JudiinMt

 We were on the Regal a couple of months ago and were NOT charged for the gelato in the Piazza

Thanks for your responses.  Like I said I know it says 6 months because of Columbia, I know it is not closed loop, I know it doesn't matter anymore when you talk to someone at Princess as you may get a different answer each time you ask.  AND I know it is not my "job" to make sure they can get onboard.  But, they are friends and they are not well traveled, relying on what the rep at Princess told them.

You have all just verified what I think and passed on to them.  I'll be boarding with my daughter.  Ball is in their court!

THANK YOU!

I've searched the boards for this exact situation, read the Princess website and called Princess.  Friends that are meeting us in LA for the trans-canal trip on 4/1 just realized that their passports are going to expire in August.   They are not willing to use an expedited service to re-new due to the cost.  I am warning them that they could be turned away at boarding.  They have talked to 2 people at Princess that say they will be fine as long as they have Birth Certificates and ID.  That is not the way I read the website for this particular cruise.

At this point they are planning to take their chances .... any insight or experience with a situation like this would be greatly appreciated.

Got the upgrade offer several weeks ago - was notified last week that we upgraded to a balcony from an inside for the minimum bid.  We sail April 1

Thank you! PacnGoNow......I did find it that way.....just not under dining.  THANK YOU    BOOKED!!!

1 minute ago, suzyed said:

It's under Dining Options on the personalizer.

 

Nope - the only thing showing is the Breakfast option

Where are you finding the Ultimate Balcony Dining for dinner?  We LOVE that option but all I see in my cruise personalizer is for the breakfast.

I've been looking regularly for our trans pacific cruise next month.

me too

PEAT TAYLOR - where are you?  Does anyone have current contact info for Peat?  Is he still operating tours?  It's been several years since we've been to Ocho Rios and this time is very special as we are taking my husbands ashes to be scattered.  We used Peat many times in the past and really enjoyed his personal service.  

Are you able to get these services if you have an unlimited internet package?  Just how would that work?

If you have a car - no problem but since we usually UBER from LAX to San Pedro the area around the Crown Plaza is pretty short on shopping.

We are leaving next week on the Celestyal Crystal and would love to hear more about your experiences on the ship and in Cuba. Any pointers or tips would be appreciated.

I am visiting Cuba next month and wondered if there is something I could take as gifts besides the dollar bills you were giving out?

I loved reading your blog. Thank you.

We will be on the Sun the 16th also. I am looking forward to it. Have you been before? This will be our first river cruise. Its getting close now.

Thanks for the movie info - it would be great to see an old movie like Funny Girl again. I love sitting on the deck and watching a movie - for me it's a relaxing way to end the evening.

thanks for the great review - do you remember what movies they showed on the big screen?

We actually went to our cabin and found someone else's luggage there. We went to guest services who promptly moved us to a balcony cabin. Lucky us - from an inside guarantee to a balcony just because we were the second ones to check in.

I have taken 4 of my grandchildren, ages 3 - 13, all on different cruises. I always get the signed, notarized medical authorization and permission to leave the US. I have never been asked to produce it. I have never even been asked for it in any other country when boarding after a day in port.

TSA has asked my older grandchildren their full names and who they are traveling with.

I have signed the Camp Carnival paperwork.

My PVP knows I usually travel alone and has called me the last 2 months with the "list" - turned out we booked a family cruise so I didn't do one of them but he said he will call me again next month. The ones he gave me were about 6 - 8 weeks out so still plenty of time to get a decent flight.

Well I hate to disappoint you all but other than a flat panel TV there were no apparent changes in our cabin. It was clean but still dated. Someone posted earlier that the Hawaiian flowers would be taken off the bow, but no - they are still there and in pretty bad shape.

We had a GREAT time, the staff was terrific and everything was super clean just can't report that there was much of a facelift except the carpeting.

Any day cruising is a GREAT day!

I have cruised with Carnival since I don't even remember when... (anyone else remember the Tropicale?) I really don't know how many times I've done a Carnival cruise but I can easily count 23 of them. I have also enjoyed Princess, Costa, NCL, Renaissance and HAL and even a Mississippi Riverboat cruise one year.

There is not a single cruise I couldn't find something good about and some that there were some unfortunate issues but all in all I love cruising.

I think the length of cruise and the time of year make a lot of difference on the demographics of any ship. I took my kids at 17 and 20 on a 7 day Mexican Riviera on CCL assuring them that they would have a ball....well guess what, it ended up being the oldest crowd I've ever seen on any ship. It was comical trying to get thru the wheelchairs and walkers. BUT they still had a ball.

I think CCL has great food - lots of opportunity for participation in things and I can always find a quiet place to read and relax.

I think HAL has the BEST desserts! They taste as good as they look. On our HAL cruise we shared a table with a couple that were on their 25th HAL cruise and a brother and sister that were students at UCLA and Boston University. We were in the middle - and we all met people in our age groups and interests during the day but enjoyed our dinner group as diverse as it was. I did feel like we were "pampered" a little more on HAL. Someone to carry our tray and find us a place to sit in the buffet area.

I loved the innovation of Personal Choice Dining on Princess. It really suits us when we travel with friends and everyone starts out from different time zones. I enjoy the quieter atmosphere but still find plenty of activity if I'm interested.

NCL has the best itineraries and though I'm not a huge fan of the food - I don't go hungry. The prices are great and even a few "pay" meals won't set you back much. The production shows are great and we enjoy the "freestyle" atmosphere.

Costa was a surprise in that I expected better food on an Italian ship - but - we still enjoyed the trip.

Actually I think my least favorite but maybe the most expensive was the Mississippi River cruise. But I am glad I got the experience.

I guess I'm rambling but I just wanted to encourage people to try different lines if the price or the ports interest them regardless of what they hear from others. There will be old people and young people and people in between on all cruises. There will be good things and maybe some not so good things but all in all ---YOU ARE ON VACATION!!!