dfen74

We are on day 4 of our Southern Caribbean cruise on Voyager of the Seas.  The biggest surprise so far has been the high quality of the food.  Every night in the MDR has been fantastic.  We quite like the theme nights.  On every night, there have been at least two starters and two entrees that appeal to all of us.
 

The Windjammer has been better than expected, with multiple tasty options for all meals.  Cafe Promenade is hit and miss.  Pizza is good, other options are limited.  The only food-related complaint so far is the shortage of operating hours, but that seems to be a Royal issue across the board.

Up to now, I would say that this is the second best MDR food we have had, trailing only Ruby Princess ten years ago.  Only our second time on Royal (Oasis in 2017), so didn’t get accustomed to the old menu.  Have also cruised NCL and CCL.

As always, staff are phenomenal and all of the stops have been beautiful and so much fun.

Thank you for all of the feedback so far.  I had also thought that perhaps we have outgrown a single cabin.  Up until now we have been fine but our last two cruises (since the oldest became a teenager) were  in a Norwegian mini-suite and Carnival balcony, both larger cabins than what Princess would typically offer.
 

I let the hold expire on the aft balcony and am going to continue watching prices and the status of the Discovery.  There is a lot of inventory right now, so I don’t feel a rush to book.  I suspect that we will end up going with a standard balcony and inside near one another but who knows if a nice shiny promotion will come up at some point.  I hope not to have to wait until 2022 to sail again, but things certainly are not encouraging at the moment.
 

Thanks again.

Hi There.

I am looking to book a March 2022 Mexican Riviera cruise on the Discovery Princess.  Our cruise on the Royal this past March got cancelled, so we are going to try to replicate it two years later.  FCC will cover a good chunk of it.

I have a hold on an aft balcony on the Aloha deck.  But then I noticed some mini-suites on Lido (mid-front) for a couple hundred dollars less for the four of us.  We have always tended to sail towards the aft of a ship.  Are the Lido minis significantly larger than an aft balcony (both the cabin itself and the balcony)?   We are a couple with two teenage daughters.  
 

The only downside to the aft cabin is that the balcony can’t be used when the sofa-bed/upper are out.  We are just not familiar with minis on Princess and would love some feedback from those who have sailed in them before.  Extra space would be nice but does that outweigh the view of the wake?

Thanks in advance for your help.

We cancelled our March 14th Royal Princess cruise on March 11th.  The taxes, port charges and pre-paid excursion were back on my credit card in less than a week.
 

The 100% FCC was credited to our accounts on May 14th and the 100% refund to our credit card on May 22nd.  We are all square now.

Now just comes the long and painful wait until we can get back on a ship again.  At this point, it might not be until March Break 2022 on Discovery Princess.

Caribbean Princess in July 2014.  We have done RCL, NCL and CCL twice since then.  We were to be on the Royal Princess last month but we all know how that worked out. ☹️
 

Now looking ahead to March 2022 on Discovery Princess - going to try to replicate this year’s missed cruise.

My agent spoke with Princess today.  They were able to find an override code to change my option from 225% FCC to refund and 100% FCC.  We’ll see if it actually goes through that way.  They said we could still be looking at a further 30-60 days for processing.

We also cancelled on Mar 10th for Mar 14th sailing.  Taxes and excursion were returned to my CC within days.  No FCC yet.  I have asked my TA to change our option to refund + 100% FCC.  Decided against giving Princess an interest-free loan for that long.  Hopefully, they will let us change our option since they have not acted on the original request yet.

Is there a way to sign up your kids prior to the cruise or do we just do it after we board? We will be on Oasis in March. Thanks.

46 days until we're on the Oasis...soon to be 45 days.

Thanks for the review, I really enjoyed it. We will be sailing on the Oasis in 7 weeks and can't wait. Much like you, two of my favourite places are on a ship or at Cedar Point :).

Safe travels home. It has been warm here but haven't seen the sun in a week.

Dave

Our first time visiting Labadee will be in March. Will the kids need water shoes or is it sandy throughout?

We dined at the CG on both of our Princess cruises and thoroughly enjoyed it. Apps, steak (tenderloin & ribeye), lobster tails (as many as you want) were all delicious. We were so stuffed that we almost couldn't finish dessert;)

Would definitely recommend you try it out.

