janacin

I use COAGUCHEK by Roche. Good service. They send the results to your doctor right away. It is covered my Medicare.

For years I have enjoyed using the steam and sauna rooms after working out in the fitness center. On the newer vessels, (Royal and Regal) you need to buy a spa package now to use these rooms. I am sure that will follow on the rest of the Princess builds in the future. Why is Princess taking these things away from us?

We were on the 28day Tahiti cruise on the Crown in 2014. As we always do we sanitized our cabin when we first entered with peroxide wipes we ordered on line. All surfaces we would touch, from door handles to light switches, tv remotes, showers, toilets, sinks were washed and repeated every other day. On the 25th day my wife and I came down with noro. We washed hands before entering the dining room and never used the public rest rooms except to wash our hands after using the hand rails to enter the restaurant. It's true, the water in the rest rooms is not very hot.

The second day out, I caught a crewmember refilling a salad item in the buffet. He coughed into his gloved hand. I mentioned it to his supervisor.

Somehow the Crown seems to have the worst problem and we've decided not to sail on her in the future.

It can also get pretty cool on the ship. Suggest a sweater or jacket.

Have cruised on many Princess ships, but not the Emerald. All had wood saunas. The steam rooms are tiled but have never seen a tiled sauna. Ouch!

Her nausea is now physical due to her many stomach surgeries over the past decade. She can't snorkel, or helicopter or anything that puts pressure on her stomach and causes the nausea reaction - which is any physical pressure on the upper part of the stomach wall where the esophagus enters.

 

Everything helps her (ginger, green apples, OTC and prescription drugs), but nothing prevents it.

 

I've been enjoying your blogs about the trip. We were on the same cruise on the Crown last year about this time. Besides the amazing ports, the best time was on the relaxing 8 sea days on the way back to LA. Our good friends, Janet and Stan Blander are on board with you. Have a great rest of the cruise. Are you the same CC Crain who sells short wave radios?

 

Marty

Bring your own and pack it in your checked bag.

The tap water on Princess ships is very good. We drink it all the time.

We just got off the Crown for 24 days and had P323. Same metallic clang early in the morning on most days. Teeth jarring and it came right into the room, but thankfully did not go on for an hour. It sounded to me like someone with a 20 lb. monkey wrench whacking on a big metal pipe.

 

Disembarkation night was very noisy, sounded like gorillas throwing the Samsonites around in the cages (for those of you who remember that old commercial). It went on for hours, lots of electric motors (whirr, clunk, ahrreee, clunk, brzbrzbrbz, clunk) and clanging metal cages. Occasional voices and then we had the dance party bass thump nightly from 9:45-12:00. Love the ease of location, but not going to stay on that deck again, EVER.

 

I did not let it ruin the vacation, we took naps to catch up on sleep if needed (room was always quiet in the daytime!), but if you want a quiet room, don't go on Plaza deck anywhere in the 300's.

 

We were on the Crown last October/November for the 28 day Hawaii-Tahiti cruise and we were in P332. We were kept awake most nights with the sound of a hydro electric motor whirring all night long in addition to the groaning and clunking of the stabilizers. Our neighbors on both sides were bothered by it too. The chief engineer "couldn't imagine what was causing it" but I'm sure he was aware of the problem and was used to hearing the complaints. As the ship was full the only thing they could offer us was an inside room or ear plugs.

Looking forward to hearing more about the cruise. I love your enthusiasm. It reminded me of when I was 16 and took my first coast to coast plane ride alone. I was so excited. Best wishes to Grammy.

I've been at many Meet and Greets on Princess and have never seen any solicitations or money exchanges for private tours. They were all organized on the roll call and we paid at the time of the tour. On our recent South Pacific cruise, the time was used to get acquainted with fellow cruisers and to organize camera clubs, card games, knitting circles, slot pulls and other shipboard activities with new friends.

 

I've often wondered why someone would volunteer to organize these tours, spending time and money, making overseas phone calls and doing the paperwork. Do they get a commission on the sales or a free tour?

