LizSydney

Hi it's me again cruisenurse1 was wondering two things about the emerald can we have breakfast up on one the decks outside? do they have a gym with yoga classes? Love yoga and don't want to miss my weekly class. Thank you in advance

 

 

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Yes, I never eat in a dining room. I preferred to eat outside on the Sun Deck or the Lido Deck.

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I tend to say that Princess is for everyone with loads of different things to do from the Movies under the Stars through to the Princess Theatre, the karaoke, the gym, the sports stuff, the pools and the sun deck, plus drinking if you want.

I pitch it as being mid range, not bogan like P&O, and not OTT like RCCL. I say the ships are well maintained and it's a great cruise line, that there's something for everyone.

I'm 31 and I've only cruised Princess and only would. I've looked at other cruise lines but they just don't have the destinations or amenities that I want.

Yep, as others have said, just put the sign up and then they'll clean it when the sign's not up. Communicate with them as well. They're generally really good and will do their best not to disturb you, while ensuring that the room is tidy and clean.

Hi all,

 

We've been on several cruises but they've all be on Disney Cruise Line. Now that the kids are older my husband and I would like to sail alone and Princess has the itineraries we are interested in. I'm just confused about early booking and how the sales work.

 

On DCL the earlier you book the better deal you get. As the ship starts to fill up the prices get higher. Since I've been looking at the Princess cruises we are interested in the prices keep dropping. What is the incentive to book early? Is it a big hassle to rebook to get the sale prices once Princess starts slashing them?

 

I appreciate any advice. I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Well, I booked for January 2018 ages ago and it's just gone on sale. I would be saving about $500 if I cancel and rebook but tbh I can't be bothered because I have a good stateroom location and I wouldn't want to risk getting one in a poor location. I also can't be bothered dealing with their contact centre staff so I'm not rebooking. It depends on if you want to run the risk of missing out or wait for good deals. I'd rather not risk missing out.

I haven't cruised in 8 years and will be on Caribbean Princess January 2018. I have a smart phone and AT&T is my provider. Will I be able to text and use internet on my phone?

Yes but it's incredibly expensive. I would suggest getting the internet and then calling people at home using Skype. That way you won't incur the huge cellular at sea charges. you could also wait until you're in port to contact people.

I pay the internet fee myself but that's because I can't imagine not having the internet. What if I miss something important like news and current affairs and want to keep in touch with my friends? Last cruise I spent $1500 on internet. I won't my next two as I won't be working on them and needing to keep in touch, so any communications will be purely for pleasure.

First, let me say we love Princess, are Elite and have never had a bad Princess cruise. We also sail RCI, Cunard and have dabbled in a few others, but we always return to Princess.

 

We have also sailed on Diamond, 3 years ago before her refit for the Chinese market, and loved it.

 

We are now considering a 14 night Fiji cruise out of Sydney and reading the reviews on here we are somewhat shocked. They don't seem very good at all.

 

Now we realise reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt, but there are so many poor reviews it's a little concerning.

 

So does anyone have anything good to say about her?

 

We understand she is due for a refit soon - will they be adding an International Cafe, or modernising the Horizon Court?

 

Thank you all!

I was on the Diamond at the end of 2015 and am on the ship again in January next year. I preferred her to the Emerald which I was on at the beginning of this year. It may be that the Diamond was my first cruise, but I had no issue with it. I quite enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, not so sure smoking is still allowed by the Terrace Pool on Crown Princess. :( Seems it may not be from what sister ships are reporting.

It's so hard getting CURRENT Information.

Do hope someone recently on Crown will reply.

I've only been on the Diamond and Emerald so I'm not 100% sure this is accurate for all ships but as far as I knew smoking was only permitted on the top deck at the Tradewinds Bar. This was as recently as January.

Not being able to smoke anywhere else doesn't really worry me. I don't smoke enough to care about it.

Do you take your passport or leave it in the safe and take a copy? Could you even use the copy?

When I'm in port I take it with me. When I'm on the ship I leave it in my cabin. I also have a digital copy on my phone.

I prefer cabins midship and one of the higher decks.

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I don't mind having to pay the solo traveller's tax. There is no way I would share with anyone let alone a stranger. I'd rather it was only 1.5 times the fare of 75% of the 2 person cabin rate.

