First Time Cruiser on Crown Princess-Help

[Ottermom]

We've only sailed on one other cruise-Disney. So this is our second cruise. We're doing an 11 day, Alaska land and see tour, going south. I could really use all your tips and knowledge on what I should know. Anything you learned or discovered would be a great help to me. After reading all threads here, I come up with more questions than answers. LOL For example, how soon do we book our specialty dinner night? When and where do we arrange a drink package? Can we really bring on our own water and soda? If we bring on wine, can we take that bottle to dinner? Is there an uncorking charge? What about mystery charges? Is the Sanctuary worth it? Is there a charge for room service? You get the picture. LOL Thanks so much!:)

[Liz54]

We've only sailed on one other cruise-Disney. So this is our second cruise. We're doing an 11 day, Alaska land and see tour, going south. I could really use all your tips and knowledge on what I should know. Anything you learned or discovered would be a great help to me. After reading all threads here, I come up with more questions than answers. LOL For example, how soon do we book our specialty dinner night? When and where do we arrange a drink package? Drink Packages are available from staff all over the ship following boarding.Can we really bring on our own water and soda?Yes, but the tap water is perfectly fine. If we bring on wine, can we take that bottle to dinner? You can bring on 1 bottle per person for in cabin consumption, others will be charged $15 corkage. They then put a sticker on them. These can be brought to the dining room. You only pay corkage once. If you bring one from the 2 free, they will charge $15 in the dining room.Is there an uncorking charge? What about mystery charges?None that I know of. Just daily tips. Is the Sanctuary worth it? We loved it on a recent Caribbean Cruise, but they have upped the price. Not sure I would do it in Alaska.Is there a charge for room service? There is a basic room service menu at no charge. Most people tip a few bucks. There are also some room service items at extra cost - canapés etc. If you order pizza from room service they bring a whole one and there is a $3.00 charge, BUT you can pick up a piece or two from the pizza place and bring to your room. You can also take food from the International Café and the Buffet to your roomat no charge.You get the picture. LOL Thanks so much!:)

 

 

See comments in red!

[1aCruise4wks]

Some help...

We were on the Crown Princess last November. Hopefully, you have a balcony cabin - that provides a good spot to view all the scenic cruising. The Crown does have a walk-around deck but it only has chairs, not steamer chairs. And it only has a few of them. The back deck is a good spot to watch the scenery go by. The upper decks have the tinted glass railings which obstruct your view (unless you're standing up at the railing). If you're looking for an indoor place to hang out for scenic viewing, you could try Skywalkers Lounge (the disco). The bar isn't open during the day but you can go there and hang out. By specialty dinner, I assume you mean the premium restaurant. You should make any reservations for that restaurant as soon as you get on board - especially if you have a specific night in mind. When we were on the Crown in November, the only "drink" package they offered was the Soda Card which you could buy from any bar waiter. We were on the Sapphire Princess last month and they offered a all-inclusive drink package. There was a flyer explaining the package in our cabin when we boarded and it told how to arrange for it. It seemed pretty expensive to me but it all depends on how much you normally drink. I'm sure that there are whole threads on this forum devoted to the drink package. I'm not sure about bringing soda and water on board - I've never done that. You can bring a limited amount of wine on board and you can take that bottle to dinner. There is a corkage fee - I think it is $10. I don't know what you mean about "mystery charges". I've never had any charges on my shipboard account that I wasn't aware of or didn't authorize. If you are referring to the gratuities, they are $11.50 per person per day added to your account. The Sanctuary is place to be pampered - you have a nice comfy, reserved lounge with dedicated service. Whether it's worth it or not is each persons decision. Every time I've gone by one, it is never crowded but some people would love that aspect. Personally, I enjoy being with the crowd - people-watching is one of my favorite past-times. Sometimes when we can't find any lounge chairs in a decent location, we've talked about going to the Sanctuary but, thus far, we've never done it. There is no charge for room service but I always tip the room service waiter. Not sure what else to tell you. We've never been on Disney so I can't say how it compares to Princess. Any other questions, fire away.

[Gunner22aa]

how soon do we book our specialty dinner night?

Call the dine line when you get onboard and they will take your reservation then. You can't book before boarding

 

When and where do we arrange a drink package?

If it's a none alcoholic package you can book online prior to the trip. Currently alcoholic ones must be booked onboard. You will see them sold all over the ship day one. $49 + 15% gratuity/person/day

Can we really bring on our own water and soda?

Yes. You can also put a baggage tag on a case and it will be delivered to your room

If we bring on wine, can we take that bottle to dinner?

Each person 21 yrs of age or older can bring one 750ml bottle of wine on board for consumption in the room only. You will pay a $15/bottle corkage fee to bring it to the dining room. You can actually bring as many bottles of wine as you want but over the limit of one per person you will be charged the $15 corkage fee. These bottles will be marked and can be consumed anywhere on the ship

Is the Sanctuary worth it?

