WildBlueYonder64

I was raised in Fairbanks, and, despite it being an international airport, there's just a small snack/coffee bar where you can purchase ready made items. No sit down restaurant service. Even though you are arriving after a long day of travel, your best bet is to get checked into your hotel, and enjoy a nice dinner at one of Fairbanks' many fine restaurants! If you're staying at one of the Princess hotels, you'll have your pick of several nice restaurants nearby.

After speaking with family in Fairbanks, I guess the food vendor has expanded their menu to include some hot sandwiches and burgers. But, I would still go ahead and get to your hotel, drop your bags, and enjoy a more relaxed meal. If you're staying at the Princess Riverside Lodge, they have a very nice little restaurant on site.

Make sure your B2B bookings are linked. We hit platinum on the 2nd leg of our B2B on the Vista last fall, however, because we had booked them separately, they had never been linked together. Once they were, our cruise docs for both legs were updated, and we were Platinum from day 1!

Missed out on $500 cards and I refuse to buy the $100 cards. The $100 come via USPS and considering I have had my mail stolen, lost and destroyed by USPS over the last 3 months I can't trust them. UPS only with signature confirmation, which is what $500 cards require.

I purchased 5 $100 cards the last go round as the $500 were already sold out. That delivery required a signature.

We are a family of 7, and on our last visit to Mahogany Bay, we were able to purchase 3 additional wristbands once onboard so we could all enjoy the cabana. Can you do the same for HMC? If not, what are the occupancy limits for each category?

We're looking at booking an 8 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Magic, August 28th out of Port Canaveral. Just wondering if there are generally many kids on a cruise that late in the summer. We've cruised during expected high-kid times (spring break, Christmas, mid-summer), but were just wondering if there will be fewer, since it's the last week before Labor Day.

My daughter and I both received a $50 gift card on our last cruise, so we used them for a $50 manicure. We had to cover the tip, so I thought it was a good deal.

Booked a balcony on the TA a couple of hours ago, and the price has gone up by $493 per person since then!

We always initially book our cruises using the Military Rate, which it appears you would be eligible to do. Each military member can book up to 2 additional cabins using this rate. It's the same rate as Early Saver, without the restrictions, which would be best if there's a chance of any changes to the bookings.

Your best bet might be to go with the unlimited onboard internet package, which at $16/day, is a step up from the social media package. If I remember correctly, there is a discount if you sign up for the entire cruise. This will allow you to access your email and text through the ship's WiFi connection. You can also share this with any other devices you have, the only caveat is that only one device can be logged on at a time.

The Sunshine Serenity area is beautiful, but, it does indeed overlook the main pool. When activities are happening on the Lido deck, you can't help but hear everything going on.

Anybody used the Metro to get from the Athens Airport to Plaka? We're staying at the Plaka Hotel. How difficult is it with luggage?

We looked at taking the train from the airport, but ultimately decided to splurge and hire a car for 47 euros. We're also staying at the Plaka Hotel, arriving on October 9 after a few days in Munich.

Just want to say, and I hope I'm wrong here, that the policy may have changed. I am also leveling up midway through the second leg of a B2B. My PVP said that the "new policy" is that you're not Platinum until the actual day you level up, and that new cards would be issued that day. That does not really help me with the laundry issue! I hope he's wrong. He did say it might be at the discretion of the ship and to talk to guest services. But he was very firm that it's the new policy. Hope he's wrong.

We will move up to Platinum on the 2nd leg of our upcoming B2B. We booked each cruise at different times, and once they were linked and final payment had passed, both sets of documents 'magically' changed and had Priority and Platinum on them. So we will have Platinum perks for both legs. I think the key is to make sure the bookings are linked.

On our June 3rd Vista voyage, we used Provence Connection for a tour when we ported in Marseille. It was to the Luberone villages and Lavendar fields...beautiful fishing villages, gorgeous lavendar fields and a lavendar farm, village markets with artisan gelatos, pizzas/foccacias, soaps, jewelry, foodstuffs. It was a wonderful day...one of our best tours of the trip. Partly because of Christian our tour guide and partly because the area is so beautiful.

