ldubs

Cruise staff are sitting in a dark room monitoring our potty habits. Yep, that is happening for sure. Most people find it a positive if the barkeep recognizes them and their drink preferences.

This just isn't right. Once they accept your booking, other than for obvious reasons, it should remain in place. @Sea Hag, glad it worked out for you.

And data being collected while you drive your new generation cars. Personally, I kind of like it if it means bad drivers can't lie their way out of responsibility.

That was my point. The comparison should be with the extra cost speciality dining on the lines you disfavor. I sure agree with you about the other included amenities and agree about the difference being less with an apples-to-apples comparison. I don't agree with the comment about reasonably enjoyable experiences or mob scenes. While the mega ships are not my cup of tea, I've enjoyed many cruises on larger ships and find the more lively atmosphere to my liking. Do you get the most luxurious penthouse suites? Fly private charters to your ports of call? If not, I should then conclude you go for the lowest price and are minimizing spending and should just skip the vacation. Of course that would be silly.

It is not clear to me exactly what the problems might be. What change would you demand specifically? I occasionally run into slow speeds/page loading issues, but can't say it happens more with cruise line sites than it does across the board.

We have not experienced them either. Well, sometimes speeds are slow but that isn't limited to cruise line sites.

I had a very similar offer from registering for a exhibition, though it was not for a cruise. They wanted commitment and refused to show any terms or conditions of the offer. It took me about half a minute to tell them to bug off. In my mind, legitimate companies would have no issue sharing details of the offer.

That "no extra charge" of course should recognize the 2x or 3x higher fare for those included dining options. So, comparing to an extra charge specialty restaurant isn't really inappropriate. I have little doubt the dining is superior to the mass market MDR & Lido. However, I think it has more to do with one paying dearly for that higher quality as opposed to a count of cabins.

There is an additional supply of life jackets for those who arrive without the ones in their cabins. I have no idea if the ship's safety SOP is counting on most bringing their own. What to do if one cannot return to their cabin before proceeding to the muster station is covered in the muster briefing.

Seems clear to me. If you experienced a real muster call then share your experience.

I think you completely misunderstand the comment you are quoting.

She can't just call up her insurer and say pay this. The E&O coverage will kick in should there be a judgement or should the insurer decide to settle up to avoid litigation. It sounds like the she is still playing games. I hope it all works out for you and your family.

If all the booking requirements, including having medallion in hand, are complete, you are in the "green" lane. Otherwise you are in the "blue" lane. In your case you need to pick up the medallion, which puts you in the blue line. Based on our experience, I would urge you to not concern yourself with this. Other than more people being in the blue line, the line moves along and the process does not take long. If you really want to shorten the check in process, arrive three or so hours after the doors officially open. Any lines, green or blue, are usually gone by then.

If the OP's comments were only about the cancellation I would be in agreement. I would be unhappy, putting it mildly, to experience what you did.

OK, I'm going to suggest you should be saving 10%+ compared to booking directly with the cruise line. Cruise Critic does not allow the sharing of travel agent info. All that can be suggested is keep looking for one that will give you a better deal. Ask around on your next cruise. Additionally, let you current TA know you want lower fares or OBCs in return for your business.

$1,300 for one night - YIKES!. Hopefully you can find something else outside of town. Or use points or something. If not, I would cancel and book another cruise. Paying that for one night would bug the heck out of me. Not to mention you say flights are difficult too. You asked. 😀

They cover this in the "muster" video you are required to watch (and hopefully pay attention).

As I recall, the coffee place was nested in the middle of the Patisserie area. That would have been back in 2022, I think. I'm sorry to hear that La Patisserie is gone.

All I know is if they remove the option for number of guests it is going to be awfully hard to complete a booking! 🙂

Princess is part of the Carnival Corporation. John Padgett is listed on the Carnival Corporation's website as the current president of Princess. So I would say the OP is not lost.

I also agree with the OP if that is how you are wired. I'm sure you realize many of us will use the casual or specialty restaurants without the package and without any concerns at checkout.

What cruise lines deliver more for less? I'm pretty happy with Princess and continue to book new cruises with them. I'm not worried about an effort to appeal to families or a younger crowd. To be sure I have not been on the Sun Princess so can only acknowledge you had an awful experience.

Seems to have turned into a complaint session for a few wine enthusiasts. I think there might have been at least one suggestion for Vines on all ships. Maybe better wine at lower prices? More sommeliers? IDK.

For our very first cruise, the lead-time was relatively short. But that was a short cruise out of San Pedro (Los Angeles). For our first longer cruise, which happened to be two weeks in the Mediterranean, I'm guessing it was booked 6 to 9 months out. Keep in mind booking and planning can be two different things on the timeline. These days I would say it is between 6 and 12 months. I certainly don't think it is too early for you to start looking into a 2025 cruise. Enjoy!

I don't know. In my old company any monetary gain would belong to the company and likely used to offset fares. They would not belong to the employee making the arrangements. Assuming you are an employee and you are booking on behalf of your company, any savings would belong to the company and not go into your pocket. We had key travel coordinators who received some freebies from the TAs. But getting paid on the side would have been a big no-no.