moonjelly

Hi SuzieQ, This is all great information, thank you! It's great to hear you loved your trip. So many reviews are so negative with "everything has gone downhill" as a common theme, especially regarding food. Loved the tip about appetizer-sized pasta. I always want to try the pasta, but never want a big bowl. GELATO BAKED ALASKA !!😍 Yes, please! I love the international Cafe. On our last Princess Alaska cruise (circa 2012) it was very near our cabin and we frequented it to take the edge off that between-meals void 😁. We don't have the package with the specialty desserts, but we do have an ice cream freak with us. Can these specialty desserts be purchased a la carte? I appreciate all your tips!

Thanks snoozecruise! This will be my first cruise with Princess Dine my Way and making reservations on the ap pre-cruise. Good to know that talking to a person once onboard is still a good option. When you have requested the same table, have you gotten the same waitstaff at that table? Or do they move around? Thanks for the tip about the dinner buffet 🙂

Hi neverbeenhere, I am writing about dining aboard Royal Princess, not NCL freestyle. Thank you for the tip!

Hello fellow cruise lovers. We will be aboard Royal Princess on the August 26th sailing to Alaska. We are used to doing traditional dining on Princess, so with the "new" method of reserving various restaurants, I'm looking for some advice 🙂 We will be a party of four and we'll lean toward reserving one restaurant, hopefully the same table with the same weight staff for the week. (Haha I see the auto correct mistake, but find it funny and appropriately named 😁, so will leave it). One of our travel companions is mobility impaired, and their cabin will be near the mid/ forward elevators, so maybe something near that vertical corridor would be best. If we do want to try a specialty restaurant, what would you recommend? We would love any insights and suggestions, even outside these general parameters 🙂. What are your favorite things about dining on Royal P? Favorite meals? Desserts? Thank you! 🦥

To each his own 😁. My favorite view is when there is no land to get in the way of it. I love the "Sea nery"

Hi SuzieQ, I'm happy to hear a report that the main dining room food was very good. I have been reading a lot of extremely negative reviews on the food of late. I'm excited about the SeaWalk!

Thanks for asking the question, Boozy O Croozy. We are on Royal 8/26/23 for this same itinerary. For those who have sailed her, what is the seating in the theater situation? That was my only downside to my last princess cruise, the competition for seats in the main theater and the "vibe" it caused between passengers. And I think it was an even smaller ship than this! I am also wondering if people would recommend sitting in the same dining room each night and if so which one? Or if restaurant hopping worked for you🙂. I know it's different for everyone, but I'm interested in your advice. One of the things that has distinguished Princess for me in the past was that they had a 24-hour pool and or hot tub open. It wasn't all of them, but there was at least one. Is that still the case? I remember sitting in the aft hot tub on Diamond at 1am, watching the full moon set into the ocean. Priceless.

Thank you all for your advice and insights. I appreciate it very much. I will have a backup person in mind and get the insurance. Its good to know the taxes would be refunded.

Hi All, Thank you for the great information. Question: if two people who are not related are in the same cabin and are each shareholders, can they each get a $100 credit, or is it per cabin?

Thank you!

On the benefits page for the Captains Circle program it lists access to the Captain’s Circle Help Desk phone line as a benefit of my tier, but it does not list the phone number anywhere. Can anyone provide that for me here? I want to call and ask about the benefit of free upgrade from standard insurance to premium that is also listed as a benefit. I'm currently booked and the standard policy is in my reservation, as is my captain's circle number, but no upgrade is indicated. Thank you for any help you can provide!

Thanks! Your advice is much appreciated!

Hi All, We are choosing an obstructed view balcony on Royal Princess and wonder if you would share your expertise! Which would you choose? E 415 E 421 E 433 E 437 I have seen a video on 433 and it looks good except for obstructions to the aft and down Anyone have an recommendations for best view among these 4? Are any bigger than the others? THANKS MUCH! 🦥

Hi Coral, thank you. I put a hold on it through tomorrow and am sorting everything out in the meantime. Yes the Princess agent's comment about a $100 fee for name change or sailing date change was strange to me. That's one of the reasons I want to clarify what this fee is.

