wineforhealth

No argument. Somewhere between the 2 buck chuck @ $2 and the good $50 stuff is the break even point. I am just not exactly sure where it is and it also depends upon how much Princess marks up the stuff. I did one check and found that Princess gets $25 for a Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc that I can pick up at Total Wines in Ft. Lauderdale for $10 so on this wine at least, they have a 250% markup.

 

DON

Don, you make some good points, I agree if total wine is selling the wine for $10 I agree Princess purchased it for far less but you are on the right track.

That is if you are willing to pay the $15 per bottle fee or risk having all that wine destroyed! Princess advises that the wine should be in your carry on...

My answer was for another poster, still the best way to transport wine is in a shipper the come in many sizes. Much better than have a bottle break in your carry on.

The best way to transport a case of wine is in a shipper, then you can check it in with your luggage without any worries

Thanks for the great review so far, what time did you finish your meal @ Sabatini's? You had a long first day

Bummer on the delayed luggage

Thank so much for your live cruise review, it sure is nice your having a great cruise after reading others bad experiancess.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your cruise to come

The curtains are good but not 100% on keeping the light out, the sleeping masks are so small I would bring them.

Have a great cruise

If you like to dress the way most people for an event, you will be in the minority if you don't have a jacket on for formal nights. I have worn a Tux the last 4 Caribbean cruises and have never felt out of place.

Renting formal wear is also very easy and saves space on packing

If people are dressing down the lines for the formal pictures are not getting any shorter.

Welcome to cruise critic, and have a great cruise

I think the cabin you have chosen should fit what your looking for.

That is supposedly the way it works.

 

But recently Pre-Check has been added to some boarding passes by different airlines to members of their frequent flyers programs who have never applied for the government programs that qualify for this status.

 

I have no knowledge how these "random" Pre-Check assignments are determined by the computers involved.

 

This has no relationship to what ID is shown at the airport as the Pre-Check status will appear on boarding passes printed at home.

 

I suspect the TSA is giving people a taste of what it is like not to be treated as a criminal when going through securitry at the airport in hopes people will now pay to sign up for the program.

I'm glad I was able to experiance the Pre check in is was nice to keep my jacket on, belt in place, change in my pocket and no one could see the holes in my socks(LOL)

Thanks all for the info

You are not. In order for your boarding pass to print out with the Pre-Check clearance on it, you have to have a TSA number stored in your frequent flier profile or in some other way attached to your booking. If you don't have such a number, your boading pass will never say "Pre-Check" and you won't be able to access that line unless requested to do so by a TSA agent.

I also had a Pre Check on my boarding pass just recently, not sure how it got there. Never signed up and the funny thing is my wife did not did not get it and I had it both directions.

I had asked the TSA agent how I received this status they said I had signed up for it, I also travel with my passport domestically and my wife refuses, but I agree with you that I need to sign up but did not.

What a wonderful review of your cruise and those fantastic pictures

We will be on the Crown in a couple of weeks. On our first cruise we regularly walked the promenade on the Coral in the morning (6:30 7:00 isn). We were on the Caribbean Princess in November and walking the promenade that early was a problem because they were washing down the decks-just too much water.

 

As for the stairs being closed, that does not matter as we can simple do a loop back and forth between the stairs.

 

Anyone know if the Crown is more amenable to early walkers?

 

Thanks

You will find the same situation on the Crown, I also love walking or running in the early am it is so peaceful out on the Promenade.

Go to Sabatini's in casual attire and get the Artichoke souffle. I think it is better.

ml Chardonnay or a Sauv Blanc?

We noticed Carnival being less formal than our cruises on Princess from Hawaii, Alaska, and the Caribbean. We found ,to our surprise ,Alaska was the less formal on formal night But the others Princess cruises have been traditional and we found dark suits and tuxes. My husband says, why not dress up for you a couple of nights on a vacation , we've been planing and looking forward to. That's what caught my eye 17 years ago. We are in business wear all year long and enjoy a dress up night that does't have the company air about it. So I say dress what makes you comfortable it's your vacation!

No one mentions much how light weight and comfortable Tuxedoes can be( for me). I love to get dressed up and formal nights helps with the decisions making on at least 2 of the seven nights.

I own my own but having the rental option sure helps with packing.

You may want to ask this question in the Gulf Coast Departures forum.

Also you may find some info already there

Hey, there's the Grand! :)

What a great clear day for cruise out the Golden Gate

As Clint Eastwood asked in "Dirty Harry" -- "‘You've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky?"

Love it

I did it last month. Did the self-disembarkation, first group at 7am. I was through customs, to the airport, through security, and having a cocktail at the United Club by 8:15am. ;) Easily made my 10:14 flight and have done it many times. Don't let the worry warts scare you.

I also did(6 of us) the same last March, first to the cabs and made my 9:30 flight without a hitch. Very Lucky

But always be prepared to miss your flight and have. Backup plan you may not get off the ship as fast as we did

In one of the old posts the OP says their son is 17, that was in May 2013, the OP said in this thread that their son won't be 17 for 6 more weeks. :confused:

This is what I was referring too, who knows how old the boys were. I know my kids at that age wanted nothing to do with the teen center and refused to go anywhere near there.

The original departure port was New Jersey, something is missing here.

Hmm.....you might be on to something. :cool:

Do a search on the OP other posts something's not adding up

I think they have Texas hold 'em

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1677127

That would be quite a collection of luggage tag holders for you! ;)

Add the trivia prizes with and Pia could fill a 5 & 10 shop

BINGO! This is especially true as your tablemates get to know you, know that you are an avid wine collector, and bring a special bottle to dinner each night to celebrate your vacation. The urge to know if that wine "is really that much better", or to discover what makes that wine so special can lead to not-so-thinly-disguised hints for a glass or a taste, none of which is inherently a bad thing. Wine is a great conversation starter and a great learning tool. Sharing wine with others is one of the great parts of the hobby. But at a table of 8 with little to no reciprocation, things can get a little awkward.

I agree with sharing being a great part of collecting wine.

I go one more step in letting the wait staff have about a third of the bottle after the meal. I also even bring the wait staff a bottle from our home town as a tip.

Thank you for taking the time and sharing your review

Agree table for 6 works best for all the same reasons posted