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The math does math, Princess Plus was added to the calculations to show an even comparison. As to your parents and their Elite status, what benefits have been taken away from them in the past years? I too am Elite with Princess and they haven’t changed since Ruby was added about 12 years ago, give or take.

For me, it wasn't so much the quality of the food in the main dining room, it was the selection compared to how the ships used to be. If I wasn't making videos about the specialty restaurants, I'd probably only go to one each trip and perhaps the Chef's Table or Winemaker's dinner. Generally speaking, the quality is quite good in my opinion.

Yes! That would be fantastic!

It sounds like your experience was very much the same as mine. Wonderful food, the ship was incredible but the entertainment lacking. It sounds like it hasn't improved much since I was there in March. Now, I know to temper my expectations on a small ship, you shouldn't expect a full scale production show but good quality is important. I think they'll adapt to the markets they serve, it's going to take some time. I'm looking forward to trying Explora again in the future!

@ I’m going on Explora 2 end of January. Hopefully I’ll have a better experience. If not there’s always the Yacht Club. I was also surprised at the lack of choice in beer. I like lite beer and had to get off at Cozumel and buy some. Interesting. I agree we spoke with the hotel GM and he said they have to adjust to the different markets.

Enjoy! The Queens Grill will definitely have that traditional experience and it's the place I would dare to use the word luxury. You'll of course have those who compare her to Queen Mary 2 but ignore the negative and enjoy what Cunard has to offer!

I think you need to be careful with your expectations, it's not just Princess that's had a decline in service and food quality and variety. RCL, Carnival and NCL are all in the same proverbial boat as they race to shore up their bottom line and pay off the massive debts from the pandemic. Unless you are willing to upgrade into the luxury or ultra luxury lines, you'll need to decide if your brand loyalty is worth it compared to trying something new.

You'll find that there is a lot more to plan ahead of a cruise compared to 2011, that's not just for views. It's like going to Disney World back in 2011 compared to now. Back then you'd maybe make a dining reservation and go to a park. Now you need a computer degree to figure out the park reservations, ride reservations, dining reservations, parking etc..... Cruising is similar, lots of tech and lots to do in advance or you will be at a disadvantage onboard. That goes for Princess or any of the other brands right up into the Luxury brands.

The standard plan is the way most people have always cruised, the Plus and Premier are newer ways to cruise more all-inclusive. If you aren't a alcohol drinker and you are happy with water, juice, iced tea, coffee and such then there is no reason to panic. These are included at the buffet and at the restaurants for no extra charge. If you don't need internet access, then don't buy it. You can still use your phone for the app without charge and use your data in port. Many people are still cruising this way, they just don't have the need for those two key items. As for the cost, it's increased everywhere, not just the west coast and not just Princess.

@conniemichalik4824 wow that sucks we were on discover to Alaska in July we had great service

Hmmm, I've never had an issue with the app or wifi on my iphone. The only problem usually is if you are trying to switch back and forth. I highly recommend visiting the Guest Service desk at a quiet time and ask for some assistance. They usually have someone knowledgeable. Which package are you sailing with? I've always found the Plus package to be worth it for me, but the Premier not so much, only if I'm looking to try a lot of the Specialty Restaurants.

It all depends on your need. If you intend on paying the daily gratuity, having internet access and drinking more than a couple of drinks per day, then Plus is worth it. If you aren't going to use one of these three, then it's probably not. Watch our Princess Plus vs. Premier video, it breaks it all down and gives you an idea of the calculations you need to do. Math and nothing more!

@@TidalHorizonsthanks,being a senior and not having been on a cruise since 2011,seems pretty overwhelming.thanks for responding.

It's a good solution for some but perhaps out of reach for others! I enjoyed Explora Journeys immensely this year, same thing with everything included. Specialty restaurants are only special if they are something unique and not something I can get easily on land.

It's not so much that things have been taken away, the items in the packages were never included for the most part. You'll see people online talking about things that the cruise lines are taking away that used to be free, but I don't see much that falls into that category. Expect Drinks, Wifi and daily gratuity to show up on your credit card plus anything you spend on spa, shore excursions or shopping. There isn't too much hidden with Princess. Note that you really should do the calculations to see if Princess Plus would save you money. Check out this video for all the details: ruclips.net/video/gf6J9atoJrc/видео.html Thanks for watching!

