TheMichael

Comped balcony vs. comped obstructed balcony is not exactly a cruise-ruining difference, and if you think that’s bad, you should see how other lines move passengers around. As I said, taking a comp offer has virtually no downside if it turns out to have been in error. That point still stands. Anyone who gambles should understand the concept of +EV. And EV applies to pretty much every aspect of life. An “error offer” is the definition of +EV.

What is this concept of "over-consuming espresso" of which you speak? 😀 I think my recent cruise on the Emerald topped out at about 10 shots one day - always doubles. (At home my normal consumption is a full pot of strong, home-brewed coffee, so not far off.) My behavior always changes on vacation, whether on a ship or a plane/road trip. I drink a bit more, eat a bit more, and somehow both relax more AND adventure more. That's why they call it "vacation." Now, I'm not staying in 5-star hotels or drinking top-shelf, but I don't need those to enjoy myself, while I do enjoy trying a variety of food and getting an occasional slight buzz if I'm not driving.

The positive is, if you book and it turns out to be an error, in the end the worst that can happen is they let you know, then you contact them and get your deposit back. To me that's an incredibly reasonable gamble.

"Error prices" happen all the time, and no, companies in the US are not bound to honor them. (Not a lawyer but for decades have followed "deal" websites that find/discuss error prices.)

Looks like O'Malley's took the place of the Salty Dog Gastropub - maybe an Irish Pub might hold up better to being right behind the bandstand than the Salty Dog did. We spent a meal having our eardrums assaulted by the "party band" there not long ago.

Just got off the Solar Eclipse/Panama Canal cruise a couple of weeks ago. Really, I loved the ship: - The configuration of the Explorers Lounge beats any Princess Live I've seen hands down. - Same with the Wheelhouse/Salty Dog Gastropub setup. - Ditto for the Lotus pool, which is so much more relaxed than the "party" adults-only pools on other ships. In fact, there are many places you can get away from "the hordes" if you want. - It's got the wrap-around promenade (newer ships don't) - excellent for an evening walk. - Two separated main pools mean you aren't forced to watch the movie or listen to the band. - The pop-up casual restaurants (Planks/Steamers) were awesome. - There's nothing like Skywalker's Nightclub (late night lounge/dancing) on the more modern ships. - You can tell it's older here and there but it didn't seem neglected. - The Captain was awesome. (Sadly, he's since been "called up" to the Sky Princess.) It seemed overall to be a more relaxed ship than the newer ones. Whether that was an effect of the cruise length/itinerary or its usual vibe, I'm not sure, but I really liked that. There are a few cons, though not enough to deter me from booking it again in an instant: - The Sanctuary was disappointing (mostly covered, service almost nonexistent) - we actually found the Lotus pool area to be completely sufficient for relaxing deck time, padded chairs and everything (and it's free!), so we cancelled the rest of our Sanctuary visits after the first one. - The rooms are on the small side (I'm not sure how someone over 200 lbs would deal with the tiny shower in our oceanview room). - No running track (what they call their jogging track is the equivalent of jogging the perimeter of a basketball court, and it's super narrow, so if there's anyone also walking on it, good luck) - International Cafe has the worst setup (three-sided counter, so there will often be three lines with just one person serving) - fortunately the coffee counter is clearly separated and staffed. - Buffet is small (good variety, but small). - No Gigi's/Alfredo's (but they do have the deck pizza). - The layout at Club Fusion is unfortunately conducive to people gathering around the far edges to TALK REALLY LOUD during a comedy or quieter music show. - I missed the more open Lido deck "back bars" on the Discovery and Regal. I could make two long lists like this for any ship, but IMO the positives far outweighed the negatives for the Emerald, while (for example) I'm not sure I'd want to sail on the Regal again.

What I'm seeing in this thread is that different people have different math. The package is the package, and for some people it absolutely doesn't pencil out. Some folks are used to minimizing expenditures on vacation, so they'll drink only the "included" fluids and food. Others do not need nor want WiFi. Others remove the gratuity (the less said about that, the better). Others like to keep a buzz on when on holiday, or don't feel they've had the full experience without gourmet dining. Personally, I'm gonna have 5-6 shots of espresso per day and at least a couple of drinks, need WiFi for monitoring things back home and fielding occasional work questions, and enjoy trying out the range of dining on the ship. Every single variation uses "the math." AKA "you do you." And since the price of the packages is not outrageous, it really does allow people to lower their costs when they are really not going to use that stuff. The only "gotchas" tend to be people who don't get the package, but then give in to their weaknesses (whether drinks, dining, or Instagram) after setting sail. And again, only you can determine that.

I think the responses understood your question. The advice they gave was that there's not much in the way of "special deals" booking a specific cruise while onboard vs. waiting for an email offer, the only advantage is in making the FCD so you get the OBC when you do book. (There's no time limit on when the cruise sails, only on when you book it.) For example, when we sailed on the Emerald recently, the Future Cruise rep told us the best "deal" he could do is 35% off. We got off the ship to find an email offer for that PLUS a room upgrade, so we'd have likely had a worse deal if we'd booked onboard.

Again, not a huge wine drinker, but at home I can usually look for the cheapest Sangiovese in the store and I'm 100% satisfied. And the beautiful thing about having 15 drinks to "spend" per day is, you can spend the first day or two trying all of the wines that fit within the package, pour out the ones you hate, and re-order the ones you like!

On those occasions when the GF ordered wine under the Plus package on our Princess trips, it's been at worst drinkable and at best "yummy" and worthy of re-requesting next time we popped in. Since I mainly drink red and I've been to numerous land-based local bistros/trattorias where "wine glass" is a flexible term, I'm not fazed as long as it's made of glass. But I understand that some cruisers are looking for a "sophisticated" experience.

We were on Emerald (Discovery was doing Mexican Riviera, and they don't have the pop-ups). Got off at Ft. Lauderdale so you could get on 😀

I'm sorry you had that experience - we LOOOOOVED Planks on the Eclipse/Panama Canal cruise. We got 4 of the 5 entrees between us, everything was spot-on (pulled chicken a bit dry, but without sauce it's gonna be). I would love to have had some of the wonderfully spicy sides that land-based BBQ spots serve, but it's a cruise, so I just added extra pepper or hot sauce to everything and (chef's kiss)! Same with Steamers - fantastic value. And the service staff for the pop-ups was awesome.

The title of this thread needs to be changed to "APP Fail." The Medallion is used when you're ordering yourself at the bar. That is, unless they have updated medallions that work like Star Trek TNG communicators, which would be so cool...

I think they stopped allowing people to walk around and choose a table when the ships started getting full and the ranks of the elites grew exponentially. Allowing hundreds of people to take a stroll around the MDRs and barter over table location would be even more insane than the current process at the Sanctuary, in which you can spend hours waiting your turn for selection, followed by being informed that limited least-wanted seating is available only for certain dates and times. Personally, we book random available times once we're on board, then walk up when we actually want to eat (of course avoiding the 5-to-6 hour completely). Least possible stress.

As I mentioned, I don't think they're all that selective. One checkbox not checked or one drunken night of angrily unsubscribing from all commercial email is all it takes to miss out.