skynight

On their web site they mention the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental. Princess pre-cruise hotel packages include transfers from the airport to the hotel and transfers from the hotel to the pier. It's the reverse for post cruise packages. Be aware that pricing is per person, not per room. I book my own pre-cruise hotels. I find less expensive. https://www.princesscruises.de/en/holiday-princess/hotel-packages-princess-cruises

Maybe you should post on the roll call for your booked cruise.

Each ship & voyage can be different. This past March in the Caribbean there was an 80's themed deck party. But like all the parties I have seen they morph into the standard line dancing. If there were any passengers in period dress I didn't notice them. All passengers I remember were in normal tropical clothing. We did not have an 80's theater show on our ship. Deck parties normally begin around 9/9:30pm. While times vary by ship production shows times are generally around 7:30 & 9:30. I don't think the CD would schedule a party event to clash with a production show. But, I guess anything can happen. There was a chocolate buffet one afternoon. All kinds of chocolate delights. MDR had all the evening standards. Menus are posted each day. There was the standard champagne waterfall photo event in the Piazza on one of the formal nights. There was a Captain's Circle event around 5pm one evening.

Wow, only one production show.

1a) Coffee & Cones on the Lido deck is the only location for soft ice cream. It is chocolate, vanilla & twist in cones or cups. The attendant serves you. 1b) I do not remember seeing any milkshakes or frappes at Coffee & Cone or anywhere on board. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see these in the terms and conditions. I think you can get these specialty lattes at Coffee & Cones and at the International Cafe. Ask when you are there. Specialty ice cream desserts are available at Coffee & Cones. You can ask for the candy to be left off or just remove it yourself. Specialty cake desserts are available at the International Cafe. They have a display cake. You ask and a slice is delivered from the kitchen. 2a &b) I did not see this in March. You can look around 3pm when they put out the afternoon snacks. How old was the video? I remember this years ago. Ice cream is available in the MDR as dessert. They usually have chocolate, vanilla, flavor of the day and a sherbet. Order 1,2,3 scoops. Want chocolate syrup topping, ask for it. Youth used to be able to order special large sundaes form the children's menu. Look for them. I don't know if they are still available.

Now I am speaking about the past. In the past I have paid the BF fare and was able to book BB or BA. All balcony cat cabins, BF to BA were fared the same. The B1, 2 & 4 were not included in the promos I remember. Today? It could be anything. You just have to read all the fine print.

I believe you are speaking about the latest time you have to return to the ship at 3 ports of call. In most cases there is a sign on the gangway indicating the time. That time is usually between 30 and 60 minutes before sailing from the port. If you are on your own don't be late the ship will leave without you. If you are speaking about initial boarding in Vancouver you should plan arrival at the pier at least a few hours before the scheduled sailing time. Besides security you will have to pass through U.S. immigration in Vancouver. Princess will change ship time to match local time. When you sail Vancouver either that evening or the next evening there will be a notification in your cabin to move your clocks back one (1) hour. Sailing back southbound from your last port of call you will again receive a notice to move your clocks forward one (1) hour. It's easy.

In the past it meant that if you booked the lowest sub-category in the full category you could select a higher category. Example balcony cabins. Pay the fare for a BE cabin, reserve a BA cabin. The upgrades were inside to inside, balcony to balcony and so on.

I purchase FCDs, Future Cruise Deposits. They are $100 each and are individual. The cost is charged directly to your credit card on file. They are valid for one year and are fully refundable if not used. When used the $100pp becomes the full deposit plus an amount of OBC is applied to your onboard account on a scale related to the length of the cruise and the cabin category. They can be used for any cruise except world cruises. When you get home you can research the cruises you might like when not under pressure and excitement of being on board. While there is an occasional on board benefit most times there is not.

Yes, makes sense, AUS$. The Australian package includes the beverage package, wifi and other things. The gratuity is included in the fare.

$65/day sounds like the stand alone plus beverage package. The package cost is really $64.99 + 18% = $76.69/day. The stand alone package does not include wifi internet and the daily gratuity. If you require unlimited wifi internet that would be an additional $25/day, $12.50 if you are platinum or elite loyalty level. I believe a single day wifi is $30. The daily gratuity is posted to your account each day and it is $16, $17 or $18 depending on your cabin category.

