jak378

The size of the balcony would never be a deal breaker for us, but we sailed on the Regal last December and on the CB in February. We were in a mini-suite on the Regal and a standard balcony cabin on the CB. The difference in size is amazing. The balconies on Regal are ridiculously small and from what I saw there are not a lot that are bigger. We were on the Lido Deck, forward. Other than the ridiculously small balconies the Regal is a fine ship, but then so is the CB.

For some reason Princess places several holds on your card during the cruise. After the cruise they submit the paper work and there is one charge for the entire amount. It takes a few days after the cruise for this to happen. I could never see any reason to pre pay any more that the OBC's. Why advance them my money?

The "lobster tails" in the Crown Grill leave a lot to be desired. The lobster in the MDR was served on the second Formal Night (Friday evening on a 7-nt Eastern Caribbean cruise). It was also the only time I remember seeing escargot on the menu.

 

:D

We have eaten in the Crown Grill on 3 separate cruises, Emerald, Regal and Caribbean. First time on the Emerald it was good, if not outstanding. The other 2 occasions left much to be desired. On the Emerald I had an almost totally tasteless filet along with the lobster. On the Caribbean I had lamb that was so tough I could barely cut it let alone chew it. On both the Regal and the Caribbean the lobster tails would probably have been okay except that they are cooked in garlic. To my taste garlic in no way enhances lobster. I would not recommend the Crown Grill anymore. It is not worth the surcharge.

When in a foreign country, with the possible exception of much of the Caribbean or Canada, it is not a good idea to not have your passport in your personal possession. Even in the Caribbean or Canada if you should miss the ship and have to fly home it will be necessary. I know that there are those on here that claim if you are not on board at sailing the cruise line will get your passport to the line's agent, but I have never seen that verified and it seems almost ridiculous give the time available. If you need it, you will need it very badly.

On the Regal in December I purchased the Unlimited package, my wife did not. As a practical matter every time I ordered a cocktail in a bar or the MDR along with a glass of wine for her, I was not charged for either. Both were shown on the slip with a 0 entered for both, obviously with a total of 0. On the Caribbean in February I again bought the package and she did not. Each time I ordered a cocktail along with a glass of wine for her, the wait person asked for her card and charged her glass of wine on it.

Go figure

Gee I miss spelled Debit card.... that must invalidate everything!!

I saddens me to see people throwing away money thinking they are doing the right thing Spending in cash, check debit card, travelers check is a serious waste of your money. Its very sad you cant take my point and understand this is not an ad but an awareness post to save people real money...their money that they are currently flushing down the toilet.

 

Aside from the total lack of security in most cases the BIGGEST loss is that you earn nothing in in return. Getting an affinity credit card from a hotel chain or specific airlines earns you credits that can be used to get free air fare, free hotel rooms, and free travel insurance. You would be surprised how fast it adds up !!!

I use my credit card for every thing I buy from auto insurance to Potato chips and pay it off at the end of the month... over a few years time you can easily earn hundreds of thousands of miles... So the next cruise you take you can have in your points/miles account more than enough to get free rt air and free hotels before or after....

One person said they would never have a card that that charges. Great if I offered you a 4 star hotel room costing $250 a night for the price of $95 would you consider that a good deal? I would , and that's why I gladly fork over $95 for my hotel chains card... that's like a 75% discount!!!

 

I just booked a flight for next year, using airline miles that I earned by spending about $30,000 a year buying beans bacon and regular household stuff that would have cost $16,500.00... for free... well I had to pay $56 taxes.... so it wasn't totally free...

Hey, I am not rich, I am on a fixed income and long ago learned that one needs to work smarter not harder.... start thinking out of the box... its your money

I am in 100 percent agreement here. I too use my credit card for everything I spend money on and it totals usually around 4 to 5000 per month, that is 60,000 dollars a year, and since I get 2 for 1 credit from Capital that comes to 120,000 in miles every year. It adds quickly. Naturally it is paid completely every month so that there are never any interest charges. The annual fee is easily wiped out by the mileage. I use the miles mostly for travel and it enables me to fly First or Business Class for free or for small payments. I also have a Chase Marriott Affinity card that gives me a free night every anniversary, which more than pays the annual fee. I don't understand why anyone would travel carrying sufficient cash with all the risk that entails. I do carry a debit card, but not from my home bank. I keep 2500 dollars in an Ally Bank account and I use their debit card for an ATM transaction. If there is a fee, Ally refunds it at the end of the month. I replenish the Ally account from my home bank account every month.

Works for me.

