AKman2495

Delay is probably due to a big clean on the ship due to code red reported in other thread. Hopefully they get it all cleaned up and you'll not have any problems. We sail on the TA on the 6th so I hope it's run it's course by then.

Yeah...me too!

I see the ship gets to Whittier at 1:30 AM. Does anyone know what time we have to get off the shop for transport to Anchorage. Can we sleep in a little?

OK..they get you off the ship at 2 am.....NOT.

Actually, you will disembark in the morning, like usual.

However, as for shopping for transport to Anchorage....waiting until you get off the ship is not a good idea. It is a good 90 miles to Anchorage and you will not be able to grab a cab or a super shuttle out there.

There are really only two ways to go (unless you have friends who really like you). One is a princess transfer-either by rail or bus. The other is to book a ride on the train. Either way, I strongly suggest you book one or the other in ADVANCE of the cruise.

We had dinner one night on a formal night. We had slight colds and did not feel like getting dressed up and we would rather eat and get into bed for a good rest.

Anyway, we got there and it was transformed. Of course it was dark out and they had turned down the lights for more atmosphere. It felt much less like a buffet. We had no trouble finding a table. Waiters brought drinks and we had a relaxed dinner.

That said, the food was good-but not great. Essentially what we find in the Horizon court during the day. Despite the atmosphere, it felt like we were eating in a high class cafeteria.

I know many people prefer and like this typeof dining. We, on the other hand, have never had dinner there again.

I guess it depends on whether one has been naughty or nice.

As Mae West said..."When I good, I'm great...but when I'm bad...I'm better";)

Hunky, I did get free gratuities! Guess we'll take our chances with fog. Thx:)

Just don't book an early flight back. We were on the first and second cruises out of Houston (B2B) in November of 2013. The first cruise went well. The second, on our return, the port was fogged in-and I mean fogged in. You couldn't see 20 feet in front of you.

We were stuck there for 3 hours before we were able to land.

Fortunately, we had a later flight and had no problems with getting out.

OTOH, people with morning flights were frantically calling to make different arrangements. The big problem was that no one knew just when the fog would lift.

For us, it was a trip to the IC and relaxing in the Princess theater. For others it was a nervous wreck to a great cruise....

Yes, Whittier. For years the only way to get to whittier was by train. Then, about 15 years ago they modified the tunnel to allow cars and trucks to go through.

Whittier was built in WWII as a depot and receiving port for army supplies. After the war, it became the receiving port for the Alaska railroad. Now, it is a cruise ship port, a marina for private vessels, and base for various glacier tours and fishing charters.

You can probably walk around the whole town in on hour. There is not much there. The main housing is contained in one "high rise" apartment building.

Before the tunnel was opened to cars, the people who lived there year round were known as "Whittidiots"....

Some facts about Whittier...

I will be on the Sept. 6th TA. I just checked on the progress and as far as I can tell, there is only one cabin left. Other than guarantees.

Apparently it will still let you pick a guarantee room, which means they mist have those blocked out.

On Monday there were still several insides left available. I check today and they are all gone....

I'm not sure how feel about this but in Livarno today you couldn't leave the ship ( the port ) unless you paid 5 euros pp. you couldn't walk out the port, you either had to go by shuttle, taxi or princess tour. I do feel it's wrong for Princess not to actually get you out of the port for free.

I agree with the others who say that Princess is not the problem. Princess is not actually charging you to leave the port-the town is.

There is little you can do but complain to anyone who will listen. The city will collect its 5 euros, like it or not...

How common is it to bump into the the same ship multiple times?

It depends on how much I've been drinking....;)

Hi,

New to cruising and after some help please:

I'm going on The Explorer of The Seas in August with Royal Caribbean.

 

 

Q3. Tips are included which I feel is quite rude, is it expected by the staff that you ALSO tip as you go along ? I've heard you can ask for the tips to be refunded and then pay good service as you go ?

 

That's probably enough for here, thanks anyone who has taken the time to reply.

The others have answered the first 2 questions for me. As for tips, it is a highly personal thing. However, let me tell you what happened on our first cruise. My Daughter had told my wife not to use the auto tip and just pay tips to those people you want at the end of the cruise.

However, soon after we left, my wife realized that there were many many many crew people who served us at meals, for drinks during the day as well as our room steward. She realized that there was no way she could tip them all-or even most of them. So she quietly told me to put the auto tips on (which I had done since the beginning). At the end of the cruise there were a few crew that we paid additionally for their outstanding service.

FWIW.

Have fun on your first cruise!

I agree that an inside cabin won't kill you. We always book insides and are still breathing.

As for light & air, the ship has many places that are outdoors. You can usually find a quiet corner someplace to sit and relax (they have chairs and tables too). You can drink wine and enjoy the free air.

On our first cruise my mother took an inside as a single passenger and was upgraded to a caribe balcony. We used it a few times, but it was "OK". I do know I would not pay for that privilege.

I say give it a shot. You don't have much to loose.

I just redeemed some points for an upcoming cruise. I got a nice OBC and with the left over points I ordered a dozen roses for the cabin as a surprise for my DW.

Just make sure you redeem the points early enough. I believe there is a minimum of 4 weeks before the cruise to make sure it goes through.

