Wishing on a star

If you are looking at a Deluxe Balcony cabin, the system seems to have them flagged for three guests. I have heard that you might just book the GTY, and then contact your TA or Princess rep. to have them go ahead and assign the cabin you would like on the booking.. Hope this works!

Here is video of a similar room, in the middle of that mid-ship bumpout, R423, on the Sky Princess. Having that 'overhang' above you, instead of an open sky view might be one factor. More shade, if you like the less open feel.

I had posted here, last Friday, about hearing about food changes on Princess. And, I hadn't seen this before today, but a poster here says this.. "Chef Rudi promised that by January we would see significant changes to the food and menus. He is working on more than 100 new recipes. He also said supply chain issues are continuing to be a problem with sourcing food." So, there are comments coming out from different Princess cruisers on different ships, that all indicate that updated menus, and hopefully much needed improvements, are on the way!!!

Yes, pull up your upcoming cruise, and you should be able to see if there is a specific cabin. Have you been checking for availability online? Is your category showing sold out, guarantee, or are some cabins now showing up? Do you know if anyone on your sailing has gotten Invitations to Bid for an upgrade?

I just looked up the sailings on the Ruby. She was the first ship we sailed. I like newer ships, but Ruby has some things that are great. Adagio aft bar, small Piazza, nice retreat pool area and Sanctuary. The age, and the smaller tight quarters in the Public areas were what I did not like on the Coral Princess. Along with the lack of some other amenities and venues.

Thanks! I have only arrived pre-dawn, once on the Coral Princess.

high or low tides do not follow a daily pattern. they can be at 12:00 noon, at 12:00a.m. or at any other time. If there are 'unique' itineraries that seem to always have early or late departures or arrivals, then this might be because of the Ships berths at the Port and their availability. The port, and all of the cruise lines, are well aware of tides. Whatever the itinerary schedule is showing for the cruise, I would tend to assume that this has been taken into consideration. They ( the powers that be) know what they are doing. there should be no surprise changes to itinerary due to the tide schedule alone. I believe one example of this is described in a thread asking about an 'Operational Overnight", where the ship leaves Victoria early in the afternoon, and arrives at Vancouver that night, instead of the next morning. Which could possibly be because of the tide schedule. While the ship arrives on that date before midnight, the itinerary mentions an 'Operational Overnight', and then debarkation the next morning. When all staff and Customs, etc.. will be there.

Tide charts are very reliable, and Princess should know the windows for arriving or departing thru that area for these sailings. I do not know, but I wonder if all sailings go that route, or if some use alternate routes.

Is there any chance that Princess would have discounted PCL gift cards on Black Friday? 10% off seems to be the best discount out there lately.

Enjoy! That AFT cornier should be NICE!

So, it will be 4 in one stateroom? Yes, that space could make a difference. Do be aware of mid-ship upper decks under the Sea Walk. There are some videos online. There are pictures of mini-suites with the couch either pulled out, or used with a single berth mattress just placed on it (not pulled out).

Great Zanderblue. What type of cabin are you going with? I hope you have a great cruise on the Ruby!

I am not the total expert on weekly or back-to-back reservations. But I will give you what I hope is good information. Yes, it is possible to book loungers in the Sanctuary for the full cruise. For a back to back, then this would be fo rthe first leg. Yes, those who are already onboard from the prev. sailing, as well as those who have earlier priority boarding. (Suite, Elite, Platinum, etc...) will be able to be the first ones to board and go up the Sanctuary to. make their reservations. For you, if you are doing a 14 day back-to-back, here is how you might want to go about this. Get to the port early, and go up to the Sanctuary as soon as you can board. Many days might be sold out, but would possibly find an opening on Port days, or even get lucky for a sea day. I wouldn't count on showing up and finding newly available loungers. But, yes, the afternoon before the following day, or first thing in the morning, you can check for any cancellations. I think these would be handled in the usual, first come first served, system. I do not think you can get on a list to be called. I am not sure, and maybe somebody can verify, but I believe that on the last day of your first leg you are able to book for the next leg. So, this might help you out on the second week. We enjoy the Sanctuary!

About the headaches and not feeling well. Did you sweeten your coffee with sweetener or real sugar. a few years ago I used what I thought was sugar. (it was white) but it was some cheap sweetener that I just can not consume. Took a couple of glasses of tea for me to figure it out. Also, I wonder if here have been times when MSG was used onboard. That is also a killer. During that one cruise that I mentioned, it was the one where, like another poster mentioned, everything tasted just WAY over salted/seasoned. And I wonder if this might be a reason why? Last cruise, Regal, pre-shutdown...Food was much better, and I had no issues!

If I am correct, most shops now have better brewed coffee available to everyone. (yes, it was known to be from some pretty bad coffee syrup) But, of course, the nice coffees at the International Cafe should be better!

You should be aware that those extended balconies on the those upper decks will be situated just under the SeaWalk. I am not sure if the SeaWalk is an issue on either or both sides of the Discovery, But, it will be above you, and also might affect the privacy of those cabins. Look at those photos of the balcony above, and that R409 would be a large balcony, but imagine the forward end of the SeaWalk just above you there. Also note that those AFT wake view balconies can be larger on some decks than others. Riviera is very spacious. To many, that wake view is the big factor. To many the larger balcony might be a factor. And to others, the larger cabin with the larger bath and tub might be a factor. First world decisions!!!! : )

Wow, something as simple as a mint jelly/sauce comes out looking like that??? MMMMMmmmm, OKAY! I will note that in the photo, the lamb looks great. I do not prefer either, but I hear the 'GREEN' salad dressing is also similar 'radioactive'. Good gracious, give me some real dairy butter. (not those pat 'blends') and some decent salad dressing. PS: The sauces/dressings etc, and presentation (not the basic inventory of food meat and veggies) were said to be one of the focus' of that one main Chef onboard that I mentioned earlier.

