sirclean

I could be wrong, but there is only one time change from Vancouver to Alaska, and once in Alaskan waters, the time stays the same.

I dont know about ALL of them being white. I just popped the meadailion from the last cruise out of the lanyard ring from the last cruise (which is black), and there are no stickers on it. (very smooth, very plastic feeling, and I would think that my fingernail would have caught an edge if there was one on it)

There is some confusion. IN November everyone was given a white one on the Discovery. We were told it was for the first year the ship was in service. (that would have been accurate for that cruise). In April, on the Ruby - repositioning cruise from Galveston to San Francisco- , at the Captain's Circle meeting, they mentioned that they white medallions are replacing the formerly Blue medallions. I also heard that you can go to guest services and they would give you a sticker with the correct color. Also, for our April cruise, it seemed to be (though not universal) that people that got their medallions mailed tended to get white ones, regardless of captain circle status level, while those of us that picked them up in port, got the correct color. So at the moment, Im not sure that anyone can authoritatively state what a White One means!

Even if you are at a table for anyone, you can ask to be seated at the same table every day. Just tell them when you check in that you want "Table XXX" . YOu will have to be in line when they open or very early on, before they fill the table. That way you will get the same crew. Otherwise, ask to change from a shared table to a specific, non-shared table, same time, every day. Also, you may want to express your concerns to the supervisor. Then the next day, ask to see him before being seated and ask that (s)he check in on you partly through the meal.

IF your flight is after 4 pm, there is a San Francisco tour. The tour is great and will drop you at the airport. It is 79 each, I think, only $40 more than the base transfer. About booking it at the excursion desk? On our trip (in April) I tried to get the airport transfer from the excursion people and it was a huge fiasco. Fortunately, I had preferred to take the tour but it was listed as sold out in the weeks before the trip. The lesson for me was IF you want the transfer, have your travel agent order it! You can try to do it yourself (especially if booked directly from Princess), Go to your booking Find Travel (the airplane) Scroll down some, and you will find Transfers I hope that this helps!

My Bride does not care for the liquid soap princess supplies in the shower so she packs a bar of her preferred soap for the shower.

IF you dont have a drink package, and have time to visit a store (not flying in), some canned drinks for the fridge. tea bags (the kind you like, I drink decaf tea, but dont care for the selection available on board). The good news is that there are stores near the dock in Ketchican and Juneu (and not real close in Skagway- follow the crew!) you can pick up anything that you missed. do you have or use a cell phone battery pack, just in case? camera, extra battery and sd cards? I like to pack the chewable pepto tablets (also, just in case). They are small, light and nice to have When You Need Them! IF you have allergies, bring something for that, as May is Spring in Alaska! The water will have yellow streaks from the many pine tree pollen and the flowers in towns will be HUGE and in full bloom!

What ship? The sanctuary is different on the different ships.

Here is the link to the PDF https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf You will get early access to the ship, use of the departure lounge, access to the platinum/elite daily party. There are some discounts on Insurance (which start at Ruby, I think). Otherwise, I think that the PDF or similar links will best answer the question.

You can easily go to Guest Services and have them merge the accounts. That would essentially mean that all of the charges will go on one credit card. You might be able to do that with the ap, where it deals with onboard payments. I usually have a lot more credit than my usual travel buddy and we merge the accounts and then settle up for any of his charges that were above the limit of the credit I had.

I like Twinnings English Breakfast, but decaffeinated. They dont have it. They had some Lipton brand decaf available in the buffet area. I just brought a bunch of the kind l liked (enough to average 2 teas a day or so). The tea in the Tea Time was good though. I didnt order tea in the dining room because I make iced tea. I stop at the bar near the buffet and ask for a large glass of ice and then get a coffee cup in the buffet and fill it with hot water. From there Im sure you know the steps! The glasses in the buffet are generally smaller so that is why I got the big one at the bar. I suppose that I could bring a glass of ice to the MDR, but the tables are usually full enough and I wont risk spilling any tea on their table cloths in the process.

I liked the Star best. It was big enough, but not as big as the newer ones like Discovery. As others indicated, I liked the Island better before the conversion.

My back is already causing problems. Throwing it out on the first day of a cruise would not be worth any perceived value of having the luggage instantly available. Id rather drop it off with the porters as I enter the terminal (or at the airport if that is still an option) and get started with the day! Id rather check in with my muster station and settle in to the MDR for a lunch (as I probably didnt have breakfast).

On the Ruby (repositioning through the Panama Canal in April for 16 days), it was in the MDR twice. It was the pub lunch of old, with the dedicated menu. They decorated with flags and had a display of pub beers available. It was noted in the Patter.

