LoveDMB

I have one of those cameras, bought for the same reason you are considering buying one; I do travel journal's and scrapbooks. The picture quality is fine, but the photos are small, and the film is pricey about $10 a pack for 10 pictures, okay, maybe it's not that pricey but it seems expensive to me. My main problem with the camera is that it's bulky and doesn't fit in a standard camera case. You can buy them at Wal-Mart, and I noticed that Michaels Craft Stores sell them too. They are about $65 +/-

The ones at Michaels come in colors like pink and yellow. I have yet to actually take my instant camera on a trip. I've had it about 6/7 months.

Thanks so much on the info. I'm ok with small pics for journaling purposes. Bulky might be a pain, but I might consider the trade off to be able to put pics in right away, instead of leaving spaces for pics later.

Thanks for all the info!!

Oh...I'll be on the Coral next May if that makes a difference.

I'm wondering if there is a way to print pics from a digital camera on a ship. I do travel journals while on trips, and would like to print out pics as I go, if possible, and add to my journal. Does anybody know if there is a kiosk where this can be done?? I'm considering buying one of these instant mini cameras if not, just to be able to have some pics right away. I've heard they aren't too good of quality, so if anyone knows anything about those & would like to share info, that would also be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time!!

CUTS has only been on a couple of the ships we have been on over the past couple of years. It is not really advertised - no doubt due to opposition. We have just found it by going to the parties and looking around.

I'll keep an eye out for it. Thank you for the info.:)

There is a cigar area on every ship in the Princess fleet. Some like Churchills are better than others like Snookers or the Speakeasy.

 

When it comes to bar service, it is all dependant upon the individual ships - some have a bar or a server comes in from the Casino, or in the case of the Star, from Crooners. There is no expectation you need to purchase anything to use the area. You can bring in your own cigars, drinks, etc or purchase them there.

 

On some ships they will have CUTS - Cigars Under the Stars. This is one night up on one of the upper decks during the outdoor party on the Lido deck. Some have been very well done - couches, scotch sampling, cigars - they make it like an upscale cigar club. They rope the area off so that it will not bother anyone else. But it is only on some ships, not all.

WOW! DH would love CUTS. How do we find out if our cruise will do something like that? We'll be on the Coral next year in Alaska. Hmm...maybe too chilly to do something like that, but that sounds like something he'd enjoy. Is that something you find out about once on the ship, or is there info on their website about which ships & itineraries they do that on? Thanks for any info you may have.

Since the U.S is made of people from MANY countries & soccer is the #1 sport in every country (just about) except ours, I'm glad to hear that people who follow it will get the chance to see it. I don't like it, but it only comes around every 4 years. As a huge NFL fan, I understand the importance of big sporting events. And unlike movies, a sporting event airs ONE time. It doesn't come out on dvd, get shown on HBO, or On Demand, a few months after it's release. Good for you Princess!!!

As we got close to Vancouver, we were given forms to fill out to go through customs.

 

 

Pulling into the city we went under a bridge. I got all excited thinking it was the Lion’s Gate Bridge…but then realized how stupid I was to think that! (Even redheads can have blonde moments.)

 

 

When we pulled into the Pacific Central Station in Vancouver we were dismissed one car at a time to line up to go through customs. By the time our car was called, the line had gotten very long. The line was much longer than the covered walkway so we stood in line…in the rain…for some time.

 

 

Oh…and they were also kind enough to immediately unload our luggage and set it on the sidewalk next to the train…also in the rain. :mad:

 

 

The customs agent we had was very thorough in his questioning. I felt a bit intimidated…but then I am a serious “rule follower” and wanted to make sure we didn't do or say anything wrong. :rolleyes:

 

Outside the train station we waited in a short line for a cab to our hotel…the Best Western Plus Downtown Vancouver. The fare was $12.80 before tip. (I always like reviews that give prices…it helps me plan my budget.)

I like price quotes too! Even though we are a year out. Your review, thus far, has already helped us out a lot. Thanks for so much info!!

I'm interested in hearing how this works out. We are thinking of taking Southwest to Seattle & taking the train into Vancouver. I'm curious to hear if it's a good way to go...or if it's easier to just go into Vancouver.

More great ideas! Thank you all so much!

Each night you will have the daily platters (listing of activities on board and important information regarding your port) for the next day delivered to your stateroom. They will always make mention of any time changes on board and usually mention if the ship time and local time are different. Depending on your itinerary you could be sailing in and out of different time zones.

I usually keep my phone on my hometown time zone and bring an addition watch that I adjust to ships time as needed. The watch I use is one that backpackers use, it has a D clip so I can attach it to my beach bag or put it in my purse.

GREAT idea!!!:D Thanks for the tip. We'll do that for sure. We live on the West Coast & are doing an Alaskan cruise. So hopefully there won't be too many, if any, time changes. It's almost a year out, but it's so exciting to plan & research!

