Torfamm

I would always choose the do my land tour first then sail south. First, the land tour is hectic with packing and moving frequently while the cruise includes time to relax. Second, I preferred getting the longer flight out of the way first when we started our trip in Fairbanks and finished in Vancouver.

I wouldn’t miss booking a bucket list itinerary on the date that works for me. We had a great experience on the Island for an ocean to ocean Panama Canal cruise through the historic locks. The biggest issue I have with the Island Princess is the dungeon-like fitness center, but the gym is a relatively small part of the day for most of us. I feel the same way about the international Cafe, they are nice, but as long as I can get specialty coffee elsewhere, it’s not a big deal.

If you buy the Plus fare package, you will need to purchase it for at least the first two passengers on the reservation (assuming the three of you are sharing one cabin) at $60 per person per day for a total of $120 per day. If you paid individually for crew appreciation for both of you ($16 each per day), wi-fi for just 1of you ($25 per day), the zero alcohol package for both of you ($35.39 per person per day) you would pay over $128 per day. Only you can say whether it makes sense. Coffee, bottled water, sodas etc can add up.

Agreed, if you don’t want to take advantage of conveniences, you certainly don’t have to. I was simply answering your question. I personally wouldn’t be able to cruise as often or as long as I do if internet and smart phones were not available.

These are presentations or “consultations” that are designed to encourage you to book treatments. There is a charge for the treatments.

We've done a 6 night rail tour from Fairbanks to Anchorage with Princess and had absolutely no problem with luggage. Their process seems very well organized.

You make a good point. I'm sure there were lots of people who thought the telephone itself was silly and needless when it was first invented. I certainly didn't see a day when we'd all want or need a computer at home, much less in our pockets, when I first started using one.

It's one thing to be gone for a week or two, but I honestly can't imagine considering a month, much less a world cruise, without internet access. Prior to having smart phones and access to the internet, it was much more difficult to be away from home for long periods of time. Today, it's possible to monitor and pay bills, keep in touch with friends and family, book and change travel and tour arrangements, be easily reached by work, house sitters etc. My phone also has replaced my camera, alarm clock, and many, many sheets of printed paper.

If you must drive, one option is renting a car for a day at departure and return and not having to worry about parking it. As for information on parking facilities, it’s generally the port that has the most accurate information available rather than individual cruise lines. I assume you checked their website and the homeport board here on Cruise Critic?

Caesar salad is on the menu in the MDR at dinner and available in the buffet as well. Give it a try and see what you think. In the MDR, you have to ask for anchovies

Assuming the ship is cleared in a timely manner it should be fine. Disembarkation for walk-off passengers carrying their own luggage can start as early as 6:30. We have been as late as 9:40 for the first walk-off though once when clearance was delayed. Are you flying domestic or international? Do you have bags to check? Do you have TSA pre-check?

My concern is that moving to a single dining room for daily reservations will make it very difficult to make a booking at popular times like 7:00 or 7:30. Of course, I’m out of luck since I’ll be on a cruise so blocked from managing any future sailings 😡

I can recommend Lunae Tours if you want to reach out to individual tour companies in the area. No idea if they’ll have tickets but I used them for a private tour to the Cinque Terre from Genoa last summer and they were terrific lunaetours.com

Most people think the beds are very, very comfortable. We both really like the beds on Enchanted.

I agree with you, it’s not that special. I love veal chops and they aren’t available everywhere so I enjoy that but nothing else really ever impresses me

Funny, I never thought about the deck number for Fiesta being confusing. (Take 5 refers to the jazz standard by Dave Brubeck, not the location.) It's on deck 6 probably because it's the only spot where they could fit a space with walls and doors. My pet peeve about those ships is that the bar spaces all feel like I'm in a hotel lobby or train station.

I'd be happy to help by inviting you over anytime!!!!

It haven't had any problem. Delivery time can vary but I think that's also true when ordering drinks from a server or if you consider the time you might spend standing and waiting your turn at the bar. We most often order coffees in the morning. On our last cruise we had it at our cabin in under 10 minutes. I definitely wouldn't worry about cold drinks, it's well worth giving it a try.

I’d much rather have free drinks for a couple of hours a day than the mini-bar. Trading it out for what you want is a nuisance for room service as well as guests. A discount on the Plus package or an OBC would be even better 😉

Princess has self-service laundry which is great on longer trips as well as much larger closets. The ability to order food and drinks wherever you are is a huge plus with their medallion technology. I also like being able to find other members of my party. Chatting with guest services in the app can also be a big time saver

We’ve used the DoubleTree and were happy with it. They have a shuttle to the cruise port. You can book a space on it at check-in

In case you hadn’t thought of it, your husband can also buy five gift cards each month.

As long as you meet the standard for smart casual nights you can be sure of being able to eat in the MDR. Princess requests that people adhere to the formal night dress code, but it is not required.

I hate those lights too. I always wrapped some painters tape around an old gift card and packed it. It works very well and is much less likely to damage surfaces than duct tape. Last cruise on the Enchanted though, I put two magnetic hooks on the ceiling on either side of the closet light and used them to hold a black surgical mask in front of the sensor every night. It worked better for me since I like the light to function when we aren’t sleeping. Putting the mask up was easier for me than retaping every night.