Stevesan

I doubt traveling alone triggers any alarms.

I've traveled solo frequently the past six years. Never once been delayed at customs.

In Fall 2013, the Caribbean Princess arrives in Brooklyn on Saturday, 9/14, and is doing 7 day cruises to Canada/New England round trip from Brooklyn befoer repositioning to Houston on 10/26.

 

The Emerald Primcess arrives in Brooklyn on Thursday, 9/26, and is doing three 10 day cruises one way to/from Brooklyn to/from Quebec City then repositioning to Florida from Quebec. These two ships have done these routes for the past few years.

 

In 2014, the Caribbean will be Florida in the fall and the Emerald in Europe repositioning to Fort Lauderdale in October. So it doesn't look like either of those will be doing fall cruises from the NY area next year.

 

However, the Ruby arrives in NYC on Monday, 9/22/14 and the Royal arrives on Saturday, 9/27/14. No further cruises are shown for either ship yet.

 

I speculate (because that's what these boards are good for) that these 2 ships will be doing the fall cruises out of NYC next year. Based on the days of the week that the ships arrive in NY, I think the Ruby will be doing the 10 day one way to Quebec and the Royal wil be doing the 7 day round trips.

 

I won my bet yesterday that RCI's Quantum would be coming to Cape Liberty, so I'm hoping to get lucky with the Royal Princess for next year.

My Cruise Personalizer says:

"09/14/13 New York City (Manhattan Or Brooklyn), New York"

The "New York Cruise" schedule web site has my ship, Carribean Princess, at the Brooklyn terminal on Sept 14.

http://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

We were in P205 on the Emerald and it was very quiet except for the thruster noise occasionally when docking. We love Plaza deck because of the closesness to International Cafe, etc and like not having to wait for elevators when coming back from shore excursions.

That's what I wanted to hear. P308 is a keeper. I can roll out of bed and be at the coffee bar.:p

The thruster noise might be a good wake up call. It's a port intensive cruise: only one sea day.:)

Thank y'all for your responses.

BTW - My signature names the ship (Caribbean).

Booked a Plaza Deck Cabin, P308, for ease of access to the IC, Internet, etc.

Now I’m wondering if performers noise, a very loud steel drum on my last cruise, can be heard in the cabins?

We really enjoyed sailing out of NY especially when the Crown came into service and did that quite a bit.

 

The market changes all the time. Look at Galveston, Princess was there for a time a few years ago then they left. Now they are back but changing to the Port of Houston.

 

They go where the money is.

The terminal authority must have given Princess and Norwegian a one time good deal $$ to relocate to the Bayport terminal. Why else would they agree to sail about 30 miles further up and back down the ship channel?

It is right purty:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Bay+Port+Terminal+pictures&qpvt=Bay+Port+Terminal+pictures&FORM=IGRE

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/maps/portmaps.php?mapid=txhou

Bayport Terminal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The facilities at Bayport include a cruise ship terminal, built at a cost of US$81 million.[3] The terminal briefly saw use for cruises following Hurricane Ike when ships were re-routed from the damaged Port of Galveston to Bayport for nearly two months. Bayport Cruise Terminal will become port of call for both Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line in 2013-2014.

Walkie-Talkie on a ship: good idea? Especially when two groups of people and you are constantly doing different things etc.

 

Has anyone used walkie-talkie to get in touch with family and friends on a ship?

See what you did?

Ask a simple question about walkie talkies and it morphs into dissertations about the laws and rules of using ham radio equipment.

Shame on you!:p

Walkie-Talkie on a ship: good idea? Especially when two groups of people and you are constantly doing different things etc.

 

Has anyone used walkie-talkie to get in touch with family and friends on a ship?

We used walkie talkies with our grandson. That was on Grand Princess.

They worked fine until he "lost" his .:rolleyes:

I would like details on such a marvelous contraption. Not necessarily for taking on a cruise, but it sounds ideal for the kitchen!

