Incognito1

3 days out and our mini-suite bid came back with a "counteroffer" for less money, but less of an upgrade -- from balcony to deluxe balcony. First time that's happened. Unfortunately, it's not worth the money when we have no idea where we'd end up. Hard to complain, though, as we've been upgraded for free on 3 of the last 4 cruises we've been on.

We were on one cruise where about 50 people showed up for the event, and the crew member knew absolutely nothing about the stars. Fortunately, there was an astronomy nerd passenger and she took over. It was great! I think the crew members get "stuck" with events rather than choosing things they're interested in.

Just out of curiosity and nosiness, why the need to renew the vows every 5 years? Are the vows only for 5 years at a time? (I went to a wedding where they agreed to marry "for as long as you both shall love". Is it something like that?) Did someone break them? Feel free to tell me none of my business. It's just curious to me.

Might be extra popular with some cruisers.

For the apes, be on the EARLIEST possible tour. Don't do it on your own -- the reason is that there are TWO lines to get in; one for the tours, one for everyone else. Our experience was that once people started arriving in substantial numbers, the apes headed for a feeding area that's inaccessible. There is a separate payment if you want to walk the nature preserve (where most of them are). Make sure your tour ticket includes that. There is a beautiful botanical garden next to the cable car. We spent more time there than at the Rock (and it's free). For Rome, take a look around Romewise.com -- she's also very responsive to any questions you have.

When you get off the ship, if you go left about 3/4 mile, there is a public park - Playa San Pedrito. We were lucky enough to hit it during a festival. It's all locals; decent beach, volleyball and soccer courts, decent simple food, cold drinks, a big touristy Manzanilla sign for photos, small playground. It's $1US to use the bathroom stalls. The cement building takes US$ for food and drinks; the vendor stalls take only pesos. Depends upon what you're after. We liked the local vibe, but it is Mexico. If you're okay with that, great day. YT video of the festival we hit:

We found the opposite on the last cruise. Only two funny comedians out of the whole bunch; one disabled with self-deprecating jokes that were hilarious. Those in the 18+ just seemed to cover up their lack of talent with as many F-bombs as possible. Completely UNfunny.

Did that actually work for you? I know on our last Mexican cruise, we had a lot of non-refundable OBC to use up. Had a nice time in a cantina that heavily advertised the ability to use the Medallion. When it came time to pay, "Oh, sorry, our machine isn't working right now." Won't make that mistake again.

Negativity is not a good way for a new poster to "contribute." Bad day? Bad week? Bad lifetime?

Use a good travel agent. They have a different site to book. You'll save money and let someone else do the work.

For $1400, you could book an additional cruise without the package. I can see how the package might be worth it for people who regularly drink alcohol. For those that don't, I have a difficult time justifying the price. But, as stockholders, I'm glad there are those that can!

I understand that this helps Princess to know where to best use their staff, etc, but if you prefer not ton contribute to that information, you can get a mission darkness pouch (we usually keep our credit cards in them) that blocks the signal. Everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to privacy. Just take it out to open your door. They make nice souvenirs afterward.

Take the ferry over to Bremerton (or Bainbridge Island if you want to spend more). Less than $10pp and you only pay one way. Bremerton homeless are mostly across the bridge well into EAST Bremerton. The ferry area is next door to a military base and safe. It's an hour crossing (less if you take the foot ferry) and both Hampton Inn and Fairfield Inn are within a couple hundred yards of the ferry terminal. It's a far cheaper rate and you also miss out on Seattle taxes. A couple of decent, less expensive restaurants, too, and an interesting free Navy museum. Then catch a $20 cab ride to the cruise terminal. After having a bag of poop tossed at me for not giving cash, we don't stay in Seattle if we can avoid it. Plus, the stench of weed and old urine is disgusting.

Thanks. I thought of that, but it isn't the fees and taxes. It's the full fare. Guess I'm going to have to call -- and sit on hold forever. Sigh.

Logged in, hit Deals (where 3rd 4th sails free shows), scrolled to 3rd & 4th Guests Sail Free, clicked on the destination I wanted (tried it with more than one), but when I book for 4 passengers-- regardless of type of cabin -- it shows the fee for all four. What am I doing wrong?

Depends on the cruise. On a TA, the food is a MAJOR factor. A quickie around Europe, not so much.

Military credit is doubled through July 21, 2023. But the same person cannot get both shareholder and military OBC. I think that simply making military OBC non-refundable would be better than restricting it to those without shareholder benefits. "We’re deeply grateful to those who serve our country. That’s why we’d like to make your next vacation extra special. Due to your verified military status, you can receive up to $500 to spend on board*. Even better, your military benefit is combinable with most other promotional offers, including additional onboard spending money. Plan an adventure you’ll love, and save big with these deals. *Up to $500 onboard spending money is valid for eligible military personnel in the U.S. and Canada and is only applicable to the first guest in a stateroom. If a second eligible military personnel will be occupying the same stateroom, please contact 1.800.PRINCESS to receive onboard spending offer for second eligible guest. Maximum of two onboard credit offers per stateroom. This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and crew incentive, discretionary hotel and dining charges. Onboard spending money is applied to the folio of the veteran or active-duty personnel’s stateroom. Offer excludes Travel Agent and Interline fares. Offer may be combinable with other promotions included other onboard spending money offers. Offer not combinable with shareholder benefits. Other restrictions may apply. Eligibility includes active military, retired military and disabled military veterans with proper verification as outlined on Princess.com/military_benefit_program/. Onboard spending money amount varies based on voyage duration:"

You apparently misunderstood me or are having a bad day. I asked because I wanted to know if he was getting the lion's share of the prepaid "pooled" tips. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the pooling, with a lot of different experiences. I shared mine. If you don't care to read it, the ignore feature works very well.

