JimmyVWine

If you have enjoyed your cruises with these other lines, there is no reason to think that you would not enjoy Princess. Each line has its own cheerleading section, but the when viewed from 50,000, they are more alike than similar. The biggest difference is when you add the Oasis Class ships into the equation. A ship that hosts 5,400 people simply cannot be compared to anything that Princess offers. Those floating cities are a "love it or hate it" proposition in my opinion. For me, those ships are the destination and the vacation, and the port stops are secondary. There is nothing that I enjoy about an embarkation, disembarkation or port off-load procedure that involves 5,400 people. That number can swallow a port alive and overrun its services and offerings. But take those ships out and all four lines that you mention are similar in overall texture. Specifically, what keeps me coming back to Princess is: User-friendly booking on the website. It is astonishing how other cruise lines make picking a cabin so complicated. MDR and buffet food are more than fine, and the Specialty Restaurant upcharge is reasonable. No cruise line should charge $50+ per person above the already-paid fare. Generous wine allowance. I like to enjoy the best bottles from my cellar when I am on vacation as I have the time to sip, enjoy, reminisce, and geek out. Bottles that are saved for "special occasions" are typically consumed while on vacation, because that IS my special occasion. Princess has these other cruise lines beat by a mile with its unlimited bottles/corkage fee policy. The overall approach that the destinations you are traveling to are the real focus of your cruise without a lot of unwanted (by me) distractions where the cruise line tries to make you believe that being on the ship is the most important part of the vacation. Of course, the time on board is very enjoyable. But the real purpose of the cruise is to participate in world travel, not childish games. Again, I am not accusing all of these other cruise lines of failing in all of these things. But when I put the whole bundle together, Princess fits us a bit better than these others.

It was a test for an international flight required to fly into the UK in November. The sample was taken at Walgreens and had to be sent to a lab. The were thoroughly incompetent.

My daughter had the same experience with their incompetence. They admitted that they messed up and never shipped the tests to the lab, but only after hours on the phone and after it was too late to re-test. She had to pay big $$$ for a same day test at the airport and nearly missed her international flight. Way too stressful. Won’t trust them in the future.

Taxi from LGA to the pier should run right around $50 which would be competitive with the transfer fee for 2 people. The only time I have traveled from JFK to Manhattan we had 4 people and hired a black car. I think we paid around $200. So a taxi for $70 seems about right.

I didn’t see any guidelines for International flights. Honestly, the 6/7 hour suggestion seems like plenty of time. I flew out of JFK to LHR two weeks ago and arriving 3 hours before the flight was plenty.

100% on this. I just got back from a land-based trip to Scotland visiting my daughter who now lives in Edinburgh. She, as our tour guide, had us spend a day in Glasgow while on our way to Oban (which is highly recommended). While in the taxi to the Edinburgh train station, the cabbie asked us where we were headed, and my daughter said that we were on our way to Glasgow. The cabbie replied: "Why? Are you being punished?" Now, I wouldn't go that far. Our subway/walking tour of the city for the day included the area around the Uni and the Kelingrove Museum, which is a lovely area. But none of that would be on my "must do" list if I were on a one-day port stop in Greenock (note the spelling...only one "c").

Princess website contains the following information: New York City Princess offers transfers from New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and New Jersey's Newark airport. Embarking Passengers For voyages that depart from New York City, the latest flight arrivals are as follows: LaGuardia: 3 hours prior to ship's departure for domestic flights John F. Kennedy: 4 hours prior to ship's departure for domestic flights Newark: 4 hours prior to ship's departure for domestic flights Disembarking Passengers For voyages arriving in New York City, the earliest flight departures are as follows: LaGuardia: 6 hours after ship's arrival for domestic flights John F. Kennedy: 7 hours after ship's arrival for domestic flights Newark: 7 hours after ship's arrival for domestic flights Also, be advised that if there are two (or more) of you, a taxi from LGA to the cruise terminal will cost about the same as the Princess Transfer, and you can go on your own time without waiting around for others. Uber and Lyft are probably similar, but NYC is the one place where I much prefer Yellow Cab taxis over the private rides. The cabbies know the best routes and which streets to avoid far better than the private ride drivers who tend to follow Google Maps religiously, and that often gets them routed onto a cross street that is pinched down to a single lane. Can be frustrating.

On the Medallion App, under “My Preferences”, there is a toggle on/off option in the “Rooms” section for an Energy Saver choice. The “learn more” link tells you nothing and the Princess website provides only slightly more insight. “Additionally, several energy-saving features have been built in to the staterooms, including a card reader that activates the room’s lighting, plus low-energy LED lighting fixtures.” The default in my settings is set to activate this feature. Does anyone know what you are opting into if you leave the Energy Saver option activated? Different water temperature? Lower lighting wattage? Dimmer TV screen? Not exactly sure what they can change on a room-by-room basis. And if you opt in and want to change during the cruise, is that possible?