Teechur

I already have seat assignments on all of my flights, currently 45 days prior to departure. I went to United/Air Canada websites and purchased upgraded seats directly. I have always booked full-fare coach or above. Never basic economy, and EZ Air doesn't book basic economy.

For us it depends on prices at the ports. In Finland, a single can of beer was $10 dollars at a liquor store near the port. 😮 We each had one beer and then went back to the ship for lunch. In reasonably priced ports, we eat off of the ship as well.

It seems to depend on the ship. For Alaska cruises from Seattle round-trip, the Emerald has a 4–5-hour window in Victoria. We are going to visit a couple of pubs downtown. The Discovery apparently only has a two-hour window. Not enough time to bother getting off of the ship.

I think it's fair to say that the food on Princess ships is better than you would get at Applebee's, Chili's, TGIF, Outback Steakhouse, etc. It isn't gourmet quality, but it is still very good. Where they have the aforementioned restaurants beat is in presentation. The dining room experience is first class even if the food is not quite. 👌

We sailed to Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and England on her in September 2023. A bit tired but perfectly serviceable. The food was good, the covered pool was nice, great library, large balconies, scooped ice cream at no extra charge, and I liked the location of the buffet. Room steward was the best one ever! (Dmetri from Ukraine.) The only downside was saggy mattresses. By the end of the cruise, 3 out of the 4 in our group had Covid. The one who didn't catch it received a booster before we traveled. I'm getting a booster tomorrow for my cruise in 45 days. 😵‍💫

T The Air Canada baggage fee is U.S. $22.00. If we pay that, what happens when our luggage is moved to the second leg on a United-owned plane? Do we pay again? 🤪 We paid extra for exit row seats. It appears that our first bag is included. I guess we won't know until we check in at the Montreal Airport. I will try to remember to come back and post what happens in each case, after the cruise. 😀

I wonder if the unnecessary sea day between Victoria and Seattle is so they can open the casino?

On the American Airlines website, it states that if you prepay the baggage fee, there is no refund even if you later upgrade to a higher priced cabin that includes free bags. United may be the same. I would take a chance and wait until at the airport. You are only risking $5.00.

OUCH!!! I'm no fan of sea days and just received notice that a port has been cancelled on our upcoming cruise, adding 1 more sea day. I can't imagine 10 days at sea with no ports and will never do any ocean crossing for that reason. You have my sympathy!

It is surprising that Vancouver to Seattle is a 3-day run. Does Princess intentionally extend the travel time? On our Alaska cruise in September, we depart Victoria one evening and arrive in Seattle the next morning.

My cruise including EZ Air was paid for with my Costco Visa Card. Only the airline upgrades were purchased with Airline credit cards. An additional wrinkle is that one flight will be on Air Canada with a United codeshare. Has anyone had this experience?

I have wondered the same thing. We are ticketed via EZ Air, and I upgraded at the American Airlines website to economy plus (main extra?), using my American Airlines Credit Card for our outbound flights from California to Fort Lauderdale. I hope to avoid the baggage fees but may not know for sure until we are at the airport. On our return flight we are booked on a United codeshare flight, (actually on an Air Canada plane) for the first leg of our journey. We upgraded the seats using my United credit card. Will we be covered? Perhaps Air Canada will charge us anyway. No one seemed to know when I called both airlines. I am curious if anyone has had this experience?

I believe they have resolved my wishes with the Sphere class. Larger showers with glass doors and no tubs, sofas, and lots of electrical outlets. Deeper balconies would be nice as well. Drop the charge for Alfredo's. It's only pizza! Lower the noise level in the piazza. I don't know if I will ever sail on a Sphere class ship though. Definitely not in one of those goofy Cabana mini suites. What a waste of space!

At first glance, my cruises appear to have dropped in price but after completing mock bookings, it becomes clear that the prices for my chosen locations have actually increased. The last-minute teaser fares offered are for the worst locations or for unassigned staterooms.

Have you asked for onboard credit in that amount? That might be a reasonable compromise. You can use the money to pay gratuities.