Live from the Land of Princess

[ecslady]

Looking forward to another one of your reviews.  Enjoy your cruise! 

[amelia3171]

Thank you for the link from the NCL board. I look forward to reading about your adventures. 

[EllieinNJ]

After always eliminating the Island Princess because they do not have an International Cafe, I finally did book a 10 day Canada & New England cruise for next June.  Just won't tell hubby about no IC till we board and then claim I didn't know.😬

[mimmy52]

I’m looking forward to spending a summer traveling Princess Lands with you (vicariously, not literally). Your words and photos make your reports a pleasure. Plus I now feel in the know since I understand your reference to keeping your swimsuit on in the spa.

[WisCruiser2]

We have settled into Princess being our go-to cruiseline over the past 15+ years and have pretty much been happy with each cruise. There are enough activities for us, along with music options, although we also enjoy just hanging out on our balcony playing cribbage on sea days.

We were on the Coral (sister to Island) in Alaska in 2018 and loved the ship! While I know many don't like that the Island added cabins to the aft of the Promenade deck, cutting off the Promenade and taking out the Universal Lounge, I think you'll still have a "smaller ship" experience.

And the itinerary looks awesome, hope you enjoy!

[phabric]

Looking forward to your review of Princess

[www3traveler]

Best Wishes and have a wonderful adventure.

Great time to leave and avoid the heat.  Will be 106 F at my house on Monday and Tuesday.

I pray that your Dad does well while you are gone.

 

Mandy

 

[cr8tiv1]

The price of an excursion onboard may be slightly more than pre-cruise purchase.  But it is not your money.  Might be worth the swap.

 

I feel your pain.  Also recently spent 6 weeks having a water leak repaired.  More time was spent waiting for insurance to authorize this step, then that step.  But it is all behind you and you can enjoy your summer.  

 

Will you be doing a continuous live through the entire summer?  I will look forward to my summer reading, if so. Thanks for the chocolate information.  Would you please link your Iceland blog

 

9 hours ago, Sarnia 432 said:

@YVRteacher for your OBC.

If the excursions you have booked are not sold out, you can cancel them when you are onboard and then rebook.  The new purchase will use the non-refundable stockholder OBC and the refund will be in refundable OBC, which you get back if you don’t use it.

10 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Am I crazy for flying all the way to Newark and not going to New York?

 

spent 5 hours on the phone with insurance people trying to work through a leak/claim/repair issue in my home. 
Tomorrow is the just-right day for a trans-continental flight. Let’s hope my seat mates all showered and the person behind me has short legs.

 

 

[KKB]

@YVRteacher Looking forward to your review for many reasons...

I retired from teaching (30 yrs elementary) 2 years ago...and cruised 23 cruises in those 2 years!!

Most w/ DH, some solo, some w/ BFF.

Even did a month w/ carry on only when I did UK/Norway cruise. 

Had to be 19" & under 22 lbs. Plus I had 3 trains each way from Amsterdam to Hamburg, & had to handle luggage myself (solo trip), so even less!

CAN be done...easier when cruising & don't have to repack in compressions often.

 

Have done 13 Princess cruises in 20 yrs (6 NCL in 6 yrs).

Sailed the Island to N. Europe in Oct & did Regal TA in April, so knowledgable on both ends!

 

Regrading Princess Plus--yes, your tips are included. Those premium desserts are well...frankly, A LOT. A sundae that they poured everything but the kitchen sink into...Fun once...

 

If you are a coffee drinker, Good Spirits Bar (deck 5) & Amuleto at the buffet have lattes & such, included in your Plus package.

 

You also have 2 "casual dining" meals" included (you will get 2 each leg you are on). Island does not have these so they offer "pop-up" options on various days. Watch your Patters (Daily newspaper) for these--usually in specialty restaurants at lunch time.

 

OBC--Princess lets you use it on ANYTHING. We usually use ours in the casino (BOO NCL!)

 

Princess ships have some odd flow issues (well, so does the Prima somewhat)--most notably you can only get to one of the dining rooms by crossing a higher deck, then taking the aft stairs down. (Carnival has this too). 

