Help me help friends

[Jamiebearr]

I have a group of friends that will be doing a cruise on the Sapphire to the Mexican Riviera together. They are all in their 20's and 30's and will be going to celebrate one friend's 30th Bday. I am fairly sure that none of them have cruised before,and I won't be able to join them because I can't be away from work that long during the time of year that they are going, so I am trying to help them out and guide them with booking and what to expect. I have written a (fairly long) list of what to expect, bring, etc. I was hoping that if some of you experts have some time you could read it and let me know if there is anything I am missing that they should know before they go. I look forward to your thoughts, and thanks in advance!!

[Jamiebearr]

Things that you should know about your cruise on the Sapphire Princess…

Before you go

You will need to go online to www.Princess.com and agree to the contract and fill out the passenger immigration form within 30 days of sailing. Please read the contract, this will help eliminate any surprises.

Book excursions, can also be done in your cruise personalizer online. You can also pre-book any spa treatments that you might be planning.

Let me know if you have any food allergies or any other medical condition that may require special attention during your cruise when I am booking. ALSO let your waiter know the first night of your cruise, he will let the maitre d know.

Print boarding passes and luggage tags; this will also be done through your personalizer online and within 75 days of sailing. You may wish to put packing tape around your luggage tags to make them stronger, this could help get your luggage to your room quicker.

Call your credit card companies as well as your cell phone provider to let them know that you will be out of the country. This will help avoid having them shut off in an effort to try to protect you from fraud.

 

Bon Voyage Experience

I will be booking this to see you all off. If any of your family or friends would also like to, please let me know. There is a $35 charge, and this includes a 4 course lunch meal, with wine. It also includes a tour of the ship and a photo to take home. The $35 is also able to be applied to a future booking through Princess!!

 

What to bring

Most important for me is an alarm clock. There are no clocks in the rooms, the phones display the time, but I like to look up in the night and see what time it is. Plus, I bring my ihome so I can listen to music while in my room as well.

Passport or original copy of your birth certificate with a valid driver’s license. You cannot get on the boat without this!!! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!!!!

You can bring wine, water and soda on board with you. This does NOT include hard alcohols. Just make sure that you have any bottles in your luggage well wrapped, so that it does not break when the porters are handling your bags.

 

Attire and dining

You will have 2 formal nights and 5 smart casual nights. If you want to eat in the main dining room (and trust me you do!), you must be dressed appropriately for the evening. The maître d has the right to, and I have seen him, turn you away at the door if he does not think your dress is up to snuff.

For gentleman, on formal night you can wear a sports coat and tie. If you want to save packing room, you can also order a tux ahead of time for a fee. You supply them with your measurements and it will be waiting in your room when you get there. On smart casual nights, you can wear a nice shirt and slacks. Technically, you can wear jeans as long as they are not frayed, have no holes and are well fitted, and you may get some looks. No sandals or shorts at dinner.

For the gals, a nice cocktail dress can work on formal nights. Or, some ladies like to dress up a bit more, think winter formal or prom attire. On smart causal night, a sundress can work. Or, same as guys a nice blouse with slacks. Also, same as guys technically, jeans are allowed as long as they are not frayed, have holes and are well fitted. You may also get some looks if you go this route. No flip flops with dinner, however some nice sandals that go with a sundress could be acceptable. Also, no shorts with dinner.

Breakfast and lunch in the main dining room is a bit more causal. Shorts, jeans and sandals are permitted. No bathing suits.

There is a buffet open 24 hours a day, as well as the trident grill and pizzeria open for lunch and dinner by the pool. All forms of attire are acceptable here. There are 2 restaurants that you can pay additional to eat at. Sabatini’s is an Italian restaurant and Sterling Steakhouse, both a very good and both are smart casual every night of the cruise (no jeans).

