texswamper

1 hour ago, kad56 said:

Why is the coral particularly good for Alaska? I think it has a wraparound promenade deck.

It also has some. small public decks than span the entire width of the ship giving a great place to spend part of the day in Glacier Bay.  Even though we had a balcony, we spent most of Glacier Bay day on the back of deck 10 because you could walk back and forth to see what was happening on both sides of the ship.  Those decks were not crowded as they weren't known by many.  Fewer passengers would also cause me to choose the Coral again.

We are on the Discovery and 20 of our passengers were on an independent tour caught up in this but HAL allowed them to join the group stranded from their ship. We are to get them back in Ketchikan tomorrow morning. We just missed the landslide by 2 hours after spending the day doing the train and the Yukon stop at Carcross with a local guide. Definitely learned a few things from their experience. The rain yesterday was unprecedented in Skagway and along the route to Fraser. 

We are on the Discovery Princess & before we could leave, the Captain informed us that we had 20 on an independent tour that were caught in this. Sounded like Holland America came to their aid and allowed them to join the large group. We are to pick them up in Ketchikan in the morning. We had just come down from Carcross on a private tour about 2.5 hours before the slide. The rain had been unprecedented according to our guide who has lived in Skagway 28 years. Amazing amount of water coming down the mountains!

8 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

I would say tips are not expected and honestly, I don’t think it matters how the musicians are hired -not really what I need to know as a passenger on a cruise ship . I love live music….

At the moment, Princess does not have anything in place for the musicians for passengers to tip. Thank goodness in my opinion.
How many of us on a cruise ship carry around cash ? Usually all that goes in the safe until I get to port and even then it’s minimal cash carried.

Entertainment is part of your cruise fare.

Normally I feel exactly the same but last year on the Ruby, we spent 3 weeks enjoying the pianist, Lucian Stana.  We (as well as many other passengers) specifically checked the Patter everyday to see when & where he was playing.  We got to know him and at the end of our cruise, I did what I normally do with our servers & room steward.  I brought thank you cards and wrote a short note of thanks and put a cash tip that we felt like we wanted to give.  It's nice to just bless people when you can. I believe Lucian Stana is on the Sun right now.  If you ever get the opportunity to listen to him on a cruise, you will love it.  Probably the most talented pianist I've ever hear while cruising over 30 years!🙂

44 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Booking a taxi tour from your hotel / AirB&B for Winchester or the Isle of Wight isn't a good idea.

 

Winchester has a crowded little city centre & altho there's no restriction on driving into it cars aren't welcome & parking is difficult - there are large park-and-ride parking lots on the city boundary. The centre is compact and very walkable.

Better and a lot cheaper to travel to Winchester by train or bus, and if you want a guide (Paragon is a taxi service, not a tour organiser) book one based in Winchester for walking tour or join a group walking tour.

 

To get the best out of the Isle of Wight, yes a car tour makes most sense - but the cost of taking a car to the island is high and you'll be paying the driver or driver/guide for two hours or more on the ferries. So pre-book a taxi operator based on the island and cross as foot-passengers (for a tour, the hi-speed Fast Cat to (West) Cowes is best - and at the end of the tour you can spend free time in Cowes before the Fast Cat back to Southampton)

https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/isle-of-wight-ferry/fleet/redjet

 

Sorry, can't help with recommendations - we DIY in Winchester and take our own car to the IofW

 

JB 🙂

John, Thank you so much for your local knowledge & recommendations.  I always appreciate getting guidance from people who have "been there done that" so we don't make poor decisions when traveling abroad!  

2 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

We are looking at a Caribbean cruise in the winter...

I am so afraid that the fact that it can become 'stuffy' and lacks fresh air could really be a negative.

 

I wonder if they could do something to improve that situation...  Some way to open up air in and out of this area?

 

The problem with ships with open Sanctuaries up there is either the sun/heat or the wind.  I have seen either of these make this area uncomfortable or even un-useable.

