Princess Cruise Secrets 2015

[Frogemax]

For fear of the backlash......... What's a Rum Runner? Never heard the expression before

[Salty Pearls]

For fear of the backlash......... What's a Rum Runner? Never heard the expression before

Interesting, I had not heard of them either. We're wine with dinner folks.

 

 

http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/

 

ciao

[kaikendall]

For fear of the backlash......... What's a Rum Runner? Never heard the expression before

 

I was going to ask the same thing! Thank you to the other person for posting the link! I looked on the boards for info on them and using them, came accross this helpful post:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2061057

[mammajamma2013]

A secret is the ship's tour. It costs $150 and lasts 3-4 hours. The tour is usually offered on the last sea day. It used to be first-come-first-served but last month on the Grand we were told that we would be put into a lottery as space is limited.

 

IMO the tour is totally worth it. In addition to being able to see so many "behind the scenes" areas along with interesting talks from the workers in those areas, we received:

 

a non-alchoholic drink and canapes in the galley, a Princess apron (I understand on some ships you get a chef's smock instead), a photo of the participants along with a frame for the photo, personalized staionery, and a robe (the up-scale one, not the waffle-weave).

 

We toured back-stage at the theater (I'm a seamstress and was enthralled with their workshop), a mechanical room (sorry, can't remember which one it was), the galley (amazing storage!), the print shop, the engine room, the medical center along with the pharmacy (disappointed not be shown the morgue :)), the navigation room, and the laundry. The laundry itself is another amazing place, the sheet-folding machine is fascinating. I was also diappointed in not seeing any of the crew's living areas, I've read that some tours do get to do that.

 

All-in-all, a great excursion.

Edited September 13, 2015 by mammajamma2013
Added more information.

[JF - retired RRT]

was also diappointed in not seeing any of the crew's living areas, I've read that some tours do get to do that.

You can see pictures of crew quarters on You Tube. And Elua posted a picture of their cabin maybe a year ago.

Not the same as being there, but you can get a good idea about limited space.

You think inside & OV cabins are small? No comparison with crew quarters.:eek:

[Astro Flyer]

You think inside & OV cabins are small? No comparison with crew quarters.:eek:

Both are much better than enlisted berthing areas on a Navy ship. :p

[kaikendall]

I was reading on somewhere about beverage packages....someone said to wait til you get on board and you get an included mug/cup of some sort?? If you pre-purchase the package do you get the same mug? Is it better to wait until you are onboard, or pre-purchase?? Any insight?

[Pierlesscruisers]

Both are much better than enlisted berthing areas on a Navy ship. :p

 

Yeah, but the pay on the Navy ship is much better!

 

Tom

[reedprincess]

I was reading on somewhere about beverage packages....someone said to wait til you get on board and you get an included mug/cup of some sort?? If you pre-purchase the package do you get the same mug? Is it better to wait until you are onboard, or pre-purchase?? Any insight?

 

The All-inclusive Beverage Package (the one with booze, etc) does not include the tumbler/mug no matter when you purchase it. It is for the soda & more (and maybe the soda package). So, doesn't mater if you prepay or not, you don't get the "mug" with the AIBP.

[kaikendall]

The All-inclusive Beverage Package (the one with booze, etc) does not include the tumbler/mug no matter when you purchase it. It is for the soda & more (and maybe the soda package). So, doesn't mater if you prepay or not, you don't get the "mug" with the AIBP.

 

THANK YOU! I should have been more specific, we are looking at getting the "Soda and more" with the juices, but NO booze. So we get the tumbler no matter when it's purchased? I kind of want to have as much set up and paid for as possible to minimize the bill on board lol

[Pierlesscruisers]

THANK YOU! I should have been more specific, we are looking at getting the "Soda and more" with the juices, but NO booze. So we get the tumbler no matter when it's purchased? I kind of want to have as much set up and paid for as possible to minimize the bill on board lol

 

I've always gotten the soda card on board but I've but if you purchase it before getting on the ship, your cruise card will have the sticker already on it so that when you get on board the ship, just find one of the tables selling the soda cards (actually a misnomer) and show them your cruise card and they'll give you a tumbler right there. You should then be all set to go! Hope you enjoy your cruise! ;)

 

Tom

[kaikendall]

I was reading the ships with the SCOOPS place has milkshakes, but this is not on the Crown Princess. Are there any places to get a Milkshake on the Crown?? How much do they run, and are they included with the Soda and More package or only the AIBP?

[caribill]

I was reading the ships with the SCOOPS place has milkshakes, but this is not on the Crown Princess. Are there any places to get a Milkshake on the Crown?? How much do they run, and are they included with the Soda and More package or only the AIBP?

 

On the Crown, milkshakes are available at the Ice Cream Bar on deck 15 bear the Neptune's Reef and Pool. (It may or may not be named Scoops.)