 

Princess vs. NCL: as with all mainstream lines, more alike than different

MDR: edge to Princess; Specialty: edge to NCL

Trivia/gameshows: edge to Princess; Shows: edge to NCL

Crew: haven't been on a ship where most of the crew wasn't great!

 

Transatlantic: 

We did our first this April & LOVED it. We are big fans of sea days so 7 in a row was great!

I love being on a ship for 2+ weeks as you get to know crew well. It makes it more special, imo.

You can REALLY lean into:  do EVERYTHING...or NOTHING at all. 

The weather was lovely (60s) across--tho ours was more southern Atlantic, tho April.

Hopefully you will get the same in N. Atlantic in summer.

 

Have a GREAT time--I'll be following along.

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 07:42 PM by KKB

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

After always eliminating the Island Princess because they do not have an International Cafe, I finally did book a 10 day Canada & New England cruise for next June.  Just won't tell hubby about no IC till we board and then claim I didn't know.😬

I’m fortunate in that I have never experienced an International Cafe, so I won’t feel like I’m missing out.

[YVRteacher]

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Best Wishes and have a wonderful adventure.

Great time to leave and avoid the heat.  Will be 106 F at my house on Monday and Tuesday.

I pray that your Dad does well while you are gone.

 

Mandy

 

Mandy! I have been thinking of you! I hope you’re well and that you have air conditioning! Thank you for being here. I always love and appreciate your support.

[mking8288]

14 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Am I crazy for flying all the way to Newark and not going to New York?

Possibly ... Tomorrow is the just-right day for a trans-continental flight. Let’s hope my seat mates all showered and the person behind me has short legs.

Happy & safe travel ... welcome to the Big Apple.   You'll be fine, fingers crossed for you.

 

Will you be on a non-stop and is a layover somewhere involved, flying out early in the day - I assume ??  Well, pack patience and a bit of snacks to munch on while en route isn't a bad idea, apologize for the weather forecast ... feel free to file a verbal complaint at mother nature.  Thunderstorm activities later today into tomorrow and continuing into Saturday, temperature isn't too bad ... enough to disrupt air traffic along the busy corridors in the air.  

 

Reading that you are traveling light with a carry-on and a backpack, not sure what your ground travel plan are for getting from EWR into Manhattan, NYC ... instead of dealing with the regional/commuter rail or train, transfer & PATH, etc. - might wish to consider the regularly scheduled Coach USA Bus services from EWR terminals into midtown - fare is about $19 USD.  

[YVRteacher]

Last night I woke up at 3am and 6am, excited and ready to roll!

 

Last view out my bedroom window for the next little while

 

I said a farewell to ESO (Emotional Support Ostrich) and caught the bus heading to downtown

[YVRteacher]

2 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Happy & safe travel ... welcome to the Big Apple.   You'll be fine, fingers crossed for you.

 

Will you be on a non-stop and is a layover somewhere involved, flying out early in the day - I assume ??  Well, pack patience and a bit of snacks to munch on while en route isn't a bad idea, apologize for the weather forecast ... feel free to file a verbal complaint at mother nature.  Thunderstorm activities later today into tomorrow and continuing into Saturday, temperature isn't too bad ... enough to disrupt air traffic along the busy corridors in the air.  

 

Reading that you are traveling light with a carry-on and a backpack, not sure what your ground travel plan are for getting from EWR into Manhattan, NYC ... instead of dealing with the regional/commuter rail or train, transfer & PATH, etc. - might wish to consider the regularly scheduled Coach USA Bus services from EWR terminals into midtown - fare is about $19 USD.  

Hi Henry

I have a direct flight later this afternoon that goes from YVR to Newark.  I am staying at an airport hotel and taking the Princess transfer tomorrow from Newark to Brooklyn so won’t be heading into Manhattan on my own-just driving through on the shuttle.

 

[Jldevlin]

5 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi Henry

I have a direct flight later this afternoon that goes from YVR to Newark.  I am staying at an airport hotel and taking the Princess transfer tomorrow from Newark to Brooklyn so won’t be heading into Manhattan on my own-just driving through on the shuttle.

