mtnesterz

We've been on sailings where the CD Staff is good about putting them out, then cruises none to be seen. On the Grand about a year ago, they were hit and miss. You could ask on the current thread where the AC is out on the ship, but unless you're embarking soon, would still open to question. Depends on the staff. I bring a book because the staff puts out puzzles without knowing level. One Sudoku may be child's play, the next diabolical.

How would they know if they need to turn cash tips in, since they do not know who is in the auto tip and who opted out? And if they did know, who and how would police turning in cash tips as a policy? I am not disagreeing with you, in fact I like what you wrote. But I cannot offer anything to prove my opinion. By your standard, you should rightly document what you are saying. There is a lot of heresay about this. What can you offer?

Interesting reading because of your wording, which didn't specify any one disease or manifestation. So what we're reading is people's present level of concern for disease which is on their mind at the moment. Posters all chose vector caused disease with contact transmission mostly. Norovirus would be an example. Some mention of airborne, Covid, flu, colds. You ask what is in our control. So responding to that question, not vector caused, controllable, are those physical and psychological diseases resulting from overconsumption of alcohol, overconsumption of foods, salt and sugar, gambling beyond gaming just for fun.

I think it will become worse on the Sun and Star with all those sphere shaped glass panels reflecting sound back into the Piazza. One more reason we'll never sail that class ship.

You'll probably need this: https://salessupport.princess.com/route_sector_change_request

We were on the Emerald this past August. Would not sail the Emerald again for being too crowded and the Caribbean would be worse space wise. Mostly though, it was not being maintained. Just too many things didn't work. Not age of the ship, just keeping up with things. The Enchanted would not have the obstructed ocean view cabin you want, but then, neither did the Discovery you were on, which you say you enjoyed. Agree, you've got a tough choice to make.

What if you were on excursion in Japan or Singapore or other country where tipping is not the custom, if not officially frowned upon, would you still follow Princess' recommendations? I suggest you travel internationally. When you do, you see how crazy (your word) the American tipping thing is. It's a gratuity, not a service charge. Large, small or none, it's your choice.

I wonder how many posters say cruise ship food had no taste or the smell was off and later found they had Covid, where smell and taste are off temporarily. This was the case for me. Everything for me tasted bland and metallic.

We have experience with this in action. Embarking out of San Pedro, Ca, there was a plane that was delayed into LAX. Those passengers had booked EZAir and Princess transfers. The ship waited for them, about an hour. There was an overhead announcement on the ship to this effect. The San Francisco cruise port is quite a distance away from the airport, but you have plenty of time to get there. Just get Princess transfers too.

Different subject, but look on the Princess website for excursions on your cruise or join the roll call for your sailing here on CC. Sometimes, people connect on the roll call for private excursions.

Only to the extent that every passenger has access to Medallion Class. Here is a link to what the term "Medallion Class" means: https://www.princess.com/en-us/blog/cruise-tips/what-is-medallion-class#:~:text=Your Medallion® device unlocks,all from your wearable Medallion. There is no upgradable TV package I'm aware of. Premier does not give you preference in tender use, but having been to Princess Cay, you're not missing much by a little wait time. Here is what is covered by Plus and Premier. https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages

Wear what you would normally wear out for a nicer restaurant dinner, on a pretty cold evening and if you like to go for a walk on deck after dinner, we do. In Juneau in May, it will still be in the mid 40's F during the day and a few degrees above freezing at night.

Thanks for the advice!

There was a recent thread asking exactly this, but I can't find it. So you get the short and sweet. In order of preference, Coral, for smaller size yet more space per passenger, Sapphire, lastly Caribbean. Least space per passenger in the fleet, well, until Sun and Star arrive, those two will be the same as an MSC or Carnival ship in that respect.

I had not seen the new colors or scents. Last cruise was October. Good news. Thanks!

Like it or not, those products pictured above have a eucalyptus scent. We don't and bring our own. Used to be Elites and Suites got upgraded products, not since Covid. You can ask your steward for things like a shower cap. I don't have a full list of what they can provide. The shop inboard sells needed items, but prices are a joke. Bring your own.

When you say basic package, do you mean Standard? Perhaps you are not aware, Crew Appreciation (tipping) is automatic. While Packages purchasers prepay gratuities, Standard purchasers may adjust or remove, but the default is to accrue them as a daily charge. To post that anyone buying Standard is stiffing the crew is untrue. A few years ago Princess said that they were working to increase package buyers from about 50% at that time. I can't offer a current number, probably more, doesn't matter. The same report stated about 10% opt out of tipping. Quite a difference in numbers to make a generalized statement.

If you feel seasickness coming on, provided you have not had a previous reaction to this medication, generic diphenhydramine, 25mg. Sold OTC as symptomatic cold and allergy relief, sleep aid, seasickness, hives, itch from sunburn... If it's caused by histamines, take an antihistamine. A store brand is as good as brand name Benadryl. Takes little space, yet has several uses.Takes about an hour and a half to kick in. You will be groggy, but you're not driving anyway. Ships now are so big and stable, not really a problem.

It's a regional expression in the US. The northern-midwestern states like to call soft drinks pop, while the east and west coasts US calls them soda.

Not really a Princess question. Probably get a better answer postingon the Ports Of Call Caribbean board. You can look by island. Good luck!

If you are looking to get to San Diego on Amtrak, you might enjoy reading the thread I started over on the HAL board. Likely for the same reason you are looking. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2981876-hal-sail-times-out-of-san-diego-and-amtrak/#comment-66667826 Also, just today, saw Allison from Let's Go, Travel Tips. No more pre-purchased water bottles on Princess. Starts about 7:00. https://youtu.be/rnSgJ4ExyQI?feature=shared

It would take a bit of tracking down, but if you find there's another sailing of this itinerary before yours, or hopefully currently, I'd ask in the associated roll call.

We were on a Diamond circle Japan cruise in October this past year. It's not the cruise, because a Princess cruise is a Princess cruise. Well, announcements are made in English and Japanese and about half the food is to Asian tastes, which is good BTW. It's Japan that is different. If you are the type to roll with things, great. I think of all countries we've visited, including several in Asia, Japan is the most unique. If I wrote all, you'd be TLDR.

Cruise ship drinking water has to meet standards from the World Health Organization and US Public Health Service. Whether testing and published reports are available for the public to read, I don't know. More than filtering happens for certain. I would think water would be desalinated by distillation rather than reverse osmosis because of the amount of heat available from the engines, then minerals added for taste. The water is very "soft" and I wonder if, or how much, salt (NaCl) is added back. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/cruise-ship-drinking-water-what-to-expect

WiFi was $20/day this past September. Instead, we used our phone in port. We have T-Mobile so, free overseas. In our case Japan. Nearly every day was a port day, so we had service. Having a good cell phone plan argues against buying WiFi, unless on a long stretch of sea days.