We enjoyed our Circle Caribbean this February on the Emerald so much that we decided to do it again next February.  Only difference is that next year will be on the Majestic, which we have never been on.  We aren't pool people but have always spent sea days in the Sanctuary, so may not be thrilled with the Majestic without it.  It's only doing the 14 night Circle Caribbean once, so not any other choice of ships.  

On 5/28/2024 at 1:02 PM, cruisetilidrop said:

We will be going at a different time but thinking of doing 2 or 3 days before as well. Can I ask your hotel and touring plans?

Right now we are booked at the Ennios Boutique Hotel for 3 nights but I may change to a different hotel or even an Airbnb in order to have a larger room with a more comfortable seating arrangement.  We are thinking about day trip to Isle of Wight and Winchester.  I have inquired with paragon taxis about a private guided tour as well if we choose not to wing it on our own.  Just haven't made the final decision yet.   

On 2/23/2024 at 10:36 PM, amyj23 said:

Thanks to all of you for your feedback and suggestions. After I read what you said, I researched and realized how gorgeous this island is. I finally settled on a private tour of the island. I'm really looking forward to it!

Do you mind sharing who you used for the private tour?  We are visiting Funchal in October during our transatlantic cruise.  Thanks 🙂

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

So, my experience with having a cabin by the fire door on any cruise ship has been that there is a little threshold at the bottom of the doorway that causes the room service carts and the housekeeping carts to rattle every time they roll over it. That noise of rattling dishes and whatnots can be disturbing if you are a light sleeper.

We are definitely light sleepers although we are also early risers. Thank you for your experience. We have never been the cabin right on the door. I think I’ll see if there is another near that location. 

I tried to seek out reviews that mentioned this cabin being on the fire break door or having the small "white space" across the hall but couldn't really find anything other than there is no balcony connection to open w/the cabin next door if that's something you are looking for.  Has anyone stayed in that cabin or on the deck above or below that could tell me their experience with pros or cons?  This would be for a 21 nt Transatlantic cruise, so longer than just a quick 7 night cruise.  Thanks in advance for any insight!

2 hours ago, lisacdmartin said:

Just be mindful of cancellation policies. We had to skip a few ports due to weather and the excursion that I booked would not refund my money. My fault because I did not thoroughly read the cancellation policy of 72 hours.  

We had a situation in Wales in 2019 where the ship could not get into port due to the seas and the independent guide I had booked with was very unhappy and rude when I had to contact her.  We eventually sent her $100 because she complained so much about having driven to the port to pick us up.  I won't book any independent/private tours that don't offer a refund if the ship isn't able to dock but more likely I would only book tours that allow us to pay in cash on the day of the tour.  Thirty years of doing private tours we only had that one bad experience! 

On 4/18/2024 at 9:55 AM, Lady Arwen said:

To my knowledge, Princess is the only line that does not outfit standard balcony cabins with a loveseat/sofa.  Every cabin category on Celebrity and HAL (except for Pinnacle class, which has no sofa in the inside cabins only) has a sofa.  On Princess, you have to book a Royal class ship and a deluxe balcony to get one.  I believe the new Sun Princess has stepped up and provides sofas.  We always book mini suites to get  the full sofa.  

Made me unhappy when they removed the barrel chair from the balcony cabins years ago.  If we book a balcony, it has to be deluxe as well but normally we just book the mini suite for the large sofa and extra space.  I've cleaned up a chair from the balcony and left it inside last year on the Ruby just to have an extra chair.  Crazy

25 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Not sure there is one recipe.  Have found it to vary as to the ingredients (varied cheeses) and the amount of meat for example.

Have an upcoming cruise?  I would ask on board.  They always provided me any I requested with a qualifier that each chef does a bit of their own thing.

You are so right about there being different recipes!  We spent 3 weeks last year on the Ruby and LOVED the lasagna.  It was offered more than once.  We just spent 2 weeks on the Emerald and it wasn't at all like the lasagna on the Ruby & only offered once in 2 weeks lol.  

