skynight

On Royal class ships there are deluxe balcony category cabins and there are balcony category cabins. With few exceptions all deluxe balcony cat. cabins have the same interiors. Also with few exceptions all balcony cat. cabins have the same interiors. Deluxe balcony cabins are slightly larger than balcony cat cabins and they have a 2 seat sofa. Now the word "premium." This generally means a better location as defined by Princess. It can be more mid ship, aft facing, and in many cases, not all, a larger balcony. There are "premium" cabins in both the deluxe balcony cats. and the balcony cats.

Do you have the plus fare or the premium fare? If so then unlimited brewed coffee is included. Order from the app or from the TV. I guess you are on the Island Princess, no I.C., but they still have specialty coffees and brewed coffees.

Is it a cruise that is sold as both a 7 & 14 day or a 10 and 20 day? If so the cabin may be reserved for those on the trip you are not booking.

In Bonaire I recommend Bonairecruisers golf cart rental. You can tour at your own pace and see all the same sites as the organized trips see. Warning about Curacao. From the main section of town you have to cross the pontoon bridge to return to the ship The bridge swings open to allow boats to pass, and there are frequent boats. Make certain you leave enough time to return to the ship. When the bridge is open there is a ferry, but that can take time if your time is very short.

Royal Class ships use a ground coffee in the DR, Buffet and for room service. Grand Class and the Coral & Island still use the liquid coffee concentrate, what you call syrup. If you have the plus or premier fare or the coffee package then you can order the brewed coffee from the I.C. at no extra charge. Otherwise there is a charge.

I do not use a walker but have been on tenders many, many times. You have to be able to walk somewhat while stabilizing yourself with the staff helpers. When getting on/off the tender at the ship's pontoon the tender may move up & down plus in & out moving with the sea while the ship can remain fairly stable. There are always staff there to assist with stability while entering the tender and assisting to the seats. Most of the ship's tenders have their seating on a different level than the entrance to the tender. Once on the tender you have to be able to handle a few stairs to get to the seats. The walker would be taken and stored while you are on the tender. I believe that it is fairly easy to exit the dock in Belize City once off the tender.

Laundry. No limits. The full suite benefits used to state "same day" or "next day laundry." The wording "same day" or "next day" no longer shows.

Don't miss the special breakfast each morning. It's one of the top benefits. Way better than room service. Breakfast prepared to order. Order whatever you want, not just the menu items. If they have the ingredients it will be prepared for you.

Your account(s) begin with a credit balance (OBC). On board expenses are added as incurred and net against the accounts. Non-refundable OBC is used first, then refundable OBC. If at the end of the cruise you have a credit balance any amounts associated with refundable OBC will be refunded to you.

One of the best benefits for a full suite passenger is the special full suite breakfast served in one of the specialty restaurants. On the Sky, believe it is Sabatini's. Breakfast is prepared to order. You can order whatever you want, not just what is on the menu. If they have the ingredients it will be prepared for you. If they don't have the ingredients they may be able to get them for the next morning. It is so much better than room service and club class or any other dining location. There will be information in your cabin when you board. Don't miss it. Don't forget that you can have Club Class dining for the evening meal each day and for lunch on sea days.

Shareholder's benefit is non refundable

Normal is for the upper berth and the sofa to be made up and stored during the day, providing they are empty and not littered. The are set up during the evening turn down. If in use for late sleepers, or if all kinds of items and clothing are thrown or stored on these beds the cabin steward may not be able to service these beds and they may remain as they are. Access to the balcony is very difficult when beds are in use.

There are slow areas when crossing the Atlantic. Don't believe it is just the Sky. We had slow areas crossing the Pacific. Internet is also slow in the northern latitudes.

In hindsight, if you did not receive your mini bar which is delivered on boarding day you should have visited the Captain's Circle Host. Something is wrong with Princess' records or maybe your records. Elite status requires 15 cruise credits or 150 days on board. Land portions of cruise tours don't count against the 150 days. I would check the captain's circle records on line and verify against your records.

