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I completely agree with Skynight re the coffee package.  I don't think Princess has thought this through adequately and it will likely result in fewer package purchases. (I know I will no longer be purchasing one...time to bring along my Starbucks instant coffee tubes!)

According to Princess, (if you qualify for the swap out) what they will do if you do not want coffee cards is to swap out items in the set up on a one for one basis...i.e you would get one can of soda for each item even if it is liquor.

I also asked them if we could get one coffee card and then swap out the other half for soda but they said that was not possible.

Crystalspin, don't fret. We had success a few times in the Wheelhouse bar, tucked in a corner on days they didnt have a presentation there. the promenade area on deck seven outside is quiet and with good weather is ok too. We didnt try the Horizon Court outside of dining times...that might be ok but not entirely quiet but will get very busy closer to meal times.

You will have a wonderful time no matter what.

Espresso coffee is also available in the dining rooms.

To Caribill: no, I didnt bother since I knew we would go over our fifteen anyway on this 10 day voyage. I am sure it would have been an easy correction but next time I will be sure to alert the waiter to charge it to our "card". Still prefer the old system though.

Another negative though is that Elite (just turned after this voyage) who are non drinkers and want to change out the minibar for two coffee cards will lose out since cards expire at the end of the voyage and it's pretty tough to drink 30 coffees in seven days!

We were also on this cruise and can agree with many of the previous comments.

The ship did seem to be very crowded, especially the Atrium area . I love the IC on all of Princess' ships but after 8 a.m. It was pretty hopeless to find a table. There were many large groups on board who seemed to take over the IC and stay for long periods of time. Yes, you did have to be seated in the theatre at least a half hour prior to the show, however I find this the case with all Princess ships. The Explorers Lounge was similar.

Generally entertainment was good but I did not care for the crooner Funch's show in the theatre. Voice of the Ocean show was fun, trivia was generally very good. I found the cruise director Jen to be a bit dull.

Food and service in the MDR was excellent, the buffet was just average and it was pretty hopeless to get a table...we generally had to sit outside which was often chilly. I found afternoon tea to be a bit hectic and felt rushed so we only did it once.

I found it very difficult to find a quiet place to read and relax on board on sea days, many had to resort to sitting in the theatre for some quiet time. Found myself wishing for some quiet Holland America time occasionally!

However all in all it was an enjoyable time and my only regret is that I ate too much!

Just returned from the Emerald and my first experience with the new coffee card system.

It worked ok but you have to ask the barista how many coffees you have left, would be good to show it on your account. In the dining room however our lattes were not taken off our "card" but charged to our account.

I dont like the new system but I can see why they changed it.

Wow, didn't realize my initial question would garner such a response. Wonderful!

I am an avid reader, generally reading two (real) books a week. I have three kindles (long story) one of which I always bring when I travel and almost never use. I love the feel, smell and texture of a real book. I love the ambience, quiet and peace of a good library on land or sea and as much as some would hate to see a pool be eliminated on a cruise so do I hate to see the demise of the library.

Sadly, I think libraries at sea are probably doomed, however given the amount of use our local libraries at home enjoy I am hopeful for their future on land at least.

P.S. I receive great joy watching my two young grandaughters (who are also avid readers) sitting reading a real book!

While we enjoy both lines (we are three star on HAL and will be Elite on our next Princess), we lean towards Princess. Much better entertainment and activities and love, love, love the International cafe. They also offer better loyalty perks. We have never been disappointed with Princess dining room food. One big negative on board Princess is the chaos of anytime dining. We will not sail with them if we are not able to get Traditional dining.

However HAL often does have better itineraries and you can't beat them for informational seminars. If we are doing a longer trip we do prefer HAL.

Can anyone provide a list of the HAL ships that still have a proper dedicated library?

We sailed the Noordam last year and the library was still there however its state seemed to indicate it was on its way out. :(We sail her next Jan.

I was told by a Princess rep when I purchased Princess insurance early (due to pre existing clause) that the cost would be refunded if I cancelled before final payment date but that it would be refunded by the insurance co., not Princess. However given that our experience has been that you sometimes get a different answer from a different rep, maybe that should have been in writing?