Would LOVE to hear and see anything about the Coral. We just booked our first cruise ever, on the Coral, in Alaska next year. So any pics of the ship would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

WOW! I didn't know about this ship time thing. Thank you to everyone who posted info on that! That could be all bad!

Thanks for the replies. So I guess to avoid any issues, it's best to take out 2 1/2 hours (One to get off the ship & 1 1/2 to get back on) off port times, when planning the day out. My biggest fear is the ship leaving without us.

When you're reading an itinerary and it says, for instance, that you're in port from 6am to 3 pm, is 3pm the time the ship leaves, or is that all aboard time? I'm just trying to get a general idea how long we'd actually have in each port. Sorry if it's a dumb question, but as this is our first cruise, I don't want to think that we have more time then we actually do, and be able to plan accordingly. Thanks for any info you have on this!

Since you live on the West Coast, flights aren't as big a factor as they are for travellers from say, Florida. If you want to ' experience nature', why not take a one-way cruise and spend a week on land travel ... visit Denali or ice trek at Matanuska or spend the entire week visiting communities on the Kenai Peninsula and fish to your hearts content?

 

If fishing is a priority, determine what kind of fish then research to learn the peak periods at various locations. The Alaska Fish and Game web site has info, or the Outdoor Journal. (my BIL just got back from 3 days of fishing in Sitka ... 75 lbs of salmon and halibut in their freezer)

While we would love to do a one way & spend extra time in the interior, we only get so much time off work each year & we like to do several things throughout the year. Someday we'll do it though.

If fishing is your priority then stick with June. Isn't there are round trip Vancouver with Princess in June? I avoid so early in May, and I go frequently and frankly, can afford to probably compromise more than most people, so suggest you determine- if fishing is more important to you?

For 2015 there is no RT out of Vancouver in June. I was very sad about that. It was not for price reasons that we were even considering May, mostly because we would like to see Vancouver & enjoy the possibility of seeing more from the ship on the Inside Passage. Fishing is not super important, just something DH was considering if we went at a good time. If you don't mind my asking, why do you avoid early May?? It seems you have much knowledge on Alaskan cruises, so any insight would be great!

WOW! A lot to think about. It sounds like the Coral would be best for Alaska & I like the idea that it has less passengers. Thank you for all the great input!!:D

If it came down to it & you had to choose between the Ruby & the Coral, which would you choose, if you liked both itineraries? This would be for Alaska, if that makes a difference.

We keep researching & going back & forth on a 2015 Alaskan cruise. We originally were going to do a RT out of Vancouver with HAL. Then we thought maybe RT out of Seattle with Princess. Well, we are for sure set on Princess, because there are a few days where you don't get off the ship & we like the dining options & the various places to relax on the ship (have done a Princess BVE before). Well, now we're back to Vancouver or Seattle? Princess has one RT out of Vancouver in early May (May 6, I believe). We were originally looking to mid to late June. Is May 6 waaaaaaaay to early to go to Alaska?? I know there will be less crowds, more snow, etc. How many excursions will not be available this early? Our main interest is to view as much nature as possible, not hanging out in town and shopping. Also is fishing in Ketchikan 100% out of the question this early??? Thanks for any info, opinions, any other input you may have.

Side facing balconies,

Deck 8 aft, mini suites all covered

Deck 9 mini suites all uncovered

Deck 10 Balcony cat. cabins, half covered, half uncovered

All other decks covered.

 

Not certain about coverage on rear facing balconies, and a few cabins like R747 may be partially covered

Thank you very much!

Does anybody know which decks in the Ruby have either partially, or totally covered balconies??

Here's the Room Service menu on Princess:

 

Star Princess - Hawaii Cruise by Jasperdo, on Flickr

 

Star Princess - Hawaii Cruise by Jasperdo, on Flickr

Thank you for taking the time to do this! I REALLY appreciate it!!:D

Not a real sports bar. Princess usually does have ESPN. On the Princess cruises I have been on recently it is ESPN International, which has a different selection of sporting events than the normal U.S. ESPN. Not sure what ESPN feed they will pay for in Alaska. The channel is available on your cabin TV, and they usually show ESPN at the bar in Club Fusion. Major sporting events may be shown on Movies Under the Stars, in Club Fusion, and sometimes Skywalker's. Major events, like the World Cup, may not be shown in the cabins because Princess would have to pay to feed into each cabin.

 

Internet access is slow, but not super slow. Remember while in Alaska ports you can use land based cell service and wi-fi.

 

Water, bring as much as you like, but the tap water on the ship is just as good as bottled water. There is ice in your fridge. Bring a water bottle and fill it when needed.

Thanks for all the info!!!:D

Bringing water on board - we do it every cruise. Reinforce a case of it with some duct tape, tape on a luggage tag, and give it to the porters with the checked baggage. It will show up in your room. Don't worry if it doesn't appear until a few hours later than the rest of your luggage - luggage is the top priority, water will arrive after they get all the real luggage to the cabins. At least that has been our experience consistently.

Ahhh...glad you said that. I'm the type that would freak out, thinking they lost my water. LOL.