Teechur

It is surprising that Vancouver to Seattle is a 3-day run. Does Princess intentionally extend the travel time? On our Alaska cruise in September, we depart Victoria one evening and arrive in Seattle the next morning.

My cruise including EZ Air was paid for with my Costco Visa Card. Only the airline upgrades were purchased with Airline credit cards. An additional wrinkle is that one flight will be on Air Canada with a United codeshare. Has anyone had this experience?

I have wondered the same thing. We are ticketed via EZ Air, and I upgraded at the American Airlines website to economy plus (main extra?), using my American Airlines Credit Card for our outbound flights from California to Fort Lauderdale. I hope to avoid the baggage fees but may not know for sure until we are at the airport. On our return flight we are booked on a United codeshare flight, (actually on an Air Canada plane) for the first leg of our journey. We upgraded the seats using my United credit card. Will we be covered? Perhaps Air Canada will charge us anyway. No one seemed to know when I called both airlines. I am curious if anyone has had this experience?

I believe they have resolved my wishes with the Sphere class. Larger showers with glass doors and no tubs, sofas, and lots of electrical outlets. Deeper balconies would be nice as well. Drop the charge for Alfredo's. It's only pizza! Lower the noise level in the piazza. I don't know if I will ever sail on a Sphere class ship though. Definitely not in one of those goofy Cabana mini suites. What a waste of space!

At first glance, my cruises appear to have dropped in price but after completing mock bookings, it becomes clear that the prices for my chosen locations have actually increased. The last-minute teaser fares offered are for the worst locations or for unassigned staterooms.

Have you asked for onboard credit in that amount? That might be a reasonable compromise. You can use the money to pay gratuities.

Paia Fish Market is also our favorite place for casual dining. Unfortunately, the Lahaina location burned in the fire so now we have to drive all the way to Paia for that treat. We also lost Kimo's which was my favorite fine dining location. Fortunately, we still have Duke's, which is a sister restaurant and #1-rated Mama's Fish House, but it is stupid-expensive. 😬 We usually only go there once a year.

Especially scooped ice cream. 👍

We were across from a laundry room on the Island Princess. No noise at all. The annoying noise was from the crew doors nearby. There was banging and talking late at night. I would take a laundry room over a crew door any day.

Now, there's a picture. 😵‍💫

I visited Leningrad, Moscow and Uzbekistan in 1984 and returned to L & M in 1986 (Sputnik Tours). Sold lots of cheap electronics to local hustlers and lived large on the proceeds. Great times and made some good friends. An amazingly strange and primitive place compared to the U.S. Visited St. Petersburg (again) in 2017 on the Regal Princess. Much improvement but still strange.

They have both types at the desk.

No one is likely to disagree with you here. I called and got a rep. in the Philippines and after about 5 minutes of him asking me questions, instead of the other way around, it seemed like he was creating a biography of me. He went over my entire itinerary, my various shore excursions, past cruises, and more. When he started to go over my future bookings I told him to stop. I only wanted the phone number for EZ Air. He wanted to sell me stuff.

On the Island last September with no IC, I asked for almond croissants in the main dining room for breakfast. They told me that it would take some time, and then the chef made some fresh for me. They were amazing and actually hot, right out of the oven. 🥰

We will do the same. I noticed that the hotels in Yokohama appear to be nicer, newer, larger rooms, and cheaper. For example: Hyatt Regency Yokohama | A Luxury Hotel in Yokohama, a port town We will probably hire a vehicle with driver and guide for an all-day loop around Tokyo. For example: 2024 Tokyo Private Driving Tour by Car or Van with Chauffeur (tripadvisor.com) Two of us have been to most of these places in the past, but Taiwan and Vietnam will be new for all four of us. ⚓

We wanted the same cruise as you. I keep checking but am not on the waitlist. The Discovery is mostly full for the first leg from Alaska to Tokyo, as well as Tokyo to Singapore. (A suite is now $34k per person.😬) I don't believe Princess will offer any more cabins for less than the entire 29-day cruise. We booked a 12-day Southeast Asia cruise on the Diamond Princess instead. It begins in Tokyo November 25, 2025, and ends in Singapore on Dec. 7th, 2025. Fewer ports/more sea days but visits the same countries. Check it out. Cruise # M535. Good luck!

Many of their cabin photos still picture barrel chairs. How long have they been gone, fleetwide?

That is disappointing, and no mention of it at their website. Not sure if we will go there after all... 😢

When life gives you lemons, add vodka!🍹 There is a lot to see and do in Kona. Two fun places to visit are the Kona Brewing Co. brewpub in Kona and the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. It is the oldest restaurant in all of Hawaii. Last time I was there, we did the Keauhou Manta Ray snorkel trip. It was awesome. If your ship stays late or overnight, this is highly recommended. Some suggestions: THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Kailua-Kona - 2024 (with Photos) - Tripadvisor I agree with your post, but it's going to be a long time before anyone can stop in Lahaina again.

On the Big Island, you can find this type of chips at "Kona Chips" in the village of Captain Cook, just outside of Kona. Crunchy and greasy. We always stock up when they are open. Home | Kona Chips KONA CHIPS, Captain Cook - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor Also, not to be missed, is the historic Manago Hotel nearby. It's an old Japanese boarding house/restaurant. Their dining room serves meals that are cheap, delicious, and famous. (Walk-ins welcome.) Pork chops are their biggest seller, and food is served "family style". They are closed Sun, Mon, & Tuesday. I just extended my upcoming trip to Kona by a day so we can go there. Comfort food in a cool environment. Restaurant – Manago Hotel MANAGO HOTEL & RESTAURANT, Captain Cook - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor If your cruise ship stops in Kona, this would be a fun adventure by Uber or rental car. I think you can also get there on the island's free bus system, although it might be slow. Bon Appetit!

Cruises won't be stopping at Lahaina, for probably 5-10 years. The town is a complete wreck and cleanup will take years, then planning and rebuilding. Much of what was there will not be permitted in the future, including all of the businesses on the water-side of Front Street. The fire created a once-in-a-century opportunity to bring the town up to modern building codes. Many people will lose all, or at least some of their property in the process.

We will be aboard a New England/Canada cruise beginning on June 19th and aboard an Alaska cruise on September 17th. We haven't made dining reservations for Japan yet since it's more than a year away. I guess we will deal with it like we do with every change Princess introduces. 😊

Traffic accidents or vehicle breakdowns would be reasons why it can't be guaranteed. Did you use EZ Air or purchase insurance?

We took the Stonehenge excursion with a flight on Virgin Atlantic departing at 5:30 pm. from Heathrow. Three hours is commonly recommended for international flights, and I'm sure that we must have been there by 2:00pm. We weren't apprehensive about being late or I would remember the exact details. The thing I remember best is that the "tour guide" on the bus never shut up. Many of us were trying to nap during the ride and he blabbed endlessly as if he was being paid by the number of words he spoke. It was my 7th visit to England spread over 5 decades, so it was time I finally visited Stonehenge. It was worth it!

Instead, they made casual places like Alfredo's for fee venues. In the short run, it has to cost more to have people eat in the dining room than to have a pizza. Maybe in the long run, it causes more people to purchase packages? 🤔 For what it's worth, that change disappointed me and makes me eat in port restaurants more often.