Iamcruzin

I am aware of how the tip pool works for the people behind the scenes as well as those who you see. They started that back when they started anytime dining around 2006. The 18% at the restaurant is new. Those people were originally part of the tip pool and if you gave them any extra in cash they got to keep that. The bartenders were never part of the tip pool and an 18% gratuity was always added to the drink order. If you tipped additional in cash they got to keep that and it didn't go into the tip pool. If now everyone is in the tip pool including the restaurant staff and the bar tenders than it doesn't seem fair that bar tenders and the restaurant staff are taking money from the tip pool as well as getting additional. That would leave less money for the dining room staff and the room stewards as well as the behind the scene staff.

I was under the impression that the bar staff were not part of the same pool as the room stewards and the wait staff at the meal venues. Maybe that has changed but they were always separate from the other group.

So this is in addition to the daily gratuity fee that you pay when you book and they all share this as well? Sounds like double dipping from Princess.

Unless they cut up the food and feed me I can't see anything else that could be done to warrant any extra than the 18% tip. Aren't they also part of the auto gratuity pool? Plus you are paying an additional fee just to eat there and you are not using the MDR which you paid for in the fare. Where does the auto gratuity go on that night that you aren't there?

$200 more is still $200 more than what it would have been if they added her. Plus they filled a vacant room which might have had to have been discounted closer to sailing.

Simple. It's after final payment so why fill one cabin at a lower double rate when you can fill two at a single supplement rate.

I agree but if you are dead set on going and don't want a sudden port change than a land trip is the only guarantee. I wouldn't even be looking to travel to Israel by land or sea at this point in time and or even a year from now. There are enough protests going on in this country. I'm not looking to spend good money to go to a war zone.

I have never known Princess to discount specialty restaurants in the past and I started sailing with them in 1991 when Alfredo's was the only pay for venue. I have sailed on Royal Caribbean as well and know what you are referring to. They scope you out while you are shopping around and offer you a special price.It's usually for a slow booking night. I took them up on an offer for Jamies. They were offering 25% off and before the cruise I didn't hear great things about it but I was pleasantly surprised when we ate there. Service was great since we were the only table in the restaurant. They offered us 50% for the last night sailing but we declined. No discount for Wonderland or the Steakhouse venue on that sailing but I bet those fill up. Wonderland was more about presentation and not about the food. That is a one and done place for us.

That's what I do too. It's the only way to know with the prices constantly changing especially if you book far in advance.

It also depends on what the price of the upgrade would have been at the time of your original booking. I don't have experience on Princess but on Royal Caribbean the starting bid would have cost me more than if I had booked that category to being with.

Why are they still selling cruises to Israel at this time? If you want to see Israel I would book a land trip. It's one of those ports that is a crap shoot with political unrest that can pop up at any given moment. I wouldn't be booking any cruise to Russia either.

I've been following this site since 2008. You are not the first and certainly won't be the last to make that mistake.

Princess has the worst room accommodations at sea. No comfortable seating in any stateroom lower than a deluxe balcony. Your clothing has more room and better traveling conditions than a passenger. If I paid what they are charging for a mini suit and had to Macgyver the the sofa before it was usable that would be my last trip on Princess. All of the other main stream lines have managed to add a love seat and a larger shower to all staterooms why can't Princess? How many had to go without beach towels because they were being used for lumbar support? This is disgraceful.

Princess gave up summer Caribbean sailings from NYC around 2010. We lived on Long Island and started sailing on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity out of Cape Liberty for Caribbean itineraries in the Northeast.

d

For years people used the excuse that they can't bring formal wear because of the airline charging to check a bag. It amazes me that they have no trouble packing rice cookers and crockpots.

I agree. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean ships have night lights in the bathroom. I remember my wife packing battery operated tea lights to leave in the bathroom when we sailed on Princess. Overall I sail Princess for the itinerary. The room accommodations are the worst among the mainstream lines. The room configurations haven't changed since I first sailed with them on the Crown Princess in 1991.

2024 and they still don't have USB ports for charging? Other lines literally have charging stations in the room. Do they have night lights in the bathrooms yet. I haven't sailed Princess since 2013. I strayed to Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and never went back.

I am all for changes for the better. In the cruise industry that doesn't seem to be the case.

I am happy to hear that you had a great experience.

I keep reading posts like this on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean as well and I haven't returned to cruising post covid yet because of this. I think I'm going to try Virgin for my next cruise. It's a different experience and I won't have any expectations or past experiences to compare it to.

The 6 month renewal isn't necessarily about the cruise unless you are visiting a country that has a requirement that the expiration date has to exceed 6 months. I will tell you from experience that some Airlines won't let you fly with a passport that is at the 6 month mark. If you have to cut your trip short for some reason the airline might have an issue with the soon to expire passport.

You are correct. They want new cruisers who don't know what they are missing. Sometimes I envy them.

In the US jeans have been accepted in most situations since the 70's. It's not uncommon to see men wearing jeans with a sports jacket and loafers if they want to dress up the jeans. Ties aren't even seen in office situations any more. To be honest the cruise lines aren't even offering the same dining experience that warrants formal nights anymore. They seem to be pushing the buffet and specialty restaurants more and more. The specialty restaurants were the place to go when you didn't want to dress up for formal night. Even with the up charge it was still a better value than buying and packing formal wear that will only sit at the back of your closet when you get home.

I'm not afraid as I have used a similar system on Royal Caribbean and it worked fine for opening doors and payments. However, I have heard so many negative comments on this site as well as on other social media sites that it has not been perfected yet.