Colorado Coasty

Have sometimes had slippers in full suites on Princess. Never in anything less than a full suite.

23 minutes ago, voljeep said:

do olives sell drinks?

 

do nuts sell drinks?

 

does popcorn sell drinks?

 

does Princess even want to sell more drinks since the current Packages and P already has your money?

I order martinis just to get the olives. Pretty sure I get my monies worth.

To heck with nuts, bring back the olive boats at Crooners.

On 3/20/2024 at 10:15 AM, Hlitner said:

A few weeks ago I promised to try and post a live blog, from the Vista.  We are starting a few days prior to embarkation to talk about pre-cruise prep.  We are O virgins, as this will be our first time on any O ship.  As to a background, suffice it to say we have only 50 years of extensive cruise experience with many different cruise lines (budget to luxury) and vessels.  Whether we stick with this blog will depend on the onboard Internet connection and whether we get too lazy.  We will post the facts, and our impressions, and welcome comments, criticism, etc.

 

We made our O reservation with a trusted high volume cruise agency, who did "enhance" our booking with pre-paid gratuities and a generous On Board Credit (OBC).  Learning about how to deal with the O process comes mostly from CC.  Our suite is a low category B category verandah on deck 8.  At the 45 day mark, we went online to O's web site and made our dining reservations.  Since our cruise is 3 segments (35 days) we were allowed to book 3 reservations in each of Vistas four alternative restaurants.  Half our reservations are 2-tops and other half are shared.  At the time we booked, it was not possible to get all 2-tops at our desired times, and DW and I really enjoy sharing tables as a way to meet and socialize with others.  When we booked the reservations (all done online) we immediately received an e-mail confirmation (for each reservations) from O (and they also show in later e-mailed documents from O).  Because we have heard here on CC about some "issues" with dining reservations, we are taking printed copies of all the confirmations.   We have had no problems with our reservations, never needed to call O, and as typical of our own procedures, most of the work is done online with a few clicks of the mouse.  O has already made several changes in our itinerary (which includes 24 ports) the most unfortunate being the elimination of Turkey (substituting some Greek ports).  We have been to nearly all the ports (many times for most ports).

 

Our reservation is with the new Simply More program.  This meant we needed to book at least enough excursions to use our SM shore excursion credit ($1200 per person).  DW and I are generally independent travelers and seldom book cruise line excursions (we prefer doing our own thing).  We booked enough O excursions (mostly done more than 9 months in advance) to use all of our SM credit.  We do not come close to qualifying for the 25% discount and have no desire to add extra excursions to meet the required minimum.  In fact, it will be interesting to see if we even go on all the excursions we have booked since we truly dislike the large group tours.

 

Since our cruise is 35 days (with varying climate) and we plan on spending 11 more days on a driving trip in Europe (Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and Italy) packing is tricky.  DW and I have just started our normal pre-cruise procedure of "laying out" our clothes (and other stuff) in a separate area.  This gives us a few days to appraise the pile of "stuff" and make adjustments.  Because we are doing post cruise independent travel we will limit ourselves to two large suitcases (each will weigh close to 50 pounds) and 2 heavy carry-on backpacks.  DW and I love using backpacks (as compared to typical carry-on bags) because we can wear them on our back..leaving both our hands free to handle the other bags.  Luggage logistics is always an important part of our independent travel because we assume that nobody is going to help us with our luggage.

 

We are looking forward to this trip, enjoying the "Finest Cuisine at Sea," meeting some of our fellow cruisers, and having lots of lazy sea days.  Our segments have pretty active CC Roll Calls, but we have no plans to sign-up or attend any of the onboard CC Roll Call events.  Those get togethers are just not our norm and we prefer meeting folks elsewhere on ship.

 

Hank

 

 

We too are currently on Vista and I am interested in your observations as compared to ours, but this thread seems to have taken a left turn (as is typical of the Oceania board). Looking forward to reading more.

On 3/16/2024 at 8:52 AM, CruiserFromMaine said:

We were in 9019 and had some “sound leakage” from our neighbors, and they weren’t yelling either. For us, it wasn’t much. But I also wonder what our neighbors hear from us, our TV, etc. 

 

We also had issues with the lack of air conditioning cooling in our room, despite having it worked on twice. 

Currently in 9009 and haven't heard anything from either neighbor.

We keep the television at minimum sound level and use closed captioning.

On 3/7/2024 at 3:20 PM, Yesimapirate said:

 

IMHO it's better to nag everyone on the ship then book a cruise for a cheap hat 😜

Why would you do both?

4 minutes ago, Tsunami74 said:

We have $300 each in Simply More excursion credits.

 

A possible 3 excursions we picked would add up to $320.75

 

Can we just pay the $20.75 that is over?  Or use OBC?

 

Or do we have to somehow only choose excursions that add up to less than $300 each?

 

You just pay the additional amount when you book.

4 hours ago, Europe and beyond said:

We booked a cabin on the same floor as the Concierge room and my husband would walk down the hall to get us coffee. I need coffee before I can start getting ready for the day! 

Do you mean you use the concierge lounge even if you are not in a concierge cabin? I hope that is not what you meant.

3 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Yes I agree that there are more options where to dine.

That is not at all my point. An enlarged area for Baristas is needed, with so many enjoying it. 

My point is there is no  need for a bakery, since it offers nothing new. 

Many here keep saying how much they enjoy the enlarged area. Agreed.

 

The original topic is The Bakery.

A bakery implies goods that differ from what is offered elsewhere. 

