kmorg1234

I love Sabor! So some tips I put in my review for Sabor...

 

they don't offer jalapeños on the table-side guacamole but they will put them in if you ask them too. Spicy and worth asking about.

 

The sangria is a religious experience for me...and if you have the drink package, when the meal is done, ask for one to-go!

 

The offer short-ribs tacos and they offer chicken quesadillas...BUT have them make you a short-rib quesadilla. Pair that with a ice cold glass of sangria and you have a winning combo.

 

The portions are large, share and save some money and calories :D

Sabor is one of my favorites as well- so underrated in my opinion. The jalapeño-cucumber margarita is to die for. Loved the guacamole, and actually took the app quesadillas to the cabin as leftovers- had to fight for them the next day!

We will be sailing in the Royal Family suite on Freedom for the Trans Atlantic cruise on Oct 22nd. This will be our first cruise in a full suite. Other than the benefits listed is there anything we should know? I read that the concierge will email you before the cruise - if so, when should we expect to receive this?

 

Do suite guests pay the new room service fees or no? Will we be invited to anything (bridge tour etc.)?

 

Just wondering what to expect. Thanks [emoji846]

 

 

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Enjoy every second! You got the terse answers to your questions from the usual cc suspects, but now just go with the flow, and believe me, the staff will let you know what is available. And do not be afraid to request what you would like, whether or not it is "on the list"- everyone is beyond friendly and professional, and happy to look after you. Key is to be friendly and respectful (which you definitely appear to be) and you will receive more invitations than you expect- official ones, and the 'not-so-official' ones, that are the BEST! We've had some amazing experiences over the last few years sailing in suites. Would not give them up for anything. So I guess my message is to expect the unexpected, and have an absolute blast.

Both would be amazing trips, but I would favor the Allure. The ships sailing from PR, esp the Adventure, are known for the Quinceanera parties- the over the top Latino parties for the 15 year olds. They bring huge parties on board to celebrate, and while it is all quite fun, festive, lively, exciting, etc, I found that the teens pretty much took over the ship. Not the college/high schoolers on spring break, and they were lovely young ladies, not really a drinking crowd, but not what I was looking for for my vacation. I have nothing against them, but I also prefer a less "enthusiastic and continually energetic" crowd when I am in laid back mode. Just my 2 cents worth, from experience.

Interesting about being encouraged to eat in CK- perhaps because it was so early? We were on the Allure 3 weeks ago, and CK was always busy. We like eating later, so perhaps that was it? Also Star Class, so we had already booked all the specialty restaurants anyway. Regardless, we found CK to be far below par compared to when we sailed in Nov 2016- totally night and day. Spoke to the appropriate personnel about this- they claimed different chef. We were def disappointed since we really loved it in November.

Welcome to the world of paying for your seat assignment...and carry on.......guess a lot of you haven't booked flights recently......check out United, Delta and American Basic economy.....

 

Southwest is looking better all the time........

You certainly have a point here- charges for everything popping up on every airline, it seems. Even business class on BA charges you extra if you want to book your exact seat way ahead of time- Business class!!!!

Thank you as well, Sknight- I like the insulated tumblers on the hot weather cruises, but agree they can be cumbersome otherwise. But good to know what to expect. As for Bruges, good to know we have options- rather go on my own timeframe than to rely on an "excursion". I like wandering around without worrying about holding anyone else up- I despise being "that" person or family.....

Perfect, great info from both Pam and Easyboy. Very helpful, and much appreciated!

Still will not renew his passport, but he called Princess again and they did accept his info- online, says his boarding pass is actually ready to print. Maybe the TA interfered on his behalf, as I did contact them? At any rate, I am a tad more optimistic, but......

Am still insisting on the notarized letter so that C can travel with me as he beyond excited about this trip (as am I!).

Thanks again for all of the info and advice. Will def let you know about the final outcome. Could be interesting for many others in similar situations. (But yes, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and biting my fingernails- just saying).

Pam, Thank you so much for the information. Very interesting about the Panama Canal! Still thinking about the Sanctuary- sounds lovely for some peace and quiet, but don't want to freeze. Might be the last minute decision.

Unlimited Soda & More Package gets a sticker on the cruise card and a tumbler.

 

 

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Thanks! Does anyone happen to have a photo of said tumbler?

Hi, we are about to board the Crown Princess for the Scandinavian cruise, and have a few questions which I cannot find the answers to. This group seems like a knowledgeable and kind bunch, so I am hoping someone has the experience to answer the following:

-Does anyone know exactly which of the 3 cruise ports the Crown docks in while in Oslo? They have varying distances to the city center, and would like to plan transportation based on where we "land."

