SoCal Cruiser78

As a frequent visitor to the US, one thing that amazes me. Does anyone actually buy those hotdog rotating away in a 7-11, I'm sure they are the actual same hotdogs I see every visit .......

I've heard them referred to as "danger dogs"! I have never purchased one, but I'm guessing some people do or 7-11 wouldn't bother carrying them.

Our last cruise I made the mistake of booking B202 - right at the front of the ship - on the Grand...There was also a lack of privacy on the balcony even though it was fully covered. Anyone on the bridge could see most of the balcony.

I was told by a crewmember that all balconies can be seen by security cameras. Not sure if this is true, but these days I wouldn't be surprised.

Depends upon the port. Have been in ports where they check bags and gave dogs looking for food when exiting.

The ship will give the rules for the country.

We were told in at least one country (Mexico?) upon disembarking that it was ILLEGAL to take food or beverages off the ship. So be sure to check ahead of time!

They'll be a lot of pencils around that sick people have touched for your use also. :rolleyes:

I bring my own pencil in my carry-on bag (in the same compartment as my boarding pass and passport) for just this reason.

I would take any ships bread pudding over what they call cake. I love cake but not on any ships as of yet. The frosting is always whipped....YUCK! What happened to good old fashioned buttercream!?...

If you ever happen to stray from HAL and sail on Princess, they offer an excellent chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting on their room service menu. I have never seen it elsewhere on their ships, just via room service.

I have not sailed on HAL in a number of years, and am a purist when it comes to bread pudding. I don't care for the flavored varieties. Do they serve the original "plain" bread pudding as well on the days when flavored ones are offered, or does that vary by ship?

Funny, we have no problem with interior cabins.

We don't, either, but some folks can't handle the lack of daylight. My only issue with Princess inside cabins is when there are only one or two of us in a cabin configured for quad occupancy.

On ships with uppers that fold down from the walls, it is easy to hit your head on the folded-up uppers if you want the lowers joined together into a queen-sized bed. It is safer to have the lowers kept separate, but not all couples are willing to travel this way.

...You commented that the only person who might sick is the one with diabetes...not necessarily so. I saw a young guy fall on board and sustain a compound fracture. He and a parent were evacuated to a Nassau hospital (YIKES!) Anything can happen at any time.

I was thinking the very same thing!

...If you want to worry about the obstructed rooms here's something else. When you get to port or even before that crew are sometimes out in the lifeboats getting them ready for drills or painting or a variety of other things. It's not uncommon to wake up with people right outside your window...

I have read this on other threads, so that would be my main concern. I have also read that there is a crew bar or rec room far forward on the Emerald deck on some ships, so there can be a lot of foot traffic in that area at all hours.

Not even a tiny bit interested. Sounds like a horrible idea.

I agree. I think it really cheapens the product image.

And the form ladies there will not let you out of the room until you do it!...

Yes, they can be intimidating :).

I have some mobility issues and have been delighted to rest on my balcony lounge. Now my DH has to elevate his leg. I'm thinking of forgoing my priority destination for needed comforts. It's been a while since I researched an alternative. Any suggestions esp early Jan?

 

Many Thanks and Blessings,

 

Lvteks

Princess has eliminated full-length lounge chairs from even the large Caribe deck balcony cabins of the Grand-class ships over the years, despite their having room for them. They've been replaced with uncomfortable upright chairs whose backs recline a bit and footstools. I'm not sure if the Coral or the Island have full-length lounges with balcony cabins or if you'd need to book a suite to get them on Princess at this point. Perhaps another poster will have a better answer about loungers on Princess.

On HAL, last I knew, if you book a Lanai cabin on one of their older ships like the Veendam, you get two reserved full-length classic teak loungers per cabin. The drawback is that they are not on a private balcony, there is a sliding door from the cabin that opens directly onto the lower promenade deck where your chairs are reserved.

...I can't imagine cruising being a "one and done" but we do know a couple who had that exact experience. Their first and last time was Caribbean cruise on Carnival during Spring Break. They will never cruise again!...

We were on a Caribbean cruise on HAL a few years back, and docked next to a Carnival ship in Nassau. I spoke with a woman there who was seriously wondering if she could switch to our ship mid-cruise as she was miserable on hers. Not sure what her TA was thinking, as she looked as though she would be more comfortable at a polo match than a hairy chest contest :rolleyes:.

...here's how we enjoy the Regal: Book E402 thru E412(Cat DV, deluxe) or E420 thru E437(Cat BV, Balcony). Both listed as obstructed, but not really. Less expensive, larg(er) balcony, and midship.