 

What is included, and what to expect to pay more for, and what to expect in general

Cruising is a cashless experience (except of course the casino, but it can be there too). When you board, you will be given a key card. If it is your first Princess cruise it will be blue, if it’s not than you probably know what color it will be (Gold, Platinum or Black). This will be your room key, as well as the way that you will pay for anything on board. When you want to purchase something, you hand them your card and your purchase will automatically be charged to your shipboard account. For this reason you will need to provide a credit card number before boarding. If you do not have a credit card that is ok too, but you will need to go to the purser’s desk upon boarding and give them a cash deposit that will be used for your account.

Tips. A $10.50 charge will be added to each person’s ship board account each night. It will show up on your bill as “hotel charge”. This tip is how your room stewards, waiters, maître d’s, and many others on board live. There is an option to remove the charge, but please do not. These people work very hard, for not very much pay and this is the money they send back to support their families. If you remove auto-tips and then try to slip someone a $20 for their efforts, they are not allowed to keep it; they must report it and add it to the tipping pool. However, if you have left on your auto-tip they are allowed to keep the reward for their service. They know, trust me. Please consider the auto-tip apart of your cruise cost and leave it on!

There will be a muster drill on your first day, prior to pulling out of port. Princess is not like other lines that take roll, or make you stand outside in the heat or rain by the lifeboats. You will simply grab the life vest that is in your closet, and go to your assigned muster station (casino, Princess Theater, fusion lounge etc). After a brief demonstration, you will be excused. Please go to this, the Coast Guard has made it law that you do. Also, as they will mention, DO NOT blow the whistle that is attached, think of all of the other people before you that have done the muster drill with those same life jackets, ewwww.

All of your meals at the main dining room, buffet, etc is included. The only place you will pay for food on board will be Sabatini’s or Sterling Steakhouse. If you chose to dine in one of these venues I recommend making reservations not too long after you board the ship. Drinks are not included. If you are a soda drinker, you may want to purchase the soda sticker on your first day. It will be about $30 (plus 15% gratuity) and entitle you to unlimited amounts of fountain soda while on board. Alcoholic beverages will vary in cost depending on what you drink, but prices are fairly reasonable, and I think less than many places here in Orange County. A 15% tip will be added to all purchases through the wait staff.

The coffee on Princess is not great (so I hear, I don’t drink coffee). But, there are a couple of places that you can get fresh brewed coffee, this is apparently much better. You can purchase a coffee card during the cruise. This will entitle you to 15 specialty drinks (lattes, mochas, etc) and unlimited fresh brewed coffee. The cost for this is $28, and I gather it is the way to go if you like that stuff.

There will be 2 wine tastings offered during your cruise. The first one has a lot more people, and cost only $9.50, and has mediocre wines. The maître d’s wine club will be later in the cruise and will cost $25 and have much nicer wines (including Opus One).

All excursions will have an additional cost. You can book cruise sponsored excursions though your cruise personalizer online, and have them reserved in advance. These will also be added to your ship board account. I can also help you all find and book private excursions. This will often save you money, but with that comes liability. If you are on an excursion and get delayed getting back to the ship, the ship will wait for you if you are on one of their excursions. If you are on a private excursion they will leave without you and you will have to pay for transportation to meet the ship at the next destination.

Every evening, while you are at dinner, your room steward will come to your room for turn down service. Your bed will be made ready for sleeping, a chocolate left on your pillow. He/she will also leave a Princess Patter outside your door. This will tell you where and when all of the activities on board will occur the next day. As well as information about and ports that you are visiting. I like to read it nightly to figure out my schedule for the next day and to make sure that I am not missing out on anything that I really wanted to do.

Also, the same room steward will come each morning, once you have left your room for the day, and tidy up and make the bed. Princess’ bed’s have a reputation for being a bit hard. If you don’t like hard beds, you may want to ask him/her to add an egg crate to your bed on the first day. He will gladly do this for you.

