marden1970

Just now received an email with an itinerary change. We are on the Ruby in December for the r/t S.F. to Hawaii. The Lahaina stop has been changed to Kona.

It's nice to eat on your balcony but you can do it in your stateroom as well. They will provide the table and chairs.

We did this for our 50th anniversary last year, had to move it inside because of the wind. We got all of the above plus a chocolate cake, which was larger than the ones in the dining room for special occasions. We had a delicious meal and will do it again.

My husband needs wheelchair assistance for boarding. At Pier 27 in S.F., when you arrive look by the wall of the building for wheelchair assistance. They will take you up into the terminal, thru security and then thru check in. They will the leave you in an area with others needing assistance. A Princess employee will then push the wheelchair up the gangway and onto the ship. They will usually take you to wherever you choose to wait for the rooms to be ready (buffet, lounge etc). A tip is always appreciated. There is a separate check in line for those needing assistance, no need to worry about the blue/green lanes. I don't know if they will take your whole group of 15 so you may need to split up and set a place to meet on board. Happy cruising!

We don't rent a scooter but an oxygen concentrator from Special Needs at Sea. It's always been delivered.

There is a beach that is a short walk from the ship in Kauai. You could also take the shuttle to Anchor Cove and walk over to it.

We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner last year on the Crown for our 50th anniversary. It was very good. There was Champagne and a delicious chocolate cake, which was larger than the one you would get in MDR or specialty dining. It also came with a complimentary photo and flowers. I believe it was $110 with a tip for the waiter. It is delivered course by course. Somehow the waiters in Crown Grill found out it was our anniversary cruise and we got another cake and the waiters singing Happy Anniversary".

The last time we cruised from there (about a year ago), you had to enter the terminal and there was a person taking names for wheelchair assist. There were chairs to sit on while waiting. A person working for the port will take you from there upstairs, thru check in and then thru security. They will drop you off in another seating area to await a Princess employee to wheel you onto the ship. We use this for my hubby as he has trouble standing and would never be able to walk the gangway to board. They will drop you wherever you want once on board. A tip is always appreciated. Happy cruising! I wouldn't wait in the line, just walk up and tell whoever is at the door that you need a wheelchair.

You would need to have your phone with you to do that. I don't carry mine around so I order from a waiter but on our last few cruises that has been very difficult. There weren't enough of them and those that were there mostly just walked around trying not to look anyone in the eye. They never asked you, you had to flag them down.

We were recently on the Crown and my husband's favorite was a white chocolate latte.

We were on the Crown in Dec/Jan and I was always able to get 2 scoops of chocolate gelato at Coffee and Cones, no extra charge. We had the Plus Package but no one ever asked for a room number or even looked at a screen to see if Medallion showed.

I agree - we did it over the holidays on the Crown, it was held at dinner time in the back area of the buffet. We shared the bucket, $39 per person even though the Patter said $29. Poorly prepared food, the best part was the Key Lime dessert.

On our last cruise on the Crown (Dec/Jan), there was sometimes a pianist.

I've never traveled with an infant but would the tour company require a child seat to comply with whatever the law is in Alaska?

There is sometimes Twinnings brand.