Much appreciated! I hope it helps!

The gambling is off the charts, I agree. If you've seen other videos of mine, you'll see how annoyed I get about the Bingo onboard. The Casino operator is raking it in hand over fist. I have a new video coming out in the next couple of weeks on the changes to Star Princess over Sun which will include comments about the Casino. Yes, resorts are relaxing, but for me personally, I don't generally travel to relax. It's more about either getting somewhere or exploring a few places that I want to visit, the ship is just transportation and accommodation. It all depends on what you are looking for I guess! I certainly don't find Princess passengers as annoying as some other cruise lines. Take care and thanks for watching!

I imagine I’m not your typical cruise passenger. For one I don’t gamble. I spend my time on the ship reading and gazing out at the sea. I do everything on my own time, and don’t rush to do any of the ships activities. We rarely even attend shows. It’s the combination of the scenery and the motion of the ship, I find captivating.

You should seriously give Cunard a try. I loved my crossing from Southampton to New York, it was just me and the sea!

@TidalHorizons Not onto cattle carts Horrid way too spend a week. You can hear people breathing next door. Creepy

Yes, the first night of traditional dining has always been a pain point! That's almost a topic in itself, but it's the one night that I'm not showing up right at the seating time. You'll find me either first in line of waiting at the bar for the line to die down. If cruise lines want to fix that, they need to take a page out of Disney Cruise Line's book and see how they do it with the restaurant rotation. One of the biggest problems that they face is that people don't properly join their cruise reservations together for dining. This is done using a "TWID" in the back end, make sure your Travel Agent does this!!! Thanks for watching.

It sounds like you've found a sweet spot for yourself. For sure, after about 7:30pm, it's not much of a wait for a table. I think you'll find that even though Island only has the two dining rooms, it won't be an issue. She's one of my favorite ships, I spent a month onboard her in 2023.

@TidalHorizons Going thru the Panama Canal!

Ah! The start of the world cruise onboard Island. That should be a really festive cruise! Enjoy!

The Chef's Table is something special, especially when you get a Restaurant Manager and Chef that really click with each other, it can be quite the show! Enjoy the Sun Princess, she's a really beautiful ship, I enjoyed her much more than Enchanted/Sky/Discovery. Thanks for watching!

Absolutely! Especially on longer cruises when you get a really good team that get to know what you like. I miss meeting people as well. So happy it's back! Thanks for watching.

I do worry a bit about the ship within a ship concept and a return to the class system. We've had the suite and reserve class around for a number of years now, and it hasn't made much of a difference overall. I think the "Premier" seating in the theatre for the production shows highlights it more than anything. Onboard Sun Princess this summer, we were in the Reserve restaurant which was nice but I it was a lucky bid upgrade from a balcony room to a mini-suite that just happened to be reserve. It was nice but I really do miss meeting people with the traditional dining. Thanks for watching!

This is an excellent point! My mother is a frequent solo cruiser with Cunard and says that if they ever stopped offering traditional dining, she'd stop cruising. Even as a couple, my wife and I missed meeting people. Thanks for watching!

I agree

Food brings people together, and when we cruise with others, everyone does what they want until dinner, that's when we all come together and discuss what has been happening. Traditional dining is good for groups, couples, and solo cruisers. The MDR is a good place to get back together and the Wait Staff gets to know what you want, very quickly.

Not much to argue with here! You are completely correct, Carnival Corp has basically said exactly that, they will continue to see prices increase to see where that limit is and won't add more space (ships) until they see where that demand is. As a shareholder in Carnival, that's great but not so much as a passenger. Princess Plus is a good deal but I guarantee there is a price increase coming. RCL? Not only are their drink packages expensive, they are really expensive a-la-carte too. A couple of years ago, my family sailed Harmony of the Seas and immediately got onto a Carnival ship afterwards. I couldn't believe the difference in price. I just hope that Carnival Corp isn't planning on playing catchup with RCL. I do avoid the steakhouse personally, but for the channel, I'll go. I generally have no complaints with value for money when I go to Sabatini's. We also really enjoyed the Teppanyaki restaurant onboard Sun Princess. Enjoy your cruises, it sounds like you have a busy year!

You've got a great deal there! I always encourage people to book early.