 

Communication with the outside world…

Your cell phone will work while you are onboard. Turn it off and do not use it!! Call your carrier to be sure, but charges from a ship’s cell phone tower are usually about $5/minute. Data charges are about as much, for those of you with smart phones. It will usually be a couple of dollars less per minute while in Mexico, but still not cheap, if you need to check in while gone, you should do it while on land and not right next to the ship where you could still connect to it’s tower. So, you may want to just let the world know that you will be unreachable for 7 days.

If there is an emergency on land, anyone can reach you by calling (900)329-SHIP, and letting them know that you are on the Sapphire. For this reason, I always email this phone number to my mother before leaving, as well as my room number, so that she knows how to get a hold of me if needed.

There is an internet café on board. You can either pay per minute to use the internet, or purchase a package. I recommend doing this on the first day, as they will often offer a discount or extra minutes with a package if purchased on the first day.

 

When the cruise is coming to an end…

If there is any of the staff that you think did an excellent job, there are 2 things you can do to let them know. First, you can give them an extra tip. Also, there are blue cards at the purser’s desk that you can fill out. This is how promotions are given on board, so if you think someone did a great job, please let Princess know!!

Towards the end of your cruise you will get colored luggage tags. The night before debarkation the patter will let you know what time your color is getting off of the ship. You need to be out of your room no later than 8 am the morning of debarkation. I highly recommend getting up a bit earlier that morning and going to the dining room for breakfast. They serve “James Beard French Toast” that morning, and it is to die for!

Know that debarkation will be slow, and to better help, please stay in your assigned area until your number/color is called.

If you want to know how much you have spent on board at any point, you can always go to the purser’s desk and they will print you out a copy of your folio.

If you enjoyed your cruise at all, and think there may be even a smidgen of a chance that you will want to cruise again in the next 4 years you should purchase a future cruise credit. You do this with the future cruise consultant. You give them $100 now, then when you want to book a cruise later, you use this credit, and do not have to put down the normal 20% deposit, or anything else, until final payment is due. Then, they sweeten that by giving you an on board credit of $25-$100 depending on the length of the cruise and type of room booked. If you don’t cruise within those 4 years, the $100 is fully refundable at any time.

[Liz54]

This should be posted on Cruise Critic Permanantly! You did a great job capturing it all!

[paul929207]

I think you have covered all the essentials

[Jamiebearr]

This should be posted on Cruise Critic Permanantly! You did a great job capturing it all!

 

Thank you, there are some things that are just not covered, or people don't pay attention to in the Cruise Answer Book. And, we all know that most people who don't enjoy their cruises is because of a lack of knowledge of what to expect!

[judyjudy56]

You did a great job. I am sure your friends will have a much smoother cruise because of what you did for them.

[Jamiebearr]

This should be posted on Cruise Critic Permanantly! You did a great job capturing it all!

 

Thank you, there are some things that are just not covered, or people don't pay attention to in the Cruise Answer Book. And, we all know that most people who don't enjoy their cruises is because of a lack of knowledge of what to expect!

[Alessandrina]

Very well written!

You could mention what types of activities are happening onboard - trivias, games, lectures, port shopping, Captain's Welcome and Champagne Waterfall, disco, etc.

Tell them that shampoo, soap, lotion are in the stateroom so they may not want to bring those toiletries.

Also, tell them to pack some pain-relief, vitamins, etc.

 

Cheers.

[Jamiebearr]

Very well written!

You could mention what types of activities are happening onboard - trivias, games, lectures, port shopping, Captain's Welcome and Champagne Waterfall, disco, etc.

Tell them that shampoo, soap, lotion are in the stateroom so they may not want to bring those toiletries.

Also, tell them to pack some pain-relief, vitamins, etc.

 

Cheers.

 

Thank you, I forgot that I always bring half my medicine cabinet! Activities to expect will also help!

[Alessandrina]

You are welcome!

