Holomoku

We were upgraded on a T/A cruise at the check in counter also. After arriving at the new cabin our luggage was not there. My wife went to check out our original cabin to see if we could switch back and there was our luggage inside the cabin with the door open. She informed the Steward in the old cabin area of our new cabin number and then we told our new cabin steward and they got it all moved to our new cabin which we liked better. (Balcony to a Mini-suite) This was done in less than an hour. With a small amount of patience and a smile a lot can be accomplished.:)

I was dubious at first also, but they work perfectly. If we are at a hotel the night before boarding I just get a stapler from the front desk as we leave, otherwise the Porters at the pier always have them.;) We are booked on our first RCCL cruise in Mar. and from what I can see the only luggage tags are for those in all the different types of suites. I hope that in the last couple of weeks before the cruise they have printable luggage tags available?:confused:

We have been AT for quite a few cruises now, since the last time in TD we had the table for 6 to ourselves most nights.(I even took a shower before dinner??) In AT we just say two to share and usually get a 6 or 8 round, but once in while a 10 oval that really makes conversation hard. We really like meeting so many great people in AT rather than just being there with the same other couple each evening and empty chairs. Our next cruise is 25 days so too long to be lonely each evening. Anyway, AT with 6 or 8 is for us.

We have been AT for quite a few cruises now, since the last time in TD we had the table for 6 to ourselves most nights.(I even took a shower before dinner??) In AT we just say two to share and usually get a 6 or 8 round, but once in while a 10 oval that really makes conversation hard. We really like meeting so many great people in AT rather than just being there with the same other couple each evening. Our next cruise is 25 days so too long to be lonely each evening. Anyway, AT with 6 or 8 is for us.;)

It's been fine everyday out here in the middle of the Big Pond!!;)

I agree also, Mahalo Princess for this benefit that I use on every cruise!!!:D

Just a draftee.:o

When we did the Canal on the Coral, we got up early and watched everything from our Caribe Balcony until we exited the locks. We saw everything up close and with no one pushing in to see something around us. Then we went up and watched from on high for the rest of the day. When doing the Canal again we will watch from our own balcony and from there you can call to the Princess Photographers on the lock area and get your photo taken. Whatever you do you will find it fascinating especially if you bone up on the story ahead of time. Enjoy!;)

I agree with all the above except for the "shear" item, and have rented for quite a few cruises now. Do try it on as soon as you can. Once in awhile the pants have been too long or the shirt sleeves too short, be honest with the sizes. The pant waist is very adjustable. I have found the shirts to actually be very nice almost as good as my own were, and not shear at all. I take two of my own cumberbuns and ties so I am not the same on every formal night. I will be renting again for our upcoming Sapphire cruise. It is so nice to not have to pack one and have it just appear in the closet on embarkation day and then just disappear after the last formal evening. I go a half size larger on the shoes and with the thin dress socks I take they fit very nicely for wandering around all evening. It is just too convenient.;)

No one has stayed in this cabin on the Sapphire or the Diamond?

There have to have been passengers in these cabins:D, but they are not reading or posting to CC. How can that be possible????:eek:LOL

The good thing about L303 is that you are right under the Spa entrance, so no noise late at night since the spa is closed and that area is carpeted.;)

We prefer to deal with the same person at Princess for everything and we have done it both ways. For our upcoming cruise we changed from one to the other with one short phone call to Princess on Sun. 2 weeks ago and then confirmed it on our Cruise Pesonalizer within minutes of hanging up. The perks we got on the new cruise are really amazing this time and if there any problems prior to or during the cruise we just go to Passenger services. When you are half way around the world it can be hard to get in touch with your TA when Princess says the TA must request that change or correction for you. The last time we used a TA the price was actually better from Princess. The ease of doing everything is to hard to pass up. IMHO;)

Hello.

 

Anyone willing to post the patters from any of the recent 15 day Hawaii cruises?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

Any section in particular or time frame from the trip you are looking for? It would be a fairly intensive process to scan all 4-8 pages of all 15 days. We did it back in April and I think we have some of them.:o

There are indeed many different cruise lines for a reason, people all have different tastes and preferences. It is quite difficult to answer your question because only the two of you can really know what it is that you like and what expectations you have for your cruise vacation. You would need to include a lot more information, I think, to get the answer that you're looking for. For eample... what age group are you in, will you have children along with you, are you celebrating a special occasion, are you active, do you prefer less activity and more relaxation, do you like a port-intensive itinerary, would you prefer lots of sea days?.... etc, etc, etc.

 

Personally speaking, I like Princess and RCI, but I have not yet been on Celebrity or NCL though I plan to try both eventually. I even enjoyed my one cruise on Carnival. Opinions on everything vary, cruising included. Since you have only been on the one cruise so far, your options are wide open. Maybe start by deciding where you want to go. And when. Then see which ships/lines fit the bill and read some reviews on them, see what others have to say about their experiences. That might bring to the surface the bits you can relate to, and you can overlook parts that aren't of much importance.

