lovevacadays

On 2/28/2024 at 10:44 AM, levonfan said:

We have a cabana room booked on the 10th deck.  I saw a video this morning posted on facebook and it looked pretty awesome.  Regular balcony, no raised glass, and also had the small room with additional tv. Here is link https://www.facebook.com/share/r/jQRLFYWifV6fhjYU/?mibextid=xCPwDs

Thanks for sharing. It will be interesting to see which cabins in all categories are the best on Sun Princess. 

On 11/1/2023 at 6:30 PM, LACruiser88 said:

We will see you onboard!  We are booked starting on Sept 27th for 51 days.  🙂

Fabulous!  We are so excited!  51 days for you. That’s fantastic. 

If you get quarantined on the ship because of COVID I’m assuming you have to stay in your cabin IE… Quarantine. How do they handle your meals?  Is it only meals from the MDR or Room Service or are there other options?  

Customer Service used to be really good until they off-shored it. My recent experiences weren’t great. I 

23 hours ago, LRCruzr said:

Maybe one 8 pack in your luggage 8 pack in another suitcase. You can Prepurchase 8 packs its a Cruise DO NOT CHEAP OUT, Dude!!

Princess doesn’t have Dr Pepper onboard. I’ve always had to bring some with me. I believe they have Coke products onboard. 

Crooners Bar is the martini bar on Princess ships. My favorite bar. If you go there and like olives, be sure to ask for an olive tray. It’s free, at least the last time I cruised Princess which was pre-pandemic. With cutbacks not sure now. 

4 hours ago, Crystabel said:

We were on the Discovery Princess in an aft suite, Starboard side, on Dolphin deck, and a smoking area for crew and passengers was below us on Promenade deck. We could not use our balcony because of all the smoke, which also at times, seeped into the cabin. Aft suites on the Port side of the ship rarely if ever have that problem. A lot depends on if the ship is in motion and how the wind blows. But I would never book the Starboard side again. 

Great info. I have a Dolphin Deck aft suite for my Mexican Riviera cruise next year. Its port side. YAY

11 minutes ago, TM said:

Not likely that the next cruise will be on Princess.  The food quality was a complete miss.  And the entertainment was well below par.  The entertainment was so bad in fact that we did something we have never done in 31 cruises - we went back to our stateroom to watch movies on TV 4 nights.

I’m sorry for your experience. I’m sure you’ll find or already have other cruise lines you do/will like. It’s great that there is so many choices. 

Thank you for posting this. I am not sailing the Sun until October 2025. I am so looking forward to cruising this new class of Princess. 

I’m sorry the food wasn’t good on your cruise. It seems these types of threads have existed for several years. I think it can be the experience on each cruise. I’ve been on Princess cruises where the food was outstanding and then on one or two that I wonder what might be happening in the galley.  Although, I would imagine, Princess has cut some quality just as it seems so many places have. I hope your next cruise brings you amazing food. 

Thank you for posting your live from thread. I’m really enjoying reading it. Will be on the Discovery for the first time late next year. We are treating ourselves to an aft Penthouse Suite. Aft is my favorite part of the ship, overlooking the wake. We have premium so can’t wait to eat at the casual dining venues whenever we want. That and the two nights we get to eat in pay for venues as part of our suite package will most likely keep us out of theMDR.   Then we are back to regular balcony cruising which we love. So fun reading your thread

On 10/15/2023 at 6:53 PM, Woody14 said:

would agree to take a pulmonia.  in my mind it would not v]be worth the walk, but as a short stop on a pulmonia ride sure.  i didn't find the cliff divers too exciting or at all thrilling at least it was a far cry from the ones in Acapulco

 

I agree. Do a tour that stops there and it’s nice to see. Nothing like the Acapulco divers. If you ever get to Acapulco it is worth seeing the divers. I was really moved by the experience. Mazatlan’s is fun for a short visit. 

Definitely Cabo!!  It’s been several years since I’ve been there so can’t remember tour guides.  Also check a few travel websites for suggestions. I always book my tours myself and stay away from the cruise line tours

6 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Sounds like there will not be any price reductions moving forward prior to final payment deadline.  Only up and up!  Glad we are booked thru the end of 2025.

