canadjineh

Late Sept 2023 we had a fun time and delicious food at La Buche (FWIW they even have some good gluten free choices - I have celiac disease.) It is right in Old Quebec 49 Rue Saint-Louis. Yes it's kinda touristy but that is the fun part - it is like an old sugar shack where you can sit at private tables or join in a long family-style trestle table with benches. Historic building, food, service and atmosphere are good - they have 4.5 stars out of 5 with over 5000 Google reviews and over 2100 Tripadvisor reviews. https://restolabuche.com/ Lots of neat stuff to look at on the walls and definitely head downstairs to the washrooms, they are a gas! Casual restaurant, not fancy dining... if you want a yummy fancier dining place we can suggest Restaurant Shiraz. Very tasty Persian food, great atmosphere, lovely owners in upper Vieux Quebec. https://restaurantshiraz.com/ We really enjoyed their flavourful menu.

We only used Princess for two shore excursions while on our 10 night New England/Maritimes cruise this past Sept. We booked a ride on the school bus (who cares - it's only a way to get a largish group to the sites you want to see) to Saguenay Fjord National Park so we could do some hiking on our own - worth the ride. We also did a tour to Island Falconry on Prince Edward Island as there wasn't any way to do that privately. Good reviews on both those tours, BTW. The rest of the ports had great things to explore all within walking distance or easily arranged with other tour & transport companies, except for Boston - I'm totally uninterested in American Revolutionary history so instead spent about $100 CAD for return taxi and entrance ticket to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. It was amazing, I could have spent days there. https://www.mfa.org/

I just started following them and reading their blogposts. Very interesting.

Hubby & I stayed in Maz (not on a cruise - just land/hotel) a year and a half ago and we loved the observatory with interesting history and bird sanctuary. An easy walk right from the cruise ship. Best to do on your own, and there's a great view from the bar lawn if you choose to have a drink. Cheaper on your own, and you can choose your time to avoid the excursion crowd.

If you go on the National Park website you can get your tickets for Acadia online ($20/person), then you don't have to wait when you get off the tender. You can take the bus (fare-free with your park pass) to all sorts of trailheads, carriage roads, small local towns, etc if you are there between June 23-Oct 14. Here's more info on the NP website: https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/island-explorer.htm

My husband & I had an amazing time this past September at the Island Falconry. Peter is a very interesting fellow with great stories to tell as he introduces some of his birds to you in a classroom setting, where you can choose to have them perch on your arm. Then he takes you outside to fly his Harris Hawk and you also can lure the bird in with a meat treat in your glove and have the hawk swoop in to land on your arm/hand and take the morsel. Lots of opportunity to take photos and ask questions. https://www.experiencepei.ca/tour/fun-with-falcons https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1507275-d17625546-Reviews-Island_Falconry_Sevices-Borden_Carleton_Prince_Edward_Island.html

We were there in Boston in Sept/23 for a Maritime/East Coast cruise. There didn't seen to be much on offer in Boston except for the US Freedom trail (we weren't interested) and I walked around the area near the ship for about an hour, but there was nothing to see except big commercial warehouses - commercial port. I ended up taking a taxi to Museum of Fine Arts - Boston which was totally worth it. It definitely wasn't a walkable distance away, though. Don't know if I'd bother with Boston again. Been there twice now... everything worth seeing is a distance away from your ship.

You can pop into any bank/credit union and ask to change for smaller bills, no charge if same currency. The fifties will still be quite useful as, unless you are planning on only eating at McDonalds, a decent sit down meal at a mid range dining/family establishment will easily run you $60-70 for two with a drink each and tip. Smaller fast food places/food trucks and little Mom & Pop stores may have a sign that says they cannot accept $100.00 bills (limited tills for change and fear of counterfeit bills.) Most places these days have a mobile card machine that can be brought to your table, so you shouldn't have a problem with scamming. If you go to a place with only a tethered machine, accompany them with your card to the machine at the desk so you can watch the transaction. (no hidden extra swipe behind the desk)

Hi alwalaska: It kind of depends on what time of year you are going... Huatulco and Fuerte Amador can be superhot during our springtime (we just got back from Huatulco in mid March and it was 35C & blue skies every day - people we met off a Princess ship that were on a Panama canal cruise said it was in the low 40'sC there.) I would suggest a beaches cruise in Huatulco, it's too hot to do any of the other 'active' things you mention. That would likely be different at the end of the wet season in Huatulco, say, November/December. Things would be much greener at least. It's been quite a few years, but we really enjoyed El Charro Ranch horseback rides out of PV into the hills along the river for some good views and a lovely waterfall (again, depending on the season you are going - possibly no falls if it's very dry.) They treated their horses well and they have been in business for over 30 years so they are pretty good. You need to take money with you for a lunch out in the Sierra Madre mountains, and a tip for your guide of course. We loved it, and were lucky enough to be the only two on the 'tour' with a private guide. https://www.ranchoelcharro.com/ Hope that helps a bit :)

We loved renting a car and driving out to Cabo Pulmo Nat. Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_Pulmo_National_Park We also enjoyed going to the natural hot springs within the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere north of http://www.loscabosguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/miraflores-300x200.jpg Cabo especially El Chorro (in the river.) https://www.loscabosguide.com/natures-hot-tubs/ It's a very cheap trip especially if you can get a group of 4 to share the car rental. Very easy driving too.

