Incognito1

We took a fantastic tour with the tour operators right outside the ship's dock.. Loch Ness was only one of the stops, included a castle, city of Buell(?), and commentary throughout. Great local guide (Lorraine). It was maybe $50pp for the whole day. No worries about timing as we saw the ship's buses at the last stop (castle), and beat them back to the drop off.

Worth doing ONCE. Our experience was that the price is fixed regardless of whether you get it on the ship, taxi tour, or privately. However, there were two lines at the cable cars - one for the tour groups and the other for everyone else. This meant a 20 minute wait for tour groups and a 75 minute wait in the heat for the rest of us. At the top, the macaques were magnificent. We went early in the morning and they were out on the trails. As soon as a large group came near, though, the largest of them screeched and shook a tree (the whole thing) and they all left to the eating area (inaccessible to visitors), not returning while we were there. They are a little scary up close, but wow! We waited for the fog to clear to have a beautiful view. 3 hour leisurely walk down or quick cable car. Note that the only discounts they offer are 1# off for seniors, and the only military that's free are active duty British (contrary to other info online). Overpriced cafe at the top with decent food. I wouldn't return, but am glad we did it once. There is a FANTASTIC expansive botanical garden directly adjacent to the cable cars. No charge. We spent an hour there and could have spent more but needed to get back to the ship.

Failed to live up to the hype. And not by just a little. Great while the president was on board. Got progressively worse. I feel really cheated on it. Didn't get a survey after the cruise -- guess they didn't want to hear about all that was wrong.

Don't give them ideas 😉 My partner did a 1-day cruise alone and got credit for two whole cruises. I don't see any more 1-day ones on their website, though. Quick way to Elite!

One thing you might want to consider is whether there will be large groups on your particular cruise. We've enjoyed Celebrity, but it seems that the itineraries we've chosen in the past were ones also chosen by large groups that dominated the public areas (one was a children's group; they were very well behaved, but normal child noises from 500+ kids is a lot). We haven't seen many large organized groups on Princess. If you do a search on the date and ship you're considering, hopefully any groups will pop up. Note that the cruise line will not give out this information under the guise of privacy.

First thing, I wipe the room down with Lysol wipes. Then unpack while I watch the required safety video. Have lunch in the MDR. Wave goodbye as we sail away.

When we tried to use this on our last Mexican cruise (because we had OBC to use up), surprise, surprise, the machines "aren't working today." This was at more than one place. So ask first before you consume copious amount of overpriced beverages that you end up paying cash for.

Steven, my reference was to the post above mine, not to the OP. The sentiment stands; your decision to not categorize it as hatred or bitterness is your choice. There are some people who disagree, but do it politely as a difference of opinion. There are others who do not.

We've eat in Sabatini's a few times (CG is much better!), but the chefs have always accommodated those at the table with special requests, even making one of our friends a one-wholly-off-menu meal. Yes, he was well tipped!

No flame, just a difference of opinion. You do you, and let others choose what works for them. From Mirriam Webster: : something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service especially : TIP added a gratuity for the server We almost always take it off and tip personally. It's usually more than the automatics, but we decide to whom it goes. In the past, we've usually used gift cards, at the initial suggestion of a steward who said he didn't have to turn them in. It would appear from the comments of others that they're no longer required to turn them in (just speculation since no one knows for certain.) We'll still use the gift cards because they're convenient, and cash for meals. I fail to understand the absolute hatred and bitterness some people seem to have when others don't do something their way. There are lines that include it in their fare - people make choices. I'm not going to berate someone for making a different one than mine on an issue so small.

While I understand that haggling is a normal part of some cultures, I don't do it. When the average monthly salary in Belize is ~$800/mo (and that's average, not for unskilled labor), the extra few dollars I might pay for something means a lot less to me than the vendor. Of course, it must be something I'm interested in buying, but I'm not going to haggle someone down to where they're barely covering expenses.

Good to know no burning, looting, or murder. We were a little concerned over the transportation strikes in France, and how they might spread.

