karatemom2

I'm hoping I can get more help here then I did via the Princess Customer service line. I would like to make reservations for specialty dining and perhaps the 360 experience on our upcoming Discovery cruise. I was advised that I could do that via the app. We had no problem making our MDR reservations on the app, but when I select Explore Dining Options which should allow me to make specialty reservations I get an error message stating "Please check back closer to journey date to use this feature". According to the person I spoke to this morning, I am well within the time frame to make reservations as we are just 45 days out, but he couldn't explain why I'm getting this message. He kept telling me to just refresh, but to no avail. I'm not sure if removing and then reloading the app would help? I asked if there was a way I could just make reservations via phone - I seem to remember there used to be a separate line you could call for dining reservations, but not sure if that is still available now that it seems everything is driven by the app (which would be fine with me if it worked!) He finally just said I would just have to wait to make reservations on board, but given this is a very full holiday cruise, I would prefer to try to book in advance. He basically threw up his hands and said, "Oh well"! So, I've come to the real experts here to see if maybe someone has some helpful advice to offer.

We also prefer a table for two and have found that we definitely benefit from a reservation. I would encourage you to make a reservation using the app in advance of your cruise and try to find a table you like the first night. If you prefer not to be seated in one of the two tops that are grouped closely together in a line, you can ask for one of the tables for two that are more separate. That is our preference. If you can find one that suits you from the first night and then lock in a standing reservation, it will make your whole dining experience easier and more enjoyable and you can just head straight to your reserved table for the rest of your cruise without standing in line.

Thank you for this information!

My daughter and her new husband did this recently on their Med cruise. They wanted to disembark one day early in Livorno so they could stay in Florence for one night and then head to Rome instead of disembarking in Rome the next day. They simply spoke to an agent prior to their cruise to confirm that such a plan was possible, and were told it would be fine. They were instructed to go to Guest Services when they boarded and let them know so they could make the proper adjustments and close them out a day early and note they were disembarking at the earlier port. It was no problem at all.

That's really great to know that they will substitute. Guess I should have asked and saved myself a trip to the buffet! 😊

Depending on your familiarity with this new practice by Princess in the theatre, the term reserved seating can be confusing for some. On NCL, you do need to use their reservation system to actually make reservations for their shows in order to guarantee a seat. So I'm not surprised when people see reserved theatre seating as a Premier benefit, they might think they have to actually pre-reserve somehow, like a dining reservation. In actual practice, what happens is that several rows of prime seats are reserved in the theatre with a blue seat cover noting they are reserved. Princess staff will direct people with Premier benefits or who need handicap seating to those seats up to 5 minutes before the show starts when they are opened for everyone. So, OP, if you have Premier benefits, you just need to make sure you show up at least 5 to 10 minutes before the show starts and you should be able to choose one of those reserved spots.

I would say if you don't like salmon or quiche, it may not be the best choice. As far as I know there are no substitutions available. My DH doesn't love salmon either, so I ran up to the buffet before our delivery was scheduled and put together a plate of sausage and bacon to supplement. He did try the salmon though and thought is was actually pretty good.

In our two experiences, one prior to COVID and one since, they put a cloth over our table and opened and poured our champagne. They did not serve each of the individual dishes, but set them up so we could serve ourselves in the order we preferred. We don't drink coffee, so we substituted with tea and on our most recent experience, they also offered to pour our tea if we liked. We declined as we are perfectly able to do that ourselves. This is what I meant by service - not like the service at dinner where they wait on you. We were not expecting that - but the service we did get was much more than standard room service drop off. They made an effort to set things up nicely and get the ball rolling so we could take it from there. I thought it was well worth the cost.

We really enjoy the Ultimate Balcony breakfast. I believe it is still $45 per couple. It comes with a split of champagne, fresh juice, pastries, fruit, salmon and a quiche along with some other garnishes. The service is very nice. I’m sure your friends will love it and it would be a thoughtful gift. Here is a link to a good video that really shows it well.

We were on the Sky in September and really enjoyed Mockingbird! Probably the best band we have had on any Princess cruise. They kept the 80’s party jumping!

We used International Friends and were very pleased with the service. We were picked up at our hotel in London and headed to Windsor Castle. We had two hours there and then proceeded to Southampton to board our ship. I don’t think you would have time to do both Stonehenge and Windsor Castle on the same day - we visited Stonehenge on our return transfer. They are both well worth a visit and you need at least two hours at each location plus you have to allow for travel time. Windsor Castle would be my top choice of the two.

We booked our transfers independently through EC Minibus this past summer with a stop at Stonehenge on our way to Southampton and at Hampton Court Palace on our departure day on the way back to Heathrow. Last summer we shared a transfer from London that stopped at Windsor Castle on the way through a company called International Friends. Both companies provided excellent service.

No way will they ever permanently delete Skagway as a port stop. It is a prime draw for AK cruisers with the White Pass train and rich gold rush history. They will work around the docking issues and no doubt it will be repaired at some point even if it takes a couple of years to get it fully back to former operations.

