SiliconCruiser

On 3/20/2023 at 12:51 PM, Cruise Raider said:

Great idea … looks as though your cruise is sold out and that could be a real mess later in the day if you embark at pier 35.  
Our cruise is short so we will just have a carry on.  We will probably just take BART over and walk to Pier 27 if it’s not raining.  Rain is not something we’ve usually had to worry about … this year, it just keeps on coming!  

Couldn't you just take the F street car to the pier?

23 hours ago, sfpd3000 said:

Since we booked last minute, the only choice we had was Allegro at 6:40.  We were in line at guest relations and saw Claudio.   Went up to him and asked if we could switch to Concerto.  He said the only open times were 5:00 and 7:30.  No problem.  We took 5:00.  Then went to the dining room for lunch and saw Sergio.  Told him we wanted Alvin and Roel again.  He said no problem.  Didn’t even take down our cabin number.  Went to dinner that night and got the same table as before.

I had that same issue!  We just went to Concerto and Sergio and his asst. mgr. took care of us.  All of a sudden we had "traditional dining"  (same table each night, and also for most breakfast and lunch days).

22 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’ll be on the Royal next month & on my cruise last cruise on the Royal in November/December I never sat at the same table twice so  I guess I’ll have to wait until I’m onboard to see what happens. I’ll be in the Concerto so does anyone have any recommendations for the wait staff?

 

Tom😀

Odd.  In February, the assistant restaurant manager asked if we would like the same table each night, and we were accommodated.  They even held the table for us one night when we didn't expect to be on board.  We were mostly able to use the same table for both breakfast and lunch on most days. Apparently this information was also conveyed to the restaurant manager as well.  On most occasions, when someone saw us in line to enter the dining room, we were pulled around the line and led to our table.  Also, as it is not customary to tip supervisory/mangerial staff, we did not, but we did show our appreciation to the wait staff.

On 3/17/2023 at 3:08 AM, Clampram said:

What is this area like...I have seen images of people waiting in a long line outside?

Is there an inside building/facility and , more importantly, does it have rest rooms? We have a bit of a drive into San Fran so I am worried about where the "facilities" are, LOL

Thanks in advance

We were there in February and it seems that they've gotten their act together.  If you get there early (disregard your selected boarding time) you'll be able to get on board, drop your luggage off, and go have a leisurely lunch, and relax while everyone else boards.  Bear in mind that the pier is run by a company called Cruise Metro and for lack of personnel or trained personnel, they can cause a mess (also take into account that many of the people are elderly (and we're sometimes kinda slow,) so they try to follow what they've been trained (maybe) to do, but may require more time.  Then you have to go through security (also not Princess) before you get to the Princess employees that do the check-in. 
We were also there last July and while we got on early without issue, the ship left the port over an hour and a half late (the ship has to transmit the passenger manifest to CBP and hour before.)  We ended watching the ship sail under the Golden Gate from the MDR during dinner (no big thing, I'm a native.)

On 3/19/2023 at 10:38 AM, sfpd3000 said:

And that’s why I don’t work full turns at Pier 35!

Are you one of those people working pay jobs on turnaround days?

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

'Platinum' does not wait in the 'Elite' lounge ... sorry

Maybe not in your world, but there is a Platinum/Elite area for both embarkation and disembarkation.

8 hours ago, CruiseCritic911 said:

Hi all,  quick question on boarding.  We booked a cruise on the Ruby very short notice and could only get a very late boarding time, so I know my chances of getting Sanctuary chairs is not good, but I am platinum , I have never used priority boarding because we are normally group A.  When I read the benefits it says "priority" boarding, but what does that really mean?  Can we come earlier and board before our scheduled time?  I now that is not cool and we never do that in order to respect the process, but if that is really a benefit of loyalty I am willing to try and grab those soft chairs all week.  I also remember people saying that some of the boarding had changed so I wanted to check with the experts here.  🙂

Thanks

Amy

 

It has been our experience that they don't really care about the arrival times.  Ever since our very first Princess cruise, we get to the port early, get checked in early, and board early, regardless of embarkation port.  That's been our experience at multiple U.S. ports, Europe, and Asia.
On our first cruise, we were just told to get there early so that we could have lunch in the MDR.  We have since found out that we have always had priority board (before suites and Elite/Platinum.)

Would never work for us.  My wife does not drink alcohol and she wouldn't let me drink her share ...🤣😂

On 3/18/2023 at 3:21 AM, MissP22 said:

The door decorations are a thing of the past unless you bring your own.

On the last cruise they were far and few to be seen unless the screen display counted as one.

And yes, those special desserts are nothing to get excited about either along with the singing. 

:Ya mean having a group of waiters singing off key with Happy [insert occasion] to the tune of Happy Birthday.  And yeah, I don't like the desserts 'cause I'm not much of a cake eater.

On 3/15/2023 at 9:16 AM, BamaVol said:

I lied about our anniversary. We got a special dessert in the MDR and a group of servers sang “happy anniversary”.  The surrounding tables applauded.

I always ask them to refrain from singing.  I got caught off-guard on our first cruise and didn't welcome the attention.

5 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

This is tolerated MUCH more so than at the pool (at least by me).  Getting seating in the buffet can be quite challenging...it just does not bother me when I see a table being "held" in the buffet because I *know* they'll be back very shortly.  With the pool...that can be a different story altogether.

The ones are those small groups who hog a large table in the buffet.  I even saw one guy pull over a table for two to a table for four, for his group of four and refused to let anyone sit there.  Then they moved their chairs to hog both tables.  Or the ones who hog a round table of 6 for their mahjong while others are trying to find a place to eat..

