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I understand your concerns, but the news loves to publish stories like this. It seems as though “the family” took their story to the news station. I am not doubting these things happen to these passengers. Did they purchase insurance or seeking compensation through publicity? Did they wear masks? Were they vaccinated? Yes, it is still possible to get COVID; on or off a ship. Was the voyage “cursed”. I don’t think so, in my opinion.

I was on the Emerald when the buffet had scones and clotted crème in the afternoon.

Side to side is allowed. Near foreign port for cruises that leave/return to same city can be Canada or Mexico. Any port in North America. (Seattle-Seattle) Distant port needed for cruises that leave from one US city and arrive at a different US city needs to use a foreign distant port. Usually ABC islands. Not sure if “any” port in South America. (Los Angeles - Fort Lauderdale) Cruises that leave/arrive from Canada (Vancouver/Quebec) are not under PVSA regulations (hence the need for one day repositioning cruises pre/post Alaskan season.

Pub lunches area hit and miss. If they have them, it’s now on a sea day in the MDR. Even then, it’s not truly Fish and Chips or others. Afternoon tea time is listed in the Patter. You had several sea days. It should have happened. I’m happy now that they serve scones in the buffet. Sounds like the Ruby was lacking in many areas. That’s so sad to hear. For what it’s worth, one of Princess’ best Alaskan itineraries is from San Francisco (and San Pedro in the past). They dropped the ball here.

Is your hostess Jennifer? It’s a long shot since she has been onboard for a long time. If she is, please send her my aloha. Renee Whois your Assistant Manager?

I can understand and appreciate your point of view. Spending $20 for a shuttle ride to a dollar store seemed extreme. But I enjoyed just meandering and mingling with the locals. We left the ship after most passengers rushed off. We spent about 4 to 5 hours in each port before returning to the ship. Some ports were much easier than others. Overall, I was very impressed how welcomed we were to the city. Several had volunteers stationed at transit corners. I felt safe. It was clean. And they were extremely friendly. I wanted to do a cruise because it took us future than a land tour could do. We hit Cherry Blossoms at its peak. Mission Accomplished. I do wish I had planned more days in Yokohama.

My sister isn't a sight see-er. She's been to Japan a few times. We went to eat and see the Cherry Blossoms. If a store got in our path, we stopped. Actually not so true, we went out of our way looking for Dollar Store type places. The Yen Exchange is so good (and going to get better in the coming months). I wouldn't go this far to stay on the ship. If the line is long, you can request a wheel chair. I was surprised by how many times we had to do immigrations getting on and off the ship. My sister "made" me walk about 5 miles at each port. I am not a walker. Take a dry wash cloth (no paper towels). Take a another one you can wet to cool you down. Take water. I hope you like sushi and sashimi (every stop). We stopped at one market and someone suggested sweet potato tempura and ice cream. Didn't do it, although it was after we had already eaten more than our share of sweet potato. I didn't take any Princess excursions. It didn't seem right to stop at an Osen and not be able to experience any of them. We did visit two castles but never went inside.

@chubbypiggy This is all I have. If you have more questions...just ask.

Shuttle Buses: Nagasaki - Docks near city. Very helpful people in the terminal who will sell you a tram pass and give you directions. Caught the tram, NOT the first bus stop, but several blocks down the way. All day pass was just easier (paying for convenience). Took tram to Peace Park and Atomic Museum. We had to transfer lines once (I think). Chinatown was near the port/on the tram line. I don't do Chinatowns (I don't like Chinese food and am Asian....!). Did not visit the arcade (shopping malls). The Peace Park was so so, but the escalator was amazing. Had lunch at the museum and it took less than an hour to walk through the exhibits. Jeju - took the shuttle for $20 each round trip. I understand it was cheaper for a party of two to take a taxi to the same drop off point. Again, convenience. We walked around the big people's market for several hours. Ate tangerines. Again, coming from Hawaii, I didn't need to see beaches, coastlines, water falls. You can do some research about buses...I didn't want to risk missing the ship by taking a bus out of town. Long, long line to go through immigrations to get back on the ship. There is suppose to be a nice tea garden a little out of town (taxi). No, I did not partake in the $100 fish lunch. Kogashima - shuttle was $28. Our first stop. I didn't know any better. Shuttle was waiting for us and someone with a clip board took my name and cabin number. Convenient, but not necessarily the most inexpensive way to get from the ship to town. Have you checked into https://www.gonomad.com/3162-japans-goodwill-guides-personal-tours-language-help I found them too late. They could not connect with any locals. It does help to have someone who can speak the language. My cousin's son took us around Yokohama. I still have more to come.

