SMerritt

Be forewarned the butler didn't do anything for us except drop off some crappy snacks in the afternoon.

 

The butler didn't do anything else so she got a big old goose egg. No reason to give her anything.

I am sure the "Crappy Snacks" are the little toasts with creepy stuff on them..I call them "Flushables". They seem to have overtaken all cruise lines, I now "opt out" on these immediately (thanks to the suggestions from a BUTLER).

On NCL, you can have your butler bring you anything you wish, we had cheese plates, hot pretzels, veggies with dips instead of "flushables":)

We tip at the end, of course, according to service, so far only one butler out of now over a dozen cruises was not very good.

Took us time to learn to ask - they all seem to want to help, and yes, as posted earlier - don't be shy, you do call your butler for Pizza and room service & everything in-between.

Our Butler, Chris, on the POA even saved us $125.00 on a rental car, along with sharing other personal tips and ideas for the islands in Hawaii.

I'm another vote for sting ray city in GC. Lots of fun, take an underwater camera! In Cozumel we've either walked the city, poking around in shops, or rented a car and drove around the island, stopping at every little beach area that looked interesting. One of my favorite places to go.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

This is about the same things we did

As you start browsing options - Touring Jamaica is not as laid-back as most islands.

We had a GREAT ship tour to the falls and around the island and so happy for the experience! (you do not have to "walk the falls") - I did see why it was recommended over & over to not "do-it-yourself" and aimlessly wander around Jamaica.

Another consideration: if you have to fly to the next port, will you need and do you have a passport?

Thanks to the OP for updating with good news! - :)

I was also thinking about the above passport Question - anyone know?

I booked air/transfer through Princess months ago. Since then the airline has changed their schedule several times and as of now my flight is arriving at FLL at 2:05. My Princess boarding pass says boarding time is 12:30 to 3:00.

 

From reading this forum, I became concerned that this wasn't enough time to land, collect bags, find the shuttle and get checked in. I called Princess today and they checked with the airline who said it was a restricted flight and can't be changed. Princess customer service said this connection isn't flagged as illegal and so should be doable. The airport is 10 minutes from the port, and the shuttle stays at the airport until 2:30. She also said if I miss the ship, they would fly me to the next port, which would be 2 days later. I don't like that idea.

 

Is this timing possible, or should I be looking for buy another flight on my own to make the ship in time? I've asked 2 more experienced people I know and one says it sounds ok but the other says find another flight now.

 

Thanks for any help!

FLY YOU TO YOUR NEXT PORT!!???:eek: I would call another Princess Rep!

We just flew in and out of FLL last week - efficient airport although

Your luggage will probably not even be on the turnstiles to pick up until 2:30

Traffic through FLL at that time of day is very congested and there is still major construction on the surface streets to the port.

Even if your flight is on-time departing and landing, you will not make the last shuttle AT 2:30

What time of year and where are you travelling from? Please consider weather delays.

I am famous for booking flights, landing the day of, but as the above have posted - this is just way too risky unless they promise to hold the ship.

thanks for the great info!

I forgot - checkout NCL's casual cruising and anytime dining

Dad & boy's will not need a dark suit, tie, or tux

Mom and girls - sparkly tops and capri pants are fun in the evenings

Formal night on the Oasis was amazing, I think one lady had to pack her gown and shawl in a separate bag. Fun to see the gala attire but I am just not a very "formal" person.

We are looking to book a 7 day cruise and we have only cruised on RC (emerald). Our agent has suggested that we look at the Norwegian Getaway vs the Oasis which we have been on once and loved it. The Getaway for the week we are looking at is about $1800 cheaper for the family (4) for a balcony room. We have read all the reviews but they haven’t really help with our decisions can anyone help us spend our money wisely? Kids are 13 & 11.

Thanks in advance!

We have been on both ships - Some might think by looking at my history, I am just being a NCL fan, but we have traveled with children, and of course, met many other cruisers with families.

