gkthorn

Considering purchasing the Premier or Plus package on our Princess Cruise in October. Can anyone inform me if the $80 per day for Premier or the $60 per day for Plus is all taxes included?

Glenn

28 minutes ago, liam1965 said:

For anyone interested, I'm on the Island Princess (why do my fingers keep wanting to type "Italian" or "Indian" instead of "Island" every time I type that?), and thoughts I'd share the song list for anyone interested.

 

 

Karaoke List - Island Princess August 2023.pdf 8.42 MB · 0 downloads

Thank you, we are going on a trick in October and we like to do Karaoke.

41 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

That example was on Carnival, and what you have to do is start a mock booking, going as far as selecting a cabin, to see what is available.  EM

got it, thx

5 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Another thing to consider in booking is whether or not you have OBC from stock ownership, or Military OBC.  On Princess it would benefit to book the cruises separately, as for one week it would be $150 each, but if booked as one two week cruise, it would be $250.  Booking separately would be $50 more.  
   Sometimes you can’t get the same cabin.  I booked a 14 day cruise, and later decided to book the previous cruise of 7 days.  But my cabin wasn’t available for the shorter one.  So I booked one two doors down, and kept watch on the website.  The original cabin popped up again and I was able to move to it.  EM

Great idea regarding doing them separately for the military and stock OBC.  you mentioned how you kept a watch on the website to find out with the cabin you seemed popped up again. On Princess is there actually a page where you can view real time reserved cabins being taken and released?

My wife is retiring this Summer and something we have never done before is back to back cruises. We are inquiring about any tricks or tips experienced back to backers may have. 

Number one on our list is how to secure the same cabin for the back to backs. Also any advice regarding the dos and don'ts of back to back cruises would be appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance,

Glenn & Kerrie

Hello, we are Elite members and enjoy our karaoke. Does any one know how I can download their song list?

On 12/30/2021 at 9:31 AM, RickSue said:

Does anyone know which nights are formal on Enchanted 10 Day cruises?  I want to make an appt to get my hair done but I don't want to make it on the wrong day.  Thanks.

I believe they will be the 18th and the 25th, both days we will be at sea.

Glenn

Does anyone know which MDR will have Club Class Dining.

Glenn & Kerrie

We will be on the Princess Discovery on April 10th.

Looking to have a poker game. We will bring the chips and decks of cards.

Please contact us with your name and a good day, we are thinking one of the sea days.

it will be a casual $10 tournament. 1st second, and third place winners.

Glenn

Wanted to know if there are any other places to each lunch besides the buffet on embarkation day?

We recently went on a Carnival Cruise and on their embarkation day they had the Italian Restaurant and JiJi's kind of a build your own Ramen on embarkation day.

We were hoping the same may be awarded for princess.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Glenn

My wife and I are going on a Princess Cruise on April 10th of this year, and we were wondering when paying the gratuities beforehand if they are discounted?

They recently updated this ship.

Question has anyone enjoyed their Grand Suite? If so, was it worth it?

Also, could you inform us if it has separate bath tub and shower?

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

 Glenn and Kerrie

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

Lido Marketplace, Pizzeria del Capitano, Guy's Burger Joint, and Blue Iguana Cantina will all be open for lunch. Cucina del Capitano and JiJi's Asian Kitchen (both up a deck from Lido) also have free lunch options that should be open as well. Seafood Shack is a la carte pricing, but it may not be a bad time to check it out if you're interested.

 

Down on the Promenade, there usually is a BBQ lunch option for Guy's Pig and Anchor. Not sure about Bonsai Sushi on embarkation day, but that is also on the Promenade; it has an a la carte priced menu.

 

The main dining rooms do not serve lunch in embarkation day.

Awesome info, that is some nice alternate options. Thank you.

We are cruising on the Panorama out of Long Beach on Nov 20th and we’re wondering if there are any other options regarding grabbing lunch besides the buffet.

Never been on the Panorama, so don’t have a clue.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Glenn

It’s our first time booking a suite with Carnival. 
 

We are going to be on the Panorama on November 20th.

Wanted to make an inquiry of those who are in the know. On the suites do they provide free or discounted WiFi.

Any info or suggestions would be appreciated.

Glenn ♠️

I am completely clueless regarding Holland America.  

