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On the Grand Asia cruise we missed the port of Shanghai due to weather (although they also were experiencing Avian flu and 15,000 slaughtered pigs thrown into the river as well). Everyone was dissapointed but because it was last minute, everyone was dressed and waiting in the common areas. We had the best time sitting around chatting etc. To compensate the captain arranged for us to have a second day in Hong Kong instead of a sea day. Hindsight we probably had more fun plus I really felt better knowing safety came first. I never underestimate the responsibility of the captain. He has to deal with weather conditions, political climates, cranky passengers, crew issues, etc. I could never see as many things on a land tour as I do on a cruise, if I miss one once in awhile I try to remember all the fabulous ports I would have never chose to visit on a land tour, that are kind of "thrown in" like Kusadasi, Istanbul, Talinn, etc.

Good choice! The Grand Med was our first empty-nest bucket list trip and it did not dissappoint. I know you seem to already have your itinerary set, and we almost always do most ports on our own, but.... one of my favorite Princess ship excursions of all time was the Amalfi Coast bus trip out of Naples. It stops in a Sorrento and Amalfi and a beautiful place for lunch, but the journey is the experience. The scenery is unforgettable. That said, if you do decide on this, make sure you get a seat on the right side of the bus with an unobstructed window, if possible. Also, don't miss the sailaway in Venice. Go to the top deck and get the champagne. If you have any time at the end of the trip in Barcelona, don't miss the Boqueria on Las Ramblas. Foodie heaven. Have fun, it's a terrific trip.:o Sigh...

Old world and new world "Stammtisch" wine tastings at Vines are limited to around 12 people and are $15. They are, by far IMHO, the way to go. Sign up at Vines as soon as you get on. They also give you a very nice platter of cheeses, etc.

Talk about consummate host! Godwin and Generoso (as well as Chef Guiseppe) made me feel like true royalty in the Baltics on the Emerald in 2012. We paid for an guaranteed interior cabin and got treated like we were staying in the Owner's Suite. Really nice people.

Unfortunately, there are no Chef's dinners on any cruises under 7 days. We found out the hard way on our last 5 day cruise. Consequently, we will just have to book a longer one next time ;).

How nice! Someone made my life easier. Thanks so much! :)

Quick question-

 

Are the wine pairings included in the cost of the chefs table?

They are also very nice wines and well paired with the foods. Plus the staff is very generous with the pours. Don't feel you have to ration your glass of champagne in the kitchen ;)

We use our credit card for everything, pay it off every month and put the cash back bonus away for travel spending. We have several cards and make sure we use each one for the categories that offer more than 1%. It has become a game. Very rarely do we pull up to the gas pump when my husband doesn't say, "which card for gas this month".

There is no way to pick one thing, but a room service waiter on the Ruby summed it up best. He came to deliver our morning coffee and asked if he could open the drapes to the balcony. He went and opened them and he said, "How wonderful, you go to sleep in Naples and wake up in Mykonos!" So I guess if I had to pick, it would be getting to see the world without excessive packing and unpacking, but I'm fond of the raspberry martinis ;)

We did it in February 2013 with Chef Antonia Cereda. We have been fortunate enough to also be included on the Emerald once with Chef Guissepe, whom I though was fabulous. Come to find Chef Cereda was his mentor. Dinner was fabulous, lots of goodies, but main course was osso bucco and chateaubriand. There was a seafood assortment as well. The Chef really outdid himself.

Thanks so much!! For several minutes I just browsed through the patters of an itinerary we will be on and forgot all of life's problems and just concentrated on the fun we will have. It's like a detailed travel brochure. I think Princess should put an example of their Patter in their brochure to show people the kinds of activities they offer. So many people have said to me that they don't want to cruise because they think they'll get bored. :eek:

We did this tour in 2013 and bought Chinese Yuan and Thai Baht since we stayed at the beginning and end of the tour in Beijing and Thailand. In Vietnam and Korea they are fine with US $. We used an ATM in Nagasaki to get currency, and in Singapore we got along fine with a credit card with no international fees. Definitely need cash for taxis in the ports.

IMHO the Stammtisch is one of the great Princess secrets. We have done this several times and stopping at Vines to sign up is one of our first stops after we get on the ship. On the Ruby in February, we were told that Princess has done away with sommeliers on most of their ships, but we learned more from our wine host, Alan, than on most wine tastings we have been to. It is more informal and the small size makes it easy to make new friends. In fact almost everyone that signed up for the "Old World Tasting" showed up for the "New World" just because we had such a great time.

Throw in a highlighter. You can use it to highlight items on the Patter you don't want to miss. It doubles as a bingo marker.

Although I agree, the fajitas were smothered in inappropriate cheese, that was our favorite dining room on the Diamond. They had the friendliest staff and a nice warm atmosphere. All the restaurants have the same menu except for their signature dish.

