LyssaWorthy

Thank you so much for this review.  We embark as you disembark this Saturday.  Virtual 👋

First time on Discovery, but started sailing Princess in 1986 and never felt the need to try another line.

How is the temperature in the Discovery common areas?  Since we’re sailing to Hawaii I know to plan for chilly nights at sea, but the inside space can be warm, sweater cool, or grab-a-blanket-from-MUTS cold.

TIA!

I think the helicopter tour to walk on the glacier might be my favorite tour of all time.  I still remember the taste of the glacier water.  We brought a small bottle, 4 oz, with us and filled it with the icy blue water.  

On one my first cruises to Hawaii, they had a “most adventurous duck” photo contest.  It was either Diamond or Golden, I think.  They gave us a duck and we took it around the ship and ashore and photographed it.  The group that received the ducks got together and shared their photos, and there was a prize of wine or something else like you get at trivia games.

3 minutes ago, LHC Kirby said:

 

I get a double burger with cheese up on Lido..... with cheese.   IMO Much better than MDR.  BUT the orange soufflé is da bomb..... and only available in the MDR on embarkation day lunch.  

The orange soufflé is what I go for.

On 2/28/2024 at 6:14 PM, Wishing on a star said:

Maybe some kind of simple, foldable, wheelchair or walker-chair would be an idea.

I’m usually ok with a cane, but I didn’t want to take any chances on the ship, so we got this rolling walker with a seat to rest on.  It folds pretty easily.

Our 9th Hawaiian cruise is in a couple of weeks on Discovery.  The 8 previous cruises were on Diamond, Ruby, Star, Emerald twice, Golden three times. All Princess, all out of Los Angeles.  Not a bad trip among them.

Love Hawaii, love lots of sea days, love not flying anywhere, love Eula…I mean what’s NOT to love?  
 

Sailed the Grand to Alaska in 2022, when a two week round trip got an extra week added to it when DH tested positive and Canada would not let us fly to the states.  The Grand crew took care of everything, and the Inside Passage was spectacular even from an isolation balcony room.  
 

I’ve never sailed from San Francisco, so nothing to contribute there, sorry.

I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we have enjoyed ours. 
 

What?!? Princess stopped doing pillow chocolates?  Oh say it ain’t so!
 

We started doing pillow chocolates at home because we loved the ritual so much.  (We are simple people.)

Thank the fates that we found out about this a couple of weeks before boarding!  Time to come up with plan B.  😉

3 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

What the?! I am also trying to make a credit card payment today on shore excursions and the payment screen doesn't even come up in my Personalizer. It puts the shorex's in my cart, then I click Pay Now and nothing happens. Is Princess trying to make me never cruise with them again? I don't have time for this. How is their credit card payment system having issues? 

Me too!  It’s not just you!

I think cruising is like life.  You make the best plans you can, then deal with what the universe throws in your path.

I’ve taken 15 cruises, all on Princess.  Itineraries changed for all sorts of reasons, from being upgraded from a 7 day Caribbean to a 10 day Panama Canal full transit for the same cost on my first cruise to an extra week in Covid-quarantine in Alaska on my last.  In between was Hurricane Iniki, medical emergencies (another passenger’s), a crew member’s suicide overboard (very sad), weather (storms), and the Lahaina fire disaster.  With each of those, I sent thoughts and prayers to those affected by the disasters, and thanked all that is good and holy that I was spared, AND on a cruise.  The perspective made the cruise all the better, and the dumb annoying stuff - noise, slow service, tough lobster tail, rude guy at the next slot machine - much less important.

If you chose to cruise, I wish you calm seas, and fair winds.  Enjoy the adventure and make amazing memories.  We’re on the Discovery next month, and I can’t wait

Lyssa

4 hours ago, kbt cruiser said:

We have this issue as well. Same error on "Payment method", on both the app and the web version.

I got through to customer support, and this was their explanation (almost verbatim).

 

Have you sailed with Princess before ?

Yes

Did you use this card before on Princess ?

Yes

Can you try another card - it should work.

Why would it work for one card and not another ?

Because you sailed with us before.

So If I've used my credit card on a previous cruise, I cannot get Ocean Ready using the same card ?

That is correct.

 

I find this astonishing, but it came direct from Princess.

 

 

 

I have that same problem with my preferred CC. It would not save through the App, and I couldn’t seem to get “ocean ready” without it.    I had to use a different credit card.  I figured I’d just switch cards to my preferred card once on board.
 

It is baffling because I used the Princess card to make my final payment a couple of months ago, and I’ve used it as my onboard payment method for my last 12 Princess cruises.  It has zero balance and the Bank says the card is fine. 

