Its the journey

Princess often has very good rates, but they are still a premium line.

My first cruise was in 1973. I was five years old. I'm old but there are many older cruisers around.

Horse *****. Forty years ago, ships were a bit smaller, but they fed 1500 a night, all in the mdr with first class cuisine. Ships are larger, but with many competing onboard restaurants today, I think they serve a comparable amount of people in the mdr. They could provide excellent food, they did in the past. It is the severe budget limitations that have lowered the food quality. It isn't because it is impossible to give that amount of people a great dining experience. They used to be able to provide it. The thing that changed it is cutting back and saving money.

Princess is not a budget line. It is a premium line and is expected to have food that is a cut above. Carnival is the budget line and Princess is the premium line of the same company carnival corporation. Just as royal Caribbean is the budget line and celebrity is the premium line of royal Caribbean international. It is important to compare only to lines in the budget category to carnival. Carnivals food is very good compared to what is offered by other budget cruise lines.

Exactly. Carnival's food is way better than any other budget cruise line. It doesn't compare to the ultra premium lines, but it beats the competition in its category. Royal is almost unbearable for me after the Jan 2023 cuts.

Green elites went to the elite lounge Non green elites also went to the elite lounge, but check in took them about two minutes longer than for green elites. Non elites waited in the regular waiting area, greens got to that area a couple minutes faster than non greens. Take away: if you arrive before 11, you still board as an elite. You still go to your special lounge and board first.

The way it worked in San Pedro a couple weeks ago is that everyone was together in the line to get through security. Post security, check in was quickest for those with green. After check in, elites and suites waited in their waiting room, (as usual) and the rest waited in the terminal. At 11, the elites and suites were ushered into the ship. After they boarded, platinums in the terminal were called forward and after they were taken care of, the rest went called by the numbers assigned at check in.

People were going crazy over them on my last cruise (Nov 2023, discovery princess). People with sundaes all over!

Exactly. I want, value and use what is offered by the packages. And since my favorite martini is 19 dollars plus tip without the package, I feel it is money well spent. Yes, I could go without amenities. But I like to spoil myself on vacation. And I love Princess, so I am happy to see them make a profit off me. I'm also happy to give a bit extra to those who make my vacation more comfortable. To each their own.

Not even close. I come out way ahead. But I value nearly everything the package offers, not just alcohol. I take two exercise classes per day, for one 🙂

Mine showed me. There is a spreadsheet and beside each name it shows things like the dining time and packages purchased etc. also there was a code by each name, mine was a "Q". If I were guessing, that code is probably an indicator of the fare paid, just as it is for airlines...but I didn't ask my Stew

It's true. They do know who has packages and who has prepaid grats. They also get a daily printout if any of their rooms has cancelled. My Stew in Dec 2022 on Discovery showed me the printout.

I strongly prefer picking it up at port, because I lose things. But they really push to mail it to people with packages. There was a line, 10 to 15 min max at San Pedro. Worth ten dollars to wait that long.

Well my favorite mdr meal was the loin lamb chops. Of course all the high prices items were dumped, that meal probably cost ten dollars a head to prepare. I used to dream about those loin lamb chops. They were replaced with a lamb curry that costs about ten cents per head to make and is so disgusting that I wouldn't serve it to my dog. But to the people who can't see any difference, bless your hearts. I have one Royal in Feb that was booked a long time ago. No plans to cruise with them again unless they bring back quality mdr food and twice a day room steward. I'm a princess person now.