milolii

@donswifeor @dides thanks for your pics. This type suite looks interesting. Is there a second TV in the bedroom?

@cr8tiv1agree with your points. Regarding the photos, the station probably just searched for pics of Princess ships. This is what I see in the video in post #72. Opening shot: The Grand docked in Oakland/Alameda on March 10, 2020. They had to dig to find that clip. Probably didn’t realize what they were uploading into their story. Anyone else see that?

Did you sail the Pacific in this suite? We’ve sailed forward on the Enchanted out of NYC to New England, it wasn't bad at all. But we’ve also sailed up from Mexico to LA and that was a bit of a ride just near the front. We enjoy the lounge as well, as Princess doesn’t have coffee machines in the suites. But we send the laundry out.

One of the passengers in the video does state she called Princess as she knew her passport was going to expire durning the crusie. She then states she was told it was OK, she didn’t need it. So it sounds like that person knew about the requirements. Just requiring passports for all Princess cruises might be a better option. But then that might discourage some business.

Yea that’s what I thought. Post #2 has the “old” prices. I think the OP hasn’t been on this forum in a while, sailing with other lines.

@donswife thanks for the pic. Looks great

Didn’t the prices go up? Crown Grill $39.00 and Sabatini’s $35.00? Yes, first night dinning is included in full suite perks for cruises 6 days or longer. You can reserve in the app before boarding, no charge. The “mini-suites” are not included and have different perks.

We’ve sailed on NCL several times, although never on POA. The crew members, by law, are either US citizens or green card holders as you state. We always meant to take that cruise as we owned a vacation home on the Big Island for 10 years. The food is definitely better on Princess, except for the NCL steakhouse Cagney’s. Anyway, we enjoy NCL and Princess, sailing both in 2022. Included dinning besides the buffet and poolside, consists of 2 or 3 dinning rooms, a diner/pub, and an Asian restaurant. You pay for Sushi or at a Sushi Bar. The pay restaurants usually include Cagney’s, Italian, Brazilian and French. Bigger ships - more options of both. Some specialty dinning is included in your fare, 1-2 nights, depending on the length of the cruise. You pay gratuities. There is so much to do in Hawaii, I think you would be off the ship most of the time. It’s really about the destination. My recommendation always is to take a land trip and visit at least two islands, over at least ten days. But if you can’t do that, then POA. I enjoyed your background information on POA. She initially sunk at her hull at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Germany in 2004 durning a storm. The Pride of Aloha(NCL Sky) was brought over to start the runs and NCL acquired the Spirit to replace the Sky. The Spirit is known within the company as a ship that helped saved NCL at a precarious time in their history. This is what the Spirit’s Captain told us while we were onboard a few years ago. Enjoy your vacation whatever your decision.

Here is the list of FULL suite benefits. Be careful as a “mini suite” is not the same as a full suite. https://www.princess.com/learn/ships/staterooms/suites/ You state lowest class suite, so make sure you determine if it is a mini suite or a full suite. The lowest class full suite is usually a Vista or Premium Suite.

Here is a link to the insurance forum. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ We use tripinsurancestore.com. We had a claim in June due to CoVID and are happy with the outcome.

Yes, I plan to purchase the ticket in January, so I will clarify all this with my agent before I buy the ticket and request early ticketing.

I have never had Princess insurance and always used Tripinsurancestore after reading reviews here. We did submit a claim in June as I caught CoVID in Scotland (land trip) and was happy with my reimbursement, which I received in July. So about a month turnaround. But I am now going to send my agent an email about EZ Air after thinking about this. She has told me before you can insure the air or take the credit from the airline. But the scenario you describe is a bit different. Thanks again.

Thanks for this tip. I am looking at ticketing my flight in January. I have insurance with tripinsurancestore (IMG) anyway and will add it to my coverage then. Too a bad you discovered the hard way.

Yea, I kinda figured that trip wasn’t for sale on their website as it is too short. It’s possible the one the OP is looking at isn’t either. That why I said the trick is to line up the dates if you book on your own, whereas with Princess the land portion is scheduled to line up with a cruise. I agree about the real possibility of rail strikes. We went back to flying this year from Edinburgh to London because of that possibility. We also found the trains in Germany extremely crowded this past summer due to the €9 fares. I looked for the tour also, I wonder if it is yet to be finalized.

Interestingly, there is another current thread about a land tour in Ireland, amd then flying to London from Cork to join a ship. Poster @Coral relates friends did this tour in August and Globus was the company Princess used. I thought I had read this a few months ago with regard to another cruise tour. So it is likely, that in Europe, you are essentially getting the same company (and it could be another company besides Globus) which can be booked independently for a much better cost. The trick is if the two line up with your dates.

My guess is such a train trip would be several hours, 5-6 or longer, and depart from a port in Italy. Maybe Livorno (Florence) or Trieste (Venice) to Lucerne? Not sure if this would involve a transfer at Milan? Trains are capable of great speeds but limited by mountain travel. There is a border crossing involved as Switzerland is not part of the EU. Princess does a great job with their land tours in Alaska, but I agree, there are several tour companies in Europe who do these tours very well and have been around for a long time. I’d take a tour to get the most of your trip. Many times the tours are cheaper than a DYI, due to their contracts with the hotels and transportation. The Dolomites are breathtaking. So the trip is wonderful either from a train or a tour bus. We often connect a land tour or a DYI trip with a cruise. Usually we schedule the cruise at the end. The ability to get laundry done onboard after a land trip is a great benefit. Either way, it would be interesting to read what you discover from Princess. Then you can compare and decide which options meet your needs. Enjoy, it sounds fabulous.

Are you still at home? I am thinking you are and trying to complete your pre tip requirements? If this is the case: Sometimes the background on your photo is too busy or light/dark. Try taking a pic next to a blank wall or use a sheet(no prints) for a background. Also take off glasses or/and hats.

I believe Karmel is still in operations. This is the favorite of Disneyland fans and recommended on their social media boards. https://www.karmel.com

Can you paste a link? We are getting the same information, no discount, even after signing into our account. Full price only.

Thanks for the updates.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/ I would ask this question on the British Isle Port of call boards where many locals often comment. It’s also possible there may be some who work at LHR. The moderators may transfer this thread there as well. Yep it’s correct that makeup, creams, toothpaste, all kinds of things, no matter the size, must be removed and placed in the baggies. In our experience we witnessed that the prohibited items which weren’t removed by travelers, were then tested(while you wait) and simply not thrown away. It’s their security program, so if you traverse there, you have to abide by it. Be prepared.

Ok. Ty.

Sorry, what luggage cart are you referencing? Are you saying you kept it overnight in your room? Was it your luggage cart? Or did it belong to the airport? Of the Hilton hotel? I am confused.

I paid mine on Friday using a gift card. There was even a balance after which I then went online and applied to my fare. I called the vacation planner department as my CVP is off until 12/19. Call and talk to a person.

I primary look at specific information posters may offer in their replies. But I value their opinions as well. I think this is what the OP is looking for as well. Many of posters in this thread have offered great information.