travelin.sisters

a balcony for the trip to, around & back home from Hawai'i is so nice...enjoy...take good care of the Crown for us, we board on the 2nd when you come back!

you can try calling MedallionClass support: United States (toll free): 1-800-774-6237 but if that doesn't give you the help you want, as @cr8tiv1 has said, they can make you one at the port or onboard. & yes, as she said they now only waive shipping fees with the Premier Package

the 'norm' runs a wide range...pretty much from nothing to $5/bag, they will take your bags for nothing & at least at the Port of LA, in our experience, will not be standing around waiting hands out for a tip, they will however happily accept one...we travel with a bunch of bags & a walker & carryon stuff since they unload the back of our vehicle & help sort what is going with us & what they take so we always tip $10-20 for departure...when we get off the ship I find someone to come to baggage claim with their cart, gather our luggage as I point it out & take it out to the car or at least the curb again $10-20 depending on the time it takes & if they load it into the car...we also tip the people who pushes the wheelchair (there will be 2, one land side & one shipboard) $5...but we are 3 people with various physical challenges who couldn't handle our luggage by ourselves...so I think the closest there is to an answer is you can do what seems right to you & won't be outside the range of what is done

long porters, crane operators, hauling things onto the ship (both luggage & supplies), forklift drivers & many other jobs for both cargo & cruise ships are staffed through the longshoremen's union at the Ports of LA & LB...different jobs will pay different wages & some require extra training & experience, some of the people taking you luggage may only get a few shifts a month & others may work close to full time

not an expert but here are a few thoughts for you to consider: how comfortable are you with city driving/traffic/parking? It can be challenging to navigate SoCal freeways & even city streets & parking can be challenging & expensive. google maps driving times are pretty accurate, but local traffic can change a short trip to unreasonable very easily depending on day/time/accidents/events. do you want to spend time packing, changing hotels & repacking when time is so tight? I don't have any input on whether it would be better to stay in Santa Monica or DTLA, but there are a number of threads here where people give their opinions & experiences with this so you could see what each offer & maybe decide what would be best for you. tours take away the freedom to do what you want & change things up, but they also take away the stress of having to plan all the details & if you can find one that covers many of the things you would like to see that might make it less stressful & exhausting. will you be tired or rested after your cruise? do you have high-energy always on the go teens or ones who need some time to decompress & chill? oh & bring clothes to bundle up in for the Rose Parade, do you have assigned seats? or just come & see what you can get?

^ this....the tender time is relatively short, but depending on the time the wait can be quite long

there are some differences in decorations, but the menus are the same...when the Sapphire first launched they had different menus in the different dining rooms, then for a little while they had maybe one special different dish in each but now they are the same menus (except for club class dining. we never choose the back dining room on any ship that is only accessible by the elevator's/stairs because I travel with people with mobility issues...on the Sapphire that is the International Dining Room & if you don't mind the elevators or stairs, it might be less crowded...the other 4 are smaller & it did feel a little crowded in them

the only thing I have ever noticed is sometimes what fresh fruit is available, even on recent cruises with the supply chain issues

so presumably the younger child would always be with parents/family but the parent could track where the older child was if they went to kids club?

you can sign up for your dining times in the medallion app before sailing...in the Ocean Now - Food, Drinks & Shopping section, choose Dine My Way > then pick Reserve for the same time each day > Select Dining Period evening then pick the people in your group (you can add others if you have their booking number then choose your options: shared/private table, there might be a choice of dining room (the menus are the same, mostly location is different) & time (they will probably give you a choice of 5:20 or 5:40, they seem to run in 20 minute increments)...you can always cancel for one or more nights later if you want to do specialty dining or are on a late excursion or whatever reason...you might or might not have to wait until final payment to make dining reservations we have siled on 3 cruises since the new system & have never had a problem getting the same table each night, but others have reported that they were told no, so I would be sure to talk to the head or restaurant operations (used to be the maitre d') the first dinner & explain why it is important.

