NeurosurgeryNP

I am a huge craft beer drinker on land - wish they had more true craft microbrews on board. This is the only downfall for me - I become a liquor drinker for the duration of the cruise.

We did it on the CB in November 2012. It was a highlight of the cruise for us. We will never probably do it again due to the cost, but it was fantastic and I highly recommend it if you like to see the "behind the scene" stuff. It was something I've always wanted to do on our 6 prior cruises. If you think about it, it was like an excursion on shore, but we got goodies at the end - robes, stationary, and several group pics (that would have cost $20 each otherwise).

If it stops in a foreign port, like Canada, I would not travel without one. If you have to fly at all (like you missed a port tor something), it is my understanding you need a passport to fly to the next port home. nothing else would be accepted.

Thanks Toberman... My eyes were starting to bleed.

 

Still a great review and much appreciated. 27 days! (but who is counting ;))

35 for us!

How many reviews are there compared to how many passengers have sailed on the Royal? How many reviews are from the first month or so when there were issues? How long have the other ships been in service compared to the Royal? Numbers don't lie but they can be manipulated.

 

Having sailed on the Royal, she is now one of my favorite ships, and I've been on quite a few, including Celebrity. She's not perfect but what ship is? She has quite a few things that are better than any other Princess ship and for that matter, any other ship on any line. I can't wait to re-board her in September.

Thanks for the input. We are sailing on her in March. I have been very worried about the reviews - both good and bad. Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

Anyone know if it is fleet wide yet?

We got back home a few hours ago and we did indeed sign up for the package. There was definitely some effort given by Princess in promoting the offer. There was a sign up in the entry hallway at the port and there were some fliers lying on the check in desks. As was pointed out above, there were also various placards and fliers dotted around the ship on embarkation day and the first day of the cruise, so people were definitely made aware of the promotion.

 

The fliers didn't show where we needed to sign up for the promotion, so after embarkation and before we hit the lunch buffet, we simply asked at a bar on the pool deck and they pointed us in the direction of Vines Wine Bar which was located on deck 5. There were a few people in front of us, but it didn't take too long for the wait staff to complete the paperwork and attach a sticker to our cruise card. The sticker was good for all bars on the ship and is good for all beverages at $10 and under. On the bar menu, there was only drink that was over $10 (A Remy Martin XO brandy) and all items on the Martini list were under $10 and there were 4 or 5 wines at Vines that were over the $10 limit. It was explained to us that anything over $10 would have to be paid for in full, with no credit given for having the card.

 

6 out of the 8 people at our late sitting table had the beverage sticker and a good time was had by all and just about every Brit of legal drinking age that I met on board, appeared to have signed up for the package too! You still had to sign for each and every drink (inventory control was the explanation), but the value of the sale was recorded as $0.00. There were a few instances where the wait staff incorrectly coded the sale and it would appear on the room statement, but customer services were quick to remove those charges when pointed out to them. None of the $0.00 charges showed up on the room statement, so for the first time in my life, my folio fitted on one page!

 

As I said, the sticker was good at all bars, but I still had a little bit of running about to do over dinner. There was wine by the glass available in the MDR, but the quality of some were rather questionable and others were only just passable. We found a few higher quality wines available at Vines and the Martini bar that were $10 or less, so opted to drink those at dinner. We would grab a glass on the way to dinner and although the head waiter said that the wine steward would be able to get us refills for the wines that were only available at Vines and Crooner's, that didn't prove to be the case. The wine steward was willing to sell us a bottle of our chosen wine, albeit at a 40% discount, but wouldn't go and get us a glass, so we opted to pop out after the salad course and grab a couple of refills to drink with the entrees. The sticker was also good for aperitifs in the MDR.

 

We, along with our table mates thought that we got good value for money and we would all definitely do it again. I drank a little more onboard than I would on a land vacation as the cruise puts a value on the package, rather than having it included in the room rate at an all inclusive land resort, so there was a point to aim at each day to hit that "break even point".

