Angekins

I'm currently on board Sapphire Princess. The photo shows our intended schedule of scenic cruising. We missed Hope Bay as the Captain said there was too much ice. We did go to see A23a, which was not on the schedule.

I'm in Australia, just logged into my Princess account, all excited and expecting to be able to see and book for South America and Antartica for 2025.....but no 😞 apparently, according to the live chat person, here in Australia we can only start booking from 11am Friday 28th, Sydney time - argh!

We did this same cruise last June, with a few different ports, and loved it! The scenery is truly breathtaking! We also did the trip to Flor & Fjaere, booked through Princess, which also gave us time to enjoy walking around Stavanger on our return. The gardens are so beautiful and by doing the excursion with Princess, you get there before the gardens open to the public, so get to enjoy them without it being very busy. Obviously the downside to that is the higher cost of the trip.

In Flaam we also did the railway excursion through Princess, again an amazing experience with truly breathtaking views. It was a damp, day with lots of fine rain, can only imagine what it must be like if you have a dry, sunny day. Having said that, the weather really didn't detract from the experience at all. If you choose to book your railway trip independently of Princess then be careful with the times, we were slightly late docking in Flaam and the people in the cabin next door to us had booked the first departure of the train, which they missed due to the late arrival. Obviously no refund and no available seats on later trains, so to say they were disappointed is an understatement!

We also did a Princess excursion to the North Cape from Honningsvag, which was fabulous as well. Lots of lovely views on the way to and from the Cape, although much more stark beauty than at the previous ports. There is a visitor's centre at the Cape itself with an interesting video showing views over the Cape and surrounding area, plus some interesting displays and information and the Post Office where you can post cards which get a special "North Cape" postmark! That evening the Captain made an announcement as to when we would be sailing back past the Cape and it was interesting to see it again from the ship.

In Bergen we did the Princess excursion which took us up the funicular railway. It was a misty start to the day, but by the time we got to the top the mist had mainly cleared and we had good views out over the city. It's a shame that the port hours are short in Bergen as it appears to be a nice place to explore.

I do have all the Princess Patters from our cruise, so if there's something you wanted me to look up, would be happy to do so.

With regards to the Sapphire Princess, I've just returned from a 15 night cruise around Asia, departing from Singapore, Jan 24th to Feb 8th. I found the ship to be in good overall condition; yes, if you look for it there are signs of wear and tear with some of the carpets and soft furnishings, but nothing that's going to have an adverse impact on your cruise. Plus I believe the ship goes in for drydock before long. Everything worked in our cabin, D401, the lifts all appeared to be working, occasionally we noticed one of the ladies toilets not working in the ones near the theatre, but think this might have had something to do with everyone popping in to use it before going to join the tour groups meeting in the theatre! Whatever, it was usually fixed by the evening time. I would certainly be happy to sail again on the Sapphire Princess, actually, I'd be happy to sail again on any of the ships - just book me on another cruise :)

Hope you have a wonderful time, Norway is a fantastic destination.

Thanks for the suggestions, seems it's pretty mixed as to whether to tell Princess in advance or not.

I'm not bothered about the cruise fare, I offered to take my friend along as I would have been sailing solo otherwise, and paying full fare for doing so. If Princess refund the port fees and taxes, that's great, if not, well it's been paid already and is really only a very small part of the overall price. I'm already elite with Princess, so the cruise credits don't matter either to be honest.

My understanding of the excursions is that they would be refunded to the original payment card (mine) if cancelled in advance and to my/our stateroom account as refundable OBC if cancelled onboard. Which, if not used, would then be refunded to the credit card (mine) on the account. This is the first time I've cruised since the pre-payment of excursions came into effect, so perhaps someone could correct me if I'm wrong.

This isn't a decision she is making lightly, nor will it ruin our friendship whatever her decision is. Her personal reasons are just that, personal, and not for me to discuss on a forum. I really just wanted to know what the best course of action to take with Princess would be. If I don't need to tell them in advance then she has until her flight to make a final decision.

I'm booked to travel on Sapphire Princess for a 15 night cruise out of Singapore, departing on Jan 24th. My friend, who is meant to be travelling with me, has just informed me that she might not be able to make it due to some family issues, nothing that would be claimable under insurance though. I booked and paid for the total cost of the cruise and invited her to join me as I was basically paying double for the cabin and thought it would be a nice break for her.

Do I need to let Princess know in advance that she won't be travelling (when I know for sure!) Or do I just board on my own and let her be a "no-show"? I've done all the online checking in, using only my credit card for the both of us, we were going to separate the accounts at check in or once onboard. I've also booked & paid for all the tours, but know I can cancel hers once onboard.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

66 days until we board Sapphire Princess in Singapore for a cruise to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

218 days until we board Grand Princess in San Francisco for a cruise to Alaska.

331 days until we board Royal Princess in New York for a cruise to New England and Canada.

All of the above are "bucket list" cruises and I can't wait for each of them - so much research about the various ports of call going on at the moment - it's nearly a full-time job!!

i presume this amount of savings was on one of the suites?

Oh I wish, maybe one day! No, it's off a balcony cabin on Caribe, category B1.

We were also on this sailing and whist I'm sorry that the OP had some issues with the food on board, I have to say we enjoyed the meals we took in the MDR, although we didn't eat there every night.

The one thing we did find is that when we did this cruise last year we had traditional dining and several times commented that the main course was served warm as opposed to hot. This time round in anytime, we found the food was always served hot, so a definate improvement there!

I think the range of opinions just goes to show how subjective the matter of food is and made even more difficult when catering to large numbers of people.

Just off phone to Princess and have managed to save £1518 off our Baltic cruise next year and received $600 OBC. I know we've lost the complimentary drinks package, but as I only drink soft drinks and my friend only has an occasional glass of wine, this is a massive saving. Feeling quite happy right now! :)

Just to give an update to the cabin upgrade story, I phoned Princess and was told we couldn't have our original cabins back on Caribe as they'd been reassigned, but they could put a request in for us to be moved closer together on Dolphin, if cabins were available. After 48hrs I got emails saying that we had been moved back to midship on Dolphin and although not adjacent we are only 5 cabins apart. So very happy with the eventual outcome :) and just two more sleeps to go!

Thank you to everyone for the help and suggestions, much appreciated.

Yes I did book direct and when you do an online booking here in UK there isn't a box to tick about upgrades, in fact there's no mention of upgrade at all!

Going to ring back and see if someone else can do something else, fingers crossed!

I've just had emails advising me that the 2 cabins I've got booked on Emerald Princess departing next Wed have been upgraded to 2 minisuites.....fabulous you'd think, but where we were midship and adjacent, the cabins are now 1 forward and 1 aft, exactly what we don't want :mad:

Have phoned Princess and explained that I want to stay where we were, and they can't do that, nor can they get us 2 cabins together. She has put a request in for us to be reassigned.

Anyone been successful in getting moved back?