SargassoPirate

I've seen little interest in White and Gold night on recent cruises. It may fade away.

Yeah. Some folks think "high" tea is posh because it sounds high falutin' but it's really the plowman's evening meal of meats and cheeses served at a high table.

I followed a 2023 world cruise thread here on CC and the poster had nothing but good to say about the Island, especially the crew. I agree with your comment about a means of transportation - in fact I always look at a ship as a hotel where I can unpack once and the hotel moves me to places I want to see. Also, treating the crew with respect as human beings can enhance one's enjoyment at sea. Even a so so day at sea is always better than a good day at the office.

After several world cruises were cancelled by the pandemic, I ended up booking a WC on the Island. Great itinerary for me, a nice mix of port and sea days, and by watching for price drops, I've been able to save 10K from my initial booking. I can usually find a workaround for whatever "genius" ideas Princess comes up with - such as increasing the passenger capacity by reducing public spaces.

On a couple of evenings when we were in a bit of a hurry, we asked for the starter and main to be delivered at the same time. The waiter looked a bit skeptical, but I told him that's the way SWMBO serves dinner at home. From then on, we got our starters and mains at the same time and it worked well for us. If you don't ask, it's an automatic NO.

That's the way it was on the Regal recently. If you wanted to smoke in the casino it was in a designated area and you had to be gambling. First ship I've ever been in where smoke from the casino was not polluting the air in surrounding areas. On the Caribbean Princess last winter, smoke from the casino drifted into Crooners so much that sitting at the bar was like sitting in the smoking section.

Thanks for your observations about the ship. I chose the itinerary, and even though it has its detractors it looks lovely. 90 days to the WC! Wahoo.

On a recent Regal cruise, the app would not give me the Elite discount so I waited until I was onboard. Half price and SWMBO and I shared one plan. We just switched devices when we needed to access wifi.

Smart move. I've booked air travel to arrive three days ahead of a WC. I priced the cruise line extension and the booked my own stay and will Uber to the port. No stress.

Since you asked for any tips, I'll chime in. Do some research on beet root supplements and ginger capsules.

They call it an upgrade when it's an upgrade in category, not location. I figure there's a reason those particular locations are available, so they pull a sneaky and move unsuspecting passengers into those and then the better location is available for sale. My warehouse TA always marks my bookings no upgrades and they have told me that the default settings for Princess bookings is "accept all upgrades". Even so, I still check my bookings each morning. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Yes. There's a workaround for most anything that Princess comes up with.

Just off the Regal and I was able to get free tokens at guest services. I had some tokens leftover from the Caribbean Princess, but they wouldn't work on the Regal. The only thing consistent with Princess is inconsistency.

I wonder what the science behind that is?

I did read your post #69, but I am still curious about the seemingly ubiquitous use of plastic gloves as if they have some sort of magical sanitizing properties when all they really do is spread contamination from one surface to another. Sit and watch food service workers wearing gloves and notice how many surfaces they touch wearing the same pair of gloves.

Do you not wash your hands before you touch anything going in your mouth or touching your face with your hands? What about other common use and commonly touched surfaces and objects - a salt or pepper shaker, for example? The reason I'm asking is I touch all sorts of things on a ship, and in the world in general, and don't give it a second thought because I wash my hands or at least sanitize them before I touch food, etc. In basic health classes, I would teach hand washing by using petri dishes with soy agar and having students place an unwashed hand on one, a quick rinsed hand on another, a 20 second hand wash on another, and a hospital scrub on yet another. A few days later I would show them the results of what was growing on each one. All one has to do is break the chain of contamination between the surface touched and your food, mouth, or eyes.

Just curious, why?

I'm part of the pre-vaccine polio generation. My parents were scared to death of polio and enforced rigorous hand washing after touching any surface in public. That tradition has been with me since and I seldom get sick with anything.

That's a lame excuse. My black sport coat/blazer weighs 19 ounces. Slip it on over a colored T-shirt with a matching pocket square and some black jeans or slacks and it will pass muster on any formal night on any ship - including Cunard. I wonder what the excuse for baseball caps in the MDR is - other than a lax upbringing?

Having had a career in public health, and enjoying a lifestyle on the OCD spectrum, I wash frequently and the resanitize if I touch any common-use surface. SWMBO used to call me Monk, but since the pandemic so sanitizes just like me.

So how does that work for a US citizen showing up with paper only?

I may ask for a second card. With several cruises booked for the next couple of years and since covid tends to make officials panic, I think carrying up to date covid vaccination records is the smart play.

Even though you live in a small town, is there a big box warehouse club nearby where you can shop?

My shot card is full, so it'll be interesting to see what they do when I get the next booster.

Such as it's ok to reserve a lounger all day with a pool towel in case they want to use it? 😁