LACruiser88

When I do a Live blog, I only answer "reasonable" questions. My priority is having a good time on the cruise! 🙂

When we attended there was one couple that showed up in shorts and t-shirts. They looked at the group (dressed in nice smart casual attire) and left while our photos were being taken before entering. They never returned.

We will be following along. Enjoy your trip!

Please do!

That is exactly what we were thinking. 🤫

There are lots of threads here regarding the 360 dining. Below is a recent one... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2917143-princess-360-dining-experience/#comment-64865896

He told me he plans to return in a couple of months.

@wallyj Hey there! Yes, we switched to this cruise when they originally canceled the Sydney to LA cruise. We are booked on the Majestic, April of 2024, Sydney to Seattle, to make up for the canceled cruise. I'll let you know how they handle the milestone perks, if any.

Shelly, will it be at the same price as pre-cruise?

Luckily my DW and I have the same number of sea days. Say Hi to Ken for us!

Hi Folks, here we go again! On Monday morning we will fly from LAX to Buenos Aires (BA) by way of Dallas on American Airlines (AA). After many price comparisons, EZ Air was by far the most economical. We were originally booked in Economy from LAX to Dallas (only option available on EZ Air) and Business Class from Dallas to BA. After the flights were ticketed we were able to upgrade our first flight to First Class directly through AA. In January of 2011, we spent 10 days in BA prior to sailing on a 17-day cruise on the Star Princess, BA to Valparaiso (Chile). On that voyage we cruised in Antarctica for four days. Those four days are still a highlight of our travels and was my "retirement" trip. On this voyage we will not be going to Antarctica, but we will be going to three countries for our first time (Uruguay, Peru, and Ecuador). Being a Cuban-born Spanish speaker, we thoroughly enjoy traveling in Latin America. This cruise really appealed to us because it was a 30+ day voyage that terminates in LA. We live about an hour north of the San Pedro cruise port. It is so nice to disembark and not deal with flying home! This cruise was offered as a 32-day voyage or two separate voyages, 14-day and 18-day. We always do the math to see what works out better financially when you add in obc's (FCD obc, Shareholder obc, etc...) to the fares. For this cruise booking as two separate voyages was more advantageous. So we booked the cruise as two separate voyages in the same Emerald deck, aft mini-suite. We have stayed in these mini suites several times and enjoyed the fully covered balconies. Every once in a awhile it is better to book the longer voyage, you always have to get out your calculator and do the math. For our upcoming November 26-day Enchanted TA (also offered as an 11-day and 15-day voyage) it was better to book the longer voyage. Having seen most of the touristy things to see in and around BA in 2011, on this trip we are just "hanging out." We are staying in a boutique hotel in the Recoleta neighborhood, one of the nicer areas in BA. We were sad to find out a few weeks ago that one of our favorite Princess DRO's, Mario Propato, will be leaving the Sapphire on the same day we board. Luckily, we know his replacement, Francesco Ciorfito, quite well. This will also be a Milestone cruise for us as we will pass the 750 sea day threshold during the beginning of this voyage. We are curious to see if they honor the pre-covid perks given for Milestone voyages??? As I do on all of my "Live" threads, I apologize in advance for not being as witty as other "Live" bloggers. My DW says that I'm a Sgt Joe Friday kind of guy, "Just the facts, ma'am." I plead guilty to that charge! I do try to be as informative as I can and try to answer all questions. To my fellow passengers, I encourage you to add your experiences and answer questions on this thread as we all have different perspectives and experiences. Hasta luego for now!

I do not think they have a place to hang dry your laundry. I have never heard of this option. You will be better off using one of the laundry rooms and hang drying in your cabin.

Looks like the Enhanced Voyages might just go away?

We received the below notification from Princess last night for our March 5th, Buenos Aires to LA cruise. No more vaccination requirement or testing. UPDATED COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR YOUR VOYAGE We are pleased to share that our COVID-19 protocols for your voyage have been amended. As a result, there are no longer any COVID-19 vaccination or pre-cruise testing requirements for guests on this voyage.

No they do not match.

Ditto!

We also give an additional tip in specialty dining venue for great service. Let the non-tippers hate. 🙂

@memoak You beat me to the Submit Reply button!

