mtnesterz

The Grand has nothing scheduled after April of '25. Maybe Celestyal Cruises would buy? They've been shopping for a 2K+ passenger ship with balconies. Long time rumor has been that the Caribbean Princess will transfer to P&OAU someday. The ship shows itineraries in August '25, the furthest out Princess shows. That said, Princess has been known to simply sell a ship suddenly and leave thousands upset in their plans. So, better to say, it will happen when it happens.

Interested in the answers. Chat works on wife's Android tablet, not on my (also Android) tablet. Googled for answers, no help. What we do is call the direct line to our CVP for problems/questions.

Just realized this is an old thread. Decision was likely already made.

A smaller ship is generally better in Alaska. Goes for small ports anywhere. Which sailing, you ask? Inside passage or cruise-tour? If a Cruise-Tour, buy the Connoisseur package with the cruise after the land portion. (Meals and tours included and the bus/train travel wears you out, so rest up on the ship.) Yes, extra money, but just do it, you won't regret it. If just the inside passage, an 10 or 11 day RT from any west coast port. There have been sales on these lately, and a 7 day cruise just isn't enough, IMHO.

H.F also sells 25lb hooks. But that would be for one super wet coat! 😄

Does your daughter also have a tendency toward becoming seasick? Frequently, those affected with migranes also feature motion sickness. If this is known, then quiet time in the cabin in an extreme aft, or extreme forward, cabin is no respite, if the seas are rough. Though the Regal is pretty big, the sea can be unpredictable. Lower and centered on the ship minimizes motion sensation. You use the word, "teriffic," to describe her headaches. With that in mind, her provider should know about taking a cruise. There may be recommendations.

So, as I've read elsewhere, a US$39 charge for the restaurant and an additional $30 for lobster? We'll pass. "Opening Gambits?" A term used to mean either an initial risk or a sacrifice for sake of an advantage. Other that trying fugu, I don't want to take risks with seafood. If the appetizer is their sacrifice, what advantage do they want? Perhaps I'm being too literal there.

This 40 second scene from British TV show, Top Gear comes to mind. Yeah, you'll stand out. https://youtu.be/5qjd_SVAnZk

On a cruise excursion, you pay dearly for your time ashore. The money for the excursion and how to spend that very limited time in port. Including spending time riding in a bus or van to get to the location. Wiith such a rich history, there are things I rather do in Skagway But nothing bad or anything.

Buy a set of magnet hooks. Your local Harbor Freight or online. The cabin walls are steel. Magnets are also great for hanging papers you don't want to get mixed up with other things on the desk. I think its $5 for 4, 5# rating.

Found it, @Pat King. Click the link and download Princess Cruise Experience. Go to page 37. https://www.princess.com/brochures/

There is a new publication from Princess that was just emailed to us, perhaps a week ago, from our CVP. It's really to promote the new Sun Princess, but on page 37, I think, it shows a chart comparing features for all the fleet. I forget the title, but I think that is what you are looking for. Or call your CVP and it will be emailed to you. If you like the Sky, good for you. For many reasons, we find smaller is better. The R-Class Pacific, before they sold it, was the best. The Island, before they added cabins, was really nice too.

Our cruises with Celebrity were a few years ago and they've made some susbtantial changes with the newer ships, but you probably will read many here compare Princess with Celebrity with only small preference to tastes. Princess usually has more going on during the daytime seadays than X. We cruised RCL once and never went back, but Elite with Princess. The Western Caribbean offers more what I'll call active excursions. The Eastern side more cultural ones. Haven't cruised out of Galveston, this is new for Princess, but Disney uses the port. If you have questions about that, post them in Port Departures.

Yes, the Crown has Skywalkers, but Scooley01 will be on the Grand, which had Skywalkers removed for balance issues. The substitute One5 bar is nice, but doesn't have the panorama view of Skywalkers, which is nice in Alaska. The Crown has The Salty Dog Gastropub. Grand doesn't, but on balance the Grand carries almost 500 fewer passengers. Agree that just walking around the town is nice for getting the feel of any port, especially Skagway because of it's goldrush history. Bring raingear for Ketchikan where they measure rainfall in feet. The only excursion I suggest not to do is any one in Skagway that involves a stop at Liarsville, what a waste of time, and money.

