SeaTheWorldBySea

Hi Julie! I've picked my own cabin when I've accepted upsells too. I check the inventory while waiting for their call back and then make a list of acceptable ones. If none are still available by the time they call, I simply decline.

 

Hi Julie! Alas, the cabin we would have accepted for the upsell was gone. We are not unhappy with our oceanview on the Pacific Princess - midship, deck 4. Safest spot for me anyway.

 

I see you are going to South America in '18. We have been there twice and I hope your cruise is exactly like our 2nd. First was rough, 2nd was absolutely PERFECT! Captain and crew could not believe just how perfect the weather was for that one. We love that itinerary!

if you are offered an upsell, oceanview to balcony, do you get to choose the balcony cabin or does Princess assign it? I don't want to risk getting a cabin forward or aft and don't want the upsell if that could be the result.

Thank you all so much for answering my question!

We will be on 2 segments of the Pacific Princess world cruise. I assume there will be lots of Elite passengers onboard. If you are elite and have been on a WC aboard one of Princess's smaller ships, how long was the wait to get your clothes back from the laundry? Hoping to pack light. :)

Thanks Cruiser 411 and Garfunkle. I will try Firefox and/or Puffin.

I just tried on my Apple device but it required Adobe Flash Player which as I recall is not available with iOS so I couldn't create a customized shore excursion brochure nor could I download a full brochure because the "Building Brochure" wheel continuously spins without creating a brochure.

 

There is my problem! I only have Apple devices. Oh well, guess I will do a creative copy/paste and make my own brochure.

 

Thank you for responding.

Has anyone had any luck using the build a brochure link on the Princess website, for shore excursions you are booking?

Julie, Can I steal your line? I have worn out my favourite expression: :|"I have a good memory ------------------but ---- it's short!"

 

Feel free to borrow it.

 

Wendy

 

Absolutely! :)

You will need to take a taxi from the cruise port to other areas of Dubai. Taxis are inexpensive in Dubai, though leaving from the cruise port or airport there is a 20AED ($5.44) surcharge, but not on the way back. The metro is an excellent choice from getting between Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates.....you will not have to go outside in the heat! Most other places to visit (Madinat Jumeirah, or the creek area will be easier with a taxi.

 

I think I have read the answer to these questions, somewhere along the way, but my rememberer is broken and my forgetter is working overtime.

 

Do taxi drivers speak English and do they take credit cards.

 

Are ATMs readily available? What are the things we might need local currency to pay for?

 

Thank you lilybob for all of your help!

We have not been there yet but plan to go pre-cruise next March. We will take a a taxi. I keep reading how cheap they are and I think that will be easier than taking a bus.

I always feel it is best to use a travel agent. Travel agents can provide extra perks and discounts, things like OBC, bottle of wine, fare discounts, beyond what Princess does.

 

Agree!

Not exactly, but...

 

We are taking the Coral NB Vancouver to Whittier. Then a 5 day land tour. We tacked on two extra nights in Anchorage. Finally, SB cruise on the Star back to Vancouver.

 

This is an awesome plan! For our 50th anniversary we flew to anchorage and toured on our own for 2 weeks. Then we took a B2B out of Whittier. 4 weeks in Alaska - wonderful. Our original plan was just the 2 weeks land tour but we added the B2B cruises when they were offered at a ridiculously low price. We are doing our 10th Alaska cruise this summer.

 

If I were doing just the B2B cruises, I would do them RT Vancouver. There are more choices for flight times home from Vancouver. Out of Anchorage they are all late.

Perhaps it referred to when dining in the fancier restaurants that have a dress code "no trainers, T-shirts etc." As others have posted, you will see all of the major athletic shops in the malls.

 

Lilybob, do you have a recommendation of how to best get to the Miracle Garden? If we take a taxi there, will we be able to find one for our return? Please see my post #36.

That's a good question. I don't know the difference between a "common passenger" and an "everyday person." Where I live we don't have the $$$$ restaurants, in fact, the only time people get dressed up here is if they're going to a funeral or to the doctor. So, I guess I'm an everyday person. I put my underwear on the same way that everyone else does.:rolleyes:

 

We don't have $$$$ restaurants in our small town but they are not far away. The food they serve does not appeal to us any more than the price fits our budget. Common passenger, everyday person, regular people - whatever you want to call DH and I, as well as our family and friends, we are not tempted by the menu or price of Share.