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This will be my first Celebrity cruise, Royal Caribbean has been my favorite cruise line but there was a great deal with Celebrity I couldn't pass up. What is the first thing you do when you board? Do you go eat? Where do you like to eat the first day? Is there any activities you like to do before the ship gets hectic and full?

Go to my stateroom, get rid of all my luggage, then head up to the Lido or Sun deck (Princess) and stay for the Sailaway Party and photo opportunities.

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The shorter cruises 3-5 nights are generally on the cruise lines older ships and do less interesting itineraries . They also attract those that try to cram 7 nights of cruise activities into 3-5 nights.

 

If you fly in , your airfare for a short cruise is about the same as a longer one.

 

Do 7 nights and relax. First timers are overly concerned about seasickness . Take meds with you but don't expect to use them.

This is actually where the bigger ships are better but they only do longer cruises. If you're worried about sea sickness better to go with a longer one on a bigger ship.

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I'm a fan of Princess. I've looked at Cunard but they're too expensive. P&O are budget so I'd never go with them. I'd consider RCCL.

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It's not a coincidence that the cruises became bookable the day after the Cyber Sale ended. So the prices you are seeing are not part of any sale. There are probably only 40 days of the year where Princess isn't having some sort of "sale" and we are now in that blackout period. They do this so that the anxious "must book on the day the cruises come out" crowd pays maximum fares. They sweep in as much revenue as they can from people who simply can't wait to book in hopes that many of them won't bother to re-fare. After the feeding frenzy subsides, there will be another sale, and you will see prices drop considerably.

 

 

 

Last year at this time I was disheartened about my dream of taking a Med cruise. Prices and selections were awful. Then, during the Cyber Sale, I was able to book a Med cruise for less than what I pay for a Caribbean cruise, and over $2,000 less than what I would have paid had I been an early booker last year. And got a location upgrade. And got gratuities included. And got OBC. When the sale ended, I looked at what the new, non-sale price was, and for the cabin next to mine, someone will have to pay $2,200 more than I paid 10 days ago. Of course, I expect that price to come down again. But right now, in non-sale mode, the cruise I booked is double what I just paid.

Jimmy, thanks for answering this. I too had wondered why cruises were double the price I'd previously booked at. Now it makes sense.

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I ended up cancelling and have rebooked for a later date. Something else came up so that was sort of the final straw.

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That's not an option. I'd lose $700 (20% because of the time before sail date) and I have only $570 left to pay. I can most likely come up with it this week but did just want to double check that my thought was right that there'd be no chance of extending. I might flick them an email anyway.

Oh also I'd call them but their hours are so limited.

Yeah that's what I thought as I know they're strict with cancellations and don't allow them after the cut off date. If it helps I'm in Australia and this is for a November cruise.

I have a booking for November and I have just a few hundred dollars left to pay by the 14th of September. How strict are they with payment time lines if you give them a call and ask to extend by a week?

Diamond Princess, Princess Cruises, Carnival, December 2015. It was two weeks and yes. My next one is in November this year.

But you effectively paid the equivalent of auto tips. Built in to the fare. A system that many on CC. See as heralding the end of civilization.

That's fine. I'd rather that than having tips to pay later. Plus prices are so reasonable it's irrelevant.

Interesting, seems to be a common misconception among cruising newbies, who understandably want to cram in as many ports of call as possible.

 

Veterans understand that the quality of ports of call is more important than the quantity, and that sea days are an awesome and much needed break in between ports, where you can truly lounge around and enjoy the stupid amount of amenities and activities a modern cruise ship offers. As well as stay up late the night beofre, and sleep in, since you know you don't have to be in the lineup for the tender at 0700.

 

That, and being able to just watch the sea go by. It can put you in a trance, and you begin to understand why many people prefer to work and live at sea rather than on dry land.

Exactly. I've only been on one cruise so far but some of the ports were disappointing. I loved the sea days though.

I'm 30 and I didn't find that at all.

Yep same thing happened to me. Three months later and I've booked my next. I can't wait for it.

For me the worst thing about cruising was the cruise ending and feeling like I was on a boat for a month but mainly the cruise ending.