BJS

We were on a round trip from Seattle last May with day in Glacier Bay, and had a covered mini suite on the port side. We saw lots of wildlife from our balcony (many, many whales, lots of seals, sea birds, a grizzly bear, many eagles, and several mountain goats). The scenery was beautiful too -- I have many pictures from the balcony and even inside the room looking out with snow-capped mountains and tree-covered islands. I don't think it probably matters that much on which side since it's round trip, but we did enjoy the port side especially while docked in Juneau. At the end of a wonderful day in port, we sat on our balcony watching the tram go up and down the hill, when I spotted something white moving up the mountain. Got the binculars out and realized it was a herd of mountain sheep grazing in a grassy meadow wayyyyyyyyy up the mountain. We sat on the balcony watching them for an hour or so as we enjoyed the sunset. So in that instance, a port side cabin was great!

 

As far as 'open deck vs balcony views' argument, we found the balcony to be more enjoyable for us. We had ready access to our cold-weather gear, drinks, binoculars, bathroom, and just getting warm as needed. We turned on the TV and enjoyed the naturalist's narrative while on our balcony, and indeed that is how we were able to see the grizzly bear while entering Glacier Bay National Park. I don't know if we would have been able to spot it while jockeying for a spot along the rail on the open decks.

 

Also we enjoyed the day in Glacier Bay much more from our balcony than the open decks. While viewing Margerie Glacier up close from our balcony we heard the popping, hissing, groaning, and other unique sounds of the glacier. It was surreal! As the captain turned the ship for the other side to view, we ran up to the open decks to continue the enjoyment. Unfortunately, all we heard were people talking and other ship sounds. There is no way anybody could hear the same sounds we heard from the solitude of our balcony!

 

It was also easier to spot the seals, whales, and birds up close from our Emerald deck balcony as they were directly below us several times. So cool!

 

This is probably way more feedback than the OP was looking for, but just thought I'd add my .02. Enjoy your cruise whichever cabin you choose! Alaska is beautiful and you can't go wrong no matter what cabin you have on the ship:)

Said wonderfully and we totally agree:)

For us the cruise we enjoyed the least was the one in an inside cabin. We found having to jockey to get a position at the rail to see and photograph the glaciers was almost impossible. The other two cruises to Alaska we had a balcony and enjoyed all the above mentioned and never felt we were missing anything. We were on the port side once and starboard once and it didn't seem to matter which we were on. All 3 cruises were round-trip from Seattle.

Enjoy Alaska!

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Can someone differentiate for me the difference between "laundry service" and "cleaning service" aboard Princess? Are both services free of charge for elite? Is cleaning service any more gentle and can it be used for just better slacks and tops or is it mostly for men's suits/jackets and such that would be sent to a dry cleaners at home? Thanks!

Yes, both are free of charge for Elite.

Cleaning service is similar to land "dry cleaning". If you would send those slacks and tops to the cleaners you can also do so on the ship.....so far we have not had any issues with that but we also cross our fingers.

Laundry service is done in a washer and dryer.

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We've had damage to items sent to the laundry. Sometimes small holes suddenly appear after sending off to them. That's happened 3 times. Then they use a mannequin type form to place shirts over to press them. My long sleeve Tees came back all stretched out at the waistband. Then there's the laundry ink on the tags they attach to your clothes. Sometimes it shows up on the outside of the seam they place it on.

 

Needless to say we rarely send anything off for "free laundry" anymore. I do my own, so I have something left to wear!

I had posted about the laundry ink tags "bleeding" through on the fabric on another thread and was told I didn't know what I was talking about because the tags are ironed on.....glad to hear you also relate to this.

Just got off of the Star Princess and the Elite laundry was the worst ever. Several times on the 15 day cruise laundry was not returned for 3 days. Three times we had to send the room steward back to the laundry to find missing items. DH socks came back with a safety pin still in them. Holes in hankies and also socks from the pins. Tux shirt was ironed so poorly with huge wrinkles DH could not have removed his jacket if he'd wanted to.

