Essiesmom

The OP posted in July and was sailing ‘in a month’. Long gone. EM

If some are only going northbound, you must be sailing from Vancouver. When you board in Vancouver you are processed into the US. You do not visit any foreign countries before arriving in Whittier, so there are no formalities. The ship will know you are on B2B if you choose that option so you do not have to check in again. If you call Princess they can probably arrange for you to have your preferred cabin for the 14 days. Cruise lines set aside certain cabins for one week, and others for the 14 day. A TA or good Princess rep can get you into a desirable cabin. EM

You do not need any packages. There will be ample places to eat that you have already paid for in your fare. I would not pay for another restaurant until I have tried the included food…it has always been just fine. Water will be served in the restaurants, is available in the buffet, and what comes from your faucet is fine to drink. But if you prefer bottled water, it will be available for purchase. If you expect to drink a lot of adult beverages, you might want a drinks package. Folks over on the board here for Royal Caribbean can help you out in more detail. Welcome to Cruise Critic. EM

We get reports from people booked on cruises, so far partial transits to Gatun Lake. We haven’t heard from anyone on a full transit stopping overnight at Fuerte Amador. Not from the few whose cruises start or end in Panama City. EM

I’ve seen them in TJMaxx for 10% of the price on the tag. EM

If you go to the top of the MSC page in the upper left you will see Find your MSC roll call. Just below that in smaller print is See posts about: and Select ship with a down arrow. Click on Select ship and you get a dropdown menu of the MSC ships. Click on Splendida and you will get a page of threads about Splendida. EM

Port Canaveral is a port call, no new guests boarding so no zero out. But there will be new guests boarding in FLL, and probably some leaving, so the ship must zero out before new guests can board. There will probably be a large percentage staying on so likely CBP will come aboard and do it there. EM

I respectfully disagree. Looking at the itineraries/segments of the QV world cruise, one segment ends in FLL, another starts in FLL. Therefore the ship will need to zero out in FLL before those joining in FLL can board. EM

I checked and he still has the complete list in his signature. Newest is first. You may have to go into your profile and turn on signatures. I’m working on an iPad and don’t have any problem seeing them. EM

He used to have the links in his signature. Do you have signatures turned on/off? By tagging him I am hoping he will come here and make suggestions…. EM

If you click on @SailorJackyou will get to his current postings. One is a reference to his review of that cruise which was mentioned on the board here Whatever Happened to… If you are not familiar with SailorJack his reviews are hilarious and usually linked in his signature. Several evenings of great reading. If you are reading at a computer (not tablet) cover your keyboard lest you spray your beverage all over it. If you do choose to read them, try to start with the earliest as sometimes in a review he will refer to an earlier experience. EM

Have you heard anything about excursions in Gatun Lake? Excursions were canceled by Rotterdam on Sunday and Emerald Princess Monday due to civil unrest. I watched on AIS and found it strange there were no tenders darting around. EM

By ‘years ago’ are you thinking of the cruise ship that struck a drifting barge full of cars coming out of Montevideo? I believe @SailorJackwas onboard and did a review… EM

Koningsdam did transit the canal westbound on April 11, 2020. She did not have any passengers. EM

Was just reading a Live from on the HAL board for Rotterdam, which did a partial on Sunday. Her excursions were also cancelled. EM

Ive done excursions on the vintage railway from both Limon and Puntarenas. Enjoyed both. EM

Thanks for that. I followed her through the locks, and wondered why she never put out any tenders. Now we know. EM

For the pics from the front, wait until the second lock, even preferably the third, which northbound would be Pedro Miguel. Space hogs will be out early to claim space and hold onto it ferociously. Once through first set (Miraflores, 2 locks) people will peel off and head for some breakfast. By the end of the day at Gatun Locks enthusiasm will have waned and views better. EM

Did you save their sail & sign cards? The number is printed on them. EM

I just cruised on Elation and there were hand washing stations at the poolside entrance to the buffet. They were off to the side, perhaps you just missed seeing them? EM

You don’t have to wait for a shuttle. I walked most of it. There are several beaches. You don’t have to take towels off, you can pick them up just inside the gate, and turn them in there. EM

The travel router I am considering is rechargeable with usb cable. EM

I asked a question of @DaKahunaabout what he uses. Perhaps he can come in an elaborate. I think you need to buy a two device package, log your phone into one, and the router onto the other. Others can then login to the router. But I think then you would need to be close to the router to use your device, it wandering around the ship. I would use my phone as #1, as I wander around taking pictures, checking the menus, activities, etc. in my cabin I would work off the router using my iPad and surface pro. I suppose if a second person wanted to use their phone they could carry the router around also. The one I am considering is about the same size as my iPhone SE(3). I am not an expert, just considering for now. But maybe someone over on the Cruising Technology board has good advice. EM

You can only access it with one device. You cannot log off and login on another device. EM

On the daily program that you get on embarkation there is a small paragraph about dining and it tells you where to go to request adjustments. EM Adding pics from Seaside, location will differ on your ship. Dining blurb is on backside.