ASeaPrincess1

I don't know how much time and energy you want to put into this, but I got these for my Meet & Greet I'm setting up.

100 name tags and badge holders.  

I went on to the Avery site and chose a simple pattern, in my case, a ship anchor, and printed up name badges for the ones who have RSVP'd to come. 

Cheaper on Amazon than the Avery website. 

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Securely-Inserts-Holders-74549/dp/B00007LVED/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3T9GH51CQ1B2Q&keywords=avery+74549+name+badges&qid=1550116661&s=gateway&sprefix=avery+74549%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-5

It sounds like you got the kind of cake they used to have, before they changed it on the website. Lucky you. (and hey, you got wine ;) )

 

This is what I got last year.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...3&postcount=57

 

I won't order one again. I'm going to try to work something else out for my next birthday cruise. I must have a better cake! ;p

That looks better than the one I got. I think they forgot about me, as my birthday was the day we boarded.

I didn't even get to take a picture of it until it was already cut up.

I almost said something, but really didn't feel like pushing it at the time. I know I could have gone to Guest Services, but as you said, I got wine! :D

Plus they went over and above for us the whole cruise. So it's a small thing, but in retrospect, they should have been told because other people will order it expecting it like the picture.

The cake you had on Serenade was good, though. And I have to say that at least they are tasty even though they don't look like what we ordered.

I remember the first time I ordered a Bon Voyage cake. It was $8.95 and delicious!

I have also ordered the Wine and Cheese tray. It was different on each ship.

Small but nice on Monarch (yes, a LONG time ago) Huge and beautifully plated on Mariner, and disappointing on Serenade. Just a plate of chunks of cheese, where the previous trays had grapes, crackers and a nice selection of cheeses.

I guess it's a case of YMMV.

I am saddened to hear of this, and my condolences on your loss. This is such tragic news, and I hope you can find at least a little comfort in the loving arms of your CC family that are reaching out to embrace you and your loved ones.

Praying for your inner peace and strength in these hard times.

I ordered the cake for my Explorer cruise this past September. What I got was not the cake pictured on the website. What I got was a regular cake with buttercream icing and Happy Birthday written across the top in gel icing. No other adornments like in the picture.

While it tasted good, I didn't think it was worth the $25 they charged, but only because I was expecting what was illustrated.

I didn't complain because it wasn't delivered on the correct day, but two days later. The head waiter was so apologetic and gave us a bottle of wine for the trouble. They bent over backwards for us the whole trip.

But if you want it for a celebration, then by all means, go for it if you think it's worth it. I am not trying to dissuade you, and your experience may be different.

Have a great cruise & the only issue I've read about with using a "playing card" coffee card is having a barista who'd never seen one having to confirm that it was a valid coffee card. ;)

I had the same issue. I have several old coffee cards, and had a few punches left on my old "Queen of Steam" card. I wanted to just use it up, and the first barista I gave it to looked confused, then walked away and conferred with his boss.

In the dining room, they said they could not take it. After explaining that yes, they could indeed take it, they whisked it off to a superior who apologized and explained that there had been instances of copying. After verifying that my card was valid, they honored it.

Really though? Copying it? People do that? :confused:

Anyway, I just got off Emerald, and they were checking the backs of the green striped cards to be sure the sailing was listed. Otherwise, they punched for brewed coffee.

In the navigator in January. Who has stayed one deck below the windjammer. Just was curious if they ever heard noise?

 

 

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I think it depends on what part of the Windjammer is above you. I have been under the main dining area on Vision and only heard carts a few times in the early morning hours while they were setting up. That area is carpeted, so not that bad.

Stayed under the kitchen area on both Serenade and Jewel and heard carts rolling overhead day and night. That area was not carpeted, so it was like being under the roller derby!

I know these are different classes of ships than Navigator, but I would imagine they'd be pretty similar.

Some people say they hear nothing, but being under a public deck, you are bound to hear some noises.

I try not to let it bother me. It's just part of the operations.

Thank you for this. We were on this sailing as well, and are going back in September!

There will always be some kind of noise when you are under a public deck like that.

