satxdiver

Agree with all that if you do not have priority, be the first to show up and get a tender ticket. We have done the cave tour many times and been to the different Mayan ruins as well as the river tour so we now stay usually on the ship. If we do get off it will be after everyone else has left and just walk right onto the tender returning before the masses and long lines. I have also been on several scuba trips and the diving is great but from a liveaboard since it is a long way to the dive sites. Very beautiful diving including the blue hole.

I bought the magnetic hooks to use on the wall and ceiling as well as a 6' extension cord. I found a new cord for my CPAP that is 5" to use instead of the cord provided with the CPAP. I am able to string the cord across the ceiling to my CPAP keeping it out of a trip hazard. So far I have always been able to get the distilled water delivered. RCCL and Princess do not charge for the water but CCL does!

One of the major complaints in using a TA. I like to see my monetary information from Carnival as well as from the TA. I just recently decided to book again with a TA but it may be the last time. Carnival would like that!

I have sailed on the Vista twice now and will be boarding her again on Saturday. Previous I have sailed on the Dream, Magic and Breeze and I agree that the piano bar is a dungeon closed in and dark much like the comedy dungeon on the deck below with its low ceiling and no windows. Luckily the last two cruises the piano player was lively but the closed in dungeon feeling takes away from it. The other ships have a more open piano bar with more seating. I will probably be spending most of my evenings in the Ocean Plaza listening to the band.

That thread on the Ruby was done by a travel agent and is very long and thorough. It has menus and Patters in it along with many pictures. Very informative.

As I recall they check medallions when you arrive at the door.

We are lovers of TD. We schedule the same time and MDR on our cruises. The last cruise in November on the CB we managed after several nights to get the same table and waitstaff but each night had others join us on a 6-top. No problem and happy to get the same table/waitstaff as they knew what we wanted and were ready. As for TD returning I am not holding my breath. As for the medallion ap, it leaves much to desire. I have come to the conclusion Princess hires the worst IT people most likely because they do not pay the prevailing wages. I retired from IT and I saw it over and over from management to go cheap on IT. It never pays off just ask SWA!

All the water on the ship comes from the same source so no difference from the water in your stateroom or the buffet. We fill up in our room. Prices are going up everywhere sometimes astronomical so price rises on the ship is no different. Nothing stays the same.

I assume since you do not like to be tracked, you either keep your smart phone off or don't have one. They track you every minute and the authorities are able with a judge's consent to retrieve your movements or watch your movements if needed.

We are booked on the April cruise out of Galveston. Thankfully Princess has returned after being absent and hopefully will remain in coming years. We are already booked on the March 2024 cruise as well. We can drive to the port in about 4 hours so much better than flying or driving 1000+ miles. We have been on the Ruby before. We will be watching for a live account.

Princess.com does not have the deck plans but has some select pictures. After looking at the deck plans on cruisemapper I will not have to worry about ever booking this ship. One thing I liked about Princess was that the new ships somewhat followed the design of the ones before it. But now disaster. All the different brands that I cruise on, the buffet and the pool are on the same deck. Having the food 8 decks below the pool (lido) is outrageous. Really? Don't forget the wonderful "ropes course" and "rollglider track" as well as lack of a sport court for pickleball and basketball. What is Princess smoking these days. They are in California where pot is legal. No and never for us.

Most handheld consumer devices will accept either 120VAC or 240VAC these days. However as always check the label on the device to see if it can handle both

Personally I wear a short sleeved guayabera and black jeans with my athletic shoes. While I am dressed near the bottom others are starting to join me with pants and polo shirts. Ignore the "formal dress" because the ship does as well as a lot of the pax. I asked a head waiter who watched the door one time about what women wear as some are very informal. What he told me was that women can wear almost anything and call it fashionable. I have never worn a suit, sport coat or tie on a cruise. So don't fret about the "formal nights" as they are a vestige of the long last past. Some do dress formal but it is getting less and less.

I have been watching where Princess ships dock in PR, because this summer we will be on the CB and calling on PR. So far the ships have all docked at the Old San Juan pier within walking distance of the old city. We have sailed out of PR decades ago and indeed it was from the other pier. At that time RCL had a ship based there but I don't know if any ship uses PR as a base these days.