We used Invergordon Tours in 2019 for our group of 6 and had a wonderful private tour.  Wouldn't hesitate to use them again or recommend them to friends or family.

I have booked with Paragon Taxis for our cruise in October.  I read many reviews and got quotes from at least three different companies.  I think I'm also going to use them for a full day of private touring from our Southampton hotel since we are arriving three days before the cruise.  https://paragontaxis.co.uk

5 hours ago, Incredimom said:

So in another topic - can someone tell me if this is going to be a problem....

 

I noticed that the tickets do join our names together and I'm wondering if this is going to cause a problem going through security.

 

My Name is DeDe Smith and the ticket says DEDELINMRS SMITH

 

It won't be a problem.  It's just the way the computer prints the names.  We've flown many times on many different airlines with tickets that do that with the names.  Also, we've used EZ air several times but mainly on United flying first class or Business class overseas and always get to choose seats but the tickets are not paid for until final payment.  I go into the personalizer and redo flights if there's a price drop before final payment.  I have only requested early ticketing once but I won't do that again.  

19 hours ago, luvseaside said:

In room before 11:30 and got our checked bag by noon.  Unpacked and had at lunch in the MDR -broiled salmon was tasty.  Ordered the Beringer Chardonnay by the glass. 🫤. Hey, it’s all they got for now!  

Back to cabin to see if we could check in with steward & Fell asleep (getting up at 3 am is a killer).  Lol!

 

Captain making announcement that we’re planning to depart and explaining how we will leave and how fast.  He’s also warning us it will be very windy. Seas up to 10 ft tonight.  Expect rough seas tomorrow.  Up to 20 ft. Eek!

Steward just checked in & that’s taken care of. Off to sail away on Lido deck!

That's impressive that you were in the cabin by 11:30!  Last year on the Ruby from Galveston the rooms announcement wasn't made until at least 12:45 and the doors to all of the cabin hallways were closed.  Your early entrance was the way we always remember it pre shutdown but happy to hear that maybe our late time was just a Ruby issue??

1 minute ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Here is a flight I’ve been watching for a while.  The first pic below is EZ Air pricing; the second is the same flight booked direct through United. EZ Air is about half the price of booking direct.

Exactly why we choose EZ air and face the music of challenges if there are changes I suppose. 

47 minutes ago, texswamper said:

I'm in the thick of it right now with my TA because United changed our return flight from Seattle to Houston when we disembark the Discovery in July.  They changed the fight to 11 am and most people say it's a huge risk to try making that.  So, our best option now is to change to the 11 am flight on Sunday morning and stay one more night in Seattle.  We have used EZ several times pre shut down and never had any issues but now I'm seeing what others are talking about.  I know it has nothing to do with Princess but due to the airlines.  Definitely challenging but I appreciate not having to pay for tickets so far out.  Pros and cons like everything I guess.  

Update:  Didn't pan out so looks like we will have to be one of the first off the ship and pray it all works out because it was going to be a $1373 fee to cancel and $2880 pp to change flight. (first class seats) So, I will think a bit longer in the future about using EZ Air because you do lose much control.

I'm in the thick of it right now with my TA because United changed our return flight from Seattle to Houston when we disembark the Discovery in July.  They changed the fight to 11 am and most people say it's a huge risk to try making that.  So, our best option now is to change to the 11 am flight on Sunday morning and stay one more night in Seattle.  We have used EZ several times pre shut down and never had any issues but now I'm seeing what others are talking about.  I know it has nothing to do with Princess but due to the airlines.  Definitely challenging but I appreciate not having to pay for tickets so far out.  Pros and cons like everything I guess.  

On 11/13/2023 at 3:46 PM, DCThunder said:

Picked mine up in Southampton this summer and as said up thread, the "delay" was 2 minutes or less.  Am picking up in Civitavecchia next week, and I expect the same.

I have a cruise leaving from Southampton in 2024 and when I try to have the medallion sent to me in Texas through my app, it says it's not available for shipping and picking up at the port is my only option.  Is this normal??

