Abercrombie2019

I think leck57 might be quoting Australian dollar prices. Last time we went, Sabatini's was $35 USD and Crown Grill was $39 USD.

Not just you - when we were on Discovery (Oct. 2022) the specialty dining venues were completely booked. We had pre-booked Sabatini's, Crown Grill and Bistro Sur La Mer. If we had not pre-booked them we would have been eating at MDR or Salty Dog Gastro Pub (which was never full). Totally different situation on Regal (July 2023). The specialty dining venues were never full.

@Esjung1 is it possible that you have Future Cruise Credits that are being automatically deducted from the total? Just a guess.

Selecting excursions on a computer is a bit of a chore these days. Constantly switching windows between ports, available excursions, individual excursions... I remember receiving a printed excursion booklet that featured each available excursion for a Panama Canal Cruise in 2005. (Each cruise had a cruise specific booklet.) What an incredible waste of ink and paper (and an incredible expense for Princess) - but it was so convenient. It would be nice if the format for selecting excursions on the computer was a bit more like the excursion booklet (rather than endlessly opening and closing windows). By 2010 we were able to select all of our excursions before our cruise, and we didn't have to pay for them until after they were completed. Now, if I want to ensure that I can get an excursion I have to reserve and pay for it months in advance. (And the excursion can still be cancelled for "operational reasons".) It's the same problem with specialty dining. You are pressured into making reservations months in advance because of the threat that your selected night/time might not be available if you wait. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. Some of the innovations to cruising have been stress inducing. Overall, I think that the medallion has been an improvement, but the app experience before the cruise has been responsible for a lot of needless anxiety.

The best meal on the British Isles cruise was not served on formal night. There was a Chef’s night menu, and the Beef Wellington was amazing.

Our last cruise was British Isles (July 2023), and our second to last cruise was a Mexican Riviera cruise. I wouldn’t say that the passengers embraced formal night any more on the UK cruise than they did on the LA cruise. The average age on the UK cruise (Regal) was higher than the age on the LA cruise (Discovery) - which perhaps was expressed in different styles of clothing. The crowd on Discovery might have been a bit more contemporary, while the Regal was perhaps a bit more classic.

There has been a noticeable decline in the quality of MDR food over the years. We even noticed it between October 2022 and July 2023. The worst meal that I’ve had on a Princess ship was on a formal night on the Regal Princess on a UK cruise. It was “Land & Sea” (they didn’t bother referring to it as “surf & turf” - I’m guessing because they knew it wasn’t going to meet that level of expectation). A classic case of lowered expectations. I’ve come to accept that the food isn’t going to be what it once was. Princess will have to accept that I will not be wearing a tux. For what it’s worth, I do dress up (jacket, tie, dress shirt), but I’m increasingly beginning to understand the people that want to do away with formal nights altogether.

I think you are correct. The website shows mini suite with bed in the middle and with the bed closer to the bathroom. The sofa is next to the balcony.

People were responding about using private companies for excursions. I was trying to bring the topic back to Princess Cruise Tours. I’d personally also love to hear someone’s experience.

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/cruisetours/europe-cruisetours/ @Strinkle There is a description of the different European Cruise Tours that are offered on the Princess.com website. It explains how each of the cruise tours operates, what to do with luggage, accommodations, travel between cities, included meals etc..

I’ve waited in line to order at the Trident Grill (15 minutes). Then received a pager for my order (plate of fries) and 15 minutes later I watched as a large plate of fries was given to a passenger that hadn’t even placed an order. I assumed it was a relative or friend of one of the crew. I put my pager down and walked away. Actually lost 6 pounds on that cruise.

For me it isn't a question of whether I'd pay to eat at Alfredo's/Gigi's - it's more a question of whether I'd book a cruise at the current prices. I'm more put-off by the cruise & flight fares that I'm seeing than I am by the cost for items that we could take or leave.

