jarand

This is an ingenious promo. We've booked several cruises we never planned on taking. We've signed up for a couple of ship excursions, we'll pay tips, buy a few drinks, etc... Princess definitely got us to spend money we wouldn't have otherwise.

Then we're also looking at a couple of options for major trips on the bucket list. The difference is that now we're specifically looking at Princess itineraries and we will definitely go before the end of the year, even if they don't drop the price as much as we'd like.

Smart marketing!

Does anyone know, if the credit you earn on your short cruise is more than the fare on your 7+day future cruise, can you apply the extra to onboard expenses?

Thank you! One more:

If the resulting FCC exceeds the fare of my 7+day cruise, I understand I can't roll the extra over to another sailing. But will I be able to use it for on board spending?

A few questions:

Are these FCCs per person on the future cruise, or per cabin? In other words, if both of us get the FCC, can we both use it on a future 7 day cruise? Or can only one of our FCCs be applied to the cabin on the future cruise?

Are the FCCs usable on any fare for the Future 7 day cruise, or only the published launch rate? Are they combinable with sales, discounts, etc...? If the fare decreases, will we be able to take advantage of that?

If we did two of these short cruises, can we combine both FCCs on a single future 7+ day cruise?

Are these FCCs combinable with the $100 FCC's purchased onboard from a previous cruise?

A few questions:

Are these FCCs per person on the future cruise, or per cabin? In other words, if both of us get the FCC, can we both use it on a future 7 day cruise? Or can only one of our FCCs be applied to the cabin on the future cruise?

Are the FCCs usable on any fare for the Future 7 day cruise, or only the published launch rate? Are they combinable with sales, discounts, etc...?

If we did two of these short cruises, can we combine both FCCs on a single future 7+ day cruise?

Are these FCCs combinable with the $100 FCC's purchased onboard from a previous cruise?

Thanks!

We did a B2B on the Carnival Breeze in the Med in 2012 for a total of 24 nights. It was great to be able to visit the ports twice and to know our way around the ship. But as much as we loved it, we found that the repeat in entertainment and menus detracted from the whole experience.

This summer, we did a sort of B2B in Alaska, but we changed ships. Anchorage to Vancouver on the Diamond Princess, overnight in Vancouver, then back north on the HAL Zaandam. We enjoyed the variety and preferred this type of itinerary rather than a long trip on the same ship.

We had reservations with santorini holiday, and cancelled after reading the bad reviews. Plus a few things just didn't smell right--like getting requests for deposits from someone else. When we arrived at the top of the tram, the visitor center there said people show up all the time who are "supposed" to meet a car rental there (holiday), and the rental doesn't show up.

We ended up booking with MotorInn and were very satisfied. They are apparently based a little ways out of Fira. We were about an hour late, so the employee who had brought our car had already left. The visitor's center called him, and he returned. The car was was exactly what we'd booked, clean, and filled with gas. We had a ball!

If mobility is a concern, be aware that you will need to walk a ways from the top of the tram or donkeys to the car parking area, including some stairs. (this would be true for any rental).

We were just talking about our wonderful cruise that ended in Barcelona a year ago. If you have a chance to do the Runner Bean walking tours, they are excellent! We did the Gaudi tour and the Old City Tour. Both were outstanding and some of our best travel memories ever.

THANK YOU! We may end up flying to Stockholm overnight in late October. (Ironically after a Greek Islands cruise--Crazy I know). We will land at about 5:00 pm on one day, then depart at 4:00 pm the next. Ideally we'd see some of the city (if only by bus or taxi) and visit one or two of the main sights. This review was very helpful!!!

Vancouver:

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency. We got a great rate through Last Minute Travel.

The Hop-On-Hop-Off Trolley is an easy way to see the town. We enjoyed walking in Stanley Park, Granville Island, and along the seawall near Canada Place (pier).

The best thing we did in Vancouver was go to the Suspension Bridge Park. Free shuttle from Canada Place and many hotels (although they sometimes fill before they get to your hotel). We caught the first shuttle at 9:00, were back by noon, then boarded the ship in the afternoon.

Seward:

DEFINITELY do the 6 hour, or even better, the 9 hour Kenai Fjords tour!!! We used both companies, and preferred Kenai Fjords Tours over Major Marine. But both are fine as long as it's at least 6 hours so you get out far enough to see the wildlife.

If you do the 6 hour, you may be able to catch the train up to Anchorage afterward.

If you stay overnight in Seward, you might look at The Bear's Den, a B&B within walking distance of the small boat harbor.

If you have a car, Exit Glacier is a nice 1/2 day. And the SeaLife Center in downtown Seward is excellent, also 1/2 day.

There are many fishing boats that go out of Seward. You might consider a fishing day here rather than using up one of your ports. Reserve in advance.

