donswife

Cabo by day ☀️ and Cabo night 🌙

The window suites on the Discovery, Sky, and Enchanted are an entirely different category compared to the humble "secret" window suites on the older ships. The price seems to run about the same as a forward premium suite. No balcony, but those windows! It was also huge. Unless we get another great deal on a short cruise, it was a one time thing for us. Our next booking is in F305 WS.

I got $11.02 in cash back on the Discovery this week. It took a little while.

We received 2 mini bar set ups, but did not use much from them aside from the water and perrier. We brought most of the little bottles home for parties 🥳. If we hadn't had access to the suite lounge and all the water we wanted, we would have traded the soda and beer for water bottles. I think someone got their dates off, because a fresh fruit bowl was delivered the late afternoon before disembarkation. Not wanting it to go to waste, DH created a custom cocktail for us!

We were charged $78 for the 2 of us at the Catch last Wednesday on the Discovery, no added gratuity/service charge.

We booked this suite with a good understanding of the distance to pretty much anywhere one might want to go on this ship, since were at the bow on Aloha deck last year. Exceptions were the retreat pool and sun deck, they were super convenient, as was the Sanctuary, and Sabatini's was an elevator ride down to deck 5. It was a long walk to the concierge lounge, but we still visited 2 or 3 times a day to get coffee, water, and snacks, enjoy the happy hours, or ask Carmen for help. We were grateful for the electric kettle so we could have our tea without a hike at bedtime 🙂. I did find myself less inclined to check out events in the aft areas like the Vista lounge if I was feeling iffy. The theater was convenient, and I could hike right up the stairs to deck 17 afterward! We usually took the elevator down if it was more than a few flights, and the stairs up. I think I actually made my quads sore 😁! I have no regrets about our decision to try the window suite. It was so spacious and the views were amazing. The living room area was very separate, which would be nice if traveling with a 3rd person. There were 2 desks and lots of places to sit. Downsides: 1.Not as much storage as one would expect of a suite. There were only 2 narrow closets, which was fine for a short trip, but wouldn't be so good for a long itinerary. Next to the closets was another closet with shelves. There were small drawers everywhere (desks, nightstands, end tables) but not really big enough for most clothing. The closet of shelves where the safe was located was mostly full of life vests. 2. As discussed already, distance. I like to walk a lot, but there were definitely times I did not go to do something because it just seemed so far. 3. Noises/motion. Most of the journey was smooth, but the afternoon and night we left Cabo it was very windy and definitely rocking a bit more. We didn't feel at all seasick, though I did take bonine as a precaution. More annoying were the banging sounds, maybe from waves hitting the hull?

We were fortunate to have reservations for the opening night of The Catch because we had booked the Bistro months ago, and it automatically switched over. It wasn't even listed in the Patter the first day, and only about half the tables were occupied. The service and meal were fabulous. We received a small glass of sparkling wine and the house appetizers I ordered the smoked salmon for my first course and the catch of the day, which was striped sea bass. I tried the Mozart souffle for dessert, which was much bigger than necessary.

All the photos and videos I could find did not prepare me for my first glimpse of our windows. The bedroom curtains closed straight across, and with the sheers closed, made a nice little sunroom. We didn't miss having a balcony too much, thanks to the huge space and magnificent views.

We had a good time in a premium suite (A101) last year on the Discovery Princess. DH really wanted to try one of the window suites on deck 17, and I was fortunate to snag S107 at a decent price for the 5 day Cabo cruise that sailed on November 29. We booked EZ air from PDX to LAX, and although the flight times were changed several times by Alaska Airlines, we were always notified, and kept our seat assignments. I did have a little scare when it was time to check in, because the app said "no data" next to the flight info (which made no sense). I was able to check in through the website and both printed boarding passes and had them sent to my phone. I tried to find out what was going on via Alaska live chat (big mistake!) and the agent said the booking number didn't show up! I was dubious, as I had boarding passes, but may not have slept the best that night 😬. Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief when we scanned our boarding passes at the airport. We flew in the night before departure, with just about a 20 or 30 minute flight delay. Our bags came out promptly, and when we stepped off the escalator on the upper floor (at LAX, hotel shuttles pick up on the departures level), our shuttle was at the curb! We had a comfortable stay at the Fairfield in El Segundo, and enjoyed the included breakfast before heading to the port via Lyft. We left the hotel at about 10;40, and I think we were on the ship by around 11:30. We stopped by our muster station to check in, then the concierge lounge, where we met Carmen, the concierge. The lounge was served by Anwar, Clare, and Yensi as well. Carmen was able to fulfill our request for an electric kettle in our cabin for our nightly chamomile tea (our cabin was a long way from any hot water source!), and our wonderful steward Patrick kept us supplied with clean cups each day.

The Princess ships have loungers all over on several open decks. It is easy to get one if you go one deck up from the pool. The Diamond has a covered pool, which is nice if you have a lot of cool ocean days.

Agree. Smoke on the Discovery was obnoxious this week. They need to upgrade the air filtration system. We used to live in Nevada, and most of the casinos were not nearly this bad.

Awe, now I'm disappointed! I was looking forward to changing horses mid-stream! 😁

I ordered dinner from this menu tonight, because the regular menu didn't really tempt me. My favorite dish was the Mumbai Frankie wrap. It was mildly spiced white bean and cauliflower filling. If I see that menu again, I would order 2 as a main dish. The spring veggie soup was tomato based, not at all what I expected. The portabello dish was tasty but too saucy. I think it should be served with brown rice. I wish they had descriptions, because the waiter wasn't sure.

I just booked another cruise while on board. Our booking includes OBC in addition to the future cruise deposit OBC.

It was cooked perfectly. I think it was a "soft opening, because it wasn't even listed in the Patter. Bonus: turns out we were seated at a 2 top next to @CruisingJuls and her beloved. We had a great time with them and the couple on our other side.

Fabulous opening night meal with outstanding service. The Catch of the day entree, blue stripe sea bass, was delicious.

I usually wear a medium and the robes are about right. The one I have at home seems bigger, but it doesn't get washed in hot water weekly 😄. I think if it is too small they can get you a larger one.

Double dog dare?? 😅

I will be on board the Discovery Dec 1. Dare I try the new app mid-cruise? The current app has behaved quite nicely for me, not sure if I want to chance it!

You are paying for the whole immersion experience, not just a meal. It is a captivating multisensory interactive performance and meal. We went last year and get to go again this week. Enjoy!

Did you book on line? A serious glitch with the Princess website is that you can't enter travel companion loyalty numbers, so the system generates a new one. You will have to get CVP or customer service to fix it.

This was true before the price increase. Now a single device plan is $15/day and 4 device $40/day. Platinum and elite loyalty members get 50% off.

I usually just carry mine in my pocket or phone purse if I don't have a pocket. DH got a wristband for his on board. It was about $15 or so last year.

Ditto for both. I just noticed today that our reservation for 11/29 has changed from the Bistro to the Catch. We had one of the best meals ever at the Bistro last year, so I am excited to try something new.

We had A101 on the Discovery Princess last year and LOVED it. The forward views were wonderful and the balcony was sheltered because it was under the wing of the bridge. The bedroom was so spacious, and the living room area was more separate than most Princess suites. We did not experience a lot of motion due to mild weather, but I did take Bonine daily as a precaution. It was a long walk to the concierge lounge and to the buffet, but a short walk to the forward elevators/stairs to go down to Sabatini's for the suite breakfast.