Kay S

We did that cruise in November. I'm glad you had a good time. That is a very cute little girl. 🙂

The cursed app strikes again. Have you tried the web version?

The medallion itself is a grey, metal color. It has printed on it the name of the passenger and the sea witch logo in the color of the loyalty level. New cruisers, it's blue ink, (and so forth) and Elites it's black ink. The entire medallion itself is not black. The imprint is pretty small, considering the medallion is about the size of a US quarter. I guess if you have really good eyesight, you can tell the color of ink on a medallion of someone walking by.

This is not true. Elite is reached after 15 cruises or 150 days cruised whichever comes first. Look it up. Have fun over there on RCCL!

Well, somebody must care or they wouldn't do it. Would I be correct is assuming you are not Elite on Princess? Luckily, you won't be subject to constant chipping away at the benefits. I really don't remember ever meeting anyone who flashed his medallion around. Besides, the writing on them is so small, a person might get hit in the eye before he could read anything on it.

Can I say how much I loathe this app and all its complications? Oh, I guess I just did. 😶 Thanks for that info, Bill. I think I didn't know that.

There is a pinned thread here in this forum with all information.

A taxi is best. The driver will know shortcuts in case there is a traffic backup on the freeway. (An accident can turn the road into a parking lot for a long time. I think my personal record for being stuck in a traffic jam was 2 hours and 20 minutes.) The road around the airport itself can be a dead standstill or, if you're lucky, a crawl. A good taxi driver will know how to get through the jam with minimal time loss. A tip is to go to the arrivals level and take the escalator up to the departures level. You might miss some of the overflow TSA lines that way. But you will still have to go through the checkpoint. (I stress this method is risky.) LAX is my home international airport, and I have been a frequent victim since 1967. It's hell on earth, and a good taxi driver who knows the place will be your best bet.

Good photos, Tom. I think that gum wall in Seattle is the grossest thing ever!😁

If you want steak and escargot and lobster every night, you'll need to eat in the speciality restaurants. The MDR will have escargot and lobster maybe once on a cruise. Have you tried ordering escargot in the MDR on a night it wasn't on the menu?

We have a flight out of Heathrow after the cruise, and they keep changing the time. I have seen Stonehenge, so I don't feel any urgency to see it again. What I don't want is to rush through Heathrow. I've been in and out of there multiple times, and it is a nightmare. You need to decide if the risk is worth it. I wish you the best of luck.

For one, Azamara bought the Pacific Princess II recently.

My grandson's dream come true!

Loyalty programs attract older cruisers. Princes wants the young crowd. They are slowly chipping away at loyalty benefits. The handwriting is on the wall.

They have bought old Princess ships.

The best whale watching I ever did was in Icy Strait Point.

Highly rated, was it? Link? We will be doing the Sky this summer out of Southampton. I'm interested to see if the regional things you mention here will turn up. I'm also hoping for a full English in the morning. (I had a British grandparent. I like the food.)

Formal night menus have been declining for years, long before Covid and later supply issues. I stopped ordering lobster on Princess a long time ago because it's dinky and dry. Don't get me started on the recent risotto and tail. There is always something else to order on the formal night menu. Going to Crown Grill is a great idea, but that's going to get pretty expensive with a large party. Food pictures seldom show the dish as it is IRL. Most things I see in these photos I have eaten, and they looked much more appetizing on the plate.

I guess Princess likes you more. 😶

Once you enter your booking number into the app, the web version won't accept it. It's one or the other. No switching back and forth. Princess IT at its most helpful again.

I don't think so.

I think that's fair, considering the Catch menu is much better than the limited (and weird) Sur La Mer menu.

🤣🤣 Grand class ship buffets are MUCH smaller than the ones on the Royal class ships.

Scary signs all over the place threatening your life and also sniffing dogs. 😶 I am usually asked if I want my latte to go or in a mug to use there.

My teen grandson goes directly to Swirls for an ice cream cone. Then he has one in his hand every time I see him on the ship.