Cruise Raider

I’m sure it was a good deal bought through bulk. Gallo has some low end wines but also some really good wines .. or at least they used to.

We actually found very nice wines at the Crown Grill Bar on the Discovery .. both of which were in the premium package. That was back in April so not sure if they still have such a great selection but did find some wines we were happy with on the Royal recently as well. And, I say ‘ick’ to the Canyon Road wine. There are much better wines within that price point to be found … but, Princess must have gotten a great deal through a distributor for that wine. I have upgraded to the premium package on my last and my next cruise .. hopefully, the upcoming one won’t be a disappointment. I really only drink wine when it comes to alcoholic beverages.

You can reserve the sanctuary but in actuality, they only charge you after at the time you use it. We had terrible weather on the day we reserved it and we let them know we wouldn't be showing up as the weather was horrible. They never charged us.

I take a small motion censor light for the bathroom, just as I do at home. It runs on batteries and are approx $5 each at Amazon or Home Depot and the battery lasts approx one year. No need to reinvent the wheel.

I am also a fan of quick shuttle. I've used it many times and have been happy with the service and prices. However, I've only taken it to or from Bellingham to or from Vancouver. The busses are timely, clean and even have a clean restroom onboard.

OmBud .. I think you would probaly be fine taking it onboard with you. Although, as much as I’ve been a little disappointed with their wine options recently, if you have the package, they had a nice tawny port available not only in the MDR and specialty dining rooms but in several of the bars as well.

We cruised last year on Thanksgiving and will be doing so again this year as well. Since Thanksgiving is an American Holiday, I didn't see much at all about it being a holiday, although they did have the most delicious turkey dinner in the MDR.

There are so many decent wines at the price point in the grocery store ... why not one of those?? I know it has everything to do with getting it in bulk through a distributer. I understand why they go with the deal. But really, that wine is just not good at all, IMO.

We just disembarked from the Royal a few days ago. All that was available in terms of white wines under the plus package was Canyon Road and a Santa Helena. The Canyon Road Chardonnay is just not good at all. I upgraded to the premier package for the 2nd leg of our B2B and was able to get a glass of Rombauer at Vines and the Crown Grill Bar but by the last couple days of the cruise, they said they had no more. They did offer me a Hartford Chardonnay but that comes nowhere near Rombauer, IMO. There is also a Beringer Premium at the same price point ... seriously?? Once in a great while, they found some Decoy for me, but only the chardonnay. They no longer had Mer Soliel Chardonnay, Decoy Merlot or the Meomi (sp?) Pinot Noir, which were all such decent choices on the Plus Package just a few weeks prior. So, my DH found that he liked Substance Cabernet. Others were Chocolate Block and Spellbound, that could be found in Vines. I'm thinking all of these wines incurred a small charge over the Plus package price (like a dollar or two over). He also liked the Seghesio Old Vine Zin but that was more along the lines of the Premier Package pricing. So, the answer to your question is most venues, at least on the Royal, only served that Canyon Road wine. I understood the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc were better than the chardonnay in the plus package. I didn't try either of them. So, funny story, I asked the waiter from Good Spirits what kind of wine they had. He brought me a menu. I asked which of the wines were actually available as I saw a few that I liked. He came back and said, 'none of them, ma'am'. Oh boy .. they did find a Decoy Chardonnay for me after all that. It's not my favorite but was at least drinkable.

We love the Michelangelo on deck 5, for the same reason that Thrak mentioned, or even the DaVinci on deck 6. We do not like Botticelli in the aft of Deck 6 .. as you referred to as the Hokey Pokey MDR.

We are currently on the Royal and it was the second formal night last night. The escargot and lobster were absolutely wonderful in the MDR. This is the first cruise since the return to service that the lobster tail has been this good but I can say that the escargot has been consistently good! We’ve not been even slightly disappointed disappointed with any of the food on this entire cruise. All of it has been fabulous! We’ve been so very impressed with every single meal we’ve had on this 12 night sailing!

Many balconies are not exactly private but we e never really seen people staring at others while on their balconies, although you will have more privacy than doing the same activities at the pool or in the dining room.

I’m such a sucker for the Royal class ships and there are some decent sized balcony cabins available if you book early. They are in the middle bump out sections and the aft facing cabins. Otherwise the balconies are tiny on these ships. I would suggest at least one of you get at least a deluxe balcony on this ship as it has a small couch in the cabin…the ones that are aft facing one that Baja deck are fabulous. Of all the places to get a balcony, Alaska is the place. We went on the Majestic in late July once and it was nearly 80° is one port so, don’t necessarily count out the pools. I am also a huge fan of Glacier Bay although last time we went there, we only went to one glacier .. still amazing but every fjord and glacier is very spectacular. Everyone has a different opinion but Norwegian may be more family friendly than Princess or Holland.

