sloopsailor

Always just before the final ride to the ship. If done before the flight, they might get torn off or add confusion at airport baggage handling. And we always use plastic luggage tag holders. Make sure that they match the cruise line - for instance, Carnival cruise line companies are a different size than Royal Caribbean cruise line companies. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=princess+luggage+tag+holders&crid=31S9WNQIO0TE5&sprefix=princess+luggage+tag+holders%2Caps%2C141&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Not Carnival, but perhaps HAL - unless you cruise with them as well.

Based on Princess' press release, the changes will be introduced to older ships. The press release copied below states that the Club Class name will be changed. And the expectation is that the amenities and access to additional exclusive areas will also change to match the new concept on the ship. Otherwise, changing the name is pointless. Similar changes were done on the older ships of the other cruise lines that went to the ship-in-a-ship direction. Club Class accommodations aboard Sun Princess, and the rest of the fleet, will now be renamed The Reserve Collection.

Maybe something like this. This is on Carnival's Mardi Gras, a sister cruise line to Princess.

It took less than four years for Celebrity to "upgrade' their older ships. When each went into drydock, they came out with the new format added. It will happens quicker than you'd like if the concept is a success for Princess. And based on Celebrity, NCL, MSC, who have all gone down this path, the changes will become a permanent part of the Princess style.

Celebrity was our cruise line of choice. We are Elite loyalty status with them. When they started adding the ship-within-a-ship format, our cruises lost some of the magic. We stayed with them for several years and finally decided that the concept was not to our advantage. As they made the ship more attractive to the wealthy, they embraced a marketing campaign touting the "new" luxury line. And the prices for regular staterooms went up accordingly. And common areas shrank to be repurposed for the high paying passengers. We gained absolutely nothing for that alleged "luxury". Only the high payers did. It cost us more, and we got less. So we bailed and started cruising on Princess, a line that was more egalitarian. A better fit - until now. We saw how the entire Celebrity fleet changed, even the oldest ships, all following the design cues of the newer, more "luxurious" ships. For us, they ruined a good thing. I have no doubt the same thing will happen to Princess. Once the corporate big wigs taste that addictive revenue elixir, they will never be satiated. It's only a matter of time.

And more reason to dislike ship within a ship concept. My regular fare isn't going down because the line is now catering to the big spenders. Instead, I am paying the same, or slightly more, to be forced to the back of the line behind those big spenders. I get zero positives, and many negatives, to this money grab. That is why we left Celebrity - we continually were treated as a lower priority, even though we paid our required fare. Just another example of the rich being treated better, and the average person being treated as a necessary evil. It's an old and tiresome story, one of which the rich on this thread are defending as if their enjoyment of their vacations depends entirely on it.

Disney could limit the number of tickets sold for each date. They won't because they care less about overcrowding than they do about revenue. This is the result in changing leadership at Disney Corp. I used to live in Southern California. My family visited Disneyland the month it opened. We used to go two or three times per year. I have been to Disneyland over 60 times, and Walt Disney World at least a dozen times. For years Disney parks were the most fun places I visited. But, the honeymoon is over. We have decided to no longer patronize any of the Disney parks due to the explosive price increases over the last several years. The product is not better than before - just much more expensive. In fact, with the ever increasing over crowding, it is not pleasant at all. I am fearing that Princess is moving in that direction. With three additional Sphere class ships being planned - the second will debut in 2025 - the older ships (Grand and Crown class) will be sold off sooner than later as their design will no longer fit in with the new image Princess is moving towards.

LOL! It's pretty easy to guess who are wealthy and can afford these new "exclusive" changes being introduced with the new ship. Just read the comments defending them. 😉

One of the reasons my wife and I got hooked on cruising were the public areas with front facing views, especially enjoyable when transiting a narrow waterway like the Stockholm Archipelago, or leaving Amsterdam, or passing under a famous bridge like the Golden Gate, or even the Panama Canal. Having both outdoor decks and indoor lounge viewing was a major plus for us, as we could enjoy the view regardless of weather. With many of the newer ships, those forward looking views are reserved for suite guests or up-charge Sanctuary like areas. This is more of the money grab being done to satisfy the wealthier passengers at the disadvantage of the regulars passengers. A trend we don't appreciate at all. It's like the epidemic of "Lexus Lanes" being constructed in our state - regular motorway lanes once used by everyone being converted to expensive toll lanes that wealthier people can more easily afford.

