Matcodixon

We have had a mini on the Dolphin deck on all our cruises (6) and the open balcony never bothered us. It's not like people hang over their decks to gawk at you and we have nothing to hide anyway. There is always part of the day when the deck is in the shade.

We do enjoy the space.

I am totally with you on this. I would take one of those again any time.

I love that last brandy in the evening before retiring, sitting on the open balcony, looking at the sea and stars.

Dixon

Many of these posts talk about the tour and some of the highlights. A few simply question the price.

Fact; only a limited number of people can go. I believe the maximum number when I went was 12. Even at that, there is often several more that sign up and there is a drawing for those that can go. This is at $150 PP

Could it be done cheaper? Of course.

How many would sign up if the charge was only $50 PP? Imagine the number of disappointed people that did not have their names drawn. How big would the line be at CS to sign up?

Perceived value, number control with pricing. Easy to see.

Great tour. Worth every penny. IMHO

Dixon

Why fix what isn't broken?

The key to long term success with almost any company is that they are never satisfied and always looking for ways to improve. Not all of these changes end up being for the better, but many are, I give them credit for trying to improve even things that seem to be working OK. Time will tell if this was a change for the better or not. A few dissenters is not enough to make any real decisions on this yet.

Strange that my desk top computer still has the old format but on my iPad it has the new format. I'm still on Windows 7 though - maybe that has something to do with the new format. Taking my time to update to Windows 10.

Curious but doubtful that is a possibility. My desktop is on XP and shows the new format. I think it has to do with refreshing the page instead of using stored information. Hit the refresh button on your browser and the the new format should show up in place of the old one.

At least, that is my guess.

Dixon

I like the new format. All of information is right there to see. If one doesn't want to look at "advertisement-like" portion, just don't scroll down.

I'm with you on this. I opened it this morning and though it had a new kind of fresh look. Certainly not difficult to find the information along with some other interesting new information as well. I like the change.

No matter what the change is, there are those that will like it and those that will not. To each their own. :rolleyes:

Definitely worth it even without the extra goodies. The experience and the memories are far more valuable than those extras.

I do find the jogging track boring, if just walking I much prefer just walking around the ship.

And 2 1/2 laps is about a mile. I'm with you on this, More interesting than the short lap track.

Dixon

My Experience is that there are always a number of extremely talented passengers aboard almost any cruise. Of course there are many that are not quite as talented as they seem to think that they are. :rolleyes:

However, It may be extremely rare that some of these talented people have any real opportunity to perform in front of any real audience. For them this is a rare and valuable experience.

The best part about a cruise ship is the great number of choices one has available to spend their time aboard. If you don't like passenger participation contests or talent shows, don't go, but don't assume that just because you don't like them, nobody does. Attendance is NOT mandatory.

Dixon

As one that has been involved in sales for over 30 years, I can say that people value things that cost something even if it is a small amount more than free stuff.

A good example is a free ticket to an event, half of the people won't even bother to show up, but charge even a minimal amount and that changes completely. This is a case of perceived value at work to some degree.

If you order a drink at the regular price, you will always take the second one if it is free, however, i wonder just how many of those are unfinished and dumped out? If you charge $1 for it, many people will take a moment to decide if they really want or need it before taking it. Of course for some it is still a no brainer!:p A drink on a cruise ship for only a dollar?!! Of course I will take one!:D

Just my thoughts,

Dixon

When we were on our 12 day Grand Med cruise, I brought along a netbook. I used it for photo storage, downloading the days photos every day ( took a total of 2700 on that cruise) but I also used it for internet.

I had a relatively small package of minutes (120?)on the ship system, but by following certain rules, I did not even use them all in the 12 days.

1. do not bother sending photos or video. System is too slow and WAY too much time consumed for each one. Save that for when you return home.

2. I had 2 email systems I checked daily. The key is to read and write all email correspondence offline. Just do a send/receive when everything is ready. That way you use very few minutes each time.

3. No social media use. You are on a cruise, enjoy your time away from all that!

Dixon

Have had both types and each has it's advantages or disadvantages.

Covered is best if you have a problem sitting out in the sun. Also avoid the open decks around the pools.

Uncovered is best if you enjoy the sun and the stars at night. The open view is amazing. Of course, the open decks around the pools are also good for this.

Let's talk privacy here;

Uncovered means not doing a couple of things, like sunbathing sans clothing or perhaps some other things best done in the privacy of your cabin instead of out on the balcony. :eek: Of course, sunbathing on a covered balcony does not work all that well most of the day anyway.

As far as people spending their time looking down on you in an uncovered balcony, It is extremely rare. First off there are always more interesting things to look at like the scenery passing by or up on the pool deck on a sunny day :rolleyes:

We had a Dolphin Deck mini with uncovered balcony on the Ruby for 10 days and very rarely was there ever anyone spending their time looking down on us. Of course, as I mentioned previously, there was always something more interesting to look at available elsewhere. Would happily take one of these cabins again anytime!

Hope this helps

Dixon:cool:

The Shuttle to St Marks leaves and returns right by the ship.

There is much to see on both sides during the sail out of Venice, Best viewed from on deck.

