Kay S

In Nov of last year, it was in the Vista Lounge.

Sometimes there is appetizer that includes a little bit of caviar, but I never liked it. I don't think it was the expensive stuff. I do not remember the name of the appetizer. Menus are pretty much the same fleet wide, so the Emerald will have what every other ship has.

No problem in San Pedro at the dock. The nonsense is at LAX.

LAX has an area for rideshares that is not remotely close to the terminals. Since LAX is a behemoth in the first place, this "bullpen" nonsense is even more hassle. However, LAX is always "improving," so there could be something even worse by now. 🙂

Or even on the same ship. Every cruise is different. We hear from people who loved an Emerald cruise, so I don't think it's solely the fault of the ship. Emerald is the only grand class ship I have not sailed on, so I can't offer an opinion, but even with the Royal class ships, some have been more enjoyable than others. (I am missing just the Enchanted in that class.) Sun class? The FCC is finally gone this July, so I'll be over there on HAL and will miss the Sun and her sisters altogether.

I think he might be referring to Crab Shack that they used to do in the buffets on all the ships.

I prefer the Regal to the other Royal class ships. It was the second in the series and they fixed some stuff from the Royal debut. It’s a good solid ship without a lot of gimmicks added for marketing purposes.

You've got 50 on me, but I'll agree about Greenland. Freezing on shore, but the cruising was worth it.

That's what I thought, but several people have reported this. It's weird that being younger is suspect of something. Being older than dirt myself, I have never seen it.

The difference being that Sabatini's is an upcharge restaurant in the first place. I quit eating lobster on cruise ships long ago because it has been many a year since I was served a good one. It wasn't unusual for our waiter on some sailings to ask us if we wanted another lobster, even if we didn't ask for it. I had probably given away the first one to someone at my table, so I never asked for a second. When the quality of beef began to decline, I stopped ordering surf and turf altogether. This new nickel-and-dime is part of the larger picture of post-covid cruising. It's annoying, yes, but Princess is not alone in the practice.

Something else you would not have known beforehand is the cheerleading section on Cruise Critic's Princess forum. For whatever reason, there are some who will not hear a bad word about their favorite cruise line. (The head cheerleader changes from time to time, but it's easy to figure out who's who quickly enough.) You are having a less than stellar cruise, which happens to all of us eventually, and I'm sorry for that. If NCL is your "cup of (hot) tea." so to speak, may your next trip with them be perfect!

I remember the hoopla about this several months ago. I had forgotten all about it until now. The idea sounded like a non-starter then.

Is that your historian daughter? Pretty girl.

Maybe it wasn't puppy season...

I think it was a victim of "new" Princess. Probably it didn't make a big enough profit for them.

Yes, we old people are very suspicious of anyone under 80. 🙂 Also, our faces are so wrinkled and twisted that every stare is a DIRTY one. My advice to you is to avoid old people at all costs. 😶

Well, that's confusing. Good thing they are renaming the pubs.

Since the OP is considering December, I wonder if that's a Christmas cruise. I was once told that formal night at that season is more elevated than the rest of the year. Anyone know?

This is slightly off topic, but I was under the impression that ships with an indoor Salty Dog Gastropub did not also call the grill Salty Dog but still Trident Grill. Ships without the indoor venue renamed the grill "Salty Dog." Of course, I could just be imagining the whole thing. 🙂 If our friends are happy with NCL, they should continue with them. The beauty of cruising is that we have choices. (See you very soon, HAL.)

Some fun formal evenings in my experience: guy in denim overalls and a flannel shirt, handsome man in full kilt regalia (sans bagpipes), lady in muumuu and flip flops. If the dining staff let you in, you can wear pretty much whatever you want.

"Guest appearances"? What's that?

I guess it isn't the Emerald that's not impressing you. It's Princess. I hope things improve for you, but staffing and service have been problematic since the restart of cruising.

This. Wonderful lounge with quiet atmosphere. I have never been on the Emerald but have been a bunch of times on Crown. I’m not sure what the speciality restaurants are now.

One advantage to being is a wheelchair is that they take you right up to the front of the crowd. Yo, Lisa!

It's tons of fun! For us, it was in the afternoon and the time was printed in the Patter.