The Ultimate Ship Tour is well worth the money. My wife and I both did it on the Regal in December. Not only do you visit the bridge, but also other working parts of the ship. All are interesting and some, the kitchens and laundry are fascinating. The bridge is also fascinating. We were not restricted in moving about the bridge and the Captain greeted us with snacks, Champaign and soft drinks. After a talk, he turned us over to one of the officers of the oncoming watch who explained things in much detail. We were accompanied by security during that portion of the tour. After the tour robes, photos and photos of the tour appear in you cabin. A very worthwhile experience.

I've been told that the credit/debit card problem occurs because Princess will get an authorization each night for that day's charges. Then, at the end of the cruise, they don't use the previous authorizations, but put the balance through as one big charge. The bank is still waiting for the "ghost" charges and that's why there are problems if you don't have a large limit.

I don't exactly understand why Princess places several holds on a card during the cruise. It seems kind of counterproductive to me, but having said that I do not find it to be a problem. We use our credit card for nearly every purchase we make during the course of a month. This results in numerous holds, but they are not a problem with a large limit and never running a balance past the end of the billing period. On our last cruise I paid the current balance off prior to the cruise even though the due date was still a couple of weeks off just to eliminate any possibility of problems. Using the card for everything also results in a lot of points/miles, enough to pay for our previous cruise using Cap1's purchase eraser. To me, along with direct deposit, it is very convenient.

Debt cards were invented to benefit banks and increase the banks profit. They are unsafe to use in any out of country travel. The locking of funds, the lack of security and the zero benefit you get is more than enough reason to avoid them. Debt cards are how banks get you to give them a interest free loan and that they can use your money before and after you deposit it or charge it ( many times a merchant will not get payment from the bank for 45-60 days after they submit a bill(

 

Credit cards like Marriott and UAL through Chase have the following benefits that debt cards DO NOT. 1 they do not charge% for foreign transactions.

 

2 if you charge your trip on the card then you get $10,000 worth of trip insurance for no cost.

3. Credit cards have fraud and purchase protection... if someone uses your card, or a purchase product fails or you get cheated the credit card will reimburse you.

4. ( and this is huge) you get tangible miles or points to use for future hotel , cruise or air travel.

5. they are accepted world wide...............

DEBT CARDS DO NONE OF THESE

I would add that the Marriott affinity card, although it has a yearly charge, gives you a free 1 night stay on every anniversary of its issue that more than makes up for the annual charge. It also comes with a lot of bonus points when issued.

One very rarely sees the Captain or other senior officers during a cruise these days. It used to be common to see them socializing.

I believe that the Veteran credit is kept on file and added automatically in the future.

Princess is more formal, there will be about two formal nights a week where dress recommendation is dark suit and tie for gents.

 

Now about 80-90% [in my experience] will dress to that standard others won't. It is unlikely [again in my experience] that you'll get refused entry but it does sometimes happen.

 

Of course you also have the option of the buffet or Room service on formal nights.

 

Other nights are what you might call good casual or resort casual.

It is nowhere near 80 or 90 percent.

I have been on several Princess Cruises from either Port Everglades or San Juan, Puerto Rico. On each they did scan carry on luggage, but that was by personnel representing the port, NOT Princess. I have never seen anyone actually directed to the table by the entrance to the ship that is there for the purpose of charging for, or confiscating alcohol, which appeared to be voluntary. In San Juan there is a liquor store immediately adjacent to the ramp to the ship. After boarding, several of us left the ship, went to the liquor store, made a purchase and re-entered the ship with no requirement to visit the "alcohol table." I no longer bring, or even attempt to bring, alcohol aboard simply because it is so much easier to order 2 or 3 of the overpriced stuff from room service. I decided that I am on a cruise and if I can't spend 17 dollars for a 750 ml bottle of gin, I shouldn't be there.

I am still confused about their seriousness about enforcing the carry on alcohol policy.

At home we grind beans every morning to make coffee. Because of that I find Princess coffee a bit weak but otherwise ok. Room service coffee is as good as any and it always seems to be delivered in a timely manner. That makes it enjoyable.

I would just stop by the CG and make a res. They are there at the entrance on embarkation day.

Just as a point of information: On the Regal in December we had a tough time getting through to the Dine Line and went to the one of the MDR's to make a reservation for dinner with Any Time Dining and the Maitre d' had to call the Dine Line to make the reservation, he could not make it directly. It was the same at the Crown Grill. Both Maitres d' had the same difficulty getting through to the Dine Line.

What a terrible shame and outrageous ordeal that able bodied human beings should have to get up and move their loungers to allow another human being who must use a scooter to pass.

Sorry, but moving lounge chairs around is something more than a minor inconvenience.

Nice post. This pretty well sums it up. As I always thought, "It's all about the money."

Naturally, why else would they be in business?