I get what you are saying 😉 …. I only tip for a carry on sized bag when I check it.

It’s customary in North American ports to tip $5 per each large suitcase and $2 to $3 for each carry on sized bag. I would also tip anywhere between $5 - $10 for wheelchair assistance, depending on the distance they have to go.

You are right .. the food has been consistently great onboard in every single venue we’ve tried so far on this ship. We haven’t yet been to the buffet but the room service orders have been great, quick and accurate every time.

I ordered the shrimp and rice soup, the Asian salad, both of which were outstanding (the soup is a bit spicy) and the scallops, which was also very good. Our waiter just automatically brings us each an extra bowl of steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and green beans) and those are great as I love extra vegetables with my meal. My DH had the pork and he said it was good and he also ordered the soufflé, which he loved. We haven’t had a meal onboard as of yet that was just so so. Every meal so far has been really great! We definitely ask the waiter(s) for their suggestions and they haven’t steered us wrong yet.

We had the most perfect day in Loreto today. It’s hard to believe there is a hurricane just down the coast. We will be back on the Ruby in November and then we are debating on whether or not we will be going back on the Royal out of San Francisco or the Diamond out of San Diego in January 2023. The Diamond’s itinerary requires a long drive or a flight to the port but includes La Paz and Loreto, as well as Cabo. We are going to the usual three ports out of LA in April already so may have to look more deeply into the Diamond sailing. There are pros and cons to each one.

I really like Manzanillo but I love Loreto and La Paz … yes, we got lucky because the SF departures usually don’t include either of these ports! I am excited to get back to Loreto!

I love the liquid hand soap and the lotion dispensers. I did confirm that on the Ruby, the small bars of hand soap are available upon request.

Let’s hope this works … I’ve had a hard time with the WiFi .. haven’t been able to connect at all on my iPhone and it’s spotty on my iPad. Everything else on this sailing has been total perfection IMO. The food is great, the service has been superb, our cabin is awesome and our room steward has kept it so nice and tidy and it is so clean! Some of the nice touches that I wasn’t really expecting: - there is a live duo playing music during the daily PES event - goodies in the cabin include conditioner, body lotion, a shower cap and a small sewing kit (they might be elite goodies) - lotion and liquid hand soap are available in refillable bottles in our bathroom (I like the no plastic waste)

The cost of the Plus and even the Premier package makes total sense for us .. but, I also travel with friends that don’t get any real value from it. We almost always book specialty dinners, we drink wines over the $12 limit, we use the WiFi, as I’m doing right now while currently onboard and the prizes are kind of an extra perk if you win. We haven’t purchased the premier package on longer sailings as it really adds up. I think adding specialty dining based on the number of days to the cruise might be a better idea… 1 for a 3-6 night cruise, 2 for 7-10 night cruise and 3 for 11-16 and maybe 4 for 16+ nights. Anyway, from what you describe above, I don’t think you’d find great value in the package. As your title suggests, each person really has to put the pencil to the paper. I think you are at the break even point with the Plus package if have a specialty coffee and at least two alcohol drinks per day, that is if you use WiFi. The premium package is only of value if you drink fine wines and like to eat at the specialty restaurants.

We are on three cruises, all of which appeared to have availability on cabins but are showing as ‘Currently Not Available’…. All of which are on the Royal Princess. When booking a cabin for a friend, my CVP said she would have to check capacity before booking it because of a staffing shortage. I didn’t think to ask her about it at that time, wish I would have as she is so busy, I really don’t want call her back and waste her time with such an insignificant question. However, if there are any travel agents on here that might be able to answer the question of limiting capacity, particularly on the Royal Princess, I’d really appreciate it. Maybe they are all actually sold out and have no cabin availability? Just wondering what to expect.

I am still undecided on this cruise but am checking out the inside cabins on the Coral Princess and am looking for a little advice as to which are decent rooms and which are 'avoid at all costs' rooms. I see that P629, D720 and some aft cabins on the Caribe (C710, C711, C723, C724) and Emerald (E718, E719, E729) decks are available. I am not really interested in the Baja deck as it appears to be right under a public deck in the back .... so assuming it would be noisy. Not sure but does anyone know if B629 is ok in terms of noise from above? On this cruise, not at all interested in booking a balcony, or should I say, cannot justify the cost so am mainly interested in any pros and cons of these aft inside cabins. The one on the dolphin deck (D720) looks to be a bit larger. Is this correct? Also the ones on the Caribe deck are sideways cabins. Is this good or bad? Of the cabins listed, does anyone have any experience with noise issues?? Thanks in advance!