This is a personal thing. We always have a suite with a large private balcony and comfortable furnature so for us it would be a waste of money.

Is there a charge for room service?

No charge for room service except the made to order pizza which is three bucks. It is however customary to tip the waiter a couple of bucks. The room service menu is limited in what it offers unless you are staying in a full suite.

[skynight]

We've only sailed on one other cruise-Disney. So this is our second cruise. We're doing an 11 day, Alaska land and see tour, going south. I could really use all your tips and knowledge on what I should know. Anything you learned or discovered would be a great help to me. After reading all threads here, I come up with more questions than answers. LOL For example, how soon do we book our specialty dinner night? When and where do we arrange a drink package? Can we really bring on our own water and soda? If we bring on wine, can we take that bottle to dinner? Is there an uncorking charge? What about mystery charges? Is the Sanctuary worth it? Is there a charge for room service? You get the picture. LOL Thanks so much!:)

 

Specialty Dinning can only be booked on board. You can make a reservation the day you board if you like. There will be a person at the entrance to the Crown Grill, Sabatini's and one of the DR's where you can arrange it. You can also call the dine line the next day or any day.

Yes, as of today you can bring on your own water and soda. However, water from the ship's tap is just as good as filtered bottled water. Just bring a water bottle. You can keep water cold in your cabin fridge where there is also ice.

Sanctuary, $20/half day, $40/full day, $30/day if you book the entire week. I would not book it in Alaska. The cruise isn't a lounge around in the warm sun type of cruise, it's sightseeing.

Wine, 1 750ml bottle/pp over 21 can be carried on free of charge for consumption in your cabin. Additional bottles are charged a $15 corkage charge when you board. These bottles are so marked and can be used anywhere on the ship. No spirits or beer can be brought on board.

No charge for Room Service, except $3 for a full pizza which you can obtain on the Lido deck for free, and items that normally have a charge like beer, alcohol. It is customary to provide a tip. Room Service menu is not the full DR menu unless you are in a full suite.

There will be a $11.50pp/per day hotel charge (autotip) charged to your on board account. The amount is $12 for full suites and mini suites. This covers all the tipping for the staff that serves you. However we always provide an extra cash tip to our room steward and to our DR waiters if we have traditional fixed seat dining.

Since you have a land tour read carefully what is included. While some of the land tours do include some meals, many don't and meals in Alaska are expensive. Also, remember you will have various guides/drivers on your land tour which will expect tips.

[Psychedout]

Have a great cruise, we sailed Alaska 2 times and loved it, we will go back again :D

 

Hugh :cool:

[cruiserdru]

You might also find it helpful to go to princess.com and go into your personalizer. There is a section called documents and there will be pdf files with lots of info. One is called the cruise answer book and another is about land tours. Both have all kinds of good info.

 

The attachment is a summary from a CC member's land trip and I found it very helpful for understanding the ins and outs of a land tour and the lodges. It is much more specific about things than the Princess files.

 

When will you be on the Crown? We are going on a cruisetour that begins on 6/10 in Anchorage and then sails south from Whittier on 6/14.

Tour details.pdf

[Ottermom]

Thank you so much. This information has been very helpful! We start our tour on May 13th, getting on the ship on the 17th. We do have a balcony and after reading everything, I'm glad we went that way.

[msmoger]

Enjoy your balcony but be sure to be out on deck when you're cruising Glacier Bay!! It's an incredible experience. Technically you'll see everything from your balcony because the Captain will turn the ship to give both side the same view. However, there's nothing like being at the bow on the Promenade Deck (Deck 7, but it's actually Deck 8 at the bow since you'll have to go up a flight of stairs to get there). Plus you'll be able to hear the narration. Dress warm and enjoy!!

[clmom]

Thank you so much. This information has been very helpful! We start our tour on May 13th, getting on the ship on the 17th. We do have a balcony and after reading everything, I'm glad we went that way.

It will be chilly and some rain for your cruise in May. We cruised Alaska a few years ago at about the same time. Don't forget gloves/mittens, scarf, hat and rain gear. I see you are from Philadelphia so you know about winter cold! I found light layers allowed me the most freedom.

There are booths all over the pier at every port offering tours if you don't want to do a ship's tour.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We've only sailed on one other cruise-Disney. So this is our second cruise. We're doing an 11 day, Alaska land and see tour, going south. I could really use all your tips and knowledge on what I should know. Anything you learned or discovered would be a great help to me. After reading all threads here, I come up with more questions than answers. LOL For example, how soon do we book our specialty dinner night? When and where do we arrange a drink package? Can we really bring on our own water and soda? If we bring on wine, can we take that bottle to dinner? Is there an uncorking charge? What about mystery charges? Is the Sanctuary worth it? Is there a charge for room service? You get the picture. LOL Thanks so much!:)

 

As somebody above suggested, go on Princess.com and read the Cruise Answer Book which will answer many questions that you may have. Even when repeating the same ship/itinerary (our last three cruises were the Hawaiian one and the last two were on the Golden), we always re-read this as well as check out the various features for the specific ship.

