mtnesterz

Taking a quick glance at a Princess web page, I notice Plus costs $60/pp/pd. Premier is $80/pp/pd. Wouldn't the amount, if not which you bought by name, be on the booking confirmation along with all your other charges, transfers and the like, which you were emailed? We've never bought either of the packages, but I would think you could work it out from your confirmation.

I didn't intend my post to cause a straying from the topic, but I want to thank you for your thoughts in posting with what I accept as good intentions. You mention that poll and I selected to sail with Princess in the way we've always sailed, Standard. @bubbaed suggested running the numbers. In our case, neither of us drink. We also are not dependent on the internet and prefer to disconnect at sea and catch up on communications port days. Don't want the desserts or excercise classes. Specialty dining, RS? Meh! What affects us, you ask? We will miss Adagio/Gigi's as included dining. So for our next cruise, 16 days, Plus for two is $120/day×16=$1920-$510 (crew appreciation gets paid either way) $1410 for two lunches for two, or $15 ea. per each visit without the plan. Doing without Plus means that, being Elite, we could buy internet at $7.50/day, which is good, but it used to be free. Carnival Corp is in an awful financial mess and money has to be raised. Would have preferred they sliced the pie differently, that's all.

The Horizon Terrace is located abaft. There are a couple tables, plus raised chairs and long tables along a railing., but not plentiful in number as I recall. Maybe a bar. Don't remember.

For quite some time now stewards do not have to turn in cash tips, but this tale sticks around.

No.

Deleted.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Chrysalis wrote of being frank in answering, so I will too. After Princess changed policy a couple days ago, a lot of us today are disappointed with them. If I were shopping Cruisetours to Alaska today, I'd be checking out HAL. But if you're set on Princess, or any cruiseline, a smaller ship is better in Alaska.

I suspect the cause is evident in your wording. When you complete your cruise and depart the ship, you will notice a line of crewmembers on the dock who have ended their contract and awaiting customs and a trip home. It wouldn't surprise me if someone just ran out of time and left, possibly never wanting to work a contract again. You should report it, being careful to say the new steward acted properly under the circumstances. We are Elite with Princess, meaning quite a few cruises and have never had this happen, BTW. In behind the sofa cushions? Money?!!

Ultimately, no one "needs" to cruise. Business travel, visiting relatives, folks will put up with inconvenience and expense to fly. By it's nature, cruising exists as indulgence. The now defunct EasyCruise proved that providing necessities, then paying for add-ons doesn't work in this business. Unfortunately, the guy in charge doesn't know cruising, he knows marketing.

Here's a video you might enjoy from Gary Bembridge, with his thoughts on the 4 classes of cruise lines. If you don't care to watch, he puts Princess in the Premium category. Of course this was from 2017 and we all know what has happened since. With changes as they have unfolded over the years, you might rightly ask, where does Princess stand today? https://youtu.be/Y1hiYS0Y8uA

If you are new to Princess, you will not notice any specifics as change, but what frequent Princess cruisers notice is diminished indulgence. On Princess, there is a feeling created lately of vying for things, the creation of packages to purchase above your fare to include add-ons you may want. Passengers bid for cabin upgrades. Buying Premium in order to have a reserved section in the theater... If you say other lines have tightened their belts, Princess cruisers have also noticed this. Like you, we too are shopping around. We want to try Azamara. But I suspect a regular might tell me the same about them.

I don't know what a Catherine picture is, so I can't confirm accuracy. I have found pictures on the Princess website are representative, and the pictures on Cruisedeckplans are reliable. We have stayed in cabin above the theater and tend to turn in early. Have never heard show sounds during late showtimes, or other public areas for that matter. Sound insulation is very good. May not be what you are looking for, but if you want space at a value price, consider the forward facing L and M deck cabins. Railing is metal, not glass though. You can prebook your excursions using OBC.

Not to sound too direct or dramatic, but it's true. Expect the unexpected, any month in Alaska. Expect substitute ports from strong winds, train tracks impassable and inclement weather. Only Ketchikan is predictable: It will either be raining or about to rain. June 20th will be the most daylight of '24 in the northern hemisphere.

Yes, two ways. You can take longer sailings than the average number of days sailed, I think they figure 10. It still comes out to 150 cruise days but with fewer cruises. You also get extra credits for higher cabin grades. I think a deluxe balcony and above gets double. Both of you could look at the Captain's Circle page on the Princess website, for these and more specifics. If I'm off on the details, go with what the website tells you. You can also find how many points equal which tier you are on or how close you are.

In a word, no. Reads like you are asking if Elite is something to be achieved and it is not. It is better that you cruise with the line you like and feel is your second home, or a line which goes where you want to go, when you want to go and for the duration you prefer, or within your budget, or feel that the other passengers are your kind of folks. If you like what Princess offers, Elite will come in time, if you don't, it is not worth investment of time and vacation dollars. Some say RCL has the best loyalty program. It doesn't matter to us, we wouldn't sail with them again.

https://www.cruiselinehistory.com/the-origin-of-princess-cruises-and-their-naming-the-princess-ships/

We stayed in E121. If memory serves, when you look out the window to the right, you see a lifeboat, but to the left, is an OK view. Also got a good idea of what E119 would be like. The beginning of the part of the promenade that goes around the bow. There is a railing, and people can walk by, but the window is mirrored and they cannot look in. FWIW, you got the better of the two. Hold on to the link from @Ombud. In the future, if you want obstructed view, which we find can be a good value, provided you research and select a good one.

Sightseeing from the ship is what you want. The best for this is the Sapphire for it's Skywalkers lounge and the wraparound promenade.

Differences between the two lines? It may or may not make any difference to you, but since you say you'll be cruising on the Holidays, while HAL would have a Catholic Priest aboard. Princess recently ended relations with AOS, the organization that arranged that. Theme parties? Princess is said to have some white and gold parties, but photos and videos show that passengers wear whatever colors they want. Dress code? Recent returnees from cruises say Princess changed their Formal Nights to Dress to Impress and we have not cruised since this change. Tips or suggestions? If continuing your cruise into Malaysia, when going ashore, females in your party should wear something below the knee and covered shoulders.

Look at it the other way around. What if you had purchased the cruise you mention and then the fare went up say $100/pp for your cabin. Could Princess come back and ask you to pay more? Wouldn't you say, "Nope, I booked on your terms and you accepted my payment. A deal is a deal." It's the same thing. You bought the package on stated terms. Add-ons were not part of the deal. Happy cruising whichever cruiseline you choose.

If you are a non-drinker, or an envelope tipper, or can get by without internet for a few days during your cruise, it makes little sense to buy Plus. You'd either need to spend $10 to have your Medallion mailed, or have to wait like a whole two minutes to pick it up at the pier. And lets be real about it, with all the eating opportunities on a cruise, do you really need those specialty desserts? What do we do, you ask? Technology what it is today, we catch up on communications in port and disconnect sea days. We pick up the Medallion at the port and rarely drink alcohol, so no, we don't buy plus.

It's called Skywalkers. First ship of it's class, it was found to make the ship stern heavy. In later builds, they used lighter aluminium in the structure, then the design changed. The ramp was removed and the bar moved further forward. The One5 bar substitutes for Skywalkers on the Grand today. There used to be a video of the removal on Youtube.

Don't know how to find out what was done, but last dry dock in 2019 that I can see. Wet dock in Portland OR in fall '22, so probably not again by '24. We sailed on the Grand in '22. Our cabin air was wonky and never fixed to our satisfaction. There was a pipe leaking in the hallway near Explorer's Lounge. CD was our least enjoyable. He is not on the CC sticky of current senior staff on any ship. Not complaining. Instead I'm saying we enjoyed the cruise so much just getting out there cruising again. I hope you too enjoy yourself as much as we did.

Agree. A couple examples. Most here have eaten, or at least aware of, the grill on the Lido deck. Used to be Salty Dog Grill and Neptune before that...whatever. The guy at the grill often mashes the burger patties, drying the beef. Same quality beef, probably never frozen, but ruined by a poorly trained new hire. Remember after Covid restart, Celebrity cruises had a problem with their wines as they had been stored for a year with corks up, letting air in. Same wine, stored by people not trained properly. Why the OP suspected the beef had been frozen was not made clear, but it it had been frozen, roasted beef would be dry after ice crystals damage beef tissues. Too low a temp cooking would cause the solid fat. I think they are staffing who they can get. Not properly trained. That's the reason people are having different experiences. Not the sourcing.

Wear what makes you feel comfortable. If you feel you will be out of place, considered rude or whatever, then listen to that. I don't know what the standard for dress is on Australian cruises, but what I'd do is wear a sportcoat on the plane and roll up a tie in the pocket. If you want it you've got it. If you don't, it didn't take any luggage space.