I've never stayed in Club Class (or Reserve Collection), but from what I've read on Cruise Critic, the menu is the same with at least one additional item that may involve some table side preparation. It is an area inside one of the dining rooms. Sanctuary is a separate fee. If you stay in a full Suite on Discovery or Enchanted, then you will also be invited to the 360 Dining Experience. Suites have other amenities https://www.princess.com/learn/ships/staterooms/suites/ Mini Suites are not "Suites" and do not have the same amenities.

Only the Sun & Star Princess will have the Signature Suites. You can go to Princess.com and select "Onboard Our Ships" then select either "Sun Princess" or "Star Princess" then scroll down to "Accommodations" where it describes "Reserve Collection" and "Signature Collection". They have an image of "Signature Sun Deck", "Signature Lounge", "Signature Restaurant", "Reserve Collection Restaurant" and "Cabana Deck". Only Sun & Star have a separate Reserve Collection Restaurant. The "Reserve Collection" replaces the old Club Class dining on all other Princess Ships. There will be a dedicated area in one of the main dining rooms for the exclusive use of people staying in a Reserve Collection Mini Suite or Suite. You can check the deck plans of individual ships to locate the Reserve Collection Mini Suites.

The app worked fine for me for two cruises. The first real glitch that I've experienced started when my loyalty level switched from Ruby to Platinum. The website shows me as Platinum, but the app still shows me as Ruby, which is strange, because it will let me make dining reservations for a cruise that is next year. When is your cruise? Are you past final payment? I've copied the dining reservation conditions from Princess.com and pasted them below. Access Reservations Customize your reservations and other dining options. Most guests will be able to access once your cruise is paid in full. Early access for Captain's Circle Platinum and Elite members as well as guests booked in Reserve Collection and Suites.

The Lotus Spa pool is an outdoor pool. It is surrounded by windows that look into the Lotus Spa.

The Lotus Spa Pool on the upper decks of Grand Class ships is an adults only pool that is free for everyone. The hydro therapy pool (thermal suite) in the spa on the Royal Class ships is not free for everyone.

Could the price be affected by the fact that Ruby Princess will transit the new locks and Coral Princess (a Panamax design) will transit the historic locks? I've always noticed that there might be low prices for a Panama Canal cruise, but the taxes and port fees are huge.

We ran into many people on Regal Princess (in July) that didn't know that Alfredo's and IC (food) were included in their fare. They thought that it was extra, so they avoided those venues. I am still amazed that there are people that get on board without actually knowing what they've paid for. Although, I have to admit that it isn't always clear what is included. (I had a boss that took his extended family on a cruise many years ago. He was shocked when he got the final statement including the Crew Appreciation for each of his family members. He had no idea that they would be charged a gratuity per person, per day. I don't know if he had a bad TA or a bad attention span.)

There were long lines on Discovery at the dining room around 7:30 (October last year) and Gigi’s was also busy. We never noticed lines at Alfredo’s on Regal (this July).

So, if they made Alfredo’s/Gigi’s a for fee restaurant because of long lines - does that mean that the main dining room is next?

Not a spa expert, and I've never booked an embarkation day treatment, but I've had the email that you are talking about. I did notice that you could see the discount (before purchasing) if you selected a treatment and a time on embarkation day.

They have been accepting the requests for the Shareholder Benefit outside of the 90 day limit (at least in North America). I've had the benefit applied for cruises that were more than a year in the future. The benefit can be used to book excursions. If we had to wait to be within the 90 day limit, there would be a lot of sold out excursions.

I got this feeling talking to people on our last cruise. We met a lot of people that used to cruise on other lines, but had switched to Princess because they weren't satisfied with their previous favorite cruise line. I understand why people are upset, but I just can't get myself worked up by this round of changes. I booked "Plus" because we were able to get a good deal. I'm Canadian, so we have never been able to have the medallion mailed to us. I don't bother with room service because I prefer to get my own food (best chance of it being hot or at least warm). I don't bother ordering from the app because I'm usually near the bar or venue that I want the food or drink from, and we didn't really like the pizza at Alfredo's on the Regal - so it won't be hard to limit it to two visits on our next cruise.

No one will accuse Princess of consistency (unless it is for being consistently inconsistent.)