There were no curtains on our last Grand cruise before the pandemic.

I almost used "at a wedding", but remembered the wedding in Arizona we attended last month. The groom and groomsmen wore red tennis shoes, black jeans, a black T-shirt with red tie printed on them, all finished off with a beer holster and open beer bottle on their belts. Some people wore shorts, and one very exuberant young lady wore a dress that appeared to be spray painted on. It was an entertaining wedding, even to the point the bride's mother drunkenly insulted the grooms mother, which left the groom fighting mad and the bride in tears, and everyone else very uncomfortable. The really sad part of this is that the groom was my nephew, who was raised much differently than how we raised our own kids. BTW: I wore a sports coat, dark slacks, white shirt and tie. I was the one overdressed for that event! LOL!!!

Chill, dude. I'm joking. After all, it's just a vacation, not a jury trial. 😊 As far as you "underdressing" at home - TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!! 😇

We book mini suites for the extra space in the seating area. The wife especially likes the bathtub instead of only a shower.

Yep. I have no problem with people overdressing on a cruise as long as I am not expected to. However, too many dress up aficionados don't see it as a "wear what you like event" as you put it, and pass judgment on those of us who "ruin" the ambiance for them. That's extremely rude. BTW: my original comment was a joke (I even included a smiley face emoticon). Did you not catch that?

And I rarely saw white tuxedos on formal nights in the prehistoric period. OK, how about this: "It's a vacation, not a charity event." Better?

And thankfully so. It's a vacation, not a funeral. 😉

The old muster drills would only be worth continuing if everyone had to dress in formal attire for it, just like in the early days of cruising where everyone had to dress up like royalty for the formal night dinners that were held in the only restaurant on board. Oh, how I miss those obligatory penguin impersonation nights.

Deleted. Found the answer.

Since everyone on the cruise had to book the cruise, they may have suggestions on who to use in the future. Most cruisers are more than happy to talk about their favorite TAs, as long as you don't ask how much they spent for their cruise, which is rude. Instead, ask what benefit they received from using that TA. People seem to like to share if they got better deals than the cruise line offers.

We have used a TA for our last seven cruises. The savings we have made are in the hundreds of dollars every time. Over those seven cruises, we have saved enough to go on at least one additional "free" cruise, and been able to upgrade to a much higher category than we usually book on another, again with the money saved. To find a good TA, research cruise only TAs and using a test cruise that you have priced on the Cruise line's website, ask the TA what is the best deal they can offer. If the savings are worth considering, then do a search for reviews and customer ratings of that TA or agency. If you find one that is to your liking, then give them at least one try. You might be pleasantly surprised. We aren't the type who have to micro manage our bookings. We prefer to let an expert handle the minute details, and problem resolution - with our final approval, of course. And we've never been sorry. As an example, we were on a cruise that has had a ship swap. Our TA keep us informed of every status change. When Princess finally assigned us a cabin on the replacement ship, it was not one we would have ever booked voluntarily (a dreaded connecting cabin too far forward). We contacted our TA with a couple of cabin numbers we would prefer being in, and in less than three hours we received a new booking confirmation for the best of those two cabins. We're now satisfied with our cabins (though a bit disappointed because the ship changed from one of our favorites to one we probably would have not booked. Oh well! Ship happens.)

The words "willful misinformation" implies nefarious reasons. I don't get my knickers all in a bunch over the same things that you allow yourself to be. I have much more useful activities I would rather do than allow myself to feel the victim of such an insignificant incident.

These are your exact words that I commented on, quoted directly from your post #26: "I haven't asked them in years since I know they're just trained parrots. But just to be clear, there is a lot of willful misinformation that is transmitted on Princess cruises, just go to the Guest Services desk." It appears that I can read just fine.

I am much like you. I have been disappointed in the trend, even on Celebrity, of dedicating the forward views, which can be spectacular during approaching or leaving a port, for passengers either in suites or willing to pay 40+ dollars per day to lounge in exclusive areas most of the passengers will never experience. It's a grab for money from the wealthier passengers. Apparently we riff-raff who can't spend unlimited money on their cruises are not worthy.