skynight

Royal Class ships have coffee prepared from grinds in the buffet. While not great it was always decent. In the past Grand Class ship's buffet coffee was prepared from a liquid concentrate of lower quality. It was fine if you were looking for a shot of caffeine, not very good on taste. I now understand that some if not all ships have Lavazza coffee in the buffets prepared from grounds. I will see for myself on the Ruby this winter.

When I did a b2b out of San Pedro there were about 100 of us. We met on the ship. Around 10am or so a staff member escorted us off the ship, through immigration, outside on the sidewalk through a crowded area with passengers embarking and disembarking, upstairs to a waiting area where we sat for less than 30 minutes and then back onto the ship. A staff member was with us all the time. Princess has to improve its logistics in San Pedro. I have experienced better processes in Ft. Lauderdale and S.F.

Deck 6 Da Vinci DR, Starboard side. Club Class has been renamed Reserve Class.

Yes. Brewed coffee at the I.C. has a charge for those without the plus or premier package. It is included in the plus and premier packages.

Emerald Princess Sit at the Bar or in comfortable seating nearby? Probably Crooner's or Wheelhouse. Wheelhouse has comfortable furniture, big leather and fabric chairs, some are next to the windows. Sit at or near the Bar for Wine? Vines Skywalker's Lounge. Sit in comfortable seating with nice views? Don't believe there are bar stools. Open deck bars have stationary backless stools that are not very comfortable. Bar areas like Outriggers on the Horizon Terrace offer table seating with nice aft views. Good Sprits on deck 5 is in a noisy crowded area in the Piazza. Club Fusion Bar basically is out of the way. Very few sit at the bar when it's open. It's really only busy when there are activities. Casino Bar is no smoking, but the casino itself has a smoke smell.

"We were holding everyone up & preventing any passengers from getting back on the ship until all is off & accounted for. I must have missed the fine print" This is why, when asked I stress the importance of fully reading and following the instructions exactly. One person can hold up boarding for everyone.

True. But it's way more fun and you are playing with house money. Of course you have to start with at least $100, usually more.

Go to the Princess.com web site. Select 'find a cruise'. Select destination Hawaii. All Princess cruises will show. There are none from Seattle. There are some from S.F. and San Pedro, as well as some from Vancouver.

This happens with slots. Not so much with craps and other table games. I usually play craps. Way better odds than slots. You win or lose quickly.

Not directly. If it is non-refundable it's use it or lose it. If it is refundable then you will receive a check in the mail about 6 weeks or so after you disembark. The check arrives in a plain envelope from a 3rd party and looks a lot like junk mail. Not certain but I have read that if you have $25 or less of refundable OBC that can be cashed out at Passenger Services.

As answered, yes you are required to go through immigration. You will need to have your passport, medallion and intransit card. If you decide that you wish to exit the ship and walk around San Pedro, visit the Iowa or something else you can disembark anytime after disembarkation has begun up until final call and embark anytime after general boarding has begun. The intransit card will allow you to board directly with little or no waiting. It is important that you read and follow the directions, which will be in your cabin, exactly. If even one person fails to show then everyone has to wait to board, b2bers and new passengers. This is an immigration requirement, not a Princess thing. I don't see it changing anytime soon. San Pedro is a fairly cumbersome port for the turn around. I found the logistics easier in Ft. Lauderdale and S.F., but the process is the same. You leave all your stuff in your cabin.

What ship?

Yes, for items they have stocked at their bar. The package may be used on our private islands, all food and beverage venues, and other areas such as the theater or public spaces that offer beverage service.

Yes, Times can vary by itinerary.

