Can you refuse the Princess landing card process and get a landing card on your own from the Embassy/consulate?

Vietnam Visa fee for cruise passengers back to US$5 per pax

Was a tester on the Regal Princess in FEB. Only a hundred cabins were in the testing area. You can ID them because they don't have a name plate on the cabin entrance, just the electronics. It opens the cabin door, usually .We were given a cruise card as well, so that we were not inconvenienced by a system glitch.

Some non electronic changes. No communications basket. Correspondence is either left on your bed or slipped under the door. Pick up the Patter off of the floor?

Grand Turk is 6 miles long and 2 miles wide. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grand+Turk/@21.4680081,-71.1748456,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8eb2d454094df585:0xcb03d9c378c4644f!8m2!3d21.4674584!4d-71.1389101?hl=en

Margaritaville is according to their web site, currently closed. Grand Turk has no underground water sources. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink...unless shipped in or desal plants working.

https://blog.margaritaville.com/2017/09/margaritaville-locations-affected-irma/

Princess Cays is on the southern tip of Eleuthera, Bahamas. It is a much, much larger island.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eleuthera/@25.0881754,-76.7340637,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x893aab2b6a2aa965:0x4a67e3fc692697b7!8m2!3d24.9314461!4d-76.1899661?hl=en

https://www.triphobo.com/places/eleuthera-bahamas/things-to-do# The beaches are beautiful at both places, as is the diving. Enjoy!

You may order as much regular brewed coffee as you like per day with a coffee card that was purchased during that cruise (ship name and date is usually entered on the back of the card). Unused punches may be used on following cruises, but regular coffee will cost you a punch on the "old" card.

Hi,I agree,Grand Turk is the original one horse island lol,cheers,Brian.

But the snorkeling and diving on the wall of the Puerto Rico trench (which is about 75 yds offshore) is amazing! In SEP waters so warm you don't need a wetsuit at 80-100 ft.

Some cruisers just like to get off the ship and stretch their legs. Sea days can be a bit confining for some of us.

I chose Český Krumlov. I was a beautiful day and the town is charming. I was glad I did.

I also did an optional evening at a wine cellar. It was fun, musicians and wine! What more could you want?

Alfredo's serves an individual pie on a dinner plate, the same way they do in Italy. It is supposed to feed one person. The crust is somewhat thin and crisp, with mozzarella cheese applied as they do in Italy. (not the shredded package stuff.) I love Alfredos.

I traveled alone (65y.o.woman) on Viking River last year. These aren't big ships and activities are very limited. While in port, you are usually on a tour (included) that leaves at a fixed time. At that, not a lot of free time in port.

Mealtimes are fixed, unassigned tables. I know lots of passengers traveled together and sat at tables together. I looked around the room for an empty space and asked if it was occupied.

Note: Aside from the bar, and only coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available , with maybe cookies or a pastry at the coffee station when meals are not being served.

Depending on what time of year you are crossing the CAN/US border, it can be as few as a5 minute wait or as long as two hours or more. Make sure you fill up your fuel tank before queing up.

Also, there's an app for that.. Check CBP web page https://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/mobile.asp?action=n&pn=3004 to get info. Weekends are notorious in the summer!

Do know that computer cookies may contribute to different info displays when you revisit a website. I use one computer for initial travel research/dummy bookings. etc. and a different one on a separate network for actual purchases.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

If you only have one computer, just go the TOOLS tab and clear all internet history.

Oh, but we are. Two words: "free laundry."

Free laundry may be ok for casual clothes....but I would be wary of expensive items, since all machine wash laundry is handled alike. My pink Hanes t-shirt was tied-died with blue that I hoped would wash out. No big deal there, but I do use the pay laundry when I care about what I need to launder.

Check the email address that you provided to Princess often. We had issues boarding in Rio and the boarding delays were passed to us. Not the reason, just that we were delayed. And it may not be until you get to the port. Semper Gumby, Sailor

Not everyone should take a cruise. Judgement comes into play, but then, in this day and age, common sense is an uncommon trait. It is selfish, in my opinion, to travel with a critical medical condition unknown to the medical staff.

I'm over 65, and before I undertake a long trip to a foreign port or country, I visit my MD two months or so in advance for my annual checkup and make an appointment with my dentist so anything found can be corrected well before the trip.

I'm sure there would be an outcry, but I wouldn't mind if certain unique cruise destinations required a medical certificate of fitness before allowing passengers to board. All passengers are impacted by the illness of one.

Perhaps flying to the desired destination rather than cruising in a remote part of the world would be more prudent.

...

