zentraveler

Wow, I am getting the distinct feeling that the casino is a big part of this ship or the reason people travel on it 😉. There have been casinos on the other cruises ships have been on, but very small ones and there never seemed to be anyone in them. And comping cabins to casino users is a completely new one for me! But probably not too surprising coming from someone who has never so much as bought a lottery ticket.

Thank you very much cruzin4us. Appreciative! I live have lived in parts of the country for so long that I don't anticipate this any more. This will be very helpful for us and the smokers can have their space.

Thank you ! Very useful information about the dining venues. Am dismayed that they allow smoking anywhere on the ship, but I never go to the casinos so am assuming if I give the wide berth I can avoid the smoke. Really hope that is the only place on the ship it is allowed!

Thank you ! We have used FCC on other cruise lines and $100/pp refundable is definitely a good idea. The fact that Princess sails from SF is a complete plus for us. We live in the middle of the city, 5 miles from the port and will take a ride share to the terminal. Not having to fly makes the whole thing work really well.

Thank you Cruise Raider! What would be the best way to get what you got? Show up at embarkation and reserve 5 pm for 2 every day? Send a message (how??) to Kieron? There is no way to do that on the app. They don't seem to open until 5:30. Glad to hear about the ship. It will be fine; we are going for the Alaska scenery. And I am with you about people and the furniture.

And location not an issue either. We won't go to the shows; too many people indoors and even with everyone masked - which will clearly not be the case - it would feel riskier than we will want.

Thanks for the advice. We don't mind eating at 5 pm so maybe we will just show up. The app only allows a pre-cruise choice of tables for 2 at Davinci (I believe; I find the Medallion app really annoying for pre-cruise use). This is a first Princess cruise and am having trouble figuring out if we need pre-cruise reservations or just a good idea, and why I can't request 2 at a table in Michelangelo.

It is a bit dispiriting to hear about the terrible condition of the ship and the number of people who acquired covid on their trip, but we love cruising to Alaska and will hope for smooth waters and good health throughout the trip even if it means not eating in the main dining rooms. It sounds like the Michelangelo DR has more space between tables but the app will not let me book a table for 2 there; only shared tables. We like to eat on the early side (6:20 or so) - can anyone comment on the likelihood of us being able to either walk in then or arrange our standing reservation there for 2?

Thank you blubberwon. Reassuring to hear that. We have traveled quite a bit during covid although the two cruises have been on much smaller ships (<400 passengers) and a lot of it during the time of mandatory masking. The planes also. Happy to hear that Princess is not only containing it, but that the requirement to be negatively tested before boarding is helping. I know that it is entirely possible for people to be infectious even with that, but creating even a few safety features certainly help. I think the last thing the cruise lines want is to be seen as floating petrie dishes the way it was in the early 2020 period and the PR nightmare that ensued. We are looking forward to the cruise and tend to keep to ourselves anyway and spend time looking at the gorgeous views. So helpful to hear from those of you just off our ship - thank you again!

Not very encouraging. We plan to sit alone but maybe we should be thinking more about room service! Or some venue that allows us to sit farther away from people. I had a feeling that masking would not be 100% but not thrilled about the low percentage so will just have to be careful about ours and we will get more exercise not taking the elevators!

Many thanks to all of you who took time from your trip to post! Will be boarding July 19 and it's been very helpful to set expectations and have some practical info and suggestions ahead of time. My sympathies for anyone who got covid and certainly a cautionary tale about elevators and crowds of people. Getting my masks packed!!

Will have that be a first stop and will wait for a day when we have been to the port before 🙂.

Thanks all of you !! I am guessing mid-trip sea days are going to be very crowded in the laundry so will work around that. And thanks voljeep, it sounds like getting a couple of loads worth of tokens ahead of the curve will be useful. We bring our own soap.

Sorry for such a pedestrian questions, but we board July 19 and will need to do laundry once on this 10 day trip. I know the W/D are $3/each - quarter? Dollar bills? Tokens? Would like to show up in order to make this as easy as possible. [Our first Princess cruise. Am used the bags to fill with a set laundry fee, but does not seem to be a 'thing' on Princess.] Thanks for any intel.

Thanks L11 - Linda. Looking forward to what you see in Prince Rupert; we have done several Alaska cruises but have never been there. Is there anything about the cruise that you wish you had known ahead of time that would matter for planning? Anything you wish you had brought other than the usual? Are there plugs near the beds for CPAP etc? Weather? Ready for whatever the food is etc, but would appreciate being prepared.

Thanks to all of you posting from your cruise. We have our first Princess cruise (not first cruise, but first one on Princess) coming up July 19 and would love to hear comments about your cabins, interesting places to hang out on sea days (library?), what the laundromats are like etc. In short, any heads up on anything you would have like to know before you got there. Have fun all of you and thanks for bringing us along!

I recently listened to a grand rounds at UCSF and the current thinking seems to be that paxlovid is best started 2-3 day into symptoms. Gives the virus enough, but not too much, time to replicate so 2-3 days is now seeming to be optimal.

Also, would be grateful for some comments on the weather. We are not on the Ruby until 7/19 but still interested in outdoor weather and how they keep the temperature on the ship for packing purposes!

So do we on the 19th and will look forward to the cruise report!

As far as I know now, it is not possible to get Paxlovid prophylactically, in other words, to have if you need it. It requires a positive covid test and a determination by one's physician about its use.

Happy to think that not a lot of people turn positive on the cruise! And also very reassuring that it is available for those who need it.

I have wondered if we might feel the same way for those reasons, but the idea of giving up sitting the couch and looking out the balcony or waking up in the middle of the night and going out to look at the moon over the water seems to out weigh the new room advantages. So we booked an original room for October cruise, but undoubtedly should try a new design on a trip someday. Thanks for a comparison perspective!

Thank you and that is great. I would get it in a heartbeat if I tested positive. I wasn't sure they could possibly have enough on board for a cruise that could have 3K passengers (we usually cruise on much smaller ships).

Were you able to get Paxlovid on board to treat this?? No fun, I know but the treatment works well and I would love to know if it is available on board if we come down with covid.

I know they newly renovated ships have the bed next to the french doors but I also am aware that not all of the cabins were really designed, but only those in the newly added section. Are the older design cabins more or less the same? We are really not interested in having our bed by the balcony instead of the couch and living area, and it also seems that the drapery dividing the two spaces in the remodeled ones is more of a mesh curtain than anything that would block out light, so that the two spaces are less separate if someone needs to sleep in a darker space. Can anyone comment? Planning the Star Legend in October Istanbul - Athens. Thanks for any cabin info!