reported the problem 3 times over our 10 day cruise and received two visits of fixes attempted by engineering, including 3 guys crammed in the shower (really) to install a new mixing valve. Well, it was OK at first, but oddly enough, it got bad again, reverting back to scalding....which is super odd, yeah, I know. Scene of the scalding hot shower experience...unadvertised bonus for this suite room. Bring your mug and brew your tea while showering! The second time we reported it, Guest Services provided a gratis pass for me to go to the Enclave to shower (my wife already bought an Enclave pass on day one, so she was set). After the third visit to Guest Services -- on the second-to-last day -- they gave us $200 FCC each. I don’t know what the proper compensation should’ve been, but when it hurts to wash your hair, that’s not a good thing. The whole thing was really weird. I hope they finally fixed it for the current people in that room. THE FOOD We’re kind of jaded. We’ve cruised many times before; are well-traveled; routinely go to our local restaurants; and can make excellent home meals, so it takes a lot to wow us. That said, we ate way too much, so I suppose the food was good, or good enough…and certainly was very abundant. Below is my quick take on the dining. Buffet: food quality very good by buffet standards. Loved the Indian, especially the vegetable biryani. As a ‘pescatarian’, I wish they had more fish options, but was generally happy with the selection of plant-based dishes, especially the green bean sauté and the stuffed artichoke bottoms (yes, that’s a thing). Very happy (and surprised) they had Sriracha among the condiments as some of the food really need hot/spicy adds. The Catch by Rudi: we liked it. The food delivery to the table was slow, but maybe intentionally so, I’m not sure. Overall, it was very good and nearly all the reviewers on these boards agree and really love it. Next cruise, we’d do it again in lieu of Sabatinis and Crown Grill. Reserve Dining: the food was kind of blah and been-there-done-that….but I’m happy to report that the butter was buttery and real. (Is that thread still active?) One day two, when we went to go there, the place was mobbed, both port and starboard side, such that we couldn’t see the sign for suite-level reserve dining entry, so we bailed and went to the buffet instead of waiting behind the crowds. Boo, hoo for us. In hindsight that was stupid, as if we found the proper entry, they would’ve escorted us in immediately. When we did finally go on night 3, we found the proper area, and we were greeted by name and went straight to the table. How was it? Well, I love crab cakes. I judge a finer dining place by them…sort of like gauging bar food by how good they make nachos. Well, the ones at the Capri dining room were gummy, thickly breaded messes. ‘Nuff said. The food, overall, was just OK. 360 Experience: the Disney-like audio/video immersion stuff was very cool....but am I wrong?, at least from what I read, I thought we’d also get smell-o-vision when the lemons and lavender were in the show? Nope, no scents. Too bad. As far as the food, it was generally very good. The service was extremely personalized (1 server to 2 people). A big negative from me, however, was on the lack of any advance communication by Princess regarding food preferences. We booked this prior to boarding the ship (after a lot of needless run-around), getting it gratis having paid for our suite way before December 2023. I’ve read on these boards that someone is supposed to reach out and ask about stuff like food allergies, if people drink or prefer no-alcohol options, etc. We did receive a letter in our room (see below), but it doesn’t have a contact number or person. Why do I care? Well, not the end of the world, but we don’t eat red meat; and we did see some of our tablemates with the same proclivity getting the alternative seafood option. Huh? What? How? Whatever, we didn’t starve (please, c’mon, skipping a course won’t kill us), but it seemed like whomever runs this thing is missing a beat here or there, especially given all the hype about it (and big cost if you are paying). Overall, we’re glad we did it; glad we didn’t pay (in this instance); but wouldn’t do it again. Slice (on the Lido Deck): excellent thin crust pizza, hardly no waiting, vegetarian-friendly specialty pies, and plenty of hot pepper flakes….all add-up to a top-notch place to grab some grub. I love that place. Oceanview Sushi: we used our two free casual dining credits at this location. It was good enough to go back. As good as your favorite Japanese place at home? No, but a pleasant surprise, as cruise sushi is usually all rice and no flavor. This was