The CRuIseLLS

Just looked on facebook, apart from replying to the one post that actually says the programme was enjoyable?? & another that talked about a forthcoming cruise on a completely different ship!!, Princess have chosen to ignore any negative feedback.......and there is a lot.

I can't imagine Princess didn't have any kind of editorial control over what was eventually shown......if they did, who thought this put them in anything but a bad light? If they didn't, then shame on them

Wonder if we'll all get emails next week reminding us to watch episode 2 :rolleyes:

I'm tuning in just to see if there's any improvement although I won't hold my breath ;)

I wasn't impressed at all - found it too frantic and jokey and wouldn't persuade me to book a cruise if I was a newbie!

Couldn't agree more.

It was dreadful.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...php?p=42692663

Here's the link to an excel spreadsheet that somebody very kindly set up so people could see of it's worth them taking up the Ultimate Drink package. I think there's an update coming in the next couple of weeks but, in the meantime, this should give you a good idea.

Just go to to post #1, click on the attached file link & it will download to your pc

Someone already has done a spreadsheet cant remember who but it was a couple of months ago. Will see if I can find it for you. Also if you search bar menus they too have been posted in the last few weeks

It's called the princess beverage package evaluator and on the first page of the post. Just type it in the search box.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42692663

Here's the link to the excel spreadsheet

Go to post #1, click on the attached file link & it will download to your pc

You get the 6 for 5 offer by pre-ordering it with Princess before you sail. You will have a voucher in your cabin when you arrive. Just call room service and they basically deliver whatever 6 bottles of beer you ordered. It's got to be 6 of the same beer though, no mix and matching.

Good to know, thanks :)

Just call room service. Not all beers are available for the 6 for 5 promotion(Bud Lite for example), but then you can get the 5 for 4 at the pool bars, which is almost as good a promotion...

I remember the "5 for 4" promotion from our 2012 cruise but thought the "6 for 5" had replaced it........are they 2 different offers?

How do you get the 6 for 5 if all the bars & buckets are 5 for 4?

Also Coors Lite

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42692663

Kelly was kind enough to compile an excel spreadsheet that works out if it would be cheaper for passengers to purchase the drinks package

Click on the thread link above & go to post #1, there's a link to a spreadsheet that u can download for use on yr pc (nb the total costs DO NOT include 15% grats)

 

P.S. It's not part of the Ploughman's Lunch. Look at the menu boards I previously posted....

 

.

Aahhhh, ok....didnt notice both menu boards.

Bring back chicken in a basket is what i say :D

That Scotch egg looks very unappetizing :eek:

Totally agree, it doesn't look very nice at all. I'm wondering if that's the ploughman's lunch? If so, that's a new one on me! I'd be really disappointed if I went into a pub, asked for a ploughman's & got served that

A ploughman's is a selection of cheeses, a big wedge of crusty bread, branston or mustard & pickled onions.

On our Alaskan cruise in 2012, we were looking forward to our "home from home" pub lunch but both times we went to eat there, the smell of what seemed to us to be over used cooking oil as we neared the wheelhouse put us off.

Punki,

Thank you so much for your daily posts. I've totally enjoyed reading every one of them, i'm sure i'll have withdrawal symptoms for the next few days :)

We do the same cruise in October so you gave us a lot of insight into the ports & especially what you can do in them without having to go on offical tours

I've definitely learnt more about what goes on on the ship too, (for instance, the "patter" channel was a revelation) and the questions I had about Anytime Dining have all been answered.

Wishing you both a lovely post cruise break in FLL and a safe journey home

Once again, a great big huge thanks :D

Out of curiousity' date=' the cruise, isnt there any way you could go on the princess website as if you were an American instead of a Britain? (and just be willing to pay the U.S. foreign exchange rate for buying in USD instead of british pounds)?

 

For example, if I were vacationing or "on business" in Britain, but wanted to book a cruise online while there, I would guess I would still be able to book with the lower "U.S." Princess cruise prices, instead of the higher "British" prices?

 

And of course, the prices I quoted (eg $777/pp for our Caribe balcony aft cabin on the May 18 Grand Princess sailing) is before taxes and fees.[/quote']

Even with the extras like tax, it still comes out a lot cheaper than UK prices.

We cant book via Princess USA, no matter what we key in, it still directs us to the site with the british prices. We've had this scenario before on flights. BA are cheaper if you buy on a French travel site (for example). You can go right thru booking but as soon as you key in credit card details, it knows its a british card & redirects you to the UK site where the prices sky rocket!!!!!

Same with sites like expedia, except that doesnt even let you get as far as trying to book, it says something to the effect of, you seem to be looking at these really cheap prices on the US site from a UK location so we'll redirect to the very expensive UK site 😠. I actually wrote to them about it & got fobbed off with subsidiary differences effectively making them different companies!!!!!!!

