Song in my heart

As others have said it is possible to eat gf on HA ships but you have to be very careful.  On two separate occasions the head chef at the buffet told me something was safe for me.  When I asked him to double-check the ingredients he did and was embarrassed and admitted they did have something that was not safe for celiacs.  I was fortunate in having one of the people at the salad station make me a fresh gf honey mustard salad dressing as most others weren't safe.  In the MDR I previewed the next day's menus and the Maitre'D took note of what I would like.  He then asked the head chef if they could make it celiac safe.  Sometimes they could.  Sometimes they couldn't.   Lol.  They tried.  We were on a 52 day cruise.  The gf bread choices became limited quickly.  The safe desserts often became sorbets or a variety of creme brulee.  Every once in a while they surprised me with an absolutely, delicious chocolate dessert.  Your husband and son will be able to find gf items but be disappointed there are not more choices.  Such is the life for celiacs unfortunately. 

Another question about the Zuiderdam.  We are sailing on her for the 50 days South Pacific cruise.  Are there self-service laundry rooms on this ship?

23 hours ago, Gactag01 said:

Thank you so much for posting the vegetarian menu. I am no longer a vegetarian, however I do have celiac disease and it is great to see so many GF options. 

Which ships have you found to have great celiac breads and desserts?  I am currently on a Princess Cruise and the staff are trying to accommodate my celiac requirements which I appreciate but the gf breads are dry and the d3sserts are very limited.

On 9/9/2021 at 11:55 AM, Buckeye10640 said:

I am watching this as well as we have a late Nov cruise. Been following the boards for some of the other lines already  sailing in the Carribean and there hasnt seemed to be too many issues. I have seen mention of some ports requiring/strongly encouraging masks.  We are within our 90 days and fully paid but keep in mind the current policy is you can cancel 30 days out for FCC. Hopefully we will get some good reports here from the early Nov cruisers. 

Please let us know on this board how your Caribbean cruise was after you complete it.  Our cruises are in January and we are nervous about what visiting the ports will be like.  Your experience will be helpful.

On 8/10/2021 at 2:49 PM, phonejock said:

Glad to see that a updated “live”thread was started on the new DMW. 

it will be interesting to see if Princess responds to the feedback they are getting.  Having a great, stress free dining experience is very important to most people.  As it stands now, it appears that Club Class is the way to go if you want to have the same waitstaff and not worry about booking your dinners in advance. Thanks in advance to all who post. 

 

Sorry but what is Club Class?

On 9/24/2021 at 5:11 PM, Purple Gallinule said:

Well, my post from Glacier Bay finally got posted.

 

Today we were in Ketchikan and went on an excellent excursion. It was called "Lighthouse Totems & Eagles" and was a fun and informative boat ride. We saw lots of wildlife. I recorded more than a dozen species of birds. We saw several whales, too. My only negative comment was that they only seemed to want to point out eagles. Beautiful birds, but hardly the only birds.

 

There was a three person crew - Captain Jeff, Brooke, and Kyle. They were super nice and well versed in the Ketchikan area. They served a  great snack of homemade salmon dip, smoked salmon, pickles, and a square of dark chocolate. They had drinks including hot chocolate, coffee, and sodas. I would not hesitate to recommend this excursion. 

 

We have had sun most of the day, and the only rough water was during the night last night. However, yours truly slept right through it all.

 

One other note for right now. Last night was the second formal night. We had a fine dinner in the Club Class dining room. All the gentlemen that were there when we were were dressed nicely, from collared shirts to suits. The ladies all looked great in their fashion choices. After dinner we enjoyed the production show "Sweet Soul Music" and laughed ourselves silly at the Marriage Match game show.

 

I have really had fun doing these posts. Hopefully we will get better coverage as we head south and I will be able to post tomorrow. We are staying an extra day in Seattle, so I should be able to post about disembarkation on Sunday evening.

 

In fact, we had so much fun on this cruise that we booked the same one for June 6, 2023. Wanna come along??

I have enjoyed reading your posts.  Would you mind telling me what are the main differences aboard now from before Covid please?  You mentioned masks.  Do you have to wear masks all the time?  Was the entertainment in the theater and other venues still on? Were there less passengers or are they at full capacity?

