flamomo

 Caribe deck balconies are my go-to favorites on ships of that class, especially in the most forward section. I try to book early before the ones closest to the mid-forward section, the next section back, are all taken, as the forward cabin fares are a bit less les than the mid-forward ones but the "ride" is about the same as those that are closer to the mid section.

We have a cruise coming up soon on the Grand, and we booked cabin C239. Coincidentally, we were in that exact same cabin last year and it's great location.

49 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Eat many of your meals at the buffet & only take as much as you want.

I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to "dine" in the evening, not go to the buffet. I enjoy the dining room atmosphere, sharing a nice meal with the interesting people we meet each night, as well as being "served" my food.

4 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

In the MDR and the buffet most food is not cooked to order.  So once it is cooked it is "wasted" whether it goes on your plate or stays in the kitchen and goes on no ones's plate.  Ask for what you want but don't stress if you get more than you can eat.  Enjoy!

I've been told that at least some of the leftover cooked food often goes to the crew's dining room for their enjoyment.

This was told to me by one of the ship's officers.

As far as trying to order small or half portions, my travel companion has requested that a number of times, but full portions were served anyway most of the time. 

Sometimes for dinner I will just order a Caesar salad and request it be topped with a chicken breast, or I have a small Caesar salad, and an appetizer size portion of Pasta alfredo as my main.

Both my travel companion and I are accustomed to eating half or less of a regular sized entrée` when we eat out, and our  remainders go home for 1-2 additional meals apiece. We both wish there was an "official" small portion of most items offered on the dinner menu on the ships.

I believe that the stage/bandstand is located on the port side all the way aft, so if I were looking to book a cabin above that area, I would want it to be on the starboard side of the ship.

I adore cruising on the Pacific Princess (670 passengers) ….. have done several on her and also have cruised on her sister ship, the one-time Tahitian Princess,  and later also sailed on her after she was renamed the Ocean Princess. I'll be back on the Pacific Princess later this year for 29 wonderful days to celebrate a major birthday.

I feel buying that 100 shares of CCL was one of the best investments I could have made. I've had it for 10 years, have cruised with Princess close to 40 times in the interim, and the share price has doubled. So that's a nice little gain for me, but the best part is all of those  shareholder benefits that I have gotten for all of those cruises, which is sort of like getting non-reportable dividends. I know I have gotten way more back than what I invested.

If/when I no longer can cruise I'll liquidate it, but for now, my financial advisor knows those shares are not to be touched for any reason without my okay!

I've done TAs to or from Europe on both large and small ships, and much prefer traveling on a small ship, Even when they are fully booked, as they seem to always be these days, there's still WAY fewer passengers.

My #1 favorite ship for TAs is the Pacific Princess, which only hold about 670 passengers. Just the right size, IMHO!

I have used clear heavy duty plastic luggage tags that I ordered online from favors by serendipity for at least 5-6 years, at least 4-5 times a year, and they are still going strong. Reasonably priced, easy to attach, and sturdy.

I'll be cruising on the Grand in September. I've already been on most of the ships in the Princess fleet in my 15 years of cruising with Princess, but never the Grand yet, so I'll be very interested in reading about your impressions of her (+& -), as well as what you might consider important to know about her.

I ALWAYS pack a hooded waterproof windbreaker no matter where I am cruising. It takes up a negligible amount of space in an outside pocket of my carry-on suitcase while traveling to the port city, and then I move it to the tote bag that I take with me when going ashore in ports. It's been needed many times, either as protection from rain or the weather gets chilly. It's loose fitting enough to accommodate adding another layer if the weather is beyond chilly.

I would never carry an umbrella when touring in ports. I had the unpleasant experience of someone else's umbrella ribs almost poking me in the eye when an unexpected gust of wind caught it. I learned from that situation that umbrellas can be a safety hazard to others when in crowds.

