pj-atsea

What is the difference in cost to upgrade to the premium drink package?

Thank you for posting these photo,s . We just did this trek from the train at Dalmeny down to the port. Since we took a taxi into Edinburgh, we did not know what to expect when we got off the train at Dalmeny. When we found that path through the woods, we were certain that we had gone the wrong way! Pj

I am guessing at this, but probably right at the ships terminal but I don't know where they would drop you off if it isn't the day the ship sails. Best bet is to call Princess or your travel agent. I am sure you can change the return transfer to Victoria Coach station instead of Heathrow as long as you do it in advance. If not before sailing, then as soon as you board. Sorry I can't offer more help.

Last fall, we had a Canada New England cruise. We arrived at La Guardia only to find no pre-arranged pick up either. There was no princess reps or kiosks and I had not written down any contact number for the transfers. We ended up in a long taxi line, 1 hour, and got a taxi to the Princess hotel which was also booked. We were now worried that we had no hotel either! We had to pay for the cab, but the Princess rep at the hotel said we had to claim for reimbursement when on board. It took at least 4 or five trips to the pursers deck to get this done. We did have a room at the hotel, and we did get a refund. However all the inconvenience, wasting of time and worry was still a problem. It is my recommendation, that you always have a number handy to contact someone,and always have printed documentation for what you had booked and paid for. Having enough of the local currency for cab fare is also a good thing.

I am at a loss to explain why I received an email about the NEW a la carte menu,on my up coming cruise, when the new menu has been in place for over a year, maybe even two years. odd.

Thank you. Yes, I too, prefer the older menu. Pj

We have an upcoming cruise on the Ruby Princess. I received an email staing that Sabatini's had a new a la carte menu. Does anyone know what this menu has as options? I remember the 'old' menu, and then it was replaced by a newer menu where you did not get as many items to try. I was on the Emerald last September and was wondering if the menu has actually changed again or are they referring to the previous change? Thanks.pj

Does anyone know if big chains like Walmart or price chopper carries it .I can go to New York state if they have it

Or can bobsred mill stuff be bought on line ?Would shipping be extra

If i get it i will make the cake my Mom used to ...it is scrumptious !!the muffins too

If you go on princess they are the unassuming ones with a few grains on top ..they look like bran but are sorgo and what is great ....good for gluten allergic people ..a little butter ...yummy

Bobs RedMill products are sold in Metro stores and Loblaws maybe you can get it there.

I, too, am hoping they bring back the individual shampoo's and conditioners. But it seems most cruise lines are going the way of the dispenser. We were just on HAL and they switched to dispensers also. I really dislike the dispenser idea.

Yes, Princess has a transfer to Victoria Coach Station. We booked through a travel agent and she booked us on the transfer from Southampton to Victoria Coach Station. We did the same thing on the last British Isles cruise also. From there you can take a cab to a hotel. Or if your hotel is close to the station, you could walk..

Celebrity also does a British Isles, however they overnight in Liverpool and skip Kirkwall and Edinburgh.

Which do you believe is the better itinerary?

I was looking at the Celebrity also but booked the Ruby Princess. I think the Ruby has a better itinerary but Celebrity stays later in a few ports. We love Edinburgh and Kirkwall so for us, the Ruby was the one to pick. I had wanted to go on a Celebrity cruise, but the Ruby was a day longer,had an extra port, had Edinburgh and Kirkwall and was a bit less money. Plus we get some perks on Princess....

Ethics in cruising! Now this might be a fun topic. And then we could question whether ethics should go both ways. Consider a cruise newbie booking a cruise and thinking that they price they pay for the cruise is truly the price. Nobody tells them that they are going to arbitrarily add about $25 a day (for a couple) to their cruise bill and call it "gratuities." And then they are going to add 15% to every drink they buy (even if it is stocked in their cabin) and call that "gratuity." And then when you go to an alternative restaurant they are going to charge you for food, and then expect that you will leave an additional gratutity (not everyone does this). And on Princess (and some other lines) you can even pay more for a nice deck chair. Ok, so lets talk about the ethics or using a coffee card :)

 

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Good point! lol

My husband and I will be sailing on the Crown the day after tomorrow. We really do not like the coffee that Princess serves in the dining rooms and buffet. We have never gotten a coffee card but we think maybe it might be a good idea. Does anyone know the cost and if the atrium cafe has good coffee. Also what about the tea in the atrium? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.