Just curious what does this mean?

 

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk

Basically, the Passenger Vessel Services act (PVAS) says you cannot travel between 2 American ports on a foreign flag vessel without stopping at a distant foreign port.

Vancouver is not a distant foreign port, so it is a violation. I do not believe Princess will allow you to book such a trip.

Distant foreign ports are really distant. In the Caribbean region, only the ABC islands qualify. South America does too.

That is why you'll see the Panama Canal cruises and the New York to FLA cruises go to Aruba.

If you make a round trip back to the same port, you only have to touch at a foreign port, which is why Ensenada and Victoria, Canada are stops.

You do not need a passport on a closed loop cruise as long as you do not get in a situation where you really need it. Then you will be very glad that you have it. I would get the passport.

 

DON

Quite true...and if, god forbid, someone is in such a situation they will most likely spend a lot of time kicking themselves for not spending the money to get one....while they figure out what to do.

I am diabetic -and have been for over 20 years.

Princess has a number of sugar free desserts. They are also right sized portions (of course if you eat 3 or 4 of them...:().

One can do well by following the suggestions that he should have received from a nutritionist. By rising carbs with proteins and avoiding the sweeter sauces-eating green vegetables and avoiding the breakfast pastries he should do fine.

Avoid the Buffet as much as possible. It is much harder to eat the proper portion sizes there and there is a lot more temptation!

One final thing. If he makes a mistake one night and has too much of the wrong things, or, if he really really wants something on a particular night, he shouldn't be upset. Lapses happen and it is better to simply more on and do better the next time.

I have a passion for the depths apple pie, which they also serve with the Baked Alaska. I have ordered both....:D

Tell him to relax, you can cruise and eat well too-even with diabetes.

You can actually ask for them in the personalizer. Go to Guest Check in and scroll down and you'll see the Robe in Room section.

They are often not in the room on the first day as they are being washed.

And yes, it is true that they may be the "one size fits none"...You can ask the steward for a larger one. No guarantee you'll get one, but it's worth a shot.

On our last cruise I got one that was almost new so it fit fine...

In the days before they had those cabins, the promenade was fully covered. It did narrow considerably in the stern area. If you look at the deck plans, you'll see the promenade cabins and if you go up one deck you'll see the emerald deck cabins that in above them.

It looks to me as though they are fully covered, but I haven't been one her since the redo.

I mean closepins....

You can...but we usually just pull out the line and throw the suits over it.

My favorite thing to do is to head up the buffet round 3 pm and have some tea and one or more desserts, as may be available.

Very relaxing. At sea it is nice just to watch the ocean. In ports, if I am not out, I lie to look at other ships.

One time there was RCCL tied up across the pier from us. I saw a woman looking wistfully at out ship. I nudged my wife and said to her "Do you know what she's thinking? Man, I wish I was on that ship! (our ship)"

We like 14-15 days. We too have to travel far so it doesn't pay to take a short cruise. The shortest cruise I would consider is 10 day cruise.

I scheduled an excursion-through Princess that returns to ship only 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.

 

I assume this is ok?

 

 

Sent from my BNTV600 using Tapatalk

Yes, we were on Cozumel last year and took the ferry to the mainland to go to Maya ruins on a ship's tour. Do to some delays and traffic, we made it back to Cozumel about one hour after spillway time. But, the ship was waiting.

Of course when we got there there were no cold towels -just security personnel urging us onto the ship.....

Princess has done some good things by reducing the size of their portions. To avoid gaining weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. It is that simple.

The lotus spa dishes are both healthy and tasty.

Lunch can be a killer. I try to keep it simple, but that is not always possible.

The Horizon court can also be a killer as it is easy to go overboard on portions (not even counting the bread).

Finally watch the desserts-espically in the buffet. I find myself going after two or three because they look so good.

Alcoholic drinks also add to the calorie count as do the afternoon teas.

We avoid both the alcohol and afternoon tea for that reason.

If you keep it to salads and the lotus spa menus-and you spend time in the Gym or walking the decks, you can maintain. But, it takes work.

I have never seen any hard sell on Princess. Yes, they have people from the spa standing at different locations, but they have never tried to grab me. Of course, being a man, I was probably not what they were looking for.

The photographers can be annoying, but they don;t sell you anything. They just take your picture.

Waiters asking for drinks have never been pushy on Princess.

Also, no one ever forces anything on you. You can always smile and simply say no thanks....

I have also noticed it seems to depend on the destination as to the formal attire standards. That being said what about Panama 18 nights?

On our Panama Canal cruise I was surprised to see how many tuxes there were-I would say 30-40% of the men were in tuxes and the rest in suits. I did not see many, if at all that were not in a jacket and tie.

We witnessed a woman left behind in Curacao. She apparently was doing some last-minute overpriced souvenir shopping when she ended up on the wrong side of the pontoon bridge as our ship left. Her overpriced souvenir shopping got a lot more expensive when she had to arrange for her flight back to the U.S.

Oddly enough we were in Curacao standing on the promenade deck watching 4 passengers running like mad, presumably after some last-minute overpriced souvenir shopping, trying to catch the ship. They made it, but barely.....