Teechur

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.

Months ago, we purchased shore excursions for our upcoming New England/Canada cruise. The Boston Trolley has been $79.95 for months, and the Hop on Hop off bus in New York has been $80. Today I received an email from Princess offering "Up to 20% off Canada/New England excursions", good until April 14. I went to my bookings and discovered that the price for each had just shot up $20 and was on sale for 20% off. 🤔 You guessed it! 🙄 They are now "on sale" for the same price that they have been all along. What will happen when the sale ends? I'm sure they will drop back to the original prices. A Princess "shell game", LOL!

We choose cruises with many port days and as few sea days as possible. As a result, we are off of the ship much of the time and often have drinks onshore in ports. So far, we have not purchased any packages. If we did, I'm sure we would drink a lot more than we do now, "to get our money's worth". 😉 Since we usually get some OBC, that is our "drink money". We will also purchase the 4-device internet package (at half price) on our 3 upcoming cruises and split it with friends in other cabins.

I live in Maui, so before my Iceland cruise last September, I had to go buy some long pants. I didn't own a single pair. 😊 On the ship, I bought an overpriced sweatshirt/sweatpants, so now I'm set for Alaska this September.

Too many sea days for me, but a good price. 😬

She should probably avoid this thread for the same reason. 🤪

On the Island Princess last September, my mattress had a trench down the middle of it from many years of use. My room steward hunted for another one, but said they were all equally bad. At my request, he gave me a stack of bath towels which I used to fill the sag from underneath the mattress. It helped, but towels don't provide the cushioning of a good mattress. Princess needs to buy new beds! Adding a pillowtop pad to a worn-out mattress is simply a half-measure.

I have seen examples of Princess' Vegan menu posted on CC so I'm sure they COULD accommodate you. Sorry you weren't treated better, and I'm glad that you were able to find a suitable alternative in Holland America. 🙂

I just checked our 3 bookings and in each case the price has gone up since we booked, and the sale did not help. ☹️

I would think that under the Horizon Court would be quieter than under the pool deck, since the seating area is carpeted. I hope someone who has experienced this offers some insight.

The 14-day Asia cruise (4 sea days) that we wanted sold out nearly two years in advance. I keep hoping some cabins open up on it so we can jump ship from our backup choice, a 12-day Asia cruise (6 sea days) that we have booked.

On my upcoming Alaska cruise, a Premium Deluxe balcony cabin is $52 pp. less than a mini suite for the entire cruise. A few months ago, the mini suite was actually less expensive. It pays to check all of your options.

Reading this thread reminded me to recheck prices. As of today, flights for my next cruise are: $911 from EZ Air, or $967 directly from the airlines. So far, I've had good luck with EZ Air, but I continually check and recheck. 😉

If a mini suite on a cruise is $300-$400 pp. extra, we choose it. If the price is more like $800-$1,000 extra pp. we go with a balcony. It's all a matter of how much you want the sofa and larger shower/bathroom. On my next 3 cruises, one is in a balcony and two are in mini suites. I've never had an inside room. That is my line in the sand.

Maybe Princess is employing dynamic pricing in the summer? July is more crowded than September.

I just did a mock booking and it was $219 on Princess and $219 on the Aleutian Ballad website. We are on the Majestic out of Seattle on Sept. 8, 2024. Being the same price, we will book with Princess in case we can't port. Which sailing are you on?

None of us enjoy cutbacks or charges for things that used to be included. With that said, Princess still offers the "most bang for your buck" from my perspective. Each time I shop cruises to different areas of the world, Princess is consistently the best value. Meanwhile, land-based travel has increased in price at a much faster pace. I have also sailed with RCCL, Carnival, and NCL. None of them provided a better experience. I would try Celebrity and some of the high-end brands just for comparison, but the huge price difference always stops me. Currently, we have 3 Princess cruises booked on the Emerald, Majestic, and Diamond. Can't wait! 👍

The one we had on the Regal was a twin that came out sideways, like "lying the length of the sofa" and we could still access the balcony when the bed was open. Hope that helps. We will be on the Majestic in September in a mini with 4 of us. It includes a pull-down bed over the sofa bed.

Today we booked Tokyo to Singapore on the Diamond Princess,12 days, November 25th to December 7th, 2025. It has more sea days and less ports than the sold-out Discovery cruise I preferred but visits the same countries. The $99 refundable deposit returned today which made me pull the trigger.

Thanks, my question is are there set times for different activities?

What about basketball? My grandsons will want to play on our Alaska cruise in September.

I have one that is several years old and love it! Never reverse it though because I like the fleece to be on the inside. No crackle to it at all. I'm thinking about spraying the nylon side with waterproofing spray before our Alaska cruise in September. Has anyone else done that? How did it turn out? It works well on my Nikes. TIA!👍