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I commend you for being an advocate for the handicap. Unfortunately, some “handicaps” are not visible from the outside.  There is no where in Princess Theater that you can seat (except in nose bleed section) that is accessible without steps.  
 

i did find one ship that did not have stairs into 6th deck. Don’t remember if that was the Ruby. 

The Ruby has 6th floor ADA access as do all of the Royal class ships (like the Royal currently sailing out of San Francisco,)  Not sure but it looks like they may have retrofitted some ships (like the Grand?) for 6th floor access during the shutdown.  We looked at the nosebleed section when we were on the Royal a few weeks ago, and they've got both ADA parking/seating space, and additionally rows of seating behind that as well.

8 hours ago, Princessfan20 said:

We do get annoyed when we see non-handicapped people in the theater setting in chairs definitely for handicap people or people in wheel chairs/scooters and their attendants. 

It is very annoying and difficult for people who are confined in mobility devices, when chair hogs hold ADA seating.  Even had one who acted as if she never heard of ADA (I was aware that she was an immigrant, but she spoke enough English to understand and probably lived in the SF Bay Area.)
But just as annoying was a person in one of the rental scooters who parked her scooter in one of the ADA cutouts and sat in the row behind it, using the scooter as a footrest, blocking access to two rows of seats.

2 hours ago, billco said:

Last Wednesday the MDR menu didn’t appeal and I have a bit of OBC, so I ordered the $19 lobster tail with red skinned mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. The next night MDR menu was Surf and Turf. I had two of the same lobster tails for free.

I seem to remember the lobster tails served in the MDR on the 2nd formal night, not being much more than about 3oz.  If that is what they are passing off as a 6oz lobster tail, there is a problem.

6 hours ago, bartsplace said:

Does anyone know the cost of Princess airport transfer to cruise port and what time the shuttle service begins?

The airport and the cruiseport are right nextdoor to each other.  Far more convenient to catch a cab or rideshare.  Didn't even know that Princess had an airport transfer there.

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

 

If you go to Canada you will find that the prices are very similar to what Princess charges. Beer, Wine, and Liquor in Canada are roughly twice the cost of what they are in the US. Cigarettes are also quite costly. This is one of the ways they pay for the health care system.

Yup much of my maternal family as well as my late wife's family are Canadian and I'm well aware of the "sin taxes" in some of the provinces.  Other provinces are a little different.

46 minutes ago, RunningTheWonder said:

Just so you know, the Princess Medallions are smaller in diameter than Apple AirTags. IF the AirTag holder is undersized and a tight fit, you SHOULD be ok with a Medallion. Just keep in mind that this IS NOT an ideal situation, since you are using something that is the wrong size. I know of one person who lost their Medallion while ashore because it fell out of an AirTag holder. Buyer beware and your mileage may vary.

Losing the medallion is no big thing, they'll just make a new one for you.  I lost one on a port call and didn't realize it until I got to the security gate at the pier.  They asked me for my name and cabin number and called guest services, then let me through.  On the way to the ship, a guest services employee was running towards me with a new medallion (they have your picture, so they know what you look like.)  It is more important that you don't lose the AirTag holder.  Also, I had to really fight it a lot to get the medallion into an AirTag holder, however the medallion is easily dropped from many of the Princess holders since they are only held in with the magnet.

On 3/1/2023 at 1:44 PM, MissP22 said:

These prices are similar to 750 ml bottles on land.

But we both know how those costs or bypassed 😉

On 2/28/2023 at 8:01 PM, kiwimum said:

Don’t know your beverage choices.  Recently, December, we purchased Jack Daniels and Bombay Sapphire, 750ml, for around $26.  Call Room Service for delivery and availability.

Those are 375ml bottles, they just charge you 750ml prices for them.

3 hours ago, Womble99 said:

You can get someone who is onboard (if you know someone who is on a cruise) to buy them for you though. They just need to know your Captains Circle number, we bought some for our kids last cruise.

Um ... the Captain's Circle number would also let them know if the person is actually on board one of the ships ...

4 hours ago, Kineticoh20 said:

None of the 3 cruises over the last 4 month did.

 

Did any of your cruises have a formal night?  It is generally held on the first formal night, or in the case of 5-6 day cruises, the only formal night.

13 hours ago, david63 said:

Never heard of corned beef and cabbage being associated with Ireland - must be an American invention.

It is.  Straight from the streets of New York.

I preferred Prince Rupert to the glitz and canned tourism of Victoria.  Lovely little town with genuinely friendly people.

3 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

Your comment has sparked another question for me. If I go to a country such as Australia or Japan where tipping isn’t done and may be considered rude, what do people from these same countries do when they come to the United States where tipping is expected for good service? I’d love to hear from anyone who lives in a country where tipping isn’t customary. 

They often do not tip as it is not customary in their country, if they're part of an organized tour, the tips are often factored into the tour price.  In countries like Taiwan, tipping is not expected, though most restaurants where you are served will add a 10% service fee.  As I recall, my late wife's relatives in the UK (native born Brits of Welsh descent) did tip at some establishments (but at my age, sometimes my memory may play tricks on me. 😂

Yes, we were there last July.  Quaint little town.  You can explore it on your own or take a local excursion.  As for things to see, it all depends upon your tastes and expectations.  If you're one of those people who will only go on organized Princess excursions (for whatever reason), then probably not.  It does have some shops and museums that are interesting.  You can check travel sites like tripadvisor and others for organized tours and excursions.  We just wandered around town,  visited places like the Museum of Northern British Columbia, some of the shops, and took pictures of the bald eagles flying around.  Just remember when you need to get back to the ship.  And don't worry about getting lost, you'll most likely have the ship in sight from most parts of town (it's not that big 😏