Ken the cruiser

11 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Remember that fabulous itinerary we were all booked on that Covid killed two years in a row?  14 nights over and 14 nights back, no international flying involved.  

FWIW we went on it in August 2022 and had an awesome time. 

9 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yeah, we have never really needed more than one device per person on our past cruises, but this cruise we are both trying to work from the ship. It will be a hassle having to switch between our phones and our laptops, especially with multi-factor authentication, but I think I will just put up with it to save $20/day!

I just make the resulting link to login.com (or was it logon.com 🤔) a favorite on each device once we board the ship, then click on it when I want to switch to that device. For example, the resulting link from login.com when we were on the Grand last month was the following where “ap” was the 2-digit code for the Grand Princess. 
 

mnet.ap.ocean.com
 

Since PCL just recently changed the ports, it might take a little while for them to get excursions posted to your specific itinerary. Here is a link you can use to see what excursions are usually available at any given port. I did notice Cherbourg has some, but Brest must be a new port for PCL because it’s not even list under Europe yet. 
 

https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/

Just so you know. I usually bring my iPhone and iPad on a cruise and simply switch my 1-device internet service to the device I’m using at the time. For example, when wondering around the ship, I switch it to my iPhone. Then when I’m back in the cabin I switch it to my iPad. 

4 minutes ago, peagreenid said:

Do you happen to have the number you used to call and verify?  I'm hoping it isn't the normal call center number.  And that might help me expedite the process instead of doing the normal loops around the Princess call center.

Thank you

Unfortunately not. However, I would use the Online Chat function on the PCL website, tell them the issue, and I’m sure they’ll either be able to help or give you a number to call.

24 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

We quit Princess back when they put MUTS above the pool on all their ships; it was impossible to escape the blare on any of the outside decks. Very annoying and NOT relaxing to hear the constant gunfire, explosions, shouting, etc. At least X keeps their outdoor movies separate, up top and far away from everything else... Is that feature on Princess still in place?

Sorry to hear that. Maybe they adjusted the sound once they got a bunch of complaints that I would imagine they received. TBH we book aft-facing cabins, so the noise has never been an issue. However, we were on the Regal in 2022 in a mid-ship M1 cabin on the Aloha deck for 21 days and don’t remember hearing an annoying sounds from the MUTS when we were out on the balcony, which was quite often on sea days.

17 minutes ago, peagreenid said:

Did you get this resolved?  I just had this happen today.  I forgot to check the cards before applying them and the phone agent said they all processed but it appears only $2000 has been applied and not the full $2500.  They struggled with one of them and I had to give him the number several times.  I had this happen previously but when I entered the cards on the balance checker I found the one that didn't process and I was able to call back and have it added.  This time they all show zero.  

Yes, but I had to call Princess for them to first verify the $500 was still on the card in question, and then Princess applied it to our booking. Our TA’s Guest Relations person did not help other than to give us the Princess number to call.

But TBH we no longer purchase the GCs as we’re old and don’t really want to deal with the stress that caused us if it happens again. 😁

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

I would add that at least for some of the ships HAL does have a nicer standard balcony room, they have a small loveseat in those rooms where Princess has only a chair. Also the bathrooms are nicer.... again on some ships, especially the newer ones.

 

Other than that I agree with @Ken the cruiser's comparisons....

I totally agree. That’s one of many reasons why we book mini-suites or higher when we cruise with Princess. When we cruised before with HAL, we would always book a vista suite to get the double cruise points to get to 4-star that much faster so we could take advantage of the free laundry perk and the other cool perks that come with making it to that Mariner level.

Now back to why Celebrities should put more thought into their new itineraries. 😁
 

9 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Thanks ! 
we did buy CCL stock when it was under $10 and wife is a vet so that could help with OBC , just need to do something with the exchange rate difference between USD &CAD 😭

Isn’t the exchange rate an issue with any cruise line you book with?

57 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

 

We know X thinks a 15 cruise is way to long for anyone to cruise on , and everyone should book 3 day cruises b2b2b 🙄🤣

 

What are the main difference between Princess and HAL when sail in a balcony ? 

We used to cruise with HAL quite a bit up until 2019 when they eliminated their production shows and other main theater evening entertainment to focus on their “lounge-based” Music Walk strategy. HAL also has one combined Cruise/Excursion Director with only one assistant. As far as professionally given lectures go, HAL only offers them on select 15+ day “single itinerary” cruises. At least that was the case when we moved on to Celebrity and Princess back then.

Princess OTOH offers quality production shows and guest entertainers in the main theater every night, the CD usually has 4-5 assistants on the entertainment staff dedicated to making you laugh, and guest lecturers pretty much on every cruise with 3 or more sea days. 
 

We also give the edge to Princess when it comes to their 3-5 week offerings. For example, they have already posted many of their 2026 European itineraries, to include a 14-day August Solar Eclipse cruise and a 28-day Northern Lights/TA cruise. However, HAL has an awesome 28-day Alaska cruise we’re interested in that goes to the Bering Sea and Nome as well as some other rarely visited Alaska ports.

