JimmyVWine

Only you know which way the seven adults will lean. But based on the last month's posts of a decline in quality at the CG and the introduction of a new menu at Sabatini's, the meter is definitely pointing toward the latter.

For the first year! 😁

This! This is not a big or unusual "ask." It is more common than people think and well within the bounds of "good service" provided by the waitstaff.

Last time I checked, stewards don't follow you to the dining room to assist with meal service. No one is suggesting that as a possible option, let alone a solution. And there is no way the kitchen would do this either. Well, I suppose certain items would be easy, such as sliced duck breast. But the kitchen typically doesn't prepare dishes to order. They prepare dozens of identical plates that the servers pick up from a counter as they rush by. This is definitely an Assistant Waiter issue.

Fair. But in my area, I can get a full meal at Outback that includes a 12 oz ribeye and grilled shrimp combo plus a dessert for $39 (excluding tax and tip). So the price is close to even-up especially if I tip extra at the CG. But since I already have money sunk in the MDR meal that I am not going to eat, I want "better than Outback." Again, at $29 I could accept the comparison. At $39 I turn away until things improve.

Kept my Sabatini's reservation. Canceled my CG reservation based on the above (and many other similar comments). At $29 I can overlook some things. At $39, (on top of what I have already paid for an "included meal" that I will be foregoing), I pretty much need a sure thing that leans more on the meter in the direction of The Capital Grille than it does to Ponderosa or Bonanza. I appreciate that reports on the filets are still good. And I thought about going in that direction. But the thought of having a "team meeting" with my family, explaining that they should ignore most of the menu and stick to the filet left me thinking "why would I want to pay $117 for a meal where I have to coach my family as to where the acceptable food resides on the menu."

It's a limited menu, depending on the ship. It's not a full-blown Italian restaurant. Salad, pizzas and a couple of small pasta dishes. On our most recent cruise the host was telling people who walked up on Embarkation Day that they were serving "only pizza" even though we were on a ship with an expanded menu. We asked our server if it was true that we could not get a couple orders of agnolotti and he said: "Of course you can!" 🤷‍♂️

Better option (for the bean counters): Invite 2 couples per night (or however often they do it) to make it really, really exclusive and aspirational, and make others pay $150-$200 per person for the remaining coveted seats at the table. People will dream of the day when they get invited, but will pay dearly for the experience until that day comes. The 70 people on the Chef's Table mentioned above backs this up. Lucky few: Everyone else:

First two guests in the cabin, yes. Third or fourth guests in the same cabin do not have to have the package. In fact, it is impossible to book it for all guests and if additional guests want it, you must contact Princess to add it on, or have a travel agent do that. FAQ from website: Are third and fourth guests required to purchase the same package (Princess Plus or Princess Premier)? Third and fourth guests are not required or defaulted to the selected package of first and second guests in a stateroom. Should your 3rd and 4th guests want to opt in to receive the items, you will need to contact Princess or your Travel Advisor to have it applied to the booking. https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/#:~:text=Are third and,to the booking.

It would almost certainly be done at the service station all at once and not at the table, one bite at a time. Plastic lid comes off the dish. Waiter cuts the food. Waiter serves the dish. Like deboning a whole fish.

For anyone with concerns, there's your answer right there. Unless the small bottles that are placed in the cabins have a seal on them, there is nothing preventing them from being refilled or tampered with. Does anyone think that if a guest departs and leaves a bottle 9/10ths full of content that the steward or housekeeper in a hotel tosses it in the trash and places a new bottle in the room? It could happen, but then again, it might not.

I'd be shocked if the Assistant Waiter wouldn't take care of this for you. A large share of their take home pay is based on tips!

Personally, I don't think that it is worth the risk of disappointment if dining is a Specialty Restaurant is a priority unless date and time are not important to you. My next cruise is over 40 days out and all of the reservation times are gone for the day I just checked on except for a table at Sabatini's at either 5:10 or 8:40. I tried to move over from Crown Grill because of a slew of negative reviews and found nothing. With the Premier Package including multiple Specialty Meals, reservations are getting scooped up at a record pace. Now, I didn't check on every evening, as there are specific nights when we prefer to go to Specialty venues. It could be that I could have booked a table on a different day. But 60 days out when I booked the CG there was plenty of availability. At 45 days out it was all gone. I don't know how many tables they hold back for people to book once on board, but you might be fighting for a small supply.

