alyssamma

There are the loungers and also wooden benches with a back. The times I've been out there, there are always available loungers. This is usually morning and evening...not sure about midday.

Something I discovered today ...you can connect an HDMI cable to the TVs in the staterooms and easily switch the input to them.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...internet A+. I'm able to stream movies and TV shows, download videos, make wifi calls, etc. there were some VERY brief periods where it was slow, but overall amazing.

This could be a function of this cruise. 32 days you kind of have to exercise, lol. It's pretty packed.in the mornings and even later in the day and throughout the evening you'll see people walking.

They have been good, I think 😀 there have been a series on Matson ships, and then some on Hawaii and some art ones (although I'm not sure the latter are technically enrichment, but since they are educational I'm counting them 😀). But like I implied above, the topics aren't really for me, except for the art ones which were good. However, others I have spoken too enjoyed them a lot

Lol, yeah, I was exaggerating a little 😀 but it def FEELS like the 80s. And fyi, not live, lol. Just wanted to give some initial thoughts. Definitely having fun and enjoying the trip. I actually booked the same itinerary for April 2025, so something must be clicking with me 😀

Lol, well it shows. Not sure why it wouldn't be designed for walking...it seems more people are walking on it than sitting on it, but regardless, that's what it's become now 😀

On the 32 day Princess Sapphire to the South Pacific. This is my first time on Princess and I wanted to share some thoughts. I will say overall that I'm happy with Princess and would sail them again. Food, B+. Incredibly subjective, but I am comparing to my like of food on other lines I've sailed (MSC, X, Carnival, HAL). For reference, I'd rate HAL and X an A- and Carnival (Excel class) also a B+. MSC has decreased a lot and would have gotten an A- (Yacht Club) but now I'd say C+. I'm not a fan of the breakfast and think the pizza is just ok, but lunch has been amazing and dinner fairly good. Ship, B-. I hate the flow of the ship. Dead ends in certain places and general lack of signage. However, it seems to have an old world style and charm to it and several public areas are quite nice. One thing to note is the walking track...a very poor design. Since there are deck chairs on it, it gets crowded. Especially since people seem to walk in both directions. They also have a smoking area there for some reason. Finally, you cannot make a complete lap without climbing stairs to deck 8 (which might be a bonus for some because of added cardio), but the stairs are closed at night so it you want a walk after dinner you can't make a full lap. Entertainment, D. Not for us. That being said, we aren't the demographic because most people on the ship seems to love it. YMMV. Cabin, D. Lol, stuck in it for 32 days though. We are in an extended balcony. The room itself is tiny, the shower is miniscule. The balcony is nice but very worn. There is no couch or chair, meaning no place to sit or drape clothes or place luggage. The saving grace is excellent closet space and a zillion hangars. Medallion, B-. If I was ONLY rating it in a vacuum, I'd give this an A-, but it stands in stark contrast to the tech on the rest of the ship which is in the 1980s. Staff, B. Pleasant, but nothing exceptional. I've seen better and worse.

Lol, old.school and I love it...thanks!

Thanks but unfortunately it does not. It lists all of the dining options and you have to click on each one and then click on the menu to see the hours. Worse, once you open one menu you have to go all the way back out and start over

Thanks...that is what people on the ship said but figured I'd ask here in case there was some hack I was missing. Really surprised the app can't do it, but oh well

Thanks for the replies. Yes, on the ship now. What I want is something that tells me these 3 bars or restaurants are open right now. I don't want to have to go to each one and open it and look at the hours. Other apps will say what's open now, what's closing soon and give me a list of venues with hours. It's possible you just can't...which is fine. But if it's 10pm and I want to know my food options, for example, it would be nice for something to tell me what's open now. Ditto for if it's 11am.and I want a drink 😀

Is there any way in the app to see what is open now? Like if I want to know what dining venues or bars are open...is there a way to do that? TIA

Not doubting your experience but mine has been I can do whatever I want except for video on basic. Since the OP specifically wants that, they'll need premium. But I've been able to surf, send and receive pics, etc. just fine on Basic.

In *general* you will not be able to see live video from camera feeds with the basic plan 😞 Not sure when your cruise is, but X has been having great sales lately (e.g., I upgraded a cruise for $2.99/pppd). If you can wait a few weeks they will probably run a special for Black Friday..

Doing this in a couple of weeks. There are many roll calls for these. For the one I'm on, many people say they've sailed it multiple times and like @reedprincess they all say it was one of, if not the, best cruise they've done. I've been working my way up to 32 days (did a 14 in May and then a 21 in Aug)...I'm pretty nervous about it, especially since this is my first Princess cruise 🙂 But based on what others say, I think it's going to be great.

My fear, and it may not be that way for your insurance, is that the policy detail doesn't specifically cover this. And therefore, it is up to the whims of underwriters (and not a rep on the phone)...and we all know they just LOVE to pay out. Again, not saying your insurance does this...just a PSA for people to be aware As with all things, YMMV.

Yeah, I usually use Nationwide and we called them, they did a bunch of research and talked to numerous supervisors in multiple departments and ended up saying we *should* be covered, lol. I don't have many big ticket cruises coming up, so will probably not buy in the near future. But if a $10K or so cruise comes up, hard to turn down $1K in savings 🙂

I tried the link and cannot book anything through it. Once you select a cruise and put in your voyager number it goes back to the main screen. That being said, I think MSC will stick with the current VC discounts for a while.

It was 10 at one point and may go back to there. It's nice, esp if you couple with a CC that gives cash back.

Any trip insurance.

As others have said, no limit. However please search some of the threads about GCs and trip insurance. TL/DR, if you have to cancel your trip insurance may not reimburse you for the amount paid with gift cards.

It's capacity controlled. Honestly, I'd say forget it...it's horrible and not worth it. The less people who do it there better...for me, lol 🙂

@skynight @PacnGoNow Thanks for the quick and detailed response. See my other post above...I discovered it isn't accessible. I got this through a bidding upgrade...I don't need accessible so no worries there. The overhang is great for me as I'm terrified of heights. Being "over" another deck means I'll be able to venture out to the railing 🙂 And once you pointed it out, the laundry is painfully obvious on the deck plans. I need glasses 🙂

nm...I think I was mistaken about it being accessible. But still the Q about the laundry location and the overlook....TIA