KruzPrincess

Well, I think I'm going to start this on Monday. It's a little less than 6 months until my next cruise and I want to lose some weight by then. I just got the book in the mail yesterday ($13 on eBay). I'd never heard of this until last week. I had a video conference call with our other branch at work. A man I've worked with for years came on the screen and was SO much smaller. Everyone asked him and he said he'd lost 71 pounds so far on the 17 Day Diet. I went to the store and couldn't find the book and later found out you have to order it online. I read it last night and have been reading info about it online all morning. If you have questions, I suggest you go to YouTube and watch the 17 Day Diet videos. They tell you a lot and the doctor answers a lot of questions (even one about SF Jello). They have the exerpts from Dr. Phil and The Doctors, too. Anyway, I'm kind of psyched. Wish me luck.

Great news. Princess is always getting better. Best loyalty program afloat.

I get a rash from the sun. It usually starts a couple days into the cruise. It doesn't have to be that hot. I get it on my legs and arms. I don't sit out in direct sun as much as I used to and it helps. I always get a covered balcony to save me from getting too much sun.

I've traveled solo on Princess. Most ships do have a singles meet & greet, but I've never gone. I recommend that you sign up for the Cruise Critic roll call for your cruise. You will meet a lot of people there before you leave. The roll call usually has, at minimum, a meet & greet and then sometimes they plan other activities. I've met some really wonderful people from roll calls. I've always been treated well by Princess. I've paid anywhere from 130% to 200% for a cabin. Prices depend on the time of year and what category you choose. If you want a balcony you'll almost always pay 200%. If you cruise in the low season and choose an inside cabin you may get a much better deal. I've often gotten the best deals in November on the Caribbean routes with an inside cabin (hurricane season). Now, I'm kind of spoiled and want a balcony, so I end up paying more.

We have been on over 70 cruises, ranging from Carnival to Silver Seas. We started cruising in 1984...Royal Caribbean Song of Norway...no balconies, one restaurant..one pool..one bar on the ship. Now, ships have 3 and sometimes 4 pools,dozens of bars, several restaurants, balconies galore. Have cruises gone downhill since then? I don;t know...the ships themselves are so much better. Food and service from crew members have certainly hit a lower standard, but now the ships have between 2000 and 5000 passengers as opposed to the old Song of Norway which had just over 700 passengers. 7 times more passengers! But there are not 7 times more crew members to cook for and to wait on those passengers! Plus, we paid $1500 a person for a 7 day cruise back in 1984. Twentysix years later, we will be are on the Summit in February in a Concierge class cabin for less than $1000 a person for the week and a ship board credit of $200. Tough to say definitively if cruises have gone downhill or not!!

Ditto to this. I haven't been on 70 cruises, but I've been cruising for many years. Yes, things have changed, but the amenities have changed. They offer so much more and the staff is stretched thin. It used to be that you could only dine at very strict and specific times. If you didn't eat then, you waited until the next meal. No buffets when I started and when they were added they were only open at specific times. Now, they have so many balls in the air at one time that they can't just concentrate on one thing. And, my cruise on the Equinox is less money than I'd pay for a cruise years back. More passengers and more standardized service makes that possible. There are cruise lines out there who offer higher end service, but you have to pay for it. I just love cruising and I'm easy to please, so I like that I can find affordable cruising and maybe go more often.

I should have logged on to Cruise Critic before I booked ! I'm paying over 3,000.00 Canadian dollars on Carnival Liberty departing Dec. 24th, an 8-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean ! This single supplement is 3 x as much as most of y'all are paying ! It is an OV but on the lowest deck..I'm totally bummed out now !

It still before final payment date, so if the price drops you can ask you TA to get the lower price for you....unless there's some different rules for Canadians. Holiday cruises are alway pricier than non-holiday cruises.

We had the same situation in A746 on Sapphire, regarding the slamming door. However, R747 on Emerald is a side of the ship cabin, and the Terrace door is across the hall, not in the same wall as the cabin wall. They might hear the slam, but won't feel it like our cabins did.

You are correct....it is across the way, but the people next to me in R748 said it drove them crazy too, and they were a whole cabin away. It was very, very loud on the Crown. It wasn't horrible for me because I don't sleep in and most people don't use the door at night, but for people who want to nap in the afternoon or sleep late it could be really annoying.

I stayed in R746 on the Crown. This is one of the aft OV cabins and it was right next to the door to the Terrace Pool. While this is a great location and very convenient, it can be very noisy because that door can slam very loudly at all times of the day. Sometimes it doesn't slam, but if people have their balcony doors open it causes some kind of a wind tunnel effect and the door slams HARD. I don't know if that cabin would feel the same thing, but my cabin wall shook on the Crown and I can't imagine the Emerald is much different. Personally, even though I loved the location I wouldn't stay there again.

I didn't know you could exchange until I read it here. I don't drink much, so I end up carrying those little bottles home and putting them in the cupboard. I should exchange for Sprite and not get a soda card. I'm going to try that next time.

We have the opportunity to switch to either cabin E628 or 630. Would this cabin have the larger balcony and a better location? Thanks

I looked at the diagram and it appears that the balcony is bigger and the cabin is smaller on E628 vs the cabin looks bigger and the balcony looks smaller on the E310. I'm wondering if that's the case?? Personally, I like the forward cabins on the Coral and Island because all the main dining rooms and buffet are forward. The specialty restaurants are more aft. The Princess Theater is forward. The atrium vista elevators and internet cafe are right down the hall. The thought of a bigger balcony is tempting, but I think I'll keep what I have. Thanks for starting this thread. It's helped me with my locations choice.

I can at least answer this question. They are fully covered. :p Maybe after your cruise you can come back here and let us know how tiny the balcony is! My cruise isn't until next year. Where did you find pictures?

I just Google'd images and found a fairly close picture of the side of the ship. I could pick out which cabin was mine and it looked fully covered. I couldn't see the size. I also couldn't see what kind of furniture was on it.

I just booked E308 on the Coral for a cruise later this year and was wondering about the balcony. I knew it wasn't as big as a Caribe balcony, but I want a fully covered balcony. From the pictures, it appears to be fully covered. Am I correct? It looks like a really convenient location. On the Island, I had a forward mini once and it was a nice location.

It's been extended every year for 11 years, so can't imagine it wouldn't be.

Thanks, Pia. I didn't know it had that history. I wish I'd known about it sooner, but I'm glad to get to take advantage of it now.

Thanks for this thread. I just bought my stock and will now attempt to get a credit for my upcoming cruise on the Sapphire Princess. I should have done this sooner. Any word on if this will be extended past this year?