dtwcal

Hi Norris,

You mentioned a while back that the band playing in the bar was perhaps a tad too loud, and you left.  It has seemed to me that the music levels have been getting louder and louder in the past few years. When we were on the Reflection, the music was felt all the way up the atrium, and the library wasn't the peaceful place that it should have been. Since you spent time as a musician on cruise ships, do you think I'm just entering fogeyhood, or is the entertainment getting ear-bleeding loud?

John

Yes, they gave me the $50 credit as well as the refund.

I had booked and paid for MedaillonNet for our cruise to Sea of Cortez in February. I just received a call from Princess to inform me that it, unfortunately, will not be available, and that my money would be refunded. Does anyone know what happened, and why it was cancelled?

I realize that this is a bit off topic, but if you are overnighting in Vancouver before the cruise, Canada Place is one of the best departure ports to see the ships arriving in the morning. I like to grab a coffee, and go to Canada Place to get some great photos of the ships arriving just after dawn. The public promenade on top of Canada Place offers great close-up views of the ships as they arrive.

We enjoyed our UBD when we were at Lahaina. It was timed for just before sunset as we were sailing away. The whales breaching around the ship, the sunset, the warm breezes, and the amazing dinner made for an evening we will never forget.

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If your Honolulu stop is not on a Sunday, check out the tour to the Polynesian Cultural Center. The expensive one includes a luau and evening show, and a late return to the ship.

Norris, we boarded the Star Princess in April for a cruise to Hawaii from Canada Place in Vancouver. Thanks to your previous reviews, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to get up before dawn and walk from our hotel to Canada Place to see the ship come in. I am so glad that I did. There was something very special about being there to get some photos of the arrival and docking at first light. I don't recall any other ports of departure that offered such a great vantage point.

John

Hi Norris,

I have really enjoyed all of your trip reviews. I just wonder why we haven't seen any photos of all the sherpas carrying all of your camera gear, lighting equipment, director's chair etc. The photos are amazing and put my feeble efforts to shame.

I see that you are looking at a Chandris ^H^H^H^H^H Celebrity cruise upcoming, which I am anxious to see. Will we ever see your talents turned to a Holland America cruise?

There are change rooms in the spa area, but no showers. The steam and sauna rooms are at the head of the Lotus pool, port for ladies, starboard for men. There is an "outdoor" shower on either side, but you are showering in public. Dispensers are supplied in each shower for body wash, shampoo and conditioner. On our 02/03/14 cruise, the ladies shower was unavailable for most of the cruise because it was being rebuilt. It was completed a few days before the end of our trip.

We are booked on the Grand Princess on February 3rd. We just received an email from Princess informing us that they have staggered the boarding by deck. We are asked to board at 2:00 pm. The problem is that we have to check out of the hotel by noon. Do we have to sit on our luggage on the sidewalk for two hours, or is it possible to drop off our bags with the porters at the terminal at 11:30 or so, and then go and find a nice place for lunch?