KKB

Food MDR was brilliant as always. The AK cruises include A LOT of FABULOUS salmon...I was in HEAVEN. The only thing I didn't love was a pepper leek quiche. It was OK, but not as great as everything else. Burgers & hot dogs by pool great as usual. Gigi's pizza was fine. I have gluten free...boy I need to remind the chefs to cook those crusts WELL. Underdone crusts aren't fun, but GF, well, BLECH. Buffet was good. But it is HUGE & honestly I felt the layout to be not intuitive. I really do prefer the big horseshoe most ships have (tho Caribbean Princess has that small crowded place to start). It was impossible to remember where to go back if you wanted seconds of a fav! Buffet was PACKED on the day we viewed the glacier as the naturalist was broadcast there (as well as your stateroom). I recommend going early if you want to view from there. ONE complaint. PORK LOIN Aunt had it in buffet & said it was so tough she could not cut it. Last formal night she had it again in MDR--SAME THING. So...I'd avoid the port loin!

Activities & Shows Very fun activity staff--DuVaul (director) is hilarious & charming--we chatted with him a bit in Ketchikan Karen--she is moving to Coral for her 1st director job! She was geniune & lovely Conrad--he is quite new. Very charming & a voice for radio DJ JB--his humor REALLY came out during Hollywood Hiccups! Joy--we didn't see her as much; she is quieter & very sweet We played SO much trivia & attended most game shows. Great fun, even won a few prizes...unfortunately our carry on decision did no allow us to bring home those lovely stainless water bottles!!! Shows--Spotlight Bar & Rock Opera were both brilliant--a wonderful surprise after we were less than impressed on the Caribbean Princess. One note--PLEASE try to be on time. I was astounded the people that show up even 15 min. late then stand looking not even realizing they are blocking others' views.

Ship Discovery Princess is BEAUTIFUL. While the rooms are nearly identical to the Caribbean Princess we sailed in July, and the footprint very similar to all the Princess ships we have sailed, you can tell it is a bit larger. But overall, the layout is very similar. Ports Ketchikan, Juneau & Sitka We traveled w/ DH's aunt & uncle, both late 70s. They had done AK & we had not. They just wanted to walk around each town. So I scoped out bars. His uncle cannot always walk a long way but he did very well--we just stopped frequently for a drink! Ketchikan we hit The Asylum & The Arctic bar. Juneau we hit Tracy's Crab Shack (terrific but crab ain't cheap!), Red Dog Saloon & a bar in some old Victorian hotel. https://kingcrabshack.com/pages/menu Sitka...Skagway originally scheduled...then the rockslides so changed to Sitka. THEN week before back to Skagway. Then winds were high so changed back to Sitka day before as we couldn't tender. Sitka is BEAUTIFUL! Free shuttle from port to town...drivers give you a bit of history along the way. We did a bit of shopping in each place--very unusual for me compared to Caribbean cruises! But so many unique & local stores. Made my carry on only decision precarious--but we managed! We LOVED LOVED LOVED Alaska & want to do some excursions to hike and/or see wildlife when we return. We had scenic viewing of Dawes glacier the morning before Juneau. Truly spectacular!

We spent 1 night prior in Seattle & 2 nights after in Vancouver so just got back Tuesday evening. I didn't take notes this time so I will review by category! First: air We have companion pass with SWA but they don't fly to CA & the flights to Seattle were crappy times. We snagged Air Alaska direct to Seattle for $130 each--no more than it would have run us using companion on SWA. Nice airplane. We chose to do carry on to avoid luggage fees (and I saw it as a challenge!). Managed to get gate check--no brainer direct! We flew United home from Vancouver. Quietest airport I have seen since June 2020! We went from drop off to gate in 30 min. First plane was decent but short flight to Omaha plane was much cozier. Gate checked in Vancouver as well, wasn't worried if our bags were late...plus Air Tags JUST in case. Hotels: Holiday Inn Seattle Downtown. Good location (near Space Needle) & decent price. Spacious rooms. Ate dinner at nearby Thomas Street Warehouse. Good bar food, great waiter. Place started hopping about the time we left. Victorian Inn Vancouver. Decent location. Best price when I booked--I should have checked before we left as we could have gotten the Fairmont DT for the same price! It is a cute hotel but BE SURE to book a private bathroom if you want one as some have shared ones. Pender is the street directly north of the hotel & we walked along it about 10AM Sunday & their were A LOT of homeless as well as drugs being opening smoked (not talking pot...). No one bothered us & we even saw a few along the busier street as we walked around. But it was a shock initially & we worried we had chosen a bad area. As time went on we determined we had not. We walked along Pender at other times & never saw any at those times. Guessing early Sunday not as many people so they were more comfortable being out. DH was at a bar 2 blocks away on Pender Sunday night watching the game when a homeless woman attacked a woman. People tried to detain her (without touching here) until police arrived. She did escape but was caught. Bartender said this was NOT typical. I DO recommend the hotel--it was super cute. Close to the Waterfront & not too far from main shopping area. Several good bars/restaurants nearby. We walked along main shopping area (reminded us of Park Ave) & Waterfront on Sunday and went to Granville Island Monday--SUPER cool artsy area with many shops & a brewery, distillery & an AMAZING public market.

