puzzums

Excellent replies - thanks so much everyone! I’ve never sailed with Holland America but will definitely be checking them out, and will keep an eye on Royal Caribbean. Never heard of Margarita At Sea but will check them out as well.

Hello, I recently came off an Alaskan cruise aboard the Royal Princess. On sea days, with everyone aboard, I nearly lost my mind with the crush of people everywhere and that is a ship of only about 3600 passengers. All the major cruise lines are in a seemingly never ending competition to see who can build the biggest ship with the passenger/crew capacity coming in at the size of a small city, and with a ton of garish entertainment crowding the top deck. The only small ships, those around the 2000-ish passenger mark, are all quite old and likely to be decommissioned soon. Even the Royal Princess was a bit tired looking (I did still have an overall very good experience with her). My question is, does anyone forsee brand new small ships ever being built again by Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival etc - the mainstream-type - cruise lines? Yes, I know there are other choices, such as Viking Ocean Cruises and whatnot but they tend to be not as budget friendly as the mainstream lines. So, just something I was musing about and wondering what other’s might think. Thanks.

Awesome - thanks!

Hello, what is the difference between the Sanctuary area and the Retreat area on Royal Princess? Can any adult use the Retreat pool and its two hot tubs, or is that pool part of the Sanctuary and therefore only available to those who booked the Sanctuary? Thanks

So, do I understand correctly, then, that one does NOT have to adhere to the time given in the boarding window? My window is 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm. I’m one of those keeners who likes to get on board as soon as possible to start exploring. If it makes any difference, it will be the June 1/24 sail date aboard The Royal Princess departing from the Vancouver terminal.

Thanks everyone!

Hello I am now 11 days from sail date and should be able to now see my boarding pass and boarding time. Where do I find that on the Princess website and/or the app? Thanks

If I’m not having the new medallion shipped to me (the new one being the non-customized, basic medallion with lanyard) do I still have to order it or will there be one waiting for me at the port regardless?

Hello, Does Princess withhold payment of a medallion order until closer to the cruise sail date? My cruise is two weeks away. I had put in an order for a personalized medallion with a wrist band accessory not long after I booked the cruise. I did not have it shipped to me. I just got an email today saying my payment method didn’t go through and so my order has been cancelled. It goes on to say that I can pick up my medallion (a standard medallion) on embarkation day and can purchase an accessory on board. The credit card I originally used had to be cancelled due to fraudulent activity on it. I immediately updated my card information in my profile when I got my replacement card. So, just wondering if the medallion order didn’t update and they just now tried to put the order payment through, using the cancelled card number?

Hello Do we still get good, old fashioned, paper tickets for our excursions booked through the ship? And are they in our cabin already on embarkation day?

Thanks!

So, bringing food aboard was just covered in a recent post, but how about taking food OFF the ship? One of our excursions in Alaska provides a snack that is salmon based. I am allergic to fish so thought I’d throw a muffin and an apple, or something like that, from the buffet into a ziploc bag and bring it along. Is that allowed?

Hello, Does Customer Services on a Princess cruise have the capacity to change larger U.S. bills into small denominations, like $1 or $5 bills, for tipping excursion drivers/guides etc? Thanks

Can you trust the stores that display the handprint symbol that is supposed to indicate authentic indigenous, or the polar bear symbol that supposedly means handmade in Alaska?

Is there a way to find out what shows will be in the main theatre each night, and what time, before a cruise? Royal Princess, June 1/24 Alaska cruise. Thanks!

I have tried both the app and the website for my upcoming June cruise, 48 days away. It will let me reserve a MDR for my cabin booking but will not allow me to add in my friend’s cabin booking. Pretty useless system if you can’t book for everyone in your party.

Are the doors magnetic so you don’t need to use tape?

Thanks for the great info everyone!

Hello, I will be on the Voyage of the Glaciers 14-day cruise, on the Royal Princess, embarking June 1/24. It is my understanding that we will miss most of the Canadian leg of scenery as it will go by during the night. June 2 is a sea day. What area of the inside passage will we pass through during that day? This is our first Alaskan cruise and I’m just trying to work out, roughly, where we are on that sea day from sunrise to sunset on a map. Thanks!

We’re on Royal, June 1/24

If one does board early, are the cabins available right away, or do I have to haul around my carry on until they announce rooms are ready? I seem to remember a cruise a number of years ago (RCCL) where that was the case and it was really awkward trying to relax with a nice lunch with everyone’s carry on cluttering up the area. Maybe that was a one-off occurrence?

I’m 90 days out and paid in full. I wanted to book an early MDR time slot for the days I know that an early time will work. I want to book those specific dates as I know early dining is popular. I’ve been trying the web version but I cannot get it to add the third party traveling with us. I click on Add Guest and put in her booking number but it isn’t pulling her up. How am I supposed to book a time if I can’t show all of our party?

Does the little fridge in the cabin come pre-stocked with anything? If so, is it an extra charge if you take anything, or is it included if you have the Plus package? If the fridge is pre-stocked but not included in Plus, can you ask your room steward to remove the pre stocked items? Thanks.

Thank you, Skynight - that was a very comprehensive and well said explanation!

Thanks so much, everyone!