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2020 at 3:27 PM, Waynetor said:

Day 29 Thursday, Feb 6, at sea

Typo in last post – we were about 42 hours late, not 47 leaving San Antonio.   I noticed as post was loading but internet went down as soon as post was registered.

 

As we hit the cruise half way point.  Plan was to have a nice seaday to sit back, work on my photos and reflect on the good times so far.  Unfortunately spent 6 hours at docs office – Freda is not feeling well but they have her on a bucket load of drugs so hopefully all will be good soon.

 

At 7pm things got worse as we got a phone call that her sister passed away last Sunday- been in poor health but still unexpected.  We only left our ship contact with 1 person so took time for others to figure out where we are.

 

The outdoor pool is still open but it has seen very sparse use recently and I doubt it will see much use over the next few weeks.  Today was the coolest weather so far but some people still felt it was still nice enough to sit outside. 

 

Today’s thought of the day - “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

My condolences to Freda on the passing of her sister.  It is never easy.  My thoughts are with you.

I hope you will do a "Live From Caribbean Princess 14 day Circle Caribbean".  We are taking that cruise in April and I would love to hear what you think about the ship and ports.

I purchased 100 shares today and put them in my TFSA and filled out the forms for Princess.  I faxed them off so I will check in a week my cruise to see if they gave me the OBC.  I also applied online for a new veterans card.  Once I have that I will fill out the Princess forms and send them a copy.

Thank you everyone for your information.

18 minutes ago, Akaicb said:

If you have a CF1 card or your certificate of service, they will accept that as proof.  We used the certificate of service for my husband years ago and once it was on his account it automatically shows up each cruise we book.  

 

Another note for veterans and active military, Air Canada, Westjet and Air Transit all have different advantages that you can apply for with each with a valid CF1 card or proof of service.  From free baggage for yourself and travel partner to discounted bags/upgraded seats.  When we did our B2B in Alaska and packed way too much this saved us close to $300 in baggage fees.

Wow.  I had no idea.  I wish I had not thrown everything out but at least I am supposed to get a new Veterans card within 90 days.  Thank you for this info on those airlines.  I will look into that as well.

54 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

You can submit proof of ownership of Carnival Stock as long as it is not less than 3 weeks before your cruise.  You can read the entire announcement here: 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/50351a91-4dc0-4f6b-bfec-684647e6129f

 

Good to know.  Thank you so much.

28 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Military Benefit for Veterans and Active/Retired Personnel

 

To thank the brave men and women of the American and Canadian militaries for their service, Princess Cruises offers up to $250 free onboard spending money* for veterans as well as active, retired or disabled military personnel. This special military benefit is eligible on any cruise, any time of the year and can be used to purchase a wide variety of amenities and experiences including Lotus Spa treatments; dining in our specialty restaurants; gifts, jewelry and clothing in our onboard boutiques; and Princess Cruises shore excursions.

6 days or fewer:  $50 per eligible person

7 - 13 days:  $100 per eligible person

14 days or longer:  $250 per eligible person
 

First and Second Passenger in Cabin ONLY

 

Thank you.  I have printed off the military personnel benefit onboard credit program and now have to contact Veterans Affairs Canada.

10 minutes ago, voljeep said:

Princess allows you to 'stack' OBC - so you can get both ...🤑

Really?  Oh my gosh.  That is amazing.  I will do that.  I don't know if I have time before my 14 day South Caribbean  cruise April 4th but hopefully for Princess 28 day run LA to Tahiti in October and definetly our 50 day Princess South America in Jan 2022.  Thank you so vey much.

Thank you everyone for such quick informative responses.  I love cruise critic boards.

54 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

As long as you have your discharge papers (and don't have a dishonorable discharge) you are eligible for the military credit. Just submit a copy of the discharge - with your confidential info blacked out - and you are good to go.

Wow.  I will have to mail DND and ask for a copy of mu discharge papers.  Maybe I don't need tp buy shares after all.

4 minutes ago, Britter16 said:

Pretty sure you can put the shares in your RRSP. We had them for so long the on board credits paid for the shares and if you are military you get the same on board credit.

We are approaching the RRIF age.  I only served 8 years in the military.  

I am wondering what the tax implications are for Canadians owning shares.  Can someone who has owned them for a couple of years help me out?  We are going on a few Princess Cruises that I would love to get the OBC.

