grnstone317

I typically search on my phone because there isan extra drop down that allows meto select one passanger. It is not available on the full website until I look at room pricing. This is what it looks like from my phone. 

The one time I had premier fare, I was worried about being able to get a reservation.  However, when I got to my room, there was a note indicating when my dining was. I was given one reservation at the Crown Grill and one at Sabatini's. 

However, that was 18 months ago and it was a 4 day cruise. So I do not know if it is still done this way.

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

This is spot on. If the Travel Summary doesn't show the perks then it is time to worry and contact Princess to find out what is going on. All of the perks from the Plus (or Premier) package should definitely show on the Travel Summary even if they don't show up on the Personalizer.

My PDF and online account only show the plus beverage package in the break down (even though I upgraded to premier). I was concerned about it and when I contacted my Princess vacation planner could not change the booking confirmation PDF or my online summary,  but she did send me an itemized list of what is included.

The PDF looks like the Sapphire has a 5 day out of San Francisco on 10/19/22 but is also leaving LA on 10/23/22. It seems like it would not be possible as a 5 day would not return to SFO until the 24th. Is it a misprint?

4 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

I am curious how passengers who fail to enter information into Arrivecan  prior to arriving at check in are being handled if anyone happens to notice.  Are Princess reps assisting ?  I know some people choose to have all Medallion information entered by Princess at the Port, my guess is there will be some who don’t do Arrivecan in advance as well. 

No one asked about Arrivecan but there were instructions for completing it in the cabin. 

1 hour ago, Kennact said:

We are using Princess for hotel and transfer for our Crown cruise next month. What time in morning do they have you meet up to head to ship? Thanks

We had to have bags ready by 7:45. Between 8-9 we showed our documents and we had to be ready to board the bus at 10:00. We actually started boarding the bus about 10:15 but then waited while they looked for two missing people. We arrived at the pier around 10:45. I was on board and in my room by 11:30.

8 minutes ago, Shelly97060 said:

I am curious how passengers who fail to enter information into Arrivecan  prior to arriving at check in are being handled if anyone happens to notice.  Are Princess reps assisting ?  I know some people choose to have all Medallion information entered by Princess at the Port, my guess is there will be some who don’t do Arrivecan in advance as well. 

I am at the Westin and the Princess reps here verified passport, vaccination cards, and negative covid tests. No mention of Arrivecan. I was told these would be verified again at the pier. 

34 minutes ago, SightCRR said:

Skagway Glassblowing Experience | Alaska Shore Excursions

Looks to me that there are no tours in 2022. sightcrr

Thank you!  I forgot to look at the other tour sites to verify.  I guess I need to find a different option 🙂

8 hours ago, quack2 said:

I have the booked the Jewell Garden Glassblowing excursion in Skagway in mid-June through Holland.  While it shows up in my itinerary, the time has been removed.  Also, the downloadable excursion pdf document no longer lists it an an excursion.  Is this another one that has bit the dust?

I am booked for early May on Princess.  The time still displays and I show confirmed, but I cannot access any further details.  I also checked the Jewell Gardens website and there is no information about 2022.  I guess I will know more in about 2 weeks and can post an update.

On 2/4/2022 at 8:53 AM, mlgb said:

The ap does not like the default file name my phone gave it. I had to rename the file to an alpha only,  and then it uploaded. 

Could never get the selfie function to work.

Thank you!  By renaming and saving as a "profile picture" and by uploading from the website instead of the app, it finally worked for me (unlike the 5 emails to the "help" team).

You might be interested in this:  https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-gifts-celebrations/celebration-group-program/

We were at the Princess Fairbanks lodge in June. We ate at the hotel on the deck our first night there because it was a bit of hassle to try and go anywhere else. The next day we had the included all day tour (Gold Dredge and Discovery Boat). We then used our airport transfer to go pick up our rental car and we used that for the evening and the next day.

The rental car was the best decision we made and allowed us a lot of freedom. Even if I had been in a more central hotel, I think I would have wanted a car. It does depend on what you have planned and what you hope to do.

As far as the food, I agree that is very personal - my dad liked his and mine was just so-so. I did however enjoy the drinks and the view, so that makes up for a lot in my book!

I thought the rooms were clean and there were decent gathering areas in the lobby. Was it as nice as a cruise ship or a high end hotel? No. But it was certainly not a hole in the wall either.

While you're on Granville Island also consider Dockside in the G.I. Hotel. I find them much more focused on lagers which isn't my thing, but if you or your dad prefer lighter beer styles it might be right up your alley. And it's just a few minutes drunken stagger between here and GIB ;)

I must have been reading your mind - just before I saw your post I happened upon the Dockside website (from the Granville Island eating section). My dad will LOVE the selections!!! I think we might even eat here since I am not sure where our last meal will have been. I am not a huge fan of lagers (I can't always distinguish between lagers and water - or am I confusing that with lite beer?), but I did see a selection or two that I am sure I could tolerate:p.

Again, your advice has been very helpful!!

Lift as already mentioned fits your food req; they have several local wines by the glass - I don't think you'll find a better selection in a more convenient location for the Westin. If you're willing to go a bit further for your wine sampling there are a couple of good by-the-glass lists in Yaletown - George (better-known for cocktails, but a lengthy wine list with high proportion of locals by the glass), Hamilton Street Grill (a very good value steakhouse with a surprisingly large local by-the-glass list), or Hidden (inside the Westin at Robson & Homer - not very well-hidden at all actually...) for example. I especially enjoy ending the evening in Hidden as the clientele mostly disappears after 7pm - it's extremely 'hotel business guest' focused - so you can easily get a comfy seat, interesting nibbles and very well-priced port.

