AzEileen

I agree with everything above. One thing to keep in mind is that if the ship is in a port that requires taxes on drinks, you will have to pay for the tax regardless of whether you have the UBP. For example, while the Breakaway was in NY harbor a couple of weeks ago, they did add NY sales tax to each drink order and that was not backed out on you final bill. But it amounted to a few dollars for me. I have had the same thing happen at the Port of Miami.

 

Alan

 

So if our ship leaves from NYC and we order drinks after we board using the UBP but before the ship leaves port, we will be charged tax for NYC?

In exchange for being able to cancel your trip or defer payment, you got uncertainty about your air travel.

 

 

Thanks to everyone for all the info. This is the first time I've tried to arrange air transportation through the cruise line instead of doing it independently. I think I will be checking flights directly through airline web sites and if I find something comparable just bite the bullet and pay to confirm flights and seats. Although, it is reassuring that several posts reflected satisfaction with flights and no last minute changes. When you travel, it certainly is an adventure, isn't it? :)

I think Princess means they issue tickets as early as 45 days prior. The norm seems to be around 30 days.

 

Don't confuse a *reservation* with *tickets*. A reservation is a "placeholder" to set aside space, based on your intent to travel. A ticket seals the deal. It's very similar to the difference between a Letter of Intent and a Contract. Until Cruise Air actually purchases tickets (evidenced by actual 13-digit ticket numbers, not the 6-character confirmation/PNR), your reservation could change to a totally different airline, routing, etc.

 

Oh no! This is stressful! I just signed up for direct flight from Las Vegas to London thru eZAir on a British Air flight. I went to the British Air site and selected seats. Are you telling me Princess could change the flight to connecting flights at the last minute? Do you think I'd be better off cancelling the eZAir and booking directly through the airline? The attractive part was thinking I had air fare arranged but didn't have to pay right now.

Usually boarding will start around noon and cabins are usually all ready by that time.

 

Cabins ready when you board? Even at noon-ish time? How do they do that? We've cruised Royal Caribbean, NCL and Holland America and NEVER had a cabin ready when we board. Looking forward to Princess in 356 days!

The ziploc bags serve another purpose.

If you are doing your own excursion or going on an excursion where they don't serve meals, you can use them to bring your own food.

 

You can order sandwiches from room service and place them in the ziploc bags. You can then put them in an insulated tote like this one from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Raya-Insulated-Modern-Design/dp/B009SNOC36/ref=pd_sim_hg_8

 

This is helpful if you're going to a port where they only take local currency for food purchases or you just don't want to spend the money on food.

 

I thought in most places you are not permitted to take that kind of food off ship. Yes? No?

Our first Princess Cruise will be to British Isles in 2016. Our ship is Caribbean Princess. We will be cruising with one other couple. On previous cruises (NCL, Holland America) we used anytime dining and went to the main dining room whenever we were ready. For this cruise we selected traditional, table for 4, 6 pm. Two questions for experienced Princess cruisers:

• Will we get a table for 4 or be seated at larger tables?
  
• If we return late from an excursion, can we go to the main dining room or do we have to go to the buffet?
  

 

Thanks for helping me figure this out!

Another way to get a discount, is to refer someone that has never cruised with Princess. I recently referred my aunt. She got $25.00 off the price of her cruise, and I got $25.00 off the price of my cruise for referring her.

 

How does the referral credit work? The couple that is cruising with us has cruised Princess in the past and suggested this cruise to us. What do we have to do to obtain this credit? Are TA aware of these different options for OBC?

One more OBC is the Loyalty OBC. The amount is based on the number of cruise credits you have.

 

21 to 31 cruise credits, you get $25 OBC each cruise.

32 to 41 = $50

42 to 51 = $75

52 or more = $100

 

You get one cruise credit for each cruise, plus a cruise credit for each time you book a suite plus one eacch time you sail solo. Only one Loyalty OBC per cabin

 

We have booked our first Princess Cruise so all this is really interesting to me. DH is a Vietnam vet so I had already identified that credit and will apply for that. And I'm checking our stocks! We cruised several times on Holland America. Would those days count as cruise credits? Also, some posts refer to "FCC". What is that? Thanks so much!

Swipe the cruise card.

 

Is it the same on all Princess ships? Is a special detergent provided? This is our first Princess cruise. When we were on Holland America, an environmentally kind detergent was provided and we had to have quarters for the machines.

Ahhhhhh, yes, cause if you select from the Premium pkg you pay the entire cost.

 

We just booked for British Isles in May, 2016. We received a Classic Beverage Package as part of the 123 Options. My question is whether or not spirits and wines are listed on bar menus as "classic" or "premium". We purchased a drink package on NCL and frequently had to pay charges for our drinks because unknowingly we ordered a spirit or wine not included in the package we purchased.

 

Thanks for the info.

I am waiting for 2016 British Isles schedules to be released. When they finally are published, is it best to book ASAP or wait to see if a fare reduction occurs? This will be our first Princess cruise unless HA can match the spectacular itinerary!

First time, ever, that we will be spending the holiday on a ship. Of course we will miss our loved ones at home. So, what is your experience if you have done this?

 

We spent Thanksgiving on Volendam in 2011 while cruising New Zealand and Australia. Dinner was very good with traditional American menu items. The wonderful wait staff even found me a piece of pumpkin pie the next night, even though it wasn't on the menu. The other thing I enjoyed was Christmas decorations magically appeared overnight on Thanksgiving night. I wish that would happen at my house!

I love the map of HMC! Thanks! But is there some reference that identifies cabana numbers on the map with colors on the HAL web site? When you reserve a cabana as an excursion prior to your cruise, do you get the color/number cabana you select on the HAL web site? Thanks for any info.

I am considering this dinner on our upcoming cruise. Is it really worth an extra $49 when we find the food in the main dining room quite good??

Thanks!

I think there is self service laundry on the Volendam; on each deck?

Could anyone tell me how much it costs to wash and dry a load? Also do I have to have exact change in coins or do they have a change machine? Any recommendations on best time to do laundry?

 

Yes, there is self-serve laundry on Volendam. It is not on each deck, but you should be able to identify location on the HAL website deck plans for Volendam. I took a $10 roll of quarters and that was fine for our whole 2 week cruise to New Zealand and Australia. If you don't take your own quarters you can get change at the purser's desk. Laundry detergent is provided. Best time to do laundry is NOT on a day at sea! I found early AM or when we returned early from an excursion before ship sailing. Oh....take some fabric softener sheets. I was the "Queen" of the laundry because I had taken plenty of those and was happy to share with others! :p

 

P.S. Volendam is a great ship!

From what I read, the spa is a 'hard sell' to try to get you to purchase their products. It is suggested you be prepared with a response so they will leave you alone.

 

We did Voledam to New Zealand/Australia. I had a delightful salt wrap/massage in the spa and there was no hard sell.....in fact, I wasn't asked to purchase anything. Perhaps it depends on the cruise and the type of spa service you request. I did notice they had several very high end services offered (tooth whitening, botex, etc.) I couldn't imagine spending my cruise money for those but to each his own!

 

Also, self-serve laundry was wonderful. Take a roll of quarters with you. It avoids having to request change. I became queen of the laundry area because I remembered to bring dryer sheets with me! It was fun to share with everyone.

You can ask up front for 2 escragos, 6 lobster tails, etc. Don't be shy about the items you love to eat so much and can't get at home. Can't decide which desert that night? order both!

 

We were cruising Volendam on Thanksgiving and had a traditional American meal. However, the next evening I was craving more pumpkin pie. Not on the menu that night but they found some for me!

[quote name='GmaPajama'] [SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS]We much prefer a table for two,.... We especially liked that it didn't matter if we felt we were running late...".[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Our only dilemma was how to tip the extra that we like to do - not knowing if we would have the same dining stewards each night. We decided to leave our tip on the table each night, in cash. That worked out perfectly for us, and we felt like we were able to take care of the specific people who were taking care of us.[/FONT][/SIZE][/quote]

You've given two reasons we prefer a flexible dining option as opposed to traditional. Our first two cruises were when fixed seating was the only choice to dine in the main dining room. I dislike being tied to a schedule when I'm on vacation and we got seated with some folks that were not the easiest for us to chat with.....luck of the draw!

I like your suggestion of tipping on the table each night! As we've used flexible dining, I notice some waiter/server teams definately go above and beyond requirements while others meet minimum standards. Thanks for the idea. We'll try it on our next cruise. May I ask about what amount you consider leaving each night?

Open Seating dining venue...you l can go to the dining room at the same time -- any time between 5:15 and 9 PM and reguest the size of table you want. Reservations can be made for Open Seating only for the hours between 5:15 - 6:15 and 7:30 - 9 PM. Between 6:15 and 7:30 -- you just show up -- no reservations.

 

We just booked our first cruise on HAL. We are used to NCL dining options. It's just my husband and I cruising and we prefer table for 2. Is it difficult to get a table for 2 in the main dining room? The idea of reservations is somewhat confusing and, I'll admit, I didn't read all 1,000+ posts on this thread! If I make reservations each night of our cruise, I can request a specific time and a table for 2? I wonder why there are no reservations between 6:15 - 7:30. Is the the Pinnacle Grill a dining option with a specialty surcharge? If so, is it worth it?

 

Thanks to experienced HAL cruisers who help clear up my confusion!