EndersFoul

Hi all. DH and I are cruise lovers and recently added a baby girl to our family :)! We’ve traveled the globe as a couple and would like to share the love of cruising with our daughter and I think Disney fits better with our room and entertainment needs.

How young is too young to bring a kid on a Disney Cruise? Not asking safety- more like when will they most appreciate it- 5yrs? Is 3 too young?

Does Disney have kid centered excursions? We are the zip lining, scuba diving, mountain climbing adventure people but a lot of stuff we have done especially in the Caribbean isn’t suited for anyone under 12

What’s it like rooming with a kid in the cabins? We probably would go for a porthole or a veranda, I see most cabins have a couch that pulls out? Do you find the room cramped?

Any other advice for first time cruise parents!?

avid cruiser , love princess but isn't it time for princess and all lines to offer free wi-if in cabins. Any thoughts ? Will it ever happen , it seems it has to

I hope it doesn't. Cruises are the one time we disconnect and talk to eachother. Pott wifi is enough to talk to people at home. I often look forward to airplane mode

And it was listed as $37 pp

It was available on our Alaska cruise this summer - we signed up only to have it cancelled due to lack of interest. There was a clipboard in Vines but the waiters didn't push it or mention it at all and I think we saw it in the patter on the first day. We were very disappointed

The Princess Circle magazine arrived in the mail the other day, and I noticed this on Page 22:

 

 

Has anybody seen this in a Vines on any of your cruises?

 

I do not recall ever seeing any Silverado red wines on a Princess wine list. I know I've seen Sauvignon Blanc, and I think I've seen Chardonnay. Silverado is a fine producer. So, if Princess is getting into a relationship with them, then that is good news.

 

I wondered what the "four premium red varietals" were. I went to the Silverado web site and it looks like they now are offering:

 

 

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon
  
• Merlot
  
• Sangiovese
  
• Zinfandel
  

They, in fact, offer multiple bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

 

I could speculate whether the four referenced in the Princess article are among this group, or, if so, which one is excluded, but my personal prejudice is really not important.

 

I am aware of various wineries here in California that offer "Wine Blending" experiences. I've never been tempted. In all honesty, I can't imagine that anything I blended would turn out happily. I assume that the wine blending experiences offered by the wineries allow the participant to blend from barrel samples, whereas, this Princess event probably offers wines from the bottles.

 

If I was looking for something to do on a Sea Day on the ship, though, and I saw that this was available, I would probably try it, if for no other reason that to meet other people who enjoy wine.

 

I wonder what they charge for it.

Stupid question. First Time Alaskan cruiser. Are the shops open during sailing? I mean we are not in international waters for much of the cruise.

 

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Yes they are open when the ship is underway.

I believe $130 it should say in the excursion write up on the princess website or if you are booking privately you can call directly. We booked thru princess and it originally showed a second seat reserved and charged but a week or so before we left it was reduced to just one seat per person. When we met the tour agent at the pier she handed us cards where we wrote our names and estimated weights. If anyone was close to 250 or higher you had to sign a paper stating you understood you would be charged extra (it said how much).

Our tour was ultimately cancelled so can't say how it works with billing. And yes, they let you get that far into the process before telling you it's cancelled (frustrating)

So I'm taking my first cruise ever this summer... I've been poking around and found some old Patters... what the heck? I was hoping for naturalist presentations and other activities drawing on topics relevant to the history and culture and nature of Alaska. Instead I'm seeing a lot of really odd stuff. Also I'm not much into gambling and have hear that the odds are especially tipped to the boat... even more than they usually are to the house!

 

Am I going to find some things to do at sea? I am planning on packing some reading.

 

Thoughts?

 

Are there crafts? Are they related to the area we are cruising? (Alaska)

 

 

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Just got off an Alaska 7 day. We do not gamble or go to those spa events. They had an Alaska based event or even multiple every day. They had a preview of then Lumberjack show where passengers competed in axe throwing, learning to can-can dance, gold nugget bracelet making, a naturalist who gave many talks, puppies, park ranger talks and kazoo playing in glacier bay... and much more.

