LynnSD

We are part of the mid range crowd- formal is black pants and sparkly shirt for me; slacks , button down , sometimes sports coat for husband. Our last cruise was a 7 day Discovery coastal CA. I was surprised at how many folks dressed up; and they were totally enjoying themselves. My personal feeling is people should make a little minimal effort for the MDR, especially since Princess has multiple options, but it would be nice if we could stop insulting each other about this….

We were three weeks in the Med on the Regal last year, and yes, the crowds and heat were extremely hard to bear. Our worst experience was Istanbul — long slow lines to get into the sites, and shoulder to shoulder once you did get in. Fortunately for us we had been to most of the ports. We chose excursions that did not take us to the major tourist sites, and those were much more enjoyable. We have a trip to France planned for September and I’m starting to worry about it!

I like Steelers approach. Let the managers know it’s the passenger not the waiter. Jeez, too much negativity! You’re on vacation!

I agree with Dobby. One exception - last time we ate at Albert’s it took forever, and with a group it might be too much. And all the food in the zoo is expensive, so be prepared. If you have time to eat, I’d suggest a short walk to Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park. I came back to this post to say I got a Groupon email today offering discount zoo passes; if you agree to download their app they deduct another percentage. Looked like a great deal.

I use a cane; the staff and even most fellow passengers were very helpful. Take it slow and hang on! This was on Princess.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Very helpful.

I’m looking for opinions on your favorite Princess ship for an Alaskan cruise. thanks!

Looking for advice about your favorite Princess ship for Alaska next year— probably starting in Vancouver. Thanks.

Yes.

We were on a CA coastal cruise in April, and I was surprised at how many people dressed up, had photos taken, etc. It was fun to watch. So if that makes you happy, go for it! You’ll have plenty of company. Enjoy your cruise!

For me what gives Princess the edge is that they have the international cafe and Alfredo’s/Gigis in addition to MDR, buffet, and specialty restaurants. We tend to switch around for meals more than we used to. On our latest cruise we did think the portions were smaller, but that’s ok with me. The waiter no longer has to ask me if something was wrong with the food, when I just couldn’t finish it!

We cruised in a mini suite with our grandkids, and their gratuities showed up on the invoice daily. On the plus side, no one ever questioned us when we ordered drinks for them, and we were never charged.

We had our 7&9 yr old granddaughters on the discovery in April. We were never charged for the drinks we ordered for them.

It will be crowded. Do what is easiest! It’s not far, but with 15 people you have a lot of moving parts. If it were me, I’d be there early - they will let you in, and you can wait inside the gates until it’s officially open to walk around. Buy your tickets in advance if possible. (if you’re not on the excursion…) Decide in advance how you want to approach it; study the map. You can walk from the front to the back, then take the sky buckets to the front again. You can take the bus tour first thing for an overview, then walk to area of interest - we like the new base camp, or Africa Rocks. Or you can just choose your own route. They also have guided tours for an additional price! If you want to see Balboa park, it’s an easy walk. Spanish Village is little art studios. The Prado is a great restaurant for snacks or lunch, make a reservation. Good luck and enjoy!

All good choices, depending on what they want and how far they want to walk.

You can walk to Little Italy, which is full of quality restaurants; you can google for suggestions. Davanti Enoteca is a favorite but there are lots of choices. Miguel’s or Brigantine Portside are very near where the ship will be docked, and are also good/popular.

We were on Discovery one week coastal last month. They had a production show every night, at least 3 trivia a day, craft sessions, galley tour, towel animals, vegetable carving, tea, wine tasting, bingo, plus some outdoor events etc. We were very pleased to be back on princess after a truly boring Holland America cruise - talk about nothing to do!

We did this cruise a few weeks ago. Great variety, but a lot of people were quite dressed up. And the photographers were very busy, as was the photo studio to purchase.

The San Diego newspaper this morning reports that a landslide has closed the tracks near San Clemente and suspended Amtrak service. Be aware this is happening with some frequency and no notice….

In that case, I agree with the previous poster; the cab drivers should be used to the short trip to the airport/car pick up.

When we got off a Disney cruise a couple of years ago, there was a waiting area near the off ramp, but may be gone due to construction. When we got off Holland America recently, we turned left on the sidewalk and walked for 3-4 minutes past the disembarkation area. Once clear, there is public parking, with benches on the sidewalk. If you can walk that far and manage your bags, you could easily wait for your husband to pick you up. Good luck.

I’m pretty sure the B Street terminal is closed to ship traffic. We were there last weekend and there were 2 Holland Am ships docked just south of the Portside Pier restaurants. But you never know! If mobility is an issue, you should also research the ships you’ll be boarding. Hope you get there!

It is pretty much right next to the cruise ships. Turn left, walk past a restaurant complex, and you’re there!

A few months ago we took a Holland America trip leaving from SD. The check in was a mess. The line stretched almost all the way to the Brig complex, so we just enjoyed lunch waiting outside there until things cleared out. Nice place.

We were on a 3 week cruise 9/22. We made more than usual changes to excursions between cancellations, wait lists and changes to our original request. They do prefer to give OBC, but I was able to see everything on the invoice on the in-room TV. We got a refund for unused credit within 2 weeks of returning home.