The Getaway has an abundance of activities for 11 & 13 year olds, the "club" for this age is impressive - Plus climbing wall/walk the plank, the most amazing water slides at sea. There are a multitude of restaurants that teens will love - Tempanakye is a show in itself. Speaking of entertainment - the nightly entertainment in the Atrium, theaters and themed parties around the ship are top-notch and non-stop. The Illusionarium is a MUST SEE! Our neighbors on our Getaway Cruise were laughing and joking about "not seeing their teens all week". :D

The Oasis looked amazing online although, everything is "inside" centered around Central Park & Park Avenue. In the evenings, there are no areas to just wander and enjoy entertainment. The comedy show and "kids clubs" seemed like an afterthought, just a bland room. Broadwalk is a too juvenile for 11&13 year olds. I had heard about this problem on CC before, but finally experienced groups of teens just "hanging out" in the hallways and stairwells in the evenings. The flow rider looked fun but was always very crowded. Our Oasis neighbors teens, who were avid cruisers,

Also, if you look at the deckplans of each ship, the Oasis is all "inside", there is limited areas (decks) OUTSIDE just to stroll, play ping-pong, shuffleboard, etc. Most Oasis restaurants had good food but rarely an ocean view, could have done them on shore. A few of the Getaway specialty restaurants even have outside dining! And ohhh the bakery beats RCL $3.00 cupcakes hands down!:D Caution: The Getaway also has an abundance of Soft Serve, do-it-yourself ice cream machines.

Seeing you are considering the extra $$ for the Oasis - you might check out Getaway Haven suites - my grandson went bonkers over the private pool & hot tubs, and the butler bringing M&M's and Gummy Worms l:D

Either way a family cruise is very Cool!

JMO - Opinions Vary

Hi

 

Can anyone advise how big the towels are in the cabins? Are they good size bath sheets or stupid useless ones? My husband & I hate silly sized towels. Also do you hath to bring your own towels for swimming ?

Thank you

We just sailed on the Grand last week, the bath towels were actually impressive, almost too big to wrap around my head after washing my hair.

Hey all! This does bring up a question - we stayed in the Grand Suite once, last week in a Mini-Suite (very nice btw),

Has this ever been addressed on CC?? Seriously - does anyone know if towel size and quality differs between cabin classes?

"Beach Towels" are provided at all pools and hot tubs - you can also take these towels on shore when going on tours and to the beach.

San Juan airport can be very backed up. First you have to have your luggage clear Agriculture check and then you have the security lines. Just because the ship is scheduled to dock at 6 A.M, even if it is tied up on time, you will not be disembarking at 6:00. You will have to clear CBP and those lines can be long.

 

I would book the later flight though it is definitely possible you could make the earlier flight. I would not take the chance.

Good point about the AG Line - it can be very slow

I am famous for booking early flights, just did it again a few days ago. Started worrying and planning disembarkation the day before and disembarkation day went fine in FLL but finally said never again, the stress of racing around early in the morning just puts a damper on the whole cruise. Also, most all flights in PR are over-booked so who knows when you might get a flight home if you miss the 10:30

In PR Celebrity did have a special where they delivered our luggage to our airlines, we then took a short tour with our carry-ons and then a mid-day flight home.

A TA can normally offer amenities such as on board credit beyond what a cruise line can offer.

 

And should something go wrong a good TA can be your advocate with the cruise line.

 

Get recommendation from friends.

 

Keith

All of the above.....PLUS our TA always has a bottle of wine waiting on our arrival :D

Ok......Sailing on the Royal Princess in a few days YaY!

With quite a few sea days I have been browsing YouTube etc.

I heard two reviewers stating that the Retreat Pool fills up fast so, "Reserve Chair Early"

I was under the assumption that the Retreat pool was similar to a public pool, yes, you can go to the pool early, but not be a "chair hog" - i.e. place personal belomgings on chairs and leave.

So....asking for Retreat pool, etiquette, tips, & tricks please?

I despise chair hogs!

Thanks in advance..........

Listen to Langley. Sounds like my ex who never wanted to travel. I gave up. Became a World traveler. Will he adjust or spoil your fun ? Only you will know. Thanksgiving cruise is on a Mega ship. It will be full of families ,noisy children, lines for everything. Cruise; Go to your library and get out cruise books on both Mexico and Bahamas. Most of your ports easily done on your own, a beachy cruise .Read Member reviews and rollcalls of Oasis here. Port info on Tripadvisor.com. Ship excursions very pricey with crowded buses to same places you can do on your own.