I stayed in 8008, and heard rolling carts overhead, generally around 5 AM when they were getting set up.

I don't recall hearing people walking overhead, though, so it wasn't that bad.

I've dealt with worse noise on other ships.

Dec 20th... is now leaving on Dec 22, cut two days from 10 -8 days. I heard from my grandson today, who is on that cruise. I am on dec 30 cruise which is a new year cruise ...

Yes, December 22 to the 30th now. Puerto Vallarta and Manzanilla are removed, Ensenada added.

 

They say 2 days credit plus $300 onboard credit per guest and a discount up to 30% of the original fare paid on next cruise.

 

 

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Interesting. I have clients booked on that cruise but haven't heard anything from Princess about the changes. I will call Princess in the morning.........

if you prepay the gratuities by 12/14/16, princess will not raise your gratuity charge to the higher rate.

Actually, it is November 15, 2016.

From my email:

"Additionally, booked passengers have the opportunity to prepay their daily gratuities at the current gratuity amount through November 15, 2016 at 11:59PM PST."

I was able to upgrade from a JS to an OS for next to nothing! Worth it to me!:D

 

Oddly, we had an 'overabundance' of fresh horseradish at our table with it being offered with almost every seating to accompany one dish or the other. My travel companions did not want to dress for the first formal night and insisted that we visit the Windjammer, where we were even offered horseradish and Béarnaise sauce by a very attentive manager.

 

Our only issue with Explorer was the elevators. I was traveling with 2 passengers with mobility issues and the elevator wait times were sometimes very long and often caused by our fellow passengers, many of whom exhibited bad elevator 'etiquette'. The passenger mix on this sailing seemed to lead to the stairs being used much less than what is usual.

Ah, so YOU got all the horseradish! :p :D

Since I was the only one in our group who likes it, it wasn't a big deal. Just a bit puzzling.

I did have the Bearnaise, but it had a weird taste. Pretty spicy. I like spicy food, but this was different than Bearnaise I have had before. Maybe that's where the horseradish went.....

I agree about the elevators. We took the stairs as much as we could, but sometimes you just need a ride. Took forever. I guess that's why people were rushing to get on when we were trying to get off. :cool:

We were also on the cruise with you, and I have to agree with your assessment.

I'm sorry about your bedding issues. Did you ask for a topper to make it more comfortable? I usually pre-reserve them through Special Services.

It's good to know that we can forgo the Izumi if we buy the 3 dinner package. That was the one thing that prevented me from doing it. Maybe next time I will. Thanks for the info.

Chops was wonderful. My steak was so tender it could be cut with a fork. Funny that our travel companions ordered a Chops steak in the MDR, but it wasn't nearly as good.

The Meet & Mingle was different this time, and like you, we didn't get an invitation. I only found out because our friends got one.

We missed the slot pull because there was an invitation to another event. It was disappointing, to say the least. Should have done the slot pull. I have so much fun at those! Oh well.....

There were some hits and misses. I found it rather odd that I couldn't get horseradish with my prime rib in the MDR. They ran out.

Couldn't get sour cream in Chops in the morning. They ran out, but had it for baked potatoes at night....

Tomato juice for breakfast. They ran out, but had enough for Bloody Marys.

Whatever....I was just happy that they had a plentiful supply of Coconut Ranger Cookies! :D

Overall, the ship is in great shape, and we have booked again for next year. Trying to support a Royal Caribbean ship back on the west coast again, though I know it's a long shot.

There is a phone number you can call when you do your online check in if you need assistance.

800 398-9819 or have your TA call them.

We just did this, too. :-)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I'm waiting for pricing on both ships. We love Alfredos but could deal without it. I'm just nervous that they will not have a Hawaiian Ambassador group to entertain on the April 14 th cruise as Princess has sent Elua to Japan in April to start the season sailing there. Would be very disappointed not to have a Hawaiian theme to the cruise.

 

We've sailed out of San Pedro before but not San Francisco.

We're leaning towards Star Princess as this would be a new ship for us, have sailed the Grand multiple times.