We just returned from two 7-night cruises, first on the Princess Diamond, followed by the Holland Zaandam. So we did all of those ports twice.

Skagway:

1. Rented a car and drove to Emerald Lake. Nice, but not incredible since we live in Colorado. People who took the train said it was pretty but kinda long.

2. (Great day!) Took the ferry to Haines, rented a car, drove around Haines and Chilkoot area, ate at 33 Mile restaurant, and went to Kroschel Film and Wildlife Preserve. *Google Kroschel's. If this is excursion is offered by your ship, and you've not done a lot of independent port excursions, you might take the ship's tour. Otherwise, make plans well in advance including fast ferry reservations.

Juneau:

1. Went fishing with Wolverine Charters. Fun, nice captain, Jim Lewis. We caught, but not that many. However, it was a great day and it seemed like no one was having luck that particular day. He also will take you whale watching, and drop you off at Mendenhall. Then you can catch the $8 shuttle from Mendenhall back to the ship.

2. Rented a car and went to Mendenhall Glacier and walked to Nugget Falls (very pretty), Glacier Gardens, Brewery, Salmon Hatchery, and Walmart for cheaper Alaska souvenirs.

I'd do either of those days again. The standard tour is whale watching with Orca Enterprises or Harv & Marv, and people generally are happy with it.

Ketchikan:

1. Morning-Lumberjack show (cheesy but really fun--buy tickets through ship excursion at same price and avoid the line). Afternoon-Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's tour. VERY good, one of our most memorable excursions ever! You can book independently if you do it in advance or book with the ship for about $30 more. Exactly the same. Dress warmly.

2. Misty Fjord flight seeing, booked ourselves with Island Wings. Also very good. She's highly recommended.

There's touristy shopping in all ports. Ketchikan is probably best shopping, but they're all pretty much the same.

Food: We generally don't do big lunches because we eat on the ship for breakfast and dinner.

Juneau: Tracy's Crab Shack is a little hut right off the pier that is well known for great chowder and king crab. There is also a Gold Creek salmon bake that is very popular for about $40 each, and a shuttle bus will take you there. Sometimes it's combined with ship excursions to Mendenhall. (You can combine a "gold panning" experience with the salmon bake, but everyone I talked to said the gold panning part was terrible.)

Ketchikan: The Alaska Fish House or Crab Cracker are recommended by locals. Both are right by the Lumberjack show.

Skagway: The Red Onion bar and former brothel is a fun touristy attraction. Burgers and beer type place. You can take $10 trips upstairs--no worries--they just talk to you. :) We didn't do it but heard it was fun.

We are looking at a cruise starting in Sydney and ending in New Zealand. Is there a website or strategy for getting reasonable airfare to and from the USA? Are there any great stopovers mid-flight that help the trip length and/or cost?

Thanks!

We just returned from a two-cruise trip to Alaska (Princess Diamond followed by the HAL Zaandam). I enjoyed reading so far, and agree with what you've said about the Zaandam. Nice, quiet open spaces, dated rooms, and the theater isn't sloped enough to see.

Continue please!

We will be deboarding a Princess ship in the morning on a Saturday, then boarding a Holland ship on Sunday early afternoon. We're staying overnight at the Hyatt.

Things we think we are most interested in:

Granville Island

Stanley Park, probably the totems

Strolling on the seawall.

My question is, should we invest the $80 to get us HOHO tickets, or should we just deal with transportation separately? How does someone get to and around Granville Island?

Thanks!

We disembark the Diamond Princess on a Saturday, stay overnight at the Hyatt, then board the Holland Zaandam the next day.

Between the two HOHO companies (Trolley and Big Bus), does anyone have a recommendation? Or would you skip the HOHO and just hit a few sites on your own?

Thanks.

We did a B2B on the Carnival Breeze last year, and the specialty Italian restaurant was free for lunch on sea days. Does anyone know if that's the case for Princess? Thanks.

Excellent review and fantastic pictures. Thanks!

We used them 3 days ago ( we are in Barcelona now). Excellent. Definitely would use them again!

We just finished a B2B on Carnival Breeze totaling 24 nights. We much prefer DIY or private excursions, but we did Cinque Terre with the ship out of Livorno because I was a little worried about the distance and all the connections. Its about 2 hours with a potty stop. We Loved Cinque Terre, but if you can find a reliable tour guide I think that would be better than trying to stay in a group with 48 other people.

Glad to hear the good reviews. We are doing the 1/2 day Barcelona Tour on Sept 19, coming off Carnival Breeze.

June 2012 and this review is still going strong. For good reason!!! We will be on the new Carnival Breeze for a B2B in August and September, and I plan to forward this link as fabulous reading to both roll calls! Thank you Terry!

I would love to know where those cenotes are Wow!