We have always chosen traditional dining...love having the same waiters and not having to wait for a table with Anytime.

The last cruise we took with Princess we booked too late to get Traditional and were assigned to Anytime. What a mess! People were lining up an hour ahead to get into the early seating. After the first night we made reservations (tricky because you had to phone first thing and hope you would get through). Apparently most did not know reservations were an option so those in line at the dining room were quite hostile to those with reservations who simply walked in. Never again Anytime!

Website seems to be on overload. Had to put our desired cabin on hold before it disappears and I will try a Princess TA to finish. I got most of the way through the booking but using a FCC seems to confuse it.

I have had no luck using an ipad. I do better with my laptop but it is still a very awkward website. We also cruise a lot on Princess and their website is a dream in comparison. I prefer to do my own bookings directly with cruise companies because I dislike having to wait for TA to get back to me but I think in future I will use a TA to book with HAL.

We have always used National Express bus which leaves right from Heathrow, very easy. However as another stated if you are arriving the day of the cruise perhaps a private transfer is safer.

We have taken this trip several times, usually round trip out of Vancouver.

Lovely cruise. We havent encountered rough seas. However we do not get seasick so good advice to always be prepared with meds.

Both San Francisco and San Diego are easy ports to do on your own. In both cities we have done food walking tours which were excellent and usually fit easily into time in port. If the cruise you choose has an overnight in S.F. you could try some evening theatre. Otherwise there is no lack of things to do in either city. LA is more difficult, we usually stay on board and enjoy the quiet. San Pedro where you port has little to offer and as another post has stated, anything else at this port is a min. of an hour away.

This may be of interest to new or almost Elites:

The one time mini bar set up for Elites applies to any lenghth of cruise. Even one or three day cruises... Per my question to Princess.

I was disappointed that we cant swap out our mini bar for one coffee card and other non alcoholic items for the other half. With the move to an electronic card, we wouldnt get our full value out of two coffee cards on a shorter voyage. However I can see why they changed from the cards...too many ebay sales?

Thanks all, used my laptop and it was fine. Have to say that the site is awkward to work with though and I fail to understand why they changed it from their previous format when it worked much better. Guess they have to keep their tech guys busy!

Having difficulty with the HAL website. Is it because I am using an ipad?I have tried Safari and Firefox with no luck.

Vancouver has it as well. But the problem is that there is just one agent for the Nexus line as opposed to about five agents for the regular line. We used it two years ago for our cruise to Alaska and would have been through faster in regular line.

Wouldnt change my Plaza inside unless its to a balcony.

Love getting my coffee early in the morning at the International Cafe and enjoying the Atrium before the ship wakes up!

Just booked Japan! No problems...so excited.

To Voljeep:

Cruise cost: inside cabin. $136. CDN. all taxes in per person

Amtrak bus home: $35 USD per person

No pets

No car/parking

So, cheap enough but a miserable transport day home. Train would have been more comfortable but didnt want to wait till 7:30

just returned from a one day cruise on the Ruby. We tried this mainly because it moves us up a notch so we will be In the Elite category next cruise.

Have to say this is a never again experience...perhaps because a lot of the passengers have never sailed before, the atmosphere is frenetic. Most are attempting to cram in as much as possible into the one day. Staff are noticably stressed and I noticed a lot of rude behavior on the part of passengers.

Breakfast on the departure morning was limited to the Lido so the area was so overwhelmed they ran out of plates!

For first timers this is not the way to judge cruising...I heard several passengers say they were disappointed in the cruise.

Just returned today from the one night Ruby to Seattle. We have to agree that a one day is not really a trip worth taking. While embarkation was wonderful (absolutely no lines anywhere when we arrived at noon...we couldnt believe it!), and the cruise itself was good, disembarkation and a long day of travel back to Vancouver made it just too much of a hassle.

We had a reason, however, for doing it since it now bumps us up to Elite.

Also just bought 6 packs for two cruises (long ones).

Just wish there would have been a similar outcry over expiration dates on new coffee cards!