 

Rick

admitted coffee snob

http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=coffee+grinders&qpvt=coffee+grinders&FORM=HURE

http://www.consumersearch.com/coffee-grinders

On our recent Golden cruise, the coffee in the Horizon Court was way too weak. Occasionally I got a decent cup in the Main Dining room.

 

I guess I could be considered a coffee snob by some here. I have even tried roasting my own, and the best coffee is fresh roasted Kona. I had to have a bag of green Kona beans shipped from Hawaii, in order to do that. I have since found Keurig machines to my liking. When i was roasting my own, I learned that exposure to air is what kills the flavor of coffee. As soon as the coffee is roasted, the clock starts ticking on it's flavor. The optimum flavor is about a day after it is roasted, because it needs to degas a little. The next thing that speeds up the clock is grinding the beans.

 

I used to go to the Costco type stores and buy the large cans of coffee, thinking I was saving a lot of $. By the time I got a third of the way through the can it was almost flavorless.

 

Starbucks is successfull because they use a dark roast. What this means is the beans are roasted longer(burnt) and that gives the coffee its burnt flavor. The reason they do this is because the burnt flavor is more consistant. No matter what the quality of the bean is, when you burn it, it tastes similar to other burnt coffee. When you get coffee at any Starbucks they pretty much all taste the same. By the way, most coffee lovers that roast their own would NEVER roast Kona beans as a dark roast.

 

Bold coffee is merely just a stronger flavor. It can be achieved by using a particular bean(blend) or by just mixing more coffee into the water. There is a difference between dark roast and bold.

 

The reason Keuring is so successful is that each K-cup is sealed from the air. You can buy a month's supply of a given flavor of K-cup and the last cup of a given lot will taste pretty much the same as the first one.

 

I would like to see the buffets on ships install Keuring machines for the passengers to use, with K-Cups they bring on board or K-cups they could be selling in the store on board. Keurig would probably give them the machines for the exposure it would give them to the people who have never tried it.

 

I first discovered Keuring before they ever started making home machines. I started communicating with them so that I could get one when they did.

 

The best thing about K-Cups is when someone in your family prefers a different flavor or decaf vs regular. With a regular coffeemaker, there is lingering flavor of the last pot made that intermingles with the current pot. There's no waste with K-cups, either.

 

My current K-cup favorite: Newman's Own, Special Blend, Medium Roast, Extra Bold. I used to get Timothy's 10% Kona Blend, but the current favorite is better IMHO.

Fresh roast is my supplier's middle name.:p He roasts on site.

100% agree about the Kona. Why kill a good thing?

I like "Bill's Blend", a combination of Kona And Columbian Supremo. A nice combo.

http://www.javacoffee.com/Coffee/Blended-Coffees/Bill-s-Blend-p1323.html

We have not been on a Princess cruise in 10 years.... Going on the Crown soon... I've read that the International Cafe has better coffee... Is the coffee there all extra charge? Or is the extra charge for specialty drinks only? ( tried doing a search-- and didn't find the answer.) THANKS for any help. :)

See post #46.

There's a difference between a liquid concentrate & syrup even if both come in a bag! :rolleyes:

 

Since the coffee isn't a sweet liquid it's a concentrate & maybe check a dictionary before telling anyone that they're wrong. :rolleyes:

 

Syrup: any of various thick, sweet liquids prepared for table use from molasses, glucose, etc.

 

Concentrate: to intensify; make denser, stronger, or purer, especially by the removal or reduction of liquid

Concentrate is probably incorrect, but it's commonly used in referring to it as a syrup. My coffee supplier who owns the store and has spent his adult life buying and selling coffees and teas calls it "syrup".:p

At the International Café and some lounges:

Brewed coffee is $1.25/cup, most specialty coffees are $2.50-$2.75 for a regular size, espresso $1.75.

$33.35, including gratuity, buys a coffee card with fifteen punchouts for specialty coffees, and unlimited brewed coffee at the cafes and lounges that have brewed coffee. You can also use it in the dining rooms for specialty coffees. The server is directed to take two punch outs for double shot orders, some do, some don't.