8 x 50ml of spirits. Normally 2 gin, 2 scotch, 2 vodka, 2 brandy. 2 bottles beer, normally Dos Equis 6 cans of soda, 2 bottles water, 2 bottles sparkling water. In total 10 alcoholic and 10 non alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic can be traded for other alcoholic beverages, example 8 more beers. Alcoholic can also be traded for non alcoholic. The entire mini bar can be traded for two coffee packages or one bottle of wine. Call room service for trades.

Here is the Princess dining guide. Also sample menus for the specialty restaurants are available on line. https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/food-and-dining/dining-options.pdf

There are no specialty restaurant packages on Princess. There are three specialty restaurants on the Discovery where you probably require reservations. Each has a charge. Crown Grill, Sabatini's, Bistro Sur La Mer. There is also the Salty Dog Gastropub which probably will not be busy and you can walk in. GiGi's is a sit down pizza restaurant that serves personal pizzas and other items. It is no charge and is open from 11am until late evening. It is walk in. There probably will be a line at lunch time/early afternoon. The World Market Place buffet is open all day and evening (never closes). There is a a Grill and Slice Pizza by the pool open from 11am until mid evening. You can order food and drink delivered anywhere on the ship through the Ocean Now app. Some food items have a charge. The International Cafe has Cont. breakfast items in the morning and paninis, salads and other items the rest of the day. No Charge. I always found the MDR food satisfying. Reports are that post covid that it isn't as good as the past, but still good.

Yes it is with a few differences. When you sail a b2b, Vancouver to Whitter, Whitter to Vancouver passengers clear US immigration in Vancouver during the initial boarding process. When the ship docks at Whitter there is no further immigration process and you can treat the day as a normal port day. Another difference is when ships make their first US port of call in route, for example cruises from Quebec to NYC. Immigration inspection takes place at the first port of call, example Bar Harbor, Maine, where inspectors come on board. When the ship reaches the final disembarkation there is no further immigration inspection, but Customs can inspect luggage.

By law you are not permitted to remain on board in Fort Lauderdale. Every passenger must leave the ship. If even one passenger remains on board that passenger must be located and be escorted off the ship. Once disembarked passengers that are not on b2bs not permitted back on board. Those on b2bs go through immigration and once all passengers are off the b2b passengers are permitted back on board.

Only the individual components of the package can still be purchased onboard. I read this as meaning that you can purchase a beverage package, wifi, or pay the daily gratuities once on board at the normal price. I don't read this as meaning you can change just one portion of the fare, in your case the beverage package.

Taxi or Princess transfer. Taxi probably cost less for two people. You pay for the ride plus the tolls. Tolls are around $25. Depends on the route. Some taxis may not be able to make this trip as it is interstate New Jersey to New York. Ask the dispatcher. Ride may take 35/40 minutes up to a few hours depending on the day of the week and time of day. If time is short, Princess transfer is the way to go as the ship will wait for the bus to arrive.

Vines wine bar should have some comp. sushi with the purchase of wines. The buffet area usually has some Asian selections like Ramen noodles. If operating, the aft section of the buffet may have Asian themed selections for lunch one day. There is no restaurant or serving counter that is exclusive to Asian selections.

Are you speaking about the 4 day January cruise with Princess Cays as the only stop? If so I would think most of the beach area will operate most of the day. Of course, Princess will have limited hours when their buffet lines are open and the bars will close in time for the staff to return supplies to the ship. Sunset in January in the Bahamas is around 5:30. I guess the beach will empty out before that time. Last tender would be 5 or 5:30. If you intend to return mid afternoon then no issues. Walk right on the Tender back to the ship. The last few times we were at Princess Cays we stayed on board. Very pleasant days. This is an 80's themed cruise and sounds like a 3 day non stop party.

Never remember in my long lifetime including my youth. Restaurant gratuities always were considered the standard of 15%. In the last 10 or so years it has moved to to 15 to 20%. Some restaurants, not many, add the service charge to the bill. Others add a service charge for large parties, say maybe 8 to 10 or more dining together. It varies. They is no exact standard.

Yes, you can stay on the ship. We have done this many times. On the 10 day partial transit the ship enters the Atlantic locks and anchors in Gatun Lake. At that time passengers on ship excursions tender ashore. No one else is permitted to tender ashore. No private touring. The ship then exits the locks and docks. There are some vendors on the dock. You can walk off and visit them. Those on ship's tours are returned to the dock to board.