Also mention the opportunity for some nice Formal or Casual portraits (many backgrounds to choose from and no obligation to purchase).

[mississauga]

Jamiebbear, you have make a fantastic list for your friends. Hope they appreciate it.

 

Hope you don't mind but there is a little discrepancy in the cost of the Bon Voyage Experience. I believe it's $39pp.

 

Bon Voyage Experience

I will be booking this to see you all off. If any of your family or friends would also like to, please let me know. There is a $35 charge, and this includes a 4 course lunch meal, with wine. It also includes a tour of the ship and a photo to take home. The $35 is also able to be applied to a future booking through Princess!!

[JSWalk]

You did a great job for your freinds.:D I am going to print it for my cousin and his wife for our upcoming cruise. The only additional things I could think of to tell them is about the room service being free and the card you get on your bed if you want something delivered in th morning. Also that they will need to pack and have all non carry on luggage put out the night before disembarkation. Be sure to remind them to keep something to wear the next morning. No one wants to get off the ship in those bathrobes they provide.:eek:

[cb at sea]

Don't go "overboard" with helping them.....a cruise isn't a mystery! Let them discover the pleasures of cruising on their own!

[caribill]

Things that you should know about your cruise on the Sapphire Princess…

Before you go

You will need to go online to www.Princess.com and agree to the contract and fill out the passenger immigration form within 30 days of sailing. You can do this as soon as your booking has been made. Complete it no later than 7 days before sailing.

Please read the contract, this will help eliminate any surprises.

Book excursions, can also be done in your cruise personalizer online. Highly recommened to do this if you want Princess excursions. The popular ones will be sold out by the time you get onboard. You do not have to pay for the excursions until you the cruise is over. You can change your mind and cancel at no cost before the cruise on even on the cruise by the deadline posted onboard for each port

You can also pre-book any spa treatments that you might be planning.

Let me know if you have any food allergies or any other medical condition that may require special attention during your cruise when I am booking. ALSO let your waiter know the first night of your cruise, he will let the maitre d know. Actually, you should tell the Matre 'd or headwaiter. You should also inform your waiter and assistant waiter, but they cannot help you get the meals to fit your needs as the headwaiter can.

Print boarding passes and luggage tags; this will also be done through your personalizer online and within 75 days of sailing. You may wish to put packing tape around your luggage tags to make them stronger, this could help get your luggage to your room quicker.

Call your credit card companies as well as your cell phone provider to let them know that you will be out of the country. This will help avoid having them shut off in an effort to try to protect you from fraud.

 

Bon Voyage Experience

I will be booking this to see you all off. If any of your family or friends would also like to, please let me know. There is a $35 charge, and this includes a 4 course lunch meal, with wine. It also includes a tour of the ship and a photo to take home. The $35 is also able to be applied to a future booking through Princess!!

 

What to bring

Most important for me is an alarm clock. There are no clocks in the rooms, the phones display the time, but I like to look up in the night and see what time it is. You can schedule wake up calls using the telephone. If you do bring a clock, bring a battery operated one. Eletric ones may not keep correct time due to variations in the ship's eletrical current.

Plus, I bring my ihome so I can listen to music while in my room as well.

Passport or original copy of your birth certificate with a valid driver’s license. You cannot get on the boat without this!!! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!!!!

You can bring wine, water and soda on board with you. This does NOT include hard alcohols. Just make sure that you have any bottles in your luggage well wrapped, so that it does not break when the porters are handling your bags.

 

Attire and dining

You will have 2 formal nights and 5 smart casual nights. If you want to eat in the main dining room (and trust me you do!), you must be dressed appropriately for the evening. The maître d has the right to, and I have seen him, turn you away at the door if he does not think your dress is up to snuff.

For gentleman, on formal night you can wear a sports coat and tie. If you want to save packing room, you can also order a tux ahead of time for a fee. You supply them with your measurements and it will be waiting in your room when you get there. On smart casual nights, you can wear a nice shirt and slacks. Technically, you can wear jeans as long as they are not frayed, have no holes and are well fitted, and you may get some looks. No sandals or shorts at dinner.