8 hours ago, AlwayzCruising said:

We just boarded on Sunday and the lines to get on took almost an hour and a half to get in to the building before we get to security. Then another 30-45 minutes once inside to get through the security line and luckily, we were green lane, cause the blue lane was probably another good hour to two before even getting their medallions and on the ship. Once we got past security and walked past all the blue lane people, the green lane took maybe 10 minutes before we were walking the 10 minute maze to get on the ship… I’m worried about what disembarkation is going to look like next Sunday. We were told that they were NOT using the facial recognition due to there being fake passports on previous cruise… I don’t know how true that is… they also, from what I heard, locked the doors at 2:30 and if you weren’t already in line and inside the building, they wouldn’t let you in… we ended up leaving an hour late… 

the internet did not work at all the first night once we got out in to international waters. I went and spoke with guest services and they said that there was some kind of block on the internet and they had to restart to router and everyone should be getting internet in the next 20-40 minutes (that was around 9 pm…) I still didn’t have internet when I went to bed around 11:30. But, the next morning I did … also, without connecting to the medallion net network, I was unable to load the app to even see what was going on and where. Couldn’t order a drink… nothing … 

they are working out some other kinks. I have seen posts of people saying that they would order on the app an 2 hours later they still didn’t have their food or drink. ..

I sure hope it gets better as time goes on!!

I hate to hear that since Regal has arrived in Galveston the embarkation & disembarkation process seems to be in disarray.  Having sailed out of Galveston many times and 3 times at the beginning of 2023 on the Ruby, I can attest to the fact that we had no such issues and things moved smoothly and quickly but facial recognition definitely makes things speedy.  Having the Regal booked in 2024 from Galveston, I hope this gets turned around and goes back to "normal" soon.  Any thoughts that doing away with boarding times could be adding to the long lines, at least for embarkation?  

I would not stay at one of the hotels near Hobby airport as the neighborhood in that area is not one I, as a Houston area resident, would ever stay in.  You can take Uber just a little bit south, towards Galveston, and stay in a much safer area.  Clear lake or League City area near NASA would be better.  Many people stay in Texas City area but someone that lives on the south side of Houston may have more specific recommendations.  

8 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said:

Doing the 16 day in October on the Flora. ( was originally doing 10, but last month switched to 16).  Will report back after with any updates.

We will be on the 16 day in October as well.  🙂

On 6/18/2023 at 9:40 AM, Daisi said:

We booked our Avalon cruise in 2019, to sail 2020...we all know what happened to that! Because of Covid, Avalon gave us a choice of full refund (just our deposit, but others probably had made full payment) or re-book for a later cruise. We re-booked, and when it came close to our booking date, we took the option to re-book again. So the cruise I just paid for (90 days out) was booked Aug 2021. No having to pay any more than the 90 days.

 

I understand Viking's idea... if you can get away with it, why not? Everyone sees the advert on TV and thinks that "that looks nice", so without any research, calls them to book. As long as they can get away with it, why should they change? If you argue your date, it sounds as if repeat clients can get the 6 month payment, or you can "rush" book and go with whatever cabin they have available, but unless they have a major revolt, they won't change. Not good for clients, but then they are a business, and bottom line is more important for most businesses.

We are right in the middle of this as we booked a Viking France's Finest for May 2025.  This is the itinerary that we want to do & we were actually scheduled for 2020 but we took the refund when it was cancelled.  The final payment is due February 2024!  It's crazy & we don't like it but since Amawaterways hasn't released their 2025 cruises yet (TA says August), we decided to go ahead with the booking to use the $25 pp deposit.  If we decide to change to Ama, we will forfeit the deposit, but we are ok with that.  The TA said there were only 5 balcony cabins left for our sailing, so clearly there are plenty of cruisers that are willing to let Viking keep their money for more than a year as surely not all of them are return guests who do benefit with a final payment due 6-8 months ahead.