Yeah.....the Oasis on a holiday cruise might be a little "much" for a first cruise.

There are some very nice quiet areas and pools - research your ship and ask over on the RCL boards for info on the Oasis

Oh this is all great news I was hoping to hear. Thank you all so much. :)

 

My parents like to visit buffets, and we don't like them.... my husband keeps talking about the "yella". That's from Vegas Vacation, where they go to the 99 cent buffet and get questionable food. He thinks it's going to be like that. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised. ;)

All of the above posts! Especially when it comes to the buffet - it is not $.99 Vegas, or, just do the MDR

The Muster Drill before sailing will settle him down:D

You might be better with ship excursions so he doesn't worry and fret all day about getting back on time.

Best bet is to do the easy walk off. Be there first in line....we were off in 15 minutes total but were the top 5 people in line.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Print up your boarding passes, or check-in for your flight the day before.

You should be fine - Just take a taxi to the airport NOT A VAN

All of our NCL dis embarkations have been very smooth - If you are staying in the Haven, your concierge will bypass all lines & public elevators (except customs).

Yep - there a lot of "ifs" but we have made 10:30 flights at MIA before. :D

We are first time cruisers and seem a bit overwhelmed by all to do. In particular pre-booking excursions. Should we book our excursions ahead or are they they same price from the ship?

We have sailed the Epic three times - I have never seen the excursion rates change.

Browsing the excursions for your cruise online will give you an idea of what is available on each island - then you can book through NCL or a private tour. Being a first-time cruiser I would opt for 1 or 2 NCL excursions to get used to shore days. Visit each island here on Cruise Critic for great information - every island is very different as far as navigating. There are also reviews by past cruisers on each tour @ the booking pages.

Try to book your Blue Man and Cirque shows as soon as you decide on a date and time.

Hace a GREAT Cruise! Don't "plan" too much or you will just fret about what you missed - there is so much to do and see on the Epic, just take one day at a time.

The person is looking for Port everglades to Miami airport.

If you are disembarking on a week-end, give yourself plenty of time.

I am not trying to be "sour grapes" here but travel time showing on Mapquest etc. is not REAL travel time in Florida:D There are bike rallys, motorcycle rallys, runners, walkers, street fairs:D

Cab From FLL to MIA approx. $75.00 - SAS is great, just have your cell phone charged and ready - you have to call Steve when you are off the ship-he will tell you where to find your van.

Actually, if you call SAS, the are incredibly aware of Florida events and will tell you when you have to be off of the ship.

Yes, taking the red-eye from SFO is not fun, we have done it a vast number of times-if it wasn't necessary for many reasons, we would go the day before - we do have a limo to the airport and always fly non-stop. As many above have posted, if you can fly in a day or so before, do it!

Now, for the Serenity inquiry, if we miss out on Serenity reservations, is there an "Adults Only" pool area? Or any quiet sundecks, "hidden gems" on the Royal Princess?

PLEASE - don't judge me, we both love seeing families with children on cruises, overzealous children (and adults) etc. are never a problem with us. We have traveled with our grandson and had a blast - I just though, sometimes, like to nap, read, and reflect in the sun.:cool:

Note: We do have a Veranda so all is good and totally excited and looking forward to a nice cruise, our last Princess cruise was stellar.

Both of my last 2 cruises on Princess had upsell offers. In both cases I had booked a mini suite and I received the upsell offer within a week of my booking. I accepted both and now it is hard to think of not being in a suite. Both cruises were booked within 45 days of sailing. Im not holding my breath but I just booked a mini for a Coastal in November. Hope I hit the trifecta! :D

How were you contacted?

We booked through our favorite TA to get extra "perks"

Did Princess call? email? or??

Should we be checking prices on the Princess site?

I did remind DH to LISTEN to telephone calls - he is quick to hang up on "soliciters" :D:rolleyes:

See above

PERFECTO!

We have always sailed as Haven Guests on NCL and the GS was over-the-top for amenities and services but the overall Princess experience & crew were great.

I just received and email that we are Gold status - does this give us any Serenity booking privileges?

Appreciate the very detailed run-down on check-in, knowing the "drill" helps me wait.