 

You also mention beer above - personally I think the craft beer scene in BC is significantly better than the wine (not that we don't make good wines, but our beer is truly world-class). Almost every bar in Vancouver has at least a couple of 'micro-macros' on draft - like Granville Island or Whistler breweries - and both Rogue and Steamworks, conveniently located downtown, have a wide variety available (both owned by same folks, but the latter is brewed in-house where the former brings in other breweries products from all over BC, WA & OR). I would eat in Rogue but not in Steamworks - too inconsistent.

 

You could also consider one of our Izakayas - Hapa West End and Guu Robson are close to the Westin. Order for your dad - despite the Japanese names you can get pork chops, chicken wings, sausages and other acceptable-to-unadventurous-western-guys food. If he eats rare steak, try beef tataki - and if he likes that, order tuna tataki. It worked on my dad;)

 

Hope this helps!

Restaurants near the Bayshore: I would consider Lift and Carderos. There's also a new pub on the West side expansion of the convention centre, who's name escapes me at the moment (just west of Canada Place)

Taxi: it will be inexpensive, $7-9 I would guess; and yes, the restaurant will call you a taxi

Grocery Stores: Urban Fare at the corner of Bute and W.Hastings is an upscale chain owned by the Overwaite food group

Italian Restaurants close to the Bayshore are on the link below, I can vouch for Cin Cin & Ciao Bella. Cardero's and the Lift which are extremely close to the the hotel both have non-seafood items and are excellent. A cab fare from Gastown would be about $15 and any restaurant would be happy to call a cab for you.

 

You sound like a grocer on a busman's holiday. Urban Fare which an upscale market of the locally owned Overwaitea Food Group is about a 4 block walk to the east of the Bayshore, on Bute St.

 

 

http://www.urbanspoon.com/nf/14/1319/1335/Vancouver/Robson-Street-West-End/Italian-Restaurants

 

http://www.vancouverdine.com/carderos

 

http://liftbarandgrill.com/

 

http://www.urbanfare.com/store/coal-harbour

Thank you everyone for all of the great suggestions!

I reviewed the website for Uban Fare and am very excited about it. It looks like my kind of place. Putterdude, I am not a grocer but perhaps I will be in my next career move :D

Martincath, Dad and I are planning on having plenty of beer and cocktails too - in fact our first stop will likely be the Granville Island brewery! However, I appreciate all of the additonal options for wine.

Now if only we can solve the "problem" of figuring out how to eat a dozen different meals in a day and a half! I am sure it will be a great visit.

Hello, I have enjoyed reading the boards for a couple of months now and hope you can help me with a few questions. I will be in Vancouver with my dad on the 31st prior to our cruise (leaving the 2nd). We will arrive at the Westin Bayshore early afternoon. I feel pretty good about our plan for sightseeing and have found several appealing restaurant options in Gastown and Yaletown. However, I did not feel as sucessful when it came to finding restaurants near our hotel.

Does anyone have suggestions for restaurants near the Westin Bayshore? We are not huge seafood fans (but it is not completely out of the question). My dad is also not super fond of Asian (even though I love it all). We both like pub and gastro pub type food as well as Greek and Italian. The restaurant must have beer or wine!

I have purused the link to the BC liquor stores, so I am certain I will find wine to bring on the ship. However, I tried looking at the various restaurant menus to see if there was a good place to sample several glasses of BC wine. While most had a couple of options, do you have any suggestions for a place that might have a more extensive list where I would be able to sample more than one or two? I am sure I will enjoy whatever I find to bring on board, but I do like trying different wines.

I love grocery stores (I once spent over 3 hours in one when I was in Germany). I know some will say the stores in Canada are probably not that different than the ones here, but since I know ther are variances even between the midwest and other parts of the US, I do want to take a look around. I believe I found a Whole Foods and Safeway near our hotel, but are there any other independent stores or chains that I might not be familiar with?

What would the approximate cab fare be from Gastown to our hotel? It appears to be about 1.5 km and while I am willing to walk, I am not certain my dad will be up to it after a day of exploring. Also, would the restaurant call a cab for us or will we be able to find one on the street? We will not have cell service while in Vancouver.

I appreciate your input and can hardly wait for the six days I have left here!!

We fly into Vancouver on May 31st - I think my family and friends are a little annoyed by my countdown, but I am excited!

Thursday May 31st - Vancouver: Arrive and check in - HOHO Trolley and Granville Island for the brewery and a late lunch/early dinner.

Friday June 1st - Vancouver: Depends on the weather, but if it looks good we will go to Capilano in the morning and probably Stanley Park in the afternoon.

Saturday June 2nd - Board Sapphire Princess

Sunday June 3rd- sea day

Monday June 4th - Ketchikan: Misty Fjords flightseeing with Island Wings then walk around town and explore, possible options include the downtown walking tour on our own, the Eagle Center, the totem museum, Raven's Brew Coffee, and Dolly's house

Tuesday June 5th- Juneau: morning shuttle to Mendenhal Glacier, visitor center and maybe walk to Nugget Falls. Afternoon shuttle/tour of Alaskan Brewing Company. Walk around and explore; tramway depending on time and weather.

Wednesday June 6th - Skagway: morning walking tour with NPS. Afternoon Whitepass Railway. Stop at Skagway Brewing.

Thursday June 7th - Glacier Bay

Friday June 8th - College Fjord

Saturday June 9th - Train to Denali

Sunday June 10th - Denali: late afternoon Tundra Wilderness Tour

Monday June 11th - Denali: back to the visitor center - either take a guided hike or go to the kennels. Afternoon train to Fairbanks.

Tuesday June 12th - Fairbanks: Gold Dredge Tour (Goldmine and Paddle boat)

Wednesday June 13th - Fairbanks: Auto museum and Bird Center, fly home that evening.