PandaBear62

I have sailed NCL three times since the reopening from Covid. Twice in the Haven and once in a balcony room. I primarily travel with my mom and sister, so we go during school vacations (she's a teacher). So I will only compare these cruises to the ones I've also done on Princess during vacation times. There are definitely more kids. But that's their market, especially on the bigger ships and especially during traditional vacation time periods. They have way more specialty restaurants. I've enjoyed all the ones I've tried. They have way bigger production shows. Absolutely no comparison to Princess. The also have had some bigger game show productions with guests, like the Price is Right. I also really liked the Cavern Club and Syd Normans Pour House for shows, but they are small, so you have to be there early. Again, Princess doesn't really have anything like this/ I didn't like that specialty coffees aren't included in the drink package, nor tips. I also didn't like their smaller "lounge" areas with music. They seemed to be almost in the hallway....it didn't feel like you were in a venue. Princess has better activities like trivia in smaller venues. Many of these events on NCL are in the Piazza like area and they are insanely loud. I didn't like that at all. I love the International Cafe. NCL has a place like it and while it does have better views, the food selection is poorer. I felt the dining room food was basically on the level of Princess (and honestly, most mainstream lines). Princess to Alaska (specifically) is much better, Docking at Ward Cove in Ketchikan is a pain and Princes has significantly better enrichment (that is something that matters to me). I mean, no comparison. The Haven is fantastic. There is nothing like it on Princess at all. I cruise with my mom and sister twice a year and we only stay in the Haven, because it's much better for my mom. I am not a Princess or NCL loyalist. Since the reopening after Covod, I've sailed on Disney (3 times), Carnival (once), NCL (3 times), Celebrity (once), Princess (6 times) and Windstar (once). I have enjoyed myself on all these cruises and there are good and bad about each. Overall, my husband and I prefer Princess (in general) based on overall cost and value for cost. They also seem to have more CA and West Coast cruises cruises, and the fact they sail out of San Francisco is nice for us. On the other hand, I love the "excuse" of "having" to sail in the Haven...the private dining room, private pool area and sun area...so awesome! But again, in general, if you can't have a nice time any of the above mentioned lines, I assume the issue is with you and not the line itself. I think there are "loyalists" for a certain line (any line, just change the name) who will never acknowledge that a different line can have a good product. It's almost like they can't be happy on their line unless they are simultaneously criticizing another line. JMHO.

I do this, but didn't know about the rollover. I use Trip Insurance Store...I'll ask them, as I have to insure a trip I just booked. However, I only insure costly trips...lesser priced trips I self insure. Essentially, I have a separate account for my "self insurance". I look at the price for what the insurance would be, and put that in the account. Given I also have some coverage through a credit card, it works for me. We also have GeoBlue yearly medical insurance. That's my biggest concern, having a crazy expensive evacuation. Even if you don't insure the trip cost, you should have medical coverage.

Hi Everyone, It's a quite a while away, but my dh and I are doing a 29 day cruise (I seriously cannot believe I convinced him to do this, as he doesn't like to be gone longer than 2 weeks! We are sailing on Princess and will travel from Seattle, a few ports in Alaska (Ketchikan, Juneau & Whittier), cross the Pacific (9 days at sea). 5 ports in Japan, a day each in Kong Kong and Taiwan, 2 days in Vietnam, arriving in Singapore. We depart September 29, 2025. It appears that temperatures in Alaska will be in the 40's/50]'s. with the remaining ports ranging about mid 6-'s to mid 80"s.I have absolutely no idea about the crossing. I'm not worried about the Alaska temperatures. We've been to Alaska multiple times and I plan to just do low key DIY activities. I plan to bring a pair of tights to wear under pants, my Costco puffer jacket, beanie, scarf and I can layer a top or two. We can do laundry ourselves at the Princess and will also have free laundry (elite) I typically pack light, with a rolling 22" carryon and a personal item. But I also know I may want a few more items for a month. I am thinking I might bring my 24" roller, plus my larger backpack (19", so carryon size). I'd ship through the larger bag obviously and carryon the backpack (https://www.amazon.com/Hynes-Eagle-Backpack-Approved-Weekender/dp/B0D8J6HR9Z/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1L90YGDVR1PVB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hAlWBdtk7A0sEBcX4ZU5oCwKtu81LC1Y_p63M8V0dpfy-vrGNLe291Tr2CVSEr3rAWw98zN8ulfkMNBywT089FnEFXz_8GYJZ4eEUihS1wVWdCPXchUKNrScw4mYHbfUClt87oC4AGIOBUJSU25ZjF6hiS9RP0Z9dGUSNrwkIzbKt1eFYRjAz7QZZZ-4z7cVZI2uVKl9h8qg4XPVMMexKd40nKKDnP8lH7LcI4J36Js.mUCfyfpYQb_e0_dDqFQbSsJO_Mk5sY5ykPgBXCVG-ck&dib_tag=se&keywords=hynes+eagle+38l&qid=1725134268&sprefix=hynes%2Caps%2C322&sr=8-7. I'd pack this carryon assuming my main luggage would be lost/delayed (just in case) So, my question is...if you've been on a cruise this long, what do you recommend bringing? For example, I plan to bring 2 pairs of workout bottoms and tops, because especially on the sea days, I plan to go to the gym (I feel like I need to keep on some sort of "regular" routine, at least for the first two weeks of the cruise). I also typically take some OTC meds, but may add a few items to that, as if I got the flu for a couple of days. But I imagine there might be more I might want? I'd appreciate any suggestions!

