Daisyloo

We got the taxes, port fees and the cost of the excursions we had pre-booked back onto our credit card.  Still waiting to see the FCC for the fare amount show up in our account.  

It will most likely be delayed.  Princess put out a notice that their new ship is delayed and I imagine there will be lots of others too.

You won't be overlooked from above.  There is a chance of you hearing noise from above, such as chairs scraping on the floor above.  I don't think it will be much of an issue but something to be aware of.   

We cancelled our cruise on March 9th for our cruise on March 13.  I noticed our FCC for our fare amount applied to our Captain's Circle account yesterday.. We got the taxes, transfers,  and port fees back to our visa within 2 or 3 days of cancelling.

I am hoping we will see the other 125% FCC applied to the account soon.  I figure they are very busy at Princess right now so we will be patient.

We will sail with Princess again.  They are a good cruise  line and we have enjoyed all the cruises we have been on with them.

I think they have done their best in a very difficult situation.

We have had the pleasure of hearing his talks on 2 of our cruises.  He is a wonderfully interesting speaker.  There was standing room only at all his talks.  

25 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I don't think the Star has Medallion or on demand.

 Thanks for the quick response. 

We are used to the on demand on the newer HAL ships and the Royal and Regal.  We don't go on vacation to watch TV, but it is nice to have that option if you want some down time.  

What about on an older ship, specifically the Star?

Does it have on demand movies?  TV shows?

It is possible to remain on the ship.  We did a B2B on the Nieuw Amsterdam a few years ago.  There were quite a few people doing this.  We all had to go to the showroom.  Once everyone was there, the immigration people processed us there and then we were allowed to leave and do whatever we wanted.  

On another B2B we did have to actually get off the ship, be processed and then we could return to the ship.  

Our B2B cruises were both out of Fort Lauderdale.

I am having this problem too.  

What a nice review.  So enjoyable to read.  Thank you.

I can't speak to the robes on Princess, but on HAL (under the Carnival umbrella like Princess) we asked for larger robes on our last cruise,  Before the end of the day they were in our cabin.  They were great!

When we go on the Star in March I plan to ask for larger robes.  Fingers crossed.  

5 hours ago, hmcrn said:

Curious if you remember which plane it was?  perhaps a Boeing 777-300 ER?  We are thinking of doing this in the fall.  Was it better food with plates and silverware, or just the extra space?  Did  you get an amenity kit?  Thanks!!

I think when we flew in November it might have been the 777-300ER - sounds familiar.  Another time it was on the Dreamliner.  

The food was good and you had a choice of entree.  Drinks (alcoholic and not) were included during the flight.  Real silverware and glassware. Yes there was an amenity kit.  I think it had socks, earphones, toothbrush and paste, maybe a sleep mask.  There was a pillow and blanket in a package waiting at our seat when we boarded, and a bottle of water. The extra legroom and wider seats were very much appreciated.  The flight attendants were very attentive.

Over all, we have been pleased with the Premium Economy on Air Canada ( also on Westjet).

Naot makes quite a few orthotic friendly sandals. 

I second using Keen sandals for water shoes.  

We use ours as coasters.  We have quite a few now, and are considering using them to make a serving tray or a table top.  

I would call them as soon as possible.  Also, if you get it back have them mark it "no upgrade".

My vote would be to do the Baltics. It would be a totally different experience from the Mediterranean.   

I think it is doable but I would not book a flight that early.  If the ship is late coming in,  or there is any hold up with disembarkation she could miss her flight. I would find it too stressful.

The airport is close to the port - about a 10 minute cab ride, so if she still wants to take a chance on such an early flight, she should do self disembarkation  in the earliest group.  She would need to be able to carry all her luggage off the ship by herself and then grab a cab to the airport.

In October we cruised from Rome to Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta, Sicily and Spain.  No visa needed.   

7 hours ago, cirquskid said:

Thanks for posting... Do you know if the specialty restaurants are open embarkation day?

Thanks

John

We dined in the Tamarind on embarkation day on our last cruise. I would assume the  other specialty restaurants would be open as well. 

Last time we were on a Princess ship they had the dispensers in the showers, not individual bottles.  There was a shower gel in one, and a shampoo conditioner combo in the other. I have very fine straight hair and I don't like the shampoo/conditioner combo as it makes my hair flat and limp.  I will take my own shampoo when I sail Princess in March.

FYI - we have sailed in interior and balcony cabins, not suites.

You can request distilled water in the personalizer.  I don't think there is a cost.  I don't know if there is a limit to how much you can request.  

9 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

A related question I have is:

 

Has anyone recently traveled between EWR or PHL or YYZ to FCO lately and any input as to which airline to use for this level of service or other thoughts on this? Business class is a bit pricey for us, at the moment.

 

We are going to sail in October and such a long flight would make it a bit uncomfortable for coach, even with a stop.

 

TIA and bon voyage

 

We have flown YYZ to FCO on Air Canada twice is PE.  We were very happy with it.  I have heard that WestJet  plans on introducing flights from YYZ to FCO as well.  We have flown in their PE too, and were also quite happy with it.

We always try to fly direct if at all possible.

I love the mango posset dessert in the Tamarind.  If you want a lighter dessert, the trio of sorbet is very good. One is lychee, one is lemony, and the other is basil.  Sounds odd, but delicious.