@chubbypiggy. I will get back to you. Stay tuned. May take me awhile and in segments, but I will do my best.

A pre-paid reservation should be honored before "free" with Premium Package. That is not a good policy. I misread your timing of Skywalkers. You had mentioned dinner first, then sail away, then disco. Several have mentioned that you would not have been turned away from the lounge...but I would have done the same. You just have to take another cruise from my side of the world (San Pedro). Nothing goes wrong on a Grand Class from here (lol).

I do hope the rest of your cruise goes well. Was this your second cruise (in the past year) or second cruise with Princess? Thank you for sharing. If the above is the worst of it all, you should have a great time on your cruise. Settle in and enjoy the remaining days. It will be over before you can blink. Just for your information: Not all bars are opened. Skywalkers for Elite, Platinum, Suite lounge hours (5 -7 and late evenings) Explorer's Lounge when there is a event there Wheelhouse in the evenings Casino bar and Club Fusion select hours Check your patter for times

Senator Inouye had done a lot for the State of Hawaii, except for this one time. Repealing the PVSA came up for review in Congress. He voted against it. There was much discussion on what his influence would do. Unfortunately, I believe, there was a conflict of interest. He was a Godfather of one NCL ship and his wife was the Godmother of another NCL ship. https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/NCL-taps-senator-s-wife-as-Pride-s-godmother

Bottom line….Reserve Class mini-suite is misnamed. It has absolutely no suite perks except for being able to dine in the Reserved Class dining room.

Add the Pride of America (NCL / one ship) that can sail around the Hawaiian Islands without visiting a foreign port. Similar to why Japan Airlines, Canada Air, or any other foreign airline can not fly within the United States.

I only have one cruise booked for 2024 (so far). It is not included in this special. But thanks for posting this deal. Would have been nice.

I'm covered!. Left my passport in California when I visited family in Honolulu. Missed out on a chance to spend 2 weeks at a villa in Nice when they did a last minute trip. I now travel with my passport on my person AND have a RealID. I'm ready to travel at a moments notice.

But it is fountain soda, not given a can. Free drinks: Coffee Tea Lemonade (buffet/Lido deck during lunch) Chocolate milk in MDR Hot Chocolate in MDR (morning). Charged if in the buffet since it comes from the bar.

Hoping you were upgraded Dallas to Haneda. Your grand adventure is off to a great start. Enjoy.

Thank you to the experts @NavArch64 and @chengkp75. I wondered why it took so long for you guys to chime in. You (both) always bring such clarity and accurate information to the board.

Did you need both the certified birth certificate and RealID (and/or marriage license) or would the RealID alone suffice? And are the rules different for flying @PescadoAmarillo and cruising @Cruise Raider? My biggest fear is the backlog. My passport expires in a couple of years, but how do I manage renewal times between cruises….lol…but seriously.

Kudos to the crew that assist wheelchairs up and down gangways. Often you will see one person in front and one in the back. They have also assisted passengers when the gangway has stairs.

I am far from being a captain, pilot, or other driver. BUT, curious minds (me) want to know: Most of the time, on ships I've been on, doesn't ships that "back in" usually do so with about 10 feet of parallel clearance and THEN tugs and thrusters push them up against the dock?

Did your TA send you a Princess Invoice/booking? Once you have a TA...all/most communications go through your TA and she/he should forward that information to you. Is this the first (and last time) you will use TA? I am sorry that the balcony cabins you want are not available now. How far out is the cruise? You have 90 days prior to final payment to cancel without penalty unless TA booked you with a non-refundable deposit. Hope you end up with what you want.

I'm confused. "TA said you were booked in a regular balcony" and yet you are in MC (mini). Did you ask request a balcony? A mini? A Reserve Class mini? Is it too late to cancel and start again with a different TA? I have a wonderful TA and would love to share her with everyone. But CC prevents that from happening. This is the reason one needs to stay on top of their bookings.