tmt218

For glacier viewing I prefer Sapphire for the promenade deck. Also a smaller ship with less people. 
 

entertainment and Alaskan extras they are known for will be about the same. 

I would also pick the ship that has you in port the longest. 

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Higher prices incoming

The specialty restaurants on the Sun is now $45 I wouldn’t doubt if they raise the prices across the fleet. 

The choice of loungers seem out of place at the Sanctuary. The Dome pool and the Wake View pool both have cushioned loungers. 

I’m thinking they haven’t got all the cushions in yet. 

Just now, JimmyVWine said:

The classic example of competing goals.  We, as customers, selected Princess because it was different.  Princess, as a for-profit business, moves toward other lines because it sees that it is leaving money on the table.  If most other cruise lines charge $65 for their steakhouse and Princess charges $29, someone in Santa Clarita is going to take notice and move toward that higher number.  Our joy in getting charged less is their sorrow in suppressing profits.  Can't be helped.  

Yes I get that. They  are trying to compete to bring on more of a family atmosphere. 
 

It’s still better than what we pay for a steakhouse dinner here at home. 
 

I feel Princess is moving into the nickel and diming era. It was one of the reasons why we chose to sail with them. 
 

I’ve noticed the speciality dining has gone up for the Sun also. 

28 minutes ago, Distex said:

Have not left the dock yet.  Was the very first guests at Sabitini’s.  

Does Sabitini’s have the same menu or is it updated for the Sun? 

I’m having the same issue with an excursion we are wanting. It’s showing waitlist is available but I’m unable to click on any names to be added to the waitlist. 
 

I think it’s a system glitch. 

Anyone have information on Eat Street? Is it the same menu or does it rotate? 

4 minutes ago, Cruising Forever! said:

Where is The Catch by Rudi?  What deck?

5 minutes ago, Cruising Forever! said:

Where is The Catch by Rudi?  What deck?

I believe it’s deck 9  it shares space with the buffet at the back. 

39 minutes ago, Meldrum said:

I just saw on the app and on the website that the itinerary for our upcoming cruise on March 29 changed drasticaly. They inverted the ports, from clockwise to anti-clockwise. Instead of going from Rome to La Spezia, Genoa... and ending with Gibraltar followed by two days at sea, we are now starting with two days at sea and going to Gibraltar first, ending with La Spezia and Rome. How annoying! Our cabin is now on the 'wrong' side of the ship, facing the sea instead of the coastline. We can also start cancelling a rental car and excursions we booked on land as well. It is strange we did not even received an e-mail from Princess or from our travel agent.

I have no idea why they changed this.

Well, at least we are sailing...

 

 
I was looking forward to the sea days at the end to relax before flying home

24 minutes ago, roger b said:

Hi Tanya,

      Perfect the Ho Ho bus has a stop at the port if you want to go back to the ship.

   Palma is an easy walkable town and most of the sights are are around the old city .

My favorite walk is from the Mercat Olivar ( central market) down for the cathedral.

The points on route :

https://www.abc-mallorca.com/mercat-olivar-palma/

https://ipanematravels.com/art-nouveau-palma-de-mallorca/

 

ttps://www.seemallorca.com/sights/religious/banys-arabs-arab-baths

Roger b 

     

Roger ,

Thank you so much! You are a a true gem on this board. I look forward to visiting. 

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

For flights bound for the US, the recommendation is to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of flight time.

 

The OP's flight is at noon. Per Google maps (and my own experience), if you get into a taxi at the Pantheon taxi rank (pretty much the heart of central Rome), the trip to the airport will take from 30 minutes to an hour. I'd say 45 minutes is about average. Two hours is an exaggeration short of a massive traffic snafu.

 

I plan on being picked up at 7:30am to give myself some cushion. 

21 minutes ago, 1cruise2U said:

You need to be at airport at least 2 or 2.5 hrs for international flights typically and it may take 1 or 2 hrs to get to airport 

Thank you! Luckily my home airport is Atlanta.  I’m use to traffic and long lines. I always give myself extra time. 
 

Roger

We will be in Palma in April from 7am to 5pm. We would  like to see the cathedral and the castle. Is the hop on hop off bus a good way to see those sites? 
 

We plan to take the cruise ship shuttle into town and  then catch the HOHO after to the castle and see more of the city. Anything we should add to the list of must see? 
 

Thank you 

Tanya 

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Well, it's just IMHO, but I never stay at the airport unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Why suck all the joy out of your last night in Rome? Stay in the city, dine in a nice restaurant with a view of the ruins and make memories to take home. 

