Chelly

I am a veggie fan and never seem to get enough on a cruise ship so always ask server for a side order of whatever vegetables they have in kitchen (with a wedge of lemon)

  Loving this thread and happy I didn't stop reading at the butter posts.   

4 hours ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

@AF-1Yes, Good Morning!

Great question. Yes, I live in LA & wanted a no fuss travel to the ship cruise. I was very curious to "try out" the newest Princess ship, thus the reason I purposely didn't book a Grand class ship. Over the years Princess has been one of my favorite cruise lines. The pricing couldn't be passed by either. I came on with an open mind & positive attitude. The MDR food & service were delightful. Loved all the live music! I was aware of the GRT & PSR when I booked. Will I come back to Princess,  Yes..... on a Grand class. My next cruise is back to Viking Ocean on a trans-Atlantic in December. 

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

Sorry, but could you tell me what GRT and PSR mean?   Thanks.

5 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

I wouldn't stress over it.  I have found a few things to be constant over the years. 1) more times than not, those that write reviews had a bad experience and want to vent, but are not necessarily representative of the majority. 2) Having the right attitude going in will greatly increase your odds of success!!  So, think positive and do your thing.  I expect you will be very satisfied in the end.  And most important...enjoy time with your son!!

Thank you, @USCcruisecrazy and others who replied to my post.    Princess hasn't disappointed me yet so will not fret about what to expect on the new Discovery .   Appreciate all the positive comments and good advise.

I am riveted to this thread of posters' disappointing experiences on Discovery.   I am  booked on Discovery's Oct 8 sailing to Mexico.   This is the first time I've had troubling concerns about an upcoming cruise.

I've cruised more than 35 times; mostly on HAL, Celeb and Princess... with a few RCL, Carnival, NCL and Viking tossed in.  

I usually travel solo in a well situated balcony cabin.   This time I booked an additional balcony cabin as a gift for my adult son.  It will be his first cruise.   I've always managed to "survive" a disappointing cruise by maintaining a good attitude and by avoiding difficult areas, sticking with what works for me.  

However, now that I've involved another person in my cruise, I'm troubled by so many bad reviews of Discovery.   For months, I've hyped to my son all the wonderful experiences I've had on Princess and have been excited about the new Discovery.   Based on what I'm reading, I fear this cruise will be a huge disappointment to a newbie cruiser.    Hoping in upcoming months Discovery's travel experience will improve, but have come to the point of cancelling and booking with HAL or Celebrity.  Really feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.

11 hours ago, donaldsc said:

If I put all the stuff mentioned in this thread, my backpack would weigh 20 pounds.  I try to take as little as possible.  

 

DON

Agree.  

No backpack.  After 40 years of cruising I have lightened up.  

Tissues stuffed in pants pocket.  

Credit card, room card/medallion, drivers license (or copy of passport) and cash stuffed in bra.  It's all I need.   Works for me.   Hands free at all times.  

Looking forward to sail away photos of today's voyage.

Joseph and Christy:

Many, many thanks for taking the time to post your experiences on Discovery's Maiden Voyage.   I am very excited for you and all your cruise mates today.   Bon voyage and best wishes that you enjoy every single minute of your cruise.  (patiently waiting for my turn on Discovery's Oct 8 voyage)

Chelly

Bon Voyage to everyone on Discovery's Maiden Voyage tomorrow, March. 27.   

11 minutes ago, Ombud said:

What is the email address for mc app support? 

I phoned Princess Medallion Navigator Support at:

• United States (toll free): 1-800-774-6237.  This phone number is noted in the FAQ for Medallion below.   I did not see an email address.  

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ocean-medallion/ocean-faq/

 The Medallion app finally allowed me to log-in today and I'm in the green-line.   I had been trying for weeks to log-in with no success.   I am on the Discovery, Oct 8 sailing.  Just my opinion, but I believe Princess created a monster with this app.   

48 minutes ago, IBM Sweathog said:

I cannot load half my info to this Medallion app.  I have an Android phone and Android tablet.  I tried using the so called internet version and still encounter the same errors.  This is the worst app ever developed.  My question is does this app work on an Apple phone?  How is everyone loading your travel info like driver's license or passport info?

