SargassoPirate

17 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

I'm starting to venture out of my comfort zone and try something new vacation wise..   My TA is looking into some all-inclusive options but I told her, maybe a new cruise line is all we need to shake things up a bit.   I know MSC does status matches, but does any other line match RCI's status?

I'm D+ and have been happy with Princess as well as RCI and Celebrity.  So much so, in fact, that I'm Elite with Princess which gives me a free mini bar setup for each cruise and free laundry/pressing services as part of the Elite benefits.  Before I achieved Elite, I was just happy to have on board guest laundromats since my first two cruises were 33 and 49 days respectively.

On 8/23/2022 at 11:19 AM, caribill said:

 

Agree, but good luck finding one on the Royal class ships.

You got that right, which is why I won't cruise on a ship without a full promenade.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

For me, once the ship pushes away from the dock, I leave the world behind.  An early morning coffee to watch the sunrise, breakfast and lunch in the MDR, a good book and a shady spot on the promenade, a wee dram or three in the evening and I'm good.

Any questions?  See my signature line below.

Once the double billing hits your credit card, file a dispute right away.

I wonder how many plastic straws it takes to equal the environmental impact of one plastic water bottle?

23 hours ago, MissP22 said:

So you don't attend any production shows, eat any dinner meals in the DR and avoid using the pools.

Why bother to cruise at all? 

If you've been following this thread, you can see that I'm not the only one who avoids the MDR in the evening, the over-amplified production shows, and the Melanoma Deck. There is a plethora of reasons to cruise and a plethora of other ways to amuse oneself other than the three you mentioned.

However, I am tickled that the majority of the sheeple think those things are obligatory because it frees up other areas for uncrowded enjoyment such as those I expressed in my original post:

"For me, once the ship pushes away from the dock, I leave the world behind.  An early morning coffee to watch the sunrise, breakfast and lunch in the MDR, a good book and a shady spot on the promenade, a wee dram or three in the evening and I'm good. " 

On 8/20/2022 at 8:38 PM, traceytd said:

Hi,

I’m am doing the October 3rd 2022 from Vancouver to Honolulu on the Quantum of the Seas. We have an overnighter in Lahaina. Does anyone know what the port’s name or address is? I need to book a vehicle and need an address.

thanks in advance

😁

Tracey

I've done an overnight in Lahaina in the past and rented a car for the two days.  There was a municipal parking lot not too far from the park with the huge banyan tree where I left the car overnight.  The road to Hana is not for those with motion sickness, but worth the drive.  Also, Da Kitchen is my go-to place for loco moco.  It used to be in Kahului and was a convenient stop on the way back from Hana.

Have fun. 

7 hours ago, Fayecruises said:

I don;t have plus or premium yet since I did not book the cruise  yet 

I was just amazed that the difference between the standard and the plus is $6000  per person   

Ditto what caribill sez.  You gotta put the pencil to it. 

3 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

After 11 cruises with Princess I think I may have reached the end of the road with them. I have done 4 cruises since the start up. July 2021 a 4 day cruise to know where. It wasn't perfect but we were just happy to be back on board. The staff tried their hardest as they always do on all ships.The staff are the best. They work hard and always with a smile on their faces.  October 2021 Things were slightly better but hey no complaints these were tough time and once again happy to be back on board. April 2022 A really lovely cruise to Norway things a whole lot better and we were very happy. August 2022 Athens to Barcelona on Regal my all time favourite ship.This started really bad as due to a computer hitch somewhere we were 2.5 hours checking . The heat was horrendous and despite me calling Princess a number of time pre cruise to say I thought the booking was messed up they told me it wasn't. We didn't get our medallions until Sunday and even then mine had the wrong name on it!!! Its was very, very obvious how Princess were nickel and diming just about everything We had the drinks package but the wines available on the list were very, very limited. Only able to get into the MDR once.The ship was at capacity and the dining rooms couldn't cope.We were constantly told to come back in an hour. The menu was very limited in both MDR and Sabatini's in the past the menus have been really good, not so much anymore. Entertainment left a lot to be desired Bravo again!! first saw this on the Regal in Feb 2019 and they are still turning it out. - enough already! Don't start me on the sun bed hoggers. Why are people so selfish to hog beds from 7 am and not even sit on them at all?.

 

So all in all I think the love affair with Princess is over. 

Sounds like very little went right for you and the cruise did not meet your expectations.

Just goes to show that one person's cruise from hell wouldn't even be noticed by some.  After 50-some cruises, I take a more relaxed approach.   I avoid over-amplified production shows, evening meals in the MDR, and the Melanoma Deck.  If the herd is headed one direction, I try to see what's in the other.  If a problem arises, I start at the guest relations desk with a smile, explain my concern, and ask what the person can do for me.

For me, once the ship pushes away from the dock, I leave the world behind.  An early morning coffee to watch the sunrise, breakfast and lunch in the MDR, a good book and a shady spot on the promenade, a wee dram or three in the evening and I'm good.

Any questions?  See my signature line below.

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Like I said, we just ignore her and it really doesn't affect us one way or the other. I'm much more bothered by the folks yelling out, "So good! So good! So good!" whenever we have Sweet Caroline inflicted on us.

