Yosef42

There's a thread from a while ago, where someone was posting patters from last July, but it seems to have stalled out at Day 5: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2489581

Does anyone happen to know how much the helicopter surchage is for passengers weighing more than 250 lbs. for excursions in Juneau, Alaska? We are looking at the Glacier excursions that fly you to the Mendenhall Glacier to ride a dog sled on the glacier or to have a guided 25 minute walk on the glacier. I would love to hear from anyone who has done any of these excursions or has other excursion experience in Juneau. Thank you so much!:)

It still says on the Princess website that the upcharge is $130. Oddly, what happens when you reserve is that your total shows twice the normal charge (as if you had booked an extra seat). You are instructed to see the Tour Office on the first day of your cruise to have this adjusted down to just the surcharge amount. Not sure why it works that way, as it seems like building in a problem if you forget to visit the Tour Office.

My guess is, that if the ship is docking in Pier 27, which is so much better than the old Pier 35, you will make it to lunch in the MDR as planned.

FWIW, the port schedule has the Grand Princess at Pier 27 all year. They only use 35 when there are two ships in at the same time.

I never did but my friend always books 8 ten days cruises in a row ever year. Just to get out of Chicago for the winter.

Tony

Wow, 8 ten-day cruises in a row! I bet s/he could get around the world in that time. ;)

Also, you should check with Verizon regarding your day in Canada. Canada is generally not included in US plans, but depending on what plan you have there may be a reasonably priced day rate that you can sign up for in advance.

I agree that it will link to your picture. That is how bartenders, etc. will know that it is actually you. They can see your picture on a tablet when you make a purchase. As I said earlier, that information is contained within a secure database. It is not contained on the medallion.

True, they've said the picture is not contained on the medallion. The FAQ language is somewhat confusing, but it seems clear to me that they're saying that, somehow, a person other than you who is holding your medallion won't be able to open the door to your cabin. That statement is in close proximity to a statement about the medallion being linked in their database to a picture, hence my suspicion that the two go together somehow.

It's a bit tenuous, I'll grant you, but I can't make the words make sense other than by assuming there'll be some sort of facial recognition connected with the door mechanisms. I suppose marketing-speak not making sense shouldn't be a deal-breaker.:D

The Medallion merely unlocks the door. The reader in the door inquires as to the ID of the medallion. If it is authorized to open the door then the door will unlock. There is no facial recognition. I can see it now... A kid unlocking the door has to jump up in the air for a "camera" to see the face. A tall person has to stoop down for the camera. GAH!!! Not happening.

 

 

Sheesh... Why are people worried about someone taking the medallion and needing to be secure to access the cabin? If someone steals your cruise card and knows what cabin you are in they can currently just open the door and walk right in. Same thing with the medallion. There is NO cabin identification on the thing nor is there a name on it. The only ID on it is the cruise and the ship. Why the paranoia about someone else accessing your cabin using the medallion when there is apparently no such paranoia with the cruise card?

 

Drugs are bad, M'kay? Stop drinking the cool aid. Everybody should just relax and wait until it debuts in November and then see how it works out. It seems to me that all the people freaking out are people who have never worked in tech.

I agree, the medallion as door-opener isn't obviously less secure than a cruise card (or a key, for that matter). And yet, there it is in the FAQ, right with talk of linking it to my picture... it is a puzzlement.

The Princess rep is obviously an idiot. They would have to install a camera in the door to use facial recognition. The only type of "facial recognition" that is involved is that they can pull up a picture of you based on your medallion but they could already do that with your cruise card. Yes, when you board they can see your picture on a tablet and verify it is you based on the return signal from their query of the medallion. It doesn't broadcast to them - they have sensors that query it for the unique identifier which is all it has. Their software retrieves your picture from the secure server. Not facial recognition which would have to scan your face and determine it is you. The medallion has no such technology.

Of course the answer is "we don't know yet," but according to Princess's FAQ:

Other than facial recognition, I'm not sure how they could restrict access to a stateroom when someone else has the medallion.

On a related point: How bad is the backup in and out of the port from the Embarcadero? Would it be worth the trouble to schlep the luggage "offsite" for an easier pickup?

Our town only has one rental agency

That would limit your options, then. :D

I was surprised at the difference when I checked, so just meant not to eliminate options without checking.

From where I am (San Jose), I found Avis to have better one-way rental charges.

Wow...that would be boring if you ask me.

 

Last year, they offered a tour of the highlights of the City and lunch in Chinatown along with a trip across the Golden Gate and then off to the airport. It was recommended for people with flights after 3 or 4 PM out of SFO.... and it was under $100 pp. It almost sounded like something we'd have wanted to do but we live here so that wouldn't be worth it for us.

Silicon Valley Tech Tour? No thanks!!

You might be surprised (I was) how many people are interested in seeing the various tech campuses, hitching a ride on a Google bike, etc. From my perspective, it's just a bunch of office buildings, but I guess it's all what you're used to.

On the original point, I remember reading somewhere that there's a place near the pier (chamber of commerce or tourism board or something like that) where one can store one's luggage for a few hours. That would make a self-made post-cruise tour of SF relatively easy, and there's tons of stuff within walking distance of the pier, much less places you can get by cab or Muni.

