highloyo

Some thoughts on the just completed cruise. Embarkation in San Pedro was very smooth. We arrived around 10:30 and had to get our medallions. We were told we could board the ship without waiting. We were on board about 11am. It’s strange that the dining room lunch was being served in the Ketchikan. In prior cruises it’s been in Skagway. Although I knew thew where it’s located, this caused quite a stir for those unfamiliar with how to get to Ketchikan. Lunch service opened at 11:30 but the line up went up the stairs. IDK if this was done to encourage passengers to go to the buffet but you could imagine how crowded it was and then the elevators doors opened. Lunch service was very slow but we had nowhere to go but wait for our cabins to be ready. Around 12:50 they announced the cabins are available. We had dining reservations for our group of 6 in the Skagway for 5:40 each evening. My sisters and their husbands were eager to do everything. Sister A was familiar with Princess and last sailed in 2022, sister B never sailed before. In 2022 sister A remembered how slow the dining service was so we purposely made 5:40 reservations because she enjoyed the shows. The first night we skipped dessert as it was already 7:20. The 2nd night we complained to a suited dining room person as it was approaching 6:45 and we had not received our entrees. He tried to say it’s because it’s the first 2 nights but I disagreed saying it was the same way in Oct ‘23 and another cruise Apr ‘23. He gave us the same table for future nights and our service was very good thereafter. However you could see and hear others wondering where was their food. I’ve the production shows and had no interest in seeing a Lionel Ritchie or Michael Buble impersonator. I did see 3 comedians and their different shows. Phil Tag, Don Friesen and Carlos Oscar. Two were very good but Carlos Oscar was exceptional. Catch his show if you can. A big problem I had that gnawed at me. We were constantly charged for drinks we didn’t order. Inquiring at Guest Services they checked to see where and what was ordered. We had a drinks charged to us while we were off the ship in San Diego. We had drinks charged to us from the Juneau DR while we were in the Skagway DR, different decks. We had white wine charged to us which we only drink red. A total 7 drinks were erroneously charged. When I saw the 2 drinks charged while in San Diego I went to guest services. Their reply was they would investigate and get back to us. I didn’t hear back and and by now more drinks were charged to us. I never heard back from them so the last evening I go to Guest Services I told them to reverse of one of our gratuities because that was about amount I was expecting back. I told them they never resolved any of my inquiries and so we’ll call it even with this reversal. I hated having to monitor my account every day. There must be a way to properly charge a cruiser for drinks besides asking you your name and cabin number. Does anyone else have a problem with the cabin remote control? Is it just their system? I have had trouble on my last 3 cruises as well as my sisters. My last observations, Gigi’s Pizza was never more than a 1/3 full even during normal dining hours. The Gelato station was closed until the last 3 days. An O’Malleys was being built there. The arcade where Churchills used to be was always empty, no one there the couple of times I looked. It’s still difficult to find seating in the buffet in the morning. The coffee is much better than before. Cruise Director Kristoff was everywhere and his staff was outstanding. The quality of desserts have declined. I pretty much stuck to Creme Brulee every night. There is a daily soup and great sandwiches in the always outstanding International Cafe. Internet connectivity was outstanding throughout the cruise. Everything else with the cruise was great. The service was wonderful including the wait staff as well as my cabin steward. I blame the dining room delay to the kitchen. Cheers!

Queen for many reasons. The space is the same. I have a queen size at home.

Thank you for your very informative review and comparison to Princess. It definitely makes me want to check it out. As someone mentioned, not sailing from the west coast is an added cost but the new experience may be worth it.

I’m on the Discovery in April and will be interested in your Live! Thank you.

Good luck, buddy. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure.

@KarmaCruisers I’m following along your cruise and enjoying it. Do you find the cruise ship slots a lot tighter than say Vegas or Tahoe? I can never get on a roll in the cruise ship’s casino.

Following along. Will be on the Discovery (3rd time) in April.