In Nov. on the Star zipper pull was missing on a pair of Dockers but ship did repair them at our request.

When first Elite we would send things out to save on the packing but I never send any of my things and DH sends very few things....it is just not worth the damage that they do. This has happened not just on the Star Princess but on most all of the Princess ships we have sailed on.

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Our b2b on the Caribbean Princess Oct/Nov were two 5 day cruises. We had 2 separate booking numbers.

(Princess will sometimes sell longer cruises in segments and they are treated as separate bookings with separate booking numbers and if the longer cruise is booked it is treated as one single cruise with one booking number. In the past it depended on how you booked as to the amount of internet time you received, etc.)

Things were much different this time when we boarded the Caribbean Princess our cruise key card was dated for the entire 10 days and keeping the same room we did not get a new one. We got Princess status credits for 2 cruises, we got 2 mini bars, we had our internet minutes that were unused rolled over to the second cruise, and our shipboard account closed balance for the first 5 days was transferred to the second 5 days. We got two share holder OBC because we submitted both booking numbers.

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...I'm not sure Princess refunds that OBC, so, you'll have to buy a couple of shorexes...or lots of drinks...or eat in a specialty restaurant, etc. to make up that other $130 in OBC......

You can get cash for these OBC credits and don't have to buy anything. Just go to a slot machine and put that amount into the "bank" after signing in as required. After the money is in the "bank" go to the cashier's cage and get the cash out of the "bank". This worked great for us when we had $400 OBC for the Caribbean Princess 5 day cruise specials in Oct/Nov. You will have the charge show up on your shipboard account but with the OBC credit it will equal out to zero assuming you have not put any charges on ...do remember that the daily gratuity will show as a charge so you will probably not want to use the entire OBC.

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Hi all new to cruise critic.. but not to cruising.. just a few under our belt.. was looking for some veteran advice on pricing for the princess 3 day cruise out of LA on the crown princess sailing date 19 jan2015.. it is down to $199 for a balcony and you get a $100 per person shipboard credit... now that's pretty cheap and did a quick look at the ship inventory.. a lot of cabins still available.. but was wondering if anyone based on their experience think that this may even get cheaper.. don't get me wrong.. I will gladly take $99.. but if some of the pros on the cite think it may go lower I have little to loose by waiting.. yes??? could it go up??

 

Thanks in advance for your help and knowledge..

Anything is possible but at that price haven't seen these cruises go any lower especially with the OBC.

Last year I'd read that they gave FCC credit for another cruise when the ships didn't fill up for the Coastal cruises. I don't know the details but based on that I doubt the price will drop any more.

Well--I think my husband's JC Penney's 100% cotton undies can withstand the laundry--they did quite well with HALs a few months ago......

We just found that for some reason on some ships they take a large pin and pin all the underwear together. We were told that is how they keep one persons things separate from the next persons. It must be when things got tangled in the washer that the holes occured....has not happened often but it has happened on a couple of occasions.

Princess irons on a tag as well.

 

We haven't had anything stamped in the last 10 years.

 

Mike:)

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So--Princess just uses a stamp? That's a bit worrisome

Can someone tell me if there is a formal night or not, on a 4 night cruise please?

 

Thanks :)

We have been told by airline employees that should the plan be overloaded sometimes luggage is not put on the flight with you but if they see cruise tags on luggage it gets priority so we now always put it on before leaving home.

After many, many flights and no problem with luggage tags our last flight to FLL resulted in the tags (2 on 1 bag) getting torn to pieces to the point we had to borrow a stapler from the pre-cruise hotel to fix them. We will apply clear tape over them in the future.

We now print out and take a couple of extra just in case we need new ones when we pick up our luggage at the airport.

With the new tags you print out it is not easy like the old ones that had the sticky ends to put them on at the airport. Directions call for stapling the ends and we don't carry a stapler with us.

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Thanks for so many good responses. Appreciate the good help and insights.