We stayed at the Southampton Harbour Hotel before our September cruise. Lovely hotel and very close to port. We booked a transfer from Heathrow that included a stop at Stonehenge and we took in a show at the Mayfair Theatre in Southampton the evening before our cruise.

Thank you for this information. We are interested in booking this tour. Did you book for your entire group or did you all book independently through Viator? I want to book for just my husband and I but I’m a little hesitant as it appears a new company and I’m concerned about the potential for trip cancellation if they don’t get enough people. I’m also looking at the Norway Excursions option but would prefer the smaller group.

While I am sure all of these replies are well meaning, please keep in mind your medical conditions, prescriptions and opinions are not necessarily applicable to the OP. The only person who should be advising him is his own doctor who can offer the best plan of action in cooperation with the ship’s medical personnel and capabilities. It always makes me uncomfortable when I see strangers offering other people medical advice on a message board. OP, please stick to guidance from your personal physician and hopefully you can get the information you need about the ship’s laboratory capabilities via the web address provided. Wishing you healthy cruising!

We had the Grand Suite about 5 years ago on the Grand and it was lovely but we only purchased it as we got a last minute call offering it as an upgrade for a suite (haha) deal! We took advantage of the perks like breakfast in the Crown Grill (at that time), and MDR meals in the room. We hosted our family traveling with us on Glacier Bay day and had the Ultimate Balcony breakfast delivered along with a lot of other breakfast items from room service and we also did a couple of afternoon teas for our crew in suite a couple of times. It definitely has an old fashioned appeal and the doorbell that played the Titanic theme was a fun touch. We also enjoyed the two bouquets of fresh flowers we received during the cruise as well as champagne. I am sure it has probably been updated since then and I heard they replaced the wood balcony with the standard balcony which is a shame if true. I loved the old school feel with the wooden loungers and table and chairs. All that being said, we realized it was likely a one time experience since we got it as a last minute upgrade. I can’t imagine paying full price as lovely as it was - the perks beyond the room were not that extensive.

You purchase it through the Medallion Net app once onboard. On our last couple of cruises they have provided a sheet with step by step instructions and it’s quite easy. Your discount is reflected when you make the purchase. Should you have any problem the team at the Medallion desk is there to help. I have found them very eager to assist.

Oh my gosh! Yes, I was looking at what I wrote in my travel journal that day and that is the name of the castle I wrote down. But of course you are right - the reason we stopped there is that we had some huge Outlander fans on the tour so our guide made a point of including a brief detour there. That was the name I remember them calling it! : ) You are right about the planning - I spent months researching and we mostly booked private tours. In Guernsey and Invergordon we had private guides and in several other ports we booked through local tour companies. Discover Scotland in Glasgow, Odyssey Tours in Belfast, Busy Bus in Liverpool and Overlord Tours in Le Havre. We did ship excursions in Cobh and Dublin. And Edinburgh we did on our own using local taxi to get around. Everyday was fully packed as I was determined to see as much as possible and we made the most of every second. It was exhausting but also amazing and so worth the long days and tired feet!

In my personal experience, our British Isles cruise offered a wonderful opportunity to visit castles, cathedrals and historical sites which was a huge priority for me. Just to give you a sense of what we were able to do on our 12 day British Isles cruise with 4 days pre-cruise in London here is a list of what we visited: London: Buckingham Palace Westminster Abbey Tower of London Churchill War Rooms Shakespeare's Old Globe Theatre St. Paul's Cathedral Maritime Museum at Greenwich Southampton Departure Day: Windsor Castle Guernsey: Castle Cornet WWII Sites and Museum Cobh: Rock of Cashel Dublin: Glendalough Monastic City Christchurch Cathedral Belfast: Giants Causeway Dunluce Castle Titanic Museum Liverpool (tour to Wales) : Conwy Castle Snowdonia Park Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Invergordon: Dunrobin Castle Cairn Liath Falls of Shin Dornoch Cathedral Glasgow: Sterling Castle Castle Leoch Village of Luss Loch Lomond Trossachs National Park Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle Royal Mile St. Giles Cathedral Royal Yacht Brittania Le Havre: Omaha Beach American Cemetery Bayeux - for Cathedral and Bayeux Tapestry Southampton Departure: Hampton Court Palace Stonehenge. So, you can find that you will have ample choices of castles and historically significant sites if you prioritize those things for your ports and pre and post departure days. I will always remember our British Isles cruise as one of our most memorable and wonderful travel adventures!!

Yes, either order is fine. You just need to do both before sailaway. You can also watch it on your stateroom tv.

Any crew member can direct you based on your stateroom number. But your room will be available by 1 pm and I don’t recall them setting up the check in stations before that time.

Princess has made it much easier. You can identify your muster station by looking at the map on your door. Simply check in at the station where they will scan your medallion and then watch the safety video in the comfort of your stateroom and you will be all set.

It doesn't appear there are any Hawaii sailings from Seattle, but there are from Vancouver which should be close enough to avoid a flight if you are in the Seattle area.

Victoria is a lovely town, but given a choice, I would choose Sitka any day. It is one of the most beautiful ports in Alaska in my opinion.