The spa events are silly and not well attended. I recommend going to at least one art auction. You do not need a placard and it's fun to get a free glass of champagne and watch people. There are also great art lectures by the staff.

Even the silly things like the bean bag toss become fun to watch.

Most days we couldn't find time to do everything we wanted.

Are they still serving Lobster Tails in the MDR?

Just off the Ruby they served lobster tail the last formal night in the MDR

I second seeing Steve Morris. I didn't think I would like him as his target audience is about two generations above mine but he had me in tears he first night!!

We enjoyed using the princess at sea app you can schedule your own events (meet for lunch) and rsvp and make your own schedule from the online patter. It also has the ending times for events which the paper patter did not have, great for knowing what you can fit in.

FYI for Victoria our cruise was delayed allowing passengers to disembark, we chose not to get off as we wanted the evening to pack and enjoy a quiet time on the ship. We had an almost private performance from the piano player in the Piaza and he was joined impromptu by the magician from Magic to Do who sang for us. A wonderful end to the cruise.

Odd about no blue bags, I asked a few people and was told they didn't have them.

I also noticed they no longer do the color/number stickers for exclusions. They had us meet in the theater and dismissed us by row (staring down working up) and then we still had to find our tour on the dock. A lot of anxious people- and late in Juneau. I didn't like this system very much.

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise on May 16th. I highly recommend the 7 and a half hour Yukon Rail and Bus excursion with Chilkoot Tours. Our young adult children loved it. Going into the Yukon was so beautiful. We also got to pet the dogs and and other animals at the petting area. Got to see two dog sledding groups leaving. It was fun just watching them choose the dogs to run. The lunch at Carcross was very good. This was our favorite excursion ever! We took the early excursion at 7:30 and had a couple hours of shopping when we got back before our early dining at 5:30. If you decide on this excursion, book asap before they sell out. This is a very popular excursion. I hope you are able to get James as your driver. He was a great tour guide!!!

We had James from Chilkoot on the 23rd he was great!!! Do the 7.5hr one the Yukon was the best part. He dropped us off in town and had time to walk around and shop.

Ketchikan we did the totem pole park which was interesting and the lumberjack show was cute. Our tablemates did the fjords and said it was nothing you couldn't see from the ship.

I was on the Caribbean Princess last week and the nameplate was still there.

 

 

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Hmmmm we just got off the Ruby and we had the exact same card- Rommel was our steward too :D

Strongly recommend buying a Brita bottle. We have used them for years on cruises and vacations. It has a filter in the bottle itself so you can fill from a drinking fountain in port and feel ok drinking it. They run under $10 at any big box store or online retailer :) and come in fun colors!

Waiting to disembark the Ruby right now. You will have 2 formal nights. People seemed to make the first one a little fancier, we saw everything from Kimonos to long gowns to black pants and a blouse. I would say Alaska was less formal than even the Caribbean cruises, we saw people in hoodies being let into the traditional dining room. DH and I even wore jeans there the last night (Victoria night is all open seating by the way)

Let me know if you have any other questions! All our patters went out with the trash last night unfortunately so I can't help there.

I thought they charge your account with tipping. ???

They do, daily charge per stateroom passenger. You can see each charge on your folio. Or you can prepay on your cruise personalizer before your trip.

Some people choose to give extra to people they feel gave great service, in extra cash. The automatic gratuities also go to the people you don't see. You can also choose to opt out of them, done once you board at guest services... and give all cash tips as you desire.... or no tips at all.

There is strong debate and lots of information on tipping if you search these boards.

In summary: Princess will automatically charge a daily gratuity amount to you and after that it's up to you. Hope that helps!