Princess has always been very good about helping with our dietary issues, for the first night just tell them that she has dietary restrictions & they will help her find something that works for her needs...after that usually the head waiter (although I think they have a new title...they are all good about this but some are absolutely superb) will bring the menu's for the next day for her to look at & then she can order something that they will modify for her or something specific like plain grilled chicken or salmon...they have separate kitchens for specialty dietary needs so cross contamination is rare, although it has happened...I have a shellfish allergy which is pretty easy to self-monitor, but my sisters is something that is secretly in lots of dishes so she really needs help knowing what is safe for her...we always book for the same time every night & ask for the same table so then our waitstaff also by the second night is aware of our needs & watches out for us they do have a number of labelled gluten-free dishes in the other venues (International Cafe & buffet) for something quick to pick up during the day if that would fit her needs as well

we have had enrichment talks on all our cruises a week or longer (including 3 in 2022) but have never sailed from Australia. The talks have varied, some related to the itinerarry (Hawai'i & Panama Canal) & others just general interest.

there are, I think they are called Princess favorites, always a chicken & a salmon sauces & sides change, also a couple of pasta dishes & something vegetarian...the best place to find actual menus & photos of food it to look at a recent "live" or review from the ship you are sailing or the itinerary...sometimes there are regional differences in menus ACK just saw @startedwithamouse's post above about the new menus...sad

look in cruise live reports/reviews...this one from the Majestic was very thourough & enjoyable but it is long...

it is so much easier with the medallions than when you used to need to get an extra cruise card for the other door! it just takes a second for them to do it

as @cr8tiv1 said, if you mention the ship it will make it easier to answer specifically, but here are a few that haven't been mentioned (i think) yet: the enrichment lectures & port & naturalist talks (depending on itinerary) champagne at champagne waterfall & there should be a new to princess event with complementary drinks the art sales department often gives away free prints at their events Effy gives out free charms or pendants at their events often a free gift at the shopping show daily soduku & puzzle pages in the library crafts & games with the cruise director staff the spa does occasional freebies & almost always something on embarkation day soft-serve ice cream the towels to take ashore are handed out by the gangway as you leave popcorn at movies under the stars lots of in room movies & tv shows to watch books & games to borrow in the library sometimes a music class (I have done 'ukulele [Hawai'i], harmonica [Alaska], glockenspiel & steel drum I think the line dance classes are free I think use of the sports courts (pingpong, basketball, pickleball, etc) are free not all adults only are paid, the sanctuary is but others aren't you can use the showers in the spa for free & maybe other things also with the Medallion app, food delivery is not limited to roomservice, they can bring you stuff anywhere on the ship daily ice for your refrigerator more hangers, towels, pillows, for your room smiles & kind words from the wonderful crew all around the ship

OP said they were sailing out of LA...they are longshoremen here, & not all of them are senior union members, casuals (without all the benefits & may only get a few hours a week) also often do cruise baggage handling... we are still tipping the same as preCovid, but have never been intimidated for a tip

in my experience 2-4 weeks out from cruise, I was just recently able to select for our March 2nd cruise

thank you!

we often change who is actually sleeping in the rooms we book for various reasons...if you both go to the guest services desk together, they can program the medallion to open multiple doors...just let the room steward know who is actually where

for walking distance, I would agree San Pedro Brewing or Green Onion (not the best Mexican food in town, but good & nice atmosphere, also a chance to try a San Pedro tradition before they close in May) are good choices...Nikos is just past SP Brewing & has nice but not fancy Italian & pizzas...Whale & Ale (Irish Pub) would also be easy walking, I haven't eaten there, but have heard good things. There are a ton of other nice places beyond easy walking distance but those give you a variety of options. Sunday & Monday are looking like you will be in the break between rainstorms so walking to eat & the pier should be enjoyable, coming from Calgary, it should not feel too cold for you, but we are considering it definitely winter & jacket weather. No help to offer with airport stuff, sorry we cruise from our local port so we don't have to fly. Have a wonderful visit to SP & a great cruise.

I was looking at recent reviews of excursions to the Fern Grotto which said that this past week the path to the fern grotto was closed due to downed trees...I am wondering if anyone here knows if this is temporary or will be a long term problem? Thank you for any information.

thank you for sharing your cruise with us

the only other option than the port parking lot is to stay at a local hotel that has a park & sail rate...people have stayed at the Crown Plaza or the DoubleTree in San Pedro.

the Doubletree is closer to Berth 46 than the main terminal & they have taken guests there in the past. They probably will not know where your ship is sailing from, so you will have to let them know where you need to be taken...boarding at berth 46 was so easy in September