 

I think I'm down to Princess or HAL for a southbound itinerary (see the most stuff, start off with the most dramatic change from home): 5/24 Seward --> Vancouver sailing on HAL Zaandam (best price, easier date for me to reach Anchorage in time) or 5/23 Whittier --> Vancouver on Star Princess. Seems like a coin flip to me, so leaning to the HAL option, unless someone here wants to tell me I'm crazy (about THIS issue, I mean).

 

- Joel

We'd sail with HAL again if the itinerary or price was great but not to Alaska.

If you are used to Celebrity (we sailed on the Silhouette twice this summer) you will really feel the difference on HAL but not so much on Princess.

Enjoy what ever line you take....Alaska is a great place.:)

W..........

Mostly concerned about my husband's underwear that really can't be done in the sink and dried in the cabin and I would just as soon not deal with the Laundromat--although we have had used them many times before--and we have plenty of sea days.

 

Thanks for all the quick feedback.

You can get underwear for DH that can be washed in the sink and dries before morning....but doesn't sound like you'll have to worry in a Suite

...only worry would be the condition that things are in when returned . We have had holes in underwear, hankies in shreds, zipper tabs missing from Dockers (the ship did repair that when we complained but the available tab was white rather than beige) that were sent for dry cleaning, laundry stamp dye leaving permanent stains on clothing because it bleeds through the laundry tag...that happens about 90% of the time but most of the time it is in a place that does not show but has been on back of polo shirts where it did bleed through. Even with Elite laundry we send as little as possible to be laundered or dry cleaned and we are always prepared to see some damage.

Nope, not suckered at all as it turns out. We just got our upgrade notice and will be in C414 (which is a B1, premium balcony cabin). So excited!

Good for you guys....don't always believe everything you read on these boards.

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We are looking forward to having complimentary laundry on our next cruise because we are in a suite. What is the turnaround--1 day, 2 days, or ??? While we don't want to overpack, we don't want to underpack either.

 

We are on a 14 day South American cruise that appears to be fully booked.

 

Thanks!

Always exceptions to every rule but we have found this true for the majority of the laundry.

Thanks for the info! I was hoping they'd be converting Vines to Alfredo's (although I knew it was unlikely) but it's still good to hear what we can expect to see when we board on Friday.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that would like to see that done. That area where they have the cases of Lady Godiva chocolates is a total waste. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to to re-do the entire area with a much smaller bar area and put in Alfredo's. (Oh well, guess we can dream:)) They could still have a "Vines" and also have the Alfredo's.

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We were also off the Star before her dry dock. At our second Meet & Greet, we invited Customer Service Director Mario Alberto to speak about their dry dock period. We gave him 10 minutes and he spoke about: 1000 contractors will be fed and housed on the ship. Forty tons of materials and equipment will be loaded as we disembark. Thirty tons of food to feed the contractors and ships crew for 10 days. Twenty thousand yards of carpet was loaded before the Nov. 24 Hawaiian cruise and carpet laying started at mid-night to 8 am, during our 15 days cruise and it was not completed. Also on board was a crew that was wiring the whole ship for Wifi. Inspecting the 6 thrusters, 6 diesel engines, along with some upgrades. Replacing glass panels on deck 14 that were crack. Paint and refinish the wall panels in the Art Gallery. They expect to be finish in 7 to 8 days and then do a half day of sea trials. I'm sure other work was performed during this dry dock. Should be ready for the next Hawaiian Christmas/New Year's cruise.

Great information....thanks for the posting....we will board on the 19th.

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Did she not go to dry dock in Vancouver? Or was she dry docked in both Vancouver and SFO?

Dry dock SF Pier 70 from Dec 9-19, 2014.

This was just after Hawaii cruise and before our Dec 19th Hawaii cruise.

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Wow. We just paid $8.05/pp/pd for soda & more package. That's a price drop? We loved that package.

 

 

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We are looking to book our first B2B. It will be on the Caribbean Princess a 4 and 5 day cruise. I was wondering if the MUTS will be the same on both legs. Any information would be appreciated.

