Cancun01

I think there is more to this story. Was the passenger certain that the carry-on didn’t make the gate change? It seems very, very odd to me that the ground or gate crew did not ensure that any gate-checked carry-ons were not moved to the new gate. When the gate crew ask for volunteers to check their carry-ons as they often do because the flight is full, the bag is tagged and becomes the responsibility of the airline. Under normal processes the passenger doesn’t collect their carry-on if there is a gate change once it is handed to the gate agent who in turn hands the bags to the ground crew. It was reasonable for the passenger to expect to next see her bag on the jet bridge in Amsterdam as she disembarked.

I have sailed across the transatlantic several times on different lines. A lot of your packing will be determined by the month in which you are traveling and whether your route is North Atlantic or further south. If you are traveling from NYC to Southampton on the QM2 in mid-December your requirements will be very different than if you are traveling from Miami to Lisbon in July. Are you stopping in the Azores or Bermuda? If you would provide more info it would be helpful.

Yes we received this survey yesterday. Looks to me like a decision has not been made.

Further to my previous post, I use Sun Bum face and body when a location such as Hawaii calls for “reef friendly” sun screen. It is indeed a good product but I prefer LaRoche otherwise.

It is not always a question of affordability but rather “willingness to pay”. I support the above comments regarding principle, the expectations of a luxury line which generally already charges an expensive per diem and the already existing cross-subsidization of (as mentioned/implied) fitness equipment, alcohol ( by those who don’t drink), Umi Uma (non-sushi eaters) etc. etc. In order to meet “Crystal’s superlative standards” as described in a brochure I recently received onboard, charging an up -charge for a premium internet package is not reasonable IMO. Is this the beginning of a slippery slope of up-charges?

I also use La Roche-Posay spf 60 anti-shine both alone and under my make-up. The tube says dry-touch gel-crèam for sensitive skin. I buy make-up with SPF. I also use La-Roche Posay spf 60 face and body lotion all-in-one. It depends what is in stock and the best price or if there is a bonus but I always buy La Roche. Once on I do not feel it on my face.

Agree! Not very appetizing and insulting for a 5* line. One of our few complaints was the poor quality and poor selection of the afternoon canapés. The tray in the post was one of the better ones and certainly not like the OC. I eventually told the butler to skip it. It was one of my very few negative comments on the post-cruise survey.

We disembarked the Serenity on Dec. 23. The Bistro did not have self-service during that cruise which pleased us. After seeing some passengers’ habits at the portion of the Trident Grill that is self-serve I was disappointed to read that the Bistro was self-serve on the Holiday Cruise. The good news is with self-serve no will know that I take 2 Portuguese tarts!

Sorry to hear that you encountered slow service in Waterside last week. We found that the service was exemplary in every venue including Waterside all week. Maybe it was timing because we found the service in Waterside to be better than it had ever been. We were there at approximately 7:30 pm except 2 nights

The “pre-owned” hawking was one of 2/3 negative comments that I have from our cruise last week. Last week they were also hawking pre-owned handbags which I found offensive as did several other passengers. If a person wants a “difficult to obtain” used handbag (which most of those showcased last week weren’t), the better known auction/estate houses or even Poshmark offer them (authenticated) at much better value!

We disembark tomorrow. We have absolutely all positive things to say. The new lounge area would not be our first choice but we can live without our nightly $20 casino deposit!!! We were last on board in Dec 2021 and found everything better than ever. Happy holidays and safe travels to you and Anne Marie.

Just back from Dubai/AbuDhabi….enjoy your sandals without socks if you go there. I read a lot of misinformation before I went and I bought long sleeved items and didn’t wear them. Wished I had taken more capris/short sleeved blouses. Bring long sleeves, long pants, socks, head scarf if you visit places of worship.

Thank you for this article Terry. You are always so well-informed. Have you seen anything about Dubai/Abu Dhabi cancellations/bookings?

I called MM this morning. Those in Canada will also receive cheques.

I would guess that the entire Middle East region ( including the UAE) will be impacted in the next year or perhaps longer especially if the situation escalates. Yes, Dubai is some 1300 miles from Israel however it is still the same region and a next door neighbour to Saudi Arabia and across the Persian Gulf from Iran. With all due respect, I agree that it is who the country supports not the distance. The beautiful beaches of Dubai are on the Persian Gulf. The US moved one of their ships to the Persian Gulf this week. Certainly the cruiselines have profit -loss in their planning agendas but they are also not going to risk multi-million dollar ships. Regardless, who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise if you have to be overly cautious and full of angst and be worried about personal safety. Perception is reality. In response to the OP, the cruiselines may adjust itinerary’s if bookings decrease and do not meet profit expectations. The cruise ship insurance companies will no doubt play a big part in the decision-making.