We are taking the Grand Princess circle tour from LA late Feb/25. We have been to the Islands quite a few times and have camped in Volcanos Nat Park and at Punalu'u black sand beach, hiked through Kilauea crater (on a quiet year, although a Park ranger took a few of us who had good hiking boots out to the actual lava flows - dip a stick in and it's like fiery taffy). A great cultural site is at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau - a national park on the Big Island. https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm Stayed for a week on Molokai in a little rental condo one time and enjoyed real Hawaiian culture and the most beautiful empty beaches in the Islands. Have been to the Surfing finals on the North Shore of Oahu in early Dec twice. Last trip two years ago (stayed for 2 weeks) we did a cultural focus and went to Iolani Palace (2nd time) https://www.iolanipalace.org/ and the Bishop Museum https://www.bishopmuseum.org/ The Bishop museum had an amazing temporary exhibit on "Tatau: Marks of Polynesia" exploring the beauty of Samoan tattoos by traditional artists and new up-and-coming younger practitioners. They always have lots of interesting exhibits there. We spent a full day, and packed a picnic for lunch in the grounds under the trees. I suggest the volcanos and the cultural sites - beaches you can get on almost any cruise - unless you surf...in that case take a lesson/rent a board and get out on the waves. 🤙 'Ike Loa (We are all here to Learn & Grow in Greater Harmony)

Yep, Paul is 'famous.' We missed out on getting on one of his tours because I left things too late (3 months before our cruise last Sept.) I don't think you'll have a problem getting that tour filled.

If you are 'lucky' enough to have to pre-order meals the day before due to, in my case, celiac disease, you could ask the chef to make you up almost whatever you wish. Once I have been a few days into a cruise and knew they could feed me safely, I would give the chef free rein some nights, just suggesting the protein and see what he came up with. I've had some really amazing dishes that way, although the Princess MDR menu is the dullest of all the cruise lines we've tried. Mainly boring 'white bread' choices that pretend to be some other cuisine.

The Sun I can certainly see never booking on, what an ugly behemoth with too many people on it, plus too many charges for new class divisions on the ships - the stuff that used to be included. (Back to HAL for us.) Is it just because of the age of the other ships? Or some other reason you don't like them? Curious, as this upcoming cruise in Feb 2025 will only be our second Princess cruise.

This is our main wish!!!! I need pitch black to sleep (partly why we often pick interior cabins) and those bloody floor lights that flash on every time you stick your foot out of the duvet along with that closet light that is sooooo bright just kill me. I have a senior husband who hits the washroom a few times a night (I know, TMI 🤐.) On our first Princess cruise our cabin steward rigged up something to cover the sensors for the floor lights at least but we/they aren't allowed to fiddle with the closet 'emergency' light. Also can we please opt out of all the lanyard crap if we've already got one? Think of how much money they'd save.

Can we still bring a bottle of wine on board each, or are they changing that too? We've never bought the packages on any cruise because it's just not cost effective for us and we aren't interested in a lot of the inclusions. We do use the coupon book when it's included as part of the deal and have had great meals with free wine at Sabatini's, free professional photography, etc. but it's kind of like taking advantage of those timeshare companies that give you a bunch of gifts to go to a presentation. We don't feel inclined to buy so we just get the 'gifts' we want and go away happy without them making extra money off us. Now if we had to pay for a bunch of stuff we never use to get a couple things we are possibly interested in - not gonna happen when we can just pay a la carte and it's way cheaper. For us the ports are a very important part of our cruising - it's a way to explore someplace and decide later if we really liked it to fly there on another vacation and stay for a couple weeks for in-depth exploration. A cruise is mainly a hotel room & inexpensive food and cheap transport to interesting places, with the added benefit of great musicians and shows.

