Superfragger

Alla doesn't seem to have any description of the packages on their website?

This is really subjective. I don't have much trouble sleeping anywhere, but I can see someone who is prone to back pain or aches of any kind having some trouble.

The number of helicopter parents on this thread is appaling. Bottom line is that only OP knows her kids. While it's true that no one ever says that their kids are misbehaved, I remember when I was 14 I would do very stupid things myself, but I was far from being the inept child most other posters are describing on this thread (in need of constant supervision and parental controls, which are totally useless on a 14 year old btw) and could be trusted with a room to myself for eight hours a night.

That being said, as a parent I would also feel uncomfortable having my children, no matter the age, 5 decks away. If you don't want to all be crammed into one room, the most logical solution to this is having one parent in each room; but in this day and age, parents are willing to sacrifice less and less for their children, so I'm not really surprised this really, really simple solution didn't cross OP's mind.

Just call Princess, sometimes they will refare or upgrade or offer you some free perks like OBC.

I wrote about Celebrity to show that the cruise lines take Muster Drill serious.

They sure do. Attendance is compulsory as per maritime law. I have no idea why someone would refuse to attend.

Download the TripCase app on your phone. It will notify you of any changes; it's normal for flights to shuffle around a bit until a few months prior to your cruise.

Is this your flight going or coming back?

We were there in January, and the food is pretty much the same. The only change that I can think of is that now the soda and/or drinks sticker now works on the island ~ this may not be a new change, but was new since the last time I went to PCays.

That must be super new because the sticker only worked for mocktails on PCays last november.

These awards are meaningless. There's as many people complaining about random things across all of the other cruise lines' boards.

Bottom line is that each cruise line has its positives and its negatives, and you just have to pick one that best fits your character. We're a young, mid-twenties couple and do not like the loud and rowdy crowds you see on other lines; the more laid-back and classic feel of Princess is perfect for us, and that's why we like it.

Does anyone know if they still insist on opening all beers when purchased? Two years ago on the Regal, I bought 6 beers and they only opened 1. Last year, they said they'd have to open any and all beers that I bought.

Doesn't seem like this is consistently enforced, but they usually open all drinks. That being said, last november on the Crown they did not open my second drink either time I decided to splurge on BOGO; heck, a bartender at a completely different bar even switched out my second beer for a colder one when I asked for an opener.

It seems to me like recent dissidents are overly critic of other aspects of their cruise experience, so I just shrug them off as being picky people. We had a great time and amazing food on the Crown Princess in november last year (one of the largest ships in the fleet); we did not feel at all like the food quality has been going down in recent years.

People are saying that there is less and less steak and seafood in the MDR but there was either a prime rib or a filet mignon every night on our sailing. Nothing has been replaced by a burger as others have suggested, but they do have a burger in the "Princess Favorites" section of the menu now.

Corey Moir is a fantastic cruise director. You are very lucky.

And you had the same menu as us on our first night on the Crown in november. I had the prime rib and it was absolutely delicious.

Your passport is not necessary in most Carribean ports. I wouldn't take mine with me unless it was absolutely necessary, or unless I was planning on venturing far away from the ship on an excursion I didn't book through Princess. Most places of interest in ports are less than a 10-15 minutes taxi ride from the ports.

As others have noted, making a photocopy may ease getting a replacement passport done at a consulate.

Fun story tho, one of my friends was allowed back into the secure area at Cozumel using only his Costco card as ID. I'm under the impression that they don't really check.

Keep in mind that Celebrity can't go to Glacier Bay.

 

DW and I have enjoyed 2 Windstar cruises on their non-sailing vessels. The capacity of these ships is 212 and they are all suite:Ds. The nice thing is that by the end of the cruise you know practically every person on board... the bad thing is that by the end of the cruise you know practically every person on board...

I feel like you really need to like that small ship feel, but it's definitely cheap for an all-suite experience (3k$ pp).