Glad to hear that many people were happy on Plaza Deck. We were recently on the Crown Princess and were in Cabin P332, an outside cabin on Plaza Deck for a 28 day cruise and were kept awake most nights by the loud whirring sound of a hydraulic pump or compressor that kept running all night. We tried to change our room however there was nothing available as the ship was full.

Plaza deck, as close to the art gallery as we can get, is our favorite location for all the ships we've been on. It's so close to everything. If the ship has an IC, and sadly the Sapphire doesn't, I can get my morning coffee and a sweet bite or two in my sleep :). If you tend to get sea sick, Plaza deck mid-ship is the place to be. We prefer the outside cabins but, will take an inside if need be.

 

The Sapphire does have an IC. *

 

* International Café.

Hi again Marty,

 

I have just this minute checked the Princess website, and it is now showing up - yipeee.....

 

Once again Marty, thank you for all your assistance, you have been wonderful. Now to contact Princess here and get pricing and hopefully it's the start of an amazing trip - see how we go.

 

I'm certainly :):):):)

 

I certainly owe you a 'drink' - hopefully one day we will end up on the same cruise, somewhere, and I can buy you that drink!!

 

Best wishes Marty!!

 

Vicki.

 

 

Vickie;

 

Glad to be of help. It sounds like a great trip. Enjoy it!

 

Marty

Again Marty, thank you so very much for doing this for me :)

 

Cruise tour departs from Calgary, Alberta - 7th May 2016. 'Heart of the Rockies Plus Rail - Tour 1R'. - Tour Number: T6A01R.

7 day Cruise tour, concluding in Vancouver.

7 day cruise on the Star Princess, round trip Vancouver to Vancouver.

Star Princess departs on Saturday 14th May 2016 - Voyage Number: 9612.

 

Hope this helps. I also received an email this week with the up and coming cruise tours for 2016 - this cruise tour is also listed, so I cannot see what or why the delay is in releasing this cruise tour.

 

Thank you again - Vicki. :)

 

 

 

Vicki:

 

Just spoke with Princess, Santa Clarita. Both the cruisetour and the cruise are wide open. They can't come up with a reason why you are having trouble. They suggest that you call Princess at 61 2 8424 8800 or e mail them at info.princess@carnivalaustralia.com and tell them that Princess Santa Clarita says that this cruisetour is open and available. They offered to put me on the line with Princess in Australia but I felt that it would be better if you phoned once again. They could not quote prices because the fare would be in Aussi bucks. Ask to speak with someone IMPORTANT.

Good Luck, Marty

I'll call Princess main office in here in Santa Clarita in the morning and see if I can get an answer for you.

 

Marty

 

Vicki-

 

I was on the phone for a half an hour with Princess trying to solve this puzzle but I'm having the same problem you are. Unfortunately I need more information. Where does the cruise tour depart from? How many days? What Ship? Is the May 7, 2016 date, the date that the ship leaves or is that the date that the land tour starts?

 

After your reply I'll try again tomorrow>

 

Marty

Hi,

 

I am very keen to book a Canadian Rockies Cruise tour - departing 7 May 2016. This tour came on-line last Thursday (Friday Australian time) and it is appearing in the Princess website as 'sold out'. It has gone from 'sold-out' to 'pricing is currently unavailable', since it's been on the website.

 

I have contacted Princess Australia and they are telling me there is no way this is booked out, but they cannot explain to me why it's appearing like this. I have phoned twice, with different consultants, but still no luck.

 

Can anyone of you lovely people shed some light on this for me? I am really keen to lock this cruise tour in but it's just impossible to do so.

 

Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Vicki :)

 

 

 

I'll call Princess main office in here in Santa Clarita in the morning and see if I can get an answer for you.

 

Marty

If you like, I will call the Main Princess office in Santa Clarita tomorrow morning and see if they can tell me something about this cruise tour and I will let you know.

