Kay S

We do a lot of HAL, and we even do Carnival from time to time. There are always younger-than-70 people on HAL, and there are always plenty of seniors on Carnival. Princess has lots of kids, IMO, because of their good youth program. Anyone wanting to avoid children will prefer HAL, but that's not to say there aren't lots of younger people on board.

I've done both the Vista Suite and the Verandah with my scooter. The suite has plenty of room to park and has outlets accessible. I had trouble parking in a Verandah. I put the scooter next to the bed, but it was a pain. The doors are narrow on both types of rooms. Anything over 23" wide will be impossible to get through the door. Don't count on using the halls. That is something a few stewards will allow, but not many.

Oh, Okay. Gotcha.

OP, when is your cruise? The entire dining system will be revamped in Sept 2024. LOng thread on this at the top of this forum.

You are the designated "Princess Satisfied Customer" they can use in their marketing. 😝 Or you just lead a charmed life,,,

Black eye indeed. But will it change Princess' approach to making money? No. The goal is more money. The methods they use seem to be "ends justifies means." It's just so sad that the classy operation Princess used to be has devolved into all of this.

Carnival Corporation is the parent company, and Carnival Cruise Lines is the child. So HAL, Princess, etc. are the siblings of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Tell me about it! I have vegetarians, vegans, fish-haters, no-red-meat eaters and one chicken-allergic. Salads. Lots of salads. 🙂 On a more serious note, there are people who do not eat pork for religious reasons, and the ham even touching the turkey will make the turkey "unclean." I can see how a club sandwich could be a real problem.

Yes.

This is how I felt about the FCC we built up in the pandemic. We had a lot of it. We were thanked upon their return by the nightmare that was DMW, the glitchy app that didn't work consistently for me, on or off the ship, reduced or eliminated Elite benefits, and a nickel-and-dime operation in overtime. We decided to jump ship (pun intended) when we used up the FCC, which took awhile and three cruises to do. Since I have been assured that some things have improved in the last year or so, we might be back, but I still have a sour taste in my mouth about all that money of mine they used interest free.

No indication of what that threshold is.

I haven't done the cruise yet, but I am one of those first-timers with SM. That had no influence on why we booked. This cruise is perfect for us because the dates and itinerary are what we were specifically looking for. I guess if Regent or Carnival had those two elements, we might have chosen differently 🙂. I am not happy that I have to choose excursions. None of them really appeal to me, so I chose two that I might possibly enjoy. The wine thing is going to be a problem with DH. We will need to upgrade the beverage package on board, I think. So from someone who must have been the marketing department's target, I can say we booked our cruise IN SPITE of SM and not because of it.

Alvin? What gives?

After a long day on shore, sometimes a movie is all we can manage.

It's been awhile, but I was on the Ruby shortly after she debuted. The best thing for me is the Grand ships have Skywalkers and thus great views.

The John Pagett "anything for a buck" Princess won't care until it starts affecting the bottom line.

OP must be very confused by now. The answer is simple. Ask Princess. Ask the State Department. Ask Cruise Critic. Ask your neighbor's cousin's hairdresser who went to Hawaii once during high school. Then go get a passport. 🙂

Have things changed since my last cruise? Gelato is now included in the premium desserts along with those silly sundaes? That would be an improvement. Those things with the cake and ice cream and whatnot (including fake "melting ice cream" plastic on the sides of the dish) were just plain silly. Even my grandchildren didn't like them.

This is one big reason I would go to the buffet. I guess it's a problem in bad weather, though.

I'm curious why people feel the need to point out that they don't like sharing tables when the question asked was how to share a table. We get it; you don't like it. Does that mean no one should like it or ask for it?

I would gladly carry my plate in exchange for being able to walk again. (I'm not old, but I am paralyzed.)

Exactly. The port agent or customs officer in some random country or city will not take "I read it on Cruise Critic" for an answer. Just go look it up in the official record online or call the authorities.

Supposedly, the new dining scheme will make this a reality, but until then, it's the same run-around with Princess. We stopped booking Princess (after 30+ cruises) because they eliminated traditional dining. We, like you, prefer the table sharing and consistency. Apparently Princess noticed since they will be returning to traditional dining in the fall. If they do it right, we might return to Princess.

The showers are not THAT small. A normal-sized human being will fit and have room to turn around. To hear some folks, the only person who can fit in an R shio shower is a toddler. Now, if someone is very tall or very wide there might be a problem. I fit. My husband fits. We shower and then get on with enjoying all the great things about cruising. I have never chosen a cruise based on the size of the shower.

Well, it's been awhile, but the all the lobster I have eaten on Princess in the last 10 years or so has been small, dry and tasteless. Maybe they have improved?