HaveDogWillTravel

That’s great! Who did you use?

I’ve had my CVP cancel things and I’ve had the rooms show up immediately.

I’ve found bookings and princess in general runs on pacific time. Like elite pre sales are always in pacific time. It would be kind of weird if elites in NewYork had access before elites in Cal. But maybe someone with experience in when their hold released in another time zone will pipe in.

Yes the restriction is that the same person can not get both shareholders and military OBC anymore. Now that I think about it, I’m going to directly ask my CVP if DH can get military and I can get shareholders while booked in the same cabin. This has always been the case and we do it every sailing we share a cabin. But I’m now wondering if by “no longer combinable” do they mean per cabin or person? I assumed person as DH used to get both when booked in his own cabin but I will ask to be sure. My CVP has logged off for the day so will most likely hear back tomorrow.

I agree with @SargassoPirate I have found some stunning deals first thing on the morning (5am to 8am typically) also at times in the middle of the night when insomnia rears it’s ugly head. I really can’t say for certain why but I suspect that no cost holds automatically drop at midnight so things open up.

My CVP told me he believes if you’ve got the shareholders applied before the deadline and you also have military benefits applied then you “should” be grandfathered in. it has always been the case that one person in the cabin can get shareholders and the other person can get military. DH (military) and I (shareholders) have used this dozens of times. Of course if both are military both would get that. It was only shareholders that was restricted one per cabin. With the great solo fares the past year or so we have booked me in an aft facing balcony or regular mini suite and booked him in the inside cabin across the hall. Then we could each get shareholders.

Just got this email from my CVP On Jun 15, 2023, at 1:03 PM,

Guest services can make any medallion open any door you ask. Of course they need the person whose door you want to open to be present and consenting. I’ve done this multiple times. Medallions being programed to open other cabins will in no way affect statements or billing.

Since the cabin steward will have extra work with a third person it would be best if you had the person added to the room officially so the gratuities for that room would then be for 3 people not 2. If the rooms are close enough so the same steward services both then of course that issue is moot.

This is not a review, it is a Live From. It is common practice and considered helpful for anyone who is on a sailing for which a “Live From” is started to contribute their experiences. It provides a much better overview of a sailing than simply one person’s posts. I have never read any live from that didn’t have multiple contributors. In fact different passengers often have diverse and opposing experiences. It is much more helpful for those wondering what the range of values are that their experience might lie within.

A certified birth certificate with the embossed stamp. My nephew sailed RT Sf to Mexico with me November 2021 with these docs. You are correct about asking for a supervisor if denied boarding. He was denied at first and that’s what we did. The supervisor straightened it out and he boarded.

This itinerary was amazing. The ship and crew were everything I hoped for. Yes there were issues as always on every cruise or land trip. They were dealt with quickly and professionally. Embarkation and debarkation were super easy and quick. Lots of wild life, great Princess shore excursions in every port. We had 3 guest speakers that were extraordinary. I agree the naturalist, Sandra Schemp, was sick, unmasked and spoke within 2-3 ft of passengers outside of the theater for an extended period of time. Absolutely should not have happened. I’ve sailed 7 times to Alaska with Princess and this is the first time the naturalist was so bad that I felt compelled to give her a bad review on my post survey. On our first sea day the aft hot tubs were steaming hot. Later on, not so much. I never went to the indoor pool. Presumably, that should be okay but I don’t go to Alaska to stay inside or to swim. I go for this:

My most recent experience was May 5th this year on the Sapphire. The puppies came on in Skagway and it started at 5 pm. Some folks will complain that it’s mean or cruel. The handlers do it to socialize the pups to the noise, the touching, all the different looking people with hats and different clothing and so on. It’s an important part of the pups training. This is explained by the handlers and they will gladly discuss it further with you. The pups are rotated and given breaks so they aren’t subjected to 45 min straight.