Every time I have cruised on the Pacific Princess, there has been a pianist/singer performing in the Casino Bar every evening.

One of my favorites was Jere Ring, and I'd love to have him performing on the 29 day Pacific Princess cruise I will be on later this year. Great voice, excellent pianist and a very humorous guy who really knows how to connect with and involve his listeners.

Another time there was a fellow named Austin who was also very good.

I have done AK cruises with Princess 3 times, as well as many other Princess cruises, and, and based on my observations, would have to say that the majority of male passengers do wear suits or dress trousers with a sport coat on formal nights. Most also wear ties and dress shirts with them.

Some choose to wear nice pants and a collared shirt, and there are always a few who wear whatever they want. For the most part, Princess staff seems to prefer not to upset passengers by insisting that they dress according to the guidelines.

However, occasionally there will be a maître `d who is stricter who will turn passengers away who are not dressed in what they deem appropriate.

Personally, I don't think that AK cruises are much different than any other itinerary when it comes to dining room attire on formal nights. Many comply and a smaller number won't.

When I was going to be gone on a 37 day cruise, but would actually away from home 40 days all together, I spoke with my mail carrier, He told me to put in my request for the first 30 days as usual, and give him one of the cards the USPS uses for vacation holds for the rest of the dates that I would be gone, and on the day that the initial 30 day hold expired, he would process the card I had left with him.

Apparently he did so and it worked okay, because he brought all my accumulated mail from the entire 40 days to me the day after I got home.

I gave him a Starbucks coffee card as token of my appreciation for him having gone the extra distance to help make my vacation problem-free.

You might ask your mail carrier if this could be a possible solution for you. 

Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time with EZAir.

A few months ago I found a fare of $60 for a one way direct flight on Delta from Tampa to LAX. Needless to say, I pounced on it and ended up making that flight for that price.

Agree with Barcelona being an easy port to access. Taxis are plentiful at the airport and fares reasonable.

We flew in a day early and stayed at the small and charming Hotel LLeo, just around the corner from one end of Las Rambla, which is a great place to wander, sit at one of the outdoor cafes with a cup of coffee Americano  and soak up the ambiance of Barcelona.. Room rates were quite reasonable, and they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a room with a private balcony, which was a pleasant surprise. The morning breakfast buffet was very nice too, and the staff throughout the hotel was excellent.

I've cruised out of Civitavecchia a couple of times, and while the travel between Rome and the port isn't too bad, Barcelona is a lot more convenient, IMO. I've not cruised out of Athens, so far.

Being on or vacationing near the ocean means you are breathing in the salty air!! Unavoidable!!

While there might be a bit of a greater chance for rain at the end of the AK cruising season, I think it's a good time to go. Most kiddos are back in school, so not hordes to them onboard (No, I'm not anti-kids!). Because it's toward the end of the season, many of the shops in the ports are trying to get rid of inventory, so better prices on souvenirs and etc., ports less crowded, cruise fares seem to be a bit more reasonable as compared to what they are the height of the AK cruise season.

I've gone twice in early September and will be going again this year then, and will pack a waterproof hooded windbreaker and a few items that I can layer with if it's chilly, as well as a few warmer weather items in case Mother Nature is in a good mood, to make sure all my bases are covered. Last September it was warm and very pleasant every day and NO rain at all. But this year could be entirely different. But then, I love AK for it's beauty, no matter what the weather is.

Keep looking at Princess. They have done AK for a long time and do AK very well! (JMHO, as a long time Princess cruiser!)

I just disembarked from the Pacific Princess a week ago, and can tell you that there are some tables for 2 scattered throughout the dining room. Some are stand-alones and some are next to tables for 6, with about two feet of space between them. Whether or not you choose to chat with the folks at the 6-top is up to you, but if you choose not to, it seems as though fellow passengers on the Pacific are polite enough to leave you alone if that is your preference. I've cruised on her several times, and IMO she's a pretty special little ship, and those aboard her tend to be respectful toward their shipmates.