They're not all scanned/posted yet, but this recent thread is from someone who has them from last year (2016):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2489581

How do you find out which pier your ship will dock at?

Google <name of port> cruise ship schedule, and you should pretty quickly find a list. Of course, these are just schedules and are subject to change.

Ahhhh... A Monty Python fan I guess. :)

 

We were so poor

 

 

You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, out Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt!

You had a bag?!? :D

I don't think soda from cans tastes nearly as good as soda tasted when I was a kid and it only came in bottles. Man I loved soda from bottles. I also loved riding my bike down the alleys and picking up soda bottles. At 3¢ each I could pick up 3 of them and buy a full sized candy bar for a nickel with a penny left over for a jawbreaker. :D

You had a bike and an alley to ride it down? Luxury! We had to crawl down the middle of a busy street finding bits of broken glass to glue together with our own spit, just so we could get one bottle to recycle. And we liked it!

I think this illustrates one of the many problems with tipping culture in the US: consistency (or, rather, the lack of it). It's not at all obvious whether it's customary to tip my helicopter pilot. For those who sneer at the non-tippers, I'd ask: did you tip the pilot who flew you to the port city? No? What's the difference? Is it because one is transportation and the other recreation? So you tipped the captain of the cruise ship, then?

Which is not to say it's wrong to do so. A similar argument could be made on the other side (you tip the bus driver, why NOT the pilot?), but all this leads to tip creep: without guidance, people afraid of stiffing others tip in situations where no tip is expected, and over time as more do so, it becomes expected.

The following information applies to people from the United States. I don't know how it applies to people from other countries.

Good point. I understand the rules can be quite different in, for example, the U.K.

On the other hand, it can't hurt to call and ask. The worst they can say is "no."

Thanks so much for scanning/posting these! I haven't been able to find any for the Grand's Alaska itinerary, and I'm looking forward to it a lot. Already found your beautiful video from Glacier Bay (July 4); I just hope the weather is half as good when we're there!

If you're still before the final payment date, you can ask them to "re-price" your reservation. That's technically not a cancellation, so all the details of your reservation (cabin, amenities, etc.) stay the same; you just get the new price and terms. I've done this three times so far with my reservation, for a total savings of $450 (couple).

I don't know if they will do this if your category is fullly booked, though.

NOPE: You're wrong.

 

I don't think very highly of comments here where others had said it's "stupid" for people to waste money on Club Class. If some don't find value, then they can just pass on it and allow others who do to buy. Rather than calling names back, I choose to share the image that comes to my head when I read those comments as the image relates to the thread. Usually it's hyperbole. And usually, when others read this, they laugh at it's silliness. It could be that read it and perhaps flush with embarrassment as they reflect on what they had originally written.

 

So, no name calling or finger pointing by me. I just present an image to have people "think twice" about their posts and reflect accordingly... all the while staying on topic: club class is here to stay.

Ah, I understand now: Casting your opponents as barely-literate hicks is not "name calling," it's simultaneously silly fun that everyone laughs with, and a stinging rebuke of the people who disagree, and are therefore factually wrong. Thank you, Sensei. I shall reflect upon this wisdom.

As a general matter, cruise lines don't recommend third-party excursion companies. All of the excursions listed, however, are with third-party companies, just not named.

I don't know if Harv & Marv are used by Princess, but they're ubiquitous on the boards, and generally well-reviewed. I would consider them, if I were doing whale watching.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Our trip is still a ways off, but it's good to know our options.

They must put something in the butter to make you forget the negative things. I will say that, after having the butter, I did not think about work one time during the voyage.

Now that's the kind of butter I need to get some of!

I see what you're saying.

 

As for 1. someone in this thread did relate a much more harassing encounter by the ship's photographers on the gangway. A few times I've encountered more aggressive staff: "come on, take a picture," as they reach out to put an arm around me. In general, as a solo traveler, I have NO INTENTION of ever considering the purchase of the picture. Only once did I pose for a picture of a native with fruit basket balanced on her head and in colorful native dress; I wanted and did purchase that picture. Otherwise, why waste the film and print for a snap with pirates etc. But the specific poster who was annoyed was trying to snap pictures with his camera. Quite frankly, the staff had every right to refuse. Just like a 10 minute altercation between an Asian gentleman and the photographers on an NCL cruise where the man wanted to use his camera for a picture with the Captain.

 

As for 2. I stick by my feeling that ship photography is a staple-- and a money-maker. There are some that do expect to be photographed. I've requested it for group table shots because I want the memory to take home. Technology exists to eliminate all those wasted prints on display along the Promenade. Yet we still see it done as it was decades ago.

I don't disagree that ship's photography isn't going away so long as people buy them. And I'll go you one better: I don't think it should go away if it's something that people want. That doesn't mean that the particular way that photography is handled now can't be modified to reduce the annoyance of those who don't want photographs without affecting those who do. See my earlier note on "photo opportunities" vs. "photo intrusions," as well as others' notes on impeding traffic, etc., without even getting to the tales of verbal and/or physical harassment.