This 17 day cruise to Hawaii caught my eye, thought my wife would enjoys this, especially with the 10 sea days.  She loves her sea days and so do I.

Our history:

We've been cruising for more than a decade now and have experienced Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean.  Currently we are Elite with Princess.  

We've taken the Hawaiian trip through Princess a couple of times, but thought it may be nice to experience it from another cruise line and since San Diego, California is only a couple of hours away, it seems like a good fit.

For those of you who have taken this cruise and or experience it on the Zuiderdam, any information on what we can expect activity wise and ambiance wise would be greatly appreciated.

My wife is retiring at the end of 2022, so I thought this might be a nice celebration cruise.

Thank you in advance for your input,

Glenn ♠️

Just now, gkthorn said:

We've never taken HAL, but have considered.  I see on their itinerary that they have a Round Trip from Hawaii from San Diego.  It's a 17 day with plenty of Sea. Days which we love.  

 

We've done this trip with Princess and loved it.  If you've taken this one before could you tell me a little bit about how it was and some of the activities they had on board.  Also, if you have experienced, Verandah or one of their Signature Suites would appreciate that info too.

 

My wife is retiring at the end of 2022 and thought this would be a nice celebration cruise for her, since she loves those sea days.

 

TU

 

Glenn ♠️

Oops meant to from San Diego to Hawaii.

On 1/16/2021 at 5:18 AM, crooooze said:

 
Wow, $22k pp is a lot of buckarooskis. To be able to afford that, I’d have to remove the auto-gratuity LOL

We've never taken HAL, but have considered.  I see on their itinerary that they have a Round Trip from Hawaii from San Diego.  It's a 17 day with plenty of Sea. Days which we love.  

We've done this trip with Princess and loved it.  If you've taken this one before could you tell me a little bit about how it was and some of the activities they had on board.  Also, if you have experienced, Verandah or one of their Signature Suites would appreciate that info too.

My wife is retiring at the end of 2022 and thought this would be a nice celebration cruise for her, since she loves those sea days.

TU

Glenn ♠️

My wife love's going to the casino on cruises, but we are always wondering which cruise line casinos stand out from others.  

• Bigger
• Diverse
• Free Offers
• Incentives
• Tournaments
• Better Table Games
• Better Slots
• Current Slots
• Much More Excitement

Any suggestions would be helpful.  My wife is retiring soon and hopefully soon the cruise lines will open up for us to venture.

Thank you all for your input in advance,

Glenn ♠️

1 hour ago, trbarton said:

Glenn,

 

You will enjoy the cruise during the holidays. Here’s some photos taken December 2019. 
 

There will be many activities plus a couple that put on some Hawaiian music shows plus some classes. 
 

You will always be in the Holiday Spirt with all of the decorations. 
 

I’m on the Ruby in December 2021 & I’ll post some more photos. 
 

Any questions please ask. 
 

Tom😀
 

 

Thank you so much, these picture tell it all.

16 hours ago, skynight said:

We have done this many times and enjoy it. You have to enjoy sea days. There are 9 of them. Expect daytime sea day activities to be things like trivia, lectures, silly games. In the past there was always an Hawaiian Cultural couple on board. There will be hula & uke classes plus some Hawaiian crafts (small fee). If you have a uke bring it. If not they have them on board, but show up early the first day as there are a limited number of them.

Don't expect tropical weather the first 2 to 3 days. It doesn't get tropical until the ship crosses the Tropic of Cancer sometime on day 3. Those initial days are not lounge around the pool days in the hot sun as you would on a beach. People do sit around the pools, but mostly in cover ups.

The crossing can get rocky. I've seen it calm, choppy & swells. Be prepared with sea sick meds.

Lots of whales in if you go during whale season, believe December through March. The other island are also very nice.

Hey thank you so much for your insights and suggestions.  Yea, I have a Uke, so my intention is to bring it along.  I'm not great at it, but I can get by. 