Hey Anthony. I haven't booked with Viator for a long time, my go-to is Shore Excursions Group (see link the descriptions of the videos). I find that Viator just has so many competing options that it's hard to make sense of what might be good vs. not so good. Shore Excursions Group tends to curate theirs a little more and has better customer service. I've never had a bad experience with them. Good to see you here!

I would love for them to go back to the "ithia" names, there was some speculation that they were going to do that for Queen Anne. A smaller liner type vessel, under 2000 passengers would be ideal for world exploration. I'd be all over that.

I like the words elegant and sophisticated and I wish that Cunard would use those rather than luxury. Full disclosure, I'll be using them in future videos! I think you'll find pricing for Cunard on par with Princess for equivalent staterooms in most cases unless you are upgrading to "the Grills" aka suites. I hope you get to enjoy Cunard soon!

Thanks for sharing! I know what you mean by the food in LaTerazza, how is it possible to not make an Italian restaurant an amazing experience? People aren't expecting you to re-invent the wheel here, they've been doing it for centuries! But that's just one small annoyance on an otherwise amazing ship! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate the "not gimmicky" comment, that's my biggest pet peeve with so called experts on RUclips. Can't argue with your comments! Many of those are reflected in our Princess Plus vs. Premier video. Thanks for watching!

Ideally you should pre-book the wine tastings through your server or sommelier in advance so they know you are coming. The basic Grapevine tasting should be able to accommodate walk-ups, but the more advanced ones or paired with a meal need to be reserved. That said, you could always try!

You will love Sun Princess, we were on her with the Premier Package in July this year, beautiful ship! Thanks for watching!

Glad it was helpful!

Nope! Just have the medallion ready when you get to the port along with your phone/app and passport. That’s all you should need. Have a great time and thanks for watching.

Just like your passport, don’t pack your Medallion in your checked luggage. I suggest that you wear your Medallion on your way to the cruise port. You will need it during your check in process at the cruise port before you board. Princess will provide a lanyard included as part of your Medallion order. I like to my watch band accessory I purchased for the Medallion. It is more convenient than the lanyard. My wife likes her Medallion bracelet accessory as well. We got them both from Princess a while ago - there are probably more purchase options from Amazon these days. The lanyard will work just fine if you don’t want to spend any extra. Have a great cruise.

Absolutely, that's what they are going for, but they are far from profit, a ton of debt to pay off. The one thing a few people have said is about benefits that they've cut or put a price on. I can't really put my finger on much that they've cut that was a real benefit? I've asked commenters for what they are thinking about before and no answer. Chocolates on pillows and individual bottles of shampoo, soaps and toiletries is about all I can think of. Anyone else?

I definitely don't agree that there are too many restaurants, it's a really nice balance of different styles of food and none of them take up a ton of space. The theatre I think is because of the design of the ship, it's traditional. Have a look at my review of the Silver Nova, it's more innovative in it's layout which allowed for a theatre space. I've heard since I cruised that the Entertainment has improved.

They are running Travel Tuesday promotions and starting on December 4th a "Jingle all the savings" promo until December 15th with "Up to 50% off + 50% Off Deposits + Free 3rd & 4th Guests ". Pretty much their standard sale these days. Recommendation is to book early though, they've really started to front-load their sales and remove them as they get closer to final payment.

Have fun! Coral is a wonderful ship.

@@TidalHorizons its been 20 years since I’ve been on a cruise ship. It’ll be an experience in itself on how much has changed since then.

Glad it was helpful!

Not seeing that happen anytime soon!

Taking a cruise in early 2026 and I haven't used the medallion before. So, why do you hate it?

@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you on the ship. 2) It's bulky unlike a basic ship card. 3) People all dressed up look like they're wearing work ID or a 'dog collars'. 4) I want less tech on a vacation but perhaps you might love even more.

@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you everywhere on the ship. 2) It's bulky, unlike a basic ships card. 3) People all dressed up looking like they're wearing their work' ID' or a dog collar. 4) I want 'less' tech when I'm on vacation but perhaps you would love even more. Enjoy your cruise !

​@@lancehughes4132 those are all reasonable objections. But, I'll be traveling alone, so I kind of want to be tracked. Getting lost in more than a million square feet doesn't sound like a good time. It is probably bulky. But so are air tags. I'll probably get a wrist band or wear it under my sweater. Or carry it in my bag when I'm not using it. And I definitely understand about less tech. But this is the world we live in now. That ship has sailed 😅