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Live From The Caribbean Princess - July 2 to 11

AlaskaGolden

By AlaskaGolden,
in Princess Cruises

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AlaskaGolden

AlaskaGolden

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Since I've enjoyed so many live threads over the years from other Cruise Critic members, I thought I'd do a live thread this time for our cruise which starts tomorrow. Yes, a day early, but if tomorrow is anything like other first days of a cruise, we'll be way too busy to start the live thread.

 

I'll be traveling with a good friend, Joe, on this trip. This is my first cruise traveling without at least one family member. No one in the family was interested in this itinerary, so I recruited a friend to join me. This is Joe's first cruise, and my 5th cruise (4 with Princess, 1 with Celebrity). We're both single and in our late 40's.

 

We're in a balcony cabin C324 on the Caribe (Deck 10). I'm looking forward to the extra large balcony. On the other hand, this will be my first Princess cruise in anything less than a mini-suite! I'm already have "suite withdrawals". :eek:

 

Our driver to the port and mutual friend, Alex, is doing the Bon Voyage Experience. Therefore, we plan to board the ship around 10:30 to 11 AM tomorrow. Lunch in the Dining Room (with the included wine for Alex), then the included Ship Tour. We plan to sign-up for the cruise-long Sanctuary pass immediately upon boarding in addition to the Ultimate Ship Tour. (All these things should give me something to write about!) :)

 

Here's our day-by-day itinerary and our booked, Princess excursions:

Friday, July 2 – New York City (Brooklyn) – Embarkation 10:30 AM – Bon Voyage Experience

Saturday, July 3 – At Sea

Sunday, July 4 – Bermuda – 9 Beaches Cruise & Beach Break

Monday, July 5 – At Sea

Tuesday, July 6 – San Juan, Puerto Rico – Old & New San Juan

Wednesday, July 7 – St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands – Ultimate Island Experience (aka Blackbeard's Castle & Magens Bay)

Thursday, July 8 – Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos – Discover Grand Turk & Governor's Beach

Friday, July 9 – At Sea

Saturday, July 10 – At Sea

Sunday, July 11 – New York City (Brooklyn) – Disembarkation 8:30 AM – Transfer to Airport (we're being picked-up there instead of the ship).

 

We've pre-ordered the Champagne Balcony Breakfast and 310 Internet minutes. (Can you tell I'm a planner? :D ).

 

Any questions, I'll try to answer as time permits. Most likely will post in the mornings before the days get too busy, and while the internet wi-fi isn't too slow.

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njdevil08

njdevil08

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We'll be going on her in less than two months (wow! can hardly wait), albeit a different itinerary, but still, looking to learn everything we can about the ship. If possible, post tips, hints, secrets, etc. We can't wait! Enjoy your cruise!

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cdngrl

cdngrl

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I want to know too! :)

 

its when you can bring someone aboard to show them the ship, have lunch and see you off.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1074

 

my niece came aboard the very first time it was available on the sapphire in march of this year.

 

todd, have a great time, i look forward to reading about your trip. my first trip to the caribbean is coming up in october. i'm going to mostly different ports, but will relish reading about the ports we have in common.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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News Article

 

 

2/11/2010

 

 

Princess Revives Nostalgic Cruising Tradition with New Bon Voyage Experience

Passengers Can Once Again Invite Friends and Family Aboard Ship On Embarkation Day

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (February 11, 2010) -- Reviving a signature tradition from the early days of cruising, Princess Cruises is debuting an innovative, new program giving passengers the opportunity to invite their friends and family aboard their ship on embarkation day to wish them "bon voyage" and get a taste of the onboard experience.

Called the "Bon Voyage ExperienceSM," the program is a new twist on the departure celebration of bygone days, when friends and family would routinely come aboard to see off passengers. Because of increasingly tighter security procedures, this practice disappeared more than two decades ago, but it's now back -- complete with lunch in the dining room and tour of the ship.

Unique in the cruise industry, the Bon Voyage Experience enables passengers to extend an invitation to their guests to join them onboard during sailing day for a four-course dining room lunch with wine, a ship tour and even a souvenir photo. Passengers and their guests can enjoy priority embarkation and will be able to spend approximately four hours together on the ship before it sets sail. The cost for the program is $39 per person, which can be applied toward a future Princess cruise.

The program will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, and then roll out to New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

"Long-time cruisers will recall the fun of the bon voyage send-off with their family and friends, and we're excited to re-introduce a new, modern version of this experience," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president.