Looks like us and anyone from Australia is destined to pay extortionate prices

 

Despite paying a fortune, we loved Alaska and even knowing how much more it costs us, I'd love to go back.

Hope you have a great time on the Grand 😄

 

 

 

Now booked on Caribe aft balcony for $99/pp more -- our obstructed ocean view was $678/pp' date=' our balcony cost $777/pp.

 

If we were a new booking it would cost $759, so for $18 more than a new booking would pay, I thought it was worth taking since it is an alaska cruise with scenic views and we are celebrating our 30th anniv.

 

[/quote']

 

OMG - talk about "rip off Britain"

 

Out of curiosity i've just looked up the cost on Princess's UK website for a room on that cruise and they still have them on offer......

Caribe deck, aft, with balcony comes in at the extraordinary price of £989.........that's $1,592

Can't believe it. How can Princess justify the difference?

Like for like, we do tend to pay more in the UK than you do in the USA but more than double???.........thats astounding!!!!!

We're going on the Panama Canal in September. If I hear anyone talking about how much they paid, I think I'll give them a wide berth otherwise I may spend the rest of the cruise in a deep depression.

:

 

 

Thanks............ If i dont set it up, i'm almost certain someone from our roll call will

 

:D :D

Also, although you can read general posts without being a member you can't see roll call posts unless you've joined the site (@ least in the UK)

Thats another reason I mentioned the "live" post - as well as fellow &/or future cruisers.....I'd like my family & friends to see what's going on without having to join up to CC If they don't want to.

:)

:

 

I am not quite sure who posted what, but the thread for the Island's eastbound transit of the canal is San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale Panama Canal Sept 27,2014.

Oh!, ok - I didnt mention the roll call thread cos I was thinking more of a "live from..........." as Punki has done.

I thought the roll calls were a separate issue to everyday posts and was under the impression?? that once the cruise starts, roll calls become more or less obsolete - altho i didnt join it (just read the posts), thats what happened on the one for our last cruise.

 

😊

:

 

Maybe in five months I can try and get some too of you passing through and post them in a new thread for you. ;)

 

Thanks, that would be really great. Think i may hold you to that :),

It'll be the Island's first canal cruise of the season, we pass thru it on 7th Oct. Keep looking out for a thread similar to this (end sept). If i dont set it up, i'm almost certain someone from our roll call will

 

:D :D

Sorry about not linking the source to the lock pictures. :o

 

There is an HD cam at the Miraflores Locks that refreshes every 10 seconds or so here:

 

http://www.pancanal.com/common/multimedia/webcams/viewer-javascript/cam-miraflores-hi.html

 

The other webcam with the 'aerial' pictures is above the Pedro Miguel locks and is here under the tab 'Pacific Access Channel (West View Hi Res)'. It scans through five preset points and refreshes during each focus point for about 30-40 seconds each, and freezes often enough to be a pain in the b**t. Those two images I got of Island Princess were really a stroke of luck.

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/webcams-works.html

 

:D

Thanks for posting the webcam pics & web addresses (& thanks to Steve...lone_stranger....for asking about them) .

With luck, we'll be able to watch ourselves going thru the canal in just over 5 month's time.

It's a pity the position of the bridge cam on the Island has been changed.....when we went to Alaska we synchronised watches with family & friends in the UK & had them look out for us in Glacier Bay.....worked a treat because at that time, you could see more of the deck area (& what you could see wasn't obscured by the greyed out location banner)

Unfortunately, the one person charged with the task of taking a screen shot of us managed to lose it between copy & paste!! We did, however, get an official foto of us holding up (our pre printed) "Hi UK" posters.

As they're on the same side as our balcony, we may try it again with the canal cameras (doubt we'll see much of us, but there'll be no harm in trying)

Thanks again

Deck 6, Provence Dining Room. Is that correct?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

Yes Tom thats correct.

The Bordeaux is Anytime (which, from memory, is on the deck below).

Big smile from start to finish (& if im honest, a little lump in my throat).

Absolutely brilliant, thanks for sharing 😄

Oh...... this all sounds fantastic, loving the flash mob idea......seems like it will be a lot of fun. My schoolgirl Spanish is more than a touch rusty, hope they think about organising lessons on our cruise.

Lovely idea about the Easter Bonnet.

Talking of hats.......

Have you noticed if they sell panama hats on board?

Again, thanks so much for posting......I'm getting really excited now & we've still got just over 5months to go!!

Many thanks for the daily posting, a great read. I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes.

We'll be going "eastbound" in September so this will definitely give us a good idea about what we can expect on our cruise.

I'm really intrigued....... What is 'stealing gifts' all about?

Regards

Sue 😊