Thank you! I agree I want to soak up as much as I can before heading home. This will be our first visit. 

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The Hotel Nerva (sometimes listed as Boutique Hotel Nerva) is a nice hotel, well located for the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill and other sites related to ancient Rome. I stayed there some time ago and it has been remodeled since then (used to be 3 star, now 4 star) but still a good hotel if you can find a reasonable rate. Very friendly family service and good breakfast.

 

Hotel Capo d'Africa is also a very nice, 4-star hotel. It has a great terrace.

 

Of course, I'll just toss out there that the Colosseum is not that far to walk from Albergo del Senato, should you decide to do it during your pre-cruise stay.

 

Thank you! I’ll definitely look into these recommendations. 
 

Would we be better to head to the airport and stay near there? 

Are there any more recommendations for staying in the Coliseum area? I’ve looked at Hotel Lancelot but was wondering if there were any others worth looking at. 
 

Precruise we are staying 3 nights at Albergo del Senato. We will only be staying one night post cruise and figured the coliseum would be good to visit before we leave. Or would it be better to stay by the airport? Our flight leaves at noon. 
 

Thank you 

Tanya 

 

You have to take a shuttle to get out of the port. They won’t let you walk. We were on a Princess ship and  they provided a shuttle to town with 3 stops. Not sure of all the stops as we got off and on at the visitors center. I did hear passengers having trouble with the buses picking them up from the other 2  stops. 
 

They have shops and restaurants just outside the port but we were there on a transatlantic and they weren’t open for the season yet. I imagine one of the shuttle stops would be just outside the port. The city center was about 15 minutes away. Not really walkable. 
 

Thank you! We plan on going early anyway just didn’t know if the Holy Week  crowds would make it busier than usual. 

I didn’t realize we will be in Rome  during Holy Week. This is our first  time to Rome. Would it  be best to avoid the Vatican area on this visit? 
 

We arrive March 26th and will have two and a half days to tour before our cruise leaves on March 29th. 

Thanks, 

Tanya 
 

13 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Doubtful.  Whataburger has only regional appeal.  Galveston would be the only port where most local passengers would be familiar with the brand vs. for example Guy's burgers on Carnival, where Guy Fieri has exposure across the US on Food Network.

I’m in GA and we have Whataburger popping up all over here and the southeast. I’m sure in next few years they will be all over. 
 

Princess was my first cruise ever and was picked by my mom as a post divorce vacation. 
I’ve cruised other lines with my DD I always thought she would be bored without all the bells and whistles that other lines have. She was always curious about Princess so I introduced her with an ABC island cruise. It’s her favorite cruise line now. 

I have continued to pick Princess as I enjoy their atmosphere and itineraries on their ships. 

16 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Perhaps I could have been clearer, but I was giving a hypothetical example of a guest who does do enough drinking to think they would purchase the Zero Alcohol Package.  But, they should just get the Plus instead as my math showed - and they can have that odd drink from the bar.

 

I don't buy any sort of package.  I go a la carte and pay both Crew Incentive and MedallionNet separately.  With an Elite Minibar, a starter water package, and my own wine, I have no need for any drink package, so I am like you.

 

My only point was that the Zero Alcohol beverage package makes no sense to me as the typical guest who might be interested in it may as well just book the Plus Fare option.

 

I see what you were saying. My math wasn’t mathing last night 😂

3 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Some????  How about ALL!!!

 

Here is why.  Let's suppose Guest John Doe thinks no alcohol for his party - I will get the new Zero package for $30 + Grats = $35.39 each.  But, just a sec there - Guest Doe also pays $16/day for Crew Incentive and likes to be connected, so MedallionNet cost is either $15 or $7.50 per day.

 

Add those up and you get either $66.39 or $58.89, so the $60 Plus is a NO BRAINER in that situation.

 

Yes for some not everyone has to booze it up. Not everyone cruises like you do. It’s not a deal for me. I mainly drink water.  Sometimes I’ll have a soda or a specialty coffee but not every day. After the crew incentive and wifi ( if I even get wifi) I’d have a hard time drinking 36.50 a day. In some cases that’s a whole other cruise I could take. 

1 hour ago, AZjohn said:

Well, just noticed it is available now on the web site.

IDK, getting the Plus package for $40 (all non-alcohol + WiFi + Gratuities) not that long ago, to fork out $36pp for just for non-alcohol drinks just doesn't sound like much of a bargain to me (JMHO):

The plus package is now $60 per day which still may be a better deal for some.