 

Best of luck to you, I hope you have a wonderful time on whichever sailing you choose. :)

Can't really add anything to this, he says it all logically. Cruising is the best and everyone for whatever reason comes up with the Line they favor.;)

I just thought of one other difference, we also received from the Chef a Chef's White Jacket with the Princess logo on it. I have used mine when I BBQ for friends. It is very heavy but yet comfortable in the heat over here. We did not have room in our suitcases for the two jackets and the robes so we had to ship them home. Well worth it though.

Astro Flyer,

So how is it you know Hawaiian? Whoops let's not hijack this thread, but I do hope that in the drydocks that Princess adds a foot rest to the showers. That was one of the things I found very comfortable on the Celebrity Sostice. If anyone on the Sapphire right now or recently can tell us if it has the dispensers or the bottles, that would be nice?:confused:

I guess I'm surprised that you're taken through the crew quarters. Don't get me wrong, I'm as curious as the next passenger but I expected a modicum of privacy would be afforded to them.

 

Thanks for the review. The rest of the UST sounds wonderful, I'm especially interested in the kitchens. I hope to take this tour on my cruise in April.

Sign up at the desk as soon as you get on board, we signed up before going to our cabins that trip.;)

We did the UST on our T/A on the CP. Ours was mostly the same except that it ran over the time limit as no rush was placed on the questions and our stop on the Bridge is where we had cocktails and hors d'oeuvres with the Capt. and were allowed to ask questions of all save the Helmsman and Officer of the Deck.;) We spent at least 1/2 hr. on the bridge or more. It was all very impressive.:D

Not sure what a "1 percenter" is,

One percenters are those with more than enough money, in the case of "bikers' it has a very bad meaning. Those are the only two references that I know of so take your pick on this one. LOL;)

We love the flexibility of Anytime and would not want to go back to Traditional. :)

 

LuLu

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Ditto for us also!!!:D:D

Not only does Princess save money because the bulk packaging costs less than many small containers, they will save even more money because many people will not use it.

...And the helpful Stewards will not be giving away bag fulls of bottles. Better inventory control, but it does seem like more choices (dispensers) could be used to maintain what appears to have been a quality item at a lower cost.;) I have not seen the dispensers so I am not sure how much room they take up in an already small shower.:p

My friend just took the Star to Hawaii and said the whole ship smelled bad. They had plumbing problems the whole time. They will never take Princess again.

 

Sheila

We did the Hawaii cruise last April on the Star and the ship and crew were both wonderful. There were no physical problems with the ship that we experienced or heard of during the voyage. There were lei making, laau weaving, and hula classes, one just had to read the Patter or walk through the Atrium during the day to be aware of these.;)

We will be on our 9th Princess cruise in April. On two of the previous we have received Meta-upgrades. Neither one was our first cruise with Princess and we are American, but in both cases the ship was not full. On the one 15 day T/A they closed off an entire floor and moved everyone up one level/floor.(5th floor was closed in the cabin area) They did this to refurbish the cabins while underway. We did not know about this until we walked up to get our room key at embarkation.

When it comes to the cruise lines, profit seems to trump all! There has been much written about the art auctions (not much of it good) and one could just Google "cruise ship art auction scams" and spend some time reading the many tales. But, as others have said, the art auctions generate a nice profit for the cruise line, and allowing Park West to operate onboard involves little extra cost for the cruise line (they do give some staff support) and guarantees extra income. When we think of cruise line art auctions what comes to mind are the famous words attributed (inaccurately) to P.T. Barnum (There is a sucker born every minute).

 

Hank

Hank,

I do take exception to being called a "sucker" for enjoying something and getting a good deal on it. I have looked up some of the items we have purchased online prior to the auction and found the price they go for on board to be quite a bit lower. Then I found one in a port gallery once that was 5 times the price it went for on board and it also was a print. We do enjoy them every time we walk through and see them on the walls. We also have originals from galleries and from artists and purchased an original on our last cruise. The auctions are enjoyable and that is what cruising is all about, so no need to slander those that find a part of a cruise, that you don't, enjoyable.

Herb

All of the art auctions should be taken off all ships. Takes up to much room and most of it is ugly anyway.

It only generates money because a lot of people like to have things to look at in their homes, like us. You don't have to buy anything you think is "ugly" and the prices for the prints are much better than in any gallery as I have compared them. Each to their own.;)

I was on the Star for 13 days last February. The ship was lovely. I wrote a Live From.

 

Most notable: The crew of the Star exceeded every expectation I have ever had. They were so friendly and helpful. I felt that they really wanted you to have the best cruise ever. I would sail on the Star again in a hot second!

We'll 2nd that about the crew, the were fantastic last April on a Hawaii cruise!!!:D:D