For the gals, a nice cocktail dress can work on formal nights. Or, some ladies like to dress up a bit more, think winter formal or prom attire. On smart causal night, a sundress can work. Or, same as guys a nice blouse with slacks. Also, same as guys technically, jeans are allowed as long as they are not frayed, have holes and are well fitted. You may also get some looks if you go this route. No flip flops with dinner, however some nice sandals that go with a sundress could be acceptable. Also, no shorts with dinner.

Breakfast and lunch in the main dining room is a bit more causal. Shorts, jeans and sandals are permitted. No bathing suits.

There is a buffet open 24 hours a day, as well as the trident grill and pizzeria open for lunch and dinner by the pool. All forms of attire are acceptable here. There are 2 restaurants that you can pay additional to eat at. Sabatini’s is an Italian restaurant and Sterling Steakhouse, both a very good and both are smart casual every night of the cruise (no jeans).

 

What is included, and what to expect to pay more for, and what to expect in general

Cruising is a cashless experience (except of course the casino, but it can be there too). When you board, you will be given a key card. If it is your first Princess cruise it will be blue, if it’s not than you probably know what color it will be (Gold, Platinum or Black). This will be your room key, as well as the way that you will pay for anything on board. When you want to purchase something, you hand them your card and your purchase will automatically be charged to your shipboard account. For this reason you will need to provide a credit card number before boarding. If you do not have a credit card that is ok too, but you will need to go to the purser’s desk upon boarding and give them a cash deposit that will be used for your account.

Tips. A $10.50 charge will be added to each person’s ship board account each night. It will show up on your bill as “hotel charge”. This tip is how your room stewards, waiters, maître d’s, and many others on board live. There is an option to remove the charge, but please do not. These people work very hard, for not very much pay and this is the money they send back to support their families. If you remove auto-tips and then try to slip someone a $20 for their efforts, they are not allowed to keep it; they must report it and add it to the tipping pool. However, if you have left on your auto-tip they are allowed to keep the reward for their service. They know, trust me. Please consider the auto-tip apart of your cruise cost and leave it on!

There will be a muster drill on your first day, prior to pulling out of port. Princess is not like other lines that take roll, or make you stand outside in the heat or rain by the lifeboats. You will simply grab the life vest that is in your closet, and go to your assigned muster station (casino, Princess Theater, fusion lounge etc). After a brief demonstration, you will be excused. Please go to this, the Coast Guard has made it law that you do. Also, as they will mention, DO NOT blow the whistle that is attached, think of all of the other people before you that have done the muster drill with those same life jackets, ewwww.

All of your meals at the main dining room, buffet, etc is included. The only place you will pay for food on board will be Sabatini’s or Sterling Steakhouse. If you chose to dine in one of these venues I recommend making reservations not too long after you board the ship. Drinks are not included. If you are a soda drinker, you may want to purchase the soda sticker on your first day. It will be about $30 (plus 15% gratuity) and entitle you to unlimited amounts of fountain soda while on board. Alcoholic beverages will vary in cost depending on what you drink, but prices are fairly reasonable, and I think less than many places here in Orange County. A 15% tip will be added to all purchases through the wait staff. There is room service available 24 hours a day (but not on the morning the cruise ends). The room service menu will be in the cabin. Most of the food is at no charge. Pizza has a $3 delivery charge. Party platters and special items such as chocolate covered strawberries have a charge. The menu is limited and you cannot order dining room food via room service unless you are in a full suite.

The coffee on Princess is not great (so I hear, I don’t drink coffee). But, there are a couple of places that you can get fresh brewed coffee, this is apparently much better. You can purchase a coffee card during the cruise. This will entitle you to 15 specialty drinks (lattes, mochas, etc) and unlimited fresh brewed coffee. The cost for this is $28, and I gather it is the way to go if you like that stuff.

