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Psychedout

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    HC ever been upgraded

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    I can't imagine someone who needed to book an accessible cabin wanting to be upgraded unless, perhaps, you were to be upgraded from an HC inside to an HC outside.

     

    My son must book an HC room. He's a "high functioning" quadriplegic and a disabled veteran. I would be terribly upset to find that there were none available because someone who "wanted the extra room" had booked one when they didn't really need it. People with mild mobility issues do not need an accessible cabin and shouldn't book one.

     

    I thank your son for his service!

     

    Hugh

    Early flight

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    We have been on the ruby twice but always take a noon flight or later. We have a nice breakfast and take a walk around the ship enjoying it one more time before we leave. We now have booked the regal for january 18th and the only flight back we could get without waiting til 6pm is at 10am. How do we make sure we get off the ship early enough so that we can make our flight. We are a little nervous about that early of a flight. Thanks

     

    If the ship docks early enough you can request a walk off with your bags, we had to change our flights from London after our 12 day BI cruise. Princess required a flight 7 hours after docking, if not they would not transfer us by bus to Heathrow.

     

    And now the same problem sailing on the Royal next February. Princess requires a flight 5 hours after docking. We are to dock at 8 am and our flight out of FLL is 1025am. So we are going to walk off early and get a cab to FLL.

     

    I priced a van for 4 adults from port everglades to FLL and the company wanted $121.00 :(

     

    Hugh :o

    Golden Alaska 5/24/14 Review

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    We're just back from our Golden Princess Alaska cruise, round trip from Seattle. This was our 4th Princess cruise and our first time to Alaska. We flew in the day before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Aiport (free on points with IHG club) and they picked us up at the airport. We used Seattle Shuttle to take us to the pier Saturday morning, and they picked us up promptly and we were happy with the service for $12 each.

     

    The room: Mini-suite on Emerald deck, port side. We were very happy with this room, with its fully covered balcony, extended balcony back towards the aft, living area, and large bathroom. This was our first time in a mini-suite, we usually get a balcony on Caribe, so the extra room was well-used on this trip. Most scenic days we moved the couch around so it faced the sliding doors, and placed the coffee table in front of it. We ate many meals here (room service breakfast every day) and enjoyed the scenery so much. We spent a LOT of time on the balcony and looking out at the scenic views. We saw an abundance of wildlife too (more on that later).

     

    The ship: In general I think the ship is in good shape. At most ports we saw them painting or doing other maintenance. From our room's vantage point we watched the docking procedures, which is quite interesting, as well as the loading/unloading process on embarkation and turn-around days. They have it down to a science! We enjoyed the music venues mostly, such as the Wheelhouse, Explorers, and Vista lounges. We never made it to any production shows or the comedian show on this trip. The only time we heard any noise from the Vista lounge was the night they did the Motown show, and we could hear the music very loudly (for three shows!). But we didn't really hear anything else the rest of the trip from Vista. We enjoyed a great band all week, Sol Play, who had an amazing lead singer. They performed a huge range of genres and seemed to be a crowd pleaser all week.

     

    Food: We didn't eat any meals in the MDR. We ate at the Crown Grill twice, on both formal nights. It was wonderful both times. We had the same waiter and table, as well as for the pub lunch also held in the Crown Grill. On three later port evenings we ate a quick bite in the buffet, which had many of the same things offered as the MDR (I looked at the daily menu postings). One night we had pizza too, and it was really good. We ate at the Trident Grill for lunch (burgers/dogs, all freshly cooked) had room service lunch a couple times (club sandwhiches, also fresh and good), and stopped at the International Cafe after a long evening in Victoria for some sandwhiches. We had breakfast delivered every morning from room service which we enjoyed with our wonderful views. Only once did we use the buffet for breakfast, and DH ran up and brought us back a plate to share. We didn't try the Crab Shack or Sabatini's on this trip. We usually buy the coke card, but this time we carried on some bottles of pepsi and had no issues.

     

    Promotional items: We booked under the 'free wine - 8x10 framed picture - $100 OBC' promo. We called room service and were offered the following trade for our $30 wine credit: 9 cans of soda or 10 bottles of water. We chose the water option. The 8x10 picture credit doesn't come in a card voucher like the wine, they simply have a list at the photo counter and you go select your picture and they mark you off the list. It looked like many people hadn't picked up their freebies, and I wonder how many people didn't even realize they had it coming. Also the $100 OBC was supposed to be for excursions, but we only used $20 in excursion booking for the Victoria shuttle and they simply credited our account for the $100 and we used it up in other ways. Also, we had a bunch of other OBC from Visa and our TA, and it all posted the first day with no problems.

