cali-croozer

19 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I'll be curious of Navigator docks in Ensenada tomorrow

Yes, I saw the warning and was wondering the same thing.  They've got to dock if it's their only international stop, I wouldn't go ashore. But, do the passengers even know. 🤷‍♀️

Are cabins normally ready upon boarding,  and, if not, can you access them to put your bags down? 

On 8/9/2022 at 5:28 PM, Wakepatrol said:

Yes- As long as you aren’t in front of me😂

Unfortunately,  I'll be the one with the big suitcase....I travel with my dialysis machine and it cannot be checked. Waiting for the day when I can travel light again. 

12 minutes ago, Lizabu said:

The outlets are by the desk. And I think there’s two. And the showers have a big jug of body wash and then a big jug of combination shampoo/conditioner. It smells good but I bring conditioner too because I can’t get a comb through my hair when I use just the combination stuff.

Thanks! I'll be sure to pack some conditioner.

Is there shampoo, conditioner and shower gel on the Royal (inside cabin). 

How about outlets....how many and where are they in an inside cabin. 🤔 

I can't find the post, but someone mentioned that you can specify, on your booking, whether you are open to an upgrade or not.  I don't see that anywhere on my booking.  In my case, I would not want an automatic upgrade, would want to be notified first, as I like the cabin and location I picked. 

Any input on the main dining rooms before I make dinner reservations?  I noticed they are not giving me the choice of the Symphony dining room, only Concerto and Allegro.  I know they all have the same menus, so maybe doesn't matter which one I choose? Thanks in advance.

25 minutes ago, EDDY0827 said:

Worry not! I can't get my security photo to upload either. I'm not spending anymore time on it and it will be taken care of at check-in. The only things you need to check-in for your cruise is your passport, vaccination card and a negative covid test. The rest they can handle at the port.

I was able to take a selfie and then access it for the app.  But, it's true, they can handle it at the port.  

never mind......figured it out

Thanks.

Do you need to inform princess in advance if bringing a c pap? My husband doesn't use water so don't have to request that.  

On 8/6/2022 at 3:06 AM, CruiseNYC said:

If you go to Princess.com, scroll to the bottom of the main screen and find “Accessible Cruising”.   All info should be there. 
Email should be sent to both 

accessofficeprincess@princesscruises.com 

guestmedical@hagroup.com

After sending back forms - and a letter from nephrologist stating that passenger is in good health to travel - we received clearance from both of those offices. It did take them quite a while to respond btw.  (I should mention that my husband has mobility issues so he rents a scooter, too, and we need to send a form for that.)

I believe that since you’re bringing the dialysate with you, it’s pretty straightforward. 

Thanks. I couldn't find any forms for dialysis on the website but medical sent me the risk assessment form and told me about the letter from nephrologist. I guess I'm on my own at the port, hoping my boxes get to the cabin.

Do you wait until you've made final payment to request this? First timer here. 

4 hours ago, seapals2 said:

Check the princess website,  requires supervised test if self testing 

1 hour ago, CruiseNYC said:

We are just back from a 7 day cruise from NJ to Bermuda. DH did manual - but we could have brought machine with us. I’m less afraid of issues (in case of power or internet outages) when he does manual. We brought the dialysate cartons with us and put large, white stickers with our names and cabin # on all 4 sides. When we arrived at port to drop luggage, they added one of their stickers and they transported them, along with our suitcases, to the cabin. Very, very easy.  Celebrity provides plastic waste bags and a sharps container (in case he needs heparin).
We are on a 14-day Princess cruise in November and he’ll probably do manual again. We’ll bring the cartons with us to Brooklyn, label them on all sides and drop them with luggage. The boxes are too heavy to carry on board!
We have already filled out all the special access forms for Princess so we should be good to go!

We really hope you will go. It has really been wonderful for both of us to be able to cruise again. Celebrity makes it very easy; we hope the same is true of Princess. 

Please share your experience with all of us after your trip. Thank you in advance!
 

I have an email in to medical services....but what are the access forms?

On 6/24/2022 at 10:28 AM, jaygatsby27 said:

I have done manuals and used the machine onboard and manuals work much better.  I got Fresenius to deliver supplies to the ship and they were in my cabin when i arrived.  I connect in the bathroom while my wife waits in the cabin and that works pretty well.  I can wash up and sterilize the little counter easily. 

I hate manuals....ugh.  Why do manuals work better for you than the cycler on a cruise?  

On 7/8/2022 at 4:00 AM, CruiseNYC said:

Oh no!  So sorry to hear you canceled.  After our first experience, we will not hesitate to cruise again.  In fact, we have about 5 more cruises already booked.  We have two more this year - but those leave from NY area; we'll bring supplies on board with us.

The other thing is that both Celebrity and RCCL are affiliated with DialysisAtSea cruising so, perhaps, they're more used to having supplies delivered.  Once on board, the medical officer located the boxes and the dialysate arrived 10 minutes later.  He only left after the boxes were safely delivered to our cabin.  (Our Retreat Host was also actively involved in the process.)  We had followed up repeatedly with our product supplier (Baxter) pre-cruise and it was all done to perfection.

