VAWCB

We were in 10018 in September (NY to Montreal) and regularly heard our next door neighbors’ TV and some conversations. It was an annoyance but not a terrible problem.

For those who consider the champagne to be of no value, ask your cabin steward to swap it out for a bottle of wine. We have done it in the past and did it again on a fall Vista cruise to Canada. The wine isn’t great but better than flat champagne. Another concierge perk only briefly mentioned is the newspapers in the lounge. If you still like a physical paper, they have New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Finncial Times, etc.

On our recent New York to Montreal cruise on Vista, the itinerary and the blue book said that we would be docked in every port. In reality we ended up being tendered three times.

We will be on the September 18 Vista cruise from New York to Montreal. Since we checked in on-line a week after first being able, the earliest embarkation time available was 1:30. If we arrive at the pier at noon, is it likely that we will sit in the terminal for over an hour, or is arrival time flexible? Thanks for any thoughts (other than “you should have checked in earlier”😀).

I too was originally booked on what I later learned was the Polka cruise. Apparently, the prior year a similar event was held on the Regal Princess and included over 600 polka dancers, musicians, and fans. It struck me that a similar number (600 out of 3,600) could change the dynamics of the cruise (as well as sometimes closing some venues) so I chose to change to the February 10 sailing on Sky which has an identical itinerary.

No one has mentioned travel insurance as being a perk offered by their travel agent. My guy provides full trip and medical insurance which, at my age, is worth at least 10% of the cruise cost.

Paul also hosted the Meet and Greet on the January 31 Riviera cruise. His 'memory ability" impressed all 15 to 20 attendees. Paul will be the initial CD on Vista and I look forward to seeing him again on the September New York to Montreal Vista cruise.

It is definitely not a charter as a number of people on the Roll Call seemed surprised and troubled to learn about the polka group. I agree that the polka band will be playing frequently, and probably loudly, so I moved my reservation to a February cruise with an identical itinerary.

An outfit called “Jimmy Sturr / Mollie B Polka Cruise” is soliciting people to go on the January 13, 2024 Sky Princess Caribbean cruise. Apparently a similar 2023 cruise on Regal Princess had 600 participants. I have nothing against polka music (in small doses) but am not sure I want to spend a week with 600 polka musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts. Has anyone been on a polka cruise and did you find that the group overwhelms the ship or changes the dynamics of the cruise? I do realize that 600 people represent only one-sixth of the capacity.

We were on the Jan 31 to Feb 10 Riviera cruise. On two nights we went to the Terrace Grill and found no ribeye, lobster, or shrimp on the grill. These were Greek night and Caribbean night. One of our favorite meals had always been the surf and turf sandwich in Waves. This time it seemed different - maybe the sauce on top? Did anyone else notice a difference?

We had the same problem as pinotlover trying to get DW’s class into the cart. Our TA said to book both spouses which would get the class into the cart and then delete the spouse who doesn’t plan to participate. It worked!

I am currently on Riviera. Nine days ago we arrived at the pier just before 11:00. Suite guests were already checking in. Concierge got called around 11:15. Once on the ship they called stateroom categories as the cabins came available. Penthouse got called at 1:00 and concierge at 1:35. I’m sure that higher suites were earlier but I didn’t hear them called. Until the category is called, you need to lug around your hand luggage.

I had the same problem on Crown Princess. During a “chat” on the website I was told that this is a sometimes systems problem and the easiest resolution was to go to guest services when onboard and they would cancel the charge. I did so and the guest services guy was familiar with the problem and handled it quickly.

1) Emerald Princess in February, LA to FLL through the Panama Canal. Ship was half full and suite benefits made it a very good trip. 2). Celebrity Summit in July (NY to Bermuda). Had a Retreat suite and the experience was better than any of our Princess cruises. 3). Crown Princess in August to Alaska. Celebrated 50th anniversary with children and grandchildren all in suites. With the Crown’s propulsion problems, changes in itinerary, vibration issues, etc. this was our worst Princess experience. Traveling with family made an awful trip into a fairly good one. In 2023 we will be on Oceania in February to the Caribbean and in September to Canada/New England. Questionable if we will ever go back to Princess.

I had booked an A-3 for the 1/31/23 Riviera Caribbean cruise. When the sale was announced, my TA dropped the price by $600 for the cabin. Both initially and after the sale he included trip insurance which for us “old folks” is quite expensive.

As I understand it, the August 13 trip was about 2/3 full. We moved from C-751 to R-412, my daughter and family moved from D-736 to a family suite (D-105) and my son and family were offered a move from D-737 to two mini suites. Miss P22 is right that we were fortunate that alternatives were available - it dramatically improved the cruise although the other issues were problematic.

I agree with everything that Llarsen said in Post # 110. We were on the August 13 Crown cruise and experienced the same problems he faced, although we did get into Glacier Bay. This was our 22nd cruise and we brought our children and grandchildren to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Princess deceived us and was less than transparent about their problems. We knew there were propulsion issues but had no idea how bad the vibration problem was (we had three suites aft) and had to move to other cabins after one night. We were not given any FCC but we did receive a survey in which we blasted Princess. It is a shame to see Princess go so far down hill from the brand it used to be.

We got off the Crown Princess on Saturday and found a post-cruise survey in our in-box immediately. However, our two adult children who were on the same voyage with different Locator Numbers and separate email addresses did not receive surveys. Should all passengers get the survey or do they somehow choose only certain guests? We all want to mention the propulsion issue and the serious vibration problem and believe there is strength in numbers.

Agree that Jody is excellent. She left the Crown Princess yesterday for a well deserved vacation in South Africa.

I too was having trouble finding Live Chat. As soon as I checked the box to accept cookies, it appeared.

I understand that I can bring two bottles of wine onto the ship (July 24 Summit) upon embarkation. My question is whether the bottles need to be in hand luggage or if I can just pack them in the suitcase which will be given to the porter at the pier? Thanks for any info you can provide.

How does one pre-purchase casino chips to get the 10% bonus? I admit that I am not computer savvy but did not see anything on the Celebrity website under "Manage My Reservation." Any help will be appreciated.

The Princess website shows the August 13 Crown trip as “Currently Not Available.” It does show the original itinerary and port times. The August 6 and August 20 cruises do not say that they are unavailable. Any ideas as to why?

On a February Panama Canal cruise they used Sabatini’s. It was great!