What to book first? Dining? Entertainment? or Shore Excursions?

[MDTrip]

I am new to Princess. Just put a deposit on 5 nights on Crown Nov 8. What should I concentrate on booking first?

- Specialty dining?

- Entertainment?

- Shore Excursions?

 

For any of these, Do I need to wait until full payment is made? Or do I need to wait until we board? I have heard of a Personalizer? and an app? Since I am new to Princess I don't know how things work.

 

Thanks.

Lynn

[fishfire]

You log into the cruise personalizer on the princess website. You log in with your name and booking number. You can book excursions, specialty dining, and pay for your cruise, gratuities and anything else you want in advance. You don't have to wait until you board. There is no wrong way, or specific order you need to do these things. Cruise critic is a great place to get information. Research the ports on the ports of call threads. The planning is half the fun. Enjoy yourself!

 

 

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[NavyVeteran]

I am new to Princess. Just put a deposit on 5 nights on Crown Nov 8. What should I concentrate on booking first?

- Specialty dining?

- Entertainment?

- Shore Excursions?

 

For any of these, Do I need to wait until full payment is made? Or do I need to wait until we board? I have heard of a Personalizer? and an app? Since I am new to Princess I don't know how things work.

 

Thanks.

Lynn

You can book shore excursions and specialty dining on the Cruise Personalizer in advance. The shore excursions are generally available for booking well before final payment.

 

Go to the Princess website at http://www.princess.com/. Click on "Log in to manage your booking". The easiest way for the long term is to create an account under "Register today". However, you don't have to do that. You can access your booking directly by entering First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, and Booking Number. Even if you don't want to book anything in advance, you need to do this in order to enter information in Guest Check-in. Also this is where you pay if you did not use a travel agent.

 

To book shore excursions in advance, you probably need to pay when you book them. This is a new policy and applies to most cruises next year but not to a lot of cruises this year. You can use some onboard credit for reserving shore excursions, but only onboard credit already posted to your account (such as veterans credit, future cruise deposit credit, or credit from a Princess promotion).

 

It is usually a good idea to book shore excursions in advance - even with the prepayment requirement. Some excursions will sell out before you board. Other excursions may have an increase in price (which does not affect anyone who has already booked them).

 

Even if you have to pay when booking, they are still completely refundable. Except for excursions including hotel accommodations, flights, and private vehicles must be cancelled at least 30 days prior to sailing. Other excursions can be cancelled onboard before the stated deadline. if you cancel 5 days before your cruise, your credit card is refunded. Otherwise, the refund goes on your onboard account.

 

The dates and times available for reserving specialty dining in advance are very limited. Also you do not know what else is scheduled for that night. I have generally not had a problem reserving on the ship. If you have a specific date you want to eat in a specialty restaurant (such as celebrating an anniversary), then it may be a good idea to go ahead and reserve it. Otherwise, I doubt it. You do have to pay in advance to reserve.

 

Shoes and other shipboard entertainment cannot be reserved in advance.

[casofilia]

Shoes and other shipboard entertainment cannot be reserved in advance.

 

Oooooops. I always take my own shoes!!

[skynight]

I am new to Princess. Just put a deposit on 5 nights on Crown Nov 8. What should I concentrate on booking first?

- Specialty dining?

- Entertainment?

- Shore Excursions?

 

For any of these, Do I need to wait until full payment is made? Or do I need to wait until we board? I have heard of a Personalizer? and an app? Since I am new to Princess I don't know how things work.

 

Thanks.

Lynn

Book specialty dining* only if you enjoy the special menu, for example steak. We find that we can enjoy evening meals at no extra charge in the MDR as well as in other dining areas, and that specialty dining is not really necessary. We also find that it is easy to reserve specialty dining once on board, and there is no up front payment required. It is charged to your on board account.

Certain shore excursions can fill up before you board, so if there are a few you really want pre-book them in the cruise personlizer. Most Princess cruises now require payment at the time of booking, but it is refundable if you cancel within the timelines given. Read the fine print.

All entertainment on Princess is walk in, no reservations. For mid-evening 8pm hour theater shows arrive at least 30 mins early. For Explorer's Lounge comics and singers also arrive early. This is a small venue.

