thegoaliegirl

If you are checking bags, the earliest you will be able to check in will be 3 hours before your flight. After checking in, going through security then Canadian and US customs you will be in a segregated part of the airport. There are several restaurants, shops, etc as the area is rather large. I loved pre-clearing customs as it was so much faster than if we did it arriving back in the states, as I only saw a few people, not an entire plane full of people.

You are so very welcome. My kids are 6 and 8 and our last cruise was in Aug and they still ask at least every other day, if not daily, when their next cruise is. That gives you an idea of how much they loved their 2 cruises they've done so far on Princess.

Princess cruises has 3 ages groups for their kids clubs. The youngest group is ages 3-7. Then it is 8-12. So while your oldest is still 7, then they will be in the same group as the 4 year old. My kiddos absolutely love Princess and the kids clubs. They do a great job with them and there are so many activities for them all day (with lunch and dinner breaks).

I think the minimum age is 8 but no clue where I saw that. I don’t know if I will ever feel comfortable with my six year old in an upper. She is always upside down or sideways in bed. Until she stays put in her sleep, she won’t go in an upper, regardless of how old she is. I think not moving around in their sleep (and being old enough to be aware they are on an upper bunk) is more important than an age per say. My oldest was 7 the first time she went in an upper bunk.

My kids are 6 and 8 right now and we just booked their 3rd Cruise (our 5th) on Princess. For us, Princess is a great fit. There are kids but not over run with kids, so they all seemed better behaved. On our early Aug southbound sailing on the Regal there were 76 3-7 year olds and 147 8-12 year olds. Kids seemed to get extra attention from cruise staff, especially the younger ones. My kids love the kids clubs. Quite a few family activities onboard.

Are you going on the Royal? Know that it can only fit under the bridge in Vancouver at low tide. We had to leaves Ketchikan early to make the tide into Vancouver. Could mess with the ships arrival time. If flying to the US, you will pre-clear US customs. They say to allow 3 hours. We did it in less (checkin, Canadian customs and then US) but we had no wait to check in for our flight. Bags to the US cannot be checked in before the 3 hour mark.

Too much for me. Last summer we took an upsell for $139pp from an inside to balcony in Alaska. Worth it for us.

That should be perfect! The inflatable bed rails are a life saver. They don't take up much space non-inflated and don't take too much work to pump up. I would inflate them at the beginning of the cruise and then right before bed (after turn down service) I would add the bed rail under the fitted sheet and then take it out and put it under the twin bed in the morning. Super easy. We have another cruise booked, which is a surprise for the kids. It is so fun to do a surprise cruise for kids. I think you will have so much fun!

Does anyone know if the buses have a kids fare or if they are the same rate as adults? My kids are 6 and 8 and I think they would love the idea of a bus in Mexico. Not that 10 pesos per person is a lot, but I want to be prepared. Thanks!

Another thing is what type of stateroom did you book? With kids that young, I would suggest a deluxe balcony, mini suite or two connecting staterooms (inside, balcony, etc). The suggested age for an upper bunk is 8. This is a regular balcony (triple occupancy) on the Royal. The head and foot are wide open. It would be very easy for a kid to fall out. My 8 year old barely moves in her sleep but my 6 year old moves too much. If all 4 of us are in one room, I have to go on an upper. We use inflatable bed rails (The Shrunks Inflatable Kids Bed Rails for Toddlers Portable Safety Guard Side Bumpers {2 Pack} for Children and Adult Beds Great Home or Travel. Have Your Child Sleep Safe and Comfortable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J0YTT72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GaBlEbSVQXYAK) for hotel/cruise beds.

My kids were 6 and 8 when we were on the Royal Princess this summer. They absolutely loved the kids club. In Alaska kids club was from 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10. At home, we start bedtime 7/7:30 but they stayed in kids club late every night. On formal nights they do a buffet dinner at 7 with the kids club, or take them at 8. My 6 year old did a ton of crafts, so keep space in your lugggage. Pre-register for kids club in your personalizer and go to the open house first day. Dinner normally took 1 1/2 hours in the main dining room, so bring some small activities for them between courses. (They usually got a coloring sheet). Kids can order from kid or adult menu. They always brought the kids food at first. Months later they are still asking to go on another cruise.

I was in a connecting balcony on the Royal but should be similar for the Regal. The connecting door was opposite the closet. Went to guest services at the beginning of the cruise and they were able add access to the second room on each medallion. No need for a card. One medallion opened two rooms.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

All of the cruise lines will have basically the same excursions, so don't pick based on excursions. A lot of excursions can be booked directly with the tour company as well. My kids are 6 and 8 and everyone in my family loves Princess and the kids especially love the kids club. They do a lot to entertain the kids but Princess doesn't have a lot of the extras (go carts, climbing walls, water slides, etc), so decide if that is a factor. Pick based on the cruiseline and itinerary (I prefer Glacier Bay and a Southbound voyage from Whittier/Seward to Vancouver so that you have 2 glacier days and can see more of Alaska pre-cruise.)

In my experience, sometimes the refund happens automatically, other times you need to call to have it manually triggered. Not sure why. If you go to your cruise personalizer and it shows a negative amount, then the credit has not been triggered to go back to the last card used. If it is $0, it has been triggered and will show up on your card shortly.