mtnesterz

We just completed a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale doing a red-eye from LA. Arrived at 0-dark hundred. Like you, bought transfers, in our case to the ship. Anyway, the Princess desk was the first to open and that was at 10AM. But that was not the problem. We were told there are two places for the busses to park and if they are full, others busses have to circle the airport. So it was about 10:45 before we got on the bus and we were the second bus out to the ship. I have no info about hotel busses, but there were a lot of people left steaming, waiting with three Princess ships and at least two others, one was the biggest thing I've ever seen floating, the Icon of the Sea, sailing that day. Lots of people. My suggestion: Pack a generous supply of patience.

Two places I'd look. You may have download your cruise summary, or booking confirmation, then forgot it. Failing that, many ports post their ships in port for the day on their website, which you can backdate. You can probably narrow it down to a couple of ports and find what you need.

Either Coral or Sapphire would be good, but sitting eating breakfast in the Coral's buffet and looking forward through the glass at Alaska's beauty would be my choice. Some might prefer sitting high in Skywalkers on the Sapphire and seeing the sights with a good book and a cocktail. Your preference. Agree on the cruise after the land portion, so southbound. You'll be fed up with bus and train travel. I know it is more up front but do the Connoisseur package for your tours and meals on land.

Need has to be the important issue, which only you can say. Cheap optics are frustrating, good ones are expensive. I bought a good brand at a garage sale used for a sweet price. Maybe you have local ads in print or Craigslist? Buy used and save. Rubber pads on the eyepieces protect from scratching eyeglass lenses. We like nature and looking up shIps we see on Cruisemapper. But I really noticed on this last cruise how different we all are. Most people don't care. Just decide whether it's important enough to buy and pack.

Thank you for posting. Very disappointing. We had interest to sail the Majestic for it's unique food venues. @Cruise Raider Yes, there is an O'Malley's, it is quite a small venue. We could never get in because of the wait. Princess seriously misjudged how popular this would be. Arrive early.

The Sapphire has 5 engines, not two. Four diesels and one gas turbine. All that available power must connect to some sort of transmission, which is what I suspect is the problem. But if you say you know they've been told to run on one, then I have no information to the contrary. There is a lot unexplained here.

We were also on this sailing and will answer. We also stayed on for a B2B the following week and can add info should you ever choose to do the same. Immigration took place back at Ft. Lauderdale. Yes, the first port was at Princess Cay, Bahamas, before PR. For those at terminal debarkation there was no interview. There are several tablets mounted on poles. A facial recognition scan, and that was that. The lines move quite fast. For those of us on a B2B, we got off the ship, all 430 of us, a facial recognition and sat in a waiting room for, maybe half an hour, then reboarded. A week later we disembarked at Ft Lauderdale and just the facial scan. They tell you to have your passport handy in case there's a glitch, but was not needed.

You already gave the salient points here. It's from June of '22 if someone wants to search the threads you started. I too enjoyed your posts and threads. Aside from things you found went wrong, tastes change and Princess is changing in a different direction. Happy you found something that suits your tastes. Never say never, as they say, but I think we too have sailed our last with Princess.

We walked out of 5 Skies and far from alone in doing so. Appeals to the video game generation. I'm sure there are fans, as mentioned above. YMMV. The others acts I don't know. As far as other entertainment on the ship for a 7 and 11 year old. They showed Poor Things in the theater this month (on a port day). Clearly labeled it an R rating on the Event Listings, still JMHO, this movie is not consistent with a company which markets itself to families.

My first cruise was also a 4 nighter with no ports. So, any cruise is a good place to start. I do think a week long is better to start though. There will likely be more in the way of partying than longer cruises. Usually shorter cruises have more kids, but I think school has started by late September. The Grand is getting older, which is OK if it is maintained, but we felt improvement was needed in that department. We were last onboard in '22. You may find most passengers onboard will not be there so much for the 4 night as continuing what is called a Back To Back, or B2B. An Alaska cruise followed by those returning to California. Everything will be open. Consider that those who have bought a package have paid for dining and services would be understandably upset if venues closed. And the crew are onboard getting paid anyway. Princess has changed over the years, if it is not to your tastes, there are other lines. My two cents, buy Princess transfers to the airport if not also booking your flight.. LAX is under construction and a real mess right now. Some will tell you there's a better ways to do it and I agree...for experienced cruisers. If you are new to cruising, make life easy.

There is a website where you can sort by cruise line prices, unfortunately I cannot mention them here because they are a TA. But while prices vary by ship and itinerary, Princess often comes in at US$80-100/pp/night for an inside cabin. An inside on a less expensive Virgin itinerary starts about $150/pp/night inside. If you are interested, I'd spend some time reading the Virgin board here on CC. Especially this thread. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3005702-how-do-virgin-cruises-differ-from-carnival-rcl-etc/

The one thing I learned on this past cruise, this past month, on the Enchanted and which included Belize, was just how different we all are in our tastes and how Princess tries to meet them all to varying degrees. So I cannot recommend a tour to you, don't know your tastes. On the website, you can see what is offered, but be sure to look at the time to travel to the location. The cave tubing mentioned above incurs a lengthy bus ride each way. Agree it sounds like fun! It is a 20 minute or so tender to the dock on catamarans. We nosed around the shops at the dock about a half hour at the dock and returned to the ship. There are 4 docks, be sure you return to the same dock for your return.

