pklein9747

Were those the prices with or without gratuity? If they are without gratuity then Princess just raised the prices of their drinks about a dollar each :eek:

 

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That was before the 15% gratuity...and yes, they have raised the price of all drinks! Makes the all inclusive package more attractive and feasible.

Obviously Princess priced the package to make a profit.

 

It's interesting -- pax calculate if I drink more than 7 drinks at $7 each,

I will come out ahead. So, maybe they drink 10.

 

A $7 drink doesn't cost princess any $7 to provide. So, it doesn't really

matter if people drink more, only if the profit on $49 is more than

the profit on whatever they might have previously ordered.

 

I understand that the package is very successful.

Just got off the 5 day Caribbean Princess yesterday and four of us purchased the Unlimited package. There are not many drinks that only cost $7. $6.95 will buy you just a regular drink, i.e. rum & coke, gin & tonic. Margarita's, daiquiris, and other mixed drinks cost $7.95 each and many of Princess's speciality drinks, i.e. Caribbean Cooler, Bahama Bay Breeze, cost $8.95 each. A glass of wine costs $7.25 and up. Almost all the martini-type drinks in Crooners are $8.95 each. It really isn't hard to drink enough to reach the $49 mark. Plus we got speciality coffees each day and it even included the large bottles of water they sell. The only day two of didn't reach the $49 mark was on the day we were in Cozumel, probably because we did the Cozomel Bar Hop!

Our only complaint is that so many people are getting the package that the bartenders at the pools are overwhelmed and service there was very lacking.

Hi Jim & Lynne (LeavingOcalaAgain) and Mary Lou (Flamomo)! Reading these posts brings back all the wonderful memories of our fabulous TA cruise. I'm ready to do it again....maybe next year :)

I'm actually looking for specific experiences with the two hotels that Princess uses.

OK..but why pay Princess's prices to stay in Venice when it is so easy to book a hotel yourself and use those savings to buy some beautiful jewelry or glassware from Murano :)

I've often thought that all cruise lines should offer something like this at busy ports even outside the U.S. Two weeks ago we were in St. Thomas along with the Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Solstice, as well as two other ships at Crown Bay. For those of us who have been to some ports many times, i.e. St. Thomas, and don't spend a lot of time on shore, it would be great to be able to go onto other ship...for a price...take a tour of the ship, sample the food, and see if the ship is one you might want to try. I believe many people would do this.

First of all, let me say I am so jealous!! We did the Venice to FL TA in Fall of 2012 and it was the best vacation and cruise ever!!!

We spent three days in Venice prior to boarding the ship and loved every minute of it. We flew into Venice (from London), took the local bus to Piazzale Roma and we stayed at the Hotel Olimpia which was very close to Piazzale Roma. (Only one bridge to cross to get to the hotel.) The hotel is owned by Best Western but is more like a boutique hotel, right on one of the canals. Rate included breakfast each morning, which was plentiful, and we ate in the most beautiful courtyard behind the hotel. The staff were wonderful and made some great recommendations for dinner. The room was very large and the bathroom was modern.

We used the vaparettos to get around and there is a stop right in Piazzale Roma. One day we even walked back to the hotel from St. Mark's Square, stopping of course, for a delicious lunch on the way! And there is a nice market near the vaparatto stop to pick up snacks, soda, and wine.

Here's a great hint: There is a depot to leave your luggage at the Piazzale Roma. We packed what we needed for our 3 days in Venice in a carryon and left our two huge suitcases at the Luggage depot. The cost was minimal and well worth it. Even though it is not far from the P. Roma to the hotel and there is only one bridge, I wouldn't have wanted to carry two huge suitcases and our carry-ons. Since the People Mover (tram) is right next to the luggage depot, it was easy to pick up our luggage, get on the People Mover and be at the pier.

Just writing this makes me want to do it again!!! If you have any questions, you can email me...pklein9747 at gmail dot com Here is a link to our pictures from our trip: https://plus.google.com/photos/117783647048133018011/albums/5805675073501605089 There are some pictures of the Hotel Olimpia.