Hi All, thank you for your input. My future mother in law has been diagnosed with Alzheimers and has always wanted to go on an Alaska cruise. For that reason, we do not want to wait till next year. We have to take this shot, but my work is VERY busy this summer. It will be her and her husband in one cabin, and their son and me in the other. Since yesterday, we have decided it will be on Princess. I am relatively sure I won't have to cancel. However, my job could require it (I'd say 5% chance) if things got crazy and I wouldn't know until close to sailing. I booked this morning and the Princess Agent quoted a $100 change fee. I asked her if this was for name changes, sailing date changes, she said yes. In the past, this was all that was charged, or a name change was even free. Now as I read the policies, I question whether it is a $100 change fee AND a 100% loss of cruise fare. I am thinking that port charges and fees would be refunded, but I am not positive about that. So I am asking the experts about your experiences with this issue on Princess. On NCL I have heard of them waiving a name change fee (plus not considering it a cancellation), but I wonder how Princess is handling it in real life. I may purchase insurance, but it is not a very expensive cruise. If I knew I would get my port taxes and fees back, it might not be worth purchasing the insurance. Also, knowing if I would be charged a $100 fee to have them take all the cruise fare back would factor in to my decision. So my questions are: Would I get my port taxes and fees refunded if I cancelled late notice? Is there an additional penalty of $100 for the cancellation on top of 100% loss of cruise fare? Has anyone had experience with a name change such that my cabin mate could replace me at the last minute without it being considered a cancellation (having the penalties waived, as I have experienced and heard of over the years)? Thank you for any insights you can provide about how this has worked for you. I like to consider all the factors before making a decision.:)

Thank you all, this is extremely helpful. Hearing about how things go in "real life" in addition to being aware of the written policy is a great combo. reporterbabe, I hope your child is ok now and I am happy to hear you got to go the next year. This type of emergency is so heartbreaking and the lack of understanding that it is a "real" medical emergency is exactly what families don't need while they are fighting for their child's life. I feel for you.

Thank you everyone!

Well, here's a cheery topic, sorry about that! However, I anticipate that I may have to cancel my cruise, but won't know for sure until near sailing date. How does RCI handle this? I know it would involve 100% forfeiture of cruise fare, but would I get my port taxes and fees refunded? Is there an additional penalty of $100 (or other amount) for the cancellation? The other person in my cabin would still go. If I don't get a refund of the port taxes and fees, should I just no-show to avoid a fee, if there is one? I am comparing the policies of the various lines to see if one has a better policy than the others between Princess, NCL, Holland America, and RCI. Thank you for any help you can provide.It is advice I need, but hope I won't have to use!

Well, here's a cheery topic, sorry about that! However, I anticipate that I may have to cancel my cruise, but won't know for sure until near sailing date. How does NCL handle this? I know it would involve 100% forfeiture of cruise fare, but would I get my port taxes and fees refunded? Is there an additional penalty of $100 for the cancellation? The other person in my cabin would still go. If I don't get a refund of the port taxes and fees, should I just no-show to avoid a $100 fee, if there is one? I am comparing the policies of the various lines to see if one has a better policy than the others between Princess, NCL, Holland America, and RCI. Thank you for any help you can provide.It is advice I need, but hope I won't have to use!

Well, here's a cheery topic, sorry about that! However, I anticipate that I may have to cancel my cruise, but won't know for sure until near sailing date. How does Holland America handle this? I know it would involve 100% forfeiture of cruise fare, but would I get my port taxes and fees refunded? Is there an additional penalty of $100 for the cancellation? The other person in my cabin would still go. If I don't get a refund of the port taxes and fees, should I just no-show to avoid a $100 fee, if there is one? I am comparing the policies of the various lines to see if one has a better policy than the others between Princess, NCL, Holland America, and RCI. Thank you for any help you can provide.It is advice I need, but hope I won't have to use!

Well, here's a cheery topic, sorry about that! However, I anticipate that I may have to cancel my cruise, but won't know for sure until near sailing date. I know it would involve 100% forfeiture of cruise fare, but would I get my port taxes and fees refunded? Is there an additional penalty of $100 for the cancellation? The other person in my cabin would still go. If I don't get a refund of the port taxes and fees, should I just no-show to avoid a $100 fee, if there is one? I am comparing the policies of the various lines to see if one has a better policy than the others between Princess, NCL, Holland America, and RCI. Thank you for any help you can provide.It is advice I need, but hope I won't have to use!

Hello all, Are cabins ready for you on RCI when you get onboard, or do you have to wait? Specifically Harmony if that makes a difference. Thank you!

Thank you so much. This is very helpful 🙂

Hello! Does anyone have recommendations for fishing in Catalina? Specifically, where can my people find someone to take them out in a boat fishing? They do see the big charters advertising online, but they are also interested in the possibility of finding someone with a boat when they get there that could still provide the gear and license, but for less than the prices of the big charters companies Does anyone have experience with finding such a fishing provider while docked in Catalina?

Thank you for the wonderful review!