That's a logical guess. My husband and I typically book the Plus package on week or 10 day cruises and Premier on cruises of less than 5 days. But, we are sailing in September 2025 on a 29 day cruise. We booked standard. We'll be elite and get the bar set up twice (technically two back to back cruises). We'll pre-order some soda and waters. We plan to bring on wine for dinner (I didn't realize until recently you can bring more on, it's just a mandatory corkage fee even if consumed in the room). We 'll get much better wine for the cost. Probably about 6-8 bottles each. Sadly, I could absolutely use the drink package all 20 days, I just don't think it's healthy to do it! I've sailed on Carnival three times in the last couple of years and never seen anyone super drunk. Not saying it doesn't happen, of course, but I've never seen it. Of course, I have never chosen a weekend "booze cruise" out of LA. I am also up earlier (by 8am) and in the room by 10, so I'm sure I have missed incidents. But people buying the premier package and significantly overindulging isn't a concern to me about the new package. I booked Premier for three upcoming cruises. A 2 day, 4 day and week long cruise. 15 drinks or unlimited? Doesn't matter to me? More than 2 specialty dining meals? Don't care. Two are generally enough for me. So we won't upgrade.

I helped my friend get credit for 2 cruises that were taken back in the 1980's. She had made a scrapbook and actually had her boarding ticket. Princess is very good about this. NCL only allows you to get credit for a cruise back 1 year.

That's why I like booking through Steve. I can ask questions such as do I have to insure all the non-refundable expenses, what's the differences in plans, etc. The Trip Insurance Store does not sell yearly travel insurance. I asked why. Steve told me they were often so complex and filled with exclusions he does not sell them That's good enough for me. We chose not to purchase it and stayed with our yearly medical and judiciously choosing which trips to insure and which not. I really discovered for many of our trips, we can either change a ticket or receive a credit (like for airlines) and cancel without penalty (hotels-I never book a non refundable room) so what I need to insure isn't as great as it might be. I sometimes just insure a smaller amount, so I'm out less. I have been keeping track of trips we didn't insure (basically cruises, tours or trips out of the US, not counting trips that are within the US, where we could essentially cancel hotels & cars and reschedule airfare). My total since June 1, 2022 is just under 6k ($5949) through early 2026 (some trips I obviously don't know the outcome yet). I also have two upcoming trips insured. but I am using Steve's "trick" of insuring as I go.

Well, I think we have a balcony. On the Princess website, when I look at the deck plans and click on my cabin, it shows a balcony. We are actually right near the retreat pool, but I would prefer to book the Sanctuary just so I know we have loungers. We also have TONS of onboard credit...more than we've ever had before, which is is the other reason I thought the Sanctuary would be fun. I appreciate the route recommendation! Well, even if we can't book the whole week, some of the time is better than nothing! Thanks. I was actually thinking of flying in early in the morning...we just come from the Bay Area so it's a quick flight. But I think we'll change our plans so I can ensure we're to the port early. I'll give it my best shot! Thanks for your input.

My husband and I are sailing in April 2025 on the Discovery Princess. It's a Mexican Riviera cruise. We've done many of these cruises so are less interested in the ports and really just want a relaxing week. We have booked the Premier package and are in a suite (I plan on enjoying better wine options at dinner and that watermelon margarita!). Our cabin is just a deck below the Sanctuary, so I was envisioning really enjoying it all week. However, I have been looking up info on the Sanctuary and am hearing that the chances of booking are very slim...that people doing back to back cruises get it ahead of all the new guests. Does Princess not hold any back? Are my chances really poor? If I can't book all week, is it even likely I could book a couple of afternoons perhaps? What are your favorite places that could be alternate options for the Discovery? Also, I've never sailed in a suite before and if I can't get the Sanctuary, it will NOT spoil my cruise! I'd just like to know the odds, so I can be ready with Plan 2!

Yeah, we've kind of come to that conclusion ourselves. However, we are seriously thinking of flying from Singapore back to Tokyo and staying a few days. It will depend on airfare prices but that's our current thought.