As someone from one of the 'newer markets' I'd like a bit more clarification of your description of us as 'common passengers'. Thank you.

 

I guess I did not make myself clear. If you will reread the part of my post you quoted, I attempted to say that common passenger was not a good choice. Everyday people would have been better. I am describing myself, not anyone in a newer market. I don't post on Cruisecritic to offend anyone or to have an argument. If I have offended you, I apologize.

When the news came out about Curtis Stone and his Share venue I had a wait and see opinion.

 

I have not had the opportunity to try Share yet. I have read about it both on the Princess website and here on CC. The good, the bad and the ugly.

 

I too got the magazine and set it aside when I saw Curtis Stone's face on the front cover. Yes, Princess we know about the new restaurant.

 

I looked @ the menu...and...really didn't see anything that would make me want to go in there to eat. However, like everyone says here on CC, food tastes vary from person to person.

 

I've seen photos of the eating area and it is not warm and welcoming at all. I like to be comfortable when sitting down a having a meal with DH.

 

As a stockholder, I'm holding my breathe. I'm wondering if this was tested out, and if so, where? How many everyday people eat in "fine cuisine" restaurants?

 

DH & I usually only eat in the $$$$ restaurants about once every other year.

 

Crossing fingers that if they find that this is not be received well, they find a better alternative.

 

I agree with all of the above. When I wrote "common passengers" in my earlier post, perhaps I should have said everyday people. I don't consider DH and myself common but we are everyday people and I think most other Princess passengers are the same. IMHO a small percentage are frequent $$$$ restaurant customers. Perhaps they are hoping to attract more of them.

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']OMG you've been hiding in a closet in our cabin and at our house. This has been much cussed and discussed since we joined the Emerald Princess in January. Then the latest Captains Circle magazine raised the topic again (and I agree...loved the articles on Venice and Dubrovnik and wish the whole magazine featured more of that and less of Curtis and the Rusty Dog guy). The new class of ships, the new chef relationships, the small but numerous cutbacks that wouldn't even be noticed by new cruisers...it's obvious that the passengers Princess is most valuing are not the ones that have contentedly cruised with them for years/decades.[/QUOTE]

I am trending toward agreement with this thinking but having a hard time discovering the WHY of it. Why in the world would Princess give a contract to a chef who offers these uncommon menus at the same time that their service is slipping and IMHO their entertainment quality is decreasing? Do they want to run off their "common" passengers? Food is at the bottom of our reasons to cruise. Most of the time we eat in the buffet now and it seems there are more up there than there used to be. There are surely those for whom food is a very important part of cruising but these menus don't seem to appeal to many of them either.

We will arrive at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday and leave on our cruise the following Monday. Our plan is to use the Big Bus, subway and occasional taxi if needed. We want to see the Miracle Garden, probably on Monday morning before going to our ship. We are not sure about how to best get there and back from our hotel. Would this be an occasion for a taxi? We are staying at the Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha.

Thanks Ya'll!

Hi Julie,

 

Camels don't bring you out, not sure horses do either - the transport up the ravine is two-wheeled two-seat (+ driver up-front) buggies. They're available from outside the Treasury, to go up the siq (ravine). I don't know the prices, I think they're negotiable at a price which depends on demand at the time - a line of folk waiting for buggies means dig deep in your pockets, a line of buggies waiting for passengers means you should be able to barter the price down

 

JB :)

 

Thank you John! You helped me (a lot) a few years ago when we were planning our time in the UK. Here you are now, helping with Petra.

 

Do you know if we will need local money or could we pay with USD?

Do we need to exchange USD for AED or can we operate on credit cards? We will get our 48 hr. HOHO tickets online beforehand.

 

Lots of great information on this thread - thanks to all of you!

Petra - using the tour offered by Princess. I know all the benefits of a private tour, just decided not to do that this time.

 

Has anyone taken a Princess tour and arranged for yourselves to take a donkey, camel or cart back up the hill? We will be fine walking in but are a little concerned about walking out - especially if it is hot that day. We will be going late March next year.

 

Please tell us about your experience riding a donkey, camel or in a cart?

Would someone post a link to the blog. Only excuse I can offer for not finding it is that I am kind of old.:o

Wonderful trip report! Anxious to read about your visit to UAE and other upcoming countries.

Just want to clarify:

 

When you enter the EU, only the first country will stamp your passport?