Pat

We just got off the Royal last Sunday and were in M432, a deck above you and right below Lido deck. Sat on our balcony often during the day and never heard MUTS. We could hear the live bands though during the day. Didn't sit out at night while movies were being shown.

Enjoy..she is a beautiful ship :)

The gelato on the Royal is delicious. If you don't have a coffee card, the cost is only $2.75 for 3 scoops of gelato, or for the same price they offer delicious sundaes and even banana splits. For those of us that don't buy the coffee card, I thought this was very reasonable.

We just got off the Royal today and thoroughly enjoyed the ship. This was our 7th Princess cruise and we would easily book the Royal again.

Did we miss the mid-ship stairway...yes, but only because we got upgraded to a mid-deck balcony cabin on Marina deck and it would have been easier to just go up or down a flight of stairs to get to Horizon and the Lido deck. So, we took the elevators...which were crowded sometimes, but certainly not all the time. And we didn't experience any problems with the elevators skipping floors. And, occasionally we took the aft or forward stairs...the walking did us good :)

Did we think the balcony was small? Yes, but on every other Princess ship we have sailed on we have had a cabin on Caribe deck. So this was smaller. But we still managed to have breakfast on the balcony every morning...Thank you room service for being so prompt and accommodating...And we sat out there to read, relax and watch the beautiful Caribbean sea. We never felt cramped. And if we wanted to lay out, there were always enough chairs out on deck in either the sun or the shade.

We loved the Retreat - the Adults Only area on the front of the ship. The first sea day it was very windy out there as the sea winds were blowing across the deck; however, on the last 2 sea days of our voyage, the ship was headed into the wind and it was delightful out there. It gets crowded, but people come and go all day and with some patience you can easily move from the sun to the shade and back again if you wish.

We liked the separate areas on the Promenade deck to sit and read on comfy chairs and just discovered this morning that there is an area in the back of the ship by the Vista Lounge where there are loungers on the Promenade deck. We did somewhat miss walking all the way around on the Promenade; but this was something we did only once or twice a cruise anyway.

The pools were very crowded and it does seem strange that they only have one large pool and then a smaller pool in the center of the Lido deck. The overflow area around the small plunge pool seemed to be perfect for the little kids though. The Retreat pool was also quite crowded, but I never go in thinking I'm going to be able to swim laps.

The food was good. We loved the new arrangement in Horizon Court and the flow through the buffet was much better than on other Princess ships. In fact, for the first time, we ate more often in HC than in the dining room. Alfredo's was delicious and Crown Grill was superb, as always. And the pizza at the pool...best on the seven seas!!

We really like Princess and feel it is a good fit for our likes and dislikes. We also realize that everyone is entitled to their opinions and tastes vary greatly and we read reviews of ships, restaurants and hotels keeping this in mind. We know we are fortunate to be able to cruise and enjoy it for the rest, relaxation and joy it brings us :)

Do you recall how many power outages there were during your cruise and did that impact you at all?

Thanks again for your review and welcome home!

Cheers!

Ken

We had one, very short, power outage...about 1-2 minutes...either the morning we were in St. Thomas or St. Maarten. We didn't get off the ship until about 9:30 and I was glad we were delayed 5 minutes getting out of the room or we might have been on the elevators :eek:

Forgot to tell you...our friend suggested that you fill up your gas tank on the way into Ft Lauderdale. He said there are no gas stations on the way back to the turnpike.

Going on the Royal on the 13th. Need directions from the turnpike to Park and Go in FLL. Anyone who has driven from Leesburg on the turnpike any suggestions for restaurants going to FLL on the turnpike?

Here's the link to their webpage which will give you directions: http://www.bookparkngo.com/index.php?main_page=index

Did you make a reservation to park? You should...it is much cheaper and you are guaranteed a spot.

See you on the ship!

No, no cabin assignment yet. But we're still 6-7 weeks from sailing. I don't expect to get anything for a few weeks yet.