I feel the Princess insurance is generally poor (in terms of coverage), given the cost. I pay for yearly out of USA health insurance. For dh and I it was $263 for both of us (he's 65, I'm 62). The best part is that it's primary coverage (but you also have to have primary coverage). If you use their providers, you don't pay at all, they get reimbursement via GeoBlue. I buy all my insurance through Steve at the Trip Insurance Store. I like it if we do have an issue, they'll help out as well! My coverage stops in October. I am going to "up" to the higher level for the next year because we have a trip from Seattle to Singapore. That could be an expensive evacuation! My trips this year have generally been closer to the US, except for our Iceland trip in two weeks. If I am buying insurance, I do the same. I also discovered (thanks to Steve) that you can insure just the deposit. So the payment is low. Then, as you add expenses (such as airfare or the balance of the trip), as long as you up the coverage within 10 days you retain the pre-existing condition benefit. But if the trip gets cancelled, I haven't invested as much in the unneeded insurance. However, dh and I are essentially self insuring some of our trips. I figure I can afford to lose up to about $5000. Wouldn't love it, but could live with it. I keep a running tally of trips I don't insure and how much insurance would have been. So when the time comes I do need to cancel something (and I'm sure it will), I'll know I'm likely still ahead of the game. In general, we could afford to lose money from a trip. But an evacuation from a distant location could be very pricey. The premium is worth every penny for peace of mind!

I am sailing on the Star Pride around Iceland a few weeks after you (depart Aug. 23). If you are able, I'd love t see menus, hear about excursions and anything else a newbie might appreciate! Thank you and have a wonderful trip.

You're right it is two cruise credits. I did find it, I had never seen that page before! Had no idea it was there. Currently we have a guaranteed balcony BC category, which I believe can be either mid forward or mid aft on decks Marina, Lido and Sun. Right now I can only book a cabin in forward or aft. I'll have to decide what to do. I'm sure we'll use the credits for casual dining, but that still leaves about $30 per person for beverages. It gives me some things to consider. I appreciate all your information!

Oh dear, I didn't realize that about plus. Luckily, the cruise hasn't gone up and we are still under a "guaranteed room" rather than a specific cabin. Actually, it's gone down $15, lol. I looked and the cruise is shown as one, not 2 cruises that are back to back. Yes, it's for 2025, so we are okay and our deposit is refundable. Essentially, after removing the gratuities, the two "casual dining benefits" , corkage fee for 8 bottles of wine brought on board, 4 stateroom canned soda packages, 4 stateroom water bottle packages and expense for internet (half price), we still have a discrepancy of just over $1500 (between the package cost and DIY). Even if we buy a coffee drink or beer a couple times a week over 4 weeks, we'd still be a significant dollar amount ahead.

We're sailing on a cruise next fall that we booked as a single cruise, but it is also sold as two cruises (transpacific and then 14 day Southeast Asia and Japan). Would we get the one minibar at embarkation only, or a second one when the ship docks in Japan? I have booked the plus package but am very seriously thinking of cancelling it. I feel for this long of a cruise (29 days), I need to eat and drink more "normally" and not in vacation mode. We plan to bring wine on and pay the corkage fee for a glass of wine with dinner, and drink our usual water, rather than sodas and alcohol. We also plan to pre-order some sparkling water. So a second bar set up would be nice. This is what I have been wondering. So, if I book and pay now for excursions, I will get 10% back to my account when I board as refundable OBC? Given we will be spending about 2k on excursions, that $200 back will be nice!

No problems booking for February 2025. However, was a little confused for later in the year. I was able to book my dining for our September 2025 even though I got this message So I didn’t think I booked. I went back later and found all the reservations added to my schedule.

What? What? You can also carry on soda? We've always bought the beverage package for cruises, but now that we're doing a long one (for us anyway...29 days), we want to drink "more reasonably". So we plan to bring on wine to dinner (and pay the corkage fee) and I had planned to prebuy some soda cans. So happy to know I can bring on some diet Dr. Pepper as well. Is it 12 cans per person or cabin? Could it be cans of sparkling water instead, or just soda?

