Matcodixon

If you click on USER CP you should find the information you are looking for.. It is a process that takes some patience the first time. :confused:

Yes, I remember the amazing flaming number of posts when this practice was first announced:eek:. As time went on and the reality of the situation revealed itself, It became apparent that these times were much more of a "suggestion" than a mandate. It was designed to help reduce the long lines at some ports by trying to get passengers to avoid all coming to board at the same time. In the end, some follow the suggestions and it does reduce the lines, so the program has been somewhat of a success. Realize that if only 20% of the passengers follow those boarding times, it greatly reduces the congestion at check in.

Varies between ports. Your results may vary.

Dixon

Obviously the only thing better is having the first cup of tea in the morning on your balcony!

Now that's just funny, I don't care who you are!:D

Dixon

No certain answer except Maybe yes and Maybe no. It depends on the port and the number of people trying to board at the same time. If you get there early and the line is short you will probably get in early no problem. If the place is packed and lines are long, boarding times become more of a reality than simply a suggestion.

As a regular coffee drinker I can say that the only real "Excellent" coffee is Kona coffee from Hawaii. Have yet to experience it on a cruise ship, however I can live with what's available. I always buy a coffee card, primarily because my DW loves a daily Latte, and the IC makes a very decent one.

The coffee delivered every morning to our cabin via room service is good enough, especially since the excellent service more than makes up for any less than "Excellent" quality..

After all what is better than that first cup sitting out on the balcony in the morning?

Dixon:cool:

I think it is interesting that the OP has not returned to post here. Looking at some of her past posts, she is a great defender of Carnival just like many on this board defend Princess.

I hope that, in the end, she has a good experience with her Princess cruise. If not, she can always go back to Carnival. There are so many cruise lines that are, in the end, more similar than different, however the differences, no matter how small, are often what keep people coming back to the same cruise line over and over.

Dixon:cool:

Having taken the Ultimate ship tour on the Ruby, I will join those that say it is an experience well worth the expense. Be aware that the number of passengers that can participate is very limited so it is important to sign up ASAP after boarding at the CS desk.

There is another entire world that you will see on this tour that is amazing and very educational.

Dixon

Jimmy V

I like your suggestions. An evening movie is what the original intent of the program was and why it is named "Movies Under The Stars" in the first place.

Having it on some afternoons and off others Is a great idea especially on sea days.

Two things come to mind..

"How can I miss you if you won't go away?" Sometimes things are more special if they are not there constantly.

Could this be a way of controlling crowds (in a limiting way) at that pool??

Hmmmmmmm:rolleyes:

Dixon

I find it interesting to read any string here regarding food as there is never any real agreement. Just like cabin selections and MUTS there are real differences of opinion. Fortunately from my experience, there are enough choices to make everyone happy (well, almost everyone)

I would like to add another point to ponder though. As an ex smoker there is a real difference in food taste. Heavy smoking masks the flavors and as a result more heavy seasoning is necessary. I wonder if those that complain of

"bland" food might just happen to be smokers? Since there are less smokers every year, perhaps the level of seasoning has reduced to accommodate the more average taste.

Another possible factor is the increasing awareness of the down side of consuming too much salt in ones diet. This has resulted in food prepared with a lower salt content than say, 10 years ago.

One can always add more salt and pepper or Tabasco or whatever to spice up anything. Those are readily available. Easy to add, hard to remove after the fact.

JMHO

Dixon

I have been on the Diamond and the Ruby and on both ships there were plenty of places where the sound during the day from MUTS was not to be heard.

Pool? All three of the other ones for a start. The Lotus is adults only and there is no charge for it. It was always quiet with few people.

Watching the ocean go by the Promenade Deck always has some nice quiet places.

On a ships this large it is easy to find a place that suits your needs.

PS I have never heard the sounds from my Balcony but they were not right below that area where MUTS is.

