CruisingJs

I've been to all three of those ruins on various land trips.

Chichen Itza is definitely the most spectacular as far as the structures and the amazing pyramid. You really want half a day to wander the site with a knowledgable guide.

Tulum is the most beautiful setting because it is on the coast and there is a charming beach right next to the ruins although the ruins are not as extensive.

Coba is a large area but they are in the beginning stages of excavation. It will be some time before it reaches the level of other ruins. Also, the area is really spread out and requires a lot of walking or renting a bike. We had some poor guy pedal us around on his bike with a cart attached because after about 30 minutes in that heat and humidity we were drained.

I'm not sure how helpful that will be because tours from the cruise ship are quite different from going on your own but there you have it.

I think I've gotten the casino rate on five cruises so far. We are not big gamblers but usually spend some time in the casino each evening. It was much nicer when you could see the rate on Princess' website but now your TA has to enter a special code to see if the cruise qualifies. The savings is different depending on where the cruise goes and the type of cabin you book. Plus it seems to be capacity controlled...they only allow so many reduced rates per cruise. It pays to book early.

Thanks for the review. We're doing this cruise January 9th so good to know what to expect. We booked the turtle sanctuary too. Looking forward to that.

Right. It's been a while since I've had to do this :mad: but you can offset big wins by losses incurred in any casino. This includes land based and ship based casinos.

We also ate at Quimbamba. That rice and beans cooked with the coconut flavoring was awesome! Good food, good view.

Do you remember which pier the Coral is docked at Port Everglades? Just wondering what to tell the taxi company when picked up from our hotel to take us to the pier. Thanks.

There is a really nice app for you phone or iPad called Port Everglades Cruiseschedule. It show the pier, driving map, etc. We found it very useful.

Try clearing your browser history. Sometimes that makes weird things go away.

Love your newsy reports! Can't wait to hear how the Bayou steakhouse is!

 

What deck is your cabin on? I think you said you were in a mini suite? Is the balcony covered or uncovered? We are currently in a balcony and there are quite a few minis available on our sailing on Dolphin Deck, so want to have my ducks In a row if up sells are offered!

We were in a mini suite on Dolphin deck and I know the mini suites in the 700 series have covered balconies except for the two most aft. It was nice to have a covered balcony on such a hot cruise.

Thanks Cherylandtk.

 

Do you know of anyone who has done this?

 

My feeling is that if the cabin is booked with the past passenger rate and then the past passenger goes to another room with another past passenger there may be issues switching.

 

I read where carnival doesn't seem to have a problem doing this but haven't seen much on Princess.

We did this when our daughter and son-in-law sailed with us and it was their first time. We went to passenger services when boarding to get the room keys switched around. Then we had to go back the next day to make sure the room charges and credit cards were applied to the correct cabins. For some reason they weren't able to do that part on embarkation day. This was on Princess.

This was offered on our South America cruise since we overnighted in Lima. I looked at it but the cost was more than the 17 day cruise in a mini suite. The people I talked to onboard that did Machu Pichu did it before the cruise since our cruise started in Santiago and they raved about it. Most people thought the tour offered during the cruise didn't give you enough time to acclimate to the altitude. Altitude sickness is a real concern for Machu Pichu so you should consider that. If you want to go there either before or after the cruise (depending on whether you're traveling north or south) is really the best option.

We both got the card in the mail and the email. The card in the mail says something about being elite so maybe that's why not everyone is getting it.

Yes! We also enjoyed Bermuda on our TA but it would be nice to see that added as well.

Just got off the Royal a few days ago. L108 was a fantastic cabin. Here is a link to a video I made.

Wow! Thank you so much for this. We have this cabin booked for April. It looks more like a suite than a mini suite and the balcony furniture is really nice. You got me even more excited than I was.

That's great to know.. I would rather have the coffee cards for sure! We are not big drinkers but we are partial to a good cappaccino :)

My son is concerned about formal night..will he be ok in a formal shirt and tie or will he need a jacket?

He will be fine with a long sleeved shirt and tie.

Does this mean if you put cash in, and you are done and decide to cash out you do not receive a paper ticket? You have to cash out to the cruise card?

That's right. You can only cash out to your cruise card. Then you can take your card to another machine, pull the money off and into another machine or take it to the cashier to get your money.

She glad you will be sailing with us! In your suite you will have a complimentary mini bar. You can either keep it or trade it for two coffee cards. The coffee cards are used for specialty coffees at the International Cafe and for unlimited brewed coffee. You will also be getting complimentary specialty coffees when you breakfast at Sabatini's. Plus each adult can bring on one bottle of wine without paying corkage fees. With all that, you wouldn't get your money's worth buying the drink package. See you on board!

They're supposed to dock in Mahogany Bay but we had to dock in Coxen Hole because sea/wind conditions made it difficult to get into Mahogany Bay.

Can we just use cash? I take only what I can afford to loose. When it is gone......So am I!

 

Don't want to use my card for anything. TIA:)

You can always put cash in a machine but you can only cash out to your cruise card. The machines don't pay out cash. Once you have money on your cruise card, you just take it to the casino cashier to get the money.

We did the southern route in October and it was the calmest seas I have seen. I think the northern route would be bumpier.

I read on another site the Coast Guard won't let them leave Honolulu until repairs are complete.

Line up before they start giving out tender tickets to get the lowest number. Since Princess tours and elite passengers get priority I don't think you have a very good chance of getting to your tour by 8:00. My experience is that tour guides in tender ports are used to waiting for people. Unless you're taking a tour with people who are not on the cruise you should be fine.

Last I knew, he is getting off 1/19/16. Lucky you.

I hope you're right! That would be fantastic.

David Cole is the CD, and is first rate.

Did he happen to say how long he will be on the Grand? We sail January 9th.

There were a couple of smart phone/iPad classes on our Transatlantic cruise. They were given by the assistant CD. I did learn some new tips and tricks.