Since the coffee card is for a discrete quantity it's not time limited. If there are punch outs remaining at the end of the cruise the card will carry over to the next cruise. The unlimited brewed coffee does not carry over.

__________________

If you are accustomed to good quality coffee, you definitely will want a coffee card. The vile concoction in the Horizon Court (buffet) is syrup based. Room service and dining room coffee are also syrup based. I must say the dining room coffee tastes a tad better. Maybe the kitchen staff cleans their machine.

Not that syrup-based coffee is always a bad thing. My hometown source, http://www.javacoffee.com/, informs me there are different grades for syrup coffee, just as with ground coffee. Regardless of grade, the taste of syrup based is always going to be somewhat inferior to an equivalent grade of ground. Based on flavor, Princess must use the lowest grade (cheapest) available.

You'll find brewed coffee from grounds at some lounges, and in the International Cafe. Not all ships have the Int'l Cafe. They do, however, have a Coffee Bar for regular and specialty coffees.

Thanks! I purchased mine through Lands End.

 

http://www.landsend.com/pp/womens-aquaterra-long-sleeve-rash-guard~246901_59.html

Another cheer leader for rash guard shirts.

I always wear mine for UV protection. My Body Glove is 50UVP. It's also good for deterring the little stingy things.

Nearly all sporting goods and dive shop stores carry them.

It's a good idea to try it on. Most are tight (they are designed for surfers), so size fit is important.

BTW - Body Glove usually has "loose fit" shirts for those of us with a bit of a bulge around the middle.:p

Try Dick's Sporting Goods.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4417978&sr=1&origkw=rashguard

Galveston's cruise terminal lacks capacity to handle the influx of "new" cruise ships. It barely handles the current load. The cruise lines will offer transfers.

There are plenty of hotels near both Houston airports.

Bayport Terminal: 22 miles from HOU

(42 miles from HOU to Galveston Cruise terminal)

Bayport Terminal: 48 miles from IAH

(78 miles from IAH to Galveston Cruise terminal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2012/11/15/houstons-bayport-cruise-terminal.html

We have always found other transportation options from LHR to Southampton. Once we did an International Friends tour that picked us up at the ship and handled us (and our luggage) all day long for 45 pounds. It took us first to Salisbury Cathedral, then on to Stonehenge and Windsor, before delivering us and our bags to our hotel in London. This was a great tour.

 

We have also had good luck with the National Coach to and from LHR to Southampton. The National Coaches are, BTW, equipped with free wifi.

 

We are considering a Princess transfer from Galveston back to Bush airport for our February cruise. There really aren't many other options.

 

I wonder if it will be any easier when the ships move to Houston?[/quote]

 

The airports are closer:

 

Bayport Terminal

22 miles from HOU

 

(42 miles to Galveston Cruise terminal)

==========================================

48 miles from IAH

 

(78 miles to Galveston Cruise terminal)

==============================

Bayport Cruise Terminal

4700 Cruise Road

Pasadena, Texas 77586

We love the plaza deck inside cabins, cant beat the great location for many of our night time activities. As mentioned above, the art gallery is a great neighbor, no noise! We have sailed these cabins on Crown and Caribbean Princess and will be on the ruby next week in the same area!

 

Although we sailed with my brother and sister in law on the Crown and they were randomly assigned one of the alternate layout cabins on the Rivera deck and they dis seem larger and they really liked the layout. They did not report any issues with noise. I believe they were in R407.

They are very popular. I've occasionally seen them priced higher than other categories.

We did not have a noise or light problem the one time we were in one of these cabins, but when you are coming into the cabin you need to be more careful that no one inside is in a state of undress in view of a passerby.

I've booked these cabins a number of times and my experience mirrors yours.

I am considering a cruise on the Crown Princess and for this cruise I am happy with an inside cabin. I am lucky enough to have been in many cartegories of room from Suite to inside and an inside will suite me in the instance. My question is are there any inside cabins which are better than others, whether that be in size, location or anything else I haven't considered.

Many thanks in advance for your help. Merry Christmas!