 

 

 

Me too. I have a 2024 and 2025 booked. I think Princess’ primary demographic may lean towards those that can book earlier. Not sure, just surmising. 

On 10/16/2023 at 8:19 PM, DiRonT said:

Our next cruise is next April but is allowing me to make reservations now.  We are in a suite and typically have the 1st night dinner at Bistro Sur La Mer but since it is being changed to The Catch I am waiting until the change actually happens before I make reservations.

Thanks. So excited to be on my first Suite. I haven’t cruised Princess done the pandemic. Lots to learn about new policies and changes. 

With COVID being a permanent part of our lives now, I think everyone should purchase travel insurance that enables you to cancel for any reason. Unless you don’t mind losing your money. 

3 hours ago, paulh84 said:

We tried Princess based on reviews that Celebrity and Princess are mostly similar. That was definitely not it.

Would love to know your comparison. I love Princess.  My next two cruises are on Princess. After those I would love to cruise Celebrity. I’ve cruised Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Carnival as well. The Celebrity ships look amazing. 

On 10/15/2023 at 5:16 AM, Clampram said:

This coming week I need to cancel a cruise that we booked for next March. Is it better to do this on the chat feature or to call on the phone?

I used to FCDs for hubby and I when I booked....I assume that I will get those back?

I see so many issues about communication here that it's made me leery about doing this......thank in advance for any suggestions!

 

People cancel cruises all the time. There shouldn’t be anything painful about e

On 10/14/2023 at 10:57 AM, labcoat99 said:

 

We are recently off the Emerald Princess that departed New York City on September 30. This was our second cruise on the Emerald Princess. The first was several years ago to Alaska.

 

Pre-Cruise

We drove to the pier in Brooklyn on the morning of departure. Getting to the pier was easy using Google maps. We arrived around 10:30. When you arrive by car there is a drop-off area for your luggage. We pulled right in and were met by a porter who took our bags. You then proceed to the parking lot where an attendant has a portable credit card reader, and you pay for the week in advance. Parking at the pier was $45 dollars per day, $315 for the week. There were plenty of parking spaces right next to the ship. From the parking lot it is about a 2-minute walk to the cruise terminal to check in. You can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

 

Embarkation

Once inside the terminal there were plenty of staff who directed everyone where to go. We were both “green lane” upon arrival; however, my wife had her medallion and I did not, mine was shipped but never arrived in the mail. It’s still somewhere in the USPS system. She would have been on the ship in under 5 minutes. I needed to have an old-style room card printed to get on the ship and was told to then go to guest services to get a replacement medallion. That process took about 15 minutes. Guest services made me a new medallion with my name on it after I was on the ship.

 

The Ship

The Emerald is an older ship but was very clean and still looked in good shape. Everything seemed to be working as it should.  The exterior of the ship could use some touch up paint here and there.

 

Cabin

We had a (BD) balcony cabin in the aft part of the ship. The cabin was very clean and in good condition. Our room attendant was outstanding, she serviced the room twice a day and was always checking to see if we needed anything. Our only issue with the cabin was the annoying motion sensor lights that go on at night. Thankfully because of prior reviews I was prepared with a roll of painter’s tape and covered the sensors. The motion lights are very bright and really light up the room. A couple layers of tape fixed that issue.

 

Dining

We generally ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch. The buffet area was a little cramped compared to the newer  Princess ships, but the lines moved quickly. The buffet food was good and there was always a good selection to choose from. The handwashing stations at the entrances to the buffet were used sporadically by the guests.

The pizza by the pool was very good.

The main dining room food was good to very good.  The lobster on the second formal night was the best we have had on a cruise. Definitely an upgrade from some of the sad little tails on some previous cruises. We also ate at Sabatini’s one night. The food and service there were excellent.

Service in the main dining room was very good. We ate in all three dining rooms. The Michelangelo dining room in particular had a fun vibe in addition to very good service.

The wait lines to enter the dining rooms were very manageable after the first night. The first night there was a minor wait but much better than another Princess cruise we were on earlier this year.