Princess will send someone to your cabin to get the passport(s) from the safe if you will be missing. These documents are given to the ship's agent in port. They will give it to you

I really doubt the accuracy of this statement, but then, why would you leave your passport on the ship? That is like saying that you won't take a car out of the garage because it might get stolen. The primary purpose of a passport is to facilitate re-entry to the US, which is why most air carriers will not let you board without it.

If you do a search on Cruise Critic, you will see MANY threads on this topic.

 

First, if you are on an independent tour, you are responsible to get yourself home, or to the next port.

 

Second, a look on YouTube will see several videos showing people running for the ship as it sails away, so it definitely happens. But, in your searching of the Cruise Critic boards, you will find very little evidence this has happened on a private tour. Instead, you will find alcoholic beverages are probably the most common denominator. And people just wandering on their own. Not on private tours.

 

Third, a private tour vendor realizes their business depends on having people back at the ship on time. Some vendors even promise to pay for your expenses to catch up with the ship if they cause you to miss the ship.

 

Lastly, VERY few people who have actually missed their ship come on here to discuss it. Not sure why??? ;)

I would add that depending on the line to retrieve your passport and get it to the port agent is at best iffy. You will find it very difficult to get transportation from Grand Cayman or any where else outside the US without it. I would never leave the ship in a foreign country without my passport.

This is sort of funny:

After having dinner in Sabatini's we decided to make reservations there for another night so stopped at their desk going out. They took our reservation request and immediately picked up the phone and called Dine Line to make them for us.

LuLu

On the Regal in December, shortly before lunch time we tried to call the Dine Line to make reservations for Anytime Dining for dinner. The phone rang and rang, so we decided to eat lunch in the dining room and make a reservation with the Maitre d' for dinner. Same thing, we approached him with the request and he simply picked up the phone and dialed the Dine Line, and, you guessed it, the phone rang and rang and rang.

We are on a short, 5 day cruise, on the CB, embarking on Feb. 21st. Is there any way to learn if the ship will return to the departure pier at the end of cruise. We have been on many cruises and have never had this happen. Normally we park in the garage adjacent to the ship because of the convenience at both the beginning and end of the cruise, no shuttles etc. If we will be using different piers at embarkation and debarkation, which would necessitate a shuttle anyway, I would just as soon park at Park n Cruise and save a few bucks.

I'm totally shocked to see how people are dressed for dinner at the main dining rooms :o Even if it's not formal night (which obviously it's not) I'm still shocked to see how WAY casual everyone is. We're going to be over dressed!

Oh, the horror, the horror.

You made that connection. Not me. I have no idea where or how you dredged that up. As hard as I try, I cannot find any reference to a bartender in my post or the portions of the post I quoted. Perhaps you need to go back and read it again, this time from the perspective of a broader view which is where the quoted post came from and where mine was directed. Consider the danger and difficulty in dealing in absolutes and read the quoted post again, and then mine. I think you will find that this has nothing whatsoever to do with mixologists.

At the risk of getting into a foolish p______ contest here, it appeared to me that you were equating those that seriously, and often loudly, complain about trivial things like rude or unresponsive bartenders and other service personnel to the ultimate bad cruise, the ship sinking, as a counterpoint.

Not only is it posted by the dining room, it is printed on the first page of the patters especially on formal days. :D

 

You would think that if Princess puts it in the Cruise Answer Book, in the Patters and on a sign at the door of the dining room, that people would show respect and follow their wishes.

I quote, "Passenger attire should be in keeping with what one would wear in a nice restaurant at home."

I don't know about you fashion police, but I see shorts and jeans in "nice" restaurants all the time, especially in Florida, but also up north in the summer. I suspect that much of the confusion comes from that statement.

While there may be people who do nothing but look for something to gripe about, there are also people who just happen to find things to gripe about. It is not fair to assume that only the former exist.

 

 

Really? Then you would have been OK with the now-infamous Carnival Cruise that was dead in the water without food, water or flushing toilets? That ship didn't sink. Of course you wouldn't. So look at it this way. Cruises range from "Best Cruise I Ever Took" all the way to "Carnival Dead In The Water Cruise". Every cruise should fall somewhere in between. You can't possibly think that people should have nothing to complain about in a review unless their cruise aligns with the latter. At all points between perfection and disaster there are going to be things worth pointing out in a review that you did not like, or that others should be mindful of before plopping down their hard-earned money. That is the very essence of a review. Pardon the pun, but the "you're on a cruise...what do you have to complain about" ideal simply does not hold water, especially when one is penning a review. Were it otherwise, every restaurant that didn't kill you should be rated 30-30-30 in Zagat.

Now you are comparing a rude or indifferent bartender to a ship that was dead in the water. How absurd!