travelin.sisters

I don't think we were in any of the ports by 5 am & I don't know if you would be close enough in to get cell reception, I do know that some people have used wifi calling with an internet package (but I would want to check with my carrier before I tried it personally)...if you turn your phone off airplane mode you can tell if you are on the maritime network or your cell provider, but that doesn't help you plan...if you go to the Hawai'i port website you can see when your ship is expected to arrive & depart & what dock it should be at https://hawaii.portcall.com/

thank you, I thought maybe I had read they shortened it to 45, but 60 is enough time to rethink things.

we alternate from cruise to cruise...pick the location on the ship (deck & mid, forward, aft) & what's still available when you book over which side...

I know my preferred name showed on the Happy Birthday greeting on the screen in the elevator space, I don't remember if it showed up on the screen by the cabin door or if it was my legal name, my cabin steward always used my preferred name, but that may have been because I told it to him on the first day

he does not need the app...I do it all for my people on their phones, but so they can show it,, but you can print it out or just show passport etc....lots of people board without the app & he will not need it on the ship unless he wants it

we did the Panama Canal on the Island in 2017 so it's been a while, but the balcony was nice & you could get the narration from the naturalist on the TV (I don't know which channel, but maybe the ship camera one?)...the buffet area in the front is good for viewing & I think that is where the naturalist was on our cruise but some of my best shots were taken going out the back of deck 8 there is a public space where you can watch the gates close behind you & fill & lift the ship! oh never mind I missed the aft balcony part...sorry!

well at least I know it's not just me...

you have a lot of questions I can't answer, but the advantage of a good TA is that they will deal with all the Princess questions for you & you will have one person to talk to (mine has called multiple times & spent hours on hold to make sure we get the right things, there is no charge for her services & sometimes there are extra perks like a specialty dining or free photo or..., but the biggest reason is that I can tell her what I want & then she makes it happen & can answer the kind of questions you have). some of this may help answer your question about adding people or it might just be for the cruise we booked...a few months ago I booked a cruise for my sister to take her granddaughters on, one room with me & one of the granddaughters & one with my sister as a solo...then last week the other granddaughter decided she could come so we added her to my sister's booking & got it at the same rate we had booked & same OBC (it was just the additional taxes &fees added) the sale we booked under is not still going so it did work for us to do that, but I cannot say for sure that it always would... there is a limited amount of time to transfer a booking to a TA but I don't remember what it is...however if you have a refundable deposit & the sale you want is still valid you could cancel & rebook through a TA if that is what you want to do

thank you so much for taking the time to do this! it is a wonderful report & your photos are great!

as much as we wish it wasn't, San Pedro is part of the city of Los Angeles

on our last cruise it was not the same food in the buffet, & much more limited, it may depend on the ship though, the newer ships have bigger buffets...you could go to the MRR in sweaters & pants

if it were me, I would go to the MDR that is open for lunch on embarkation day (when we sailed on the Sapphire last fall it was the International Dining Room...not to be confused with the International Cafe...which is a little hard to find...go to the rear elevators on deck 7 & then down the elevator or stairs to deck 6...you can't get to it from the middle of deck 6...then ask to speak to the head waiter or the director of restaurant operations & explain your needs & they will set up a plan with you...you can put it in the app, but that has only one time made a difference & they came to find us I did a live of our cruise on the Sapphire last fall if you are interested...it is long, but if you go to this post I tried to list what was in each post (if that doesn't take you to the post with the list, its 416 on page 17, sometimes CC is stubborn), so you could look at what would be helpful to you...have a wonderful cruise!

ask on the roll call or a live from a cruise shortly before yours or they may show up on the journey view before you sail

I believe you used to be able to set a spending limit for the cruise card, but can't find that info for the medallion...now I want to know as we are taking my sissy's granddaughters i Dec...I do know that you will be able to check spending for anyone that has their account linked to your CC in your app (which I do regularly to catch erroneous charges)

on the cruise, yes I am sure you can...or do you mean in the dining room?

hope you & they have a wonderful cruise & make a ton of memories!

you are so kind, thank you! I hope you & your mom have a wonderful cruise!!

cell service on ship in port but not at sea (well, you can get it, but it is the very high maritime rates) as you can see the question of MDR dress is a touchy topic, the rule is no shorts, the reality is I have seen shorts in the MDR many times...make sure they have at least one pair of long pants in case your sailing is being strict about the rules & I would not let them wear flipflops if they were my kids...it most likely will be allowed, but it is your decision how you want to handle that...if you are doing the Hawai'i itinerary it may be a little cool for shorts the first & last couple of days even in July & the MDR can be pretty chilly.

yes they still do have a variety of special guest artists...musicians, comedians, magicians, etc...

I would ask to speak to a headwaiter (maybe they have a new name now) on your first day & explain to him your dietary restrictions, he should be able to take your orders for the days they have lunch in the MDR (you will not ncessiraily have the same waitstaff, but if you talk to someone on embarkation day, they may be able to facilitate that), in the buffet just tell someone that you need help with dietary restrictions & one of the "tall hat guys" (I don't know what they are called) will help you...the Sapphire did quite well for us with dietary restrictions last fall (some ships are better than others...if you have trouble you can ask to speak with the Director of Restaurant Operations, if Mario Propato is back on when you sail, he is the best DRO we have ever had & will take very good care of you)

if you book a stay & park rate it is all included in one price for your room & parking

I did not notice anything particularly refurbished on the Crown in March & a lot of things that need care, but the engines seemed to be working well.

I did a live from LA-Hawai'i last month on the Crown if you are interested

at least you got to tender in Lahaina, for our cruise last month; the Crown tied up, dropped the tenders in the water...then the captain's voice in our stateroom saying it is too rough & we will have a sea day...

the weather for the Hawai'ian itineraries this year has been unpredictable, but my general rule of thumb is the first & last two days will be like the port you are leaving then gradually warming as you get closer to Hawai'i