Mike45LC

Very few Americans can name the Canadian Prime Minister. [Clue: Didn't he create Doonesbury? NO! But he is just as much a joke as that cartoon strip!] We don't even know that Canada is a (mostly symbolic) monarchy, part of the UK. And Americans do not understand any parliamentary system. And Americans don't speak French, or acknowledge that Canadians and Mexicans and Salvadorians are all "Americans" in some broad continental sense. So all Americans would fail the civics test in Vancouver. Me included.

This is my technique as well. As I remind myself (and my wife): "Except for our travel companions, there is no one on the ship we will ever see again, so why should I care if my dress shirt is a bit wrinkled?" In almost 40 years of cruising, I have never used the laundry (either the ship's laundry or the self-service machines) or the irons/ironing boards. My wife bought a wrinkle-removing steamer that we don't even bother to pack any more.

I'll jump on the bandwagon -- I was warned by the casino department that I would get this notice and was told to ignore it. I got it, ignored it and had a wonderful cruise.

I didn't have such a late night arrival, so I was able to enjoy the hotel and Canada Place. One benefit you can still enjoy is porterage -- the bell staff at either the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont Waterfront can deliver your bags from your hotel room direct to the ship. Just leave them outside your room (or have the bellman come to your room). Two tips: Get Canadian dollars before your trip. My cab driver from the airport to the hotel was gracious enough to accept US dollars at a 1:1 rate! So he ripped me off but good, about 15%. Soar Over Canada, a tourist attraction at Canada Place, which someone above mentioned, is wonderful. Do it! Thank me afterwards!

The inventory systems counts cans. So the Princess bartenders have to account for each can. That means that they have to charge for cans.

Priority boarding is one of the perks that is already part of the Elite package. I forgot about it. I never get to the ship early for embarkation, and as far as debarking, I would rather leave later, not early -- more time on the ship! Wowzz is correct, only first and last day. Not for intermediate ports of call or tender ports. I also forgot about the two mini-bottles of wine. I always leave those for the cabin steward.

And the boycott by the cruise lines hurt the local economy so much that the cartels and local/state governments came to an informal agreement that the cartels would not do any violence in the tourist areas. That has been much honored, and I have always felt safe in the tourist areas of Mazatlan, despite any violence in other parts of Sinaloa (the State in which Mazatlan is located), especially when cruise ships are in port. I am sorry to say that as long as the violence is only directed at other cartels and does NOT spill over into the tourists and innocent locals, my attitude is that they can kill each other as much as they want. Pickpocketing and other tourist-focused crime is another story!

When we checked in (Fairmont Waterfront, across the street from the pier), I asked the bellman about getting my bags to the ship. He told me to put the bags outside the room not later than 11:00 a.m., with the ship's luggage tags. I did so, and the baggage appeared as if by magic in my cabin. Seamless, very easy. The only bag I carried on the ship was my laptop. Off topic, but I strongly recommend an attraction at the Convention Center, called FlyOver Canada. My wife and I did it back to back before we boarded the cruise ship. Do you remember getting off Space Mountain in Disneyland as a kid and racing back to get in line again? FlyOver Canada was like that for us!

I think there are travel warnings about Mazatlan, but the areas to be concerned about are not part of the typical tourist's beat. The drug cartels and the tourist areas do not intersect. Even the tourists who go into the sleazy bars and clubs are not going into dangerous cartel areas!

I enjoyed the Club Class dining. Same exact menu as the Main Dining Room except for an "extra" entree (or appetizer or dessert) every evening. The extra item didn't do anything for me -- I am a very picky eater and most of the additional items failed my screening! I loved that Club Class dining is true anytime dining. We had to wait to be seated only once, and that was under five minutes. We had the same staff every day, and they were charming and very solicitous. We always book Mini-Suites, and we are elite, so the only difference between Club Class and Mini-Suite was the dining. Our last cruise, we had two Crown Grill dinners, so we ate in Club Class five times for dinner. At $400 per person, would I pay an upgrade fee of $80 per dinner? Me, no, but my wife, yes.

Was the ship’s arrival time changed, as ViaTour stated in its response to you? When did you (and the tour provider first learn that the ship’s arrival time was 7:00, making a 7:10 pick-up impossible?

I was allowed to use my shareholder OBC to pay for an excursion before boarding but could not use other OBC pre-cruise. I had to put the rest of the excursions on my credit card or wait until we were on board (risking that the excursions might sell out). So the answer is “it depends.”

I think that ship was sailing in the Bermuda Triangle and it simply disappeared with all crew and passengers, never to be heard from again!

@Beach Fever: I agree the MDR lunch on embarkation day is uninspiring, but as long as most people don't know about it, it is an oasis of peace and calm, whereas the buffet on Lido Deck is a madhouse, especially with so many people dragging their carry-on luggage around. I've had enough of people banging into me with their luggage, of people trying to find tables that they can barricade with their luggage. And first day, many people go crazy with the All You Can Eat, and bring plates hugely over-piled with food. I love the buffet for lunch, but not on embarkation day. So please let me enjoy a completely uninspiring menu in the MDR and let the tensions of traveling to the port, getting through the security and bureaucrats, and boarding bleed off, while I relax and start to be pampered! Oh, btw, there is no special Club Class menu. Same as the MDR menu.

I really enjoyed Club Class. Since I am Elite and we are almost always in a mini-suite, the only benefit I use is the Club Class dining. The Club Class dining is a great benefit. The “extra item” at dinner was wasted on me – I didn’t try it even once. But Club Class is true “Anytime Dining.” Whenever we were ready for dinner, we were seated almost instantly; in contrast, the people on “Dine My Way” were invited to stand in long lines for long waits. The Club Class staff was friendly and cheerful. You need more sauce for the fettuccini alfredo? No problem, just give us a minute to get more. Replenish the veggie dish? No problem, just give us a minute. You would like the side dish from the fowl entree, even though you are ordering the beef? No problem. Nothing I asked for was a problem! But $800 per person, for 14 nights? That is $57 per person per night; or higher, given that we will have at least two nights in the Crown Grill, bringing the effective per diem up to $67. I would not splurge for this! What it is worth to others, I don’t know, but my own valuation is about $25 - 30 pp per day. YMMV.