We have had it on every cruise since it was introduced and it is sinfully delicious.

For the last several years we have used EZair exclusively. Once the airline is notified and the trip is booked we go onto the airline's website and enter all our information such as email, cell phone numbers and TSA ID information. We also pick our seat assignments at that time. We check bags of course and when we go up to the counter the airline issues us a new boarding pass. Never thought that EZair would submit our TSA clearance or pick our seats.

So one has by December 14 to pay at the current rate.

Received the following from Princess today regarding the price rises and keeping your current price intact You'll be able to upgrade to the new or keep the old at the current price We wanted you to be the first to hear that we're adding brand-new experiences and offerings to our existing packages ❯. What's new: Princess Plus — now $60 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes free Medallion® device shipping* Princess Premier — now $80 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes free Medallion device shipping* reserved theater seating Medallion accessory *Free Medallion device shipping to US residents only. We'll share more details later, but for now know that you'll be able to keep your current Plus or Premier package at the existing price or upgrade to the new enhanced package. After all, we know you love options! New packages go on sale starting December 14 and apply to cruises sailing February 20, 2023, and beyond.^ More for our crew We're also increasing the daily crew appreciation for all cruises that depart on or after February 20, 2023. Our crew takes great care of you: we want to make sure they're taken care of too! Updated amounts will be: - $16 per guest per day for interior, oceanview and balcony staterooms - $17 per guest per day for mini-suites (including Club Class) and cabanas* - $18 per guest per day for suites - applies to all guests in a stateroom, including children Want to keep the current rates? Pre-pay before December 14 ❯†

I have been to AK twice on land trips and several times on the ship. By all means spend time in AK if nothing else go to Denali NP to see mount Denali (was named McKinley). It is well worth seeing it. If you have more time go north to Fairbanks where you can see the AK pipeline and many other sights. There is one direct road out of Anchorage to Fairbanks and passes by Denali NP and Talkeetna (worth a stop). The capital of AK is Juneau which can only be reached by sea or air. It is a good place to see a glacier up close. Glacier Bay NP is a must on any AK cruise. I would prefer spending time in AK before sailing south as opposed to sailing north.

Yes we call room service and order our drinks. We usually do this at sail away as we watch the ship set sail from our balcony. We sometimes order lunch through room service to include some adult beverages. Great benefit.

When we went in/out of the canal, it was on the Island through the old locks (the new ones were being bult). We went into Gatun lake and took a Princess trip to Panama City via rail and later bus. When we returned to the rail head they put us on a bus and took us to Colon to meet the ship. When they tendered us to shore there was a parking lot full of excursion busses and nothing else. We have since gone through the canal from SF to PE. It took all day literally. We will be sailing in 2024 for a in/out trip to the canal using the new locks and will be staying on the ship for the return through the locks. It was a special cruise for me as my father always talked about his years during WWII guarding the canal. I finally was able to see it.

I quit wearing a sport coat over a decade ago and never worn a tie anywhere except my youngest's wedding. I wear a short sleeved guayabera shirt with either khaki or black jeans all the time for the last several years. I never have had even a comment from the staff. I always wear my athletic shoes due to foot problems but try not to wear bright colored ones. Our very first cruise we did not know about the dress code and did not pack anything to wear. The night before the first formal night we told our table mates that we would be eating in the buffet. They all said wear what you have on now and the waiters said the same. They encouraged us to come. We did and no problems. This was back in the days of assigned tables/time.

When we board the first call is to room service to swap out the alcohol I don't drink e.g. scotch and get what I do like (gin). The soft drinks are swapped out for Diet Coke which my DW drinks all the time. Interesting comment above to gift some of it to our room steward. I did not think they could accept it. Good information for the next cruise. The free laundry my DW absolutely loves and uses. The bar setup I love and would hate to see it go away. We sometimes use the tender benefit but most of our cruises go into ports and dock. When it is needed, it is important to us.

I have only been "upgraded" once and I was able to get my old stateroom back. I watch it checking every other say because I am well aware of their "upgrade" program. I always mark my reservation as no upgrade but on this one occasion they did it anyway. We should not have to watch our reservation but unfortunately due to Princess ineptitude we do. Sad

Usually 1:00 PM but sometimes later depending on whether the ship arrived in port on time.