People get scared because there's a lot of vendors out on the street trying to push people into their shop. It's like a huge garage sale. But there is a strong police and military presence if you keep within the limits of the tourist area even beyond the port compound; it is perfectly safe, but not exactly necessary for you to go out if you're not out looking for trinkets to purchase.

The shoreside purchases policy is rarely if ever enforced on Princess. I cannot remember one single time where we were stopped at the x-ray machine and told to remove bottles from our bags and hand them over at the table, even when very openly showing that we had purchased alcohol shoreside.

We will be in a V1 at Christmas so not a high grade one but what I would consider somewhere between a Princess balcony and mini-suite. We did get a bargain as the same category of cabin (which is now sold out) is now listed at a total of £4,180 for two passengers.

 

The same category of stateroom for a 14 night Med cruise on 31 October 2019 (same time as our Sky Princess cruise) is £8,080. Just checked the price of the Sky Princess cruise and it's £6,538.

I think you may just not be getting very good deals on Princess as compared to Viking. We've never paid even close to that much for similar itineraries in the same class staterooms.

You are not the only person whose medical needs are being ignored by Princess.

I really don't understand how it's Princess' responsibility to cater to your medical needs. I'm fairly certain that if you have a specific medical need backed by a doctor's note, they will allow you to bring your own bottled water on board like they do for CPAP machines.

I love the Princess product and miss the little things when sailing on other lines. However I’m beginning to wonder if they offer good value. I consider their prices more premium than other mainstream lines. When taking into account all the additional costs (gratuities, drinks, excursions, flights etc.), the overall cost of a Princess cruise is comparable to higher end lines. For example, my partner and I have booked a 14 night Med cruise on Sky Princess in a mini-suite which is costing over £6,000 (around $8,400). With all the add ons, the cruise will likely cost £8,000 plus. We could do something similar with Viking for about the same price which would include flights, gratuities, basic excursions and drinks with dinner (Viking’s add on drinks package providing unlimited drinks is much cheaper than Princess’s). In fact we are doing a week over Christmas 2018 in the Med with Viking including all of the above for £3,180.

 

Do people feel that Princess still offer good value?

What kind of stateroom are you booking on Viking?

They might have a coke product root beer, but not diet.

Package is ok if you're a coke fan and you don't want a cold one in your cabin after returning from a hot day on beach:)

You could just go to any bar on the way on and pick up a glass or have your tumbler filled.

Glad it worked out. For others reading this, airline schedule changes (especially with Delta) are things I hope for. Often I book the least expensive flight or a less-than-ideal connection using miles. But when there is a schedule change of 60 minutes or more, I go to delta.com (or whichever airline I booked with), find the connection that I like best then call the airline and ask them to change my reservation to the preferred connection that I saw online. 99% of the time the airline is accommodating. The only restriction is that they basically need to keep you on their own airline's equipment and not on a partner.

 

You did well!

Seems like a lot of hassle to save a couple of bucks, but to each their own.

This form is used when you leave the cruise early, not for this instance, driving license id is fine, and a credit card. Ireland is a pretty relaxed country

Ireland may be relaxed but I would not chance being stuck there without a passport if for whatever reason the ship has to leave port early and leaves you stranded. She is not just getting off at the cruise port.

If it has been obvious to you for many months that the cruise was not going to be able to stop in Suva, then why didn't you re-book the cruise instead of waiting until now and complaining?

This is an excellent question. Not sure why he/she is complaining in the behalf of those that were uninformed.

As others have suggested, I think it is mainly overlooked because it would be unreasonable to require people to find travel arrangements that allow them to arrive before the designated times.

If enough people request it they may put it on, but seeing as it's an early afternoon type of deal and runs for 3+ hours, I find it unlikely that they will be airing it.

I would go with Foxy Brown if you want something a bit more refined. If not, the Moonlite Diner is pretty good for some more traditional fare.

TripAdvisor is a good resources for restaurants. You can check out their suggestions too.