pklein9747

Can you please provide Omar's email address?

We've done 16 Princess cruises and are now doing a 7-day Eastern Caribbean on the Glory in mid-October. (I'm working toward being a travel consultant and taking a "seminar at sea" to learn more about Carnival.) I know there will be similarities and differences between the cruise lines. But what are some of the major differences?

We're in an OV on deck 1. While we're used to a balcony, I think this is going to be OK. The cabin looks larger but what about the bathroom? Is there room to put out toiletries? Advantages/Disadvantages to this deck?

Also, DH is a diabetic and Princess always has a sugar-free (SF) dessert option on their dinner menu and SF desserts on the buffet. I've seen a few posted Carnival menus but no SF options. I'm guessing we just have to ask???

Do we need to wait to access our cabin on embarkation? What about drink prices? DH drinks Bacardi & Diet Coke.

I've read we muster outside :( but no life jackets??

We're looking forward to our new experience :cool:

While on the Ruby Princess earlier this month, we spent the day in Monterey. We wanted to view the 17-mile drive and stop at Pebble Beach. Rented a car from Enterprise that was within walking distance of the pier. Took about 15-20 minutes to walk there (There was a shuttle bus from the pier to the office...we just weren't aware of it.). The people in the office couldn't have been nicer. Everyone had a smile and a welcome for us. There were at least 5-7 people in the office. We were offered an upgrade and were able to negotiate the cost of filling the tank. The car was immaculate and upon returning the car to the office, they promptly settled the rental and drove us back to the pier.

It was easy to get to the 17-mile Drive and follow the road. Even though the weather did not cooperate...it was rainy and windy...it was still beautiful. It was a joy to drive it ourselves and stop wherever we wanted. Since we wanted to see the aquarium also, we drove there, toured the aquarium and then returned the car. Would definitely rent from Enterprise again.

We live in The Villages and always come down the night before. Have had luck getting good overnight rates through Value Trips and we then park the car at Park N Go. Like the security of leaving our car there and there are no hassles with hotel shuttles which are always overcrowded and overpacked and stop at every pier to drop off passengers. Park N Go is a great option with dedicated vans delivering you right to your ship. You get a discount if you reserve ahead of time.

Do you know if the coffee cards now have expiration dates on them?

We traded our mini bar for two coffee cards and both were blank. Didn't use them, however, because we had the drink package on this cruise.

We sailed also on the Ruby last week (our first elite cruise) and were disappointed in the food and the service. Our biggest issue came on the first day as I got out of the shower. I grabbed a towel off the rack, dried my face and then glanced at the towel...YUCK!!! It was covered in brown stains and mold!! I dried off with the other towel, after checking it, quickly dressed and brought the towel down to passenger services. I quietly told them our problem and the passenger services manager came out. He looked at the towel and called the head of housekeeping who came down. They apologized profusely, assuring us they didn't know what had happened and that the room steward would be advised.

Our room steward apologized the next day and we did receive some chocolates (which we don't eat) and robes in our room (which we don't wear) , as well as an opportunity to order canapés (which we don't eat either). We appreciate they tried to make up for the problem.

Our room steward, from the time we met him, seemed disinterested. He didn't tell us his name or ask if we needed anything special. Service throughout the ship was spotty. On the first sea day, we decided to order room service for lunch. I was on hold for 21 minutes waiting for the line to be answered. Our food came quicker. One evening in Club Fusion, it took a server more than 20 minutes to acknowledge us and ask if we wanted a drink. We did meet several bartenders in Crooners and the Outrigger bar who were very personable and accommodating and served some great drinks. Found that sitting at the bar guaranteed good service. Also, the servers in Horizon were working very hard and turned tables over quickly and we rarely had to wait to get something to drink whether it was for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

On the plus side, it was nice that Princess distributed umbrellas as we waited for the return tenders in the rain in Monterey. We loved the new mattress, but not the pillows.

We, too, are spoiled by the buffets on the Royal and Regal. The lunch and dinner buffet were uninspired. The food was bland, boring and beyond redemption. We ate in the dining room several nights and other than the long lines for anytime dining, we enjoyed our dinners. We met some wonderful people as we opted to share a table. We also missed Alfredos.

