Torfamm

In case anyone wants to save it - The document requirements can be found here, including the requirement for the entire party to have passports no matter what the itinerary if minors are traveling with only one adult. https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise

I’m sure that may be true. As an example, every guide we used in Vietnam told me it’s illegal for Vietnamese citizens to have US dollars (possibly any foreign currency) and try to exchange them for dong to spend in their own country or deposit in a bank. I found it very interesting trying to imagine how they put USD to use.

I have seen people weighed for horseback riding and helicopter tours.

If the meeting point is on the ship, those on excursions are led to the tenders as a group. I have never seen whether priority is given for those meeting on shore

I haven’t checked in the new app but there used to be a way to push a button that turned your screen a purple color that you could hold up for the server to see

Fair enough. I think the lesson is that there are some very specific requirements for both individual countries and islands as well as cruiseline specific rules. Questions beyond, “Do I need a passport for a closed loop cruise?” need to be asked of the right entities.

I like to have some local currency, especially if I plan to tip a tour guide but generally only use credit cards

If you are asking if the ship will be able to give you smaller Canadian notes for larger ones in Canadian currency, the answer is most likely no. They probably will only have US dollars. The easiest thing to do to get smaller bills in hand is try to make a small purchase with cash while you are in Canada.

There has always been a minimum amount set for each category in the bidding process. It varies from cruise to cruise. Sometimes the minimums are higher, as seems to be the case for your trip. You must bid at least the minimum for whatever categories you are interested in.

Better than nothing when there is not a sink available. Agreed, but the poster said they use hand sanitizer before they eat in the buffet rather than returning to the sink to wash their hands. I'm not sure they are aware that the sanitizer isn't effective against norovirus.

The only problem with that is that hand sanitizer is not effective for norovirus (and a few other icky GI things like C. Diff)

One thing that will be different than in the past is the ability to make reservations for individual nights ahead of time. In the past, you weren't able to make a dinner reservation for select dining except on the same day. I'm grateful that they are keeping that option. My understanding from the press release was that one dining room will be traditional dining with two set times, one for those with reservations, and the third for walk-ups.

This is true. You also need a passport for Caribbean itineraries that visit Guadalupe or Martinique. Document requirements are stated clearly in the Important Notices section near the bottom of the Travel Summary. The booking confirmation also spells out that if only one adult is traveling with one or more minors, everyone in the party must have a passport.

I hope you have a wonderful time! It was one of our best trips ever and one of the few places that you really do have to travel to by water.

Yes, it was possible to see a few from the ship. There was one in the harbor in Nuuk and some in the water very near the open air museum in Nanortalik as well as some easy to see from the ship there. It was a fun experience to wave goodbye to Greenland sitting in a hot tub and looking at icebergs. I'd never seen any before so it made a huge impression.

Canada will be fine, but depending on what you want to do, Greenland can be cold, especially on a moving boat. We did the Wildlife Safari by Boat in Nuuk and it was very cold and windy if you wanted to be outside in the bow of the boat. It was a spectacular, more for the scenery than the wildlife. We saw many icebergs, but even with fleeces on under Northface 3 in 1 Triclimate jackets, we had to go in by the time the boat headed back to the port.. We did an iceberg safari by Zodiak in Qaqortoq. It would also have been very, very, cold except that we were issued survival suits for that tour. They helped a lot, especially as it was raining that day. It was still absolutely stunning. Here's a link in case you are interested, I highly recommend it. https://sagalands.com/tour-item/icebergsafari/

It was not required after Oct. 1, 2022, according to this article on Cruise Critic: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/everything-alaska-and-canadian-cruisers-need-to-know-about-arrivecan That is correct, ArriveCan is no longer required.

It's true, the assumption is always that passports are left on the ship. In the rare instances where a passport is required, the cruise line and/or the tour operator make it very, very, clear that you must carry it. Usually with multiple reminders reading something like this statement on the tour description, the tour order form, the confirmation email, and also printed at the bottom of a tour ticket for the Alcazar in Seville. PLEASE NOTE: In order to participate, EACH GUEST must submit the required passport information at the time of booking, and MUST have a valid passport in their possession on the day of the tour. Guests who do not submit this information and/or do not have a valid passport on the day of the tour will not be allowed to attend the excursion.

To each his own regarding what risks are likely. In my opinion, the risk of being detained by authorities is much lower than the risk of pickpockets. I never carry my passport off the ship unless it's required. My passport is the one thing I wouldn't want to lose or have stolen as it would make getting home a challenge and end my trip. I keep it in the safe in my cabin and carry my passport card as identification unless a passport is truly needed. The other risk some worry about is tour delays, but if you do somehow miss returning to the ship on time, the standard procedure onboard is to check your safe and leave your passport with the port agent before sailing.

The vast majority would say C752 is a great cabin! I personally wouldn't pick C752 but I might be the outlier. I'd rather have the larger balcony closer to mid-ship on either the port or starboard side than an aft cabin. Here are some reviews and photos that might help. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/stateroom-details.php?ship=Emerald-Princess&cabin=C752

You can charge up to $3,000 per day to your onboard account with no fees.

If you have a later flight, I can recommend this transfer tour that can drop you at the airport on request. We did it in the other direction, from Anchorage to Whittier, as well as the Matanuska Glacier hike, and were very happy with them. https://www.salmonberrytours.com/tour/whittier-to-anchorage-transfer-and-tour/

We did the Singapore to Hong Kong itinerary as a B2B starting and ending in Singapore earlier this year. The passenger mix was pretty typical of all Celebrity sailings, mostly Americans, British, and Australians. It was a fantastic cruise and I’d definitely recommend it. For us, it was well worth the long wait. We’d originally booked just a 14 night for 2021 but it was cancelled so we shifted to 2022. We added the second leg when we shifted again to 2023 after the 2022 trip was cancelled. Of course, 2023 was also cancelled. We’d really started to feel like it would never happen.

The gift shop?

The article is about a planetarium experience in the theater, not seeing the Northern Lights outdoors This new immersive Voyage to the Stars experience is part of the cruise line’s award-winning North to Alaska with Princess program set to debut for the upcoming 2024 cruise and cruisetour season that strengthens the overall guest connection in the Great Land. This year Princess guests will step inside a planetarium in the Princess Theater for a front row seat to the “Northern Lights” presentation showcasing the beauty and wonder of this phenomenon featuring live imagery, designed to engage adults and kids alike.