good. Ample food for two...I went with the all tuna option for my nigri...eating that edamame with chopsticks was a good way to pass the time... THE ENTERTAINMENT Alfred and Seymour, the comedians, were terrific for their first show; and “just OK” for the show later in the week. We didn’t see other shows. We did go to the cruise staff game shows, which were all very good. The new cruise director, DuVaul (sp?) was very entertaining himself and led a very engaging team. He may be the best cruise director we'd ever had on any ship. The musical acts were fine, but I do have a pet peeve: stop continually playing the same songs over and over again, whether the steel drum guy in the Piazza or the piano player in Crooners, please expand your playlist over a 10-day period. Also it would be nice if they would compare playlists between themselves, as different performers often sang/played the same songs as the other persons on the same nights. Does Princess have a select playlist of only 50 tunes they allow on the ship? THE CASINO The casino was mobbed and smoky, too smoky as others continually report. It was rather unbearable on the “smoking side” and barely tolerable on the “non-smoking” side. That said, I apologized to my lungs and spent a lot of time there. I largely play table games and really like Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, as apparently a lot of other players do. There’s only one table that is full, from the minute it opens to last call when the casino closes – no exaggeration – it’s such in demand that it required a 10+ long player sign-up sheet and hours in waiting to get a seat. Meanwhile, other table games had tumbleweeds blowing across them. C’mon Princess: read the room and add another table. Peaceful time prior to opening the casino. Bonus: it was smoke-free (like it should be always...in my opinion). PORT STOPS As mentioned, these ports were largely spectacular. Here’s my quick take: Princess Cay: tender port, nice beach, drink package works there, and nice food. Especially loved they had fresh fruit available. Other than that, nothing notable. St. Thomas, USVI: we’ve been there before and knowing we’d see a lot of beaches in the coming days, we ventured off the ship only to buy more sunscreen. Instead we enjoyed the Retreat Pool and the adjacent hot tubs on the deck above. Dominica: absolutely beautiful. We took Pepper’s tour via one of the main booking sites. He and his guide were wonderful. The 10 of us in the van had a crazy, windy, hilly ride, but it was worth it, seeing waterfalls (Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls) and hot spring baths and making a stop on a (crazy hot to your feet) black sand beach. The day we visited I saw the New York Times had a feature piece on how this island is a hidden gem in the Caribbean. It is. That said, I can’t see how to add more people and tours as some of the stops were very crowded. Scenic overlook on trails by Emerald Pool Emerald Pool Black volcanic sand beach - we had about an hour here St. Lucia: Wow. That’s it. Three letter reaction. The Pitons were/are amazing. We did another excursion via a major booking site, the “land and sea tour”. It involved another nutty van ride, a rather long ride actually, across the island to get to the Pitons, but it was well worth it. It also included a boat ride to an amazing beach and a really nice buffet lunch in Soufriere. "Smally", our bus driver and tour guide, was amazing....and we even had a couple who proposed and got engaged under the waterfall. That made this tour even better. Stunning photo op stop provided by our tour provider. Picture postcard worthy, really. Martinique: It was a Sunday and mostly all the shops in the rather cosmopolitan town were closed. We needed a break from beaches and tour buses anyway, so we just walked around for about an hour to get some exercise. Just an observation, but at every port stop, while we dutifully brought our photo ID as instructed, no security asked for it when entering the gateways to the ship(s). They only wanted to see our medallion. I thought that the French in Martinique would be the ones to ask, but no. No big deal, just an observation. Antigua: For this stop, given the early sail-away (4pm), we went with Princess’ Catamaran and Lobster tour thing. It was a good excursion overall, including visits to two amazing beaches. Only regret: I wish we had enough time to go to what appeared like a vibrant shopping port, but we got back too late, with only about 20 minutes to spare for all-aboard. Here's an amazing beach we visited. CONCLUSION That's it. We enjoyed our cruise and hope to be sailing again soon on Princess. Next stop: Bermuda in June on the NCL Joy!