Getting out the popcorn... How about we let each person decide what works for them for the gratuity (look up that definition) and not try to make every single one of these threads a battle?

^ This ^. Was tons of fun when a member of our party did it, but like most reality shows, it was a complete set-up. Worth it for the experience, but those initially chosen were often those from a large group who had many to vote for them (and do so loudly). Some of the people are quite good; others are karaoke-passable. It appeared that the winner had already been chosen as the envelope was in the hands of the presenter before voting. On our last cruise, the winner was a justifiable choice - however, she was the last singer, they hyped her up a tremendous amount to the audience, and fawned all over her for several minutes. I felt sorry for the other singers who did not have that "promotion." So, have her do it for the experience. Go to the tryout and clam and woohoo and scream for her as loudly as possible. ETA: She needs to pick a song that gets the audience involved, not necessarily the one that showcases her voice best.

Maybe in the minority, but I like seeing the photos of dogs, flags, statements, beaches, etc show up when I'm waiting for the elevators, playing games, etc Mine's not of a dog, but it's not my own photo except for security.

We're also in a 1A cabin, thinking we would upgrade as it got closer to the date. Guess what? It seems to be near sold out except for the Cove Balcony on deck 2 and GTY interiors. We're just planning to spend a lot of time out of the room 🙂

It would've been kind, though. RCCL sent us an email, called us, and then granted an extension for our FCC due to a cruise with COVID restrictions. We didn't even know we had any (too many canceled cruises at once to keep track of.) Was smart on their part as we booked a cruise with them right away -- sure we didn't pay full price once the FCC was added, but they filled an otherwise empty room and earned a lot of goodwill.

We were wishing we had done that pirate ship excursion on a previous cruise. The actors put on quite the show as people were boarding (seen from our balcony) and I'm sure they were just as enthusiastic on aboard. Plus, they spent several hours on the water - we saw them in many different places throughout the day. It seemed that people were definitely getting their money's worth.

We did not order a custom medallion nor pay for shipping, but received a tracking number for ours, so a freebie. Two free upgrades (started with inside cabin, now mid-ship balcony) and no charge for our medallion shipping. If we get on the ship and find out we have Princess Plus, I will *know* something is going on 😁. I can only guess that maybe it's due to the extensive report we filled out about our last less-than-wonderful cruise. Otherwise, maybe just the luck 'o the Irish!

We usually remove them and pay people directly. And, yes, we tip our waiters at dinner each night. And our steward handsomely (assuming he's great; almost all have been). You do what works for you. And ignore the haters who insist "their" way is the right way. As for rolling it into the cruise fare, it would be taxed completely differently.

However, there are several inexpensive TAs going the other way first. Almost B2Bs. Looking at TA's site right now and there are many for <$100/night. AND the Venezia cruise is showing $519pp! I may have to refare. Wow. Also, as it's first-come, first-serve, do you have any idea where to sign up? I'd like to get in on that.

Just beware that businesses in ports that are listed as accepting the medallion for payment all seemed to have "broken machines" when it comes time to pay and you're stuck paying cash. Found this out the hard way.

Answering that gets you a caution from the CCHost... You can a simple search, but I suspect you already know to what he's referring and you're just trolling.

Interior, yes. Cancun, yes. The western ports and especially Baja California, no. Excepting Tijuana, of course, but if you're not out alone at night or in areas where drugs are grown/sold, you're fine. My partner accidentally stayed in a cartel hotel on his last visit (cab driver recommendation). Everyone was armed, it was loud, but he said he did not feel unsafe.

I took an apple with me in Belize. Tried to feed it to the horse drawing our coach - he wouldn't eat it. The driver laughed and gave it an orange. I'd never seen a horse eat an orange, but he said the horse had probably never seen an apple. But getting through customs, I probably wouldn't take it. I'm sure peanut butter, especially, would trigger the dogs. If it's a blood sugar issue, maybe she could eat just before you get off.