 

Jackie

SOLIVITA LADY

 

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I just booked Star for March 19 and started a Roll Call. So far, I'm the only one....;)

I just got off Grand a few weeks ago, and was on Star last November. I like both ships, and yes, San Francisco is wonderful to sail in and out of.

I did choose Star mainly for location. No flying or long drives for me.

But many of my friends on the east coast say it's easier for them to get to Los Angeles as opposed to San Francisco.

Since you've been on Grand before, why not try Star? She is a beautiful ship, and yes, the closets ARE bigger! :D

The mini suites for 3 or 4 will have a separate seating area with a sofa that opens into a bed, and above that, a bed that will come down from the ceiling.

The main bedroom area can be set up in a queen configuration.

Your first concern was already addressed......:)

We and our friends were in 1584 and 1586 and we had rolling carts all day and night, from about 4 AM until 11 PM.

I think our cabins were a little closer to the kitchen area so hopefully you won't have to listen to that.

Close. His name is Troy Thirdgill and you are correct. He's funny and not vulgar.

 

I only had the pleasure of seeing him one time, but I have never laughed so hard as I did at his show. I keep hoping to catch him on a cruise again.

Carlos Oscar is another good one. I've seen him a few times.

Two years ago, we, along with several others in our group, did a B2B on Serenade. I ordered toppers for everyone, but since I was the only one in the group who had to change rooms for the second leg, I forgot to order one for my new room.

The mattress in the new room was hard as a rock! That was a Grand Suite, too (for what it's worth.........;))

I asked my steward if he would get me a topper. He got me THREE! :D So much better.

I was back on Serenade again last April. I made sure to order the topper before the cruise this time!

Just have your TA order one or call the Special Services department to order it.

The first one is la-Vancouver a 4 day. Then Vancouver-sea is a one night so I thought I could do a 5 nighter :)

No, you can't do that unless you change ships or spend a night in Vancouver.

Assuming you mean Los Angeles to Vancouver then Vancouver to Seattle.

Do you have newer/more pictures or a video of the bedrooms and layout? I would like to book this room next December. Thank you!

Here's a link to more pictures

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2165473&highlight=serenade+1054

I feel your pain. I sent a complaint letter to 42 states complaining Powerball was broken or fixed after I didn't win 1.5 billion.

 

Still waiting for a reply.

:D:D I feel YOUR pain. So you weren't the one in Florida to win? Well....I wasn't the one in California, either......:(:D

I don't remember the mattress being bad at all in April, but I'm not sure exactly when the mattresses were swapped out. I don't know if it had to do with being in a suite vs. balcony, or if the April cruise still had the old mattresses. :confused:

I had the GS in April 2014, and that's when it was hard as a rock.

When we did the B2B that year, I had ordered a topper for the JS I was in on the first leg, but didn't think about it when changing to the GS for the second leg.

I was just glad that my steward was so accommodating!! :D

The bed on the cruise we did this past April was fine, but again, I had pre-ordered the topper, so that may have been a factor.

Since there are a lot of comments about this, perhaps we SHOULD give RC a head's up.:eek:

My Serenade bed was awful in October. My steward added some kind of pad, but that only helped a little. My Mom was fine but I woke up with a sore back every day.

 

My next three cruises are on Princess, and I thought I remember reading that they've improved their mattresses from the rocks they used to be so I have high hopes for a better night's sleep.

 

By the time my next RCI cruise rolls around in 2017, maybe they will have added pillow tops to all the Flintstone beds. One can hope. Keep on letting them know in the post cruise surveys.

 

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How was your bed on our April cruise? You had a GS then.

I only mentioned the Grand Suite, as one would think suites would at least have upgraded mattresses like on Princess. In fact, Princess is in the process of replacing all mattresses in their fleet with a new, luxury line.

I had pre-ordered toppers for my most recent Serenade and Jewel cruises, and had no problems.

We'll see how it goes with Explorer next September.....

I was in a GS on Serenade and the bed was hard as a rock!!

I asked my steward to please put on an egg crate topper. He put on THREE!

Yay!

So much better!

I can't believe they have Flintstone beds on these ships. :eek: