mtnesterz

It concerned me that you have such a strong reaction to what others might be thinking. Which, may or may not be what they were actually thinking. I might suggest a better way is to view stares as their problem, not yours. You might reconsider your perception of why folks dress for dinner. There are very few prigs that actually care what someone wears. Mostly, those who dress for dinner are respecting Princess' request of what to wear and enjoy the ambience that formal dining creates, which is Princess' stated intent. We don't all appreciate the same things. So this new levelled formality should be welcomed by all.

Not sure if you were responding to me or Rick&Jeannie, but to clarify, I wasn't there. The problem I mentioned was related to where to go and which gate, after which, they were redirected with a long way to the new gate.. At times it comes in handy to read the signs and speak the local language, but it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe I could have phrased that better.

We are Elite with Princess and have ported in La Havre. You are talking about a Route Deviation request. You can file one of these. All up to you, but if you go to Paris, you will likely be flying out of Charles DeGaulle airport to make your way back home. I have heard from several with difficulties at that airport, and they speak French. Hope your experience is better. If you'd like to continue on the cruise, but want to experience a bit of France, besides the port area, consider the excursion to Rouen. See the Cathedral, the place where Julia Child trained as a chef and where Joan of Arc was burned. Surprisingly these are all quite close together in a touristy but fun few blocks. We don't speak French and had no trouble communicating in the shops there.

Before you leave, the JourneyView portion of the App will show the schedule for formal/themed events. At least it did for ours.

Its been said that the R-Class (Pacific Princess) were the last ships designed by sailors. Royal Class ships were designed by accountants. Consider that the former Pacific Princess had a higher cost per day per passenger than a Grand Class ship. Cost of operation was shared over less than 700 passengers on the Pacific, instead of over 3000 for the Ruby. The Royal Class packs in even more. As to why the Ruby is nearly full? It is a matter of taste but many, including us, prefer the Grand Class ships.

It comes down to choice. As frequently as we cruise, it is great to have a direct line and email that are responded to, usually within minutes. No hours on hold. Our CVP is one of the good ones and wish I could recommend to you, because from what I've read here, there are ones that are not so professional. He goes the extra mile. There have been issues and was great to get them handled almost immediately. Likewise things like a refare on a price drop. Now, it could be said that big box stores offer gift cards and online TA's additional discounts, we just like the personal service dealing directly with Princess. Just a preference. Another thing: While Elites get a day's head start on booking opening cruises, even before that day we get the specific cruises and details.

Kilts are ceremonial wear, equivalent to Mess Dress for Military and Black Tie for civilians.

But that was not the point. MedallionNet does access the onboard internet. The Medallion App is used to access Dine My Way, book excursions, order drinks or food... They are two different things. The OP's question #2 concerned using the Medallion App on a Kindle device and it it needs to be loaded on the device. There are work arounds to get it on a Kindle device, but no development for a version for Windows (that I know of). So, yes, someone could access the internet on the ship with a Windows device, but they could not use those functions within the App. The OP mentions wanting to buy a tablet PC. That would have been a disappointment for them.

Kindle Fire is Android based, open source. Anyone with sufficient resources, like Amazon, can put an overlay over it. What works, or doesn't, on Android, would be the same for Kindle Fire. As far as WiFi on the ship, meaning email and such, just log on as you would any other. It must be said you would need to buy service. You no longer receive free Platinium/Elite minutes. The question at hand is the Medallion App. The problem is how to get it from the Play Store. Here is a thread with instructions: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2773853-princess-medallion-app-for-amazon-kindle-fire-tablet/ You mention a tablet PC. As of last year, there was not an Medallion App for Windows. This would not answer your needs at all. Also, if you are not accustomed to Apple products, the learning curve for an iPad may be daunting.

My guess is this: Who among us has been in the MDR and not heard the crash of a plate or glass? Multiply that times every cruise for as long as the carpet has been there. It is near imposible to get every shread of broken glass out of carpet. It's for your own safety.

Agree with above. Passenger Services needs to switch the room accounts. If this doesn't work both your satisfaction and you're on Grand Class ships, we find Skywalker's is great place to read. Also, Wake View on Sapphire and Diamond.