Christine is right about getting to Pier 91 early. We’ve done the Alaska cruise many times and I like to get to the Pier at around 10:45, do all the processing and get in line, we are Platinum so we also board early, we usually get on the ship around 11:30 or so. Last year I wanted to do the Ultimate Ship tour so as soon as we boarded I went to Passenger Services and signed up, there were already 6 on the list. I highly recommend Ultimate Ship tour, we ended up at the Adagio bar for champagne and fancy treats. It was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, it ended up being a 4 1/2 hour tour.

USAF F-4 Phantoms and F-111 Aardvark

Any idea if we aren't platinum but arrive at 1045 how long we will be standing in the security line and how long til we board?

Has anyone had success changing from a later seating to a 6pm seating? Or from traditional to anytime? It's 3 of us and we are rethinking and regretting the 8pm dinner and I realize now we will miss all of the main shows. The 10pm show is too late for us especially with early port days

Thank you for answering all of our questions!!

On Glaciery Bay day where did you go? We have a balcony- I assume we can sit there and hear the narration thru the TV? Any tips or tricks of where to go and when?

....

Thank you so much for this awesome information. Everyone has been overwhelmingly helpful with this! And after letting my mother read the responses it seems like she is okay with sitting in a wheelchair- she said she rather save her energy for fun on the ship!

Again thank you all so much, you have put an anxious mind at ease :)

Your link says it is open for dinner from 5:30pm

Right under the time it lists ships where it is closed for dinner.

You can request for wheelchair assistance upon arrival at the port terminal. You and your husband can join her on the check-in and boarding process where she will be given priority boarding. A day prior to disembarkation, you can request for the same assistance at the Passenger Services Desk.

 

 

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So will she HAVE to sit in a wheelchair? That's my question, she doesn't need a wheelchair she can walk it's standing still for a long time. I'm wondering if Princess will insist she uses a wheelchair which is a deal breaker for her.

If you're by the door, you'll be at the front of the line when they start boarding. 😀

 

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And THIS is why CC people are the best people!!! Thank you!! But shhhhh don't spread the word too far and wide haha

hi all

My mom will be joining us on a cruise out of Seattle. She has chronic pain which gets worse when standing still for a long period of time - say like waiting in line to board the cruise. Here are my questions

1) what does assisted boarding mean? Will she get to go straight thru security when we arrive?

2) will my husband and I get to go with her or will we have to meet her on the ship?

3) has princess ever questioned "hidden" disabilities? Usually the questions here are about wheelchair assistance

Thank you! CC friends are great help to an anxious daughter :)

My Mom is Elite, so we had priority boarding. Seattle was so efficient with all the checkpoints. We arrived by 11am. Boarding was technically scheduled for 1pm. By 12:45, we had boarded, gone to Passenger Services to sign up for the ship tour, squealed over our balcony and waved to people arriving on the pier, and finished eating at the buffet. It was amazing!

If you aren't elite or in a suite (that would be most of us!), I recommend getting there early and taking a book. Oh, and sit near the door in the waiting room. 😀

 

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Thanks you!! Why by the door? We plan to arrive around 11am so hopefully we get on around 1pm? This is my mom's first cruise so I think her first experience cruising has to be the embarkation wait lol 😂

I'd recommend a reusable foldable poncho or a dual-purpose wind breaker and rain jacket. We brought the foldable ponchos which are nice and fit in a small backpack or purse and cover your whole body- the U.K. can be windy, it was raining sideways one day on our cruise. Prepare for layers, think like going to the Pacific Northwest, always a chance of rain and a little chilly but generally nice.

One of the reasons it gets canceled so much is that the dogs are based at only one area per company. If the weather is bad there it is canceled but there are many other areas where the helo could land without dogs so be ready to answer the question "would you like glacier landing without dogs?" and ask about pricing.

sightcrr

Good to know! Do you know when they usually cancel it- how long will we have to make other arrangements? And if we are booked thru the ship how do they notify us? Thanks!