Taking an Uber or Lyft from a hotel to San Pedro is fine. However taking a rideshare from LAX to the cruise port is a different story. You will to shuttle to the rideshare lot to get an Uber or Lyft which is very confusing at LAX.

This is anytime dining vs. traditional dining where you were either a early or late seating. You can reserve a different dining time for each day or the same time. Or you can walk in anytime and ask for a table, although like regular restaurant, you might have to wait without a reservation.

I agree with you but my concern way back then was HA was always under threats of Ch 11 every few years. True, MD brought in a new management but part of that was needed to turn the company around. MD knew he had to win the confidence of locals and did much to blend into the community and culture. Shareholder value and profitability had never been higher under MD. Employees, including my now retired wife, were saddened when it was announced he was leaving.

Although the pandemic hurt all the airlines HA has been in trouble once Mark Dunkerly was removed around 2017 or so. It’s been poorly run since. New management not familiar with “local culture” and over expansion has led to the situation they are in. I hope this doesn’t get approved.

Booked 2 BW Deck 8 obstructed balconies on the Oct 21 Calif Coastal cruise about 4 months ahead in June. To my surprise when printing luggage tags a few days before I noticed the cabins had changed to Deck 10 and Deck 12 BB balconies. The different decks weren’t a problem for us even though the original cabins were separated by 3 cabins on the same deck. We weren’t notified of the upgrade at all.

Did it change to show only your first name and the initial of your last name?

Nice to know. I realized it was a problem as I glanced at everyone’s name then thought my name was out there too.

On the Discovery there were 2 NFL channels on your TV.

On a recent 7 day cruise aboard the Discovery, up and down the California coast I didn’t buy the internet package since it was only 2 sea days and I would have internet in SF, SD and Ensenada. I was under the impression that iMessage would work on MedallionNet without internet. I thought I experienced this before but unsure if it was on the 5 PCL and RCCL cruises I’ve taken in the last 2.5 years. I inquired at the IT desk and was told it’s not possible without internet. The tall, RUDE internet lady could only offer to sign me up for internet, that’s it, ie. to stop wasting her time. It wasn’t that critical to me but curious if you actually need full internet to iMessage. What I’ve read on this forum seems mixed. BTW, the chat feature on MedallionNet is worthless without a notification feature.

Off from the Discovery a week ago. Our reservations for 4 were always between 6:40 and 7:20. We never had a wait. I think the ship sailed at 90% capacity. No problems at all with the service either.

We had DuVaul last year on the Discovery. He was very entertaining especially with his morning briefings on TV.

Hi Renee. What is the insurance? Isn’t it just $60 per day for the Plus package? Just returned from Maui Tuesday. Our daughter has a displaced family of 4 living with them. They lost everything. We brought 3 boxes of clothes, toys and other necessities gathered by our daughters. They will soon move to semi-permanent/temporary housing. It’s hard for their 3 and 5 year old to understand what happened.

Where did Natalie C. go? I liked her when we sailed on the Majestic last year.

Just about any bar will have bottled water.

Thanks @ceilidh1 . I’m on the Discovery 10/21 cruise and very excited about the Hollywood Insiders musician theme.

I guess I’ll have to do the math. I got the Shareholders’ Benefit on my last cruise with Princess Apr ‘22 also booked with an interline discount. Thanks for your input.

Airline employee discount.

I received this from Princess today after submitting my form a few hours earlier. I’ve received the benefit 3 times in the past while booking a cruise with an Interline Discount. This must be a new policy. Has anyone else booked cruises with an Interline Discount and received the benefit. Oh well, maybe it’s time to sell the losing stock. “Thank you for contacting Princess Cruises. We have received your request for the Carnival Shareholder Benefit to be applied to your upcoming cruise on October 21, 2023, on the Discovery Princess. Please be advised we are unable to apply the benefit as it is not combinable with the promotion code YI1 from your SPECIAL INTERLINE OFFER you are currently booked under.”