Well it's a crapshoot! DH & I each earned a bit over 2K points. Mostly played .05 STP VP--and we played A LOT. Were each offered $300 free play for future cruise. Went ahead & booked an open booking as well. Looking at 2 wk TA or Panama Canal next April. His uncle got $250 free play offered--and he earned 2-3x more than us (not sure what he ended at). His aunt must have gotten $600+. Truly no idea her points, suspect quite a bit more than ours. Uncle plays VP & slots, aunt just slots.

Glad to hear all of it! I bought the small carry on...looked at DD's & thought that is what she had but her's is also the bigger one. The smaller one is nearly identical to carry on I have so couldn't justify. I think I will exchange for bigger one. Seems it will be fine domestically, especially on SWA. DH & I got a good casino offer after getting off Discovery Sunday. Were looking at Panama Canal in April...but I can book us both on that TA PLUS me on that TA back for the same price!! Now I just need to convince him it is the best choice... Sail Sapphire Princess LA/SD/Ensenada for 4 days with BFF in 2.5 weeks--with a day at Disney before. Have a great time on your NE cruise!

Howdy stranger! Sorry to go such a bizarre way to get in contact but w/ no PM options, well, here we are! A--is your carry on an Away bag? Regular or large carry on? How do you like it? B--You mentioned your fav lines. I remember Celebrity & NCL. Was the other MSC (or Costa?)...DH & I may be doing a transatlantic on Princess in April but he wants to be back for golf league 1st of May. I am considering boarding the MSC Magnifica May 3 in Barcelona for a 16 day transatlantic back. $1350 all in for balcony with $500 OBC sounds pretty good!

Just curious…we have racked up more points in 2 days on Discovery than 2 weeks on CB. Wont “gamble to earn a cruise”, but will gamble so curious!! thanks!

Oh, boy thank you so much for this!!! There are so many places to look on the reservation...you think you are good... OK So THAT matches what the Live Chat agent said. But the travel summary says $290 (nothing confusing about THAT...) Luckily my TA got RIGHT back to me & assured me that the full OBC doesn't always show up before the cruise...in fact, might not even until a couple days in. They assured me the number is confirmed on the invoice & if there are any issues, to keep the final invoice & forward it to them & they will take care of it! If ONLY the shareholders OBC had emailed me, It would have saved me some grief!!! OH WELL--ALL IS RESOLVED!! (and apparently Princess responded in about 8 days originally...) Thanks for listening, ya'll!

Yes, the price is cheaper without the extras. But you must pay tips so factor that in. If you want wifi & the drink package (as we do), factor that in & RCCL can't compare. Princess charges $50/day/pp more for these things w/ Princess Plus. Well tips are $13.50/day. Wifi is $10/day. So about $25 for unlimited drinks--sodas, speciality coffees, waters, alcoholic drinks--is a decent price even if one doesn't drink much. Now for those who don't drink, YMMV.

Well I just received an email after my 4th request saying it had been added on August 10. I never received an email saying this. (wasn't in spam) My OBC on my account is all wonky so I wouldn't have seen it. OBC online says $290. My invoice from TA says $350. Plus the shareholder should be $450??!! I did a Live chat & they say it says we should have $30 each plus the $100--so $160??!! So NO ONE has the numbers right... Calling TA now. Sigh...

10 years ago DM wanted to take the whole family on a New Years cruise. We started with Carnival thinking it would be cheaper but the only rooms that were cheaper were true bunk rooms for 2! We booked interior rooms on Princess for considerably less than Carnival for the same category. I find RCCL to be expensive if you factor in tips, wifi & drink packages--they can't compete with NCL, Princess or Celebrity. We even got a "free" RCL trip via URcomped & once we factored those things in, it was no cheaper than booking another line!!!!

