Jeffjas

Although we didn’t take Celebrity to Alaska, we did take the floatplane trip to the lodge in Juneau.  It was an absolute highlight and at least as good as the description.  The salmon they served was the best we ever had as its cooked outside over an open flame.  With the two takeoffs and landings in the plane there is so much to see and the pilot was a real pro.

Just off the Oasis a couple of weeks ago.  It was the main dining room.

We just got off Oasis yesterday in Miami.  Be forewarned that right now FLL can be a zoo.  We had no problems getting off the ship and getting to the airport.  But when we arrived, there were people everywhere and were told we wouldn’t be able to check bags until two hours before our 4pm Delta flight.   They didn’t make us wait until the 2pm time, but we still had to find a spot on the floor for a couple of hours.   There’s terminal construction and a lot of cruise ships this time of year.  Other terminals and airlines May be better.  No luggage valet either.

Just to add to this topic, we are scheduled for a May Alaska cruise.  Be aware that even if you are not scheduled on a 737 Max, the airline still may need to cancel/change other flights to account for the grounding.  Our original flights, through EZ Air, included a non stop on a 737, not a Max, from JFK to SEA on American Airlines. American does fly the 737 Max, but in this case, they cancelled the Seattle non stops even though they weren't Max's, through April, to account for the groundings on the balance of their schedule.  We are still not sure, even though the flights are still there in May, whether they will extend the cancellations through May.  Keep in mind, while the airline and/or Princess will need to accommodate any changes, you end up losing some control.  I didn't have the patience to see what happens and we called Princess and changed to Delta to avoid any 737 Max issues, just prior to the 45 day deadline.

Just to echo others, we’ve had numerous changes on our upcoming flights for an Alaska cruise.  Delta would make the change, Princess would be in red, and I’d wait for the EZ Air flights to change but never would until I called Princess and got the reservation refreshed.  As a previous poster said, the best bet is to keep checking the airline website itself for changes.  We are hoping we’ve seen the last of it with a little over two months to go.

First was on the original Star Princess in 1996.  

There’s a good number but it doesn’t feel like they have overtaken the ship.  Most seem very well behaved.  

We just boarded yesterday on the 7 day Spain and France cruise from Southampton.  Just wanted to offer a few first impressions.   First, despite some comments I’ve read, the ship is in great shape considering she’s just a few months out from drydock.  The carpet and furnishings in our cabin all look good and there’s nothing obvious in the public areas that I see that desperately need attention.   There are carpetss in stairways that look fairly new as well.  Of course, the harder you look, you can find stuff, but i was pleasantly surprised by how she looks.   Second, after five RCCL cruises in the last two years, the friendliness of the crew stands out already compared to the other recent trips.  In fact, MDR was outstanding this morning, not just because the food was good, but the entire staff looked to serve, up to the head waiter asking us if we wanted more coffee several times, and multiple offerings of additional pastry when on other cruises we had to trip someone to get their attention.  Only miss was Windjammer today at lunch.  Better selection and hotter food than our last trip on Adventure but very crowded (it was a sea day) and the flow not good.  Also, they kept running out of utensils, which really makes no sense.  Kudos to the Cruise Director, who led the meet and mingle this morning.  

So, we were on the Star Princess in 1996. It was our first Princess cruise. Best I can remember, we left Fort Lauderdale and sailed to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Croix and Princess Cays. I think the San Juan stop was a diversion because of poor weather in the Bahamas preventing a stop in Nassau after leaving Florida.

Here's another question that i hope can be answered. We just booked Escape with the included 3 night dining package. We plan on eating at the specialty restaurants almost every night. Is it possible to add more meals to an existing plan? Could you buy another 3 or 4 night plan? Just wondering if anyone knows.