I was not really confused. Using, "defiantly," instead of, "definitely," struck me as funny. I will not wear shorts in the MDR. If there was a restaurant on land that that requested certain wear, I'd either dress as requested, or not go. Just because the restaurant is at sea, I see no difference. I did see a man in shorts refused to the MDR last March on a Hawaii run, so refusals do happen.

Either autocorrect ran amok there or the most confusing comment I've read on CC.

Hmm, two days? That's probably enough. 😆 You can free shuttle to the pier, or walk depending on hotel, but easy walk to breakfast at San Pedro Cafe. https://www.welovespc.com/

Should be posted in West Coast Departures. Nothing related to the port, but for the trip, the 5 south is boring but the fastest. The 99 is less boring but slower. Don't take the 1 coast route, may have landslides. Though this is by far the most scenic. Feb. 16th is a Thursday, the busiest traffic day of the week. Think you're leaving early enough? Leave earlier. You'll be hitting downtown LA directly to connect to the 110 that takes you to San Pedro. Good luck!

You bring up a good point. The OP is from Australia. They grade their beef differently than the US grades of Choice and Select. As I recall they use number of stars when grading. Also, they use different cattle feeds than the US beef, which is high in corn. From experience, this change the taste of the beef. Aussie sourced beef tastes different than we were accustomed. FWIW, our steaks in the Crown Grill were the best steak we've ever eaten. We left from a US port, so most likely US beef. Someone accustomed to Aussie beef might find it tastes unusual.

The easiest and least expensive way to make contact is to use the wall panels, as you say, a couple times a day. Scan your Medallion and then locate cabin mates. You might be right around the corner, but even the biggest ship is not too big to go meet them.

Cruise Industry News is reporting that the previously unnamed third ship Carnival will let go is the AIDAaura. This will happen this September. It does not say where the ship will go. Wikipedia says the Fortuna and Magica will go to outside buyers by the end of the year.

With only a week to go, take a look at the Medallion App. It might show a schedule of events. As far as buying White and Gold clothes, here's a thread that might interest you. Note the clothes in the Piazza photo: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2885774-white-gold-night/

A Spanish news agency is reporting the two ships Costa is letting go are sister ships Fortuna (2003) and Magica (2004). Both are 2700+ passengers with 3400 max capacity. No word on what will be done with them. The third ship from Carnival's fleets was not revealed. The Magica is in lay-up and Fortuna will complete its scheduled cruises through April '23. Just an opinion here, but sure seems they would replace the Carnival Sunshine and POAU Pacific Explorer.

Similar story to yours. Earlier this year, we celebrated our 40th with our first cruise in two and a half years. Previously tried a forward facing balcony and won't do that again. Have read of soot problems with aft cabins, but no personal experience. We've found a higher level of cabin does not enhance the experience. Some may feel that it does. As you read the other threads here, you will see that others are dissapointed by some of the changes in the last three years; the daunting Medallion App, changes in food, poor internet. These types of things impact your trip more that which cabin you choose.

Flights are shown on EZ Air. Not sure I understand your concern. What I'm picking up on is a sense of anxiety. I may be wrong in that. It makes good sense to use Princess transfers at this port, because the distance between the port and Vancouver airport is substantial, an hour if not more during downtown traffic. So, you should book a flight to allow transit time. If your question is one of trust, we've had 16 cruises with Princess. Three started or ended at Vancouver. Never had problems at Vancouver airport, and always use Princess transfers with EZ Air booked flights with no problems.

Follow up to my previous post. I have had time to read your other posts and see you have already booked a flight to Hawaii. Whatever your reasons, good luck in your travels!

Not knowing the reason for your question, if you have a pressing commitment and can't make the sail date, the next sailing for this itinerary is not until March '23. You likely have not made final payment. Why not just change to a different sailing date and enjoy the whole cruise? OTOH, if you are fretting about your flight arriving late and missing the ship, then have you considered taking the same Hawaii destination out of Vancouver and avoid flying altogether. Or, if it must be L.A. just book through EZ Air and the ship will wait for you if the plane/bus is delayed.

Interesting article on future ship builds. This leads me to believe transfers within the Carnival family will be more frequent to replace older ships for some years. https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-corporation-cruise-ship-orders-on-hold/