Almost 100% possibility that things will be the same - movies, food, production shows and just about everything were the same for our Oct/Nov b2b 5 day cruises. The only exception was for guest entertainers who were different and a Halloween Party was added.

With the large OBC credits we had we made them different by going to the Specialty Restaurants and choosing to do different things.

Enjoy your cruise...we did.:)

Has anyone booked in an inside cabin been able to take advantage of the specialty restaurant promo? I have been told that that offer is only good for oceanview cabins and higher. I'd like to find out if this is really true.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Here is what it says...should apply to inside also if promo is for the cruise. When doing a booking where the promo is offered & choosing inside stateroom it comes up with the OBC so dining should also apply.

50TH ANNIVERSARY SALE: TERMS & CONDITIONS

Sale ends February 26, 11:59pm PT

Celebrate 50 years with Princess Cruises with our BIGGEST SALE EVER! Save up to $500 per person*, get up to $200 FREE Anniversary spending money‡ and FREE specialty dining for 2**! PLUS bring your loved ones with up to 50% off 3rd and 4th guests†! BOOK TODAY with a REFUNDABLE reduced deposit of $100!^

† 3rd & 4th guests up to 50% off is based on a discount off the third and/or fourth person fares in a stateroom. Discount is taken at time of booking.

 

^ Reduced deposit of $100 per person applies to all guests in a stateroom. Deposits made under this promotion are refundable and non-transferable.

 

‡ Free onboard spending money is in the form of an onboard credit. Up to $200 USD onboard credit per stateroom applies to select sailings and varies according to category booked and sailing duration. Any unused onboard credit is non-refundable. Past guests may qualify for lower fares than those advertised that do not combine with the Onboard Credit offer. Free spending money is determined by length of voyage; 7-10 days: $100 per stateroom, 11 or more days: $200 per stateroom. See website included below for more details.

 

** Bookings on applicable sailings will receive a complimentary dinner for two in one of our onboard specialty restaurants, Sabatini’s, Crown Grill, Bayou Cafe, or Sterling Steakhouse. Restaurants vary by ship and reservations will be made on your behalf by Princess. Special dining events that take place in Specialty restaurants are excluded from the dining offer. Offer cannot be used toward the purchase of specialty dining packages. Alcoholic beverages and sodas are not included, and are available at an additional cost. Specialty dining gratuities are included. It will be at the guest’s discretion as to which two guests in the booking redeems the offer. One offer per stateroom. Offer is non-transferable, has no cash value and Princess reserves the right to substitute for an onboard credit of equal value and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the last evening of the cruise.

 

* Save up to $500 per person is based on a discount off applicable Launch Fares on a space available basis at time of booking on select sailings only. Launch Fares are offering fares and may not have been in effect for the past 90 days or resulted in actual sales in all categories. Intermediate discounts may have been taken and fares may remain at discounted levels after this promotion. Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. Fares for other categories, sailings and cruisetours may vary. Fares are per person, non-air, cruise- or cruisetour-only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. These fares do not apply to singles or third/fourth-berth guests. Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses of up to $450 are additional and subject to change. This offer applies to new bookings only, is capacity controlled and may not be combinable with any other public or past guest discount. Offers available to residents of the 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda and the District of Columbia who are 21 years of age or older and receive this offer. Fares quoted in U.S. dollars. Please refer to princess.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings.

 

Offer expires: February 26, 2015. Reference promotion code: R50, RTA.

 

Note: For assistance reserving a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, please contact customer service at 1-800-774-6237.

...... I am personally furious about these changes, as my husband and I, along with 2 other couples, booked this same cruise before we knew about Princess's money grubbing plans. I have just become an Elite Princess cruiser, but with their present attitude toward passenger comfort and enjoyment, this will be my last Princess cruise. Obviously, Princess doesn't value us, so this should make them happy.

Sounds like maybe you should reconsider going on this cruise. If you are going to be miserable I'm sure that will transfer to the 2 other couples. Why not choose a cruise that will make you happy and thus all of you will be happy.:confused:

Loved it when there were two shows to go to but if the Island is like the other ships we have recently sailed on that rear lounge has not been used for a second show so why is it needed except for game shows, dances, etc. which can easily be held in the Explorer's Lounge.

