stevenr597

They are moving in that direction. "Club Orange."

Holland America is moving in that direction also. They do have extra charges to include drink and tips, and there is also Club Orange.

I remember in the good old days; you started the cruise and generally picked the excursion(s) at your convenience. Now one must book early to get a good room and quickly decide on excursions.

All Princess is doing is making official what some passengers always do; trying to pre-serving seats in the theatre. Have seen on several occasons, individual sitting in one of the best seats in the theatre and then trying to hold several other seats for their spouse and of course friends.

We make sure that we get to the theatre as early as possible. We try to eat dinner after the early show.

We did Sun Princess in 1997. Last year we took Discovery Princess. Loved both ships, but I am a fan of the Royal Class, especially taking a mini-suite. What is most importance is not the Princess Ship but the itinerary of the cruise...Vancover to Anchorage would be my choice.

When we book Princess we select Club Class. When we do Celebrity we book Aqua Class.

There is a chance that the Luxury Lines such as Azamara, Oceania, Silversea, Regent, etc. will continue to specialize with smaller ships. However, for the mainstream and even near luxury lines like Princess and Celebrity, the economics are to build ever bigger ships.

If one wishes to compare classes of ship, Celebrity's Edge Class will be comparable to Princess Sphere Class Ships which are just coming out. Edge Class is a significant move up for Celebrity with a corresponding increase in prices. Celebrity is trying to appeal to a younger crowd than they have had in the past. One thread I have heard from people who have cruised on the Edge Class is the absence of a separate balcony, with one's cabin in fact becoming the balcony. Entertainment on both the Sphere Class and Edge Class will be a significant evolution or move upwards. We are doing a Trans-Atlantic on the Regal Princess (Royal Class Ship) which all things being equal, I do feel is superior to Celebrity's Solstice Class Ship. On Princess we book Club Class, on Celebrity Aqua Class. But my recommendation is try out both cruise lines.

The two lines are more alike than different. One must also, when comparing, consider the class of ships as well as where one cruises. We have sailed both extensively. My last cruise was on Celebrity Reflection and my next cruise is on Regal Princess. Personally, I would go with the Royal Class of Princess Ships.

I noticed that the when one attempts to open up the website for the 15 day Trans-Atlantic on Regal Princess, departing Oct. 9, 2023, from South Hampton, it is now listed by Princess as "no longer available." However, one can still book the 25-day cruise on Regal Princess leaving September 29 which does include this Trans-Atlantic segment. Has Princess made a decision that they wish to make available the cabins which have not as of yet been booked, only for the longer 25-day cruise?

Covid, like RSV, Influenza, and Norovirus is still around. Personally, I would wear a mask, KN-95 or above, especially if going on a longer cruise and in very crowded conditions.

The 5-7 days across the Atlantic is time for us to read "several" good books. We can sleep late, and also stay up late. Enjoy the breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course visit the Piano Bar and relax at night. Shows are fairly good. Nice time to really unwind.

We have Club Class. What we have been doing is going to the First Show, making sure we get to the theatre at least 30 minutes before the show. When then go to the dining room for dinner. Being Club Class there is no wait. After dinner we head for the Piano Bar, have several drinks.

Unless you travel on Cunard, Formal Night is really no longer a real "Formal Nights" Dress standards are fairly liberal.

TEMSCO...fantastic trip. Highly recommend.

We have sailed Carnival and RCCL....loved them We have sailed Celebrity......no complaints. But our first choice is Princess. Especially the Royal Class Ships. They are what I would define as "upscale" or "near-luxury." They are devoted to cruising, you will not find go-karts, or waterfalls. Good food, and plenty of it, with great entertainment. Highly recommend.

Orlando International Airport is a short drive (30-45 minutes) linked by the Beach Line Expressway. Port Canaveral is next to Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beaches which have several motel/hotels. Some fairly decent restaurants. In the city of Cocoa across from Cocoa Beach you have Old Cocoa which is the historical district with several more restaurants. Of course one has the beaches.

My feeling is that Princess is "testing the water" If the response is as good as I believe it to be, I would not be surprised to see one of the newer ships from Princess home port in Canaveral and take longer cruises.

Fantastic news from Princess. Have long wondered why Princess and Celebrity have not sailed out of Port Canaveral. However, Carnival, MSC, NCL, and RCCL have relatively new ships sailing and I do wonder how Caribbean Princess will compete with them. I do hope that Princess upgrades this ship.

I do remember the day when you could decide and book your tours during the cruise.

At times it seems as if the waiters are serving the dishes too quickly. Dinner in the main dining room is supposed to be one of the experiences of cruising. If we are in a hurray, we go upstairs to the buffet.

Very well said. Thank you.

Norovirus as well as Influenza and the "Common Cold" are a fact of life on cruise ships. The newest addition is Covid. In respect to Noro, needless to say we always wash hands before we enter the dining area. We also carry hand sanitizer with us. In addition, we try to eat, as much as possible, in the dining room and avoid the buffets. When we are in a buffet and we see an individual touching the food with their hands we immediately report it to the crew, and to their credit, they immediately dispose of the food tray.

I am sure that it can be done. I doubt that this would impact the safety regulations in respect to the ship. But I do expect that you will have to pay an additional sum for the individual.