We also chose Provence Connection for our October visit. Sad that we won't be there during lavender season, but glad to hear the positive comments about the tour!

We were on the Breeze in June, and they had a rack by the pool that had 3 different sizes of about 10 each. We used one for our 4 year old grandson while in the main pool. We had brought his with us, not knowing they had them onboard. Don't know if they would be available for checkout to take off the ship when in port, but would be nice if they did.

Since I am not a real fan of the buffet not much comes to mind.....EXCEPT..... the banana bread at breakfast. OMG its so good. Very moist and tasty. I always take 4 or 5 slices and take them back to the cabin if I want a snack later. It's sliced really thin.

Another vote for the banana bread! Also love the bowls of fruit, especially the grapefruit. Love that they do all the work for me!

With FTTF, you still have to select a boarding time to complete the online check-in, but you can ignore it and check in at your leisure, earlier or later. There is a separate line for FTTF, and if checked in, will board after the Diamond, Platinum and wedding parties, and before everyone else. We really like being able to access our cabin immediately, the dedicated GS line, priority specialty dining reservations, and priority tendering, if necessary. These are all FTTF benefits that are in addition to priority boarding.

We just got off the Breeze, which is a sister ship to the Dream. Movies are shown in the evening, with PG rated shown first, followed by PG-13 or R-rated (shown after 10pm). The noise level from kids playing in the pool and people walking by made it harder to hear the movie, so go up one deck to Deck 11 and grab a a chair or lounger that overlooks Lido.

We just got off of the Breeze yesterday, and I was surprised that the 2nd formal night wasn't Friday (night 6) as usual. Our itinerary was Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and our 2nd formal night was Thursday, after Grand Cayman.

Port (left side facing towards the front of the ship) is left, and Starboard is the right side. Cabin numbers on the Port side are even, Starboard are odd numbers. As far as which side to see pier runners, that is impossible to determine, as the ship can dock on either side depending on the port of call.

Technically, it is 'across the street', but it's about 1/2 mile walking from the Hampton Inn because of the way the Walmart is situated and the road configuration. We walked from our hotel and it was no problem. To answer your question, yes, they do carry wine. It was a pretty good selection, at least for our tastes.

I have cruised out of Galveston several times, and the best piece of advice I received is that upon disembarkation, find the porter line and get a porter to handle your baggage. Last year they had a special line reserved just for them. It took us about 15 minutes to get up to the CBP desk, versus nearly an hour in the main line. Best $15 we ever spent (for 2 of us)! We'll be cruising on the Breeze in June, and are hoping that system is still in place.

Also, for the older child...

 

When we traveled with our kids several times, we asked for the kids meals with our appetizers. Then, at 7:00 when the kids club opens back up, one of us would take the kiddos up to the kids club so they could run around. Usually, it ended up being in between appetizers and entrees for us.

This is an excellent idea. On the subject of dining with a large group, we also are a group of 9, the youngest being 4 years old. We were initially assigned early dining, but after much discussion, decided to switch to YTD. The primary reason was that with fixed dining, everyone HAS to eat at the same time. Switching to YTD also gives the adult couples a chance to have dinner for 2 any night in the MDR without having to go to a specialty restaurant and paying extra. We do anticipate that we may have a wait on those nights that we all do dine together, so will plan accordingly, and will probably go down early so we can get our name on the list when they open the dining room that evening.

I apologize in advance for hijacking this thread, but hope it's okay as it looks like the OP's question was answered. My question has to do with Galveston departures. i know Cheers isn't available until the second day, but will liquor and other beverages that were pre-ordered through the Fun Shops be waiting for you in your cabin upon embarkation, or do you have to wait on those, as well? Thanks in advance.

Congratulations! Am I correct that any upgrade call would have a 305 area code?

We have done several B2B with the turn around port as Barcelona. We have always been able to treat it just like any other port day. No special gathering or need to do anything special. The requirement to have the ship cleared on a B2B is a US requirement and only applies in US ports.

Thanks for responding, good to know!