If they like to drink bottled water (in my opinion the tap water on a ship is not to my liking) you can by it fir about $7 per case of 12 half liters. This is a real bargain compared to the $2 plus or so each small bottle costs on board. The special low pricing is only available before sailing. Things (ship shore excursions, spa treatments, water, specialty dining…..) need to be booked or purchased 3 to 7 days days before boarding. If not done in advance they will have to wait until after boarding (except the reduced price of water which is only available prior to boarding). If they are wanting to have specialty dining for an anniversary celebration they may want to lock that in asap. I vote for just giving them the cash. Then they can have real flexibility in how to spend it. They can spend it off ship or pay down their onboard spending. Also they can each bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on board in their carry on bags free of corkage charges. They can carry on more if they want but those bottles are subject to a $20 corkage fee. Wine can be brought to the dining rooms and the crew will serve and store any leftovers for the next meal. If corkage wasn’t already paid the staff will add that to their on board account (maybe….I’ve found sometimes they “forget”). What a lovely thing you are doing. Your parents will be thrilled.

This is one way to get space and words between your pictures. post the pictures touch those 3 dots in the upper right hand corner and select Edit from the drop down menu carefully click to the right of the photo (make sure it’s not entirely highlighted or it will be deleted) hit Return (as many times as you want for the space you’d like) now you can type words in the space. Thank you very much for posting while on such a great holiday! If you don’t mind sharing some pictures of the desk, chairs, tables & balcony of your PH that would be appreciated.

If you look closely at the lamb there is white fat in the middle. The meat was cold. Not cold like it was cooked and then cooled off. Cold as in raw white fat cold. To each their own though. Medium rare is the norm for group tables. This was not. The wines are discussed and displayed prior to pouring. Red wine bottles are wrapped as when the pour is finished it is not unusual for a drop of wine to drip down the side. I called the dine line first afternoon. Two nights later I asked Francesco when and how many chef tables he’d be doing and when they would be. Well it was only one and it was the next evening so we didn’t make the cut. Our restaurant manager in Savoy was excellent. We had already developed a rapport with him. I mentioned wanting to do it and miraculously there was a second one that we were invited to join. I don’t know what the magic sauce is but I’ve always had the best luck when I’ve talked directly to a restaurant manager or DORO. Michele Martin charges $100 an hour. The tour can be from 3 to 5 hours. We thought 5 was perfect. I’m not sure about the non meat option for chef table. Sometimes beef or chicken stock is used to make courses (like risotto) so it might be hard to do a non meat version.

I attended my 5th chef’s table last Friday with my travel partner who had never been. Remo our executive chef did a great job with the menu and presentation of the food. For those who have never been the execution was impressive but to me it was severely lacking. Mario will be back as Maitre d’Hotel after the next cruise and knowing him, I’m sure he will bring the execution of the dinner back to all its glory. They did not serve the dishes to all at the same time with one waiter per person as is customary. The sense of excitement and pageantry in presenting Remo’s dishes was gone. The gorgeous sugar bowls/plates/decorations were non existent. Not one bottle of wine was properly wrapped in a towel before pouring. Not even the whites that were pulled from an ice bucket. Water was flung all about as they went around pouring it. even the new “sommelier” did this. Btw the sommeliers know next to nothing about wines, glassware and how to serve wine. They only did a group photo. They did not take pictures of travel companions with the chef and Maitre d. I really don’t want a group photo. They did not give the signed cookbook either. I don’t need a 5th one but others might have enjoyed it. The portions were much smaller. I was able to eat most all of each course except the raw lamb that was served. Everyone’s lamb came out raw. And that should never happen at a chef’s table. While I liked the smaller portions I’m not sure my DH would have.