ID just disembarked 2 days ago from a 15 day Panama Canal cruise on the Pacific Princess, and USDs are definitely cheerfully accepted, both as tips for tour guides and for purchases and/or restaurant tabs in the ports in Mexico and Costa Rica. Our time in Panama was scenic cruising the Canal, so no opportunity to spend any cash, but I recall the previous time I did a similar cruise and did go ashore in Panama, USDs were readily accepted there too.

The  most days in a row onboard for  me is 35. It doesn't matter how many days I am on a ship, It's never long enough, and I do not get homesick. I stay in touch with my family via email from the ship. I haven't have any pets since I started traveling multiple times a year. For me, it's just easier not to.

Like others, most of my bills are on auto-pay, and those that aren't are things that I can schedule in advance.

I always include extra doses of prescription meds and supplements for at least a week beyond the length of the cruise. Once time I somehow forgot to pack one of my meds on a Mediterranean cruise and had to see the ship's doc to get a supply, as it was one I could not be without. If the needed med is not available on the ship, I was told they could obtain it at a pharmacy at the next port for me. Fortunately, the one I needed was a pretty common one and available in the med center's stock.  The charge for the visit to the doc and the cost of the med were both reimbursed to me by Princess insurance.

I bring OTC meds for GI upset, respiratory infection, etc. Also a tube of Neosporin and some bandaids in case I get a boo boo. Usually the meds, etc.  can be bought onboard in the gift shop, but are way overpriced and only a few doses. Also, I'm reluctant to buy meds in many foreign countries, not knowing how their cleanliness and manufacturing standards are as compared to the US.

In my dreams I'd love to do a world cruise, and would,  in a heartbeat, if my travel budget allowed for it. Meanwhile, I'll keep on seeing the world, one cruise at a time.

It's really very easy. Once you are inside the terminal, just show your boarding pass to the Princess person who is directing passengers to the various check-in lines. They will point you to the correct one.

Butting on here with a question that hopefully someone familiar with SFO can help.

We're flying in from FL the day before embarkation, and need a decent, but not 5-star hotel, as we have a budget to stick to and it seems like all the national chain hotels are rather pricey. We'd kinda like to be near Fisherman's Wharf, as my daughter(adult) has never been to SFO before and I think she'd enjoy visiting it. Someone on the roll call suggested Hotel Zephyr, and I've looked it up online, and the pricing was pretty good, as compared to others in the general area.

Is anyone familiar enough with that particular hotel to say it's an OK place to spend one night. Or can anyone offer other possibilities.

Last September, upon arrival at pier 91, I showed my priority boarding pass to a "traffic director" and asked if my daughter and son-in-law (whose cabin was next door to ours) could go thru check-in with us, as we were traveling together, and they were new to Princess. We were waved right on to the priority check-in line. After we had all been checked-in, they waited with us in the priority boarding area. No one seemed to be monitoring who was entering that waiting area.

I will say it was busy when we arrived, as it was about 11:30AM, but not crazy busy with long lines. Not sure if that affected the "traffic director's" decision to allow us to check in together. 

If the answer had been no, I would have backed off and checked in  with them in the "regular" line.

So it's worth a try, IMO.

I believe OP mentioned going in September. I've had two September and one early June AK cruises, and in all 3 instances there were not a lot of kids onboard, many schools being in session at those times. I consider that a plus, for me personally. Please don't take it the wrong way when I say that, as I have nothing against kids on cruise ships, but, being older, prefer to travel during the months when they are in school. A few versus herds of them works better for me.

I'm booked on the Pacific Princess for a cruise beginning in late November, from Venice to Rome, and then staying on from Rome to Ft Lauderdale, for a total of 29 days. I've cruised on the Pacific Princess several other times ….. she's a real gem and rather unique …. a small ship with only space for 670 passengers. She's my favorite ship in the Princess fleet!!!