When checking in with the counter person, assuming you'd be in Sapphire line, you don't need a boarding number piece of plastic thingy. Go sit in the Sapphire and above waiting area. After Haven, they'll call Sapphire and above. If anyone asks, show them your recently received room key card, which clearly states your Sapphire status. Then go enjoy your cruise!

Diet Coke and Sprite Zero, yes. On board Enchanted now.

Safe travels. Thanks a ton for sharing your trip with us!

The distinctive purple key card is sweet, worth the cost of the upgrade by itself...

Just piping-in: The casino hosts on NCL are rather indifferent, like you are bothering them; and if you don't approach them (on the last day), you aren't getting anything wiped-off your folio or added in on-board credit for quick use (as the shops close that evening). That said, the casino staff and pit bosses are excellent and mostly all engaging.

Never wore/wear the wristband. Not my thing. The staff doesn't care as they are excellent after day one in recognizing you....and pretty much learning all your drink likes and wants. I love it.

In Bermuda, there's no way to know which side will dock island view versus water view. That said, if you're picking a side for cabin selection, pick the one that best supports your wishes for views leaving and returning to NYC....b/c as we all know, NYC is the best of all ports for sail away and return home viewing.

My two cents of information: I was in the Vibe on the Joy in September 2023 and the Escape in November 2023. On both ships, fruit or cookies were brought out for general taking, but not on a timer, sort of at the discretion of staff. If there was a Vibe menu, I didn't see one nor was a menu actively pushed on us or even mentioned. Most people went to the buffet and brought back their plates of food....but remember: no eating on or by the hot tubs!

yeah From the photos, it appears you canvassed the place. I'm wondering if you have a recommended spot for beach-lounge-swim-and proximity to bar? (I'll be there in less than a week on Enchanted Princess...weather permitting, that is...hence the ask...)

Greg- Did you go in the water at Princess Cay?

Thanks to you and others on educating me that adults go on Disney WITHOUT having kids in tow. I wouldn't have guessed that, but I'm not surprised. Different people like different things. It's nice we have cruise line choices. For me, a cruise = casino, drinks, eating, hanging, meeting other adults, and running into as few kids as possible. Repeat, repeat....happy, happy.

Hey, as a lifelong Mets fan, the notion of a 'throw-away' year is kind of our day one expectation anyway.

In the voice of Larry David.... When sailing, yes, the wind is pre-tty, pre-tty, pre-tty, pre-tty strong!

Do people without kids sail Disney?

I'm in the "yes the Vibe is worth it" club. So are my friends. Won't sail without it. I have a couple who just inquired about joining us six other of us on the Joy on June 2. They won't book the cruise if they can't get the Vibe and join us. As I understand it, you only know if it's open for getting Vibe passes if you book the cruise and then find out....which is kind of backwards and unfortunate. I guess you and ask others on the Roll Call board to check for you (which I did), but that's about it.

There's a direct correlation between how often you curse and how dumb you are. As you know, when you save the F-bombs and use them only sparingly, it retains their punch. Use them all the time? Well, it means you can't come up with a good noun or adjective for the situation.

Please report back on how it goes.

@Lady Arwen I'm a pescatarian like you. I hate bland food and need spice and flavor, so (other than Tabasco) I put good hot sauce on my seafood, yes, and vegetables and eggs. I mix it into ketchup or mayo to provide a perfect dipping sauce for fries. You don't have to put a ton of hot sauce on, especially if the chef already has a pronounced flavor profile. I do it to add zing. If all else fails (regarding hot sauce availability), then I ask onboard the ship for red pepper flakes...which they usually have if they scramble around for them.

Looks a little like Mobile. Sure you aren't back in the US?

Yeah, sorry, you have a New Yorker here commenting on a Reuben, kind of a birthright...

Looks like a "diet Reuben sandwich"...if that's a thing...

Recommend inside family cabin suite in the NCL Joy. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a shared suite room.

Gotcha. As you know, NCL has no limit and Princess, with the 15 limit, leaves it the bartender's discretion once you pass the dreaded threshold. (I know, many would say 15 is a lot....yeah, it is...but on a cruise, um, over an entire day, with all the eating and hanging-out, it's not crazy).