Quite possibly for many these changes will hold little importance when deciding to sail on the Island Princess.

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The Island could still cruise near the Grand Canal (no cruise ship could ever go up it) even if the rear part of the promenade deck was not eliminated, the rear lounge was not eliminated, outside viewing space at the front and rear was not changed to cabins, the gym relocated, the library reduced in size, etc.

 

Squeezing more cabins onto the ship while reducing public space has to do with enhancing income, not sailing to Venice.

Agree totally that the changes you mentioned have nothing to do with her ability to cruise Venice.

I should have clarified it was for more staterooms so that more passengers (agree that creates more revenue) could be accommodated on those Venice cruises since the Island is under the 96,000 tonnage permitted to sail in the lagoon.

... Have read about shore excursion issues with Princess including high prices, poor planning, etc. ....

Need your advise and help.

Thanks

rogernorma

You will find many people on these boards who will advise you to never book a Princess shore excursion. The roll calls are great for meeting those that do want to do private excursions.

We have taken many, many Princess excursions - probably at least 3-4 or more per cruise and 27 cruises so do have a great deal of experience with them. Out of all the 100 plus tours we have only had 1 or 2 that were poor and that was mainly from equipment failure with the microphone system on the bus. Some guides have been really great and other have just been good.

I have spoken with many who have decided to just do their own thing when reaching a port and for various reasons have not been successful. Those that book private excursions do seem very satisfied but when I read what it is costing them there does not seem to be much price difference. Small groups in vans or sedans sounds great but when we have been on excursions with those types of transportation it has been impossible for those not seated by a window to see the sights while driving.

For us dealing with trains, buses, taxi and other forms of transportation in ports just doesn't meet our needs. We cruise and tour for a stress-free and relaxing experience.

I won't go into the pros of taking a Princess excursion and having the ship waiting should you return late but will mention that things do happen that are beyond the tour company's control so even if it happens rarely it is a possibility.

You have chosen a great itinerary and we have taken several Princess excursions in all the ports except Toulon which we have not visited. Find excursions that interest you and make the most of your cruise. The best tours are the ones that meet your expectations and interests not those of someone else. Cruises in Europe are not cheap and possibly spending an extra dollar or two on an excursion will make the "perfect" trip.

The Island Princess is going to under go major changes. By going onto Princess dot com and going to cruise ships Island Princess you will see under deck plans the layout before and after May 22, 2015 so you can compare.

There is speculation as to why the changes, which many are unhappy about, but it is possibly because the larger ships will no longer be allowed up the Grand Canal in Venice and the Island's size will probably allow that to happen.

Have a great cruise no matter what you decide to do.:)

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Table for 2 in Traditional early seating has worked well for us.

FYI we had a table for 6 last cruise and because of the show times we never missed the Princess Theater show ...some nights was 8:15 and other nights 8:45 with a 7:15 first show.

The ships seem to be having just one main show vs the one in the Princess Theater and one in Vista Lounge (Club Fusion or what every rear lounge is named on the ship) like they had for years.

We used to go to the Anytime dining room but about a year ago things change and we found on some ships we had to go as early as 5:15 to get a table for 2 (even though posted opening time was 5:30). You can reserve on the "dine line" but that often requires a very long wait with lots of busy signals only to be told "no tables for 2 @ that time but 8:00 pm is available".

This has resulted in back to Traditional where we can eat at a "decent" time to fit our eating habits without all of the hassle ATD has become.

Sorry you are upset

I can understand this but really no different than other promo like regional where some get much better prices, casino OBC, etc.and others.

One really has to look at the "fine print" for everything now a days to see what is included and what deposits are not refundable, etc.

You even need to be aware that pre-reserved shore excursions are often cheaper because they can be as much as 20% more when you wait until you board the ship.

You also need to bring print outs for everything to prove the price and the amount of OBC you are entitled to. There are so many promos being offered some get lost in the shuffle.