Traveler1977

I like to board as early as possible and in addition to having a bite to eat, I like to start exploring the ship. Especially if it’s a ship I haven’t been on before. I prefer taking the stairs and don’t want to have to lug a suitcase around with me. The elevators on embankment day are always very busy. I do carry a backpack with a few essential items.

We did it several years ago on a cruise ship excursion. By the time we arrived there were already several cruise line motor coaches already in the parking lot. The wait was well over an hour but we did it. As others have said, you hang upside down at a precarious angle and lean in to kiss this stone. The line reminded me of a slow moving DisneyWorld que except it was inside a real castle. There was still plenty of time to explore the gardens. Glad we did it, wouldn’t do it a second time. I think the concept of having tourists pay money to hang upside down and kiss a rock must have been conceived by a bunch of fun loving Irish “tea totalers” sitting around a pub drinking a few Guinnesses. They must be laughing their rear ends off. Which brings up, if you go to Dublin, tour the Guinness Brewery. The view from the pub at the top is amazing.

Thanks for the clarification.

First time Princess cruiser. I’ll be on the Majestic Princess in a couple of months In Alaska. I’ve read the Sanctuary is a good place to observe the glaciers on rainy days. Is the Sanctuary on the Majestic the same as other Princess ships? Is there a charge? Do you need to make a reservation?

Almost all cruise lines have similar policies of allowing one bottle of wine per person on embarkment. Wanted to share something that happened a few years ago at PortMiami while going through security to board a “Fun Ship.” A group in front of us were not only trying to bring on board several bottles of liquor (tequila and rum), they also had a blender in their carry on bags. Yes, a full size, kitchen style blender. Everything was confiscated. As we passed the group to board the ship, we heard them pleading their case that drinks are too expensive on board. True story. I’ve often thought that if it wasn’t for the blender, they might have gotten away with it.

We faced the same dilemma for our upcoming cruise In Alaska. We are experienced cruisers, but we wanted this cruise to be something special. It will be our first time in Alaska and our first time on Princess. It’s a cruisetour and as others have pointed out Princess owns their own lodges. That was one of the deciding factors for us choosing Princess.

My flights and/or flight times have changed several times since I booked them and my upcoming cruise is still a couple of months away. You are cutting it close. Heathrow was one of the slowest airports I’ve traveled through. We did the opposite for a cruise leaving out of Southampton a few years ago. Flew into London a few days early. Arranged for a private car service to take us to the port. We arranged for a stop at Stonehenge (they even pre-purchased the entry tickets), they waited for us and then drove us to the port. It was two couples so the cost was less than a cruise excursion. Stonehenge is well worth seeing.

It was a fun, lite hearted TV show from the late 70’s to 80’s. It was credited with creating an upsurge in cruising popularity. Reminded me of another show from that time period, Love American Style.

The info discussed in this thread regarding mashed-up names has been useful. Thanks!

Another useful hack my wife found online is purchasing an inexpensive, behind the door shoe rack. They’re usually made out of clear vinyl or plastic. They come with S-hooks and we hang it on the inside of the bathroom door. It provides plenty of extra storage for those items you need but don’t necessarily want taking up precious counter space in a cramped bathroom. At the end of the cruise you take it off the door, fold it up and put it in your suitcase for the next cruise.

I’ve been on a cruise where there was a Nero virus outbreak on the prior sailing. The boarding was delayed while they deep cleaned the ship. Everything was fine. As early posters have stated your health is up to you. Treat every surface as being contaminated. Wash your hands often. We always bring our own disinfecting wipes and can of Lysol spray. Once we get into our cabin we wipe down and spray every surface. We do the same in hotel rooms and use the wipes on airplane surfaces around our seats.

South Florida TV stations are covering this flooding event nonstop. They’re interviewing people arriving at FLL for a flight who state they weren’t notified by their airlines that their flights were cancelled. IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO FLY IN OR OUT OF FLL, DON’T WAIT FOR THE AIRLINES TO CONTACT YOU. CHECK YOUR FLIGHT STATUS.

At this time officials are hoping to open FLL on 04/14/2023 @ 5:00 am. They are stating it will be a slow opening and may take several day to return to normal. If you have a flight arriving or departing from FLL for a cruise over the next few days you should be looking to change your airport to Miami International Airport (MIA) or Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). Good luck.

This thread has taken a fun turn… Wearing socks with sandals, thongs, flip-flops, etc. should be considered a fashion violation with the following sanctions. First violation: Verbal warning or intervention by friends (friends should not let friends wear socks with sandals). Second violation: Individual should be confined to their cabin for a 24 hour period and required to read through a men’s fashion magazine. From personal observations it is oblivious that men are by far the primary violators of this fashion faux pas. Third violation: The offending scandals should be confiscated and returned to the fashionably impaired on the final night of the cruise like duty-free purchases.

Pushka, You’re info is very helpful. Thanks.

Clay, thanks the timeframe.

I have an additional question regarding Viking excursions. I know that there is a schedule of when you can book an excursion based on the type of cabin you have. My question is how far in advance of the cruise does Viking actually post the excursions that will be available so you can start your planning?

Global Entry is great when returning to the USA. A couple of years ago we returned to the the USA with another couple on the same flight from Heathrow to Atlanta. My wife and I had Global Entry, the other couple did not. My wife and I breezed through customs. It took almost two hours for our friends to clear Customs and meet up with us. Get Global Entry!

We’re on a Princess cruise in July in a Reserve Collection mini-suite. Made speciality restaurant reservations months ago on the app. Made our final payment recently and suddenly the restaurant reservations disappeared. Contacted customer service and they were able to “find” the lost reservations. Keep an eye on your Dine My Way to make sure your reservations don’t disappear.

I like animals, but unfortunately I am allergic to them. I would not want to be in a cabin that had been previously occupied by a dog. I don’t care how good they claim their cabin cleaning will be. We are in a society where people take their pets everywhere. You can’t go to a grocery store without seeing several dogs in the store at any given time. I’ve seen large 80 lb plus dogs being fed samples of food from the deli counter by their owners and small dogs propped up in the section of shopping carts where young children normally sit. These stores do not do any extra cleaning. I have spoken to store managers who state there is nothing they can do.

This is very common with all cruise lines. They don’t want to sail with empty cabins. Cruise lines would rather discount any remaining cabins to fill up the ship and hope these additional passengers drop more money in the casino or on alcohol. Go and enjoy your cruise. It’s probably something you’re been planning for a long time. Don’t let this common cruise line practice diminish your enjoyment.

As both a past guest on Viking and a future guest of the Viking Star, I find this very troubling. I am allergic to animals and would not want to occupy a room where a dog stayed during the prior cruise. I don’t want to spend the first few days of my cruise sneezing. What accommodations would be made in a situation like this. I do understand the need to allow true service animals, but not what appears to be nothing more than pets. I hope Viking takes a serious look at this evolving problem.

Thanks for your responses. They have been helpful.

Nowadays I wouldn’t think about cruising without travel insurance, but I have a question for all of you seasoned travelers regarding the type of insurance to obtain. Would purchasing a yearly policy through a private insurance company be better than getting insurance for each individual cruise through the cruise line or a private company? Any recommendations or tips would be appreciated.