To the original poster. Many people have offered very good an helpful advice! May I recommend that you just disregard those who might want to argue opinion.

I don't want to be the one to start a thread about the food and food quality on Princess. But, I think that many here know that Princess really is not the greatest. Other lines, even NCL in some cases, Celebrity, etc. all have a consensus who report that these other lines have better food. I heard thru the grapevine that there was somebody currently or recently on a Princess ship, who reports that there is a new person, like a main chef, onboard who is actively working on bringing up the level of dining on Princess. They reported that most of the food onboard has been excellent. Let's hope that maybe this is true, and upgrades to the dishes on the menus and dining will be in the works for all Princess' ships!

Yes, I know that the Princess menus are pretty much 'institutional'. But, that doesn't mean that there are not significant differences in quality and presentation from ship to ship. Most likely due to the leadership and preferences of the head chef onboard. (whatever that official title is) First time on Regal, a lot of the stuff was way over cooked, very over salted, just strange and barely edible. Yes, it was the same menus, same suppliers, but big differences in quality, preparation, and presentation. Our last cruise on the Regal, pre-shutdown, the food was mostly the same menus, but was much better. Also, for people who have crused for any number of years, we know the different changed and 'updates' that are made at the corporate level. Things are not always the same. As a matter of fact, I know that there were fairly recent posts here from somebody who had sailed two of the newer ships in a short time period. They even posted detailed descriptions and pictures of how it was much better on one ship than the other.

I found this comment about similar cabin C614 on the Royal. Somebody had asked if what appears to be an indentation/cutout in the cabin size at the doorway mattered. "Hello! We just got off the Royal (7/28 -8/10). We were in C614. There was no difference between this cabin or any of the other deluxe balcony cabins. It does look like it on the deck plans, but the way the door is...it makes no difference. Great cabin!"

Yes, getting the Deluxe Cabin (with the bit of extra space and the little two seat foldout mini sofa,, in this location, as a free or very discounted upgrade is great! It is a mid-deck, near to mid-ship cabin. Between the middle (Piazza) elevators and the rear elevators. No venues either above or below. I think you know the standard balconies on these Royal Class ships are small. But, that is fine, since I am assuming you had the same 'standard' balcony booked before. Assuming you had not booked one of the ones with the larger balcony, most of which are categorized as 'premium'. Enjoy the slightly larger cabin!

A lot of good info here! I will add a couple of comments. Dining: DMW will work, as you are the one making your reservations. To get that prime 7:00 hour, you should go to your APP as soon as it will allow. (Not sure if for new cruisers without status if that is when you have paid in full???). These in-demand reservation times will fill up. Yes, you can get a two-top. Again, reserving early might be key. Once onboard, on the first night, you might want to re-affirm with the wait staff and head of the dining room that you would like to keep your reservations at the same table for the next evening, for the duration of the cruise. Specialty Restaurants: I notice that you are not big on these. And, with Princess for you that might be a good thing. I have no experience, but understand that the higher end dining on Celebrity surpasses Princess. Drinks and Wine: If you want bottled spring waters, special coffee and coffee specialty drinks, juice, soda, a few alcoholic beverages, then the Plus Package would work out. Wine seems to be a drawback on Princess right now. I hear that many who upgrade to the Premier Package for the better wines might be disappointed. If wine is a factor for you, you might want to bring some of your favorites onboard. One bottle per person is okay, then you would pay corkage for each additional bottle. If you are big on that pre-dinner drink, then dining off the Piazza in those two main dining rooms might be a plus. The Aft dining room, which is not directly accessible from the Piazza and the bars, might be less crowded, or have more availability. But you might want to focus on one of the mid-ship dining rooms. Evening entertainment/music before dinner: I think there should be some lighter entertainment going on in the main atrium/Piazza before dinner. You might also want to look at the bar at the Crown Grill. It has been many years since I have been on the Ruby, but I think you might find a nice pre-dinner experience in both of these places. Other thoughts... The main pool areas could be busy, crowded, or loud. Ruby has the nice AFT. pool and bar. As well as the Adult Retreat Pool. If you are interested in the Sanctuary, it is really great. But, those with Princess Captains Circle Status have the benefit of early boarding and can go up there and reserve. So, it can be booked up. It is recommended that you go up there, first thing, as early as you can board, to reserve loungers. There is also a small chance that there could be a cancellation, so you might want to check back.

WatchHill, am I among the few who have had a halfway decent Prime Rib on embarkation night??? And, I am a bit of a wanna-be foodie, so I am not one who would say this just because it comes billed as Prime Rib. I am not sure if mentioning that other cruise line is a fair comparison. Traveling Sisters, What you said sounds like what I have described (quoted below) from the one in charge of Food and Dining on those two occasions. Really bad. I hope this person is no longer with Princess. There is usually information about all of these people who are in charge on the sailing. I am thinking the odds of others having the German heritage are very very slim. So, that could be telling. "I have also noted that the person at the head of the kitchen/dining makes a big difference. A few years ago, on Regal, everything was just bad. Over cooked, WAY over salted, just to the point of barely being edible. Years ago on Coral, had an amazing experience in the MDR. (before the last big changes/cutbacks a few years ago). But, the Buffett was not good. And I think it was the same person, with some German heritage, who was in charge of both bad food quality experiences."

Negative generalizations of that magnitude are usually 'SILLY'. The old saying applies... Never ASSUME anything...