Aggie83

From personal experience, yes. My experience is that the dryers tend to run quite hot. Therefore, keep an eye it.

The machines on the Island take tokens. Token machines are in the laundry room. You use your Medallion to purchase the tokens. As of January on the Island, the cost is $3/token. Both the washer and dryer cost 1 token.

FYI - The Island installed brand new washers and dryers in January. They were very nice. I found that the dryers ran quite hot and that the lowest heat setting was perfect for me.

You don't need to have her Medallion to order/pick up the drinks for the two of you. However, if you are approaching the 15 drink limit on your account, then start ordering via the other Medallion.

I add it at time of booking with the TA. That way the gift card value from the TA reflects the package cost and adds to the annual membership rebate. Not so if I were to purchase on board.

That's a bummer. Maybe check back in the Fall and see if they are back to doing tours.

Psst, wait until they find out the tracking capabilities of their cell phone and how that is used by corporate America.

This has replaced the hotel-like card. One of the benefits is that it unlocks your cabin door as you approach. No more fishing around for it in your pocket or purse.

In Dec 2022 my DH and I did the Santiago to BA route (included Antartica). We stayed several nights in Santiago before heading to San Antonio to board the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed Santiago. We did a tour to the Andes which included a stop at a vineyard. To get to the ship, we took a private shuttle via Viator to SA. Original plan was to do a wine vineyard tour on the way to the ship. However, that fell through because no one else signed up. The tour operator refunded some of the tour price and changed it to a private shuttle to the ship. The shuttle picked us up at our hotel. Due to winds, the Punta Arenas port was closed. We ended up spending more time in Ushuaia due to the missed port. We missed Port Stanley because of the wind as well. We fly out of DFW, and almost exclusively on AA. I found that airfare from DFW to SCL was much less (both $-wise and miles redemption) than it was from BA(EZE) to DFW. We redeemed miles for Business Class to SCL and paid for Premium Economy from EZE to DFW. This December we are doing the Antartica cruise as round trip from BA. Airfare (miles or $) for DFW-EZE-DFW is quite high. I jumped on my flights at the 300 day mark, when AA releases it schedules. So far that has been the best pricing. I would agree with the post that thought you would have more scenic cruising from Santiago to BA. Depending on how long you will be in Montevideo, you may be able to do a shore excursion to Punta del Este if you are interested.

"That neck of the woods?" This island is off the west coast of Africa. And why make a derogatory comment about their Coast Guard?

To your point on confidentiality:

Yes, you are correct. My post wasn't about calls my cell carrier would treat as international calls. The OP was not asking about international calls, which is what I responded to.

I called the US when I was on the Sapphire. I also used the hotel WiFi in Santiago to call the US. No charges were incurred for either call.

I believe the reason you weren't charged was because your calls were made via WiFi. You weren't connected to a cellular network. Nothing to do with the numbers you were calling. Connection to a cellular network will result in international call charges. It's also possible you would not have been able to connect to the Toll-free number if connected to a Tahitian cellular service. If you use Verizon, their International plan will kick in for the 24 hour period when connecting to cellular service.

You can place phone calls and send text messages. I have a Samsung with T-Mobile. I enabled WiFi calling and was in Airplane mode. No additional charges. This is from personal experience on the Island from FLL to LAX this January. I also made a phone call via WiFi calling on the Sapphire when I was in South America in December 2022. Dependency is obviously the internet connection you have. For fun, at home, on land, set your phone to Airplane mode with WiFi calling enabled. Make a phone call. It should work. If it doesn't, check your phone settings On a side note, my phone defaults to WiFi calling (Airplane mode not enabled) at home and anytime I'm connected to WiFi - regardless of location.

I was on the Island this January going from FLL to LAX. This was the first segment of the 2024 World Cruise. I purposefully chose the Island because it was transiting through the old locks of the Panama Canal. I have not been on the Coral to provide that comparison. General notes, thoughts, observations, etc.: While onboard, they installed a new MUTS screen. Quality was excellent. There was also new pool area furniture waiting to deploy after LAX. Brand new washers and dryers were installed while we were on the ship. It appeared that the carpeting was fairly new, as I didn't see any worn or frayed areas. Overall, the upholstered furniture was in excellent condition. Nothing that appeared worn out. The Piazza is not as large as on the Royal class ships; however, it extends 4 floors versus the typical 3. Then again, it is narrow enough to go through the old locks and the Royal class ships can't. It seemed that the shops were smaller on the Island compared to the Royal ships. The casino is small and isolated. On the plus side, you don't have to walk through a smokey casino to get anywhere. Horizon Court is forward versus aft. This means there is no outdoor seating area like you have when it is aft. No common area at back of ship to sit, relax, have a drink etc. Never, ever had an issue finding a place to sit and relax. Lots of chairs and love seats available all over. The Wheelhouse is large. Which is a good thing, because it was a very popular place. The ever-popular Crooners is also large. Never had an issue finding a place to sit for our pre-dinner cocktail. I haven't been a fan of the Explorer's Lounge on any of the ships we've been on. I think that is because it is usually a dark place with a low ceiling. However, I liked this one. There was a very comfortable seating area next to a window. No International Cafe. No Vines. No lower-level exit for the Princess Theater. Only exit was at the rear. Our cabin was aft on 10. Loved that I could be on the decks below 10 and walk aft and take the last bank of elevators (or stairs) up to 10. No dining room blocking my way. The aft elevators were never crowded. Usually rode in them solo. The captain came through the MDR one evening and introduced himself. That was a nice touch. We've never experienced that before. If the itinerary was right, we would board the Island again.

Per the AA website, there is an AA partner lounge at SCL. Check the AA website regarding access. Admirals Club access − Travel information − American Airlines (aa.com)

In addition to the Izumi Japanese Bath, the Diamond has the Lotus Spa. The description of spa services on the Princess web site references an 'aromatherapy thermal suite' in the Lotus Spa. It is not the same as The Enclave Thermal Suite, found on the Royal Class ships. In the Cruise Personalizer of your booking, you will see a 'Spa' tab. Six months out you will be able to view spa services and pricing. You will also be able to reserve spa services.

I deleted the old app because the new app is so much better. I also decided I only needed one version on the ship.

IMHO, I found the new app to be substantially better than the old. I found the 'Ship Schedule' section much more usable than the old app. It was an electronic version of the Patter and easy to navigate. As others have suggested, download the new app and compare the two.

Yes, just show up. I just got off the Island Princess. There will be a line for people with a reservation and a line for people without a reservation.

And perfect clickbait.

The title of the post is alarmist. Exclamation mark and all!

In Montevideo, I did the free walking tour with Curioso Free Tour (December 2022). It was very good and was an excellent introduction to Montevideo. Montevideo is a very walkable city. I did not feel unsafe there. I think I tipped $10. Free Walking Tours Montevideo - Curioso Free Tour Hope you make Punta Arenas. The Sapphire missed that port last December due to high winds.

From my Dec 2022 Sapphire Antarctica experience, yes internet is weak to non-existent when cruising Antarctica. If strong internet access at all times is a high priority for you, then Antarctica is probably not the best destination. FWIW, my DH and I are booked on the Dec 2024 Sapphire Antarctica cruise. It was such a beautiful and unique experience that we thought we'd do it again. Hopefully, this time weather will cooperate and we'll make Punta Arenas, Port Stanley, and the originally planned Antarctica route.