So, just wondering, how many of you people verbally confront those PAX who cough and don't cover, or those PAX you see that used the restroom facilities who didn't wash their hands after "doing their thing #1 or #2"? :eek::eek: Do you ever get blowback if you do speak up, if you even do speak up, to remind these PAX? How do you politely explain it to them? Especially when calling out the older PAX?

 

"Excuse me, but you forgot to wash your hands." Some people are absent minded.....treat them that way, and give them a big smile. It's not like most of the planet hasn't gotten the word. And it's in MY best interest to say something, so I will. I paid a fare and want a disease free vacation!:)

 

Blow back? Who cares? Any passenger in the rest room who sees a display like that can judge the guilty party for themselves. It's not rude, it's survival!!

In reading through these posts I don't see where the OP came back to tell whether Princess asked to see their Chinese visa when they boarded the ship. We had a 1-day port stop in Shanghai two years ago on the Sapphire Princess and had to have the Chinese visa for that. Unfortunately, at that time we could only get a 1-year visa for our $500+. Those who got a visa this year, whether needed or not, at least have 10 years to go back and use their visa to actually see the country. There is so much to see in China that you can't begin to experience from a brief port stop. Since our visa was only good for a short time, we went back 6 months later for a 3 week tour. Wonderful experience!!

We had a family Far East Princess cruise and I had to pay for the China visa several years ago. We left the ship a day earlier at Dalian to spend three days in Beijing. The day we were to see the Great Wall, I was terribly sick (food issue). So, with a valid visa in my passport, I talked a cousin to taking the trip with me, a totally different itinerary but ending in Beijing. I finally climbed the Great Wall. An experience not to be missed. :)

Or the screw cap. :)

5 liter box wine? :eek:

"...They charged our credit card daily which was fine those funds sat there as a pending transaction so not un expected but then they charged us in full again when we got off the cruise but hen didnt release all of our pending funds. I contact my bank thinking its a bank issue and apparently princess cruises wont release those funds until nearly a month after we got off the cruise..."

I notice that you are from Perth - Australia, I assume. Maybe credit card processing is different between US and OZ banks?

I was on Coral Princess full transit and had an ocean view cabin on a lower deck. After a few locks, I went below to my cabin... see UP CLOSE the walls of the canal as the water was drained from the lock. Lo and Behold! There was a small swatch of graffiti on the wall! I'm sure the crewman had to write fast! I may have been one of a few who's ever seen graffiti in the Canal.

I've been on Norwegian, Holland America and Carnival ships; I like Princess best for the ports that she visits. Sometime I travel with family; sometimes solo.

I must be an odd duck.....:confused:

I don't care what amenities are on the ship. I don't gamble, I don't drink a lot and mostly consider a ship as a floating hotel to get me to the next city without packing and unpacking. I do like a nice sit down meal, the International Café specialty coffees and pleasant table mates at fixed dining.

I don't care about the size of the cabin, window or balcony. I sleep in the cabin and have the whole ship in which to wander while awake on a sea day, either in the wind topside or the art gallery below. (I don't like Park West and won't recommend buying anything from them, even if they call it Princess Fine Arts again.)

I enjoy the trivia games.... and wish only that there were more knowledgeable speakers discussing the history of the area before and as we approach the dock at the next port. I travel to experience a different culture.

I don't have a favorite ship; I don't remember from one time to another....except that the Horizon Court is forward on the Coral Princess, designed that way so that many can view the Panama Canal transit in comfort on inclement or very humid days. I kept going in the wrong direction in the morning...creature of habit...

I do like the smaller ships; they feel "cozy" and I meet more fellow travelers because of it. Sometimes their stories are the most entertaining time on the cruise.

I don't find a reason to complain about the food or cabin service, or the cabins. "Three hots and a cot" and I don't have to do any of the work. Yes, I know I'm paying big bucks for it...

As I said, I'm just glad to be at sea! :D

As a general rule, unless you are on a closed-loop cruise, every country requires a Passport (there might be an exception in the Caribbean). These days you cannot even go to Mexico or Canada without a Passport.

 

Hank

To add to the comment, residents of some states, like Washington State, have the option to provide additional docs (and picture) to the DMV, plus additional payment, to get a replacement driver's license with RFID and citizenship data on it.

http://www.dmv.org/driving-abroad/passport-license.php

The Enhanced Driver License (EDL) is another option for land or sea between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or the Caribbean. ...

Currently, only Washington State, Vermont, New York, and Michigan are fully up and running with EDLs. However, Arizona, Texas, and California are making progress with their programs, too.

The East side of the island really gets hammered by the waves during storms, and gets its unfortunate share of flotsam and jetsam; the next land east is on the continent of Africa. I have the misfortune to walk on the beach there and get tar balls on my feet (oil drops from ocean ships.):confused: