Mud_Shark

We were there in November and found the water temperature fine.  Kind of refreshing like we would find swimming in our local lakes here in BC during the summer.

The walk up to the start of the falls will get your blood pumping.  You won't want to do that in a wet suit, but I guess you could carry it if you want.  Frankly, I was far more concerned about the jumps into a narrow ravine and slides down a rock waterslide - hitting the water safely was a relief and the part we enjoyed the most.

Don

We just did this same thing - first cruise with free internet on a 14 day cruise with a changeover day in the middle.  Your first 150 minutes will continue on into the second leg if you do not use them all up.  And you must use them completely up before the system will give you an option to activate the second week's minutes.  Don't fear using up the first batch and getting charged for any overage - the moment your first allotment is complete, it automatically informs you and directs you to activate the second allotment.

Don

We were on a Caribbean cruise a couple years ago with a lunar eclipse.  We sat out in the deck chairs in the night and filmed it with my poor little old cell phone camera, and then when we got home, saw how lousy and jiggly the footage was.  We laughed at how pathetic and slow moving the video was - staring at a dot for almost an hour.  Live it was more interesting.

In our case, Princess had it mentioned in the Patter as a discover stargazing event, but as far as we could tell, other than dimming the deck lighting a bit, they did nothing special about it.  A number of people watched it slowly progress, but that was all.

Don

7 hours ago, pthjudy said:

Do you remember what the upsell offer to balcony was?

Judy,

Don't recall the precise amount, but it was something around $400 Canadian per person - which would equate to about $300US per person for the upsell.  It wasn't worth it to us, but for some, it might be.

Don

We are doing the 14 day on the Royal next week (similarly marketed as 2 - 7 days or 1 - 14 day.  We are in an inside guarantee.  About 6 weeks prior to sail date they sent an upsell offer to a balcony, but we were not interested.  

Don

The resolution of the MUTS screen is better and brighter than on the Grand class.

The in room TVs have on demand movies so you don't have to pick up a movie half way through.

The walking track on the sports deck has some stations to it, so that is good, but it is short (I think 7 laps to 1 mile) and it is uncovered so can get hot in the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera.  We like to walk in the mornings on the Grand class deck 7 promenade, but prefer to walk in the coolness of the evenings on the Royal.  This is the one down side of the Royal, but we still prefer it over the Grands.

The Piazza (not sure how you spell it) is larger than the Grand class, which is nice, since it is of course the central hub of much of ship life.

We are back on the Royal in 11 days - very much looking forward to it.

Don

Yes, full refund as long as you booked under a refundable deposit.  Paying it off early does not lock your money in.  

And I am the type that wants everything paid off as early as I can, so I get this.  There is a feeling of liberty when the vacation is all paid well in advance.  The interest I make on basic savings is negligible anyway, so paying off early is not losing me money.

Don

Hey - I am 56 and I go on waterslides with my granddaughter at our local waterpark.  I would use a waterslide on board.

Don

They did once two years ago in October.  10% off all shore excursions.  It was a windfall for us, as we re-booked all our shore excursions and saved a bunch of money.

But alas, they have not repeated it since then.  Probably did not result in enough new bookings, but rather resulted in people simply re-fairing what they already had booked.  Usually, most shore excursions sell out eventually anyway so as Jim said, I guess there is no need to.

Don

While I am not in your position (and likely my wife will outlive me anyway), what would feel like it's missing when cruising solo would be the ability to share what you are experiencing with others.  This is the fear that would contend to hold me back.  But one thought I had was that if you start a travel blog, or video your cruise and post it to youtube, or do a "live from" on Cruise critic, it gives you the opportunity to actually share your experiences with others.

I enjoy watching people's cruise videos, so certainly there are others that would enjoy it if you shared.

Don

Often they have a free shuttle to take you to the parking garage (which is beside terminal 2), so if that is the direction you might need, you can just hop on it.

Don

When you call princess, simply tell them how many tickets for an excursion you wish to purchase - ie " From my OBC, I would like 3 tickets for such in such an excursion."  This has worked for me multiple times.  It will show up under your name as a purchase, not your daughter, but there is no restriction on who can use the excursion tickets.

Don

We went to Pearl Harbor in the morning (by bus), and then after returning to the ship and having a short nap, we just headed out walking towards the beach areas. It was a bit of a walk, but we are used to walking, and so was a pleasant trip of a couple miles. After passing a small harbor where charter boats were moored, there was a beach that we stopped and swam at. Nothing fancy, but fine none the less. There was a public bathroom complex with showers there as well. I tried snorkeling, but not much to see, but we had a nice swim and then walked back to the ship as the sun set. It was a pretty evening and an enjoyable walk.

Don

The parking garage is beside terminal 2. A couple years ago when we disembarked from terminal 22? or something like that on the Caribbean Princess, there was a shuttle bus going back and forth from our area to the parking garage. No charge and people were going both ways on it. If this is an option, it might just fit the bill for you as it dropped us off right beside the baggage drop off for Terminal 2.

Don

My story is not to do with the cruise line insurance, but this past summer I bought trip cancellation insurance for my wife and I for a flight to a conference in the Mid US from Vancouver.

Torrential rains in the midwest caused flooding in the facility and the conference was cancelled about 10 days before we were scheduled to leave. No problem I thought - I bought insurance! And so I started reading the fine print.

We are covered if:

1) one of us is assigned compulsory jury duty during the time of our trip

2) I am conscripted into the military during a time of national crisis.

3) An act of terrorism makes the trip impossible

4) We are involved in a serious accident On the way to the airport to board our plane. Must prove you were on the way to the airport.

5) It is work related and one of us is terminated from our employment without any fault of our own.

Other than that, the coverage is useless. Which makes the coverage useless for 99% of the reasons a person might have to cancel a trip. Live and learn.

Don

Another question -

Next year we are booked on a back-to-back that is only sold as two separate cruises. If we buy the cards for the first cruise, will the unused punches expire at the end of that segment, or carry on to the next segment? The first segment is only 6 days and the second is 14. We would not be able to use all the punches during the first segment.

Thanks

Don

Not Yet.

We don't get into those parts very often.

We sail on our cruise in seven weeks, and I plan to get one before then. Maybe one for our adult daughter as well for a Christmas present.

My wife heard of an optical store that also does this, so we are wondering if we should check that out, as they are closer.

Don

They do have a sports court. At times (listed in patter) they set up a batting cage and you can hit softballs from a pitching machine. You can also shoot hoops.

Don

Brussel sprouts were first served to prisoners - not as food but as part of their punishment.

Don

All cruises in Australia use AUD for on board accounts, and OBC from FCDs, from sale pricing (where the sale includes OBC), from military service and from shareholders OBC is stated in AUD, and there is no exchange rate figured into the equation - it is simply 1 to 1. None of us likes it. You get less value. But that's the way Princess is doing it.

I think if you gift yourself OBC - that one is converted using exchange rates.

Don

There were great deals last year because of the hurricanes. In the wake of the devastation, many people changed their vacation plans and the cruise lines offered incredible deals to try to fill cabins. It was not the "norm". Some people were afraid to vacation in the Caribbean that year and others did not like the changes that sent ships to other ports because the intended ones suffered storm damage. I would not plan on seeing those kind of deals repeated on a regular basis.

Don

Canadian Bear - where did you go to get the prescription mask?

We live in Langley and my wife snorkels with me but can't see well and so does not enjoy it as much as I do. Maybe with proper lenses she will like it better. We are also heading out in November.

Don

We sailed this route in October a few years ago. bring hoodies and wind breakers and layers, if you like to be out side or watch MUTS in the evening (first 2 days and last 2 days). For us, it was cool but comfortable for the first two days heading out. Then you could feel the change, and the sun had real warmth. In the shade there was still a coolness on the 3rd day, but sun bathers were out on the deck chairs in the middle of the day. By day 4 - it was just sunny and warm and great - and you needed shade unless you really like the sun.

On the way back, we encountered some weather and rougher seas on the final 2 days. Rain. Most people remained indoors, but it was actually quite enjoyable to use the hot tubs in the rain and cool weather - really kind of eerily inviting.

Don

Thanks very much. Exactly what I was looking for.

Don

I know I have seen it before, but I scoured the Princess website and could not find the chart that tells you the OBC amounts granted for using an FCD for various cruise lengths. Does anyone know how to find this and perhaps would they be able to post it her?

Thanks

Don