The number of times I have looked in for something different, I have not found anything new.

Again, I mention cakes, pastries, breads, buns etc, that differ from other venues.

Just like Aquamar, I expect menu items that are different from all other eateries on board and they ARE. Very different and very good. It is not an extension of the Terrace Buffet.

Surely  my point clear now.

You have made your point, ad nauseam.

Which dining room is used for early assigned seating on Magic.

We have never encountered problem children on a Princess cruise. Nor have we encountered adults acting improperly but you never know when you might encounter someone aspiring to be that person. 

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

From what I have seen those that need to carry on such conversations are just as likely to do so sitting at a table as they are sitting at the bar. Though there are some that feel the need to impress the bartender with whatever figment of their imagination they can come up with. 

You are absolutely correct, it just reinforces my thought that I would rather be seated next to a child than an obnoxious drunk relating false tales about his sexual conquests.

On 9/30/2023 at 5:46 PM, startedwithamouse said:

They just can't sit at the bar.

Citation please.

8 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Can't you take a joke?

Seemed like a legitimate question to a serious statement.

22 minutes ago, voljeep said:

kids on barstools? - nah - 'unless' there are still plenty of stools for paying adults.

 

I better not be behind a kid on a barstool in Crooner's trying to get a double single malt

Wow, what would you do?

Always amazed at how people make up rules to suit themselves. 

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Hi all! I know it's a little early, but I can't help but start getting excited about our upcoming 22-day Princess adventure which begins October 14 flying to Toronto for a 5-day land excursion, to include seeing the Niagara Falls, before boarding the Caribbean Princess in Quebec for a 12-day cruise to Ft Lauderdale. We are also booked on the ensuing 5-day Caribbean cruise RT out of Ft Lauderdale which will finally get us to Elite. Yay!!

 

As one might imagine, we'll be watching for any potential hurricanes and/or tropical storms forming in the Atlantic which will hopefully either disappear or become irrelevant once we start cruising down the Atlantic coast. On the brighter side the Northern Lights are expected to be stronger than they have been for at least a decade over the next few months, which hopefully means we will have a good chance to see them when we're cruising up the St. Lawence River or maybe as we make the turn and start to head south once we reach the Atlantic.

 

My plan for this Live From thread is to share some of our experiences while on this adventure, with the usual one exception. As with my other Live From threads, I have no plans to post any pictures of food or drinks. Sorry. But if you would enjoy seeing photos of the various wildlife and other attractions we’ll see along the way, please come along and I'll try my best to make it interesting. Of course, if you have any questions about the itinerary or the ship, please feel free to ask and will try my best to find the answers.

 

Our 5-day land excursion portion of the cruise.

 

 

 

Our 12-day cruise from Quebec to Ft Lauderdale

  

 

  

Our 5-day Caribbean cruise RT out of Ft Lauderdale

  

 

 

We are on the same cruise/tour. See you in Toronto.

4 hours ago, CaptainPedantic said:

On our last cruise, we got 6 miniatures - 2 each of vodka, gin and whisky - 2 beers, 2 coke, 2 sprite and 2 tonic waters. You can ask room service to swap any of them for an equivalent. And only one set-up!

Actually it should be 8 bottles, 2 each gin, vodka, whiskey, and brandy. If you are elite and in a suite, everything will doubled.

Has anyone done the 5 day tour from Toronto to Quebec City. If so, what was your experience? How  many people were in your tour group.

Thanks in advance. 

2 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Incorrect. Details on casual dining included with Plus or Premier Cruise Packages is detailed on the website:

 

"3. What are casual dining meals and where can I get them?

We’re introducing exciting new 3-course prix fixe meals at our casual dining venues. These vary by ship, but include: O’Malley’s, Ocean Terrace, Vines, Alfredo’s Pizzeria, Gigi’s Pizzeria, Kai Sushi, Planks, BBQ, Steamers and Salty Dog Gastropub.

 

4. What changes can I expect if I don’t have a Princess Plus or Princess Premier package?

Select casual dining venues will now include a cover charge of $14.99 for the new multi-course prix fixe meals. A la carte items may also be purchased individually. A one-time access fee of $14.99 per person per voyage will apply for OceanNow® delivery and a $5 room service fee will apply for each order placed by stateroom phone. OceanNow delivery refers to orders placed through the app that are delivered to wherever you are, including your stateroom."

 

So, yeah - Plus/Premier include the prix fixe meals, not anything or everything you want as much as you want. That, you'd pay a la carte. 

For instance, at Steamers, there's an additional lobster tail available for $10 on top of the three courses - even with Premier, you pay the $10 for the extra.   

I think you are trying to read more into it than it actually says.

1 hour ago, Plato123 said:

Thanks, but still mostly complaints and speculation.

You are correct, most of the responses were clueless guessing. Until Princess says something definite (if they ever do), I would just assume that with Premier it will be as it has always been.

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Can you provide the link to where you read this? Also, what service would a concierge provide to suite guests? We’re going to be in suites on our upcoming cruises on the CB, Sapphire, and Grand and don’t want to miss out on anything. 

I'm sorry that I don't remember where I read it. It was to happen before the end of the year, just a concierge without a lounge.

I had read that there was going to be a concierge for suite guests on other than Royal class ships. Does anybody have information about this?

It took me five or six tries this morning but I got in. This has been a normal occurrence.

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

N/C for the Elite benefits.  For the umpteenth time.  🤣

It seems that some just like to dig deep to find a problem. They should just quit digging.