Gratuities are included in your specialty dining upcharge.

I really think the "overcrowding" comments are due to the fact that post start-up we were cruising at very low passenger counts and folks grew accustomed to fairly empty ships. Now as the world is getting back to normalcy ships are back to their "normal" passenger counts.

This is totally unacceptable!

Unfortunately, you will probably never have that chance as cruise capacities return to pre-covid levels.

On a couple of occasions we did not receive our cabin assignment until the morning of the cruise. Usually within 5 days of sailing. Enjoy your cruise!

Douw is a great guy, I forwarded your positive comments to him.

February 21, 2023 9:00 AM EST Spring Flowers, Summer Festivals and Royal Princess Debut Highlight Princess Cruises' 2024 Japan Season Diamond Princess Returns for 36 Departures to Scenic Island Country, Plus Royal Princess Debuts on a New Japan & Northern Pacific Crossing SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The lure of Japan is calling with its ancient temples, cherry blossoms, modern cityscapes and vibrant cuisine with the newly released 2024 Japan cruise season on sale now from Princess Cruises. New for 2024, Royal Princess makes her Japan debut and marks the first Royal-Class ship to sail in the region. The series of cruises offers many opportunities to view the magnificent spring flowers, as well as four breathtaking summer festivals. Spring Flowers, Summer Festivals and Royal Princess Debut Highlight Princess Cruises’ 2024 Japan Season Royal Princess sails a new Japan & North Pacific Crossing, calling to the northern Tohoku and Hokkaido regions during the magnificent cherry blossom season with the option to combine with the cruise line's popular Voyage of the Glaciers cruise to witness the majestic glaciers of Alaska. Guests can opt to disembark in Anchorage (Whittier) for a 15-day voyage or continue to Vancouver, B.C. for a 22-day cruise. The cruise departs Tokyo (Yokohama) on April 27, 2024. "Japan has been a popular homeport and destination experience for Princess guests for many years and we're thrilled to offer such a culturally-rich season of cruises in this region for the 2024 season," said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. Japan-built Diamond Princess returns to Japan for a March through August 2024 season, sailing roundtrip from Tokyo (Yokohama), calling to 35 destinations in three countries on 31 unique itineraries and 36 departures, ranging from seven to 23 days. Diamond Princess kicks off the season with a series of four 10-day Spring Flowers voyages, calling at all four of Japan's main islands and following the predicted blooming season as it moves from south to north. The Japan festival season reaches its peak in the summer months, and in 2024 Diamond Princess offers guests the opportunity to experience the following festivals with late-night stays in each port: Aomori Nebuta Festival (Aug 2 and Aug 7) which features Nebuta float figures accompanied by traditional music, many vibrant dancers and audience participation, all within easy walking distance from the port. Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival (Aug 12), one of Japan's 10 largest festivals, featuring teams of dancers with colorful costumes and unique performances. Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival (Aug 13), one of the most famous summer dance festivals that dates back to the 1500s and features dancers performing throughout the city well into the night highlighted by the famous "Fool's Dance." Kumano Fireworks Festival (Aug 17), a display of over 10,000 fireworks visible from the decks of Diamond Princess. Additionally, Diamond Princess will sail on nine-day Southern Islands voyages that call to two Okinawan ports and two Taiwan ports; nine-day and 10-day Sea of Japan voyages that will feature ports along the historic Kitamaebune trading route; 10-day Hokkaido voyages that will visit Otaru (for Sapporo), Hakodate and Kushiro; and the popular 10-day Japan Explorer voyages that will call to some of the country's most iconic destinations like Shimizu (for Mt. Fuji), Osaka or Kobe (for Kyoto), Hiroshima, and more. The 2024 Japan program also features access to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Mount Fuji (from Shimizu), Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (from Kobe or Osaka), Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (from Kobe or Osaka), Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (from Kanazawa or Toyama), the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the newly inscribed Iriomote Island (from Ishigaki) and Jomon Prehistoric Sites (from Aomori or Hakodate). Guests only unpack once to enjoy and explore all the sights ashore, while onboard Princess delivers the ultimate in effortless, personalized cruising featuring world-class dining, award-winning entertainment, casinos, pools, fitness centers and spas, all elevated by exclusive Princess MedallionClass service.