There will be 2 wine tastings offered during your cruise. The first one has a lot more people, and cost only $9.50, and has mediocre wines. The maître d’s wine club will be later in the cruise and will cost $25 and have much nicer wines (including Opus One).

All excursions will have an additional cost. You can book cruise sponsored excursions though your cruise personalizer online, and have them reserved in advance. These will also be added to your ship board account. I can also help you all find and book private excursions. This will often save you money, but with that comes liability. If you are on an excursion and get delayed getting back to the ship, the ship will wait for you if you are on one of their excursions. If you are on a private excursion they will leave without you and you will have to pay for transportation to meet the ship at the next destination.

Every evening, while you are at dinner, your room steward will come to your room for turn down service. Your bed will be made ready for sleeping, a chocolate left on your pillow. He/she will also leave a Princess Patter outside your door. This will tell you where and when all of the activities on board will occur the next day. As well as information about and ports that you are visiting. I like to read it nightly to figure out my schedule for the next day and to make sure that I am not missing out on anything that I really wanted to do.

Also, the same room steward will come each morning, once you have left your room for the day, and tidy up and make the bed. Princess’ bed’s have a reputation for being a bit hard. If you don’t like hard beds, you may want to ask him/her to add an egg crate to your bed on the first day. He will gladly do this for you.

 

Communication with the outside world…

Your cell phone will work while you are onboard. Turn it off and do not use it!! Call your carrier to be sure, but charges from a ship’s cell phone tower are usually about $5/minute. Data charges are about as much, for those of you with smart phones. It will usually be a couple of dollars less per minute while in Mexico, but still not cheap, if you need to check in while gone, you should do it while on land and not right next to the ship where you could still connect to it’s tower. So, you may want to just let the world know that you will be unreachable for 7 days.

If there is an emergency on land, anyone can reach you by calling (900)329-SHIP, and letting them know that you are on the Sapphire. For this reason, I always email this phone number to my mother before leaving, as well as my room number, so that she knows how to get a hold of me if needed.

There is an internet café on board. You can either pay per minute to use the internet, or purchase a package. I recommend doing this on the first day, as they will often offer a discount or extra minutes with a package if purchased on the first day.

 

When the cruise is coming to an end…

If there is any of the staff that you think did an excellent job, there are 2 things you can do to let them know. First, you can give them an extra tip. Also, there are blue cards ("You made the difference" cards) at the purser’s desk that you can fill out. This is how promotions are given on board, so if you think someone did a great job, please let Princess know!! Give the cards to the Purser's desk even if it says something else on the card.

Towards the end of your cruise you will get colored luggage tags. The night before debarkation the patter will let you know what time your color is getting off of the ship. You need to be out of your room no later than 8 am the morning of debarkation. I highly recommend getting up a bit earlier that morning and going to the dining room for breakfast. They serve “James Beard French Toast” that morning, and it is to die for!

Know that debarkation will be slow, and to better help, please stay in your assigned area until your number/color is called. Princess now has "silent" disembarkation. You will have a sheet that tells where you should report at what time for each of the color loggage tags. No shipwide announcement is made when it is actually time for your color to leave the ship.

If you want to know how much you have spent on board at any point, you can always go to the purser’s desk and they will print you out a copy of your folio. This is recommended to do a day or so before the end of the cruise to be sure that the charges are accurate.

If you enjoyed your cruise at all, and think there may be even a smidgen of a chance that you will want to cruise again in the next 4 years you should purchase a future cruise credit. You do this with the future cruise consultant. You give them $100 now, then when you want to book a cruise later, you use this credit, and do not have to put down the normal 20% deposit, or anything else, until final payment is due. Then, they sweeten that by giving you an on board credit of $25-$100 depending on the length of the cruise and type of room booked. If you don’t cruise within those 4 years, the $100 is fully refundable at any time.