Dave

I appreciate everyone's feedback. We booked a mid-ship oceanview balcony cabin on the Oasis (Deck 11). Can't wait :D

Thanks for the replies so far. If we can score the Harmony for the same price as the Oasis, we will likely jump on it.

Thanks for your review - I really enjoyed it. Right now, we are trying to decide between the Getaway and the Oasis of the Seas for our March Break cruise.

The itinerary and waterslides on the Getaway appeal to me but the Oasis-class ships are apparently second to none. Is the main pool area on the Getaway as small as many people claim?

Dave

Thank you, Bob. When the sofa bed is pulled out, will this block off the way to the balcony? Would we have to climb over the kids to get there :-)?

Hi there.

Family of four (kids aged 11 & 8) are planning a cruise for mid-March. We have pretty much narrowed it down to the Getaway and the Oasis. Both are Western Caribbean itineraries, stopping in familiar places to us. The prices for assigned mid-ship balcony cabins are virtually identical. It would seem that the Oasis is typically a bit pricier than the Getaway but the 3rd night free promotion has brought them on level.

I have reviewed all of the similarities and differences between the ships. I am just hoping to get some opinions on which ship you prefer, if you have been on both and why.

The NCL promotions (drink and speciality dining packages) are not a big factor for us, more concerned with the quality and variety of food, the pools/waterpark/other activities and general vibe of the ships.

Thanks very much.

Dave

Hi there.

Family of four (kids aged 11 & 8) are planning a cruise for mid-March. We have pretty much narrowed it down to the Getaway and the Oasis. Both are Western Caribbean itineraries, stopping in familiar places to us. The prices for assigned mid-ship balcony cabins are virtually identical. It would seem that the Oasis is typically a bit pricier than the Getaway.

I have reviewed all of the similarities and differences between the ships. I am just hoping to get some opinions on which ship you prefer, if you have been on both and why.

The promotions are not a big factor for us, more concerned with the quality and variety of food, the pools/waterpark and general vibe of the ships.

Thanks very much.

Dave

Happy New Year to all!

Going with the assumption that the Allure and Oasis are identical, could you please tell me the configuration of staterooms 12666 & 11666? Any idea whether the proximity to the elevators or the Diamond Club would lead to any excessive noise issues? Is the Diamond Club a permitted smoking venue and if, so, would the smells waft over to the nearby staterooms?

Thank You.

Dave

We have only had to show ID once (other than cruise card) and that was in Nassau. Driver's license worked fine.

Dave

We have purchased bottles of vanilla in Cozumel on our last two cruises with no issues whatsoever. They were not at all hidden when we brought them back onto the ship.

We were on the Dream two weeks ago. Your Time Dining is available in the Crimson restaurant (mid-ship). We had late dining in the Scarlett dining room. We didn't spend very much time in Crimson but both dining rooms seemed to have a good variety of table sizes.

On the one occasion that we went by Crimson at dinner time, there was a very long line for Your Time Dining so you may want to plan your meals accordingly.

Dave

Hi. First time cruising with Carnival. Have been on Princess twice so only familiar with their policies. I have a few questions that I'm hoping to get some help with.

1. Soda package - will we be limited to taking 16 oz glasses each time? Will they let us use our own sports bottles/tumblers so fewer return trips are necessary?

2. Is the MDR menu posted somewhere earlier in the day so that we can decide where to eat dinner?

3. Quality of Dream's steakhouse vs Princess' Crown Grill? We had incredible meals both times at the Crown Grill.

4. Green Eggs & Ham breakfast - when can you sign up? I cannot find a spot to do so on the Carnival website.

5. Do balcony cabins have a mini fridge if we bring our own soda?

6. What theme nights do they typically have in the buffet? I'm holding out for Mexican:D

Thanks very much for your help. Only 5 days to go.

Dave

I loved the donuts in the IC. Had two for breakfast every morning. From the MDR, we found the Beef Wellington to be our favourite meal.

I am sailing on the Ruby in 10 days. I just got an email from Princess indicating that Skyfall and Argo would be playing on that cruise.

Dave