Kay S

So you have never actually been in an R class bathroom?

That's how I remember it. (The MDR)

Alaska, on all lines, is family-heavy. There will also be lots of first-timers. I know people who have only taken one cruise in their lives, and that was to Alaska.

I have found room service times to vary from ship to ship. (By this I mean delivery to the cabin not ordering elsewhere from the app.)

Are we boring you? The buffet thread might be more entertaining. 😝

Some days I like to eat breakfast in the MDR and take my time lingering over coffee. I know people whose only MDR meal is breakfast. BTW, I assume there will be open seating in one dining room for breakfast, as it has been, and no reservations or fixed dining involved.

LAX is hell on earth, and anything you can do to make it easier, you should do. I have found Princess transfers to be good. (In other airports, of course, since LAX is my home airport. We drive to San Pedro.)

Is it too late to cancel the cruise? Sounds like you would be happier elsewhere.

I haven't done my first O cruise yet (this fall) but I'm not under the illusion that everything they do for me is altruistic. If they change to a new food venue, I'm going to assume they do it for the business of making more money. I don't think I have ever "blindly accept[ed] ad hype and marketing efforts." I think most people are like me and recognize that O is in the business of making money and not the business of serving me.

As I understand it, each of the three dining rooms will be given over to one of the dining schemes. Fixed, reservations and walk-up. You will go to the dining room assigned to your dining preference. You can't pick and choose; that is, you can't choose fixed dining and then show up to the reservations dining room and ask for a fixed seating table. If you do choose fixed, there will be both an early and a late seating in one specific dining room and that becomes your dining room for the cruise. However, who knows what will change between now and then.

Bolognese is my favorite. The best I ever had was in France in a town near the Italian border. I also love soup and I’m not a big fan of the watery ones. Give me lentil or chowder or broth just by itself without three strings of celery or something in it. Oh and Minestrone with the beans. i have never been in a Golden Corral I don’t think.

Nothing wrong with a good beef barley soup.

Recognized by whom? Would it surprise you to know that there are people who do follow the rules and who do like to eat flavorful food? I suspect your wine glass is perpetually half empty.

Best answer. I use the "i" and my husband doesn't. We still know what we're discussing. 😐

If you want to see one on a YouTube video, try another ship of the same class. I saw a few Nautica videos up a few days ago.

Main dining is fixed dining with regular shared table mates. You can ask to share with open seating, but you likely won't get the same tablemates.

Speak for yourself! 🤣

The free laundry is not (as of now) illusionary, and I am shallow and selfish, that's why. 😝

This is true, but MORE will gain status in the four month period than would without the promotion. It just irks me some that Princess has reduced perks for current Elites while now swelling the ranks to share those perks. (Laundry. My most valuable perk. Longer waits.) 🙃

"Seems"? There are probably some official stats somewhere on this, but my experience has been the opposite.

The same way it helps me: nada, zilch, nothing. The direction Princess has been going with Elite benefits (reducing them) makes me think there is no new higher tier coming. With even more Elites, Princess can reduce benefits for even more people! This scheme just seems fishy to me somehow. "Money grab" was the best definition I heard.

Exactly my first thought. We've been Elite for years. How about tossing us a few benefits instead of adding more Elite to the ranks, Princess? I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the nickel and diming would soon include selling loyalty status to everyone on the ship.

Yep. Whenever Princess tells me they are giving me a benefit, I hang onto my wallet.

Princess is very good at figuring out where to wrangle the next nickel or dime.

Bon Voyage and all that. Thanks for dropping in to tell us you like Princess better than HAL. I guess. 😐