Yosef42

1. Yes, you sign up on board, either by calling the DINE line or speaking to the dining staff (usually set up at/near customer service).

2. Availability is by invitation.  If they're holding the event, you'll be contacted (letter to your cabin and/or phone) with details.

3. Cost, last time we did it, was $95/person with wine, or $75 without.  On Royal class they do the "Chef's Table Lumiere," which is a bit more ($115?).

Definitely worth the trouble, IMO.  Be sure to bring closed-toe shoes for the kitchen portion, and skip lunch that day.

Yeah, I've got a question: How do you get so lucky as to spend a whole month at sea? 😁

Seriously, thanks so much for the Grand update.  You answered all the questions I had, and some I didn't even know to ask.  Looking forward to our trip in a few weeks (after you're back shoreside).

Leck57

Don’t think he missed the point he completely ignored it.

But just to put it bluntly he obviously does not believe in paying gratuity and advertises it !

Unbelievable

Cheers Carole

Mr. Pink gonna Mr. Pink. Just shake it off.

I've only been here for a month or so and up until now, this has been the most well mannered and civil board that I've ever been a part of. Even commented to a family member just yesterday about how helpful and adult everyone is.

 

The along comes this. Oh well. Nothing lasts forever I suppose.

Tipping is one of a short list of topics (including how to dress on "formal night") that are the exception to the rule. Don't let it sour your overall CC experience.

No. You don't have to do anything more than that. You will be charged extra gratuities at times, check your receipts when you are at the bar.

 

I don't think it's ever helpful to tell people what they should and shouldn't be doing but I will state what we do: We do not prepay our gratuities, but we never have them taken off the bill. Also, on the first day we give our steward and head waiter $20 in full view of their team. Then on the last night, if the service has been over and above, we give them each another $20 in the same fashion.

I assume you are doing traditional dining, but I wasn't aware that the steward had a "team." I don't think I've ever seen my steward other than alone.

A mediocre juggler would be worse. Jimmy can juggle one knife at a time. Wait until later when he hula-hoops, one hoop.

Ha! Although, in fairness, that is one more knife than I want to be juggling.

Good article, but afraid it will just fuel the gratuities fire.

 

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Well, with controversial statements like "The subject of gratuities comes up regularly on Cruise Critic's community boards, often sparking impassioned debate," what would you expect? :rolleyes:

The last "magician" we saw used balloons and such and was truly terrible. I love good magic but one simply isn't going to see the quality of magic I like on a Princess ship. Good magic is amazing. Poor magic is disappointing at best.

Good point. A mediocre magician is probably worse than a mediocre singer, dancer, comic, etc. You're just left wishing the thing had never disappeared in the first place.

Thanks everyone. I guess it's hard to predict when things will vanish, but that's the nature of magic. ;)

I haven't been on a lot of Princess cruises, but I don't recall ever seeing a magic act on one. Have I just missed out, or is that not something Princess books?

I've been watching the new season of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us," and have recently been reminded how much I enjoy a good disappearing act.

I agree with the above. Also, at this time of year, you may find it isn't as cold outside as you might think. The aft decks around and above the pool, in particular, tend to be wind-sheltered.

Forgot to tell you, the Embaradero isn’t the only way to the pier. A native to SF gave me instructions and what to do off the bay bridge. I think I have them saved on my computer if you need them.

If there's a better way to go, I'd love to hear it! As far as I could tell, you can go around a ways, but at the end you still need to merge onto the Embarcadero.

Also, we're coming up the Peninsula, so that may affect our approach, as well.

What toppings can you have?

 

Pizza is something I’ve never ordered out.

The Alfredo's menu varies from ship to ship, but as I recall there were about half a dozen set pizza combinations. One thing that isn't stated on the menu: Since each pizza is made to order, they'll be happy to substitute any combination of the listed ingredients for you.

I agree with most of what I've read here, but wanted to add that they have the dogsled tours in Juneau, as well. That was the highlight of our multi-highlight visit last year. It will also (barring cancellation for weather) guarantee you the snow you're looking for, being on top of a glacier and all.

Here's a small tip: If you're driving to the port, plan to get there early. The Embarcadero (the only way in) was backed up crazily when we got there, to the point where we were sitting through 3 and 4 light cycles without moving an inch. I was genuinely concerned about missing our cruise, but once we got off the street and into the port everything went fine.

If you prefer Uber, or a taxi, there is absolutely no shortage of availability at the port on disembarking.

I'll let those with more experience get into the details, but Princess transfers can be purchased through the website in advance or on board. Disembarkation time is assigned based on flight time. I don't know the exact cost, but it's not outrageous compared with the alternatives. (Except BART, which is usually much cheaper, but involves a mile-plus walk from the pier to the station.)

I believe the original suggestion was not to raise everyone's fare and make Princess an all-inclusive line, but rather to bundle the add-ons. For example, now you can choose to buy drinks individually or go for the AIBP, why not offer an AIFP (All-Inclusive Food Package), or an AIAP (All-Inclusive Amenities Package)?

So you're on the Crystal Symphony? That's at Pier 35 because the Grand Princess (which homeports in SF) will be at Pier 27 on Sunday, before you leave.

To answer your question, walkability in that area depends a lot on exactly where you're going, because of all the hills. But you should be able to go around Telegraph hill and stay rather flat, so figure about 20 minutes walking.

How much does it cost?

Unless they've raised the price since last year, it's $95/pp, a bit less if you skip the wine.

I agree with the general consensus that the train was an excellent choice. I do have some thoughts about Haines, though, since our cruise stopped there and we had to ferry back and forth to get to Skagway:

First, how long is your ship going to be in port? The ferry takes, if I recall correctly, about 45 minutes each way and you have to work around its schedule.

Second, Haines itself is cute enough, but much quieter and smaller than Skagway.

Third, I don't think it was a kayak tour, but some boat tour held our ship an hour or two late because it got grounded. Luckily for the attendees, it was a Princess tour, so they didn't get left behind. I'm honestly not sure what they'd have done if they missed the last ferry back to Skagway.

Sorry to further limit you, but I'd also suggest you choose one of the sailings that includes a visit to Glacier Bay. We did that last year, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.

The chess pieces are slightly above waist high. So unless real-life knights and rooks were really really small in days of yore "life size" is a bit of an exaggeration. The board on the deck is not large enough to host a "live action" human chess-piece game.

It's good to be the king.

As others have said, there is one on the Grand, but it's rotated 90 degrees.

Also, I loved that the elevator said "hello" to me in Hawaiian whenever it opened on floor 12. :)

You're lucky. The elevator always said "goodbye" to me.

You can also go south into San Mateo or Santa Clara counties. There are wineries hiding in all sorts of nooks and crannies. Maybe not as famous as Napa, but also not on fire. :(

She was just in drydock last December, so I'd guess not. Plus, there don't seem to be any breaks in her schedule through the end of 2018.