We have been on the Grand more than any other ship and its a good choice for Alaska. You have a Promenade for viewing and lower passenger count, which is better for ports like Skagway. We were on last March and still very much a capable ship. Welcome to Cruise Critic. If you have questions beyond this, also use the search box above. Your questions have most likely been discussed before. Though it costs more, we always book excursions with the ship because if the vendor's transportation breaks down, the ship will wait for you. If you book on your own, the ship will not wait. I have seen this happen to others twice, over about 20 cruises with different lines. Preparing for the cruise last year, the App was impossible to get through. Maybe it's better now. For your preboarding, use the online version. Online is working fine for our upcoming cruise. Onboard, last year, the app was utterly useless. If this is the case, don't worry, departments can rock-on old school. You got the Premier package, you get specialty dining. Steakhouse or Italian? You choose. Look at the Princess website for recommendations on what to wear, but the nice restaurant analogy is good. On smart casual nights, which are most nights, just don't wear shorts, t-shirt or hat/cap, or look ragged. Something nicer. Formal nights, we dress up because we enjoy it. Most dress for dinner to varying degrees, but a pretty good percentage don't. Up to you. If it's what you're asking, you rarely see tuxedos or dinner jackets anymore. Phone charge? There was a USB port on the nightstand last year on the Grand. No surge protectors.

If you are interested in watching an episode, the show runs 24/7 on one of the channels on the PlutoTV app, or if you have Roku or similar, you can find PlutoTV there. It's corny in today's times and sometimes cringeworthy. Hard to imagine today, but cruising was not a thing the general public considered as a vacation before the show, it became a thing because of it.

I am happy to know this has been changed. Didn't seem right for the working crewmember, nor respectful of the passenger's generosity giving the gift. Thanks for taking time to get back to me.

You might check out the Port Everglades ships in port webpage, so you will know which terminal you will arrive and depart. If you arrive at Princess #2 and depart at RCL #29, that's a long way. Here's the port Everglades transportation page. Nothing about shuttles, but on this site you can also check for which terminal. https://www.porteverglades.net/cruise/transportation/

No, the question is, where is the policy that crewmembers must turn in personal gifts? Asking @wowzz to show a policy that they don't have to turn in gifts is a fool's errand. No. Show us the proof, not a thread, not heresay, that this was, or is a Princess policy. If you can't do that then stop spreading myth. I am not interested in either side, not your opinion, not what you saw somewhere. Just the facts.

This reads like a myth. I would be astounded to learn turning in a personal gift is company policy. If you can show this in a Princess document, not a CC post or heresay, I'd be interested to read it.

Also for @Kay S and @Over from NZ who commented. The problem is that Princess doesn't understand that how we perceive sound changes as we age. (Speaking for myself as I don't know your ages.) Simply adjusting the volume up or down is not the answer. I have written Princess that they should have an audiologist set the equalization for venues based on averages for the demographic. The ability to discern voices from ambient noise is another feature of hearing changes. Notwithstanding sitting on a soaking wet lounge chair to watch a movie, the problem with MUTS is noise of the wind, kids, or a loud drunk. Also consider that MUTS speakers were designed with one thing in mind, survive constant high humidity and other extreme weather conditions. I don't even try to watch/listen to MUTS.

Each must weigh the worth. Simply using math doesn't work was my point. To make my point more succinctly, here's a comment I thought was well put:

If you just look at the math, it overlooks that, in a nutshell, Princess wants to sell you a vacation which visits ports, but the ship becomes the destination for your money. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. If you buy Plus or Premium and you drink and you go ashore. You create a problem for yourself because always in the back of your mind, your drinks are pre-paid for on the ship. So if you go ashore, you don't eat and drink, or shop, as you might when you are, after all, paying to vacation at that port of call. Princess says this exactly on their website: "Cruise Packages: Save on the Things You're Gonna Do Anyway." In other words, spend your money with us. So when you buy Premier, you pre-pay your specialty dining onboard rather than enjoying ashore. You have specialty desserts onboard, instead of those treats you might run into ashore, and so on... Look at the math if you want to, but I think more relevent to ask yourself if the ship is a conveyance to your vacation or is the ship itself your vacation. A package could work for us on a repositioning cruise, a TA or the TP we're on in April. But a port intensive cruise, we'll keep our money and spend it ashore.

For the inside cabins, a corridor runs the length of the ship behind them and work, sawing, hammering, goes on all night. If adjacent, there can be a housekeeping room. They begin clanging and banging in the wee hours. Walkways, stairwells, they are all crew areas. Though the passengers are generally unaware, it's like a hospital, work goes on 24/7.

Well, you didn't want an opinion previously, but now I will now tell you, that experience on the Ruby led us to never go for an inside cabin again. We are not made of money and cruise frugally. But for only a few dollars more, you can go for an Obstructed View, which you can find in the inside section of the website on Grand and Crown Class ships. Maybe Coral? These days, you have to pay a bit extra to select your own cabin, but if you go to cruisedeckplans.com, public section, you can see the window views, so you're not looking at the side of a lifeboat. Have a great cruise!