 

We did the TA on Eclipse in April starting in New York and spent 3 days there ahead of the cruise. As a 64 year old Canadian who had heard years of horror stories on how dangerous the city was we are happy to report that we never felt unsafe and had the best time!!!!! So next trip that you take from there make sure to include a few days there....now it just gives you an excuse to book again.

[YVRteacher]

Travel day

Well that was an adventure. In Elf, Buddy goes on a magical journey through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest and past the Swirly Twirly Gumdrops. My bus ride today was just like that, but opposite. All the Coughy McCoughersons were on board as was the man who forgot to pull his pants all the way up, thus scooching his butt up to the plexiglass divider right where I was trying to  brace my suitcase. I had to tell a young dude to tame the man spread so I would at least have a place for my feet. Instead of a Candy Cane Forest we journeyed through the blight of Vancouver where one can buy their stolen goods back.

 

The elevator down to the Canada Line concourse had recently been used as someone’s personal toilet and it did not look or smell like Swirly Twirly Gumdrops.

 

The Canada Line from downtown Vancouver to the airport is quick and fun! It is even better when you take the correct train instead of doing what I absentmindedly did today.

 

 

 

@fstuff1 do you see this??!!

 

It’s for you!

 

At YVR, don’t miss a chance to enjoy Purebread.

 

 

 

 

 

The Jade Canoe is an eye catcher

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

3 minutes ago, Jldevlin said:

We did the TA on Eclipse in April starting in New York and spent 3 days there ahead of the cruise. As a 64 year old Canadian who had heard years of horror stories on how dangerous the city was we are happy to report that we never felt unsafe and had the best time!!!!! So next trip that you take from there make sure to include a few days there....now it just gives you an excuse to book again.

I have been to New York almost 30 times.

[mking8288]

@YVRteacher  Yvonne, got it ... safe travel and today is the "big" day, keep the seat belt on loosely while in flight.  EWR showing on-time ops & no ATC delays thus far, usual cross country/boundary air traffic routing showing storms moving across - expect a somewhat bumpy ride ... last time we're going the other way on a B777, it was shaking for a good 15 to 20 minutes before the cockpit found a more comfortable FL for everyone along with the safe trip.  If you are staying at the Airport Marriott in the middle of the airport, it's nice ... used to do our weekend brunch there every now & then.  Otherwise, food services at the other off-airport hotels within that area are basically cup-a-noodles & microwaved MRE style food, especially arriving late - nothing within walking distance (and, please don't w traffic flying at 60+ mph/100 km)  Not even sure if any places nearby do deliveries, grab something to eat after landing before taking the shuttle to the hotel.   Sunset around 20:30 and temp's in the mid 70 deg. F or about 24, 25 deg C.  

 

Princess transfer to Red Hook tomorrow, that's a solid plan.  Excellent ! 

Edited Thursday at 08:09 PM by mking8288

[YVRteacher]

YVR killed it today! There were no lines and, with Nexus/Global Entry, I was through security and US customs within 4 minutes of arrival.

 

Now I am at the bar in the Premium Lounge enjoying a vodka cranberry and some delicious Chow Mein. 

 

[Jldevlin]

2 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I have been to New York almost 30 times.

Well then i guess you wont need to stay there

[YVRteacher]

1 minute ago, mking8288 said:

@YVRteacher  Yvonne, got it ... safe travel and today is the "big" day, keep the seat belt on loosely while in flight.  EWR showing on-time ops & no ATC delays thus far, usual cross country/boundary air traffic routing showing storms moving across - expect a somewhat bumpy ride ... last time we're going the other way on a B777, it was shaking for a good 15 to 20 minutes before the cockpit found a more comfortable FL for everyone along with the safe trip.  If you are staying at the Airport Marriott in the middle of the airport, it's nice ... used to do our weekend brunch there every now & then.  Otherwise, food services at the other off-airport hotels within that area are basically cup-a-noodles & microwaved MRE style food, especially arriving late - nothing within walking distance (and, please don't w traffic flying at 60+ mph/100 km)  Not even sure if any places nearby do deliveries, grab something to eat after landing before taking the shuttle to the hotel.   Sunset around 20:30 and temp's in the mid 70 deg. F or about 24, 25 deg C.  