 

Marty

Regardless of the ship and dining room names, if the ship has an aft dining room on deck 6, it's always 6pm Traditional dining. The only thing "tricky" about it is that you can't get there from deck 6 mid-ship. The aft elevators and stairs always go down to the Traditional dining room.

 

The problem with the Canaletto dining room on the Golden is that there is no rest room on that level. If you like to wash your hands before dinner as I do, you have to grab a rest room on deck 7 and carefully walk or ride down to 6 not holding on to the stair rails or pressing an elevator button. OR you can bring some plastic gloves.

I'm sailing from Tahiti to Sydney, Australia. I know the ship's Internet is slow but are there time when you completely lose the signal? If so, how often, what location is it down? I want to keep in touch with home and I'm not sure how much internet time to purchase. I don't what to buy too much if I won't have access. Thanks!

 

We were on the October 18 Los Angeles-Hawaii-Samoa-Tahiti -Los Angeles 28 day cruise. We had Internet between LA and Hawaii but for the rest of the trip internet was marginal to non existent. People were wasting their minutes trying to get on and nothing was happening.

no, sorry.

 

Just bath in the hot-tub.

 

People here are very literal. As there is no sign prohibiting

bathing in the hot tub, obviously, it is allowed.

 

you're just being funny, right?

Can anyone tell me if the showers on Island Princess have a removable,

hand-held shower head? I have a 4 year old who doesn't like to take

showers- they are up too high and spray in her face. She will take

one if she can hold the sprayer herself. Any help is appreciated.

- Wendy

 

 

The showers in the Sauna and steam area near the gym have hand held shower sprayers and there's enough room in the shower for you and your daughter. You don't have to join the spa to use the sauna facilities. They are free.

As a loyal Princess fan, I must admit that one of the reasons we stay with Princess is because of the loyalty perks we get. I feel that Princess needs to update it's image a bit. I don't mean that they should build megaships with parks and bumper car rides or skydiving simulators or rock climbing walls. I mean that each ship should have it's own character and not be a cookie cutter copy of the last Princess ship you were on. As an example; The cheap looking brass table lamps on the night stands and the tacky wood molding near the ceiling of your room, the trays near the bathroom mirror that try to hold your toiletries but ultimately fail, or the bad lighting above the sink or at the vanity table. The rooms could use some happy color either from the bedspreads or the carpeting.

 

But, please Princess, don't change your great standard of service, your good food, your relaxing atmosphere and your great destinations. We'd like to stay with you but things are getting a bit boring.

We're on a 4day "sampler" later this month, and after initially taking E102 got upgraded/moved to the plaza deck, oceanview, port side. I'm looking at the deck plan and it appears that there is a door from the end of the hallway by P336 into the Piazza, right by the International Cafe... I'm wondering if that is, in fact, a passenger accessible door. Because that'd be mighty convenient! Not that having to go forward and through the art gallery is so awful or anything.

 

Yes it is always accessible and is extremely close to the International Café which is open 24/7. They close the door at night so that noise from the Piazza doesn't disturb anyone who may be sleeping. One problem on Plaza deck is mechanical noise from some of the hydraulics under the floor. WE were in

P332 and tried to get relocated but it was either an inside room or ear plugs. Some people opted for the downgrade. We got the earplugs. Never again on Plaza Deck!

Marty

janacin@verizon.net

We were on the Crown for the 28 day Hawaii and South Pacific cruise in October. We always bring a Clorox product made with Hydrogen Peroxide that is only sold on line and is supposed to "destroy" Noro on contact. Before we unpack we wash all surfaces that may be touched with the stuff, including the light switches, phone, TV remote, drawer pulls, toilet, shower floor, faucets. When we go to dinner we accept the Purel that they spray on our hands and then wash them in hot water in the dining room rest room before going to the table. You would think that we would have avoided Noro but my wife and I both got hit with it and had to spend 48 hours in our room. About 150 people got it on that trip. It is hard to avoid it and I really think that many people who feel ill don't report it and that's how it spreads.

Marty