 

*There are 4 specialty dining options on the Crown Princess

 

Crown Grill -Steak & Chops - Most popular

 

Sabatini's - Italian not so crowded, most evenings very few people

Salty Dog Burgers in the Wheelhouse Bar - very few customers, just walk in

Crab Shack held some evenings in a seating section of the buffet. Make reservations on board.

Additionally there are special dining experiences like ultimate balcony dining and chef's table. Make reservations on board.

[ckb104]

We found that Crown Grill got busy, so we should have booked the first day. Ultimately, we got in at a time that worked, but if you have a certain day/time that you want, book early. If you are interested in the Ultimate Ship Tour (which was AWESOME!), run, don't walk, to Guest Services when you board to get on the list.

[Tatka]

You don't need to book entertainment on Princess ships like you do on larger RCCL ships.

[easyboy]

I would book shore excursion first than specialty dining.

 

 

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[Mermaid-ooxx]

What is the Ultimate Ship Tour? Is there a charge for it?

 

 

We found that Crown Grill got busy, so we should have booked the first day. Ultimately, we got in at a time that worked, but if you have a certain day/time that you want, book early. If you are interested in the Ultimate Ship Tour (which was AWESOME!), run, don't walk, to Guest Services when you board to get on the list.

[Red Rock Feaver]

The ultimate ship tour is awesome, you must get your name on the list when you board because they limit it to 12-14 people. You get a guided tour of all the areas on the ship like the hospital, kitchen,back stage engine room laundry and finally the bridge and you meet the captain.

It cost around $150 each and you get nice gifts delivered to your room later. It takes about 2-21/2 hours.

Worth every penny.

We did it on the Grand last year.

[Mermaid-ooxx]

The ultimate ship tour is awesome, you must get your name on the list when you board because they limit it to 12-14 people. You get a guided tour of all the areas on the ship like the hospital, kitchen,back stage engine room laundry and finally the bridge and you meet the captain.

It cost around $150 each and you get nice gifts delivered to your room later. It takes about 2-21/2 hours.

Worth every penny.

We did it on the Grand last year.

 

Thanks! I might have to add that to my "to do" list!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks! I might have to add that to my "to do" list!

 

 

They may not have it on a 5 nighter.

[Mermaid-ooxx]

They may not have it on a 5 nighter.

I'm on a 10 night cruise

[ckb104]

What is the Ultimate Ship Tour? Is there a charge for it?

 

It's $150 per person. It was amazing. You get to see the galley, laundry, print shop, photo shop, mooring deck, backstage and costume room in the theatre, food storage, engineering control room and, of course, the bridge. It is so cool. We loved every minute. You learn so much and get to see things no one else ever does. The view from the bridge alone was worth the price of admission.

 

You also get swag from the tour. We got a bathrobe, an apron (I think sometimes you get a chef's coat instead, but I'm happy with my apron), a tablet of personalized stationary, a picture frame and about 4-5 photos of the tour, including one of the group with the Captain. (I was right next to him and resisted giving him bunny ears.)

 

In the galley, we got a mocktail and chocolate covered strawberries, then at the end, we got champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. If you get the chance to take the tour, it is a one-in-a-lifetime experience.

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

They may not have it on a 5 nighter.

 

I did my one and only (so far) UBT on a 5-night Caribbean Princess Getaway cruise. Best $150 I ever spent on a ship.

[MaytheForceBeWithYou]

This has been one of the most helpful threads I've read so far!!! First time cruiser, doing Emerald Princess to Alaska. This has helped me a ton, any more advice for this newbie? Or can point me in direction of another good thread?

[KevintheIrishDJ]

"Special" ship's tour.

[luckyinpa]

do they book anything like the tour over the phone once you are on board. sounds like a madhouse line at guest services

[skynight]

do they book anything like the tour over the phone once you are on board. sounds like a madhouse line at guest services

Specialty Dining can be booked on board by calling the dine line or visiting the restaurant.

On your Oct* Regal cruise you can not book tours over the phone. Believe you can book them at some computer screens in the tour desk area. You can also book tours on line in your cruise personlizer. Payment by credit card is required when booking on line. Read the fine print for cancellation policy.

 

*starting mid November, after your cruise, the Regal will have medallion service. While no one has yet experienced this service, believe you can book tours & dining from you smart device, from your TV screen in your cabin and from other smart sites around the ship.

[luckyinpa]

ok thanks. on royal you can book the ship tour online for 100 bucks. but i saw no such thing on princess