5fathom

We just returned from the Jan 6 sailing of Crown Princess. We tried EZ Check for the first time. This service is $25  pp but it was worth every cent ! You fill out a form and leave it the main desk. The last day before Port Everglades you receive special luggage tags and your printed airline boarding pass. Luggage is picked up at your stateroom and the next time we saw it was at Detroit Metro on Jan 16. You are free to leave the vessel  anytime you wish, first off,  last off or in between, your choice. No waiting at FLL airport. We walked in, went directly to TSA.  We will use this service again.

Ours never came. We received an E mail saying it was too late to ship and we had to pick them up  at embarkation Walked into terminal and in 5 minutes we had them in hand. No big deal, it worked great.

Any info on Balcony Breakfast would be appreciated. Thanks

Under the new Medallion system is Elite priority boarding eliminated ?

We have been on 49 cruises and the British  Isles was one of our favorites. We did this on the Golden and stayed on board for the 12 day Western Europe portion. Equally delightful. You will find, unless things changed,  you will be docking primarily in industrial areas. Shuttle services  into towns is excellent.

Sailing on Crown Princess 1/6/20. We heard or read if you book a specialty restaurant on boarding day you pay for one meal and the second is free. Anyone know if this true !

We have 250+ days and have been invited twice, both times in Alaska and they were not luncheons but special Cocktail parties.

Just off Ruby 10/29. Cost was $17pp. We used the Blue Super Shuttle from LAX to Anaheim and Anaheim to Port of Los Angeles and POL to LAX.. They were on time for each pickup. Clean Vans and great drivers. Excellent rates.

Thanks to all of you for the excellent advice. You certainly answered all of our questions. We are Seniors and it appears the trip may be a little exhausting.

We need a little help from those of you who have experience this trip. How long from Denali to Copper river and how are the roads? Question 2 is how is the Catamaran sail from Valdez to Whittier. What was your experience like at Copper River Lodge? Thanks for the help.

We agree. The 7 hour trip from Denali to Whittier is tiring and the last couple of hours a little boring. Sitting at a table with people you do not know can be good or bad depending on compatibility. We much prefer Hollands coach type seating. When we finally arrived at Whittier the Princess people told us to stay on the train because three bus had arrived and they would get priority unloading. Cruise was great, embarkation a disaster.

We had a similar situation a couple of years ago. We were originally booked at the Fairbanks Princess and were suddenly moved to the Bear Lodge. We were a little upset until we laid eyes on on the Bear. It was magnificent ! The rooms were beautiful and the staff outstanding. There is no shopping nearby but a nice Italian restaurant across the street or they have a nice restaurant on the grounds. Consider yourself lucky. You will love the place.

I heard that if you go overboard you blow the whistle to attract the sharks.

If you get dropped at Fisherman's Wharf it will be no more than a 10 minute walk back to the ship.

On our recent Regal cruise they had a 1 day sale on Invicta watches at a great price. I know because I already own 3 Invicta watches.

We had to walk out of a show on the Royal because of the deafing volume. We talked to the sound man after the show ended. He simply said the "mikes" are balanced whatever the h*ll that meant !!

3 Coastals for us and would say Starboard. We have docked bow first each time and we overlooked Fishermans Wharf. In San Diego you will overlook the carrier Midway. This was our experience although things change. We are booked on the Ruby Cal Coastal in October and we booked a Starboard

Alfredo's is a great place to go at embarkation. You will find it quiet and you will avoid the stampede in the Horizon Court. If you choose you can make your own salad from the International Cafe and take it up to Alfredo's.

Our January 3rd cruise was to board at 11:30. Customs delayed boarding until 12:30. This can happen but I think 11:30 is a good bet

We also took walk off on our Jan 10 Regal. We were at the airport before 8 am and that included waiting in the Customs line. If you have an early flight and can handle your own luggage it is a great way to go.

Sorry to hear about your Embarkation experiences. Things like this are uncalled for ! We agree with the rest of your comments. We enjoyed the Royal when we sailed on her. The lack of a Central Staircase did not bother us in the least however we did hear quite a few complaints. On Jan 10 we will board her Sister the Regal Princess. I am sure we will enjoy the cruise. Thanks for your post.

We cruise out of Ft Lauderdale often. We usually use Holiday Inn Express or Hyatt Place North. Both offer shuttles to pier for a small charge and both are well organized. We are sailing again on Jan 3. Hotel rates are very high for this period but we did find a decent rate at Embassy Suites. All three hotels are convenient to restaraunts and shopping. Smooth sailing !

We have done Coastal California 3 times. We always arrive at least 1 day early and have stayed in San Pedro or Long Beach. Anything can happen on those LA freeways !

If anyone has taken the Princess Alaska tour that includes Copper River Lodge and in particular the Catamarn to Whittier, I would appreciate any info you could provide. We are looking at August 2016. Could not find anything on Alaska boards. Thanks

On our January cruise on the Island I used the medical facility. I developed a swelling in my leg and ankle. The Doctor immediately ran a test for a blood clot. It came back clear. The Medical teams on Princess are excellent and as a previous poster stated "under great stress". Using the facility is not free. The bill I received was $388. Blue Cross reimbursed me $63. With the excellent treatment I received I am not complaining.