I used Michele Martin Martin’s Private Tours (907)738-0619 for a private tour and had a great time. We started by going north of the cruise pier to Old Sitka historic site. Very beautiful place and I got to practice my new birding skills I learned from Amy on my tour in Hoonah. Then we went south of town driving along Silver Bay. Simply stunning. We stopped for some photos and there were a couple of guys in the water diving for scallops. They said there were a lot! Unfortunately the road to Blue lake was closed so we didn’t get to do that. Next stop was fortress of the bears. That was amazing. I will definitely come back here again. They take in orphaned cubs. They stock the mountain fed ponds in the enclosures with salmon during the season so they can hunt like in the wild. They train them to do basic actions like stand, open (mouth), show each paw in order to do basic health care without having to sedate them. They also know how to sign More. They do that to get more apples or other food. We went to the raptor center and I liked it but don’t feel the need to go back. A golden eagle swooped over the those bald eagles and the bald eagles started vocalizing. That was really interesting to hear and see. We went to Sitka national historic park. This is easy to get to from the shuttle drop off. I will definitely come back here. Great small museum and lovely rainforest trails. We drove across the bridge to get a view of Sitka from across the bay. It was exactly what we wanted to do as I’d never been here before.

The seas have been wonderfully calm this whole sailing. An occasional bit with a few swells is all we’ve had to disrupt it. My tour guides for my Princess excursions have been excellent. Of course Amy with Birds of Hoonah in Icy Strait was born and raised here. The driver for the Mendenhall Glacier was from Atlanta while the driver for our Skagway Yukon Expedition was from Florida. Both have been coming up seasonally for a while and we’re great. Today we hired Michelle Martins Taxi for a 5 hour tour of Sitka. We will stopped at the grocery store for a picnic lunch and head outside of town for some walks and vistas. Then we will do the Bear Fortress, the Raptor Center, the rainforest in the national park and the Old Sitka historic site. The cruise prior is a bit out of town and we will get picked up and dropped off at the ship. Again the weather is cooperating with us.

@LauraSthank you for recognizing my thread. It is much appreciated.

Here are balcony photos. Every one above can see your deck so take that into account. I’ve met very nice folks!

You’re welcome. I’m always on the prowl for cabins (uncut diamonds) that are in a lower price category but have unique or extra features. I’m still on the fence about an entirely uncovered balcony so please consider your itinerary when choosing this cabin. For glacier bay today it was outstanding because we had beautiful (but cold) weather. In Hubbard glacier it was snowing and sleeting so while we used it for the views we got quite wet and cold (& happy as it was snowing and we are from an area with no snow ever). The 6 ft wide doors provide panoramic views even when you stay inside though! I’ve got this cabin booked for 32 days to the South Pacific in 2025 and am still deciding if the balcony is going to work for me on that itinerary. The cabin, hands down, awesome, awesome, awesome. There is a ramp both sides of the sliding door. I had the inner one removed (as it wasn’t nailed down lol) but your DH may find that feature helpful.

I flipped the couch so I can see out the doors more easily. I like it better even though it does create another choke point.

Good morning glacier bay! Absolutely stunning day ! That helicopter excursion looks awesome! In Skagway we did the bus up to Yukon and the white pass train back down. Our tour bus picked up at the ship and met us at the train when got back down and drove us back to the ship. Canada checked our passports when we got up there and when we got back to town US checked them again. Non US citizens were told to have their vaccine cards out too. When we went through the longest of the 2 tunnels the train passes thru we saw incredible frozen waterfalls. Huge ones! So many of them as well. It was truly magical. I am sad to say I didn’t get any pictures except for the memories in my head. I’ve never seen those before. This is about 8-9 days earlier than when I normally come and I’m amazed at the difference a week or 2 makes.

After the park we stopped at Juneau drug store (great! Store!) for sunblock. I can’t believe I made the rookery mistake of not bringing sunblock. Percys Liquors is just next door. They have a really nice selection of white wine (and presumably reds but I didn’t look at them specifically) at very reasonable prices. The proprietor is such lovely human being. We really enjoyed shopping there. Next was amalga distillery. I’ve been coming since they first opened in 2017. I fell in love with their gin. I was so happy in July 2021 on that first sailing back after the restart to find they had survived. It’s a great space with really great cocktails and zero proof cocktails. They will give tastings of their gin. There is a two drink limit at tasting rooms such as Amalga and Devils Club Brewing mandated by law. So piled up with 4 bottles of wine and a fifth of gin we texted James for a ride back to the ship. For the seventh time since 2017 there was no issue bringing it all on board and back to my cabin. I’ve done this on the Sapphire, Grand, Ruby and Island.