 

As for specialty restaurants, odds are there will be available slots. On every cruise we've taken since the cover charge restaurants started, the head waiter has come around to our table at least once during our cruise and ask if he could make ressies for anyone. We were gifted with a complimentary Sabatinis dinner on our last cruise, and the head waiter said the next night was open. So unless there's a special night (Valentine's Day) or your cruise just happens to have many who want to eat there...you should be able to get in if you're flexible about when.

 

We do bring on sodas (I don't care for Coke products) in a plastic case -- Dew, Sierra Mist, Sobe, Dr. Pepper -- with a luggage tag pasted on. No problem when hubby gives it to the porter with a tip.

 

Once you've paid your fare (including taxes, port fees), the only other charge for sure is the auto-gratuities that will placed nighty on your folio as a "hotel" fee. Easy peasy. You can decide later on in the cruise if you want to give tips above that to your cabin steward and waitstaff. It's standard to give a tip for room service (we haven't had room service on our Princess cruises but as others have said, it's a limited menu unless you are in a suite; you'll get a door tag if you want to order breakfast thru room service). If you have kids, and they utilize the kids' program, you might want to tip the staff. Bar orders get a tip automatically on them.

 

Just about anything else is optional -- specialty restaurants, alcoholic and soft drinks, casino/bingo, art auction, photographs taken by the ship's photographers (but you won't get charged -- sitting fees, etc. --you only pay if you want to take home the photos), shore excursions...

 

The Crown will be new to the west coast by then. The one issue I would have with it on an Alaskan cruise is that it doesn't have a covered pool like the other Princess ships on this itinerary (unless it goes through a massive dry dock and renovated before then).

 

When you have your glacial cruising, get up early and be prepared to be awed.

[LeeW]

All the previous comments are on the ship portion. Make sure you read the Cruisetour answer book as well. Lots of folks find the dual luggage system confusing. You will mark your luggage either "Take with Me" or "Cruise Only". Pack stuff you only need on the ship (formal clothes and more dressy clothes) in the latter. These will be held in Anchorage and delivered to your cabin. Plan on one suitcase a person max for the land portion. These get put outside your room each night and delivered to your next hotel room. Generally these go by truck, so they are often at the next hotel before you are.

 

On the train or bus there is limited carry-on capability. On the train you sit in dinette-type seats with a bench on each side of the table. Your only space is under the seat you are on. Small wheel luggage might fit, but probably only one per couple. Daypacks or camera bags are no problem, but don't bring three. And the staircase up to the seating is a tight spiral - very tough to do with luggage (yes, there is an elevator for handicapped, but has to be operated by train attendant). Cash or credit card for meals, and food in Alaska is expensive. Subway across from Denali Lodge was $8 for a 6" sub a couple of years ago.

 

The whole cruisetour process works very smoothly.

[Colo Cruiser]

Love the train ride.

[RNGALNG]

We did a week land and then sailed for a week when we went the first time. The first thing we learned was that the animals will not stop for you to take their pictures! Have a camera that can zoom in and auto focus for those far away shots. Make friends with another couple and learn their camera. When on a bus or train, you can sit on opposite sides of the bus and help each other take photos!

 

Yes, food on land is expensive. Hamburgers can cost $10.00! On one of our stops between lodges, we ate in someone's home that they turned into a small restaurant. Soup and a sandwich or a hamburger and chips were each $10. The pancakes in Anchorage were costly in the morning as well.

 

For the land part, we lived in our jeans and various layers. Did the same on the ship except for dinners. Took layers on tours when off the ship. Our only day of rain (we were very lucky) was the touring day in Glacier Bay. Colder than a snowy day in Ohio! Wish I had brought a winter hat, gloves, and another sweatshirt!

 

We had friends who went about the same time of year we did but another year, and they melted as it was in the 80-90s and all they brought were cold weather clothes. So, just bring some of each! There are Laundromats onboard, but I hear they close down for some of the trip.

 

Our first cruise was also Disney and boy does the magic happen onboard, right? I think you will also be pleased with Princess.

[caribill]

All the previous comments are on the ship portion. Make sure you read the Cruisetour answer book as well.

 

For more information on the tour part of your trip, see my review of the land tour at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

[Ottermom]

Thank you again for the great information!! A few more questions: is soda included in the meals or do we have to get a beverage package for that? If I only drink an occasional glass of wine, I don't think it makes sense to do a drink package. Opinions? What do you think of the Afternoon Tea? I think we'd love to do this on our sea day.