I have an iPhone and am computer savvy.  Medallion hasn't worked for me after dozens of attempts.   Spent an hour on the phone this morning with a Princess Medallion rep.   Together, we supposedly "worked out the glitches".  She said to go through the Medallion check-in processes by using booking number, name and date of birth.   The rep verified that all my information is correct.   Still can't get into my account through Princess Medallion.    Makes me want to go back to Celebrity.

4 minutes ago, WAvoyager said:

We were going to try to coach her through the process of doing it online, or get her to send her docs to us, and then just realized it’ll take far longer to work through all that, than to do it at the port!  🤣.  

It helps that she’s booked in a suite, so she’ll go through the priority lane.  So we had to finish online so she wouldn’t have to wait for us!  
 

Things we were trying (unsuccessfully) to do on the app a month ago seem to be getting better, so hopefully they’ll have the major bugs ironed out before our next (June) cruise.

Good response.   Agree that anything and everything can be worked out at the port....Also agree that the priority lane provides a lot of "comfort".  Best wishes for your cruise.   

 Honestly, I continue to be perplexed and discouraged by the frustration and wasted hours Medallion has caused so many Princess cruisers.  

4 hours ago, WAvoyager said:

Many others have reported that they don’t use the app, and only do their check in at the terminal.   We’re on our first cruise in a couple of years in April, so no firsthand experience yet, but we’ll know soon.  We’re all checked in, but Mom will be doing it the old school way.

I liked reading this.   Good for Mom!   I am tech savvy but won't give in to chaos.   When an app is finicky, I don't play along.

Thanks for your responses.  I downloaded Medallion app to my iPhone.  My cruise isn't until October.  Does cruise need to be paid in full before Medallion app will function?   Appreciate the help provided here.

I am sailing on the new Princess Discovery this October.  I'm an experienced cruiser, but new to Medallion.  I cruise to relax and avoid stressors.  I'm concerned about all time and frustration dealing with Medallion pre-cruise (I have been reading posts about Medallion.  OUCH!).   What will happen if I show up at the cruise port with just my documents and no Medallion?  Will checkin be a bad experience?   Thanks for input.  Haven't even begun the "Medallion experience" yet, but already turned-off by reading about it.

sorry, wrong thread.

I have done two California Coastals on Princess, RT Los Angeles.  One time in late March, one time in April.  If you have never been to San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada, the cruise is definitely worth it.  On each cruise the weather was warm and sunny.  But, if you like tropical weather, you could be disappointed.  Be prepared for daytime temps in the 60's.  (This was my experience in the two to four years before COVID.)

Spectacular photos.   That you for sharing with us.

Thanks so much for sharing your quarantine experience.   Best wishes on your health and your husbands health.    I hope you will continue to post.   This is valuable information.

I like the Sheraton at LAX and stay there for the night pre-cruise.  Rates are reasonable.  Rooms are very comfortable with superior beds and linens.  On arrival at LAX, take the hotel shuttle to Sheraton.    Morning of cruise, taxi to cruise port.

Question about Caribe balconies on Royal.

When cruising on Crown, Emerald and Ruby I always book a Caribe Deck balcony because they are about 12 inches deeper than regular balconies on other decks.   Is this also true on Royal?    Are Caribe Deck balconies deeper?

Thanks.

C

Chelly

April 7, 2019

N. Statendam

7- day Western Caribbean

STOP! People need to smoke and anything you complain about will not detract from that. Give them their nights in the casino (don't go there those nights if you have a problem since they are probably making more money from the smokers) and give them the FEW areas of the ship they can smoke! They are also paying a premium for the SA balcony cabins for which they cannot use to smoke.! STOP STOP COMPLAINING! These are the rules and if you don't like them, sail another cruise line!

Yes, Cruise on Celebrity which is pristine and Non-Smoker friendly. Casino is nonsmoking. It is clean and delightful. I still cruise on HAL from time to time but no HAL casino for me.