Wish the weather had been a bit warmer...and drier in Monterey...but we made the most of all of our stops as it was our first time in California and we had a lot to see. Can't remember the last time we walked so much!!! We thoroughly enjoyed all the ports!!

Not feeling the love for any of the old ships anymore. We are truly spoiled by the Royal and Regal. For the first time we are seriously considering trying another line. I know there are problems on all cruise ships, but we think it is time for a different, hopefully better, experience.

That's a great idea! I will have to check out that app.

There's lots of great apps out there. I have been using one called "Sleep Machine" for almost 10 years! Lots of different sounds...you can even mix them. There are also small fans you can now attach to your smart phone and they will run as long as they are plugged into the phone!

Yes, California is same as Florida...gotta wait for it to be mailed. Looking into emergency passport system here in CA..thank you!

That's not true in Florida. Thought I lost my DL last summer. Went to our local Sumter County Tax Collector's office, told them I couldn't find my DL. Filled out a form, took my picture, made a small payment, and BAM...they handed me a new DL. The OP needs to check with their local offices.

You can order them from the menu hanger that's in your room, we fill it out every evening and hang it on the door before we go to bed. Has many selections and we always add a few things and request the same time every morning, nothing like a quick b fast in your room so you don't have to put up with crowd upstairs.

On our last two cruises, we were able to order room service breakfast via the Princess at Sea app. Made it very, very easy!!

DH and I will be traveling from Disneyland to San Pedro to board the Ruby Princess on Saturday, March 10. It's our first time in California and not sure about distances/times, etc. For those of you who live there or have gone this route before, what's the best way to get from Point A to Point B to board the ship? Wondering about Execucar, Super Shuttle and Uber or Lyft. We've only used Uber once, and getting our luggage in the car was a circus show. Not sure if we want to go that route again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The one offer I see is $44 per adult ticket on Groupon...a savings of $10. Since we plan on going when we dock in San Diego in March, think we'll take advantage of the savings. :) Thanks for the heads up!!

Edit: Never mind. The promo looks like $44 per ticket but when you click on it, the price is $44 for kids and $54 for adults. No savings there at all. :(

Since we're in port until 11 PM in San Francisco, we've decided to do the Alcatraz Evening Tour at 5:55 PM and will do the HOHO bus in the morning and afternoon. Now we can make the most of our day in port and we hear that the evening tour at Alcatraz is great!

We will be sailing on the Ruby Princess in March. It is a California Coastal cruise and we will be in both San Francisco and San Diego all day...7 AM - 11 PM.

In San Francisco, planning on doing Alcatraz (buying tickets this week!) and then a Hop-on, Hop-off. In San Diego, the zoo has always been a bucket list item for me. But in both places what we have planned ends about 5-6 PM. Since we don't have to be back on board until 10:30...What can we do until 10 PM?

We welcome any other thoughts about our itinerary. It will be our first time in California. We both like historical sights and the history of places that we visit.

On our Royal sailing in mid-November, I was suffering from a pinched nerve in my neck. Being very uncomfortable, I approached one of the technicians who was giving "sample" massages up on Lido deck. It felt great, and figured why not go for a full massage? The same technician offered me a hot stone massage at the price of a regular massage and I was hooked. I had never taken advantage of any of the spa offerings before this, so was unaware of the hard, hard sell.

Well...the massage was wonderful. My neck and shoulders felt so much better and I was so relaxed. It felt great to not be in pain! The technician left the room so I could put on my robe and when she returned the hard sell began and the bliss of the massage went poof!! For the low price of $1000+, I could get a large supply of the creams, oils, etc she used as well as a toxin purge which was at the root of my problem. What?! That's too expensive. OK, you can get a small size set for only $495. Ridiculous!

I was so disheartened with the experience. I wish Princess would pay their clinicians and technicians a decent salary and lay off the hard sell. I doubt I will return to the spa. Or if I do, I will do what other's suggest and let them know I will not be purchasing anything.

Thank you for this update.

 

How many people were in your tour please? was This a private tour or part of a group? Thank you.

There were six people on the tour...the two of us, our two friends and two other people who had booked. Lawrence had an exceptionally clean van and provided water, soda and beer.

