SoCal Cruiser78

What does DOD stand for?

I suppose it can mean Dept. of Defense or dear old dad, but I'm guessing on this board it means drink of the day. Every ship I have been on has had them. Sometimes served in a souvenier glass, and sometimes they reflect the itinerary--in Hawaii it was a Lava Flow one day and a Blue Hawaii another day.

...You need to pay attention to the waiters at venues to make sure when you request Decaf that is what you receive, this includes the IC. From someone who spent time in Medical for receiving the wrong blend. After 2 incidents our waiter ensured I received decaf.

This is always a concern ordering coffee away from home. Some servers just don't get it. I may, as some suggested, bring good-quality instant from home.

I agree that the Buffet and MDR coffee is fine. If I bought a coffee card, it would be for the specialty coffees only.

Do you know if decaf is generally available in these venues? Or will I need to go to the IC or elsewhere for it? Thanks in advance.

...Celebrity just eliminated most of their activity staffs.

Sorry to hear that. I haven't sailed on X since 2005, but felt at that time the CD and activity staff were a strong suit, along with food quality. It seems everyone is cutting costs these days.

With that said, I am determined to have a great time on my first Princess cruise this September!

...It looks like all the cruises from the West coast especially from San Francisco are price higher than cruises from other ports.

Yup. But at least those of us who live here in CA can often drive to a port and avoid airfare!

Well, you learn something new here everyday. I've never been on a Princess ship that didn't have either a chair or chaise on the Promenade deck. There's a reason to never sail on the Golden. I hope this isn't the future of all Promenade deck furniture.

Very disappointed to see no chairs on the Golden's promenade. That has been my favorite place to relax and read on other ships. I suppose dragging out a chair from elsewhere on the ship would be frowned upon. Oh, well.

...I don't understand why Princess began refunding complementary OBC which was to be used "onboard" and not cashed out to take home...

I was surprised to hear that this happens. I would think it would roll over somehow to future cruises, but not be cashed out.

Did you not read RCL CEO who just recently gave a breakdown of where revenue comes from? 75% comes from cabin fares.

Interesting. If that is gross revenue, that would mean that the average cruise passenger spends an additional 1/3 or so of their fare on shipboard account charges. In other words, someone spending $750 on cabin fare would, on average, charge another $250 to their shipboard account.

...So it may actually be we ourselves who are to blame for the increase in for-fee services and options, because we have learned to make our cruises more or less "all-inclusive" for ourselves, and with base fares so low (and our ability to find deals so high), this cruising style actually hurts the company's bottom line...

Please don't forget that those of us who are more experienced and shop for bargain fares fill cabins that might otherwise go unsold. While we may be low-margin business for the companies, we still add to their bottom line. So the cruise lines need us in a sense. They are just practicing yield-management like the airlines have for years.

I'm price sensitive, but above that I am value driven. That means getting a good all around deal, not about getting the cheapest price. Whenever I hear the phrase "You get what you pay for" I always take it as a positive, even though most people mean it as a negative. I am willing to pay a marginally increased fare for more amenities/services to remain as included and/or higher quality service or offerings.

 

Does that mean I am willing or able to pay Seabourn or Crystal pricing? No. Does it mean I would skip Princess to save $100pp going to Carnival? No. It means I'm willing to pay for comprehensive (NOT the same as all inclusive) services.

 

Cruising is a totally optional vacation. Flying often is out of necessity and flights do not last anywhere from 4 days to multiple weeks.

I agree completely with the above.

With regard to tipping and level of service, I would always leave the auto tip in place. As mentioned before, it is pooled and divided so many ways, that whoever gave less-than-expected service would not truly be affected by removing it. I always tip above-and-beyond to those individuals who give good service. So by not tipping above-and-beyond someone who gives poor service would be my way of handling the situation. YMMV.

Please delete. Thanks.

You can always leave after your color is given. So if you are given Pink-5 and don't mind being among a later group' date=' just tell the Passenger Services Desk and maybe they'll switch you with passengers who want an earlier time.[/quote']

 

I am new to Princess, will be driving to the ship, and plan to use carry-on luggage only. If I decide not to leave the ship early, will I be able to go to the Lido and relax over breakfast and/or coffee while those who have to catch flights disembark first? Or does Princess require that all disembarking PAX wait at a preassigned spot (lounge or whatever) until their # is called?

 

Thanks in advance!

How far down this road should Princess go? Breakfast ? lunch? dinner? entertainment? pools ? ports? MUTS ?, trivia?...

Exactly. I'm guessing that the cruise lines are taking a page from the airline and hotel play books and are testing the waters to see what they can get away with via nickel-and-diming. Once we are used to that, then they'll raise fares on top of it, unless there is enough of a consumer pushback.

I realize the cruise lines need to make a profit. I just hate to see the nickel-and-diming as I feel it takes away some of what made cruising special, and brings it more into the realm of a land-based vacation.

I will be a first-timer on Princess this fall.

I have a number of food allergies, so am wondering if Princess does like Celebrity and has certain items not always on the printed menus, but always available upon request? IIRC, broiled chicken and steak were two of them. It was a big help on nights that the regular menu had no entrees that I could eat.

I know I could probably do special meal requests ahead of time, but I really don't know what nights I'll want to eat in the MDR vs. the specialty options.

Thanks in advance.

One more thing with regard to Travel Guard. As I understand it, on their Gold level policy anyway, if you purchase within 15 days of initial payment the medical coverage jumps from secondary to primary coverage. This greatly streamlines claims processing if the need arises.

Don't forget that Medi-Care does not cover outside of the US, so for those people the amount you of medical you purchase should be enough to cover a shipboard or foreign-soil emergency.

I'd go with cash. I figure the cruise staff can't pay their bills or support their families with knick-knacks, however well-intentioned.

Well, HAL announced that they will transfer Rijndam and Statendam to P&O cruises...

I was surprised to read this. I figured that the Veendam and Maasdam would leave the fleet first. According to many posts I have seen since sailing on them myself, they apppear to have been more problematic than to other two, with ongoing HVAC and plumbing issues.

I think the name Statendam would be a prime choice for the new build. Historic, regal-sounding, and easy to pronounce :).

In the interest of changing the subject, may I present Formal Night 2024:

 

I guess I don't need to worry if my tux will still fit by then ;).