I am grateful to everyone who posted on this thread. I know it's a couple of months old thread (I love the search feature) and I appreciate everything that was mentioned. My husband I just booked our longest cruise ever (29 days). I decided not to book the plus package and just pay gratuities and internet (we are supposed to get 50% off) and bring on wine for dinner. I figured for this long of cruise, we should eat and drink like we would at home, it just wouldn't be healthy otherwise! I'm curious, has anyone ever tried these inflatable wine bags? https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-Airplane-Protector-Breakable-Items（10）/dp/B09YLVT4J1/ref=sr_1_8?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Tz1hVnFBQR1N6zb1a5OqS7huYVDQIAyqNG9n-fmNR--w6LT4PQ14OXOP7N_X5lRDzZU2WOA3qpkEGVgTuxt4ExaIvbs6E0r4m8UpemCokgffEsBqeeCryhdqNTXg8vaM_d1yoKbxcsGROprL4E6ND2u12240elhN-2PNUKKrMXxU3gZFmOrdYS0cPRqETxy0HCUaffUM9Kt6wBSDuG7Yu-k5zDbPUdAHcaOG4EVFFZysipJ69tyawNjcSn_u5Ydjn8ICiSSD4vH1q3DMAfh5Q7dwAhsPuezSatmIPe6qWx0.HmkecaAXXxNxxLs-5YBpe2BzlYOhJIzRwLKTJycqu_8&dib_tag=se&hvadid=557209000264&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032183&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6783103804030075375&hvtargid=kwd-812690239330&hydadcr=7466_13183999&keywords=wine%2Bbottle%2Bsuitcase%2Binsert&qid=1719686154&sr=8-8&th=1 We have previously just used a wine shaped bag that essentially has bubble wrap inside it. We've never lost a bottle, but I'm wondering if these would be better? I'm envisioning taking on 8-12 bottles for the two of us. I assume that would be considered "reasonable" for a month? Thanks again for all the previous responses!

While it's still awhile away, I am doing a 29 day cruise, Seattle to Alaska to Tokyo and then two weeks (basically) through Japan and Southeast Asia. I believe there are 9 consecutive sea days after leaving Alaska. Are there things you wished you'd packed? I don't necessarily mean clothing (although that's okay as well). I meant more "stuff" since you have over a week just at sea. Anything you brought and didn't need? I keep a master packing list, but want think about what I may need for a longer trip and when there are many days I can't run to Target! Any advice is appreciated!

I definitely thought about that, but I am guessing my husband will want to get home! On the other hand, I would be absolutely open to another cruise Thank you Hank, I really appreciate your knowledge. It is okay if it doesn't work out. For me, it's just good to know all of this. I didn't realize it was such a distance, and staying in Yokohama will also be fun. I'm excited to see so many new and diverse ports!

Yokohama for Tokyo is the first port. p\Passengers will be disembarking (not too many I guess) and others are boarding. Obviously, it it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I was just hoping to do this for my very sweet husband. Worst case, we'll at least get to Hong Kong Disneyland.

My husband and I are taking the longest cruise we've ever done. 29 Day Southeast Asia, Japan and Alaska Grand Adventure. This is way longer than my husband likes to vacation and he doesn't really have a lot of interest in going to Japan or Southeast Asia.....he's doing this for me. He definitely enjoys cruising but this will be a very different trip for him (and me, as well) Having said that, he's a DIsney fan and I would love to be able to take him to Hong Kong Disney and Tokyo Disneyland and/or Disney SEA. I'm not worried about Hong Kong timing, as we are staying over night. I'm assuming we can taxi there, return late and then do a different tour the next day. However, in Tokyo, we arrive at 6:30am and depart at 4. I'm pretty confident that we could taxi there, but would have very little time, as it opens at 8 or 9am.We'd basically ride a few rides, walk around and need to leave by 2 (I think it's a half hour but would want to be careful of timing) Regardless of price, is this even realistically do-able? Has anyone done it? How hard is it to get around Tokyo? Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in February 2025. I am interested in the Sanctuary for this cruise. I understand that it's hugely popular and you have to go up as soon as you board. I do have a couple of questions: 1. Is there priority if you book for a the entire week? If so, how does that work when you arrive? 2. Is the price still $40 per day and $20 half day for a lounger and $200 full day and $140 half day for a cabana? 3. Is a Cabana that much better for a party of 4 than just getting 4 loungers? 4. I sailed out of San Francisco last Presidents weekend. The ship was chaos. I attributed this at least in part to the fact that San Francisco has so few cruises (generally) and more specifically, even fewer short cruises over a holiday. This cruise will be Presidents week. Since there are so many options for cruises out of Florida, are they as busy? *When I mean bust I am referring to sailing at 500 passengers over 2 per people per cabin capacity) 5. Anything ese I should know?

So since retiring, I enjoy thrifting. I pretty much only buy used clothes (from Savers on Senior Tuesdays) or Mercari, primarily. I came across this tee. It's actually a Princess branded tee. I think it will be cute to wear on cruises (don't imagine I'd wear it at home much)

I don't have an entire wardrobe. But, I do have a couple of dresses I take for warm weather travel, like Hawaii or a Caribbean cruise. They're from stores like Ross and aren't the best quality, so they have a limited lifespan. But they pack down really small, don't wrinkle and are really versatile, so great for travel. I choose to only wear them for travel, so they'll be available for more trips.

I'm very interested in following your adventures. I've been thinking about doing this cruise (whether it ends on the West Coast or Hawaii). My husband is less interested, so I hope to learn some information to persuade him!