Luv2escape

Laundry was free when we sailed Discovery Nov 4-11

We were on the Discovery Costal from Nov 4-11. It was our 17th Princess cruise.  We had the Plus Package which we thought was a good bargain for us. We agree with others that the food quality in the MDR was hit & miss. We are generally easy to please but had 2 evenings of overcooked and undercooked tasteless entrees (the people at the table next to us also commented about the food being overcooked) and lovely looking but tasteless desserts. After that, we went to Specialty and Casual dining venues for the rest of our cruise.  These were wonderful! The World Marketplace (buffet) has very good food and many choices. We generally avoid buffets.

While we have never gone hungry on a cruise, we do feel that after the reopening, the cruise lines are trying to recoup their losses. I am sure it is the same across the industry. 

Food is a subjective topic, but we were disappointed with this aspect of our trip,

We have been cruising with PCL since 2001. Yes, I know food is a subjective issue but there is an overall decline in MDR meals. The cruise lines are cutting costs any way they can. Carnival Corp. is trying to recoup its losses from the pandemic & shutdown. They are taking perks away from loyalty programs. The meals in the specialty dining venues are what meals used to be back in the day. We may be looking for another alternative for our vacation budget after our upcoming cruise.

We were getting pretty excited about our upcoming Coastal on Discovery.

After reading the comments about the beds & pillows, I am getting concerned about my back. We have been cruising with Princess since 2001. We had some VERY BAD beds 😒

before The Princess BED was rolled out. Even came back from several cruises & required chiropractic care. (doesn't seem right after spending so much for a cruise).

Furthermore where is the choice of pillows? Do we have to settle for cheap, crummy pillows? We cannot bring our own because we are flying.

Thanks for letting me rant.😮

We haven't cruised since before the pandemic (2019) and this cruise is to test the waters to see if we will return to Princess or jump ship to another cruiseline.

On 7/25/2021 at 2:23 PM, ChangeOrder said:

Welcome Aboard! 

 

Does anyone know what these cabinets/drawers are for by the Intl Cafe? My guess was a coffee cup storage from pre-Covid times. 
 

 

Specialty teas.

In Tempe, we are staying in doing workouts online - Yoga and weight training. Walking the neighborhood. Sitting by our pool and reading and making cloth masks to donate to our local hospital to stretch their PPE supply. Wishing we were cruising but hopefully next year after there is a safe reliable vaccine. Stay safe well and healthy. Dot & Paul

Thanks. It looks like like we will pack extension cords.

Can anyone who has sailed in a Mini Suite on the Royal, tell me if there is an electrical outlet next to the bed (queen configuration)?

DH needs one for his CPAP.  We are packing and need to know if we need an extension cord. Thanks.

Once in our cabin, we do "the happy dance" open our bubbly and toast each other with a kiss and say " Happy Crusing!"

I am a retired RN. Best advice I can give:Wait to cruise until after his ablation and he is cleared by his cardiologist. Then go cruise and relax with peace of mind

We have used command hooks They do no damage to walls or door!

The food on all ships is purchased from the same suppliers ( except for occasional local fare in small quantities).

It is what the individual ship's Chefs and kitchens do with it once on board. We usually have an Italian chef and menus are excellent  but on the Ruby last year our chef was from India and the menus reflected that. Enough said. Food is subjective but we can always find something to enjoy on a Princess ship

Escalate this to corporate in a polite but firm letter. (Jan Swartz)

We were on the Island to Alaska in July. Like baseball in the US we usually give something three strikes and you are out! We decided to try some of the CS recipe dishes. On two different nights we tried the seafood stew and the chicken and leek dish. After a few bites, we sent the dishes back. No more CS for us. (We are usually easy to please) Hey Princess quit taking away the favorites from the Always Available items on the menu. If something isn't broken stop trying to fix it. (First it was burgers and fried chicken and now CS in the MDR, leave what works alone Pleeeeease!!):p

We are staying several days post Alaska Cruise and want to know what is the best place/way to do a currency exchange US to CAD?

We are flying home from Seattle and do not have a Princess transfer. What options are there for us and which would be most convenient Bus?/BG BUS Shuttle, Amtrack or quick flight to Seattle from Vancouver. DH doesn't travel as well as he used to. BTW our hotel is Lonsdale Quay. Thanks for any info

We are also staying several days post cruise to explore beautiful Vancouver. We plan on the Hop-on Hop off Bus the first day to get an overview of the city and places we may want to visit. Do we need to convert our dollars to Canadian $ for meals, cab fare and incidental purchases? If so, where is a convenient place to do this? We are staying at Lionsdale Quay.

We do our "Happy Dance" call the Dine line & open the Champagne! :)

Help. I'm packing to join the Ruby going to Hawaii and wonder if I need to bring shampoo and lotion. Please advise. We're in a standard balcony. Also - do I need to bring quarters for laundry? Thank you!

We were on RT LA to Hawaii and back last Month on the Ruby. There is shower gel and combo shampoo and conditioner in dispensers in the shower. Also, lotion provided by room steward. If you are particular, bring your own products as the provided product is similar to that provided in most hotels.

Laundry now has automated machines for tokens to use for washers and dryers. You swipe your cruise card to charge your account to use these. Average per load for washer and dryer is about $6.00. We brought our own pods for detergent.

The internet is satellite and extremely sloooooow. think dial-up. I hardly used any of our minutes (we are platinium). Waited until we were in port and went to Starbucks and used their wifi.

Just off the Ruby RT LA to Hawaii and yes he was our cruise director... Not sure how to contact except to call Princess for his e-mail address.:)

Doing the "Happy Dance" on our balcony and toasting each other as we slip away from the dock!:)

We have been on 12 Princess cruises and like my title states =a cruise is what you make it=, just like attitude - you are in charge of your attitude.

Each cruise is different, are there negatives, yes, but we tend to downplay those or try to get someone to address the problem. We are lucky to be able to cruise, so go ahead and enjoy yours:)

Thanks for the chuckle.....:cool:

I respect the OP's opinion.

Agree with the 'dirty cabin' complaint

Cruising does not compare with all inclusive vacations, two different experiences & cruising isn't for everyone.....:)

I hope you filled out your post cruise evaluation in addition to posting on CC:o

Yipee!

We have taken 11 Princess Cruises, last time we tried a Mini on Dolphin deck, it was OK:) but this time we are back to a Caribe Balcony. (Our Fav) Cabin choice like food is entirely subjective so enjoy your cruise!!!!:)

This is what I did last cruise:

Brought along the Nurtabullet

After my morning walk/workout, walked through HC & grabbed stuff from salad bar & some fruit, we has ordered V8 & coffee from Room service

When to cabin, made my own green drink and enjoyed on our balcony.

Works for me:)