Just did a tour with Lawrence last week and it was excellent!! He is such a gentleman and a very good tour guide. He certainly knows his island and its history. He was very responsive any time I emailed him. We did a 4 hour tour of the island...saw English Harbor, Shirley Heights and Nelson Dockyard. Amazing timing there...we arrived along with Prince Charles!! He was in the Caribbean visiting islands affected by the hurricanes and was at Nelson Dockyard to commemorate its being named a world UNESCO heritage site. We then headed to the national park and then the rainforest. After that, he dropped us at Valley Church Beach which was just gorgeous and returned for us about 1.5 hours laters. All for $50 per person!

 

I would certainly use Leston Lawrence again

 

Sorry...having problems adding pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

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Just did a tour with Lawrence last week and it was excellent!! He is such a gentleman and a very good tour guide. He certainly knows his island and its history. He was very responsive any time I emailed him. We did a 4 hour tour of the island...saw English Harbor, Shirley Heights and Nelson Dockyard. Amazing timing there...we arrived along with Prince Charles!! He was in the Caribbean visiting islands affected by the hurricanes and was at Nelson Dockyard to commemorate its being named a world UNESCO heritage site. We then headed to the national park and then the rainforest. After that, he dropped us at Valley Church Beach which was just gorgeous and returned for us about 1.5 hours laters. All for $50 per person!

I would certainly use Leston Lawrence again!

I saw your other post first and replied. I know it was probably my review/recommendations you based your decision on and I just want you to know how sorry I am that your experience was not what you expected and down right disappointing. And from what you posted, you have every right to be disappointed...I know we would have been if our experience was like yours. As I mentioned in the other reply, the day we did our tour, our ship was the only ship in port so our tour was only us and another couple, so that could have been a difference and may be why our experience was better. I'm not trying to make excuses, but from now on I will be sure to mention if we were on the only ship in port or not if I make any recommendations for any private tour group in the future. Not saying that would or should make a difference, but a great private tour company should be used to dealing with passengers on more than one ship on port and plan accordingly. Again, I'm very sorry your day in Barbados ended in disappointment and I feel responsible. :(:(:(

pghsteelerfan...It's not your fault. There were five ships in port that day and the whole port area was chaotic. But regardless of whether there were five ships, Miss Patsie should have known what times the ships were coming in and leaving. I think she was just out for the money and really didn't care about our experience. Your experience was several years ago and she may not be as jaded as she is now. I just wanted others to know about our experience so they are aware of her practices.

We did a tour with Miss Patsie of J&P Taxi this past week based on a review from another CC member. When we disembarked, we were to meet Miss Patsie at Door #2 at 9:30. She was not there. My husband searched around and found her way past the vans holding up a sign with our name and a sign with another person's name. She said they had pushed her back away from the exit area. We asked if she had made reservations for us at Harrison's Caves. She had, but couldn't get anything earlier than 12:20 as it was a busy day. That was OK with us, we told her...we would see the sights first and then do the caves. She agreed.

At 9:50, the other group of four still had not shown. Turns out they were coming in on the Celebrity Reflection and the ship hadn't even docked yet! When she checked with someone on the dock, she was told the Reflection wasn't disembarking passengers until 11. She seemed surprised that we didn't want to wait for the others....really??

She then walked us about a block out of the pier area and put us in a taxi van with a friend of hers..Pasco...and told us he would do the tour. Turns out he was just that...a taxi driver. There was no narrative about the island...he spoke mainly to my husband who was sitting in the front with him. He did take us out to the military base...and got us in...to see the HARP gun, an old military research project. There are only 2 in the world and our friend really wanted to see it. When we had asked Patsie about it, she hadn't even known about it or where it was. He then took us to the Caves and waited for us.

After the caves, on the way back from the ship, Patsie called on the phone and wanted to know where else we wanted to go. It was now 2:15 and all aboard was 3:30. We told her we only wanted to go back to the ship...there was no time to see anything else Again, she was surprised to hear that we were leaving the port at 4.