This needs a sticky, if it isn't "stuck" somewhere on this board already :)!

...realize that, even at $13.50 per person per day, those gratuities are an absolute bargain...

I understand your logic on this, but my question is why have onboard tips recently been increased at a rate FAR higher than inflation, at least here in the US? Is there high inflation in the home countries of onboard staff, or is Princess keeping some of the increase for themselves?

There is no logical correlation between the length of time one uses a balcony and whether it could have or should have been built out to be one foot longer...

I agree! I don't spend a lot of time on a balcony but, when I do use one, I want to be able to stretch out on a comfortable lounge chair. I don't want to have to fight those around the pool and noisy MUTS area for one. I go on cruises to relax, not be inconvenienced.

...We never take the tips off but...maybe now less extra cash will be given...

We are thinking the same thing. I think it may hurt the best staff if enough do this, as they won't be getting the extra tips directly.

I have heard that if you reduce or eliminate your daily tips at the CSD, that staff has to turn in any they get handed directly to the "pool". Does anyone else have confirmation of this?

...I still have 8 or so punches left on my card from a couple of cruises ago, they don't punch your card for fresh brew, you just need to show it.

I have found that some baristas on Princess will punch your card for brewed coffee if the card is from a previous voyage, which I guess is technically the policy. But some don't. This seems to depend, like many things on Princess, from ship to ship and staff to staff...

What is interesting to me is that the increase in onboard tips has far outstripped inflation, at least here in the US, where wages have been stagnant for many.

On the first cruise that I took that had tips charged to onboard accounts, rather than paid directly to staff in envelopes, daily tips were $7.00 USD per person. This was in 2002. According the the US Gov't inflation calculator, that would equal $9.36 USD in 2016. So a "raise" to $13.50 is a significant bump.

I have to wonder if this all really goes to staff, as another poster mentioned, or if Princess is taking some sort of "processing" fee for themselves out of this?

...We live 49 miles from the pier...31 miles from LAX (we pass it on the way)...I guess we could drive the 25 miles to Burbank and catch a flight from there to LAX...

I live between SAN and LAX. When I recently booked a sailing from San Pedro, Princess tried to sell me air from San Diego, telling me it would be more convenient then driving. I'm guessing the rep has never dealt with LAX :).

As far as worrying about your cabin, if I understand you correctly, and you have already been assigned an IA for your IF guarantee, what I would now be worried about is being "upgraded" again to an OV in a lousy location. I would ask Princess (or your TA) to mark your upgraded cabin "no upgrade" from now on. IIRC, they will do it once you've been assigned.

She was known as a "ship of State" to the Dutch :) They're keeping her in fine condition in Rotterdam in her retirement

 

A bit off-topic: It is too bad that America's unofficial ship of state, the SS United States, doesn't have the same widespread support. A small but dedicated group is trying hard, though!

I am going to Rotterdam in a few days time and will be staying at the SS Rotterdam hotel. She is an ex HAL ship from the 60's (I think) Just wondering if anyone has sailed on her when she was in her glory days...

I didn't, unfortunately, but my 87 year-old mother did an LA to FLL trans-canal on her back in the late '80s or early '90s. She has cruised many times, and says this was her favorite ship and sailing.

I haven't noticed that anyone has posted about my method of telling how rough it is: do the stairs creak, constantly and loudly?

I find that this varies from ship to ship. Some are quieter than others in rough seas. It also can depend on whether or not the stabilizers are deployed.

...Why only Neptune Suites. Is this now part of a world cruise or Grand Voyage or something?...

That's what I am wondering, too.

...My guess...is that Princess wants the balconies to be a bit less inviting so that people don't waste their entire day there and instead retreat to one or more of the many profit-making venues on these ships...

My guess is that you hit the nail on the head! It was very telling when Princess removed the comfortable lounge chairs from the large Caribe deck balconies on the Grand-class ships, and replaced them with uncomfortable upright chairs.

...on Princess ships what's served in the Horizon Court is the syrup type...on the Star last spring, it was literally UNDRINKABLE. I have no idea what they were doing wrong but I think everyone on board agreed that it wasn't even worth pouring in a cup...

It was the same situation on the Golden a couple years ago. I finally figured out that the fountain-type dispenser in the HC that served several different beverages (coffee, decaf, iced tea, and hot water) was co-mingling them somewhere in the system. I realized this when one day the hot water looked brownish and tasted like watered-down coffee, and another day like watered-down tea. And the coffee tasted like it was mixed with tea. I mentioned this to a worker there, and he just shrugged.

It was a little better in the HC on the Ruby last fall, but not by much. I guess they want you to buy the good stuff in the IC.