But what got us to recently take a fresh look at HAL again are their new lower prices, a variety of early booking bonuses depending on how early you book a cruise, as well as their new military appreciation and AARP membership OBC perks. Also, check out their Club Orange perks, especially the free cabin category upgrade within a given meta category.

That’s what comes to mind right now. 😁
 

Oh yeah, @Ex-Airbalancer, HAL is also bringing back the production shows fleetwide, which is also a big deal for us! 

4 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

how much of a difference is there between Princess , HAL and P&O 🤔

It will like GM with there 5 brands , even a Caddy was just a Chevy with lipstick on it 🤣

It think cruises , out side of the Caribbean,( never done a Caribbean cruise ) there are differences between Celebrity &RCL 

We have cruised extensively on Celebrity, Princess and HAL, and there are definitely differences between the 3 cruise lines, besides in their cruise fares and associated booking perks. But I will say Princess and HAL also put a lot of thought into creating their 3-5 week itineraries, whereas Celebrity usually offers the more common ones. 

46 minutes ago, lanabanana said:

Thanks, Everyone! Going to choose the aft cabin if it remains available when my TA books.

Good choice IMHO. One suggestion. Since it's only $200 refundable deposit right now, and the sale includes $1,800 in OBC, you may want to book the aft-facing cabin on the Caribe deck today, as it is in a very cool location, and then transfer the booking to your TA. Just a suggestion.

This is the cabin that is currently available that we would book if we wanted a fully covered aft-facing balcony cabin on this cruise. We were on the Sapphire for a 30-day B2B this past January in an aft-facing vista suite on the Caribe deck 10, which would have been the one next to this one but only on the starboard side. See my Live From thread in my below signature to see some of the benefits of an aft-facing cabin on this particular cruise.

One perk about an aft-facing cabin among many is that they are protected from the wind, especially when the ship is moving, as well as rainy weather in most cases. The views of both sides of the ship as well as from the aft can also be a huge benefit if you’re in an aft-facing cabin. 😁

6 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

I just checked our 11 previously booked future cruises (all with Princess Plus), none are priced lower.  Several are significantly higher priced!  No sale for us.  🤣

There was definitely no sale on our 32-day Oct 2025 Tahiti cruise. But then our Reserve Class mini-suite went down over $4,000 per person back in early May. I keep hoping though, since there are M1 cabins still available! 😁

You can do what I do every morning in an effort to hopefully see when a new group of itineraries gets posted. Click on this link:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/mariner-early-booking-bonus

Looking forward to reading about your upcoming adventures, hopefully laced with plenty of scenic and wildlife photos, as we are planning to book the 2026 version of this itinerary! 😁

29 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

OK. Ask and you shall receive! each leg 15 days

 

 

Sorry, Viking just doesn’t get us all that excited. Now, if Celebrity or PCL could come up with a similar B2B itinerary to this one, that would be awesome. 😁

31 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Like this one from Viking? My #1 bucket list cruise to do. 36 days, Amsterdam to NY. 

 

 

 

Yes, but make it two 14-day B2B itineraries. One from either Southampton or Amsterdam to Reykjavik with the other from Reykjavik to Boston. This way our Elite+ laundry perks will work out just fine. 😂

How about an Alaska B2B that includes ports like Nome, Homer and Kodiak, or a transoceanic from Southampton to Boston that includes a stop in Longyearbyen as well as Iceland and Greenland.

24 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

First let me thank you again for the wonder pictures and taking us with you on this cruise. Have been 3 times now must return.

I have a question as you have been on the Grand lately. Did you use the Lotus pool? Was it open from the outside like most other ships or was access through the spa? I'm curious because the deck plans show the teen and kids clubs at this area as well and we love the lotus pool but really don't want a group of teens jumping in this small area. I like seeing kids have fun, but it is generally small and I just want to think about other options in early mornings or after dinner when we don't bother with a show.

Thanks again

 

Thanks! Unfortunately, we neither used the Lotus Pool nor even surveyed that area of the ship to see if anyone else was using it. Sorry.

6 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Yes it's a Princess excursion bookable in the Personalizer. I've heard ice can be a problem but it wasn't for our trip at all. It's run by Allen Marine and they did a great job. The boat was sold out but not crowded at all. There was plenty of room for seating and pictures on the open decks. It's been a highlight of our cruise!

 

Right now we're in the Princess Theatre to see Libby Riddles' presentation. 

Thanks and have fun on your cruise!!!

3 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

We are on the Sapphire now and did the Hubbard Glacier tour on Sunday. We had fabulous weather that day. Our excursion boat picked us up from the ship around 4 and returned us around 6:30. We got within half a mile which was very close. We heard lots of thunderous cracking and saw calving. The Sapphire got pretty close too but obviously not as close as we did. 

