SargassoPirate

Many thanks, Crew News. Do you recall if there were any loungers or chairs on the "secret" verandah?

As part of my 'avoid the crowds and avoid the herd' strategy, when I do try one of the over-amplified production shows, I wait until just before showtime and simply stand somewhere in the back, with a wee dram in hand. Works for me and once the show is over, if not before, I evacuate quickly and avoid the crush of the herd exiting all at once. All of this goes out the window if She Who Must Be Obeyed is cruising also and then we have to get there early and sit in our favorite seats where, if the show sucks we can leave unobtrusively. More often than not, I'd rather enjoy some of the strings, guitar, or piano entertainment elsewhere, with my wee dram. To each his own.

I'm looking at a cruise on the Zaandam. Has anyone here stayed in the sideways inside K6215 on the Verandah Deck 6? It looks like it's surrounded by white areas, but only steps from the aft "secret" balcony.

You got it. I always put the pencil to these offers and more often than not I'm better off going a la carte and using any TA OBCs to cover tips and so forth. A wee dram or two in the evening is about my limit alcohol limit and I get by just fine with tea or water the rest of the time.

I stayed independently at the Embassy Suites pre and post cruise in January. For the Princess cruisers who booked it through Princess it looked to me to be a crowded hot mess. Long lines to the east door waiting for the buses. I was on a Princess cruise and booked a shuttle through the hotel. Easy beasy. I timed it and from the time I boarded the shuttle to stepping into the ship was 35 minutes. Embassy Suites has just about priced themselves out of the market, but I was using AmEx bonus stay certificates so I stayed for free. Break away from the herd and book your own.

But, since the pandemic and cruise ships were all over the news at the start, anything cruise ship related gives the media a chance to sensationalize and exploit the story for clicks and ratings. Personally, I know how to keep myself safe and wouldn't hesitate to board a ship with a noro problem anymore than an airplane, a bus, a taxi, or sit in any restaurant or bar. Or, I could stay home with the covers over my head.

Try the NCL Epic, which I call the Epic Mistake. Only cruise I could hardly wait to disembark.

Norovirus is spread by the fecal-oral route, so it's easy to tell who didn't wash their hands before touching their food or sticking their fingers in their mouth. I take the approach that every surface in the world is contaminated with germs, viruses, and bacteria and if I've touched anything before I touch my food, I wash and/or sanitize. All of the procedures such as the crew serving in the buffet and no common use containers on the tables is theater since there are many other surfaces to touch and pick up noro. How about when you grab the bottom of your chair to pull it in - for example?

And then they'll wonder how they got norovirus. And when they do, I don't feel sorry for them. I protect myself by hand washing and sanitizing.

Yep, I've read about the addition of the cabins and the loss of the wrap around promenade. At least there's still some promenade for walking laps and I can cut across at the aft. The fact that you wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Island for the desired itinerary tells me a lot. More often than not I pick the itinerary first and then research the ship. Since the world cruise on the Island is affordable and I like the itinerary, I should be fine. All I really need is somewhere to get something to eat when I'm hungry, a shady place to read, a promenade to enjoy, and a wee dream in the evening. Thanks for your insight.

Another big What's Gotten Better for me is they no longer pre-set the tables in the Horizon Court with your tumblers and coffee mugs placed upside down on the table or placemats that was probably wiped off with a used cloth napkin from the previous diner. Covid probably killed that and I hope it stays dead. Hand washing stations at the entrance to the HC is a big plus, especially for those too ignorant to wash their hands without prompting.

What's not to like on the Island Princess? Any specifics or just overall impression? I've sailed on the Coral twice, but never the Island, so I'm curious.

Regarding the coffee, I was up early one morning on the Caribbean Princess and saw the crew restocking the coffee station. The coffee syrup was Nescafe. For sure it's better, but still not as good as fresh brew.

we_like_to_cruise.....I was watching an Island Princess video tour on YouTube and noticed how open the casino is to the Fiesta Deck, especially to the photo gallery. Is the casino a smoking area?

Just my opinion, but I find the atmosphere around the pool deck anything but relaxing. If it's not an over-amplified band or DJ it's an over-amplfied MUTS. Again, just my opinion.

This past week I've been working on booking air travel for two upcoming cruises. It took some doing, but I found some fares that I was happy with. I was especially happy with the fare to Europe in the fall by booking a connection in Iceland instead of direct. Also happy with some fares to and from Florida by booking with a connection in Atlanta. Ordinarily I prefer direct flights to lessen the chance of lost luggage, so to assuage that concern, I booked a couple of extra days in the outbound city figuring if the bags were lost, they'd catch up before the cruise. I use a matrix and research the various airlines, travel companies that book airlines, the airline themselves, and the fares for the different classes. If I work at it and am flexible with dates and times, I can usually fly first class for not much more than steerage. And remember, if I'm going there anyway, the cost of first class is just the extra, and usually the extra is worth it. And this from a guy who books inside cabins on cruises.

Thanks to you and JABTPS for your insights. I've been on over fifty cruises on several lines thus far and only had one cruise that I could hardly wait for the cruise to be over. That was because of the poor design of the ship overall and the poor design of the cabins - the NCL Epic. On all other cruises, I've been able to find something to eat somewhere on the ship, a shady place to read and watch the sea, and somewhere to get a wee dram in the evening while listening to some low key strings or guitar. I suspect that a WC on the Island Princess will work just fine for me I figure you gotta be somewhere, so why not on a ship?

Check Wikipedia for "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" "The same 2018 study found that, while microplastic dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch is comprised out of larger objects which have not yet fragmented into microplastics. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old, and includes items (and fragments of items) such as "plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles." Don't see straws listed there, but plastic bottles are. Must be a lot of them being blown overboard. I find it humorous that the International Cafe will serve me a frozen coffee drink in a plastic cup with a plastic lid, but makes me use a paper straw that is next to worthless. (After my first experience with paper straws, I now carry plastic straws with me. I also carry a refillable plastic water bottle and use it instead of several plastic water bottles)

Millions of plastic bottles for water, and yet we can't have a plastic straw instead of a paper one that starts to biodegrade as soon as it hits my frozen coffee drink.

We were on a HAL cruise years ago. I dubbed the ship the Euroslam because of the balcony doors. People would step out onto their balconies and let the door slam behind them. Sitting on the balcony we were treated to a cacophony of boom, boom, booms. She Who Must Be Obeyed declared it her first and last HAL cruise unless the ship had sliding balcony doors.

That's funny. They usually book a cabin right next to me. You must be on the other side.

Here's what just popped up using my mobile device:

I wonder how, with today's technology, Princess can oversell a category? If a cabin is not available, how can it be booked?

Why the groans about the Island Princess for a world cruise for people who obviously booked the 2023 WC since they are on the ship now? Are there any real bad points to the ship or is it just perceptions/expectations by people who maybe didn't do due diligence in their research of the ship before booking a long cruise,?

Just goes to show that once a government - any government - program is started, it's hard for the government bureaucracy to end it.