karatemom2

Not necessarily exotic but there is usually a duck dish or appetizer one night. Also we did find the had escargot on the menu again on our last cruise. I remember years ago when my kids were younger they had frog’s legs in the menu one cruise. They both insisted on ordering it over my protestations. It arrived looking as nauseating as I anticipated and they both changed their minds rather quickly. They both still love escargot, though.

The shows aren't a make or break for us in choosing, hence why we stick with Princess for other reasons. Overall Princess shows are just ok in general compared to some other lines we have been on. By far the best and most professional shows we have seen have been on NCL and Disney, but NCL really does it right. Their productions of Six, Choir of Man and Jersey Boys are top notch!

Yes, there will be holiday activities. Probably caroling and ginger bread house contest, special activities on kids club - maybe card or ornament crafts. The ship will be decorated and festive. Since you will be getting off before Christmas you probably won’t get the Santa experience but who knows? Usually that’s reserved for Christmas Eve or Day in our previous experience. But no doubt there will be some fun, Christmas themed activities.

It's not on the Lotus Spa menu of offerings. https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/wellness/lotus-spa-favorites-menu.pdf

It was all four years when we did our Hawaii cruise out of LA, first year was Diamond and subsequent three years on Golden. We had never seen them before and had no idea what they were! It just happens we met some fellow passengers onboard who had a daughter the same age as ours and we all became fast friends. They were also from CA, but Mom was raised in the UK and she explained the tradition to us with the crowns and jokes. We had a fine time at dinner sporting our tissue paper crowns and reading our silly jokes. And even better we remain friends with them to this day and our girls are all grown up. And Christmas Crackers have become a beloved part of our annual Christmas Eve tradition ever since!

Like I said I’m my initial post, it’s been a few years since we did a holiday cruise, but I would say in our experience people definitely were dressed more formally, especially on New Year’s Eve. Christmas Eve usually featured many special things - Christmas Crackers on everyone’s plates at dinner, caroling, a reading of the Night Before Christmas, Ugly Sweater contest, etc. And there are generally religious services as well, or at least there used to be.

Hank offers excellent advice. As he suggests, we usually do a combination of ship and private tours on our cruises depending on a number of factors - priority of what we want to see, time in port, types of tours offered (both ship tours and private) and of course cost. Planning is a big part of the fun for me as it offers months of anticipation and I get to learn about the ports as I plan. We did a Western Med cruise last summer and here are some examples. In Livorno (Florence) we did a private tour as we found a well reviewed company (Italy Tours) that offered exactly what we wanted and had a proven track record catering to cruise passengers. In Rome we wanted to fully maximize our day without worry about getting back to the ship so we opted for an expensive ship tour that covered our top priorities because that was a really important city for us and it was distant from port. In Barcelona where you port right at the city we fully did our own thing without any tour, but planned our own sightseeing day using our feet and taxis and purchasing our own entries to the attractions we wanted to see. Sometimes those end up being the best days. A great source for research is the Ports of Call board here; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/ Happy planning!

No, not as of a few weeks ago on the Sky. We asked one of the waiters in the Vista lounge about it and it sounded from his response that there are no plans to bring them back. Even with COVID restrictions going away, they have probably figured out they were a great way to spread other things like Noro as well.

That’s kind of how it was on our Hawaii Christmas cruises. Decor started coming down the days after New Years and were gone by the time we disembarked and before next cruise started. We board December 30 so hoping to enjoy them for a few days before they come down. Jan 2 and 3 are both all day port days, so likely a good time for crew to do the dismantling process when the ship is quiet. it will just be fun to be back on for a holiday again. It’s been awhile!

Yes, we are on the same cruise and I was thinking the same thing wondering if the might use the turnaround day to remove decor. I hope not as well! Our other holiday trips all included Christmas and New Year’s, so in our experience the decor stayed up. But these are a different circumstances.

We cruised with Princess over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays several years in a row when our kids were younger, but it’s been about 10 years now since our last holiday cruise. We are booked on Discovery for the New Year’s segment and are just wondering from those with more recent experience if the Christmas decorations stay up through New Year’s and if they have any other activities going on beside the big party on New Year’s Eve. I’m guessing they might broadcast the Rose Parade and some football? Would love to hear from those if you with more recent experiences.

Be sure to note it when completing your online preferences prior to the cruise. There is a question about special occasions you are celebrating onboard.

