skynight

My experience in Europe is that it is just like any other port day. Stay onboard, take a tour, whatever you want. Your cabin will be serviced like any other day. We always mentioned to our cabin steward that they could if it is convenient service our cabin last. This allowed the steward to focus on those cabins that had to be prepared for new passengers. Your on board accounts will roll over until your final disembarkment. On one occasion the fire doors leading to the cabins were closed. They are heavy but we just opened them to access our cabin. All our stuff was there and we did require access. However, we do try to stay away from the cabin area as it is very busy. There are some differences in MDR breakfast hours. The International Cafe remains open. The buffet area may have a gap between breakfast and lunch which they do not have on other days. On deck food venues open as normal at 11am. The process at U.S. ports mentioned in post #2 is unique to the U.S. It does not apply in Italy.

Deck 7, starboard side is only a small standing area on the promenade aft where the deck narrows to go around the stern of the ship, There is a cigarette disposal unit on the wall. Casino slots while playing. No smoking at any table games. Casino does smell of smoke. Deck 16 forward above the Lido pool by the Tradewinds Bar. There are some tables & chairs under the overhang. Fairly certain there is a smoking area on the aft deck 16 outside of the Adagio Lounge. Also believe there is a small section of Skywalker's where smoking is permitted in the evening. Speakeasy cigar lounge by the casino is the only location where cigar and pipe smoking are permitted. No smoking in any cabin or balcony. Smoking is confined to the areas mentioned and is not permitted in other inside or outside areas of the ship. By the way. Smoking anywhere on the starboard side of the Crown, which you mention, is incorrect. Smoking areas on the Crown are the same as the Ruby.

Additional information. Deck 7, starboard side is only a small standing area on the promenade aft where the deck narrows to go around the stern of the ship, There is a cigarette disposal unit on the wall. Casino slots while playing. No smoking at any table games. Casino does smell of smoke. Deck 16 forward above the Lido pool by the Tradewinds Bar. There are some tables & chairs under the overhang. Fairly certain there is a smoking area on the aft deck 16 outside of the Adagio Lounge. Also believe there is a small section of Skywalker's where smoking is permitted in the evening. Speakeasy cigar lounge by the casino is the only location where cigar and pipe smoking are permitted. No smoking in any cabin or balcony. Smoking is confined to the areas mentioned and is not permitted in other inside or outside areas of the ship. By the way. Smoking anywhere on the starboard side of the Crown, which you mention, is incorrect. Smoking areas on the Crown are the same as the Ruby.

Not likely. Princess uses Quebec City in the late summer/early fall. Very few would want to sail out of the North Atlantic in the winter months.

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/ You are not permitted to bring spirits on board. You must be 21 years old to drink alcoholic beverages on U.S. based cruises. Any additional questions?

Yes, you would keep your OBC, but it pays to confirm at Passenger Services when requesting an upgrade. Low probability any upgrades will be available.

Most full suits have a bedroom area and a sitting area with a sofa. They are separated by a partial wall with a opening and a curtain that closes. There are lots of options for connecting cabins. These have a full closing door in the entrance way. You can find them on the Princess site under on board our ships/deck plans. Check the box for connecting cabins. A problem will be your fares. You and your son will be fared as two in one cabin, your husband will have to pay a single supplement for his cabin. If you wish to have either the plus or premier fares I believe that both you and your child will both have to purchase that fare. Cabin cat. does not come into play. Normally the first two in the cabin are required to purchase a plus or premier fare. In your case that would be you and your 2 year old. I don't know if there is fine print that exempts infants below a certain age from this requirement. You would have to check this out with a T.A. or Princess.

Some like to remain connected at all times. Some work or run their business while on board. Others don't require very much internet time. I was previously happy with the free minutes. Never ever came close to using them up. Emergencies? Family at home could always get in touch with you on the ship even before cell phones and wide spread internet. Back then you were still in the middle of the ocean and you still had to wait until the ship reached port. Now it is easier to offer advice and plan what to do next when you have internet access. By the way wifi on board is free. You are paying for internet access. Princess incorrectly calls it wifi.

If you are in a full suite your cabin steward should be able to provide you with lemons and other fruit upon request. Another idea is to ask for squeezed lemon juice at the special full suite breakfast. Once they know you want this it probably will be ready for you each morning.

nasa 1974. Your arithmetic is incorrect.

" Would we pay $64.99 for a drink package on Princess? " Hank, the cost is really $76.69, $64.99 + 18%.