While researching what to do on our own on our Emerald Princess cruise this October for each port, I read on CruisePortWiki that the island has frequent but unscheduled family buses.  For 50 cents to a dollar you can be taken around the harbor and to the more remote parts of the island.  The bus terminal is at Fagatogo market.  Hail a bus with a wave of your hand.  When you want off, tap the window a few and times and the bus will stop.  Pay the driver when you exit.  We thoroughly enjoy taking local busses at various ports.  The site also indicates that two hour island tours are usually available from the pier for $20.00.   I would enjoy reading your post when you return about what you decided to do and what you recommend.

36 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

I went on the Princess 6 day/5 night Galapagos islands and Machu Picchu overland tour..FANTASTIC!!!  Machu Picchu was the most majestically beautiful place on earth that I've gone to...totally worth all the travel and cost. There were only 22 of us and Princess did it first class...in a beautiful boutique hotel in the Galapagos (came with seals and iguanas wandering around) and a 500 yr old former monastery in Cusco where we each had 2 room suites with 1.5 baths and a walk-in closet! Guides were excellent too. The traveling was pretty exhausting, though, as we took 5 flights in 6 days plus trains, buses and ferries!!

Was that on a South American cruise and you had to miss some of it?  The Galapagos on Celebrity is on my bucket list but it is a seperate cruise.

I finally booked a Princess cruise around South America for 2022 but it is only 50 days.  Thank you for all the information.  

1 hour ago, FredZiffle said:

 

I can't answer your question because the prospect of a bumpy ride was enough for us to pass on Volunteer Point and do Gypsy Cove instead.  We had also driven to Punta Tombo and seen penguins at an earlier port, so it didn't bother us not to go out to Volunteer Point.

Which earlier port did you see penguins at?  Somebody mentioned earlier you have to take binoculars to see penguins at Gypsy Cove.

On ‎5‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 1:31 PM, FredZiffle said:

The only problem with Volunteer Point is the long, rough ride.  If you think you're up for that, it's certainly the best option for seeing penguins.  Another option in Stanley which you didn't mention is Gypsy Cove.  Not a heck of a lot of penguins (maybe a hundred or so), but you will see them up close as they nest and wander around right next to the paths.  It's also very close to the port with a $10 shuttle (each way), so it's also a cheap alternative to Patrick Watts and gives you time afterwards to explore Port Stanley.

I watched the video Lori 111 posted above and that rough ride does not look like a lot of fun.  Is it truly that bumpy for an hour?  Do you bounce up and down?  I imagine my husband would be OK with it but I am not sure I would. 

8 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

@ozscotart Princess has been wonderful with DW’s food allergies. She cannot eat Gluten, dairy or eggs. Last night they made her tiramisu which she said was delicious!  I’m doing a live from detailing her meals so feel free to take a look. Today for breakfast she had pancakes which she said were also good. Here are some of the dishes she has had thus far. 
 

 

 

 

 

This is so very helpful.  Thank you.

8 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

Do any of those cruises include Antarctica ? Next year will be the last year to see it on any of those cruise lines . We chose based on the most days in Antarctica and wanted a ship that went to Punta Arenas , Ushuaia , The Falkland Islands ( best place to see penguins ) and Puerto Madryn . Only HAL met that criteria .

Yikes.  I better review and book.  I wonder why Antarctica is being discontinued after next year.

By the way...I agree with a previous member and wish you published a blog.  I thoroughly enjoy your writing and pictures.

On 1/12/2019 at 6:14 AM, scubacruiserx2 said:

We just returned from a 22 day cruise and 9 nights pre and post cruise visit to South America . 

 

 

The cruise was on the HAL Zaandam from San Antonio , Chile to Buenos Aires Argentina .

 

 

We took over 10,000 photos on this trip so it will take a while to cull , download , edit and upload to Photo Bucket before writing , so please be patient . It will be mostly in chronological order and will use some photos from our previous cruises to South America .

 

 

 

So , bags packed and ready to go ?

 

 

Boarding passes ?

 

 

OK , lets go .

 

 

I am reading along with interest.  I am debating an "around South America" cruise run from Fort Lauderdale with Princess, or Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego with HAL, or a South America cruise on Celebrity.  I like the idea of boarding and embarking in USA but perhaps we would be better doing BA to Santiago.  What criteria did you use to decide on which cruise line and itinerary?  Any information would be appreciated.