What ship were you on?

Is there such a thing yet as all inclusive drink package on Princess?

Just was looking for our 3/2 sailing.....we are listed for 3/5/2014 to be at the WICO dock - first time for us since our first Princess sailing in 2008.

It's going to be a crazy day that day. Thank goodness we will hopefully be diving and away from the port. http://www.**********/general_usvi/cruiseship/ship_schedule.php?i=0&m=3&y=2014

Just was looking for our 3/2 sailing.....we are listed for 3/5/2014 to be at the WICO dock - first time for us since our first Princess sailing in 2008.

I use a Frio Cooling Case. They come in different sizes, and will keep your medicine cold but not frozen. It has gel pebbles in it and you soak it for ten minutes till the gel swells up. Then you towel off the excess water, and it is good for three days. If you need it longer you just recharge the case and you are good for more time. It works great and will fit into your purse.

 

M

These are good, but definitely doesn't keep the medicine refrigerator cold, just cool. I use the Frio pack for taking my open insulin ashore during port days.

Thank you for you reply. It seems like so much to make sure it stays cold enough. I wondered how trustful the medical section on the ship would be.

In my experience, very. They are all professionals. I have crusied on Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean without issues of them holding my extra insulin.

I am on an insulin pump. I travel with my insulin with a lunch cooler and gel.ice packs which are allowed to fly as a carry on. I always make sure I can get a refridge at the hotel I am staying at. I call prior to arrival to make sure it is on my reservation. Be careful of putting your med in the cabin fridge as many times they do not have a thermostat and I have had insulin frozen. I take my extra insulin to the medical center where they are happy to store it for me in their properly controlled fridge.

How does one put the pictures as a large size in their posts?

No necessarily a Carnival Cruise, but the Caribbean Princess, (Carnival Corporation) at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. One of the most amazing pictures I think I have taken, but I am biased.

Taken from our balcony in St. Thomas

Taken from our balcony in St. Thomas

Can't get the pictures to load.

How do you put them in your posts?

So, this EZ CHECK is not necessarily PORT specific, but SHIP specific?

We are cruising EMERALD PRINCESS.

I think the other way around - that it depends on the port you are in. We were on the CB last January and it was available, but it was not available in NYC on the CB from others are saying.

As for hard alcohol - try www.rumrunnerflasks.com THey work well to discreetly put luggage in your checked bags.

Hi all,

Just wondering if there are any other fans of the band Wavelength, currently on the Caribbean Princess, out there? I was on the July 10th sailing and was SO impressed by them! I was too chicken :eek: to get up and sing during 'So you wanna be a rock star' but it sure looked like fun. These guys are AWESOME, and are unlike any other band sailing that I've ever seen. They're not there just to play background music, they really rock out and get things going.

Just wanted to send props out to them and see if anyone else has seen them/met them/ sang with them?

Did they say hong long they were going to be ont he ship? We are sailing in October and hope they are there from all of the comments we are hearing.

:cool:

Edit - Just checke dout there Myspace page - apparently they are only under contract until September. Hope they extend.

EVERY passenger will receive a half page form on arrival to the pier/terminal. Each passenger MUST fill them out (the parents will fill out for the children - they may be included on the parents form - I don't remember) declaring your presence or absence of gastrointestinal symptoms on arrival to the ship. As PP said, it is in an effort to combat norovirus, and people coming on board with noro. They implore you not to lie ont he form. If you have symptoms, you will get checked by the medical staff free of charge, and not necessarily denied boarding.

You may be able to get it from Princess Customer relations - you can email them at customerrelations@princesscruises.com You will get a generic email back stating it may take 2-4 weeks for a response, but I have found that a response usually comes within a few days.

If you bid on one of these sites, and they accept your bid, do you HAVE to accept the hotel and pay on the spot, or do they make you pay frist so you can't reject the offer?