Cruise passengers will be notified about the program through the pre-cruise emails they receive from Princess as their cruise date approaches. In-port guests can be booked through a travel agent or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, beginning 120 days before the cruise and up to six days before the sailing date. Once registered, guests will be able to input their required security information through the line's Cruise Personalizer.

The number of guests who will be able to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day will be approximately 50.

The roll-out schedule for the launch of the Bon Voyage Experience is: Sapphire Princess -- March 6 in Los Angeles

Crown Princess -- March 6 in Fort Lauderdale

Coral Princess -- March 7 in Los Angeles

Emerald Princess -- March 7 in Fort Lauderdale

Island Princess -- March 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Ruby Princess -- March 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Golden Princess -- March 14 in Los Angeles

Royal Princess -- March 27 in Fort Lauderdale

Star Princess -- April 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Caribbean Princess -- May 18 in New York

Sea Princess -- June 1 in San Francisco

During the Alaska season, Sapphire Princess, Golden Princess and Royal Princess will offer the program in Seattle, beginning in May.

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rdsqrl

rdsqrl

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Oh, goody, I love warm weather Lives! Pam's from Alaska and Donah's from Iceland have chilled me to the bone -- I really look forward to hearing about beaches instead of fjords and fog! Hope your friend Alex has a blast touring the ship tomorrow; has he ever cruised before? If not, it'll be fun to hear his impressions. Have a safe drive to the port tomorrow.

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nmuzik2

nmuzik2

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Please post as much info as you can. We are on the ship in just over two weeks - the July 20th sailing. I would love to hear what you like and don't like...and more details about how the itinerary plays out. I am excited to get to Bermuda, so would love to hear what you think.

 

Have a great time!

 

Michael

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AnnArborJC

AnnArborJC

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How nice of you to post live! We were on the 5/27 CB sailing - same itinerary and had a GREAT time (in spite of the less than stellar weather). We did the UST and it was great - our time on the bridge was very minimal as a heavy blanket of fog rolled in just as we arrived :-( Missing the ship, her wonderful crew, the fun times and will enjoy being there in spirit with you as you travel - Cheers!

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KrazyKs

KrazyKs

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Thank you, looking forward to reading your live updates. We are on the July 29th sailing. I will be interested to see how your A/C works. I have heard so many negative comments about the A/C I am really nervous. My husband does not like it hot. Safe sailing!!

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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Thank you' date=' looking forward to reading your live updates. We are on the July 29th sailing. I will be interested to see how your A/C works. I have heard so many negative comments about the A/C I am really nervous. My husband does not like it hot. Safe sailing!![/quote']

 

We're on the July 29 sailing as well, and share your concern about the A/C.

 

OP: Buon Viaggio, and I look forward to your "live" report!

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Jennygirl

Jennygirl

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So happy somebody is doing this live thread! It'll be nice following the trip of "two hot and sexy guys" (from Saturday Night Live - Steve Martin/Dan Ackroyd - LoL) (I'm dating myself - HA!)

 

I'm happy to see my fellow cc pals from our July 29th roll call will be following you too!

It makes it sooo much more fun in anticipation. One of my friends in on this ship also but she doesnt use CC.

 

Can't wait to read you when you post. It's 11AM in NY right now so I am assuming you are at the pier getting ready to enjoy your next 9 days.

 

Thanks you!!!!!

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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Could you please report eactly what time the ship pulls away from the pier in Brooklyn? The last two cruises had a delayed sailaway by more than an hour. I heard that the first time, the Captain waited for a Princess transfer bus that was delayed. The second time (June 23), I was at the park under the Verrazzano Bridge, and the ship didn't leave the port until 6:45-ish, and didn't readh the bridge until about 7:15.

 

It matters because those of us with early traditional dining will be at dinner during sailaway if it is delayed like this.

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caribill

caribill

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It matters because those of us with early traditional dining will be at dinner during sailaway if it is delayed like this.

 

You cannot predict in advance if there will be a problem that will delay the leaving from the port.

 

If there are no problems, it will leave as scheduled.

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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You cannot predict in advance if there will be a problem that will delay the leaving from the port.

 

If there are no problems, it will leave as scheduled.

 

Obviously, it cannot be predicted, but some of us actually enjoy keeping stats on things like this.

 

Since the CB has been up in NY, sailaway has been delayed quite a few times, sometimes by a few minutes and sometimes by a few hours.

 

It's interesting to see if it's habitual or just a few isolated unexpected delays.

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