Haven't had a fax machine in years...

I filled out the Princess form & sent attachment of it, plus 2 forms from Etrade--one showing my name & the other with the stocks (weird but its the only way). Exactly what I sent in June with success. I'm checking that booking daily (Travel summary page). Sigh.

Every one sent directly from my Gmail account...truly infuriating.

You might look at the multi-line games. There was one bank of 4 machines on CB that I quite literally could practically never get on as 4 women were on there virtually every hour the casino was open! (I noticed their points were in the tens of thousands--I noticed one lady was over 20K by Day 3😳). Now, I don't know if it was because the odds were better on that game or they were just addicts.... DH & I have been pleasantly surprised to find that Spin poker & other games will occasionally be 8-5. Yes, I know 9-6 is the goal...but 8-5 is nearly non-existent as well! (8-5 Bonus is actually best payout & the play is nearly identical to JoB)

OK, who KNOWS what next year brings... BUT if you need one b4 the cruise (current CA rules say you DON'T need one if you take the train in from my understanding...) onpoint-testing.com can be done virtually from ANYWHERE on your phone, tablet or computer as long as you can connect to wifi or data. https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid (Again, things could EASILY change by next year...)

SUPER frustrated. For our July cruises I put in the request 10 days b4 sailing (had some issues with documentation so was delayed)...Thurs June 30...OBC posted the following Weds. (yep even over the 4th). I made a request Aug. 2 for Sept. 18 cruise. 2nd request Sept. 5 3rd request yesterday. NOTHING. They say expect up to 3 weeks. Fair. But 5 weeks with no response is unacceptable. Yet Dallasguy got response for Dec. cruise less than 24 hours after sending? Aren't they answering requests in the order they arrive? (Hey, I understand a lost email--but THREE??!!)

I'm curious about this statement.... What about it did not sit well with some audience members--and which audience members?

Celebrity does not have these switches that require a card...

OK heading out Sunday on Discovery Princess with DH & his aunt & uncle. They are in their 70s & his uncle cannot walk long distances. I have been asking about what excursions they would like to do & they just want to get off at each port & walk around. We are fine with this, but will there be any long treks to get from the ship to each town? There are often golf carts to run those with mobility issues from the ship to the port area in the Caribbean--will they have these in AK? First AK cruise for DH & I--old had in the Caribbean, so feel out of sorts! THANKS!

So you ate almost $1K in credits because you couldn't get your photo to load? Sorry, cruising went on long before we all had home computers & smart phones. If Live Chat can't help (and oh, my, they have so many times the last few months, quickly & efficiently, if not always solving my issues), then I am confident they will take care of us at the pier. NCL was stunned I had everything ready to go on my phone last month. I booked the cruise & I have the documentation to prove it (digital or hard copy). I am certain that they will help me through any unsolved issues once we get there. Sorry, I'm just kind of over all the drama. We have a cruise/month booked thru January (since July). Nothing has been 100% perfect, but so far we have gotten on every cruise & had a wonderful time. Nearly all industries are dealing with staffing shortages--therefore, things just might not go as they should. I realize this, breathe, and figure things will get resolved eventually (tho I must admit the 45 min to get my new room key on my B2B had me annoyed...but I remembered that I was blessed to have the resources to be cruising, and was glad to be there)

OK we are currently looking at either Vegas or the Breakaway the week of March 5. I thought I could book the cruise & cancel when we decide, but NCL's cancellation dates are much further out than other lines. We typically book months to a year+ in advance. I know the thought process of--if it is the price you want for the product you want, BOOK IT. But we truly are up in the air at this point & am curious if price would more likely go up or down in the coming months. First week of March is typically not spring break season--as reflected in the current pricing. I know that no one can predict the future, but what are your thoughts of waiting?

Was on Caribbean Princess in July for 2 weeks & shorts WERE allowed in the Island dining room. DH wore nice golf shorts/shirt several nights. But I even saw a woman in short jean shorts allowed in. I'm not saying they should or shouldn't be allowed (DH wasn't anticipating it, but he loved it), just telling you what we encountered.

Cabins half-price? We booked June 1 & it's more now... It's really pretty simple. PCR test 3 days/Antigen test 2 days prior to cruise. Same as cruises were doing for all cruises prior to the last month. Cheap & easy virtually. Fill out the ArriveCAN on the app or website 3 days prior to cruise. That's it....