 

I found some nice lightweight rain jackets to use for layering. Do I need the pants too? I see on some of the boat excursions, they give you rain gear. I want to make sure we have the right clothes for these trips.

 

Thanks!

[caribill]

Thank you again for the great information!! A few more questions: is soda included in the meals or do we have to get a beverage package for that? Soda is not included in the meals. You can buy it by the glass/can or you can get a soda sticker (or soda and more sticker) and not have to pay extra for soda at meals.

 

 

If I only drink an occasional glass of wine, I don't think it makes sense to do a drink package. Opinions? agree

 

 

What do you think of the Afternoon Tea? Definitely do it!!! I think we'd love to do this on our sea day.

 

 

see above in red

[BigWI]

Ottermom,

 

We too are going on the cruise tour in May, possibly the same one?

 

Thanks for asking the questions, I had a lot of the same ones.

[Skip2MySue]

Ottermom,

 

We too are going on the cruise tour in May, possibly the same one?

 

Thanks for asking the questions, I had a lot of the same ones.

 

We're going in May too!!!!!!!! 6 of us doing the Southbound with 5 days on land. We arrive in Fairbanks on May 26th for the land tours. When are your dates?

 

Skip

[BigWI]

We arrive Fairbanks on May 14th

[Ottermom]

We arrive very late on May 12th. (It will be the 13th by the time we get to the hotel!) We board the ship on the 17th.

 

I'm still confused on the luggage thing. I know I have to pack bags for carry on, for land and for sea. But I'm just not sure how to do that yet.

[dorisis]

Lots of very good advice. Did anyone mention binoculars? Nice to have for both the land and ship legs.

[caribill]

We arrive very late on May 12th. (It will be the 13th by the time we get to the hotel!) We board the ship on the 17th.

 

I'm still confused on the luggage thing. I know I have to pack bags for carry on, for land and for sea. But I'm just not sure how to do that yet.

 

You can each have one regular suitcase for the land portion of the trip (plus the carryon). What you do not expect to use on land you put in a suitcase that will go to the ship, for example swimming clothes and formal night outfits. Only you klnow what you will not need until you get to the ship.

 

In our case, we had two regular suitcases. We put what we both did not need on land into one of them and had it go to the ship. We then used just one suitcase for both of us on the land portion.

[norwega]

We arrive very late on May 12th. (It will be the 13th by the time we get to the hotel!) We board the ship on the 17th.

 

I'm still confused on the luggage thing. I know I have to pack bags for carry on, for land and for sea. But I'm just not sure how to do that yet.

 

You mentioned bringing water and sodas on the ship. Yes, you can, and I bring a duffle bag to easily transport them. But I doubt you want to fly with them, so wondering if you have time to grab some before you leave on your land tour or between land and ship.

 

on past cruises I haven't brought bottled water, but my own wide spout water bottle that I can refill in the horizon court. another option is to ask for a pitcher of water with room service and fill your own. We're on the Crown May 3 and because of the norovirus issues I plan on bringing a case of water, but we have a friend dropping us off, so no issues getting it to the pier.

[norwega]

Specialty Dinning can only be booked on board. You can make a reservation the day you board if you like. There will be a person at the entrance to the Crown Grill, Sabatini's and one of the DR's where you can arrange it. You can also call the dine line the next day or any day.

Yes, as of today you can bring on your own water and soda. However, water from the ship's tap is just as good as filtered bottled water. Just bring a water bottle. You can keep water cold in your cabin fridge where there is also ice.

Sanctuary, $20/half day, $40/full day, $30/day if you book the entire week. I would not book it in Alaska. The cruise isn't a lounge around in the warm sun type of cruise, it's sightseeing.

Wine, 1 750ml bottle/pp over 21 can be carried on free of charge for consumption in your cabin. Additional bottles are charged a $15 corkage charge when you board. These bottles are so marked and can be used anywhere on the ship. No spirits or beer can be brought on board.

No charge for Room Service, except $3 for a full pizza which you can obtain on the Lido deck for free, and items that normally have a charge like beer, alcohol. It is customary to provide a tip. Room Service menu is not the full DR menu unless you are in a full suite.

There will be a $11.50pp/per day hotel charge (autotip) charged to your on board account. The amount is $12 for full suites and mini suites. This covers all the tipping for the staff that serves you. However we always provide an extra cash tip to our room steward and to our DR waiters if we have traditional fixed seat dining.

Since you have a land tour read carefully what is included. While some of the land tours do include some meals, many don't and meals in Alaska are expensive. Also, remember you will have various guides/drivers on your land tour which will expect tips.

 

If I bring 4 bottles of wine onboard and they want me to pay corkage fees on two of them, can I choose which bottles I want to pay for, and then take them to the dining room without paying the corkage again?

Thanks