 

Ports

Newport – Newport is a tender port. We had been to Newport several times before. We opted to take the free shuttle to the mansion area and walk along the Cliff Walk. The free shuttle is located several blocks to the left of where the tenders drop you off. We walked along the Cliff Walk and decided to walk back to town, which was about a mile through a nice neighborhood. We walked around town for awhile and headed back to the ship. The tenders ran frequently and there was never much of a line.

 

Boston- The ship docked at 10am. We did Boston on our own. We took an Uber ($18) from the ship terminal to Fenway Park for an 11am tour that we had booked in advance. The one-hour tour was excellent. The tour takes you throughout the park and you learn the history of the players and events that have occurred there throughout the years. After the Fenway Park tour, we took an Uber ($12.50) to the North End. We picked up the Freedom Trail and worked our way back towards Boston Common. We stopped at various places along the way. A highlight was a stop at Mike’s Pastries for cannoli and Italian cookies near the Paul Revere house. There was a line, but it moved quickly. The cannoli and cookies were excellent. Many people in the area were carrying Mike’s Pastries boxes. We also visited Quincy Market and other historical sites along the Freedom Trail. An Uber from Boston Common back to the ship was $12. We found Boston to be clean and very tourist friendly.

 

Bar Harbor- Bar Harbor is a tender port. We were told that the tenders get backed up quickly so get a tender ticket early. We got our tickets at 8am. We waited over an hour for our number to be called for a tender. The tendering operation at Bar Harbor was not nearly as efficient as in Newport. The tender ride to the dock in town is about 25 minutes. The town of bar Harbor requires large cruise ships to be tucked behind an island, so they are not visible from the town. Princess should have utilized additional tenders or local providers during the peak morning rush. Some people waited much longer than we did.

We booked the 2 ½ hour Acadia National Park tour on Oli’s Trolley. Oli’s is located near where the tender exit is. The scenery on the Acadia tour was fabulous. We made several stops to get out and view different scenic areas. Our driver narrated and pointed out different points of interest along the way. At one spot we had a Bald Eagle fly by for a quick cameo. We lucked out with the weather. It was very clear and unusually warm for early October. On top of Cadillac Mountain, there is an impressive view of the town below.

After our trolley tour ended, we walked around town and bought a few souvenirs from a shop that was having a half price end of season sale. We saw lobster rolls for sale at several places. One place was charging $39 each. We passed on that.

Later that afternoon the tender line to get back on the ship extended far down the street to the tender dock. The line did move a little faster than expected as Princess enlisted a large tour boat to help tender guests back to the ship. Still, the line was very long. The ship left Bar Harbor later than expected. The full tenders were still running past the original posted sail away time.

 

Halifax- We toured Halifax on our own. In the cruise terminal as you exit the ship there are various shops. There is also an informational center with locals handing out maps. The staff will point out various places of interest and even draw a walking tour map if you ask. We decided to visit the Public Gardens and the Citadel.

The Public Gardens were about a mile walk from the cruise terminal. The gardens were nice, and we spent about a half hour there.

Next, we walked to the Citadel which was nearby. We walked up a very large hill and paid our admission and toured the inside of the fort. The fort overlooks Halifax harbor. Several small group demonstrations were conducted by the Citadel staff. There is a changing of the guard ceremony at the main entrance of the fort at the top of every hour. At noon, a large cannon is shot that can be heard throughout the city.

After the Citadel we walked along the waterfront boardwalk. There are many shops and restaurants along the boardwalk. We ordered a cinnamon/sugar fried dough "Beaver Tail" and sat at the end of a pier to enjoy the water views. The boardwalk leads back to the cruise ship docks.

 