What you describe reminds me of the libraries on the old Pacific and Ocean Princess. Also Skywalkers on most Grands during daytime hours. Adequately meeting the need for quiet are Adagio bar on the Gems and Wakeview bar on Diamond and Sapphire. I've found little in the way of quiet spots on the Royal Class ships.

We just returned from the Enchanted, but did not have these cabins. On Rivera deck, you would be below the Seawalk. It has been mentioned on CC that someone walking above can see onto your balcony. Aloha deck is further down. It may not bother you and obviously it doesn't to some, but you ask. Arguing against that is the problem of elevator wait time. On Rivera deck, you are only two decks away from Lido and may choose to take the stairs. On Aloha. Whether up or down to the Promenade deck 7, you'll likely want the elevator. It becomes an annoyance because almost every time you're left waiting. The doors finally open and the elevator is packed. Really frustrating. Between the two, I'd take the Rivera deck and avoid the elevator wait time.

All in what you like, but the Island has a forward facing buffet with full glass for a >180 view. You don't get forward views on Royal Class, like Discovery, unless you're paying for Sanctuary or watch the view ahead on TV. Yes, they did add cabins to the Island since we sailed, but I would still prefer that over any Royal Class ship, if only to cut down on the elevator wait time for which the Royal Class is notorious.

The most often lost, misplaced, damaged part from CPAP machines is the power cord. For most brands, the plug shape is common to many electronic devices. My guess is it was either found, got repaired by an onboard tech, or someone on the ship was able to scrounge one from left behind items like a radio or similar. The son's concern for his dad's well being is admirable.

You are correct. We were among the 430 staying on and bought as a 14 day embarking on the 20th as you did. Just now recovering from jet lag and Mal deDebarquement. Strange, the sea was very calm, maybe it was the rough flight. Catching up reading this thread now as we digitally disconnect when cruising. Thanks for posting, especially your photos of The Catch. It has been interesting to read another cruiser's point of view and experiences. Sorry to read about the flooding.

At risk of running long in answering, Let me say that on the first week, we met and talked with Don, from Don's Family Vacations. His YouTube video review of the Enchanted was shot that week, which you can view. He talks about being authentic talking with people. So, I will be when answering you. We have sailed Celebrity and thought the food was better than Princess. Food was a disappointment compared to previous sailings. Onboard service was, as always with Princess, problem free, staff are well trained and polite. Honestly, we didn't enjoy this cruise as much as others. We blame ourselves for booking a Caribbean itinerary where the deck parties and overall energy were too much. We've cruised enough that we should have anticipated this. Three suggestions. Take the stairs, elevator wait time is annoying. Get to the theater early for a seat. On deck 6, walk through Take Five to avoid smokers in the casino. Enjoy!

Don, you know the one, from his Youtube videos, just reported someone had to go to the naughty room for trying to bring aboard a mini washing machine. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

We disembarked the Enchanted two days ago after two weeks aboard. Another poster had a question about when to book specialty restaurants, so I kept an eye on them when walking past. There was never, that I saw, a full venue at Crown Grill, Sabatini's or The Catch. For that matter, casual dining Gigi's. If my experience hold true for your sailing, you should be able to choose your seating times once aboard by walking up. One casual venue was constantly packed, O'Malley's. You can stand in the Piazza and watch and listen to the Irish music, but always a long line to get in. Since you say you are new, some included things to try are the on deck pizza. New to me was the Prime Burger at Salty Dog Grill. A really good burger included in your fare. World Fresh buffet was repetitious, some hits, some misses.

In our experience using Crew Chat, no one responds. No one comes back with, message received, I've fixed it, I'll ask for you. I feel personal service is one of the things my cruise fare pays for. I just go early or late.

We were there in 2019 and don't remember much, but will try at a few of your questions. 1. No need to rush going over. 3. There is a buffet lunch served midday, burgers. They were late with it. It was hot. People were steamed. Long lines. That I recall well. 4. Fruit punch served on a tap. During lunch. 5. Yes. Well, they didn't have that feature when we were there, but I understand you can now. 12. If that is your dream, I'm happy for you and wish you a great day! The rest, don't know. Watch out for wasps.

Nausea and chemo is an often told story. Sorry you have this to deal with. Call your Oncologist and mention the cruise legal restriction and your developed resistance to what you have been taking, whether diphenhydrinate or diphenhydramine. He or she can recommend an alternative.

It sounds like you are calling the call center. This is not what you want. Most feedback here is they are nearly useless. You're looking to speak with an Ocean Navigator for your App concerns. If you decide Princess is for you. Then in the future, book through a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner (CVP), or a pro TA. That way, if issues come up, they.are your direct liason to the system. For your dining, when aboard, call the Dine Line, a number you can get onboard. You can select your own cabin by number, if available, and choose if you are willing to accept upgrade or not. Unless that cabin catagory is near sold out. I'm sure there are are things to learn for dealing with issues for any cruise line, for first timers.

Agreed! For those new, or those who are now confused after reading. Some passengers book under a cabin guarantee, which means you would not know your muster station until you know your cabin number, which may be assigned at boarding. To know your muster station to a certainty, when you get to your cabin, it is posted on the inside of your cabin door. Be sure.