-In Bruges: are there taxis readily available at the port? Or is it an easy walk into town? From what I've read, it appears that transportation is needed, but have not seen it expressed explicitly. We do not mind a brisk walk, but are wondering exactly how far it is. If no taxis, does anyone know of the easiest way to get to the City Center of Bruges?

-Regarding the soda package/AIBP: does Princess supply purchasers of these plans with a cup, as RCI does? Or is it just a sticker, and I would need to bring my own insulated cup if I want one?

-Booking the Sanctuary on a Northern European cruise: have any of you done this on a "colder climate" cruise? Is it worth it? If so, how early do I have to board the ship in order to have the best chance of getting a seat? Do suite passengers have priority?

-What is the electrical voltage in the cabins? Is it the European or US current? And What are the plug receptacles in the rooms- US, British, other European, or a combination?

Thanks in advance for any help. We are so excited for this trip!

I think it is reasonable to compare the dining room fare on Pricess (heck, any of them) to banquet food. For what they have to do--efficiently feed hundreds, if not thousands of passengers--they do a good job.

 

I do not romanticize the "old days" of cruising. My very first cruise was in 1976 and, frankly, the dining room offerings by day five of a seven-day cruise were pretty pedestrian. I tried to convince myself that the cut up hotdogs in my soup were some sort of exquisite sausages, but the fact is that they were hotdogs.

 

Personally, I love all the various dining options that are available on today's cruise lines. I get to choose. At the risk of sounding nationalistic, that seems totally American to me.

 

There has not been a single report that any passenger has had a gun pointed at them while they were being told that they had to eat at an extra charge venue.

 

 

• If I want to spend $60-$80 for my wife and I to eat in an extra-charge restaurant. I am happy to do so. I cannot imagine why this bothers people who choose not to.
  
• If I want to eat at the buffet, nobody should care.
  
• If I want to have a tuna salad sandwich in my cabin for dinner, nobody should care.
  
• If I decline on the Pub Lunch, why should anybody care?
  
• If I decide to have dinner in a port, why should anybody care?
  
• If I do have a giant lunch in a port and just have a slice of pizza for dinner, why should anybody care?
  
• If I don't have a cocktail or a beer on a cruise, why should anybody care?
  

Extra-charge restaurants on cruise ships do not forecast the end of civilization.

Exactly this. WHY does anyone care about what everyone else does for meals??? i personally do not care in the least what the rest of y'all are doing......

jmorrisuk, I have been wondering the exact same thing. We love Royal, but things happen. We are actually booked on Princess for a Scandinavian trip in August, which I am very excited about- but I will tell you that I booked it because that particular ship met my time constraints.

I have travelled on Seabourn, Seadream, and Celebrity, and loved them all, just as I love RCI for its special qualities. In the end, I book each vacation depending on the needs of the family. RCI is great, but then again so are the others, for other reasons. Just depends on what you are looking for and who you are traveling with. And Happy travels to you!

If folks are doing per person, the big money is in the aqua suites. Seems to me that most of the deck 17 star cabins probably only have two people. Maybe a third on occasion.

There were indeed only 3 of us in the SLS last November, LOVED the Genie, and he assisted us in reservations and other little things- all good, but not necessarily taxing. Still tipped him $500 for the week. We are sailing again in a week and a half, still the 3 of us, but a bigger suite since we are celebrating a big birthday with family. Plan on at least doubling the tip as we will be asking for a lot more- get togethers, cake, etc. I hope this is fair? They do an AMAZING job, and I totally appreciate all of the help to make everyone's trip extra special. I do love this new level of service, and hope that it is working out for the Genies as well.

Please tell me what is SOGOTP!!!!

S*** or get off the pot......

Just seemed to fit in this situation.

VibeGuy, I plugged in the data to TIMATIC, and it did say he was good to go. Then just as an experiment, I tried the countries known to REQUIRE at least 6 months left on the passport- and they cleared too. So, I'm back to square one. Between that and the uncertainty of what any particular individual with the power of the 'denial of entry' stamp will do, I am still concerned, and stand by my belief that a passport renewal is the way to go. But I do appreciate the information.

Cdngrl, you make great points, and you sound like a really fun person to travel with- would love be able to take you up on your offer!

The uncertainty is the worst.

Yes, it's a complicated situation, but maybe TIMATIC will be the answer. Thank you so much, VibeGuy, for this great information! I will enter the info and see what it says. If it still rejects the passport, this wil be compelling evidence to definitely SOGOTP. I'll let you know.....

Thanks again all for the advice- very much appreciated.