UBD is probably best for a sea day as the port days are long and busy. There is so much to see.

Definately look into some private tours for Naples and Rome as they are not as expensive if you put a small group of 8 together from roll call. We used AP tours and they were amazing. It would be easier on her to not deal with a large group IMHO.

Enjoy your cruise, it is amazing what you will see. Take a good digital camera and extra memory cards. I took 2700 photos. :D

They booked the flight through Princess. They are on a Princess ship and need assistance to contact the airline. They should have received that assistance. I suspect that their hearing impairment may have played a roll in this and why passenger services was not the most helpful. It is possible the OP was nice at first but the frustrations probably mounted.

What gives you the impression that they booked their flight through Princess? I have read and re read the original post and there was no indication that they did or did not. Do you have additional information that was not posted? The OP has made no additional posts anywhere.

Just curious.

Dixon

In the past bad manners for for the young, now it seems it is for all ages.:(

I try and be polite at all times so I can at the very least I can feel good about myself and making others happy.:D

When I was younger I worked as an Automobile Mechanic. Boy, if there ever was a profession that brought out the worst in people, that was it. No one was happy spending money on their car, especially if it had broken down. I worked very hard to do the best possible repair, charging a fair price. It was rare to hear a compliment but complaints were an everyday occurrence, not necessarily from anything we did, but because they were simply angry about spending the money and being inconvenienced by their car not working properly or even just needing maintenance.

At the end of the day, what I had was the personal satisfaction of knowing I had done my best.

DIxon

While people are technically correct that its possible to negotiate with ports, in practice, not so much, especially when that port is the only access to a very popular destination. In reality, this is not something they can negotiate away.

 

Thus, Princess has 3 choices:

 

1> Provide their own transport - and raise the cost of the cruise a few bucks for everyone even those not leaving the ship.

2> Pay for the shuttle service - and raise the cost of the cruise a few bucks for everyone even those not leaving the ship.

3> Skip one of the most popular ports in the med.

 

So, which should they do?

Excellent summation. There is obviously no answer that will make everyone happy. Of course the third option is not even a possibility. Just ask anyone that has actually been there. Florence and Pisa are amazing. Remember that everyone taking a Princess tour, Private tour or a taxi had the fee included in the fare. (if there was one) however I maintain the fare was most likely for the bus service and not actually for the port.

Dixon

On our cruise to the Polynesian islands Nuku Hiva was a stop and it was an amazing island. Small and with very small population. Walked to a hotel with an infinity pool overlooking the bay and our ship, the Tahitian Princess ( renamed now the Ocean Princess)

Stopped at an amazing church along the way.

Dixon

As someone that has dealt with the general public for over 50 years, I can say that the 95 - 5 rule always seems to apply.

95% of the people are great The other 5% cause 95% of your grief.

The key is to never let the 5% spoil it for the other 95%.

Dixon

After all of these comments, it is ultimately up to you.

Personally, once was enough for us to have an inside..:eek: Never again. Balcony preferred but could possible live with an OV as we had one once and it was not terrible.:rolleyes:

Everyone has their own motives. For those that want to go on as many cruises as possible every year, an inside is the least expensive way to accomplish that especially if one's budget has limitations and this makes the difference in going or not going. For those with a deeper wallet, a suite is the only way to travel. We are somewhere in between. My DW likes trips in our RV as much as I like cruise ships, so we try to do some of each every year. Our budget allows for a Balcony or Mini suite so that is how we roll (sail) :cool:

You are the only one that can decide what's best (or worth it) for you.

Happy cruising!

Dixon

With 9 pages of comments about a 5eu Fee to ride a bus, I would say that we have definitely gotten our money's worth! :D

Happy cruising! :cool:

Dixon

Having been to the Livorno port on the Ruby Princess, I can say that if you took either a private tour or simply a transportation only tour, this fee was included. In fact, it seemed to be a total non issue at that time and never heard a single complaint about this. I guess very few had any desire to simply walk the very long distance out of the port. Paying for bus ride seems like a logical answer.

But that may be just me.

Dixon.

BTW Florence and Pisa are both beautiful and well worth the visit.

He practices what he preaches. What's wrong with that?

Yes I totally agree!

"That's just funny, I don't care who you are!"

Dixon

Stop going to Livorno until this "tribute" payment is removed.

This suggestion coming from someone that does not list a Mediterranean cruise in the history. No wonder..

Dixon

What cabin did you have before?

Actually it appears that you live in Seattle. I would send pepper spray item and the homemade food item directly to them. (use a tin to protect it) It will arrive quicker and in better shape than if you try to take it with you. As indicated, it probably won't even get there that way. Cost to ship a small box UPS is not expensive.

Do the Amazon thing for the roadside kit. It will also be there when you arrive.

JMHO

Dixon

When we did the Alaska cruise tour we booked a river raft float down the river from the McKinley Lodge area to Talkeetna and it was a total highlight of our entire trip. We saw many eagles and other wildlife as we floated down the river with Mt. McKinley in the background. When we got to town we had some food at that restaurant before catching the bus back to the lodge. It was well worth whatever it cost which was not that much.

Dixon