I would never, ever use her again. She was totally uninformed, unprepared, and unorganized. How do you not know what time your clients are arriving? Why would you expect people to wait over an hour in the hot sun for another group to join you? Why did she not make arrangements ahead of time to accommodate everyone...or not accept additional people knowing they were on a different ship? Her starting price for her tour was $400 for the four of us!! When we told her that was too much, she dropped to $200. We then told her we were going to go with someone else I found on CC, and she dropped it to $150 but we had to pay the cave entrance. I so wish I had gone with the other person

An update on our tour with Miss Patsie of J&P Taxi this past week. We were to meet Miss Patsie at Door #2. She was not there. My husband searched around and found her way past the vans holding up a sign with our name and a sign with another person's name. She said they had pushed her back away from the exit area. We asked if she had made reservations for us at Harrison's Caves. She had, but couldn't get anything earlier than 12:20 as it was a busy day. That was OK with us, we told her...we would see the sights first and then do the caves. She agreed.

At 9:50, the other group of four still had not shown. Turns out they were coming in on the Celebrity Reflection and the ship hadn't even docked yet! When she checked with someone on the dock, she was told the Reflection wasn't disembarking passengers until 11. She seemed surprised that we didn't want to wait for the others....really??

She then walked us about a block out of the pier area and put us in a taxi van with a friend of hers..Pasco...and told us he would do the tour. Turns out he was just that...a taxi driver. There was no narrative about the island...he spoke mainly to husband who was sitting in the front with him. He did take us out to the military base...and got us in...to see the HARP gun. Patsie hadn't even known where it was. He then took us to the Caves and waited for us.

After the caves, on the way back from the ship, Patsie called on the phone and wanted to know where else we wanted to go. It was now 2:15 and all aboard was 3:30. We told her we only wanted to go back to the ship...there was no time to see anything else :(

I would never, ever use her again. She was totally uninformed, unprepared, and unorganized. How do you not know what time your clients are arriving? Why would you expect people to wait over an hour in the hot sun for another group to join you? Why did she not make arrangements ahead of time to accommodate everyone...or not accept additional people knowing they were on a different ship? Her starting price for her tour was $400 for the four of us!! When we told her that was too much, she dropped to $200. We then told her we were going to go with someone else I found on CC, and she dropped it to $150 but we had to pay the cave entrance. I so wish I had gone with the other person :( :(

We leave on Wednesday (Royal Princess) and our first stop (after Princess' island) is St. Thomas. Trying to decide what to do and see that Adventure of the Seas stopped there on Friday. Hoping someone one board can tell us the condition of the island and the beaches...specifically Magen's and Sapphire.

Thanks.

The problem may be that the refund does not come in an envelope from Princess. It comes from a third party. A few years ago we almost threw away our check thinking it was junk mail. There is no way to tell it your refund. We've learned our lesson and now open every piece of mail...even if it looks like junk.

We will be in Barbados on November 21 and are interested in doing a tour. I tried to email Patsie but it came back as "address not found". I used patsietaxie@hotmail.com. pghsteelerfan...what email address did you use?

Never mind...I found it online...it's patsietaxi@hotmail.com....no e after taxi!

Water quality report here: http://www.**********/recovery/environment/dpnr-beach-advisory/ (enter vinow dot com instead of the ***) Looks like most of the beaches in St. Thomas are safe for swimming this week: Magen’s Bay Vessup Bay Secret Harbor Sapphire Lindbergh Bay Coki PointBologna BayBrewer’s BayLindquistBluebeards They update the list every week so check before you go.

Oh I wouldn't rent a car if you are staying at Disneyland.

 

That is too bad that you are getting in so late.

 

Closest airport to Disneyland would be John Wayne Airport (SNA is the airport code). Have you looked at Southwest. There is at least one flight with a stop but you wouldn't have to switch planes and a few with one stop where you would change planes. It's worth a look. Pricing is good and your fare will include two checked bags.

 

I would go LAX over Long Beach to get to Disneyland.

 

As to transport Execuar is a good option and we have used it many times including this past June getting from LAX to the Disneyland Hotel and from the Hotel over to San Pedro to board a ship. Uber is certainly another option.

 

The drive to the port at say 9:00 AM is about 60 minutes or up to 75 minutes in normal conditions on a weekday. You could leave at 10:00 AM and get there for the noon check in with plenty of time to spare.

 

Keith

Keith,

Thank you. I didn't even give a thought to Southwest and going into John Wayne. We have enough points to do Southwest there and JetBlue back out of Long Beach. I will also look into Execucar.