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6 hours ago, geoherb said:

... The selection of books in the library is disappointing. There are a lot of empty shelves. ...

 

 

This is indeed said to hear and see.  Unfortunately we have found this to be the case on many Princess ships lately.  Evidently the ships' libraries do not make any money for them.  We shall be on the Crown next month for a ten day cruise.  I shall have to bring along four or five paperbacks and leave them on the book swap shelf when finished.

Am I the only one who is questioning the value of the ocean medallion program?   I don’t find the need to have all the latest technology at hand 24/7.  Yes, it may save a minute or two here and there, but what other value does it really have?  It would seem that you would be more apt to lose it than you would a key card.  Of course Princess would be more than happy to sell you a special wrist band or lanyard at an additional charge.  As for using your cell phone, we turn it off and lock it in the safe as soon as we call our loved ones to let them know we are on board safely.

Some of us care about the environment and then there are those who have the, “It’s all about me” attitude.

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 2:37 PM, wrongwaywatson said:

I always bought one, but I only used it for brewed coffee.  I don't like "foo-foo" coffees or teas, just brewed coffee.  I used it, usually, on 2 cruises.  On the second cruise they would punch it for a cup.  I had no problem with that.  Now, I will buy as I use them, because it will be cheaper.  It would be nice if they had a coffee plan that only covered brewed coffee.

If we be even nicer if we did not have to pay for a cup of brewed coffee.   Even diners serve brewed coffee!

The bigger question is why do we have to pay “extra” to get a decent cup (ie. Brewed) of coffee?

3 hours ago, caribill said:

Possibly what Carnival Cruise Lines is doing may apply also to Princess:

 

Some of these changes are underway, but many more will be coming by the end of this year, including:

• Eliminating most individual servings of packaged items like foil-wrapped butter pats, condiments, salad dressing, cereal boxes and sugar (but excluding artificial sweeteners);
• Eliminating various decorative items used in food/beverage service, such as steak temperature markers, toothpicks, umbrellas, stir sticks and olive picks;
• Eliminating the distribution of all drinking straws, with the exception of frozen drinks, which will be served with an edible straw; wooden coffee stirrers will be replaced with stainless stirrers which can be sanitized and reused;
• All beverages will be served in glass or reusable plastic tumblers; all to-go hot beverages will be served in paper cups with paper lids;
• Shampoo and body wash will be distributed in pumps in all staterooms, suites and spa facilities;
• Plastic water bottles are currently recycled, but we are exploring various alternatives that could replace plastic water bottles in the future.

All of the above sounds reasonable to me.  Of course some of us care about the environment and then there are those who don’t.

9 hours ago, clo said:

Did you see my post above?

 

Using your logic, why even bother going on a cruise when you you buy a book with plenty of pictures?😉

Okay, other than being able to say that you are wearing the latest technology or maybe getting your drink thirty seconds sooner, am I the only one who doesn’t see the benefit of the ocean medallion ?  Why should I pay extra for this?

We have been on thirty cruises and have visited dozens of ports.  The only place where I have felt unsafe is Jamaica.  As a result I will not even book a cruise that stops there.

Of the cruise lines on which we have sailed, this is my order of preference if money was no object:

1) Celebrity

2) Princess

3) Royal Caribbean

4) Holland America

5) Norwegian

6) Carnival

I have no desire to sail on Costa.  My name is not Hyacinnth Bucket, thus Cunard is out of the question.  I would love to try Viking.

1 hour ago, Shmoo here said:

Not really something rude "done to you".  Smoking, while disgusting, is allowed onboard ships.

 

 

Evidently you disagree with me.  Farting and burping in public are also allowed, but it would be rude to do so.  I believe that doing so is ill mannered.  As far as I am concerned smoking is rude and ill mannered.  Just because something is allowed does not mean that it is socially acceptable.  Okay, I gave my opinion twice now and if you choose to disagree with me that is fine.  It would be rude of me to continue this discussion any further.

