hollydog

Does anyone know if Messenger@Sea is operational on Island Princess yet?

On ships with no International Cafe (such as Island Princess), is room service the only option after midnight?

I reverse the color on my ipad when reading books: black background with white print. Much less glare, and easier on the eyes.

Great idea. Thanks! I knew you could do this, but never think about actually doing it.

I get all my ebooks from the local library. They expire after 3 weeks, but then I usually have one paperback tucked away. Our library also offers free magazine downloads.

On every cruise, no matter the length, we take the aforementioned magnets, as well as several medium-size Command hooks (the kind you can remove without wall damage). Two hooks on the wall near the cabin entrance make for a great place for a jacket, lanyard with cruise card, etc. One magnet is for a spreadsheet which we set up with a line for every day of the trip. On it we list excursions, lecture times, anything we want to remember the time and location. One glance and you know exactly what's in store for that day. The spreadsheet is especially helpful on longer cruises when it's easy to forget what day it is!

Hi, Did you enjoy the Emerald Princess out of Houston a few weeks back. WE sure did even with the fog delay. Did you ever book one of those sideways rooms? Is so what was your thoughts? We booked one on Ruby Princess for a short cruise this September. Thought we would give it a try.

 

Jeff

We've had a sideways inside cabin on two different cruises and loved them both.

Will Princess let me upload pictures from my iPhone to their computers, then download them to a flash drive? Sorry if this has been covered, can't seem to find any discussions about it. Also posted this on general Princess boards.

Will Princess let me upload pictures from my iPhone to their computers, then download them to a flash drive? Sorry if this has been covered, can't seem to find any discussions about it.

If I give an extra tip to the Wheelhouse server, does he/she get to keep it or must it be turned into a general pool?

I can't help with info on the La Quinta, but we stayed at the SpringHill Suites near Hobby Airport in December and the shuttle worked like a dream.

 

We actually had family coming into Hobby Airport at three different times of the day and each of our groups had a good experience with the hotel shuttle. The shuttle arrived promptly at the airport for each of us. The hotel also offers the shuttle for any destination within 5 miles of the hotel, so you can use it to go shopping or to a restaurant. We used it for a short shopping trip and it was great.

 

Whoops...I see that you are asking about a cruise transfer package at the La Quinta, not just hotel shuttle service. Well, maybe this info will help someone. (We took Pasadena Taxi to the Bayport Cruise Terminal for $50 + tip.)

We are booked at this same Springhill Suites for one night before our March 1 cruise. How was your stay at this hotel? I called SS about cab service and they recommended an independent named Joe Davila, but I can't find anything about him online. Did you book Pasadena ahead or just call that morning? Thanks

Thanks, fishywood and rdsqrl, that worked! I never noticed the drop-down for # of passengers.

Princess deck plans used to show which cabins were quads, but no longer. How can I find this information? And if it is a quad, does it have the dreaded bunks on the wall vs dropping down from the ceiling? Want to avoid these if possible.

Good review, fox02554. I'd like to ask who is the current Cruise Director? What bands were playing in the lounges?

Thanks

It would be nice if people updated the list like they have for the Cruise Director, etc.

 

Thanks...Does anyone know where Phoenix Rising is?

Phoenix Rising is who we had in mind when we posted the original question! They are our favorite band, have sailed with them twice.

Is there any way to know which bands are playing on Princess ships at any given time?

I agree with Cruisin' Chick about the photos. We've done two Celebrity cruises and loved being able to browse through our photos at our leisure, instead of fighting the crowd in the photo display area.

The new deck plans are now published on the Princess Cruises Website. Major changes some as covered above and elsewhere, Universe Lounge gone, and many changes with loss of much public areas. The stern Sanctuary pool has been sacrificed to yet more cabin space! If you open the before and after deck plans side by side in your browser you can see just how much public space and facilities have been diminished to accommodate the extra cabins.

 

Personally I do not like the changes, especially the loss of the stern pool. We are booked on her for a Panama full transit in December next year she will not be the same ship.

We did a full transit of the Panama Canal last April 2014 on the Coral, which is the sister ship to Island. Coral still has the stern pool, but it was available only to paying Sanctuary guests ($40/day). It was empty the entire cruise, save for one or two couples. Never saw anyone in the pool. Maybe that's why they didn't hesitate to remove the pool from the Island. Also, it will be interesting to see if the Island gets an International Cafe. The new one on Coral is adjacent to the Casino, very noisy and smoky. Not at all like the ICs on other ships. We're doing a transatlantic on the Island next November, so we'll see first hand how the changes work out.

Princess website as of today (Sep. 24, 2014):

"In May of 2015, Island Princess will emerge from a multimillion dollar drydock upgrade that will add 120 new staterooms. She will then set sail for her first 2015 Summer Mediterranean season."

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/ip/new-island-princess/

 

120 new staterooms -- that's a lot! Coral only got 13 new ones on Deck 6. Are they adding a new deck?

Jazzbeau, I followed your link and didn't see this quote anywhere.

Has anyone seen or stayed in the new OV cabins on Fiesta Deck on the Coral? They were added at the last dry dock in what was once part of the Casino. Pictures would be great!

We are sailing the Coral Princess 19 nights Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver on April 28. Got an email saying we'd have Captain Binetti. Pia1913 posted an ongoing review of the 3/26 to 4/6 partial transit where she named the following officers:

Captain: Fabio Amitrano

Staff Capt.: Kevin Grant

Hotel Mgr: Martin May

CD: Daniel Falconer

Maitre D’: Silvio Zampieri

Customer Services : Marianna Del Core

Has anyone sailed the Coral recently and know who the Captain and Cruise Director are or will be in two weeks?

I did a tremendous amount of research to find a "best bang for your buck" hotel in Vancouver for our upcoming cruise. Finally decided on Times Square Suites. It was hands-down the best value! I'll be putting in a full report when we get back.

Good choice; we loved the place but sadly could only stay one night post-cruise last year. Stanley Park was a great place to run/walk and we found many restaurants to choose from. Tip: watch their website. We booked and several weeks later noticed they were running a special for the month we would be there. I called, they were happy to re-book at the new lower rate. We will definitely stay there next time we sail in or out of Vancouver.

Wow, the last time I was in Rocky Point they didn't even have a paved road!!

 

Cheers, Denise

Same here! Around 1978 or 79 we were camping in southern Arizona, and on a whim bought Mexican car insurance and drove to Puerto Penasco. We camped on the beach for several days and saw no one other than a local trying to sell us a blanket. Who would have thought we'd someday have the opportunity to return by cruise ship?!

Thank you both. Good to know about the pub lunch. Still awaiting info about an art tour. Perhaps. I should repost with just that question.

 

 

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Reposting is a good idea. May I suggest you put "art tour on iPod" as your subject, might grab someone's attention more easily.

Does same hold true now for children of divorced parents? The NON custodial doesn't have to provide certified letter allowing children out of the country? Surmise the grandparents aren't custodial of the children.

Depends on what the custody agreement says. My daughter and her ex have a "parenting agreement" (that's what it's called in Colorado) that says BOTH have to give permission for their daughter to be taken out of state.

We'll be on Coral Princess docking in San Pedro in May, going on to Vancouver. Looking for suggestions for the day we spend in San Pedro. Our daughter lived in LA so we've done all the touristy things, and don't want to spend an hour each way getting into the city. The USS Iowa is nearby, can we walk from the ship? Anything else to see? How about Long Beach? (Other than the Queen Mary, which we've seen).