Due to being anxious to get home to the doggies, we have self-disembarked many times - it would be so easy if people doing the same had some manners, I know we are all anxious, tired & grumpy due to the cruise ending but a little kindness goes a long way:D

If you are serious in wanting the Sanctuary on a sea day my advice is RUN!!! do not walk immediately to the Sanctuary. You will likely be met by a line out the door, so just get in the line. They will get to you, but it takes a while. I am elite and have priority boarding and I did run and I got the last chair on the sea day I wanted. After me I think there was 1 chair remaining for the other sea day, all else was taken up. This was a 7 day Caribbean cruise.

 

PS. On a separate note; Do go around on the cabin decks and look at the photo gallery (Photos taken by Princess passengers and submitted in a contest)

Thanks ALL! hpeabody, don't think I have much status having only sailed once on Princess - even staying in the Grand Suite. I really appreciate your info - will RUN to Sanctuary and then definitely check out the photos, sounds fun.

Sooooo -

Bought a coffee card - TY to the cruisers that posted the gelato tip.

Will head to Port and sit *sigh*, want a few Sanctuary days

Hauled my luggage of before....not too early of a flight but famous Florida bike races, rally's, runs can tie up traffic - fortunately we are disembarking on a week-day, which is still weird to me.

I am sure some of the answers are here in the forums, but my creative searching is not getting me update information, and even after many cruises the "Getting Close Jitters" are kicking in.

Our previous cruise on Princess was STELLAR - We were in the Crown Suite so we were practically carried onto the ship...would love to sail in the CS again but it would mean no more cruises for about 5 years!:D:rolleyes::)

**We are sailing on the Royal Princess out of FLL - Flying in the good-old Red-Eye from SFO, with NCL we are used to arriving at the port around 10:30 to 11:00 and are able to check-in, or at least, check-in. I am seeing on our Princess information that check-in starts at 12:30.

** How early can we start checking-in? At least be inside the terminal and waiting to go "upstairs". Of course, dependent all have disembarked.

** Do we reserve Sea Days for the Sanctuary in the Spa? Is there anywhere online to pre-book?

** Can coffee cards be used for Gelato on the Royal Princess?

Thank you in advance, looking foreward to another nice Princess Experience

P.S. We have not had any cruises out of FLL since it was under construction, how is embarkation and disembarkation now? (Yeah - risking an early flight back home):rolleyes:

Sailing on Princess in four weeks...our second cruise on Princess

I am not a "foodie" but I am really looking forward to dining in the Steakhouse again

The meals were all great

Atmosphere and decor was wonderful and relaxing

Service - GREAT, they make you feel very special and never feel rushed

AND - The chocolate volcano desert is to die for!

This would be a $100.00++ experience on land

We love Turner Beach (one over from Valley Church)

It's a lot less crowded. We had them place our lounge chairs under the trees. They have a very nice beach bar/restaurant and decent restrooms. A few vendors have set up tables (they don't come to you, you go to them.....nice).

How close is this to the Port/Ship - Taxi? or can we walk?

Does anybody take their passports ashore in ports? We can never decide if we should or not (don't want to lose them)

We take our ship card and a Photo ID, some working ports require a photo ID for re-entry (i.e. Nassau) and it is not always listed in an obvious place in the dailies

Also....I take the information always listed on the Cruise Lines daily activity sheet showing how to contact the ship and/or port authority if there is a delay or emergency

Passports in safe until disembarkation day

You can ask on the Carnival board about internet pricing, or check the Carnival website. You might be able to log on and pay by the minute instead of buying a whole package. Alternatively, you can have someone from home log into United and check in for you (yes, really - you can get your boarding pass printed at the airport, no problem). :)

Most all managers in the Internet Center are very helpful in helping you print our your boarding passes - go early before your flight to avoid a wait - some charge a nominal fee, but well worth it for the peace of mind and MIA is crazy enough, let alone, arriving without being checked-in.

PLUS! the last time I checked-in early, got FIRST CLASS seats for $60.00 each:D Now, I always go check in early with Credit Card in hand :cool:

This is probably going to make the desicion for me. Like you, I get car sick and the ride sounded scary to me as well. How long do they drive on this tour and were the roads as bad as they sound?

Ditto - Bump

Thank you in advance for any help