The coffee card is $31. If you purchase before it before you board, through Princess Gifts etc, you don't pay tax. But you can buy it on board the day you embark. I think there are 15 punches on the card ,and one is punched every time you get a specialty coffee, such as latte or cappuccino. if you just show your card at the atrium coffee bar, you can get a freshly brewed coffee that doesn't require any punches off your card. That is only a perk of the sailing on which you bought your card. If you have leftover punches, you can use them on another Princess ship but you can't get a freshly brewed coffee on the next sailing. You can always get a freshly brewed coffee at the atrium bar at any time but they charge for it. I think it is only about a dollar .so you can always just buy the fresh coffee there instead of drinking the buffet coffee. Hope this helps. I have always found the cappuccinos and lattes to be very good. Also the fresh brewed coffee.

You will most likely be visiting Cohb (Cork) as well. There is interesting shopping at the woolen mills if you take an excursion to Blarney or Kinsale. You can use a credit card, but it is probably worth the trouble to have some Euros available there as well.

 

 

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Oh, I forgot all about Cobh. Thanks for the reminder! Lol

I , too, want to compliment you on your thread. Very enjoyable. A very good and informative read. Pj

You will need some Euros for Dublin and also for LeHavre. All the rest will be pounds. You probably only need a small quantity in case you want to buy something at a market or something small, where you might not be able to use a credit card if the item is less than a certain amount. You can get euros on the ship , (at a higher rate) or at an ATM in Dublin or LeHavre. I have always found it useful to have a small amount of the currency because you never know if you can find an ATM when you need one, or if you have time to look for one. We'll be on the Ruby in June, and plan on having some Euros, smaller bills if we can get them.

I think that mostly happens with 301 or 303. While we could definitely smell smoke in the hallway to the cabin it was strongest towards the front. Mostly because the door to the hallway nearest the cigar lounge , was kept open all the time. If that was kept shut, thereprobably wouldn't be much of a problem. We were in 309 and had no odors in the cabin at all.

It happened to me too. I stayed on the personalized for a few days then disappeared.. I re- entered and the same thing happened. It was still showing up as incomplete so I tried again and this time could not enter the info. I could not print my boarding pass because it said incomplete. I finally had my TA check on it, and she called Princess and got it fixed. They did have the info on file so I don't know why this happened. Must be a glitch. Anyway mine is fixed now and I have my boarding passes. Yay . All set to go.

We had a window suite on a British Isles cruise. It was actually slightly less in price than a mini suite. We loved it. The size and all the amenities were great. The location was good and it was in a quiet hallway .mwhen the seas were rough, an they were rough quite a few times on that cruise, you could hear noise from the stabilizers or something . There was very little movement in the cabin when the seas were rough,probably because the deck is low and the cabins are midship. The noise did not bother me, but I am also hard of hearing.. I would take that cabin again if it was available. But they are only on 3 ships, I think.

Good one!

First time on this trip would appreciate any info on weather etc..thanks:D

Go to the Ports of Call boards and click on Britain. That should help.. Weather should be good in May.

The Holiday Inn Mayfair has rooms that will take three. I don't know for sure about the other Holiday Inn properties in London but they may also. The Mayfair location is a few steps from the Green Park tube station.

Thanks for your responses. I am looking forward to the cruise. We were on the Emerald last year and with the exception of Crown Grill and Sabatini's , we didn't find the food as good as on previous Princess cruises. As the first poster stated, I guess it depends on who's cooking. Glad to hear the positives about the Ruby.

How good is the food on the Ruby Princess? Any recommendations?

Is there transportation from the dock to the town of Edinburgh

without taking a tour?

How far is it?

There used to be a shuttle to and from Edinburgh, not sure of the cost. There is also a train from South Queensferry to Waverly station in Edinburgh. There is lot of info on this if you search this forum. There are also taxis available, and it isn't that expensive if you can find another couple to share.. I forget how far it is in distance but it takes about 40-45 min to get there, if I remember rightly.