 

We booked the excursion months ago at $299. It immediately sold out and there was a wait list with prices as high as $429. 

 

If you search the Alaska board here on CC there are some threads where this excursion is discussed more.

Thanks for the details. I take it this was a Princess excursion you either pre-book on the Princess website or once onboard. The reason I ask is because this excursion was never made available to us on the Grand. But then it was early May, so maybe that had something to do with it.

1 hour ago, wallyj said:

@MtnSeaGirl, if your sailing will visit Hubbard Glacier, there is usually a ship tour offered to take smaller boat to get closer to the glacier. It is quite expensive $300+/person. Depending on the ice conditions, you may or may not get much closer than the ship.

I’m not seeing the Princess excursion you’re referring to.
 

https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/

All I see is this “drive close by” one.

 
https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/hubbard-glacier-scenic-cruising-alaska-excursions

2 hours ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

I have a question about the 14 day cruise.  The cruise repeats several of the ports.  Did you find this to be a good thing?  I can see that it allows one to do multiple things.  The downside is repeating the same ports without seeing something different.  I know this is subjective, but please give me your thoughts.   

Yes. Even though we went to some ports 2-3 times, our visits along with the weather in many cases allowed for different experiences each time. In our case Juneau, which we visited 3 times, was the only stop where we only went on one ship excursion, which of course included going to the Mendenhall Glacier. The 2nd visit allowed us to take our time and walk to the Whale Statue Park at the other end of town, which was very enjoyable. The 3rd time it rained and also very chilly, so we stayed onboard. We thought about taking the tram to the top of the mountain on the 2nd visit. But the line was always very long, and we didn't want to waste our time standing in it. But we've taken an excursion to the top before, and it was a pretty cool experience as well. But our 1st visit, which included an excursion to Mendenhall Glacier and the Botanical Gardens (which offered similar mountain-top views) checked that vista viewpoint box.

Skagway, you can take the train ride on one stop and then book one of the Haines wildlife excursions on the other stop. However, since we've taken the train ride before, we opted for Haines wildlife excursions on both our 1st and 3rd stops. On the 2nd stop, where we actually docked in Haines because of bad weather in Skagway, we just walked around the town looking for totem poles and what other interesting things we could find.

Ketchikan, you can book the Misty Fjords on one stop and the Crab Boat excursion on the other stop. Both were pretty awesome excursions for different reasons as my pictures hopefully reflected.

2 hours ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

The second question is Do you feel that you saw enough of Alaska by doing the cruise with great shore excursions without going more in country?  PLEASE know I am Alaska ignorant.  I am sincerely asking your thoughts.  Your pics indicate you saw a lot of Alaska.    I am so torn between a cruisetour that goes to Denali (which is only seen by 30% of the people who go) and taking a steamboat in Fairbanks   vs    those beautiful views you have along the water and the excursions you did. Many of your excursions are the ones we had picked out.  We happen to really love waterfalls and really like the 26 Glacier excursion.  

 

Yes, but I was stationed in Alaska for 3 years back in the early 70s. So there is that. But you do spend a lot of time commuting between Anchorage and Fairbanks and hanging around hotels and Mount McKinley. Now, if you were going to do the 2-week cruise AND a pre-cruise visit to Mount McKinley, I'd say go for it. But if we would be sacrificing 7 days of cruising for the land portion, we would definitely opt for the 14-day cruise and pass on the land portion, especially if you were going to book wildlife excursions on the 2nd leg as well. But like I said, we've been here before.

2 hours ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

Third question:  The pics of Glacier Bay - how close were you to those? Did you take a smaller boat to see those or were you on the ship?   I would appreciate any thoughts you are willing to share. If anyone else has thoughts, please tag onto this if you would.  Thank you..  

 

There were no small boat excursion options in Glacier Bay, as it was an all-day adventure just to see the park and get back to those glaciers. But we were close enough to the glaciers to definitely appreciate them. In the case of the Johns Hopkins Glacier, May is the month the harbor seals raise their pups near the glacier, so the ship wasn't allowed to get as close as it normally does. But I will also mention pre-booking the 26 Glacier excursion through Princess on our transition day in Whittier definitely checked the box for an up-close glacier experience!

Hope this helps. In any event, you're going to have an awesome 14 days up in Alaska, which ever options you choose!

8 hours ago, kentuckycruiser said:

As it turned out the PCC made an error with our original booking. After 5 hours the accounting dept determined she made a mistake and so our proper refund was $350 and $365 for CO. They also gave us $100 pp OBC. 

And one of our rooms was an inside so no upgrade. 

I apologize, but I'm trying to do the math. My understanding is that CO costs $25 per person per day for cruises up to 13 days. I'm guessing it was a 7-day cruise based on the $350 refund for one of the 2-person cabins. But I'm not understanding how the $365 refund for the other 2-person cabin was compiled?