Kay S

Good luck with this. It probably doesn't matter if you rant or not because Princess will put you off forever. They can play the long game, and they don't care if you never sail with them again. They have a new business model where they want to attract people with kids and fill up their new mega ships. They want to be the "Classier Carnival," kids everywhere but with fewer fist fights in the buffets. Losing business from the occasional wronged party does not move them in the least.

I have done a few aft balconies on that ship class. I don't remember ever being bothered by smokers. Maybe it was the direction of the wind or something, but I didn't realize there was a smoking section there until I chanced upon it.

It's been awhile since I took teens on a cruise. Just before the lockdown we did a short one on the Regal. The kids were 14-15. They alternated between Remix and hanging out on deck with the friends they met there. Alaska is port-intensive, and they won't have much time for socializing anyway. Besides, I told mine they wouldn't REALLY die from boredom and being bored builds character. 😁

My situation exactly. I used to love Princess and I was happy to accept the FCC at the shutdown. I didn't know, of course. that they would change so drastically (not for the better) when they came back. Our first post-covid cruise was on the Majestic, and dining was a disaster with the malfunctioning app. There were other little annoyances, too, taking away perks, etc., but they added up. At that point, I had done a couple of HAL cruises and decided it was a good fit, but I had to use up the FCC. So we have two cruises booked (because the FCC would not apply to just one of them) and we will just have to make the best of it. Princess broke my heart when they turned on their Elite customers, and they sadly do not care. Princess has left me, so I'm leaving it.

We were due to do a two-week transatlantic a couple of days after they hit "pause." That's why we have all this FCC to use up. I live in California, and we shut down earlier than most. We did do a cruise shortly after the restart (first cruise ship to dock in San Francisco, as it turned out) on Princess and then a couple more on HAL. I have become a big fan of HAL, BTW.

I will watch this. We sailed on the Diamond a few years before this, and it was one of my favorite ships. I think everyone has learned what not to do now, 20/20 hindsight, but at the time it was, literally, uncharted territory.

The toast is better. Getting coffee refills is a challenge.

We took a baby to Sabatini's once. They even had a highchair for her. Granted, we did not sit there for an hour and a half, but she was happy to entertain herself with bread sticks, and they did not charge for her.

They are not going to send little boys away because they are wearing shorts. Teenagers? Maybe. We used to dress the kids up in little suits so we could do pictures, but if one of them had on a suit with shorts and not long pants, I doubt anyone would care. Little girls can wear shorts, why not little boys?

Because the upper bunk can't be accessed from the ends (no room for a ladder) it must be accessed from the side. If there is a queen bed below it, the person getting into the bunk needs to climb on the bigger bed. I have always seen inner cabins with the twin setup when a 3rd (or 4th) bed is required.

On my last Majestic cruise, there was a line for the non-reservation people but they had to wait until the reservation people were seated. The non line moved much more slowly than the other one.

In prehistoric times, I used to like to get a cocktail and wait in the designated area before muster drill started. It was fun to watch people drifting in, some newbies totally confused. I guess I could still do that by hanging out in the muster station to watch people come up to check in with their medallions. But it wouldn't be the same...

What is permitted in the dining room is what the staff will allow. I've seen people turned away and also people welcomed in, some wearing questionable attire.

I don't know if things have changed, but kids used to be able to get OJ at dinner without the extra cost. (That whole charging for OJ after breakfast always seemed weird to me.)

Thrak, I don't know if your little girl will be going to the kids' club or not, but it used to be they provided snacks and such for the little kids. We always loved Princess kids' clubs, and I hope they are still the same after this restart.

It was actually on your recommendation that we decided to go for CC on our short upcoming cruise. We have lots of FCC to use, and I remember you talking about how easy it was to be seated and served. If I were a cynic, I might think Princess is trying to drive people into CC with the current DMW brouhaha. 🙃

Yes, and the shrimp fountain. I hope that's not gone, too.

Some people lead charmed lives.

I recommend a mini suite. The cost difference might not be that great. We have done that with teenagers and it worked fine. Having only one bath might be an issue, though.

I have done mini suites with teenagers twice, once on the Star and once on the Regal. The couch bed was not the full length of the couch, but only part to make a twin size. Another twin size came down from the ceiling over the couch. Teenagers were comfortable. I don't remember any significant differences between the Grand class and Royal class setups.

I have not done the Royal Tea, but maybe I'll try it with all the FCC I have to use up. My last Princess cruise was on the Majestic where regular tea service was offered. I missed a day but was happy to find out they had taken the tea items to the buffet for late afternoon snacks.

One more reason we are through with Princess as soon as we use the FCC. It's kind of breathtaking how they managed to mess up EVERYTHING in such a short period of time.

Hard to imagine it could be worse, but then again... That vegeburger tastes like fried paste.

Don't send anything delicate. They wash in hot water and use a hot dryer. It's great for underwear and such, though.

ArriveCAN is almost as bad as the Princess Medallion app. You have my total sympathy.