Come post on our roll call :)

Pat

I faxed in my request last Monday and by Monday afternoon the credit had posted to my account.

Me too :D This is so easy and so worth it :)

We did the SB cruise-tour (5 day tour/7 day cruise) in June 2011 on the Island Princess (and going back this coming June 2014!). I still have my review and Princess Patters available if you are interested. I also have the Patters and maps for each of the Princess lodges. I'd be happy to send them to you. Just email me at beh614@gmail.com and put "Alaska" in the subject. Never too soon to plan!

NY Nana...I sent you an email requesting a copy of your patters, review and maps but haven't heard back from you. Please send your info to pklein9747 at gmail.com

On the cruise tour, are you responsible for paying for your own meals? I thought they were included, but something I read today led me to believe that everything was pay as you go.

Exploring our options for a 2015 Alaskan cruise. We know we want to do a land portion prior to the cruise, but I am confused about the escorted vs On Your Own options. We are definitely going with Princess, probably the Grand, as that is our favorite line and we get good perks. Is the difference that you plan your own excursions on the land portion? Do both options include the hotels and train ride to the ship?

I'm assuming that just like ship excursions, it is less expensive...and most likely less crowded...by booking our own land excursions. Are there a lot of private excursions available in Denali and McKinley? Suggestions?

I just wanted to add my voice to everyone else's about how wonderful RomeInLimo can be. We booked them for all three ports in Italy...Naples, Citiavecchia and Livorno. And as you will read...they went above and beyond what was expected of them.

We had two 8 passenger vans in Naples...our drivers were Tony & GIovanni and they were great. Unfortunately, one person on our tour had a major accident (fell down a flight of stairs) in Sorrento and severely broke his leg. Rome In Limo was absolutely wonderful, helping to transport his wife and friends to the hospital, taking care of the rest of us, bringing his wife back to the ship and waiting 2 1/2 hours while she packed up all their things and then bringing her all the way back to the hospital in Sorrento. They made hotel arrangements for her and I understand they visited both of them in the hospital and brought pastries. They were also going to transport them to the airport in Naples...at no cost...when he was released from the hospital. They did not have to do any of this...the man did not get hurt on their van and was off on his own in Sorrento, but these gentlemen and the company stepped up big time!

In Citiavecchia, we had a 15 passenger bus with Alfredo driving and Serena...one of the best guides ever! We did the Highlights of Rome tour and it did not disappoint. And, unfortunately, again we had another accident. One woman took a wrong step in the Vatican Museum courtyard, fell, and landed on her face, cutting the area above her top lip. Serena immediately took charge, got the Vatican Museum guards to secure a wheelchair and went with her to the medical offices to take care of her cut. Thankfully, she didn't need to go to the hospital (though she did get stitches when she returned to the ship). Serena made sure she was well throughout the day. She took us to all the important places in Rome and made the entire trip delightful.

Thank goodness in Livorno we didn't have any problems, but our driver Marco and guide, Eurica, were again wonderful. They got us to Pisa early before a marathon was scheduled to begin and Eurica took us on a fabulous walking tour of Florence. All of RIL's guides are so knowledgeable and have great people skills. They were a joy to spend the day with.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend RomeInLimo to anyone and will certainly use them the next time we visit Italy.

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

I would suggest that you book your tours now. I doesn't cost anything to book and this past year RIL ran a holiday special for those of us who were already booked for 2012...offering us 10% off if we prepaid. Our groups decided to do this...saved 10% and now our tours in October are all paid for and that means less money to carry with us!

Wait a minute. You were able to prepay? We are booked with them in three ports and were told our only option was to pay in cash or Euro traveller's checks at the end of each day's trip.

 

I would love to prepay and not have to worry about carrying that much cash or finding ATMs!!

Burchrod: RIL offered those of us who had booked very far ahead the opportunity to prepay as a holiday incentive/gift. I believe this is something they only do once a year. Believe me...it was tough organizing this prepay with 3 tours - 15 people from all over the world on each tour. But we did it...and yes, it is great to not have to worry about paying for these when we tour in October.