So perhaps he just doesn't want to do another cruise a month later and is scared to say so, which would account for him being so silly about renewing his passport......just a thought! And in fact, would he now have time to renew between the two cruises?

Yes, there is definitely enough time between cruises, but I also asked him to do it prior to the one in July when I renewed the son's passport. Yes, he'd have to go to the passport agency in Philly, but there is adequate time. We've been thinking about this for awhile now. It became a more real problem when Princess would not allow me to enter his info online- error message came up about his passport expiration date.

I don't think that the issue is going on another cruise within a month- that's never stopped him before. If you knew him, you'd know that this is a control thing, plain and simple.

Is he going on the Allure with you this month?

Yes- that is a cruise with his siblings and families to celebrate BILs birthday.

KMORG1234, I feel for you. Even if it all does manage to go without a hitch, the bigger issue is the stress and lack of consideration this whole thing is causing you. What a damper this could put on your whole trip. Ask him if he has ever heard this - "Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?"

 

Funny you should ask that- he already said he'd rather be right. And someone else said his skin in the game was the family's happiness- unfortunately with him that simply isn't true. Doesn't care about pleasing anyone. I am trying hard to stop stressing about it and just resign myself to realizing he just doesn't want to go (though I am angry that he agreed in the first place months ago). I truly feel the worst for Chris, who will be devastated when he finds out his father won't be going.

I only hope that the OP is not helping her SO to collate all these documents, and letting him do it himself!

No way on God's Green Earth am I helping him to get those documents! I think he is being a stubborn, selfish jerk. I did put together a form for him to have notarized so that my son can travel with me- at least he did say that he would get that done. It is sad that I am going to have to explain to a 10 year old why his father is being so obstinate.

Also agree that this is going to set off red flags and perhaps have longer lasting effects than SO realizes. He is nuts, and I want to distance myself from it- do not want to be associated with this.

I feel so sorry for you kmorg1234. Just go ahead, get the permission to take your son and IMO forget about taking SO with you. If he gets through be prepared for the "I told you so's", but don't bank on it. And yes, keep us all posted on this!

We can all see the logic of getting a new passport. He will need a new passport if he intends to travel in the future, so all he is looking at is an earlier renewal. The bother of doing that versus the bother of getting all the consulates to give written advice that they won't challenge him is a 'no brainer'.

But I suspect this whole issue isn't about logic. It is a power struggle between the OP and her SO. At this time he probably will not back down, but maybe there is some creative way the OP can get around the issue without her SO losing face. Best of luck.

Yep, You are both spot-on. And I do appreciate the well wishes. At this point, it is what it is, and I am now planning excursions and activities for the two of us- the best part is that little Chris is an amazing traveler, LOVES Europe, history, discovering and learning get about new places, and new adventures, and is beyond excited about this particular trip. SO is adamant about getting the letters from all the consulates, so what a great thing if he can pull that all off! If so, party in our cabin on the Crown..... If not, party anyway- I will make the trip a good time for 2 of us, or 3 of us. At the end of the day, it's a cruise vacation, and I feel blessed to be able to even be having this problem. Just saying....

Newest development: He is not giving up! Called Princess on speakerphone to verify this "exception note on the reservation:" The agent did say that there was a note there saying that if SO obtains consent from all of the consulates of the countries that we are visiting, that they will likely allow him to board. Hmmmmmmmm...... still seems easier to me to just get a new passport than to try to get consent from the countries, but he apparently feels quite differently. This would be quite comical if it were not for 1) the disappointment that little Chris will most likely experience if things go wrong, and 2) the waste of money. (I'd rather invite a friend with a valid PP at this point!) And yes, the agent did HIGHLY recommend obtaining a new passport. Yes, first world problems, but to me this is big. Again, thanks for all the understanding and input. I'll keep y'all posted if you want.....

Has SO said just why he won't renew his passport early?

 

British passports also get a new number when renewed.

He says it is because the State Department website states that the 3 month leeway time is the requirement, and that the 6 months is just a recommendation, so he doesn't feel that it is a necessity. Obviously, I don't feel the same way, and think that any agent can deny him entry no matter what the actual law is. And as I quietly mentioned before, he has no financial skin in the game, so I have no doubt that influences his thinking.

I have no problem hearing "I told you so" for the rest of my life with him, but my son would surely be dissappointed if he was not able to sail with us. Rest assured, though, that we would still have a blast on this amazing trip!

We did a similar tour with RCI 2 years ago on a very small boat (only 25 of us) with a fabulous lady captain. Probably the best excursion I have ever taken on any cruise anywhere in the world. We came within one quarter mile of the very active glacier and stayed for quite a while. Saw lots of wildlife as well. Enjoy!