"That is not freshly squeezed Orange juice. " I am aware it was once frozen, but for $12, assuming I required it freshly squeezed, I d hit the buffet, grab a bunch of fruit and squeeze my own!

Is Juice really $12? (Orange juice is free in the buffet in the mornings, so I ve never asked for anything else)

For us, it is a duel question. It is not just that it is now $60 a day, but $60 for both, and for EVERY Day on the cruise. We recently finished a 16 day cruise. Drinking all that we would have to drink every day (or over the entire trip) would add a lot of calories on top of the other temptations already available. IF we were booking a 3, 4 or 5 day trip, it may be a different question, but to 'break even' on a long trip versus a shorter trip enters the calculation (as I can drink more per day for a short time, than over a longer time!) We have booked a November trip, but we have not yet decided whether to add the plus. It will be in celebration of our anniversary and a birthday, so it may be something to consider, but at $40 or even $50 a day it would be an easier calculation. The bottom line is that each of us face a different decision calculation (based on our own tastes and preferences). The right decision for you may not be the right one for me, but the price is certainly the same!!

" Really ! That's disappointing. What was wrong with them? Possible over baked?" They become rock hard soon after they come out of the oven. I dont think that the formula that they use is all that great. (Let's say that they are NOT the Toll House recipe!) Even fresh out of the oven, they just dont taste all that great. But yes, I think that overbaked is also an issue. But becoming rock hard is not a problem limited to only the chocolate chip ones that they bake. I also dont think that it is unique to the Ruby. When I was sailing on the Star, the 'rock hard' problem existed then and there too.

Just off a 16 day cruise in an inside cabin. As stated above, "The TV is against the wall that forms the divider between the cabin and closet hallway. It is on the side of that wall furthest from the door. I’ve never noticed that it presents a viewing issue. " Our cruise was booked as a last minute deal, so Im sure that we didnt have a lot of choices left for the cabin, but there were no issues with the cabin. (I can recommend that a visit to the Buffet will find chips, salsa, guacamole and they usually had shrimp as well after 9pm! Also, while I have never been a fan of peanut butter or oat meal cookies, on the Ruby, they were excellent! Unfortunately, the chocolate chip, which I am generally a fan, were not very good, especially if they were not direct from the oven).

Just off the Ruby to reposition. Those areas were available for free (though other, newer ships may have restrictions on them).

Whittier is a good distance from Anchorage. The post cruise transportation is probably your best way to town. From what I recall they will take you to a downtown location (not too far from The Captain Cook, if I recall). From there you can transfer to another hotel. IF they take you directly to the airport, then there are nearby hotels that will include a transfer to the airport. The most important point is that getting from Whittier to Anchorage is not easy (or cheap) if not on the transfer bus. It is probably the best way to get to Anchorage.

If you are willing to pay extra, you can have lobster and steak in the MDR every day!

The reservation on the ap is nothing official. It just marks your calendar. The seats in the theater are only reserved for the big production shows, not all entertainment. Those seats are reserved for the top level plus plan (and maybe suites). On the Ruby, they are on the lower level (close to the stage) but for 3 rows near the back of that level. (If there are 10 rows, the reserved rows are 6,7 & 8. They are reserved only until about 5 minutes before the show, so for busy shows there is a dash of people (usually larger families) filling the empty ones as the staff removes the seat covers. IF you go there about 20 minutes before show time, you should be able to find seats available, but maybe not in the primest of prime locations. If you are there about 30 minutes early, you can usually find the best seats, unless the ship is at capacity, and it may require a slightly earlier trip. Remember, that there are 2 show times for the production shows, so you may find that the second show may be less crowded (but no guarantee). We are on the Ruby today (for a repositioning trip) and the ship is only 2/3rds full, but we tried to get a seat close to show time and we could not find a seat before the lights went down. However, the second show had a lot of great seats available (so this crowd may be the early to bed, early to rise sorts).

to answer the internet speed question, I have the speed test which I will post below. (.3 mps download speed... it took 4 minutes for me to reply to a work email with a 20 word email!) Since leaving Cabo it got cold (at least by my South Texas Standards!) It started cooling off within an hour of leaving the port! I dont know if Pandabears hibernate, but it has been a temptation to climb back under the covers and nap this afternoon, even with all of the great activities that are available!

not 28 days, and perhaps I didnt look for anything longer. Here is a link to an interesting looking HAL cruise: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/A4L14A/I434.html IF It were Princess, it would be a no brainer (as I have elite status on Princess, but no status on HAL).