Thank you for your prompt responses.

Question: I apologize if this has previously been addressed. I thought I saw something but of course it escapes me where it was explained. As you are aware the October 1, 2023, the deadline for activating the first sub-credit of EI Certificates is quickly ticking. We have finally made a decision to book. If we were to book three staterooms ( two for adult children and spouses) can we use 3 sub-credits if the same cc is used. In other words…if we pay for all 3 can we use 3 of the 5 credits that are in my husband’s name?

We book the staterooms in the location and at a price point we want and never give a second thought about “upgrades”. I only know of one true complimentary upgrade on OC. An adult child traveling with us ( solo fare) in an assigned non-balcony stateroom was upgraded to a balcony stateroom in 2015. Surely there must have been others however people are generally discrete about such matters. I have never mentioned it until now nor have I ever heard anyone on OC openly discuss “upgrades” for obvious reasons as mentioned in post #2. Anyway that was OC….after the events of the past couple of years IMO it would very poor business practice of NC to offer anyone a complimentary upgrade. NC needs to build goodwill with many people, not anger them further.

I wonder how many of the $500 DYSON hairdryers with attachments in beautiful cases from the OC Seabreeze staterooms disappeared. Hopefully none.

We have done 5 crossings in a sheltered balcony on deck 5. I think they are the best staterooms on the ship. Laugh if you like. I will explain my rationale. The first time we booked we had little choice. We booked within a month of embarkation and it was our only option. I fretted over it as my first choice would have been the Grills if available and questioned my booking but did not cancel as we also had a dog booked in the kennels. When the weather is less than pleasant and foggy on the North Atlantic and all the outside decks are closed, kennel visits are stopped and they ask those in the “better accommodation” to not open their balcony door, those of us in the sheltered balconies can at least step outside and obtain some fresh air. After that first experience in the sheltered balcony, we always booked in those steerage rooms! Certainly not the level we normally travel at but on the QM2 for transatlantic routes the sheltered balcony rooms are our preference.

@Keith1010Hi Keith Wishing you and Anne-Marie a wonderful trip. How exciting! Looking forward to reading your feedback/blog. BTW I believe you have been to Portomao before😉. I remember it well because it was our first Crystal cruise and you kindly helped me with several questions and we met at the meet/mingle. If I recall you were at the end of a world cruise. We embarked in Miami on May 4, 2015 to Rome (Miami-Lisbon-Rome). I was sure Portomao was on the itinerary and I just looked it up and it was indeed on that itinerary.

We were on for 14 nights…North/south bound Alaska. My comments referred to the first 7 nights, are accurate and do not refer to the Lido deck. I was surprised at the number of shorts and wife beaters/basic t-shirts in the MDR ( Allegro), Crown Grill Bar area, the Piazza area which did indeed stand out to me. We are elite but have not sailed on Princess since 2018 and I was a bit taken back. The second week was completely different; a few shorts but we did not see any tuxes.

Just off the Majestic and I support everything you have stated. Saw several in shorts on “formal” night ..and we were in Alaska. We saw one Tux. Many were dressed in suit, open shirt collar and jacket but the majority were in khakis and golf shirts. On the second formal night entitled “dress to impress night” my husband wore khakis, checked dress shirt with coordinating pullover sweater instead of his suit and tie and he “fit in” better. Don’t get me started on smart casual night…yes there were “wife beaters” and shorts! In fairness, I don’t think many new cruisers ( very few repeat cruisers on this cruise) realize the distinction between “casual” and “smart casual”.

If you haven’t been on Princess in 20 years I think you will also be a bit shell-shocked!!! We haven’t been on them in 5 years and the changes are very noticeable but tolerable. There is certainly no comparison to even 10 years ago. The response from @J13C85reflects our thoughts.

We are onboard the Majestic now…this is also our experience as Elites…no personal size bathroom amenities nor sewing kit etc except the refillable bottles (eww -gross) that I assume everyone gets. Glad I brought a few travel sizes with me. I will purchase some more in port.