RoperDK

We cruise August 2017 on the Coral Princess SB. We wanted to do the one night Captain Cook hotel with rail transfer. I asked my TA to see when this package would be available to book and she called back and said the rail transfer was already full and that she had put us on the waitlist. Can the train be full already? It's over a year out! So, if anyone has done the rail transfer could you tell me about the train....is it an entire train or just a car or two? Is this the train that comes from Denali headed to the ship and already full of land tour people? We are supposedly number one on the waitlist. Has anyone been on the waitlist before? Did you make it or not?

I know there is a regular Alaska train that leaves earlier in the morning, but we need help with our luggage and that's why we wanted to go with Princess. We also liked that the Princess train arrived at the ship at 12:30. We want to relax on the ship as much as possible that day as we will be tired from doing several sightseeing days on our own ahead of the cruise. Our TA has us booked on the one night Captain Cook with coach transfer as a back up. When do these buses usually depart? In the morning? How can I ensure that we get assigned an early bus? I have never done an Alaska cruise and I am finding the travel planning difficult. If there are better options please let me know.

Thanks so much!

Dawn

Thank you Lazy K! Your info is very helpful. It looks like the Princess transfer is just what we are looking for.

Dawn

So glad to hear that Princess allows this.

Dawn

Haven't seen the answer to this one yet. My husband and I both have the beverage package. Can he go to a bar with both cards and get 2 drinks at one time? We have done that on other cruise lines. He likes to get us both drinks for the balcony while I am getting ready for dinner.

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

You might want to check with your TA, or directly with Princess, depending on how you booked. There is a transfer available. If you are on the Voyage of the Glaciers southbound there is an option to add a transfer from the ship in Vancouver directly to SEA/TAC. I am booked on it for the Coral sailing next week and use this transfer every time I do this itinerary, which is usually two or three times a season. If you put your bag out the night before disembarkation, with the appropriate tag which will be distributed during the cruise, your bag will be loaded directly on the bus for you. You will be taken off the ship directly to the bus and off you go. This bus is usually "sealed" and sometimes goes right through at the border with only a passport check. Other times I have had to get off and go through the line with my hand luggage. Do check on the Princess web site about the timing of flights departing SEA/TAC. This transfer is usually 3-4 hours and the first week in May I was in the regular TSA line for nearly 2 hours. Hopefully that has improved by now but do not cut things too close. I paid $49.00/pp. for the transfer.

Thank you Lazy K! This is exactly what we were looking for. Having the luggage handled for us is a big deal. Do I understand correctly that if we have to go through customs at the border it would only be with our carry ons? No unloading from the cargo area of the bus and rolling multiple suitcases through? Been there and done that, don't want a repeat!

It sounds like we have plenty of options to consider.

Dawn

We disembark in Vancouver, but flights out of Seattle are less expensive. Does Princess offer a transfer from the ship to Seattle airport? How does customs and immigration work? Is it easier to fly out of Vancouver making the cost worthwhile? We are headed home to Atlanta so there are no direct flights from Vancouver. We will end up flying from Vancouver to Seattle and then Seattle to Atlanta. Would love to minimize the customs and immigration process if possible. TIA, we do not have any experience with this situation!

Dawn

I checked further into my cruise planner and yes, it says that gratuities are now included. It would be nice if they made that clearer from the beginning!

Dawn

We were on the Oasis for a 7 day Western cruise in Oct. 2015. We have booked the same 7 day Western itinerary for Jan. 2017. We bought the Premium Drink Package for $49 pp (plus 18% gratuity) back in October. I was looking at the Premium Package price for Jan. 2017 and it is $57 pp. For recent Oasis cruisers, what was the price of the Premium Package? I was going to pre-order now to avoid price increases, but maybe I'm already too late!

Thanks in advance,

Dawn

I know they added a few pay options and that some of the old items were eliminated, but can you still order off the regular room service menu for breakfast? I love having their BLT for breakfast!

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

I'm interested, also. We will be there on that day. Are the festivities around the port area?

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

Thanks for your great review! We have been thinking about doing the 15 day roundtrip Hawaii cruise and your review is most helpful.

Dawn

Thank you for taking time to write such a great review! It is very helpful to us as we are boarding the sunshine in a couple of weeks.

Dawn

Has anyone ever called and asked for an upsell? I didn't think it was possible, but heard that someone had called and upgraded to a suite for a minimum amount. We usually pick the cabin we want and leave it at that, but we are cruising in 2 weeks and the ship is sold out except for suites. Lots of them! The only time I've received an upsell call was under those same circumstances. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

Is the Italian side a buffet at lunch or do they have the cards you mark for custom pasta dishes? I really like the option to have made to order pasta!

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

We love to stay onboard when the ship is in port! The casino and shops will be closed. The pools, hot tubs, mini golf and other sports on deck will be open and not nearly as crowded as sea days. Sometimes the water slides are open. There are less organized activities, but they still have some. The lido food areas are open and several bars around the ship. We love to relax and enjoy the lido when it isn't so crowded.

Dawn

We cruised Oasis a couple of months ago. It was amazing! We enjoyed everything about it. I do wish they would change the itineraries up a bit. Same old Eastern and Western ports. We liked it so much that we booked it again for next year. We are going on the Sunshine next month. It will be our 20th Carnival cruise, so we obviously like Carnival. We usually book for itinerary, but the Oasis was a truly unique experience.

Dawn

Thanks everyone! I guess there is no clear answer. I will give it a shot as soon as I get onboard and see what happens.

Dawn

We booked with a casino rate (free cruise in an inside) and didn't get any other comps (casino cash, free drink card or goodies in the cabin). I have booked with the casino rate several times and received varying comps. I don't know exactly how they calculate who gets what. Contact the casino and ask them what comps you qualify for. You can find out how to contact them on the Carnival site under Players Club.

Dawn

Thank you Kamloops50. I know they carry my brand on the ship, they just don't have it for pre-order anymore. For instance, you can pre-order Grey Goose vodka but you can't order Ketel One. Does anyone know if I can order a bottle of Ketel One from room service when I get onboard?

Thanks in advance,

Dawn

I haven't heard this one asked before, so here goes. Can you order any brand of liquor (bottle) to be delivered to your cabin or does it have to match the same brands they offer from Bon Voyage pre-ordering? My favorite brand is no longer offered for pre-ordering.

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

I am already booked on the Sunshine Feb. 5 which unknown to me is a premier cruise. I will ask on the boards and check with Carnival before I book my next cruise. My dates and ports are flexible as we are retired. I try to avoid cruising during busy times and will also avoid the premier cruises so I can enjoy the casino more.

Dawn

I wish I had known that it was a premier cruise before I booked it. I would have avoided that date. Is there a list out there so that I can review it before my next booking? I'm glad that Carnival is treating it's players to some rewards, but it will be a problem for the other cruisers who want to have access to play and enjoy the casino, too.

Dawn

Would someone please post the upcoming premier cruises? It would help others decide whether they want to book that cruise and deal with the crowded casino.

Thanks for your time,

Dawn

Is this sailing a Premier cruise? Does this mean that the casino will be extra busy? What should I expect as a regular casino patron? The casino is a big part of my cruise and I am concerned that it might not be as enjoyable. Please tell me what to expect. BTW....we are Platinum and I understand that Premier cruisers get FTTF privileges.

Thanks for your time.

Dawn