     

    Boarding: The boarding process was very quick compared to what we are used to. We've only cruised from Galveston before, and this seemed more organized and quick to us. We never had to sit and wait, and the line kept moving. We arrived at the pier around 11:15, and were in our room by 12:30. Just a side note, when we disembarked, the customs agent didn't even look at our passports. He simply took our declaration and said 'have a nice day'. In Galveston they scrutinize your passport and ask a bunch of questions. No wonder the process takes so long there.

     

    Weather and sea conditions: We were so lucky to have beautiful weather the entire trip. We had no rain the entire time and most days were partly cloudy with some sun. The evening in Victoria was simply wonderful, and the day we disembarked in Seattle was downright warm. Most days we layered and just needed a light jacket. The only day we really needed any cold weather gear was in Glacier Bay, and we spent most of the day outside. The seas were very calm the whole trip as well. Maybe because we've only cruised from Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico we are used to rougher conditions, but we thought this cruise was extremely calm.

     

    Ports:

     

    Juneau - Rented a car from Avis in the Goldbelt Hotel, a quick 10 minute walk from the pier. With our coporate account it was only $48 total, and about $20 in gas for the day. We went first to Mendenhall Glacier to beat the crowds (we were the first of 4 ships in port that day, plus it was Memorial Day holiday). We spent about 3 hours here enjoying the wonderful weather and hiking trails. We then drove the coastal highway out past Auke Bay, Eagle Rec area, and Shrine of St Therese. We made several stops for pictures and to just enjoy the beautiful day. On the way back we stopped at Walmart for some pepsi and other toiletry items. We planned to return the rental car and go up the tram. But we were so tired after a long day of site seeing, we decided to sit on the balcony and enjoy the evening. We had a great view of the tram from our balcony, and as I watched it I saw something moving up the mountain. Got the binoculars out and found a herd of 6 mountain goats in a meadow. We spent the next hour watching them graze. What a nice end to the day. Weather was 60s and sunny. At Mendenhall Glacier there were kids in swimsuits and floaties enjoying the water. Also on the way to Juneau in the morning, we saw a large group of humpback whales. We spent an hour or so on the balcony watching them spout, slap tails, and dive around the water. Great experience.

     

    Skagway - Rented a jeep from Alaska Green Jeeps and spent the day driving up to the Yukon and Emerald Lake. Another beautiful day and scenic drive. We took a boxed picnic lunch and made many stops both up and back. Managed to see the train at several stops too. We didn't see a bear, although when we gassed up the jeep we talked to a fellow renter who said they said a mother and cub at Bove Island about an hour after we'd been there. Bad timing. But we did see some more mountain goats, and harbor seals in the tidal flats on our way out to Dyea. We also stopped at the slide cemetary and gold rush cemetary, and made the short but lovely hike to Lower Reid Falls. Another wonderful day of nice weather and beautiful sites. We are independent travelers and I highly recommend the jeep rental for those who want to get away from the crowds and do your own thing.

     

    Glacier Bay - What can I say but 'wow'. This place is simply stunning. We had another beautiful day, with a few clouds and sun. We saw a grizzly bear on the shore after the National Park Service ranger announced the spotting over the PA. We kept the bridge cam channel on the whole day and enjoyed the narration by the rangers. Throughout the day we saw sea lions, sea otters, and many birds. When we stopped by the large glaciers we stayed on the balcony and could hear the cracking, groaning, and popping of the glaciers and surrounding ice flows. As the captian turned the ship for the other side to enjoy, we went up to the open decks. Although it was also a great view from the open decks, we couldn't hear any of the same sounds we had heard from our balcony due to the people talking and ship's noises. So for all the people who say you need to be on the open decks to enjoy, I say compare for yourself. I would say we enjoyed the experience much more from the quiet solitude of our balcony, where the sensory experience was completely different.

     

    Ketchikan - We had originally planned to take the Coastal Wildlife Cruise here, but since we had seen so much already from our balcony, we decided to save the $358 and cancel. So instead we used our NPS pass to visit the SE Alaska Discovery Center, which was very nice. Then we took the funicular up to Cape Fox Lodge and viewed the totems. Afterwards we walked down the Married Man's Trail to Creek Street, enjoying the rustic views. Again, we had a beautiful day - no rain, comfortable temps, and overcast sky. We did a bit of shopping for everyone back home, then had lunch at a waterfront fish restaurant. We had salmon and halibut tacos, and fresh cod fish and chips. Wonderfully fresh and delicious. It's a good thing we ate lunch on shore, as there was a mishap with the dock's forklift and re-boarding was delayed by an hour or so. The line was HUGE to get back onboard, and we were an hour late leaving port. Good thing it wasn't raining. The captain came down and was working the crowd, explaining everything and why there was a delay, which was a nice touch. He also announced it over the PA when we were leaving port. That night was the Captian's Circle party, and he joked about it there as well. I would love to spend more time in Ketchikan as this was only a half day stop.