St John/Bay of Fundy- At St. John we booked the Bay of Fundy Coast to Shore Tour with shoreexcursiongroup.com. We met the tour bus a block from the cruise terminal. Our first stop was the Reversing Falls Rapids. Here we watched the tide going out to sea. The water was really roaring through this area. Next, we drove about an hour to the small fishing village of St. Martins. As we drove, the tour guide narrated and told many stories along the way. We then made a stop at the Caves restaurant. The restaurant overlooks the Bay of Fundy and a large sea cave that was carved into a sandstone cliff. Because it was low tide, we were able to walk out onto the rocky flats and explore. At high tide they are under water. The restaurant serves very good seafood. We had very good seafood chowder. The next stop was in town where you can visit several small shops and see a couple of covered bridges. Because it was low tide, several fishing boats were out of the water on supports waiting for the tide to come back in. Here, the difference between high and low tide can be over 20 feet. On the way back in St John we stopped at the old City Market. There are many inside vendors selling everything from meats and produce to clothing items. We purchased some Canadian candy bars that the local tour guide recommended. The pop up candy shop took US dollars and gave US dollars as change. After the market, we went back to the Reversing Rapids area. The water was now gently flowing as it was slack tide and not roaring through the area as it was several hours earlier. In an hour or so the water would be flowing rapidly in the opposite direction as before. It was very interesting to see. From here, the bus returned us to the ship. At the cruise ship docks there is a Container Village. Here, there are shipping containers that have been painted bright colors and converted into various shops selling things from food, artwork and souvenirs.

At the cruise terminal we were asked by security to show picture ID and our medallions to get back on the cruise ship. This was not required in Halifax.

 

Entertainment- We enjoyed the various musicians throughout the ship. The quiz shows etc. seemed well attended. We enjoyed the Rock Opera production in the Princess Theater. It was one of the best performances we have seen at sea.

 

Staff- The staff on the ship were very friendly and helpful. We did have 2 separate occasions at different pool areas where we ordered drinks with a server, and they just never arrived. On both occasions our order was taken, our medallions scanned, and the drinks just never came. We never saw either waiter again after each order to inquire if there was a problem or if they just forgot. It wasn’t a big issue because we had the Plus package and never reached our drink limit. If we were paying as we went, we would have had to go to guest services to have the charges removed.

 

Disembarkation- Since we drove to the port, we utilized self-assist and wheeled our luggage off ourselves.  There was a small line getting off the ship, but it moved along. Getting through customs was a breeze with facial recognition. We were in our vehicle and on our way home by 8:30am.

 

Miscellaneous- The internet on the ship was adequate. For the most part we were able to use our phones/iPads when needed to email, text etc. We did enjoy very nice weather for most of the cruise. It was very foggy in St. John, but it never rained. Even though the ship was reported as being full it rarely felt crowded. The only long lines I noticed (besides the Bar Harbor tenders) was at the poolside grill serving hamburgers during lunch. Other than that, things moved easily.

The gym facilities were in very good shape. The different exercise machines were all working and the exercise area was clean and well kept. My wife took a couple of exercise classes and found the instructors to be very welcoming.

 

Overall- This itinerary has been on our to do list for awhile. We had an enjoyable time once again on the Emerald Princess.

Thank you for your review. I would love to do this cruise one day. Very different ports than what I’m used to. I’ve been to Boston on a land vacation and loved it 

5 hours ago, Mara4166 said:

We always book in advance to ensure we are in the venue and time we want.  The Concierge may be able to do this also, but we like boarding knowing that the first night is sorted.

Good to know. We are in our first suite Dec 24. We haven’t cruised Princess since 2018. I downloaded the medallion app but it says dining reservations aren’t open yet. I’ll keep checking. We’ve done

On 10/2/2023 at 3:40 PM, mrsihopes said:

I was just going to ask about the hold, wanted to put one on hold today and saw no option to do that, only make deposit.    Wondering what is going on.   

That happened to me yesterday. I was trying to put a hold on a booking and there wasn’t the option to do so. 

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

She needs to look for Quasar (sp?).   She also may enjoy the Sky Lounge in the evenings.

Thank you. These both look like exactly what she’s looking for. 

I haven’t cruised Princess in quite a long time.  Do you have to reserve dining reservations in advance now?  

13 minutes ago, cfkm1 said:

Sharing another video compilation of Buffet lunch food taken over several days on our recent Caribbean Princess Cruise and 2 food pictures from international cafe//

 

 

 

Thank you. I’m loving your videos. I’m hungry now. 

Some of my family will be sailing on the Eclipse. My niece has been looking at deck plans and can’t seem to find a nightclub. We are typically Princess cruisers. They have Skywalkers on older ships and on newer ships a venue they use as a nightclub in the evening. Does the Eclipse have a nightclub