There must be a programming error where it’s stuck to my last cruise.  Seems really dumb, because some people have multiple cruises in play at the same time.  Wouldn’t Princess want to encourage multiple bookings?  
 

Maybe I should fill out a bug report form.  But that seems too much like work!  😉

We sailed on the Emerald twice to Hawaii, in 2018 & 2019.  Yes, she’s older but we still had a wonderful time.  
 

The Caribbean was fun, too. It was 2006, and my DH’s first cruise.  He caught the cruising bug on it.

We’ve sailed on a dozen Princess Grand class cruises since then.  Every one had a hiccup or two, some small like a clogged toilet or an overcooked lobster tail.  Others bigger, like doing a grid search for a poor soul that went overboard from a sister ship, and catching Covid in Alaska, with a week in quarantine. 

Each cruise was special, and we just rolled over any speedbumps we ran into.  It’s all part of the adventure of cruising.  
 

I hope you have a wonderful time on whichever ship you choose.

Lyssa
 

Yes, exactly!  Thanks so much.

Hi -

We’re on Discovery next month.  I’m making reservations for Crown Grill through mobile app.  I found an opening for the right day, and time. Yay!

But it wants me to pay for it on my Visa.  I’d like to use the SD credit with my Premiere package.  Is that something I do onboard, and the Visa charge is just to hold the reservation?

I appreciate any guidance.

Aloha Tiki Dave,

We just booked our 9th Princess Hawaii cruise for January, and I am so glad Elua will be on board. I think you and the lovely Leialoha were on the majority of them. The sea days have such an island flavor thanks to you.

Mahalo,

Lyssa

Yes. we did dock at the port for Caracas. And, your memory of soldiers with long guns sticks in my memory as well. Another memory that sticks is the drive from the port to/from the city. The shacks/hovels on the mountain sides that were visible from the highway. 1986, it was shocking. 2018, that same drive is even worse. I have a college classmate who is a citizen of Venezuela and we keep in touch. The highway, which in 1986 was better than some we have today in Ohio, has been allowed to deteriorate and the shacks are even more numerous.

 

Our Captain was a British gentleman who was well known in the Princess fleet. (And, of course, his name escapes me as I type this.)

Yes, the poverty struck me as well. We were headed through the city to visit a church, if I remember correctly, because I have vague recollections of stained glass, and wrought iron gates. Caracas was so jarring especially compared to snorkeling in St. Thomas and a sail to a beach picnic in Curacao. But it made me grateful for my home in America in a powerful way.

Panama did that too. Our shore excursion, if you can call it that, was a ride in a taxi to a tourist store, that was locked from the outside as we entered, and guarded by armed guards. As we left the store I was amazed to see a cart selling grilled lizard on a stick.

I did not try the lizard, but that first cruise I did try frogs legs and escargot. Those were the days of an entree for each person, and “one for the table” to taste.

I had thought I had seen and experienced a lot, traveling in America, and living in big cities, and experiencing their seedier sides. That first cruise, and others since, taught me so much about other parts of the world. It made me grateful for all my blessings in a way that I don’t think I would have gotten if I’d stayed in my little American bubble.

I think our Captain might have been John Young. Not sure. I have a picture of him buried somewhere, with me in a red dress shaking his hand.

Best,

Lyssa

Link to the story:

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/19/europe/cruise-ship-woman-rescued/index.html

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Several years ago we were on the Star Princess out of LA to Hawaii when we were awakened by a cabin announcement from the Captain telling us that a crew member from the sister-ship Grand Princess had gone overboard, and we were heading back to help with the search.

We, the Grand Princess and a freighter spent the better part of a day doing a grid search. It was facinating, and ultimately very sad as security cameras eventually proved that he’d jumped intentionally.

Dozens of passengers stood on deck with binoculars, trying to help.

We missed Lahaina that cruise, and called at Kona instead. As you can imagine, there were passenger complaints and grumbles, but I felt very bad about the crew member and his family. It was a lesson in reality for me.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Grand-Princess-Cruise-Ship-Crewmember-Overboard-off-Hawaii-239126851.html

Lyssa

Was that cruise the Christmas cruise, San Juan to Acapulco? If so, were shipmates.

No, it was early in November, as I remember. I’ve never sailed over Christmas or Thanksgiving, but Halloween one year was a blast.

Did you go to Caracas? I still remember the guards with machine guns around the government building.

And I remember the captain saying “I talk slow because I think slow.”

Funny what sticks with you...

I was wondering about the best side also. Even though it is a round trip -- the view will likely not be the same...