Spa robes are a little more luxurious - thicker and warmer then the thin waffle weave robes in the cabin. They also are generally a little larger and longer. They are nice - didn’t know you could request one as an alternative. I might try that next cruise and see if it is doable but I have my doubts. They probably are the property of the spa company.

There is a disclaimer on the door stating that door and curtains must be kept closed at night but it is not at all enforced in our experience. We have had these forward cabins on four different cruises now on two different ships, and the doors were never locked and we had no issue using our balcony on sea days. We like to keep our cabin door slightly open at night for the fresh air and never had a problem with that either. Fortunately we experienced calm seas and good weather on all of our cruises where we had forward balconies.

We have been in the similar cabin on both Royal and Discovery just one floor up on Lido deck. They are amazing. We actually have M103 booked next summer on the Sky for our Land of the Midnight Sun cruise. The size of the balcony and the stunning full panorama views provided are so worth it. If it was very windy it could be problematic but that’s true of any balcony cabin. You will not regret booking - we are hooked on these forward facing balconies!

If you stay in Marseilles I would highly recommend a boat trip out to Chateau D’If and a visit to Notre Dame De La Guarde. Both very worthwhile.

It is a long walk - probably at least 20 - 30 minutes. Better option is to grab a taxi or take a water taxi. The land taxi will have you there in 5 minutes. Water taxi takes a little longer but it’s a nice ride - you have to jump out in the water though.

Just off the Sky a couple of weeks ago - we paid $2 for bottled water, $2 for fountain soda, and $2.50 for cans of soda.

They were a big part of why we enjoyed our LA to Hawaii cruises that we did for a number of years over the Christmas holidays. They still work with Princess and I believe they will be doing the Hawaii sailings on the Crown out of San Francisco this season.

Yes we have noticed that too. I wonder if pumpkin pie is such an American thing that the chefs just can’t quite figure out the secret? But you’re right, it’s never good. Very bland - like they use zero spices. I mean even the recipe on the side of a Libby’s Pumpkin can would be an upgrade. Maybe I should hand the chef my Grandma’s recipe next time we do a Thanksgiving cruise!

I'm sure it can be done if you get it all approved ahead of time. Lots of people report getting off in Le Havre. We met several people who did it on our British Isles cruise last year. Getting back on there might be the trickier proposition, but certainly it can be done. Guest entertainers get on and off the ship at random ports all the time so there must be a way to make it work. Your only real answers will come from Princess though.

Just be sure to have them link the two reservations for dining and then you can reserve a single table. With 5 people you should have no problem - we have traveled as a party of 5 on numerous occasions and they will seat you at your own table for six. Lots of nice options next to the windows in that size if you ask. Your kids are great ages to cruise and I'm sure they will have a fantastic time. In December, the ships will be decorated for Christmas and if it's over the holidays there will be lots of other kids onboard and a full slate of activities for the younger set. Princess generally does a great job with the kid and teen clubs in our experience - our kids literally grew up on Princess cruises. As far as planning in advance, there isn't anything you really need to book ahead of time for your kids, except maybe shore excursions you are taking as a family if you are booking them through the ship, but it sounds like you are doing private tours. Popular shore excursion tend to sell out, especially on holiday cruises. The only other things might be drink packages, but you can easily buy them onboard if you think you will need them.

The Mexican Riviera is a very different experience than the Caribbean, but very fun and beautiful in its own right. The beaches are not white sand, but more golden and course and the water is cooler and more of a dark blue green as opposed to turquoise. The ports offer a wide variety of things to do from very active pursuits to more cultural types of tours and the prices are great. Food is amazing and the tequila is the best. The people are welcoming and friendly and you will find that while it is warm, it is rarely oppressively hot or humid, especially in the winter months which we find to be beautiful. You rarely need to worry about rain or storms disrupting your trip and the sunrises and sunsets are exquisite. You will see wildlife like dolphins, sea lions, and whales which are plentiful during peak months. We live in Southern CA so have been many times and love it every time. We are looking forward to our next cruise over New Year's.

Yes, we have been on a few Thanksgiving cruises with Princess and you will find they serve a full slate of traditional fare both in the buffet and as an option on the main dining room menu. So if you are craving your turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams and cranberry sauce, you will find it. And pumpkin pie too. But they offer alternative dishes as well for anyone who doesn't want to do the traditional menu. Usually they have a nice harvest display in the atrium as well with the requisite turkeys and horns of plenty. It's a fun time!

You might check with these companies that offer taxi services and tours. https://glaciertaxitours.com http://www.evergreentaxi.com https://www.dluxrides.com