I am always amused at how this becomes an issue. People used to get lotion in an individual plastic container and now you get it in a refillable dispenser. People still get it, so what's the big deal? As far as I can tell, the issue seems to be that the former could be taken off the ship at the end of the cruise while the latter can not. Is it that important to people to depart with small bottles of lotion? If it is, then go to any retail pharmacy and buy empty travel size containers and fill 'em up on your last day! But no one ever does that because the idea of walking off the ship with an ounce and a half of lotion just isn't that important. And if it isn't important enough to load up one's own empty container, is it worth moaning about the loss of environmentally disastrous mini bottles of personal products?

Keep in mind that you have a fair amount of time to complete this task. Usually by 4:00. And even then there is extra time built in for the scofflaws! And you will do it in your cabin using your TV. It is very possible that your cabin may not even be available to you when you board, so don't assume that you will watch the safety video right away (depending on when you board.) Quite often, people head out for lunch before they even access their cabin for the first time. Last time we dined at Alfredo's (on a Sea Day, not on embarkation day), there was a wait and we were not given a pager. They took down my name and said that we would be contacted when a table opened up. I assumed that we might get a text. But after roaming around the shops a bit, we saw that some tables had opened up so we headed back over to check on the status and at that time we were seated straight away. So I really have no idea how they were planning to let us know that our table was ready. Based on that, I wouldn't wander too terribly far away if they tell you "10-15 minutes" which could really be 5 or 10.

It depends when you board. Many people who post here regularly are P/E/S (Platinum/Elite/Suite) and board as early as possible. (Guilty as charged, so not casting aspersions!) To them, Alfredo's/Gigi's is usually "walk right in". But obviously, people who board two hours later are going to encounter an entirely different scenario. In other words, both statements can be true: "Alfredo's is always empty for lunch" and "When I arrived at Gigi's, there was a 30 minute wait."

Princess was very clear that the change was for "Cruises Departing On Or After February 20." They never advertised "Starting on February 20..." Your cruise departed on February 15, so, they weren't wrong. Have to make a cutoff somewhere.

When I had an issue with my Medallion order I just called the general number and made the selection for a booked guest with an upcoming cruise and the person who took my call was able to assist.

OP says that they are in a Window Suite, so no balcony. But am I right in thinking that they will do the UBD inside a suite? I know that they will do this if the weather isn't cooperating. So perhaps they will do this in a WS at any time.

To many, they're both the Seine. As to people figuring out timing issues: The second most asked question in Disney World's Magic Kingdom (second only to "Where is the nearest restroom)? What times does the 3:00 Parade start?

We are also celebrating our 30th in July. Mind if I ask which day? We won't be sailing during our anniversary, but we are considering our May cruise to be close enough. I have toyed with the idea of adding that celebration to our Personalizer, but they want to know which date, and I don't really want them to decorate our door or make a big deal about it while dining when our actual anniversary is actually two months hence.

Sheesh! Between the Lido Deck pool area, a window table at the buffet, seats in the theater, seats at Princess Live!, a window table by the bar at the IC, a table with a view of the Piazza performance area and now a window table at Vines, I now have to pack 7 towels and 7 books to pretend to read! 😁😈

What did the customer service agent tell you when you called? Glitches happen on the website. Is anyone at Princess telling you that Plus costs more that $60/$80 when you speak with them?

While I don’t necessarily agree, I will say that I have NEVER seen Vines so crowded so as to make this an issue. That said, when we go to Vines we almost always sit at the bar to talk wine geek stuff with the server. I’m fairly oblivious to what goes on behind me though jockeying for seats has never been a thing. Edit to add: There is one thing to take into consideration. Vines is not really a “takeaway” venue. They have their own (better) stems and they don’t like seeing those walk away. So people who order wine at Vines and are served in Riedels, the staff would much prefer that those customers stay in the venue and that depends on space being available for them. So be considerate.