Fully agree with postings #3 & #4. Purchasing the stand alone beverage package makes no financial sense. The plus or premier fares are the better cost options. https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/

Port and starboard minis on decks 11,12 & 14 with the small 9ft x 4ft balconies will have cover from the deck above. The center angled balconies will have some cover. Balcony shade has more to do with the direction of the ship than from cover above. Look at the itinerary route and the sun's position at the time of year to maximize shade.

Plus package is $60/pp/day. Premier package is $80/pp/day. Must be purchased on boarding day. Included items shown in the below mentioned site. https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/

"Originally I was looking at a mini-suite for the 4 of us and a regular balcony for the grandparents." You mentioned that you are currently looking for two reserve mini suites. Just be aware that if you intend to go with your original thoughts the grandparents and one of the youth in the regular balcony cabin would not be able to dine with you in the reserve section of the DR. You would have to dine with them in the regular section of the DR.

Believe you are speaking about a "premium" deluxe balcony category cabin with a 2 seat sofa. It is called "premium" because it is in a nice location at the stern of the ship. A mini suite would be a larger cabin with a three seat sofa, but most likely the balcony would be 9ft x 4ft. Exception would be if you are assigned one of the mid ship angled balconies. You have to decide if a shower/tub combo and a larger cabin is better for you than the aft cabin that you had booked. The $120 really does not come into the decision as it is such a low number. What would you do if Princess offered at no additional charge, accept or reject? That's how I would decide.

Is this the group Princess uses for their cruisetours? If yes, what are your questions and in what cruisetour are you booked? Many of us have been on these pre-cruise land tours and can probably offer some insight.

I think Yorktown would be very stressed to handle a large cruise ship and the volume of passengers tendered to their small dock area. Norfolk will provide tour access to Yorktown in addition to Jamestown and Virginia Beach. Norfolk is a major shipping port where the ship will most likely dock rather than tender.

If there is a polka group on board they will have some venues closed off for their polka activities. Sometimes the groups also dominate other activities.

OP did not mention if they have a U.S. passport, a most important consideration. A passport from a country other than the U.S. can and most likely will have different rules.

If all passengers in the the four cabins have their on board accounts linked to your cabin and credit card then there will be a summary statement that nets all balances. If you are on board ask for a print out of your account(s). It should contain all the accounts plus a summary invoice. If it does not visit guest services. You can do this daily to follow the charges. It is also available on your phone or TV. You kind on indicate that you are waiting to link the accounts. Suggest you don't wait and do this now so you have time to correct any issues before you disembark. Once disembarked it is more difficult to correct things. Also, on the last day passenger services gets crowded.

Seems like a poor system to invite by cell phone call while you are on board. Better if you received written notice or at least a call on the cabin phone.

On Royal and Grand Class ships standard door width is 22 inches. I searched for door widths on the Mardi Gras and 22 inches came up. I would expect that the Sun Princess would be the same. To be safe you would probably have to book an HCP cabin. Other than a few Princess employees that have access to the construction plans I don't think anyone in Princess customer service will know the answer to your valid question.

Assuming you are a U.S. citizen. You say your passport will have 6 months validity at the time of sailing. If your passport is valid at the time of sailing I don't see why you are can not use it. You can also travel with an original certified birth certificate, one that is issued by the local government authorities where you were born and has an original stamp or embossment AND a government issued photo ID. Real ID has no meaning other than being another form of government issued ID.

I expect that a very large percentage of people that take a Princes land tours book a pre or post Princess Cruisetour. This includes a north or southbound 7 day cruise plus a land tour. Land tour portions can be from 3 days to 10 days. They are all shown on the Princess web site under cruisetours. There are around 50 options. You should research all the options to narrow down your choices. The voyage portion of the cruise tour gets you to glaciers as well as towns along the panhandle. These towns and sites can only be accessed from Alaska via water or air. You book your own air. This can be done through Princess EZ Air, an air consolidator, direct through the airline or through other air consolidators. EZ Air has both flexible and restricted air fares. Most times the flexible fares are really good and you can change up to 45 days prior to your flight without penalty. EZ Air is also covered under the Princess insurance. Occasionally Princess has promos that include some credit for booking EZ Air. You would have to check with a T.A. to see what promos are currently available for next season. I would select a sailing on one of the older ships. Sapphire would be my 1st choice. Royal Class ships do not have the great viewing areas that are available on the older ships. Royal class ships also have 1,000 additional passengers.