There are six super secret inside cabins on Riviera deck. I'll tell you the numbers, but you have to promise you won't divulge them to anyone else!

R403, 407, 508, 507, 514, 515.

They're easy to spot because they appear larger on the deck plan:

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/kp/deck_plans/index.html

They are somewhat larger, but their primary attraction is the design. Their layout is far better than the other cabins. Believe it or not, the closets actually have doors!

Does anyone know if the "old style" coffee cards which still have punches left are accepted for the expresso type coffees?

Extract from post #10.

"Since the coffee card is for a discrete quantity it's not time limited. If there are punch outs remaining at the end of the cruise the card will carry over to the next cruise. The unlimited brewed coffee does not carry over. "

Trust me when I say it is not as bad as at least two other cruise lines.:D

HAL is not one. HAL's ships use a good brand of ground coffee, Beukenhorst, in their buffets.

http://beukenhorst-usa.com/

Coke stickers and coffee cards are one of the many rip-offs that Princess shoves down passengers throats the minute they board our ships. My suggestion, bring your own sodas (yes, it is allowed). As far as coffee goes, the so-called brewed coffee is just the same stuff that they bring down from Horizon Court and put in a coffee pot.

Coffee is fresh brewed in the International Cafe. You can watch as the barristers load the machines.

If you are accustomed to good quality coffee, you definitely will want a coffee card. The vile concoction in the Horizon Court (buffet) is syrup based. Room service and dining room coffee are also syrup based. I must say the dining room coffee tastes a tad better. Maybe the kitchen staff cleans their machine. :rolleyes:

Not that syrup-based coffee is always a bad thing. My hometown source, http://www.javacoffee.com/, informs me there are different grades for syrup coffee, as with ground coffee. Regardless of grade, the taste of syrup based is always going to be somewhat inferior to an equivalent grade of ground. Based on flavor, Princess must use the lowest grade (cheapest) available.

The coffee card details:

In the International Café and some lounges:

Brewed coffee is $1.25/cup, most specialty coffees are $2.50-$2.75 for a regular size, espresso $1.75.

$33.35 buys a coffee card with fifteen punch outs for specialty coffees, and unlimited brewed coffee at the cafes and lounges that have brewed coffee. You can also use it in the dining rooms for specialty coffees. The server is directed to take two punch outs for double shot orders, some do, some don't.

Since the coffee card is for a discrete quantity it's not time limited. If there are punch outs remaining at the end of the cruise the card will carry over to the next cruise. The unlimited brewed coffee does not carry over.

One way flights can be less expensive when booked with EZAir, especially when flying overseas.

The eZair fare differential reserving directly with the airline for return business class following my Tansatlantic cruise priced at a whopping X2.7!

I locked in Flexible air by paying the air fare and cruise balance. Both are refundable up until the standard precruise/flight dates.

It is MY reservation, and can't be changed by Princess. I confirmed that with the Princess air desk. I was assigned an airline booking number, logged in to the airline by way of "virtuallythere.com", accessed the airline's booking confirmation and selected a seat.

I didn't reserve via Cruise Personalizer. I telephoned Princess and a representative made the reservation, patiently talking me through the process and answering questions.

I've gotten so leary of what they are sellilng and calling vanilla, I buy what I want from William Sonoma and don't worry about it.

 

Through the years we purchased it in the shops near where the ships dock and it seemed fine but I'm uncomfortable buying it now..... not really sure why. :o

 

Ditto!:p

No need to go abroad to lug home bottles of good quality vanilla extract.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=mexican%20pure%20vanilla%20extract

I have been using these for years with excellant results:

 

http://www.amazon.com/ALOKSAK-Water-Sand-Proof-Multi/dp/B001DPY6QK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342357178&sr=8-1&keywords=LOKSAK+Aloksak

Aloksak ia a good product, but they are not foolproof. I've had a couple develop a leak after a time.

I'd never put anything in one that could be damaged by water, especially my passport. I got a passport card for shore trips. It's use is limited, but it's better than a "paper" copy of a passport.:p

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html