30 to 45 minutes early for production shows. Single seats can be available closer to showtime. Production shows will fill up. Those with the premier fare package have a section of reserved seats for production shows. Those seats are held until 5 to 10 minutes before showtime and are then released. This past March the production shows were: Stardust, a 1/2 hour show of singing with old songs and nice harmonies. Colors of the World, a 45 minute show with songs and dancing from around the world. Magic to Do, An hour long Broadway style musical based on illusions. Doubtful the Ruby Princess will change production shows. You will probably have two of the three.

1. As you said it is best to pick up your drinks at the bar before entering the DR. This is fairly easy if you are in the mid ship DRs. If you are dining early in the deck 6 aft DR it's a little distance from open bars. 2. Same with shows. In both cases you can use Ocean Now. When I was on board this past March Ocean Now was a little slow.

"Yes! We took them over. There was over 600 of us this year. We also took over the dining room at 5 PM." Have your fun, but Princess should not permit your fun to deny 3,000 other paying guests. Princess should let other passengers know when large groups are on board, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Crooners, sitting in the lounge not at the bar.

Yes. The bathroom entrance has a step over. It is around 6 inches. HCP cabins do not have this. No photo but if you search on line for a ship tour someone probably has included the entrance. Another bit of info. The bathroom entrance is off the open closet area, not off the main room or the entrance hall. See deck plans

The information was always there. Now it has to be included in the advertised price.

Coral Princess will probably offer evening live music suitable for ballroom dancing in the Wheelhouse Bar. There is normally a small group there. The Wheelhouse has a smallish wooden dance floor. Selections would vary. Some may be 3/4. Others could be swing, Latin, top 40 classics, and so on. It's also possible that there could be some ballroom in the Universe Lounge and Explorer's Lounge. Crooner's is basically a piano bar/lounge, no room for real dancing. The main atrium area on the Coral Princess is small, but there could be some there. Check the event listings each day. I will mention that the party bands are popular and attract a good crowd. That is why you see them all around the ship.

I am not a fan of these theme cruises. I believe Princess should abandon them, or in the least not allow these groups to reserve lounge space. I have been on a few accidently. The small group, maybe 5/6% of the passengers, close off space for the other 95%. There is a reason Princess does not make these themed bookings readily known. If they did a majority of their customers would not book that cruise.

Yes. For any alcoholic beverage in excess of the US$20 menu price you pay the difference plus 8%. 25% discount on bottles of wine. You can carry on 1 x 750ml bottle of wine per adult at no charge for use in the cabin. A lot less expensive then purchasing on board. Where are you boarding? Someone on this board could advise about stores near the port. From the Princess web site Top-shelf premium beverages up to $20 USD* each The Premier Beverage Package includes everything the Plus Beverage Package has and: Top shelf spirits, reserve wines by the glass and new high-end crafted cocktails by Mixologist Rob Floyd Selection of 75+ spirits, 40+ wines by the glass, 20+ high-end, crafted cocktails Premier wines by the glass including Duckhorn, Stag's Leap, Grgich Hills and Cattier Champagne Private Woodford Reserve Bourbon Selection created exclusively for Princess Personalized Jack Daniel's Whiskey Single Barrel Select 25% discount on wine bottles (including rare vintages) 25% discount on large bottles of water and cans of soda

Yes. I will point out that large tables usually equates to slower service and longer dining times. One slow eater can slow up the entire table. If the 10 includes youth, you may want to consider placing the youth at their own table.

The T.A. has to set up the group. Group bookings through the T.A. usually have some small benefits such as some extra OBC, and/or some fare reduction which is usually taken from the TA's commission. With some large groups the T.A. has a group of various category cabins reserved for their group which are held in reserve until sometime around final payment date and then are released.

Are you sailing this summer before the dining change? If so you should make reservations in Dine My Way. Right now for anytime dining everyone that wants to sit together shows up and stands in line until a table is ready. If you wish to have a standing reservation for 12 then you have to speak to the head waiter or maitre'd. to arrange. At some point after September 1st the system is scheduled to change.

R329 can be configured with 2 lower twin beds and 2 upper berths which lower from the ceiling over the lower beds to accommodate up to 4 people. It can also be configured with one upper berth or no upper berths. When there are only two passengers in the cabin the lower beds can be configured into a queen bed or two twins, your choice. The connecting door to cabin R325 is in the entry hall across from the closet area.

Ask the T.A. to book using the phone. The error message is incorrect. Read the T.A. the Passage Contract. Could be that the on line program does not recognize that it is a family group where separate cabins are permitted. I.T. programming seems to be a large issue with Princess. On the other hand if you are planning on booking the standard fare and will not purchase the plus or premier package the first day on board then I can't see any problem with splitting you up, but maybe I'm missing something.