Greenwhite

Hi Steelers36.  Yes, we did indeed partake.  Like everyone else we were aware of the "mad dash to the Sanctuary" routine and did not intend to participate.  However, after we were seated and offered refreshments we were also offered the opportunity to make onboard reservations.  We were very surprised to learn that we could make reservations for the Sanctuary and did so.  A representative at the Lounge immediately contacted the ship and made the reservation for us.  This happened before boarding began.  I can only comment on our experience.  We did not board the ship immediately when boarding began.  After we got on the ship and had lunch we went to the Sanctuary.  They were aware of our reservations and showed us our loungers. Some loungers had already been taken, so we did not get "first choice".  So, if you want a specific lounger, you might need to get to the Sanctuary before everyone else.  In our case it didn't matter to us. 

17 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

What time did it open? It would be great for those with an early flight arrival. What if you had driven to the port? Did you have to walk from the parking lot? 

Hi Happiest when cruising.  When we received our telephone call about the Suite Lounge we were told the hours were 08:30 to 14:30.  We can't answer your questions about driving/walking because we took an Uber to the lounge.  My impression is that if you are in a suite and are arriving on the day of the cruise you could Uber/Lyft/taxi directly from the airport to the lounge.  Before we cause problems for anyone, we would like to make a couple of things clear:  The Suite Lounge benefit is just being "rolled out", so there will probably be changes going forward.  Because Princess is doing a "soft start", admission to the Lounge was by "Invitation Only"  They did have a list of who had been invited.  I have no idea what they would do if people showed up uninvited.

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

if we ever again ... do they offer drinks (mimosa's, bloody marys, etc, or beer(s) for sale?  does the PLUS package cover that if they do?

Hi VOLJEEP.  I am sorry to say that I can't answer your questions.  We did not have any alcoholic beverages and didn't see anyone else with any.  If there were any we didn't know about it and didn't ask.  Since this is just the beginning of this perk, it may be different in the future.

We were waiting in the Sky Club at DTW when we got a call from Princess offering us access to the NEW Suite Lounge in Fort Lauderdale.  We used it prior to boarding the Caribbean Princess on March 22, 2023.   Th Suite Lounge is the "real deal" and we were very pleased to get an opportunity to experience it.  As soon as we arrived a Princess representative took charge of our luggage and we did not see it again until we were in our suite.  The lounge itself is very nice with comfortable chairs, snack type food, and soft drinks.  The staff were able to make reservations for activities on the ship--including the Sanctuary.  We were given a short ride to the port in a Mercedes van and expedited boarding of the ship.  It was a wonderful experience compared to the usual poor Princess boarding mess.  We will do it again without hesitation if offered.  We were told that they were rolling out the lounge as a "soft opening" by invitation only.  In the future there may be a charge--which we would pay without question given how poor the usual boarding situation is.   

12 hours ago, memoak said:

Both Alfredo’s and the one MDR open on embarkation day may be very crowded unless you have club class for the MDR. Even worse on Grand class ships with no pizzeria 

THIS!  Going to Alfredo's for lunch upon embarkation is often suggested/recommended.  Therefore, you can expect a line unless you are among the first on the ship.  On ships that have "Slice" on the Lido desk, go there instead.  The pizza is the same.

TL:DR  Don"t Do It!

We have been through many airports over many years.  We have never been to another airport as messed up as Seatac.  The lines are OMG long and move very slowly.  Oh, and the TSA agents are a surly bunch, too.  Our experience was that Precheck wasn't all that much help due to the long lines to get that far.

Absolute DO sign up for Port Valet.  It was great!!!  I wish every cruise port offered it.

We were on the Discovery last July (2022) and loved the ship.  However, due to FOG the ship did not enter Endicott arm.  We have been on other cruises where the itinerary was changed due to sea, weather, or other conditions.  Anymore we try to pick a ship we would enjoy even if it doesn't go where we thought we were going.

Nothing says "Princess Cruise" like a 24 Carat Gold Frozen Margarita!  But Dirty Bananas are pretty good too.

40 minutes ago, yourSLCwoman said:

It is my understanding that for cruises departing Canada, the PCR test must be taken within 72 hours of embarkation (not 3 days), so you will want to do the test in the afternoon on Wednesday.  From the Princess website:

 

Voyages that embark in Canada:
Based on current Canadian requirements for cruising, all guests ages five and above will require a medically observed negative viral COVID-19 test result taken before boarding:

Within 2 days for Antigen

Within 72 hours for PCR

One thing to keep in mind is that the test has to be within 72 hours of the time that the ship is scheduled to sail.  So, if the ship is scheduled to sail at 4:00 PM on Saturday, the test has to be taken after 4:00 PM on Wednesday.  If that works for you, you can get tested on Wednesday.

23 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

If you have not been to Seattle before, then may I suggest Elliott’s on the harbour front.  Great seafood and you can see the cruiseships!  

Just a "heads up" for those not familiar with Seattle.  Elliott's is located at Pier 56.  The Discovery sails from Pier 91.  Pier 56 and Pier 91 are not close to each other.

If you are looking for a tour, you might check out "Tours by Locals".  We have used them several times (though not in Seattle) and have always been pleased.  I checked and they do have guides in Seattle who should be able to do what you want.

Thank you IDsailor and Colo Cruiser.  It is not that big a deal--just that the information from Princess seemed to be at odds with numerous posts here on CruiseCritic.  I was hoping that someone who has recently boarded in Melbourne could say what Princess is actually doing at this time.

We will be sailing on the Golden Princess out of Melbourne.  We received a message from Princess stating that our check-in time is 1:30 PM.  The message further stated that they were doing a "progressive check-in" and to not show up before the assigned check-in time.  The earliest check-in time shown for anyone is 1:00 PM.  We wanted to have the embarkation lunch in the main dining room--which is only open from 12:00 to 1:30.  We are in a suite, so normally we could board at any time once boarding begins.  In order to clarify this I called Princess directly and was told that we could only check-in at our assigned time.  When asked how we could go to the embarkation lunch (which would already be closed) I was told "I have no information about that."  I would like to know what time check-in actually starts and whether suite passengers can board early. 

Also the Grand have a category called Window Suites which are a great value with suite amenities!

 

Pooh

IF the Window suites fit within your budget, they are really worth considering. You don't get a balcony, but our experience has been that a balcony is not all that useful on sea days due to the wind. You do get all of the suite amenities--which we like. The Window suites are a very good Value proposition. There are lots of reviews of them here, so you can easily research them if you think you might be interested.

You have been given a number of choices. We used DENRUS for a 2 day private tour. We were very pleased with them and have no hesitation in recommending them. They have a website you could take a look at..

I see that you have already been given the story. If you would like to check additional reports, go to the "Research" heading at the top of the CruiseCritic homepage. Click "ships" and then do a search for Golden Princess. You will find 5 reviews of cruises that were done after the dry dock. I hope this helps.