 

We are curious, however, how it would work if we decided to cruise out of the UK.  Wondering if anyone has had that experience.

Hi. I am looking to take a short cruise, first one on PD (been stable for 3 years, so not worried about that). I'll be on princess.  I was planning on bringing my cycler. Is that what you have done? If I have to do manuals, I won't go.  I will also bring my solution boxes with me as it is a short cruise and the port is close to home.  I am working on figuring out what i do with them once I get dropped off. Don't want to just hand them over to the porter.

2 hours ago, judyjudy56 said:

I was worried that with the lack of staff they may have stopped that. It’s a nice way to start off the cruise. 

Are you saying the dining room is open for lunch upon embarkation ?   

I am looking at a Mexican Riviera cruise this fall and only one of the ports show excursions (just 2); the others say "no excursions available at this time, check back later".  Does this mean they are sold out already?  Also, debating on the drink package (plus one, that includes wifi and  tips).  Are you able to use the drink package as soon as you board the ship (San Francisco) or do you have to wait until sailaway?  Thanks in advance......

do you have a picture of your room and the obstructed view?  very interested. thanks

After 10 cruises, I have started to pack a lot less.  Found out I don't need a lot of the extras.  What I do bring is a "puff" for the shower (works the best with shower gel), conditioner (only shampoo is provided), a set of workout clothes for the gym, a fun lanyard for my sail and sign (found a "pearl" one at hobby lobby, it looked quite nice!), dollar bills for room service and luggage porter tips, slipper/socks for wearing around the cabin.  I stopped bringing a water bottle and coffee cup so I don't have to lug it around  (I purchase a 12 pack of water to be delivered on embarkation day).  Found out we can manage without the power strip (phones charge pretty quickly and I don't travel with other electronics).  I use the provided plastic laundry bags for dirty/wet clothing.  We use the top drawer as our "junk drawer" so don't need another catch all bin.  The steward will provide extra hangers if needed.  I unpack only our regular toiletries and there seems to be enough room in the bathroom for those.  Any "as needed" medications, etc. stay in our carry-on, so no need for the shoe organizer.  

Of course, this is just what works for me.  You need to decide how many extras you will need.  If you are running out of luggage space for the extras, my tips might come in handy.  

Just got back from our cruise.  There is a public bus in Catalina.  There is a stop near the dock, but closer to where the Catalina Express docks; or just look for the benches in the downtown area.  It has several stops around town, and goes up to the memorial garden.  It is $2 per person, per ride (every time you get on, you pay $2, driver doesn't have change).  We actually just stayed on the bus and took the entire loop; it is not a tour bus but we were friendly with the bus driver so he pointed out things for us.  If the weather was warmer, I could see taking the bus up to the memorial garden and walking back down to town, taking in the sights along the way (bird aviary, nature center, etc).  One note:  in the off season, there might only be one bus running, so if you miss it, you might have to wait up to 40 minutes for it to come back around.  We waited at the bus stop for awhile, thinking maybe it wasn't running, but then it showed up.  

We arrived at Long Beach one hour before our appointment (we drove from Northern California, hard to predict exactly when we would arrive based on traffic, etc).  We were prepared to wait but hoped we would be let into the terminal to sit.  There were 2 queues, "on time" and "a little early/a little late".  We were directed to the early/late queue, but since there wasn't anyone in either of the queues we checked in immediately and were off to board the ship.   It's like the fast pass line at Disneyland.  The regular line (early/late) will wait until the fast pass (on time) people get through their queue and then they will be let in as space permits. So, your experience may vary.  You take a chance going early.  I didn't like the idea of staggered boarding when it first came out but, having gone through it, it really works.  Even if we had to wait for our check in appointment (1:30), it is more than enough time to put our things down (cabins aren't ready until 1:30pm anyway), get lunch and explore before muster and sail away.  I guess the only thing we miss, getting on later, is the chance to participate in the spa tour. I will take stress free boarding over than any day!

15 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Thanks!  Any photos of the ship/food you'd be willing to share?  Also with the pour your own beer, any idea if it's included in the cheers package?

We really didn't take many pictures on this cruise, since we've done it before.  There was another recent post/review with lots of pictures.  Also, Scott Singer cruises on you tube has a series of videos he did on the Inspiration about a year ago.  He does a good job showing the ship, foods and ports.  Not sure if the pour you own beer is included in the cheers package; you have to swipe you sail and sign card; that's all I know (and that it's not a deal...lol).  

Sounds like experiences will vary.  We arrived at Long Beach about an hour early (less traffic on the road than anticipated).  

This was around 12:30 and we had a check in time of 1:30 to 2:00.  We were prepared to wait, but were hoping to at least get into the terminal to sit as the weather was not very nice.  There were 2 entry ways into the terminal:  on time and a little early/a little late.  We went to the little early/little late queue, but there wasn't anyone in either of the queues so we were directed to a check in podium and from there directed to the ramps/escalators to board the ship.  We were on board around 1pm.  So, if you are early or late at Long Beach you go to that queue where you will wait while they serve the on time people (kind of like the regular queue and fast pass queue in Disneyland).  In our case, no wait.