wrongwaywatson

At home we try to eat between 5 & 6, preferably closer to 5. We do the same on the cruise, so that we can see the 7:30 entertainment without being rushed. It usually works well for us. I would have a very hard time sleeping if I ate late.

Agreed. I have bought soda package and coffee cards on almost all of my cruises. This one coming up we have Princess Plus, because the price was good on it when we purchased it, but it will probably be the last time that we do. Before the medallion, I hated buying things ala carte and paying for them, you had to wait for it to ring up, sign the paper, etc. It was just easier to buy the package at the old prices. I don't drink premium coffees, just a lot of brewed. Now, I will just buy as I go, it won't take long to scan my medallion and I will spend WAY less. But it figures that they take away the elite mini bar exchange, as this next cruise will be our first elite. We never had the opportunity to exchange it out and I was looking forward to doing that! LOL

There were six of us in our party and we all had the same impression of the waitstaff.

We ate at Sabatini's and The Crown Grill on the Enchanted in November 2022. We did NOT like Sabatini's at all. The food was just meh and the servers were rude. They acted like we were bothering them when we asked them for something. We ate at the Crown Grill later in the week and it was excellent! We were relieved because we ate there in November 2021 on the Emerald and we were disappointed. We didn't think it was worth the $29 upcharge then. We would have really been unhappy to have paid $39. But, like I said earlier, our Nov 2022 CG on The Enchanted was wonderful.

Thank you! I guess I will be buying a lot of $1.75 coffee!

I drink regular coffee (no specialty ones) and Diet Coke. There is no way that I would spend $35 per day buying them individually. How much is a cup of coffee in the IC now? Just coffee, nothing specialty?

I really don't get WHY they messed with The Love Boat Dream. Why change it? It makes no sense. It was my favorite. We were on The Enchanted over Thanksgiving for a 10 day cruise and I was pleasantly surprised that it was the original version. My BIL & SIL stayed on the ship to do a back-to-back and they said that on the second leg of the cruise, it switched to the new version and it was not a hit.

So, no more coffee cards at all? I always purchased it, because I love fresh brewed coffee. I don't like any specialty coffees. I only use it for the convenience of the fresh brewed all day and all evening (I usually grab a cup after dinner to take to the theater). I usually buy the soda package, because I like Diet Pepsi with my lunch and supper and I like it on sea days by the pool. I may drink a few alcohol drinks, but not very many. We had the plus on our last cruise, because the price with it was about the same as booking a cruise, soda package and gratuity. I didn't have very many alcohol drinks, many days I had none. I had already decided that I would swap out the mini bar for coffee cards, because we are finally elite on our next cruise, and just do pay as I go for the soda. Figures it gets taken away just as we would get it! I guess I will be a pay as I go for coffee and soda, because I don't see me spending more than $15 per day total (I won't drink as much coffee if I actually have to pay for it each time. I will grab hot tea in the buffet)

Ditto! Get the passport!

Interesting. I'm not here to defend Princess or say that your comparisons are wrong, because I've only sailed on Princess. I can't say that I've had a bad cruise, even our two post pandemic cruises. I've enjoyed the food in the buffets and the MDR. The only meal that I didn't enjoy was in Sabatini's, where I didn't like the food and I thought that the servers were standoffish. Sure, I've had one or two things on several cruises that I thought could be improved. On our Thanksgiving cruise on the Enchanted, I had a little trouble with room service. One night I ordered hot tea around 10pm and I went to sleep at 11:30 and it still hadn't arrived. The next night I mentioned that and it came in just a few minutes. Maybe I'm lucky/fortunate? Maybe I'm easily pleased? Maybe I don't do many other vacations and I have lower expectations? Not sure, but I'm glad! LOL It is interesting, though, to read the comparisons. Like I said, I'm not invalidating anyone's experience. It is just interesting.

I'm glad you got your booking back. We are just now at 90 days today on our upcoming cruise. My TA sent emails 10 days out and 5 days out. I called and gave them payment 2 days ago. My emails did say that the cruise would be cancelled for non-payment if we did not pay.

We visited Roatan a few times in the past 15 years and we used Christopher Tours for a snorkeling tour twice. Truthfully, it was one of the best snorkeling experiences we have had. We are looking at going again, and their website shows that they are still in business and running tours. Has anyone used them lately?

We had never had a problem, either, because we eat early. However, we were on The Enchanted over Thanksgiving and The Crown Grill was sold out before we even got on board. I checked back twice once onboard to see if there were any cancellations and there were none. First time for us!

I have no problem with having those things for other people to enjoy. I don't particularly like wine (the only one I like is a very sweet, cheap Moscato, LOL), I have a basic palette and some food allergies. So, not for me. But, I hope other people enjoy. Just not my thing.

I was charged for a double (amount over $12 on Princess Plus) on The Enchanted and that was the only drink I had that day. I didn't think to tell them to charge me for 2 drinks, instead.

The lobster bisque is very tempting!

We didn't eat there, but I did have an observation from our Enchanted Thanksgiving Cruise. Before we got on the cruise, the Crown Grill was completely sold out. You could get a reservation at the Bistro most nights (I didn't look at all of them). When I looked in (admittedly, only 4 or 5 times, but at prime dinner time), there were tables available.

My BIL & SIL both caught Covid on the Sky in May. They have no complaints about their treatment. They said that they couldn't imagine a better place to be in quarantine. They were checked on and they had everything that the needed/wanted. AND......they do NOT work for Princess or Carnival!

Well, Illinois is a strange state. One of the very last to lift regulations, Chicago was one of the last schools to send people back. The hospital my neighbor takes her sister to for tests/visits, she still has to take a test beforehand and if my neighbor goes in with her, they test her. It's a teaching hospital in downtown Chicago.

I only took the elevator a few times during the cruise. We were on the 11th floor, so it was easy to walk down or up to where we needed to go. I never noticed people coughing or sneezing. Not saying that there wasn't, just that I didn't notice it.

Yes, I said WAS, not is. In 2021 anyone who had any test done or who was hospitalized was tested for Covid. Some places still do. My neighbor goes to a hospital near Chicago with her sister, and they still test her when she goes up for any appointments/tests.

Yes, the media was reporting people "hospitalized from COVID" when actually they were hospitalized with something else and tested positive for COVID when they tested them, because they tested anyone coming in.

I enjoyed Rock Opera, but not Five Skies.

We got off of a 10 Day Cruise on The Enchanted Princess on November 29. I didn't see people that were visibly sick. I also didn't see people suddenly "disappear" aka go into isolation. There was very little masking, but people were washing hands and using sanitizer in the buffet. But, overall, it seemed a pretty healthy cruise. We were cruising in the Caribbean.

Make sure and check that they charge you for 2 drinks. I ordered a double Bailey's on the rocks and I was charged a little over a dollar for it.