 

Princess transfer to Red Hook tomorrow, that's a solid plan.  Excellent ! 

Thank you! Yes, the Marriott! I used credit card points and got the night for free. I actually packed a Cup o Noodles (vegetarian) just in case. My hope is to get something at Newark before taking the hotel shuttle.

 

Can you please tell me where to go to get the hotel shuttle?

[mkcurran]

13 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

YVR killed it today! There were no lines and, with Nexus/Global Entry, I was through security and US customs within 4 minutes of arrival.

 

Now I am at the bar in the Premium Lounge enjoying a vodka cranberry and some delicious Chow Mein. 

 

Vodka cranberry is my go to at unfamiliar bars. 

Hope this cruise is everything you want it to be and more!

[mking8288]

20 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

My hope is to get something at Newark before taking the hotel shuttle.

Can you please tell me where to go to get the hotel shuttle?

Free stay w points, yeah !! and we love the Bonvoy program too.  M is right in the middle of the airport and they should be running the quick shuttle services on a continuous basis - if you aren't sure, call the front desk directly to check -  1-973-623-0006  

 

I think they are only making 2, maybe 3 stops in a short loop before returning to the hotel's front lot & lobby entrance, 5 minutes trip ... once out of the airport's access roads & crossovers, etc. 

 

You should be able to find someone for a vegetarian inside EWR before catching the hotel shuttle, just exit the terminal & there are clear signage to hotel & rental car shuttles, and look for the hotel's shuttle coming along. 

 

Hotel has room service until midnight local time from its Aviation Grill - very limited options, seeing just one item

  Impossible Burger - Plant-Based Patty, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions,      Pickle, Gluten Free Bun

  25.00 USD

 

 

Looks like you are probably on the AC B7378M flight, on-time arrival landing around 22:00 into Terminal A, Gate 2 ... per FlightAware, should be almost ready to push back & leave YVR fairly soon.  Wishing you a smooth flight en route to NY-NJ.   BTW, your uploaded photo about SkyTrain & YVR are great, as we are flying out in less than 2 month, staying AirBnB and then board QE.  

 

Edited Thursday at 08:39 PM by mking8288

[YVRteacher]

Are you going to Alaska?

My flight is AC 546 and in an anomaly more rare than the mating habits of the common garden snail we are scheduled to depart early!!

 

I won’t be using my phone at all in New Jersey so as to avoid roaming charges (darn Canadian phone plan) so will re-joining this live trip report from the Island Princess tomorrow.

 

Thank you to everyone for being so kind and for reading.

[www3traveler]

12 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Free stay w points, yeah !! and we love the Bonvoy program too.  M is right in the middle of the airport and they should be running the quick shuttle services on a continuous basis - if you aren't sure, call the front desk directly to check -  1-973-623-0006  

 

I think they are only making 2, maybe 3 stops in a short loop before returning to the hotel's front lot & lobby entrance, 5 minutes trip ... once out of the airport's access roads & crossovers, etc. 

 

You should be able to find someone for a vegetarian inside EWR before catching the hotel shuttle, just exit the terminal & there are clear signage to hotel & rental car shuttles, and look for the hotel's shuttle coming along.  Hotel has room service until midnight local time from its Aviation Grill - very limited options, seeing just one item

  Impossible Burger - Plant-Based Patty, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Pickle, Gluten Free Bun

  25.00 USD

 

Yvonne, sorry to hack your thread.  I wanted to tell you and Harry that Norwegian GM Errol Bailey lives in Jamaica.  At the moment he is home.  Hurricane Beryl has done some devastating damage to a number of Caribbean islands including Jamaica.  Have not heard from Errol since early yesterday.  Power is out for most of Jamaica.  Prayers for all who are or will have to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Errol.

 

Yvonne prayers for you and Dad as this adventure begins.