I'll bet you don't like "Salt, Salt, Salt" whenever you have Margaritaville inflicted on you either. 😉

12 hours ago, Kenosha Cruiser said:

You guys are to hard on Fortuna Luck. We think she makes bingo more interesting and fun. Some of the jokes may be corny, but so what. She is real friendly and pleasant to talk to. Here's a picture of us with her on the Sky Princess back in February. 

 

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

 

 

 

 

Reminds me of a drag queen I once encountered called Mary K Mart.  Mary K was a bit more flamboyant, but just as annoying.

First night chaos is a cruising tradition and one of the reasons when I cruise solo I head for the Foodjammer on the first night for sure, and most nights after that as well.  I try to eat sensibly and avoid full meals late in the evening.  I do, however, enjoy the MDR for breakfasts and lunches.

Maybe the folks who sell fake service animal certificates can provide a covid test certificate as well.

I wonder if this will be the end of unwanted "upgrades" that are not really an upgrade at all?  You know, the category upgrade to a crappo location such as under the Melanoma Deck or above the disco.

I always have my reservations marked "no upgrades" and have to watch them like a hawk and check every day since in spite of my no upgrade request I've discovered that I've been moved.  Luckily, I discovered the upgrade before my old cabin was reassigned and was able to get back to my original location.

There's a reason some cabins are unsold and available for upgrades - location, location, location. 

1 hour ago, sanchica27 said:

Honestly I would be relieved. I am so anxious about popping an asymptomatic positive before the cruise I've been waiting three years to go on. I've been super careful and have basically stayed home for the last week to try and make sure I don't get COVID. Having to worry about this is ruining the pre-cruise fun.  

I agree that pre-cruise testing is one of the biggest hassles to cruising. Covid is everywhere and here to stay.  Most of America has moved on, but the cruise lines are scared to death of media scrutiny with the threshold of "outbreak" being so low.  All they need is some media outlet's headlines of "covid outbreak and skyrocketing cases" on a cruise ship.

On 8/15/2022 at 5:21 PM, Tatra603 said:

So you can fly into Greece without a test, but you have to take a test to leave on a cruise ship.

This makes no sense.

Does anyone know whether the port authority have any plans to rescind this ridiculous rule?

Covid rules don't have to make sense.

Covid is here to stay and is everywhere, planes, buses, trains, grocery stores, movies, concerts, sporting events, bars, restaurants, and yes, cruise ships.

If one is that afraid of catching covid in the face of vaccines and therapeutics, they should stay home and where an N95 to venture out.

On 8/14/2022 at 6:52 AM, King10Sooted said:

If you have the drink package you can ask for whatever Scotch you want.

True, but depending on the deal most often I don't get the drink package, especially when I cruise solo and I only drink a wee dram or three in the evenings.   In those times when I'm paying by the drink, my two dollar bill works well. 

It is indeed nice to see some things return to normal and common sense come into play.

4 hours ago, Bird82 said:

Most people don’t tip extra. I would guess maybe 5-10% of cruisers tip extra. 18% tip for drinks is more than generous. I tip extra because i’m a schmuck and too nice. You’re going to get the same drinks and same service whether you tip extra or not. 

See post #2 above.  It's probably true that most people don't tip a little extra.  That's why my two dollar bill opens the door to better pours and better Scotch.

The "no extra tipper" gets something from the well while I'm enjoying a nicer Scotch.

17 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Wait!!! She forgot to pick her nose.🤣

She'd probably have to take off one glove to do it! 

20 hours ago, MissP22 said:

It sounds like their discriminating  against those people that book 20 day B2B cruises. Perhaps it's just an oversight & will be addressed very soon.

Since I booked two cruises separately, I think I should be ok.  I won't need to test before the first one and if they want to test me before the second one it'll be up to them since I'll already be on board.

We can only hope that common sense will prevail - something sometimes in short supply.

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

That's the reason. 

That is indeed the reason and it's theater.  Consider cross contamination.  I was at a major hotel chain restaurant recently and watched one of the servers wearing rubber gloves.  She bussed a couple of tables, scraped off the plates,  delivered some food,  grabbed a couple of glasses by sticking her fingers down inside when she picked them up, filled them with water, picked up two unwrapped straws and inserted them with her gloved hands touching the tops of the straws where you place your lips, delivered the water, grabbed a broom and dustpan to sweep under some tables, went back into the expo area to pick up some more food, then adjusted her hair, and pulled out her cellphone to check something.

All while wearing the same "magic sanitizing gloves".

I called the manager over and asked her why the servers were wearing rubber gloves.  Her one word answer was "sanitation".

I described what I had observed and asked how sanitary was that.  She got a puzzled look and then said it was company policy.

BTW, the last time I looked the only area where the USDA food sanitation manual mentions gloves is the chain mail gloves for meat cutters.  For everyone else, it's frequent handwashing and handwashing between tasks such as bussing tables and serving food.

22 minutes ago, flamingos said:

What's your opinion of the Scotch selection on board?  We're not real pleased by it.

I'm usually not disappointed by most Scotches.  I can get by just fine with Dewers - which seems to always be available on most lines.  When I treat myself at home it's Bowmore or Jura, and failing those any Scotch from Islay.

1 hour ago, TwinMamainMN said:

Do you tip in cash or write it on the receipt? Curious.

I usually take a stack of one and two dollar bills to use.  Two dollar bills are unusual, and it helps them remember me and my order.