2 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

The Sanctuary is on the top deck forward. It is like being on a private yacht. There isn’t a pool in the Sanctuary but there is one just outside. You have to rush upstairs at the being of the cruise to lock in your permanent lounges. There are also pricy cabanas.  You can book a whole week or by the day or half day. The week is discounted.  Sea days are more popular than port days. Shade is more popular than full sun ( there’s a lot of dragging chairs around.)  You have a dedicated staff. And I mean dedication. Your chair is yours and no one else can sit in it even if you come for an hour. We like to book the whole cruise and we tip the head person before and after. You never have to worry if you will have a place to sit. Beverages and fruit are served and the is a spa menu for lunch for $3 service charge a person but they will also bring you hot dogs, burgers and pizza from the pool grill. At 3:30 there is an included full English tea with scones and cakes and tea sandwiches that’s just delightful. On our Emerald Princess Hawaii trip Oscar was in charge and couldn’t do enough for us. Mostly people read or nap. It is a very restful vibe. With spectacular views .

On a crowded ship sounds like a treat retreat.

39 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We took the 15 day Hawaiian cruise from San Pedro coupled with a 7 day down the Mexican coast. Most of the ship turned over between cruises. The Hawaiian cruise was fabulous. The whole ship radiated happiness. There was a Hawaiian couple on board. The woman taught dance and the man ukulele. The entertainment was great. Lots of days at sea so you have to like that. The cruise staff turned themselves inside out to give us a good time and there were lots of laughs. Many games and trivia quizzes. The cruise took place during the Academy Awards and that was a big deal. The cruise director’s evening events were packed. We took ship tours in port. In Oahu we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center( great guide). In Maui we did whale watching. We had been to Hawaii before on a land tour of the four big Islands so we tried to do things that we hadn’t done before. We love Hawaii. Princess brought hula dancers onboard. If you’ve never done a luau I recommend it. I can only imagine that holiday time will be even better. Just remember that the crossing can be cold and windy. We paid for the Sanctuary for the full cruise and they had to wrap us in blankets and  serve us tea and hot cocoa. We were often the only ones up there. The service was fabulous.

48 minutes ago, katisdale said:

We did this cruise in 2019. It ended on January 4, 2020 so we were on-board for both Christmas and New Years. We traveled with our daughter and adult grandchildren. The Christmas decorations were lovely. The meals at Christmas and New Year's were also special. We especially enjoyed the holiday time with none of the preparations usually associated with the holidays. The crew were great. I use an electric wheelchair (completely collapsible) and had a good inside cabin. We had anytime dining which worked well for the 5 of us.

We especially enjoyed the team called Elua who provided Hawaiian enrichment activities. Our cruise was on the Star Princess out of San Pedro. Star has left the Princess fleet.

We had some poor weather so we missed one port stop but that allowed us to have an extra day in Honolulu. Overall we were very pleased with this cruise.

Thank you so much for you input.  You and your family may have been one of the last cruises to Hawaii before the pandemic hit.  I'm sure you're itching to get out there again.

Sounds like you and your family had a great time without having to plan any holiday preparations.

We are not familiar with Elua, could you please elaborate on this team and what type of enrichment activities they provided?

Thank you,

Glenn ♠️

35 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We took the 15 day Hawaiian cruise from San Pedro coupled with a 7 day down the Mexican coast. Most of the ship turned over between cruises. The Hawaiian cruise was fabulous. The whole ship radiated happiness. There was a Hawaiian couple on board. The woman taught dance and the man ukulele. The entertainment was great. Lots of days at sea so you have to like that. The cruise staff turned themselves inside out to give us a good time and there were lots of laughs. Many games and trivia quizzes. The cruise took place during the Academy Awards and that was a big deal. The cruise director’s evening events were packed. We took ship tours in port. In Oahu we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center( great guide). In Maui we did whale watching. We had been to Hawaii before on a land tour of the four big Islands so we tried to do things that we hadn’t done before. We love Hawaii. Princess brought hula dancers onboard. If you’ve never done a luau I recommend it. I can only imagine that holiday time will be even better. Just remember that the crossing can be cold and windy. We paid for the Sanctuary for the full cruise and they had to wrap us in blankets and  serve us tea and hot cocoa. We were often the only ones up there. The service was fabulous.

Thank you so much for you input. 

I have taken Princess before and have briefly walked by the Sanctuary.  Can you tell me a little bit more about that experience.

Also, were there certain activities on board you enjoyed or would recommend?

Glenn ♠️

Looking for some feedback, from those of you who have taken the 15 day Holiday Hawaiian cruise departing from California.

Our group will be of 8 people ranging from 21 to 60 +.  We are looking to do this in 2022.

We have a wide arrange of interest and physical abilities, so lay it on us thick.

Any suggestions and highlights and views would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you,

Glenn ♠️