I hope the Grand will still be in decent shape in early 2025. We are booked for LA-Hawaii-LA on Feb 25th. We had an interior cabin near the stern on our Canada/New England cruise on the Caribbean Princess this past Oct. and I think it was one of the best areas on the ship. Very few people hung out in the lounge and deck areas back there, they all crowded up front I guess. We had the rear hot tub all to ourselves as we sailed down the Saguenay Fjord at sunset with a couple of nice drinks in hand. We picked another interior cabin on Caribe deck toward the stern port-side for this Hawaii trip on the Grand so I hope it's a similar situation. I'm hoping to have the Terrace Pool deck all to ourselves, lol. 🤞

We found more octopus as we went further south in the country...lots of good choices available in Huatulco, but less when you head up along the coast. Restaurant Guru has worldwide restaurant reviews and is a good place to look. Here is their website link for a decent choice in Mazatlan. Tacos Capeados Carmen It's a good inexpensive outdoor-seating taco stand that specializes in shrimp and octopus. It's fairly popular, so can get busy. Lots of good local reviews. Only open for breakfast and lunch til 3pm-ish. They are on Facebook and Instagram too. Sorry I can't help if you are looking for a fancier joint (i.e. a nice indoor dinner.)

We love Mazatlan too, it may not have the best swimming beaches, but all the people we met were awesome and we just ran around cheaply on the buses (very easy to figure out.) After our very first cruise stop there, we decided we wanted to spend 12 days there in a hotel with kitchenette, and we shopped locally at the Soriana across from the Home Depot with a branch of our home bank just next door - so perfect. That was last year's anniversary (41st) - we'll be back.

Hi, here's a repost of my comment on a great tour in Mazatlan (the first time we were there - on a cruise a couple years ago. We spent 12 days there this past year in a hotel since we found out we really like Mazatlan.) "We've used johann & sandra tours in Mazatlan to go see the oceanside petroglyph park and a home cooked meal with a local family. Google Las Labradas tour. We went with them March 2020 just before Covid shut everyone down. We had a great time with a professor guide and student assistant." The Petroglyphs on the seashore were awesome, also a little museum there to go thru. UNESCO website on the site: https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5785/

We did Quebec City to New York (port stop in Boston) in late Sept this past year. The port in Quebec City puts you right below the historic old city and Citadel, the Boston port is in a huge industrial area - UGLY and expensive to get out of and see the sights that aren't 'the Freedom Trail.' I'd pick QC any day for your preferred hotel stay dates. Technically if your fairly able-bodied (it's quite hilly) you can walk off the ship with your luggage (if you aren't a take-it-all person) and up to your studio apartment or heritage hotel right by the Citadel and walk everywhere in the old town. Foliage was very late this past season and really no difference between the two areas in that respect.

Friends of ours use the local version of Uber called DiDi when they are in Mazatlan. Cheaper. They go often and help at orphanages there. We just take the local buses and pay approx $1 USD/$15 MX to get into Centro or all the way thru to the Golden Zone. Air con if you flag a newer looking bus. No transfers though as the different buses are not affilliated but have separate contracts. Price is all the same whichever one you take tho.

There's nothing at all on a Google search about civil unrest in Ensenada since Aug 2022, so maybe it's the tick-borne disease that's the issue. I doubt it's a problem if you stay away from dogs (ticks are commonly found on them) and stick close to the beach, instead of going on a hike or similar.

Wow, I guess I've lucked out on having absolutely no problems with lost luggage in 51 years of flying. Yes, we do travel often 3-4x/yr. Only probs were once I left my packpurse with wallet under a table in a dark Costa Rican restaurant. Forgot it for an hour, drove back and it was still there tucked under the table. Another time I left a small but important bag on a Philippine taxi back seat when getting out. After trying to figure out where we had left it, I had our little hotel call the taxi company and we immediately got it back...nothing missing. - Hubby and myself also cross pack, and I am very careful about removing all other tags/barcodes from previous trips off our luggage. - We also split our credit cards and I only take what I absolutely need from my home wallet switching it out to a mini makeup bag with a leather cardholder inside it. The little leather cardholder is also a perfect place to stick that little parking ticket for your long term airport parkade so it doesn't get lost or mangled somewhere on the trip. - One thing to note...if your phone/laptop/tablet doesn't have your picture on the main screen, you might want to switch it to that for your trip. This saved a friend of ours who has a very expensive phone - he left it at a site in a port city (not on a ship excursion) while on a cruise and they refused to give it to him by description only. He said tap it open and voila! a lovely picture of himself & his wife. They had to give it to him then.

Ooo yeah! I so agree with you there....on flights to and from the ship people had to be asked, then forced, to check their 'carry-on' luggage as most of them had slightly too large overstuffed bags that when tested did not fit the carrier restrictions. Plus some borderline cases had to be pushed and jammed into the overhead bins, and then their 'personal item' was usually a largish rucksack that could barely squish under their seat plus all their jackets, etc. We were delayed getting out of our gate at JFK airport for almost 1 hour a few days ago because of these travellers. When younger and healthier, my spouse & I used to travel with only our carry-on and personal purse/tote/daypack, so it's not like it can't be done properly....it just seems like people are trying to get away with stuffing everything into one bag, when they need to pare it back.