I can't seem to book an AFT Veranda in any category (even suites) on Coral - Is it that they are sold out or otherwise? There are no aft balcony or suites on the Coral Princess. Search the deck plans at princess.com Select the tab onboard our ships then deck plans. What deck would you choose for an AFT Veranda on Caribbean P? Probably deck 11, baja. They have the largest balconies. Check the deck plans. All balcony category cabins have the same interiors. The word 'premium' only refers to location. Take a look at cabins on deck 10. They are standard balcony cat. cabins, have 9ft x 9ft balconies, with 5ft of cover and 4ft uncovered. These cabins book quickly. All bars have Martini's. On both ships Crooners is very nice as is the Wheelhouse Bar. Skywalker's on the Caribbean is also nice, but probably will be used for loyalty happy hour during the time you reference, and is a distance from the DRs. The Plus package covers all alcoholic beverages menu priced $15 and under. This covers about 90% of all drinks offered. Certain high end wines as well as some single malt whiskeys are priced in excess of $15. If you order a drink in excess of $15 you will be charged the difference +18%. Most martinis, if not all, are priced under $15. However I'm not certain if special back shelf vodkas would raise the cost above $15. The breakeven on the plus fare is between 2 to 3 alcoholic beverages/pp/day. Non alcoholic beverages, such as specialty espresso and coffee drinks, bottled water, soda, special juices and so on are unlimited. The Coral Princess is an older ship, 2003. It has a great design with lots of public space and approximately 2,000 passengers. It was designed to fit through the original locks. The Caribbean is a wider ship that does not fit in the original locks. It has to pass through the new locks. Both passages are interesting. When the Coral passes through the old locks there is literally around 2ft of clearance on each side. The ship stays centered using electric 'mules' and cables forward and aft. These 'mules' ride along tracks on the lock walls. In the new locks the Caribbean fits with lots of extra space on each side as well as forward and aft. The ship remains centered by tugs on each side. Lotus Spa pool on the Caribbean is open to all. Sanctuary Pool on the Coral is for those that book the Sanctuary.

Cabins were not changed. My understanding is that they just received new bedding and carpets. For C230 and mini suites go to the Princess web site. Select the cabin and you will see a photo and layout. By searching you can locate photos and videos of cabins. All balcony cat cabins have the same interiors. All minis have the same interiors. This site has some information https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/Ruby-Princess

From the photo it looks like seating is limited in the dome. With over 4,000 on board how will passengers be able to control seating. Who will get in and who will be left out? Reservations? Extra Cost?

Horizon Ct. is open from 5am until 11pm every day. Never closes during that time. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner, evening snacks are all served during normal times. 5am to 6am cont. items. 6am to around 11:30 am - breakfast items. 11:30 to 3:30 lunch items. 3:30 to 5:30 afternoon snacks. 5:30 until closing dinner items as well as evening snacks. One DR open for breakfast each day 7:30 to 9:30 sea days, 1/2 hour earlier port days, 6am to 8am on turn around day. Dinner in all DRs each evening 5pm to 10pm. Lunch is served on sea days only from noon until 2pm or 2:30pm. Dinner reservations are made on the Dine My Way app. Exception is reserve class dining which is walk in anytime the DR is open. Breakfast and lunch are walk in.

They are fairly steep with hand rails. To actually reach the Terrace Pool there are steps from the Horizon Terrace and from the doors at the end of the deck 14 hallway. The phot on post 5 clearly shows this.

is the new canal only for full transits? We are on the Ruby 2/28 for a partial. No. The new locks are for ships that are too large for the original locks. The Ruby is one of those ships. I have sailed your exact cruise on the Emerald Princess, sister to the Ruby. The ship fits in the locks with quite a lot side space as well as space forward and aft. It is kept centered by tug boats. You may feel some movement if we encounter rough seas. You may also feel vibration if waves are pounding the bow. When the ship anchors at Grand Cayman you probably will hear the anchor chains being deployed. The space directly in front of B201 are staff cabins.

No charge if you have the plus or premier fare.

It takes about 6 to 8 weeks. The check comes from a 3rd party in a generic envelope that looks a little like junk mail.

I don't mind and fully understand why topics repeat. Two topics that occupy lots of pages are tipping and dress codes.

Not yet. Top deck family zone will be on the new Sun Princess sailing in 2024. https://www.cruisetripplanner.com/2023/06/16/new-top-deck-family-activity-zone-to-debut-on-sun-princess/

Your cabin water is the same water as the filling station. It is also just a pure and drinkable as any bottled water. Your cabin steward can and probably does supply ice every day