TOMCAT22

Hi

I am trying to book a Princess cruise via their USA website as its miles cheaper than the UK site.Now I know Princess don't like you doing this but I have a Canadian address so I should be ok.

Problem is when I access their USA website it detects I'm in UK and redirects me to UK website which is no good.

I have tried using an American proxy server and I can see the prices using this method but it errors when I try to book as I think it detects the proxy.

Has anyone ever managed to do this? I know you can book via TA with a Canadian address but Princess are offering $200 onboard credit whereas the TA are not.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Princess has some great prices on some of their 4 & 5night cruises out of Ft Lauderdale for Sept - Dec. Yes you pay double, but I just booked a 5 night on the Ruby Princess Nov 3 - inside $494 total price with a $400 OBC. There are several different trips with this type of price and OBC.

 

Never sailed princess before but couldn't pass this up.

How did you see this deal,was it on the Princess web site?

Avoid cabin 14029 on Epic as it's next to a pantry and they clean it or rattle some shelves around 3am every night for about 30 minutes.I am not a light sleeper but it woke me every time.Some nights I banged on the cabin wall and told them to be quiet! Worked a couple of times !!

Another tip is to avoid connecting cabins as the seal on the door between cabins lets some noise through.

Finally although an aft cabin has lovely views it can be noisy from the sound of the wake,some people find the noise relaxing and others just find it noisy.

Hope this helps.:)

We have booked to go on Explorer in April 2015,with select drinks package and gratuities added.

 

we've never cruised with Royal Caribbean before, so would anyone know if Cider is included along with the beers which we know of & glasses of wine $8.00 dollars & below?

 

 

Also it includes 'Soda' , where does that stand if we wanted a tonic to go with say a Gin? is that included with the package or chargeable? Sorry to ask.

Yes cider is included but they don't have many types of cider,maybe 1 or 2.

Soda is included with the package as is the mixers with your spirits,I had the package on my last cruise and basically you don't have to worry about anything.If a drink is outside the package (maybe expensive cognac or whisky) then the bartender will always say so and ask if you still want it.Enjoy your cruise.:)

A lot of the time the cruise ships use TA's to do cabin maintenance and it may be that a lot of these cabins are blocked off so they can have work done on them.

3 Junior suites may be getting kept for bingo prizes or casino player upgrades.Just my thoughts.

Based on my recent trip on the Epic.

Think you might not be able to use the lounge except during the get together.

The door to the studio is locked and needs key card to open it, even during the get together, you have to bang on the door and get someone inside to open it!

If every solo cruiser used the lounge (including those in non studio cabins) then the place would not be big enough to hold everyone.

It's always worth asking when on board though as they might allow access but just not publicise it.:)

I have also used a US online TA for my upcoming RCI cruise,so far I have had no problems.The price onscreen was the price I paid and I also got my C&A balcony discount as well as some onboard credit which I never get with UK TA.

Definitely worth trying,but be careful with some lines like Princess who seem to enforce the rule that US TA don't sell to uk market.

Good luck.

Thanks to everyone who replied,looks like deck 6 is a winner.

Hi Everyone

I am going to try and change my cabin from 14th floor to 6th floor (6206) but as it's right above the jogging track I wondered if you got any noise from the joggers below?

If anyone has stayed in a Oceanview balcony above the track did it cause any noise issues.

Thanks in advance for any replies.:)

I booked a gty inside of a certain grade which was mid ships on NCL Epic but I got "upgraded" to a room that was forward,beneath the main buffet and right next to a pantry.Tried to get it changed but with no luck.Room was very noisy especially around 3am when the staff in the pantry started cleaning the surfaces or something.

I have done several guarantees and most have been disappointing but they have been cheap so that's the benefit of a gty. I would prefer to choose my cabin but I usually book last minute and often they only have guarantee left.

I am really fussy about where my cabin is but if you are not so bothered then a GTY is great value.:)

If I were you I'd go for the rum runner method in your main suitcase,try to have one in each suitcase so if 1 is found you still have another.Yes,I know it's smuggling but if you buy the beverage package then you are not really ripping RCI off and will be saving them money as the drinks in your stateroom won't be supplied by them.

I have had 100% success with this method.

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I had the UDP on an Epic TA earlier this year,definitely makes sense on a TA with no port stops.Another advantage was I was able to try most of the martins in Shakers martini bar including off menu ones made up by the lovely bar staff.

As another poster said if I had been paying for them then I wouldn't have tried so many different ones in case I did not like them.I really liked the flexibility it gave me but I do like to drink (Scottish) so understand it may not be for everyone.

Another bonus was that the staff did not mind serving you even if you were on the UDP and they were happy to let you run a tab so you only signed once at the end of that drinking session at each bar.Thumbs up from me.

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I have done several TA's and I would say go for Oceanview or balcony.It can be very rough on a TA for a couple of days and it's hard to take rough seas in an inside with no horizon for reference.

Also had TA's where it's been flat calm all the way,it really is a lottery.If you plan for a couple of rough days then anything better is a bonus.

TA's are my favourite cruise type as I just love sea days onboard a ship.Enjoy.

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Having done both lines as a solo I think NCL caters better for singles,especially on ships like the Epic.Having a singles host is really important I feel and NCL do this on the Epic.

I also cruised on RCI from Singapore to Australia where the cruise director (a Brit) had the crazy idea of having self hosted singles/solo get together at the busy Promenade cafe.Well of course a lot of solos turned up but because there was no one from RCI there they didn't know who was single/solo or whatever....it was a complete disaster and he got heavily criticised for his lack of hosting.

I really feel having a company host really helps to break the ice especially on the first few days when a lot of people are nervous.

On NCL Epic the host was great and organised trivia & pictionary games at the evening get together as well as organising group dinners in various restaurants,he really enhanced the cruise for us all.If I were you I would try to look at the activity planners for the 2 ships and see if there is a singles (hosted) get together every or most evenings and pick the ship has the best arrangement.Good luck.

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Blu is not compulsory if you are in Aqua class so you can dine in MDR.In ?Blu the maître' d is very accommodating and may even ask you if you would like to share a table with another single.Also the tables for 2 are quite close together so you can easily strike up a conversation with those on the next table.I thought Blu had amazing food and was well worth the extra money I paid for the aqua class room.Hope you enjoy your cruise whatever you decide to do about dining.

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Can't say about doors between suites but in adjoining staterooms you do get a little noise.You can normally tell when someone is in the adjacent cabin with connecting doors but not what they are saying or tv noise etc.

I suspect that noise won't be an issue in your case as the interconnecting door probably won't be between the noisier parts of the room.

A towel at the bottom of the door normally muffles sound a bit.:)

It will almost certainly be cheaper to buy it in the states as all alcohol seems to be cheaper over there.UK has high taxes on alcohol.

1st thing to say is although I have not been on the Sky I have been on similar size NCL ships,I have been on the Epic twice.

In my opinion the Epic wins hands down for singles due to the studio cabins and lounge as well as the multiple late night entertainment venues.

Even if you don't stay in a studio you can still attend the lounge between 5-7pm where there is usually a large singles gathering and a singles host who organises group dinners etc.

There is also a whiteboard for people to post activities for other people to join which makes it even more sociable.

Entertainment on Epic is the best on any cruise ship I've been on (yeah the Blue man group is for kids I feel) but I'm talking about the duelling pianos,the jazz n blues club and O Sheehans for late night hang outs and snacks.You also have the headliners act which was excellent as well as ice bar,ten pin bowling and a great disco.

If you are single/solo you won't regret the Epic.