     

    Victoria - Booked ship's shuttle for $10 each, which takes you into town and the driver does a narration of the city and surrounding area. Another beautiful evening, with only a light jacket needed. We walked around town, watched the sunset over the harbor, and enjoyed some street performers. What a lovely and clean city. On the way into port today we saw orca whales. We think they were female as we had read about them the day before at the SE Alaska Center and the primary way to tell them apart is females have 4 foot fins and males 6 foot fins.

     

    Seattle - Always sad to get off the ship, but they made the process easy. We did self disembark and carried off our own luggage. Met our group at 8:10 and were off the ship by 8:30. Took a shuttle to our hotel, the Crowne Plaza downtown (again free on IHG points) and were there by 9:15. We left our luggage and walked to the waterfront, only to get a call that our room was ready already. So back up the hill we went and got checked in. Very nice room with a great view of the Space Needle. We've been to Seattle before, so no Space Needle visit this time. We decided to take the Argosy Ballard Locks cruise for the afternoon. We'd also done that before but in the evening, and it was a beautiful sunny day so we thought it would be nice. Always fun to go thru the locks, and there were so many people and boats out enjoying the day. We stopped at the Fisherman at the pier for early supper (darn time difference from home) and as we enjoyed fresh seafood on the outside deck, we watched the Golden sail away for her next voyage. Great end to the trip.

     

    General comments: Overall we had a wonderful time. I'm sure we'll go back someday, but it will be hard to top the weather we had this trip. We met some nice people on the cruise and all the staff was very pleasant. One drawback was the screaming/crying toddler in the room next to us. That wasn't a very nice treat every morning and evening, but we just turned the tv up and I slept with earplugs. I still don't get why people bring young children that small on a cruise (I'm a mother and grandmother myself), and it did impact our enjoyment of our room. We've never had an issue before, but this was our first mini suite and I'm sure there are more families booked there due to the 3rd/4th passenger area.

     

    Thanks, great review. Our first cruise ever was on the Golden to Alaska, we loved it, and last September went back on the Diamond adding a week on land.

     

    Hugh

    I-phone for pics and video

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    While I plan on bringing a point and shoot camera, I was wondering if any of you used just your iPhone to take either pictures or more importantly to me, video.....going to Alaska on the Golden in August.

     

    Thanks!

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

     

     

    I used my iPhone for pictures, never had a problem, never tried it for videos on a cruise.

     

    Hugh :cool:

    Excursion ideas

    in Alaska

    Posted

    Doing an Alaska Cruise Tour on the Coral Princess June 17...Southbound...looking for excursion ideas apart from those that Princess offers...anyone able to help?

    Thx!!

     

    Do the White Pass train ride in Skagway, Whale Watching and Salmon bake in Juneau and make see to see the Mendenhall Glacier. There are so many!

     

    Hugh :D

    Questions about the Golden Princess

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    Since you last cruised the Golden she underwent a major drydock in May 2009. The IC was added, the Crown Grill was added along with window suites and new regualr suites on the Sun deck. Lots of great changes. We sailed her on the first cruise after the drydock and loved it.

     

    We lucked out and were upgraded to the new WS in 2009 on the Golden ;)

     

    Hugh :cool:

    Sapphire wine lists/prices

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    Is it possible to obtain a list of the bottles of wines and their prices available on the Sapphire? Neither DH nor I are big drinkers, but I'm wondering whether we both need to buy a drinks package to have a bottle of wine with dinner, or to take back to the cabin. Any info would be appreciated.

     

    Good question! I do not know of a list on line. Here is what I do know. Your Ride aide, Sam Club, Costco bottle of wine that you can get for $9.00 or less will cost you $35.00 on the Ship. I bring on a couple of bottles :D

     

    Wish I had more info for U :o

     

    Hugh :cool:

    Where to purchase Alcohol Package

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    I know you purchase on the ship, but where? Also, how do bartenders and International Café know you have this package? Will be on the Ruby next month and it would be nice know. Thank you. :)

     

    Trust me they will find you, not to worry. :D Once you buy it you will get a sticker on your cruse card or a drink card

     

    Hugh :cool:

    Bread Baskets

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    I believe it is a cultural thing. The bread and rolls are intentionally crusty on the outside and soft inside, an Italian tradition in bread making. They are NOT stale. Most of the time there are a variety of rolls in the basket but you can ask for some sliced bread if you wish. I am a huge fan of the rolls/breads on Princess. I think soft dinner rolls are more of a northern European/American style.

     

     

    Agree ;)

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