lindaa

I too am concerned with the Sheraton hotel that Holland has chosen in Santiago Chile for the pre cruise. According to TA posters the hotel is probably not one of the better choices available. Most posters say it is in need of a major facelift that apparently is scheduled for sometime in 2015. It makes me wonder if Holland monitors their hotel selections on a regular basis or do you think they have some type of global contract with Sheraton worldwide that requires they use Sheraton where available. Has anyone stayed there recently and what did you think?

Just curious how it works... Thanks!

Recent prices for our last cruise.

Canaletto -- $10 per person -- we didn't even try it as the menu has changed and we do not like sharing dishes.

Pinnacle lunch is still $10 per person and Pinnacle dinner is $29 per person.

Le Cirque is now $49 per person.

If you are a 3 Star Mariner, you get 25% off the prices listed above.

If you are a 4 or 5 Star Mariner, you get 50% off all the above listed prices.

Chef's Table has been $89 per person on our last several cruises. And they will also add 15% gratuity on the wine portion of the dinner. No discounts here.

You mention the Chef's Table -- how fun!!! Can you give me more details about that experience and how do we book it? Is it available throughout the fleet? Thanks so much! I love all of the info shared by everyone on Cruise Critics -- there are so many things I learn from all of you!

Sorry you didn't make it. Like you, our huge desire is to put our feet on Antarctica. Hopefully we will make it. Thanks for the reply!!!

Yes. It is a 2.5 hour flight out of Punta Arenas to King George Island. Sad to hear that it didn't occur on your cruise. Apparently it is cancelled about 50% of the time due to unsafe weather conditions. There is also a minimum amount of people required to sign up for the excursion and I was just wondering if anyone knew what that number was. Thanks!

Hi everyone

The Antarctica excursion offered by HAL requires a minimum number of people to sign up. Does anyone know how many people are required for this excursion to happen? My DH is so excited about doing this and we realize that weather can also likely cancel it. But our fingers are crossed....

We would love to hear stories from anyone who has done this tour. Thanks so much!

Another water question....what is the brand of bottle water available for purchase onboard and what is the cost?

Thanks!

We are considering the South America Dec 8, 2014 cruise from Buenos Aires. Embarkation is the 8th with a departure the night of the 9th. There is a two day excursion listed for Iguazu Falls but does anyone know if that excursion is available to folks on embarkation day? The website says that rarely are excursions are available on embarkation days. But since we are docked overnight I was wondering if this might be the exception to the general rule? We cannot take off the additional time to come before the cruise so the ship excursion would be our only opportunity. I appreciate all of you insights! Thanks

Hi everyone

We are going to cruise Asia next year. After reading the post where the lady had her laptop and watch stolen from her room and seeing where several people say they do not take expensive jewelry with them at all... I was just wondering if you wear your wedding rings when cruising? If you do, do you wear them on shore excursions also? The sentimental value of my ring makes it irreplaceable but when I don't have it on I feel undressed. I would hate to leave it at home but.....

Thanks for your experiences!

Our cruise is ending in Yokohama in the early morning and we are flying out that night from Norita. We were hoping that we could find some type of city tour of Tokyo with a drop off at the airport afterwards. Does anyone have any suggestions? We will have to accommodate handling our luggage from the cruise. Really appreciate any ideas! Also, how much time should we allow at Norita prior to our departure to get through security?

Thanks!!

Sorry for being a novice.... We own CCL stock so Princess offers an onboard credit for stockholders? Wow that is great. How does it work? Can it be combined with other onboard credits from our travel agent? What document do I send for proof of stock ownership? thanks for any info!

Good info .. Thanks all!

Does Princess offer airport transfer from the port in Yokohama to Tokyo's Narita airport? I didn't see it listed in the excursion section of their website. Any suggestions on how long we should allow before our departing flight to the US?

Thanks

Thanks so much for the info! Yikes --- sounds HOT. We are from Lake Havasu City and are familiar with > 100F in the summer .... But it's a dry heat :o

Really looking forward to our trip ---- thanks again!

We are considering the 3 day Angkor Wat excursion on the Diamond Princess next year. Can anyone share their thoughts on this trip? What hotel was provided? Can you take your own bottles of water into Cambodia? Any suggestions on how to stay cool in the humid weather? How was getting back on the ship?

Thanks for any advise!!!!!