Being big "foodies", my husband and I requested a seat at the bar overlooking the exhibition kitchen. We got much better service and a better selection of food. We would comment and ask questions of the chefs and would be given tastes. It was alot more fun and I highly recommend it, especially if you go earlier so they are not so busy. We had a terrific time!

I agree, the Hermitage and Peterof are not to be missed (bucket list worthy), but St. Isaac's Cathedral was high on my list. The exterior was not as impressive as the Church of the Spilt Blood, but the interior was unbelievable.

Actually what we should be defining here is a "cruise foodie"

 

A cruise foodie is someone who is obsessed with what the food will be on the cruise. He has found and scoured through all the ships menus for his impending cruise. He probably had already decided what he will be ordering each night in the MDR and it is still months before his cruise.

 

His research into each port centers around the best place to have a great "local lunch"

 

I am a cruise foodie.... :)

I agree! We try to be first on a Princess ship to call the dine line to get into the Chef's dinner. Our first stop in Barcelona has nothing to do with Gaudi and everything to do about the Bouqueria. In Stockholm - Saluhall. Venice-Rialto Market. Almost every souvenier we bring home is food related. Limoncello glasses from Sorrento, jarred truffles from Rome, etc. Can't wait to go to Australia in January to have a "Yabbie"

Definitely do the Chef's dinner, if you can.

My favorites:

Oxtail pasta

Reuben sandwich

Rack of Lamb & Parmesan Frites (Crown Grill)

Salt crusted fish (Sabatini's)

Short Ribs

Crouching Tiger Martini (only on some ships, otherwise Raspberry Martini)

24K margarita

There's my 2 cents

We took the ferry to Rostock as everyone suggested and wished we would have stayed in Warnemunde the whole day. Warnemunde is very quaint and the waterside has wonderful seafood stalls selling all kinds of wonderful fish to sample. It is a very easy walk from the ship and simply charming.

As others have said some of the ports can be quite far. Bangkok is a good 2 hours from the port, although quite an interesting experience. The Grand Palace makes it worth the trip. We did the 17 day Grand Asia on the Diamond in 2013 and when it stopped at the port for Ho Chi Min City decided on a shorter excursion to Vung Tao which gave you alot of the local Vietnamese culture minus the 4 hours on the bus. Many others though wanted to experience Ho Chi Min for sentimental reasons. Nha Trang was terrific we took the ship's tour and enjoyed it very much, although the souvenier hawkers were very persistent. Each port was a cultural eye-opener. The people of Vietnam are absolutely enchanting, especially the children. You will be shocked at what you can fit on a motor scooter. Singapore is terrific! Make sure you add on a couple of days, if possible. The city has alot to do and all easy to do on your own. They have a fabulous mass transit system, all signs are in English. The architechture is amazing! Don't miss the National Orchid Garden (which also has fabulous food at their little food court). We only stopped for the day and we wished we had more time there. Embrace the difference and have fun.

Had to pipe in with a few comments. I am a foodie and doing the chef's dinner on a few of the Princess ships is an enlightening insight into the problems of feeding all those people fresh food. They explained how on a transatlantic they need to lock the refrigerator and open it for a specified amount of time and get everything out that they need for the day because opening and closing it degradates the food quality. Plus regulations about buying food from different ports is much more stringent than it was in the past.

I remember cruising 20 years ago and the amount of times a day and venues were not nearly as numerous as they are today. It was rare that anyone took a long cruise to a faraway place and, as a previous poster said, the number of people on the ship was much smaller.

I know that for a reasonable price I have seen 17 countries, all the while being treated, by a gracious staff, to some very good food. While some of it was outstanding, some of it was ok and when it was just ok, I asked for something else instead and someone would bring it immediately and at the end of the meal no bill was presented. Life is good. :)

When we were on the Emerald in St. Petersburg, we opted out of the Folkloric show because we took the big 2 day St. Petersburg tour, but were glad we did because Princess brought Russian dancers on the ship for free the night we were in port. Much less tiring and no expense.

Don't worry about that!! I've come back a kg or 2 lighter every princess cruise that I've done - and I eat it all. I think it's because we always take the stairs over the elevators - and do alot of walking....

Walking and stairs are good but you are on vacation, have fun, hit the dance floor at night. It's great exercise and it's good to wear off some of the calories after dinner. There is always a nice selection of music on the ships. We always go around to listen to the different artists/groups and choose our favorite for dancing. If your husband doesn't dance, go anyway.

The problem I have with the Crown Grill is that they are not allowed open flame on the ships, so the steaks don't get the sear they do at a regular steak house. That being said, I get the rack of lamb being that it gets roasted and is terrific. The parmesan garlic fries are worth the price of admission anyway. In Sabatini's I like the salt encrusted fish. Like the one poster said, something you wouldn't make at home, and they have the nice tableside service of it. It's all good.