SKCruiser007

I agree with all the above regarding hotels, but if flying into LAX, getting an Uber is a little tricky. You need to go to the Uber waiting lot. Don't reserve an Uber in advance as you don't really know when your plane is going to arrive and how long it will take you to get to the Uber lot. This week, I booked flights for a cruise out of San Pedro. I ended up with arrival in Long Beach; the flights were less costly than LAX and the transportation to the Crown Plaza will be much less.

Thanks for your review! I was on the same cruise and it brought back happy memories, even including being rained on so hard in N.O. that I've never been so soaked in my life. I was in a group of fourteen. Some had an OK time, several spent time in their cabins with sea sickness. Five of us bought passes for the Thermal Spa area and it seems to me that was a game changer in our level of satisfaction. It was a great place to be on those bad weather days. This cruise was ridiculously inexpensive and we certainly received our money's worth. Definitely looking forward to doing it at Mardi Gras time again.

On the Royal Class ships I've been on, the saunas are in the Enclave. My guess is they are not then available for a free visit with a spa treatment.

Agreed. Title states thermal spa and OP is referring to the Enclave. Anyway, just glad that I booked Enclave a couple of weeks ago for my 18 day cruise on Majestic Princess in December. A while back, I missed the couple's pricing for Izumi on Diamond Princess by a few weeks. I always book the Enclave early now.

Emerald Princess doesn't have an Enclave. The thermal suite there should just be heated loungers and saunas.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Did you purchase the Flow water boxes before the cruise or were they part of your beverage package?

Yes, a child will be charged the full price of Princess Plus even if just receiving the zero alcohol beverage package.

I know someone who won an upgrade to Elite status for the rest of the cruise; another friend won a shore excursion credit

When the Enclave is available on a ship, my husband and I always book it for the entire cruise and ahead of time. It's usually about $20 per day with a full cruise pass. We both love the pool and my husband enjoys the saunas. We're not Sanctuary-type people, but do splurge on the Enclave. I may miss a day on a long cruise, but my husband will rarely miss a day in the pool and saunas.

I'm very interested in this, too. How do you arrange for three people for the UBD?

Don't forget to look at your itinerary map and deck plan for the ship to schedule the dinner on a day that your cabin will be on the sunset side.

Do you have a travel agent? If yes, she can request a date for the Ultimate Balcony Dinner when she books it for you. However, you'll still want to call room service first thing when you board to confirm the details of your dinner. They will ask you several questions of your preferences. If you're not using a travel agent, I would book the dinner and then contact the Princess chat line to see if they can insert a date on the reservation.

You could ask the bartender at Vines how to find the Sommelier onboard.

Is your cruise on Sky Princess or a Royal Class ship with the Enclave? If yes, there would be no question for me where to spend a few extra hundred dollars.