I am sure that there are a lot of variables that determine sale pricing. How the cruise is selling, which cabins are selling out, etc. I just checked the Red White and Blue sale and the cruise I have currently booked has gone down $50 PP for the Balcony as well as an increase in OBC from $50 to $100. Just contacted my TA to see if I can get fare adjusted.

Our last MED cruise was a total winner in that respect. We started by booking a Balcony GTY and ended up with over $1000 PP fare drop and a Mini-suite.

It pays to watch and do the math..

Your results may vary.

Also, they do not necessarily wait until final payment to assign a cabin on a guarantee. We booked a GTY Balcony for our Dec 5th cruise and a cabin was assigned last week (BB) which we are happy with. They might still upgrade us again (like they have in the past) but I am not holding my breath. Our final payment is due in September.

Also it is possible to specify "no upgrade" on your booking so if you booked with a TA, that might be the case for you.

We have come to book Balcony GTY as our results have been fantastic in the past, and are continuing so far. :cool:

As much discussion as this issues has caused.. For the record 5 Eu fee for shuttle bus at one Italian port, and then only if you did not take a Taxi or a Tour, Just Imagine how this thread would go if Princess decided to charge for room service and prohibit taking food to your cabin?

Oh yes, check the NCL board for that one! :eek:

Run a few people in/out of the port and the hire is covered :)

Now that's just funny, I don't care who you are! :D

Do you sign in and check the bridge cam on "your" ship. The one you got off from or are going to board to see where it is?

 

 

Bob

Yes!:)

Another possibility is the growing popularity of those aft cabins might have contributed to the changes. Simple supply and demand.

I am part of the "Depends on the cruise" crowd. Our Med cruise was filled with long and very active days as there was so much to see at every port. Can't imagine just how far we walked during our time in the many ports. No weight gain at all.

On the other hand, the other cruises were not nearly as active with more sea days and about a pound per day is about right.

Definitely the way I prepare for a cruise is to set a workout schedule and weight goal before we leave. I have a good elliptical in my home office..

Also always use the stairs and the grand ships with the Promenade that goes all the way around 2 laps is almost a mile. :cool:

There is only one way to be sure.. Watch them and let us know..:D

I can't believe there are 130 posts over 5€ :D

My thoughts exactly!

Imagine how long this would go on if it were 10 Eu.. :eek:

I brought this topic up on principal and not about cost. In my opinion it's wrong that you have to pay to leave the port. In Livarno you have to. Naples is free, Civitchechia is free, it's the first time I'm aware of this. No it hasn't ruined my cruise, that's as good as ever. I posted it as a point to discuss on cruise critic, and that's what I did. Once again it gets personal and cc members attack you. Pam CA, the Rome example is wrong as Princess advertise the port as Civit....

Is it wrong to pay to ride a city bus? That bus does not belong to Princess.

As noted this information was posted in the Patter as well as mentioned in the port talks.

Glad it did not ruin your cruise..

As a point for discussion, you totally succeeded in creating that.

A disagreement is not necessarily an attack. (my wife tends to mix this up at times also):eek:

I cannot believe that this topic has had so many posts! :D

There certainly can be advantages transferring a booking to a TA though, like an additional OBC added to that of the original Princess promotion. Also our TA did a great job of keeping an eye on prices and when they were lowered, helped us get additional price reductions before final payment was due.

Thanks for the detailed review and comparison. We have not been on Celebrity as of yet, but have been interested in trying it out sometime. In the end , the choice for us has been first determined by price and itinerary and so far Princess has been the winner. That may not always be the case in the future, I try to never say never.:rolleyes:

Dixon

So, Princess should offer free shuttles to Rome, Cairo or Beijing? After all, there are many ports on many itineraries where the ship docks in a commercial port that's far away from the major city or the downtown area. I've found that it's actually not the usual procedure for cruise lines to offer free shuttles to the attraction.

 

There is always a notice in the Patter with any shuttle or pay transportation at each port plus it's always covered in the port talk.

Kind of figured that Pam, Thanks for providing the true definitive answer once again...

Dixon

It is not a new booking when you transfer it.

This is the correct answer, Been there done that.