Smokers who polluted the air that I breathe.  Fortunately those days are pretty much gone.  Most folks today at least recognize that smoking is no longer socially acceptable.

1 hour ago, clo said:

LOL!  Why?  Too dried out?

I am by no means a picky eater, but even the sight of them (or egg salad) makes me gag!  Close to fifty years ago the woman who is now me darling wife and I went on a picnic when we were in college.  Of course we were broke back then and eggs are a relatively cheap dish.  I can remember the feeling of horror after we spread open the blanket and she opened the picnic basket!

deviled eggs!

I avoid anyone wearing a MAGA hat.😉

We are veteran cruisers with many cruises under our belts.  When we first started cruising over twenty years ago, you had no choice but to sit at a shared table.  While we have had many interesting tablemates, we have also had some real beauties.  Once at a table for seven, there was a gentleman and his two sisters.  They were appalled that we had the audacity to bring our high school aged daughter and her friend, both of whom were impeccably dressed, exhibited excellent table manners, and were quiet and reserved.  He refused to talk with us and ignored us.  Then there was the time we were at a table with two sisters who were always inebriated and kept guzzling down the wine.  They constantly reminded us that they were "only sisters" and that they did not have do pay for the cruise as it was on their husbands' business expense account which would  be taken as a tax deduction since they were scouting out a hotel in Aruba for a future business conference.  They also belittled us because we were not "elite" and could not go to the special lounge for breakfast.  And oh yes, they could not believe that we had an inside cabin and not a balcony.

Since then we have opted for a table for two or a table for four if with family.

8 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Interesting write-up on Grandeur — the “...library with an honor checkout system...” was a bookcase with perhaps a dozen hard cover books of no particular interest and maybe 50 paperbacks - obviously left behind by passengers.  The free book exchanges in our local commuter RR stations are far better stocked.

 

I suppose the presence of one or two books can justify a shelf being called a “library”.

Sadly many of the ship's libraries have now become a joke.  The areas in which they were located have become internet cafe's or the location of "future cruise consultants" each of which produce revenue.

We are snowbirds and stay from January to March each year just less than fifteen minutes from the stadium.  I made sure that we booked our condo over a year in advance for 2020 as supply and demand (and price gouging) is certainly going to kick-in.

If Southwest Airlines serves your home area, be aware that they have only released their flights through early January.  I would check their website often to see when they will be releasing flights near your sail date and then jump on the booking as early as possible.

We have used Gold Coast Cruise and Parking several times and have had a very good experience with them.  Good rates, free shuttle, and a secure lot.  It is a short ride to and from the cruise port.

I never watch "Faux News."  It keeps my blood pressure from going up and helps me to avoid indigestion.

1 hour ago, skynight said:

A normal bag full of underwear, socks, shirts, slacks, shorts is about $50. Laundry is priced by item...

This is certainly a motivator for me to use the self-serve laundry!

8 hours ago, pris993 said:

you and I are not going to agree... enjoyyour cruise, and I will too, you want to worry about plastics I don't.  End of story. 

Some of us care about the environment.  Some of you don't.

8 minutes ago, antsp said:

... Sending millions of tons of single use plastic to landfill or incinerators is obviously not a good thing to do. 

Thank you for being the voice of reason.

3 hours ago, pris993 said:

gosh, going on vacation this is the last thing I would be concerned about???  

Some of us care about our impact upon the environment even on vacation.

Run, don't walk by the ship's excursion desk!  They are nothing more than overpriced cattle herds.  As others have suggested, check out Trip Advisor or the ports of call threads on these boards for recommendations.  They are always cheaper and are certainly less crowded.  Often you are able to negotiate with the driver for a more personalized tour.  They are easy to book and easy to find once you get off of the ship.  There is much less of the "hurry up and wait" that comes with the ship's excursions.  We find that by booking a tour that ends at least an hour or two before "all aboard", there is little to worry about.