 

...We're on the Golden Princess in three weeks for the 12 day and we have a starboard balcony --- we'll see

I’ve only done one Alaska cruise, and that one, the 12 day in April RT from LA, offerred what was called “scenic cruising” in Glacier Bay.

It wasn’t just a journey through and back again, or around it - forgive my awful geography knowledge - but we spent from early morning until after lunch either stopped or sailing very slowly while the Naturalist explained what we were seeing. The starboard side was closest to the calving glacier, and the ship was so quiet you could hear the ice fall to the sea. It only happened a handful of times in the hours I watched but it was magnificent.

There were jokes about the ship tipping from everyone gathering on Starboard side that morning.

That was my experience. I’d love to know what yours is when you return.

I hope you enjoy breathtaking views, and stay warm and dry.

Lyssa

first world problems.

Truly!

We are very grateful for every cruise we’ve taken - all on Princess. It suits us.

My first Princess cruise was 1986, and yes, things have changed. But the joy I feel when I embark is still there. I know how lucky I am to be there.

My DH and I love spending time together, so we have a great time at sea or in port. We always try to focus on the positive, and the now, not the past.

I wish all of you a wonderful next cruise, on whatever line and to whatever destination you choose.

Lyssa

I sailed on the Royal twice. In 1986, a Les Brown Big Band cruise, 14 day Panama Canal San Juan to LA. There a dozen or so of us under 50, truly an absolutely wonderful experience seeing everyone dressed up every evening, gave you a feeling of how cruising was years ago (even in 1986)!

I sailed in November 1986, San Juan to Acapulco, 14 day, full transit. I only remember a handful of other under 50’s on that cruise, too, and it wasn’t a themed cruise.

My very first cruise was on the Royal through the Panama Canal in 1986.

It was the beginning a a lifetime love affair with Princess.

We did the 12 day LA roundtrip to Alaska cruise this past April. LOVED it.

On the day of Glacier Bay cruising - which was awe inspiring - I watched it from the starboard side of the very wet Sanctuary (because it was raining and there is not a real roof on the it. (I never thought to check that ahead of time when I booked the lounge chair.) The starboard side is where I saw and heard the glacier calve.

I just made up my mind to make the best of a once in a lifetime experience. The attendents helped move me to the driest spot available, changed the wet mattress, brought a ton of blankets and hot soup, and I witnessed nature’s wonder. May you be drier and warmer on your balcony, than I was in the Sancuary, but just as awestruck as I was.

Our cruise had a Naturalist narrate the experience from the bridge over the loudspeaker to the common areas up top.

That whole cruise exceeded my expectations. Oh, and glacier water tastes great!

Lyssa

I’m so glad you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. I’ve only cruised on Princess, but I’m happy with them, so I don’t look elsewhere. My next cruise will be my first as Elite, so I feel like my loyalty has paid off.

But I’m sorry you had a less than great Cabin Steward. Ours have alway been terrific. We often stay in Casino until the wee morning hours, so there are several days we don’t leave the room until late afternoon. Or sometimes not at all, or one of us just goes to get “take out” food from the buffet, or cafe or by the pool. Or we order room service.

We tell the steward on embarkation day that we are night owls, and may be in our room at schedules different than other cruisers. We put the “do not disturb” card in the slot, and once or twice we’ve gotten a phone call asking if we needed anything. If he doesn’t call, and we need towels, or kleenex or turndown candy or whatever we ask for it - he’s reachable by phone, too.

As others have said, he’s there to work around your schedule. But good communication helps every situation.

Enjoy your next cruise!

I’d say about 30-45 minutes. Part of the time was talking about the process. Part of the time was getting to know us so he could make us smile, or even laugh during the shoot.

The shoot itself was much more relaxed than getting your photo taken at one of the areas set up around the ship on formal night. It’s just you and the photographer in his studio, so no one to make you feel self conscious. He took dozens of photos - together, alone, different poses. I liked that he paused, to give us the chance to relax and regroup. It made the photos look more natural.

Then we returned the next day to go over the proofs, and chose the ones we wanted to purchase. There was NO hard sell from the photographer. There was a little hard sell from me to my husband, because I usually don’t look good in photos, and there were several good ones.

We did the Platinum Studio a few years ago. Best photos we’ve ever had taken. The photographer was top notch and was able to bring out the best in us.

The quality of the printed ones they shipped us were exceptional, but the best thing was that we got the digital copies to post online, or to have copies made in different sizes on your own.

It’s not cheap, but you’re under no obligation to buy them, and there’s no sitting fee, so you may want to consider having the photos taken, and then decide if you like any enough to purchase.