 

Also, Princess has self-service laundry rooms ($1 to $1.50 each for washer and for dryer) on most of the decks with passenger cabins. There is also a no-charge iron and ironing board there. Irons are not allowed to be brought aboard by passengers.

[flintg]

Great information! I would suggest they obtain vacation insurance! Even though they are young and in good health things happen! Far better to have it and not need it then the other way around!

[Minoushka]

PACK WARM JOGGING outfits .We went in March .It was VERY COOL outdoors so be prepared ..not bathing suit weather ...sun was shining but it was COLd until Puerto Vallarta on ship In towns cimffy not overly warm

I found ocean ICE COLD

 

Bon Voyage

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Also, Princess has self-service laundry rooms ($1 to $1.50 each for washer and for dryer) on most of the decks with passenger cabins. There is also a no-charge iron and ironing board there. Irons are not allowed to be brought aboard by passengers.

 

 

Is this on all ships?? We are going on Ocean Princess.

[flamomo]

"Book excursions, can also be done in your cruise personalizer online. Highly recommened to do this if you want Princess excursions. The popular ones will be sold out by the time you get onboard. You do not have to pay for the excursions until you the cruise is over. You can change your mind and cancel at no cost before the cruise on even on the cruise by the deadline posted onboard for each port"

Additionally, if ship's excursions are prereserved, the cost is discounted by 5%. Not a huge amount, of course, but it's a few more dollars available for the bar bill or other onboard spending.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

"Book excursions, can also be done in your cruise personalizer online. Highly recommened to do this if you want Princess excursions. The popular ones will be sold out by the time you get onboard. You do not have to pay for the excursions until you the cruise is over. You can change your mind and cancel at no cost before the cruise on even on the cruise by the deadline posted onboard for each port"

Additionally, if ship's excursions are prereserved, the cost is discounted by 5%. Not a huge amount, of course, but it's a few more dollars available for the bar bill or other onboard spending.

 

 

So, If I reserve online now, we wont get charged right away?

[laraja]

Great info Jamiebbear!

 

Just a few extra comments about disembarkation. The only thing that took me by surprise on my first cruise was turning over my luggage the night before the cruise ended. I usually didn't use a carry-on when travelling (I hate lugging "stuff") but luckily I had one with me on that trip. You mentioned Orange County so I'm assuming that none of them will be flying to get home. If any are, for an extra $20 Princess will whisk their luggage from the ship to the airport...no need to claim it at the terminal. And if they can handle their luggage without help, they can self-disembark and be among the first ones off the ship.

 

And last of all, the advice I give any first time cruisers...fill them in on the life of a crew member. These people work like dogs and sadly are often treated like servants. Treat the crew well!!

 

Sorry you can't go with them. It would be killing me if I were in the same position.

 

Judy

[laraja]

Oops! I almost forgot!:eek:

 

Get them to CC and have them join the roll call for their cruise!

 

Okay, now I'm done.

 

Judy

[Jamiebearr]

Thank you for all of the great suggestions, I knew you would all be able to add something!!

 

 

Great info Jamiebbear!

 

Sorry you can't go with them. It would be killing me if I were in the same position.

 

Judy

 

It is really killing me, but I am in sales and they are going at our busiest time of year, and I just can't take the time. At least I get to help them plan, I enjoy that too!! Plus I can put them all in as referrals on the princess site, and get them an additional $25 off, as well as $25 for each of them off of my next cruise;)

[caribill]

Is this on all ships?? We are going on Ocean Princess.

 

Only one laundry room on the Coean Princess. It is on deck 7.

[caribill]

Great info Jamiebbear!

 

The only thing that took me by surprise on my first cruise was turning over my luggage the night before the cruise ended.

 

Good point. They should bring a small overnight case to use for all the items they will not be able to pack until the morning they disembark.