 

Milkshakes are included with the AIBP and also with the Soda and More package.

[Gert2011]

I was reading the ships with the SCOOPS place has milkshakes, but this is not on the Crown Princess. Are there any places to get a Milkshake on the Crown?? How much do they run, and are they included with the Soda and More package or only the AIBP?

 

What caribill said. It wasn't called SCOOPS in March of this year on the Crown but they have them. Sometimes the lines were big in the afternoon.

[JimmyDon]

My wife and I have been cruising with Princess since 2005. We haven't cruised another cruise line because we fell in love with Princess. We have found the secret to a pleasant Princess cruise and it's a simple thing. The better we treated the Princess crew - no matter their position - the better service we got and continue to get. So many people seem to feel they are entitled to special treatment. They often have a chip on their shoulder. They yell, are impolite, and generally make a situation worse by being surly and uncooperative. We've never met a Princess crew person at any level who didn't want to help or resolve any issue we may have had. Yes, there are some that are better than others at customer service, but the effort seems universal - the crew's job is to make our experience better. There's the old saying - 'happy wife, happy life' - well here's our saying "happy crew, happy cruise."

[Pierlesscruisers]

My wife and I have been cruising with Princess since 2005. We haven't cruised another cruise line because we fell in love with Princess. We have found the secret to a pleasant Princess cruise and it's a simple thing. The better we treated the Princess crew - no matter their position - the better service we got and continue to get. So many people seem to feel they are entitled to special treatment. They often have a chip on their shoulder. They yell, are impolite, and generally make a situation worse by being surly and uncooperative. We've never met a Princess crew person at any level who didn't want to help or resolve any issue we may have had. Yes, there are some that are better than others at customer service, but the effort seems universal - the crew's job is to make our experience better. There's the old saying - 'happy wife, happy life' - well here's our saying "happy crew, happy cruise."

 

Most of the people I see at the pier in Seattle are exactly as you describe and they are a pleasure to work with. Hope to see you next year on an Alaska cruise!

 

Tom

[LIBERTARIAN46]

It normally comes with vanilla ice cream, but you can have it made with any other flavor on the menu that evening.

 

That's NOT ice cream! It looks like soft serve. (There is a HUGE difference.) Does anyone know if they serve real ice cream on any of the Princess ships?

[kaikendall]

When I inquired about milkshakes on the ship we're on, I was told there's a place by the pool bar that has real ice cream and milkshakes. I already forgot what it was called, lol, but yes, they have it.

[GUT2407]

That's NOT ice cream! It looks like soft serve. (There is a HUGE difference.) Does anyone know if they serve real ice cream on any of the Princess ships?

 

 

I've always gor "Real" Ice Cream in the MDR.

[pris993]

When you are in the MDR you can order almost anything from a previous days menu..ex...you had delicious French Onion Soup on Monday...now its Thursday and its not on the current menu...you can still get it..this was true 5 years ago on our last cruise...im hoping things have not changed...

 

If you had something you like and want it again, ask your Head Waiter, the night before if you can order for the next day... now days I think that is the only way you might get a favorite soup they had on an earlier menu.

[berlingo]

THANK YOU! I should have been more specific, we are looking at getting the "Soda and more" with the juices, but NO booze. So we get the tumbler no matter when it's purchased? I kind of want to have as much set up and paid for as possible to minimize the bill on board lol

 

We pre-paid for our package this August. Our tumblers were waiting for us in our cabin along with our coffee cards.

 

Happy sailing!:)

[caribill]

That's NOT ice cream! It looks like soft serve. (There is a HUGE difference.) Does anyone know if they serve real ice cream on any of the Princess ships?

 

It is real, ship-made vanilla ice cream artistically arranged to look like a volcano.

 

The dining rooms always have several flavors of real (ship-made) ice cream on the menu at lunch and at dinner.

[littlekid58]

Bumping up... as will be on the Emerald Princess in December...:)

[OCruisers]

It is real, ship-made vanilla ice cream artistically arranged to look like a volcano.

 

The dining rooms always have several flavors of real (ship-made) ice cream on the menu at lunch and at dinner.

 

My husband orders it frequently and his has always been REAL ice cream in a variety of flavors. :)

[kwahl1]

Never hurts to remind...

OBC can be "stacked".

Veterans OBC, send DD214 (or other docs) & it is kept on file forever.

Shareholder OBC - buy 100 Carnival shares, send proof of ownership for every cruise.

Future Cruise Credit (FCC) - pay $100 while onboard, this will be your total deposit (for almost all cruises) plus receive OBC.

 

 

We had to renew our Veteran OBC. Princess and the TA said because there was a year gap and we needed to reapply. No biggy. Once a veteran always a veteran, I thought.