We had only the $25 gift cards left. Had planned to tip each one card, but the head waiter was really wonderful. My partner added a $20 bill to the envelope. The waiter had mentioned that he only did one dinner per night, and giving him the same as the assistant felt cheap. Was definitely worth it. Might also have had something to do with ending on a half bottle of champagne ;-)

It may be because most passengers are using Plus where the gratuities are included. Can't remember where I saw it, but the share was between 2/3 and 3/4. (We're in the camp that doesn't because we're not big drinkers.)

We booked this on our April TA. Booked the night we were in port, but it was still too cold to hang out on the balcony so they moved it inside. This was wonderful. It was served course by course over a 90+ minute period. The two waitstaff members were highly attentive, non-obtrusive, and clearly had experience in a high-end restaurant (which is what this felt like). It was a romantic setting with music, a nice setting, and fake candlelight. It was also a great deal if you don't have Princess Plus. $119 included 2 drinks of our choice ($19x2=$38) and a half bottle of champagne ($32). We were able to modify the meal choice and got the same entrees we would've gotten in the Crowne Grill ($39x2 = $78) but larger portions, free photo ($20?, though the ones the waiter took with our own camera were far better), fresh flowers on the table, specialty desserts, and the head of room of room service as our waiter. Of course, it was another $70 in tips, but it was money well spent. We will likely do this whenever we have a balcony.

We usually bring gift cards for tipping. On this last set of cruises, though, our Princess room steward (best we've EVER had) said that they are no longer required to turn in cash to the pool. I asked how much he actually got from the "pool" and he laughed derisively and gave us a look that clearly said "not much." So, we're going back to cash, tipping individually for those who provide great service.

Mark Roper did a series on this on YT. Completely set by the owner of the machine; not about skill at all.

No, it was last month. Looked at the ticket -- $59 each so a little off. Not through the ship, but through a vendor outside. We were one of the first groups off the ship and the last to get tickets on the tour bus. Was not Urquhart Castle, though I heard that was beautiful. Cawdor was the name, I think. We were able to tour the inside and the beautiful gardens. Bagpipers outside entertaining us. The following day we were at Edinburgh Castle so got both experiences, the grand and the privately owned. Yes, on the Loch Ness. Quick stop for photos. Less interesting than I would've thought, but the rest of the tour made up for it. Good photo spot with a little bit of history. Some tours are worth doing through the ship; others are better on your own. Ship's price was $199pp for the same tour +Urquardt and lunch.

Well, first off, the ship was not like the video. A lot had been changed, presumably to add more seating. It felt very much bait-and-switch. The nice clamshells were few and far between. Greatest concentration was in an area that required status wristbands. The wax figures had been removed for seating. Dining room seemed to have been compacted. Next, Emeril Lagasse was indeed on the ship. However, to see him, you had to enter a raffle where, if you won, you had the privilege of donating $200 to secure your spot. I'm a supporter of St. Jude Children's Hospital, but this was the wrong way to go about it. He obviously didn't have a lot to do with the food, because after the first couple of days, it was abysmal. The menu was boring, at best, with nothing really special even on formal/captain's night. Ran out of normal pepperoni after day 2 and used this horrible stuff instead. Cheese seemed to be of a much lesser quality after day 2. Fish in the fish tacos resulted in regurgitation -- think they switched to tilapia rather than cod. Produce was just sad. On and on. Food was not good. Guys and the Taco Bar were okay, but they were open weird hours. Same with buffet. Confusing and disappointing to find that the only thing open was the sandwich shop, with ONE guy handling everyone who was hungry in the afternoon. Entertainment in the main theater was like a high school talent show. The PG comedians, however, were really good in the smaller venues. But some of the R+ ones seemed to try to disguise their lack of talent by throwing in as many F-bombs as possible. Inside stateroom was very large and nicely appointed. Our attendant was nice, but did not understand enough English and there was a communication barrier. We found this to be the case with the wait staff as well. Most service personnel were from Indonesia. Service was overall decent; however, we are used to Filipino staff and there is a distinct difference in attitude of service and general friendliness. There wasn't a huge amount of things to do if you didn't like Trivia. We did enjoy the musicians; especially the South American ones in the restricted lounge (we could still listen from outside), and the girl with the guitar (should be a major star!). Not a fan of the ship's musicians, though, and they consistently disappointed. There were a few bratty teens that people called security about; they lied to security, and security did nothing but "warn" them, which meant they doubled their negative behavior once security was gone. So much more that wasn't up to standards, but probably no one has read all this anyway. This was our third cruise in 2 months (40 days on the water out of 60) and we found ourselves wishing we had flown. Carnival loyalists on the cruise said this was abnormal and we should give other ships a try. It's been a long time since we were on Carnival and only chose this because of the hype.