trish99

No experience but it is on our short list.  I'd love to hear more, as well.

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

The fact that is upsetting to me is how ncl lied to the passengers asking why everyone had to be tested on Saturday.  Saying it was a new cdc requirement instead of telling people the real reason is Wrong!

They needed to be upfront, not hide and make up a lie!!!!

THIS EXACTLY!  They didn't have to lie or mislead.  

No testing today for the general public disembarking. 

We just got off the ship.  They totally mislead everyone saying they had to test everyone due to a new CDC reg.  Everyone was tested yesterday starting about 12 or 12:30 pm.  Very orderly and went fast.  We weren't aware of any positive cases until seeing the news article this morning. 

Did they have any kind of shuttle going to the testing site for people with mobility issues?  We board next Sunday. 

We got heavy duty magnets hooks from Amazon and just hung it on the wall.

After many years of cruising and booking both with and without a TA, I finally found a TA who is worth her weight in gold.  Am I getting a better price than the cruiseline?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  But what she offers in knowledge and service is way more important to me.  I  cannot imagine having had to navigate all the Covid changes without her.  And like others have mentioned,  it's a shame we can't mention her name.

We booked our May, 2021 Alaska cruise this past January.   I check prices weekly and they've gone up and down, but not lower overall than what I booked.  I'm happy with the price and perks we got, so if it goes down, great, but I'm really not expecting it to.

I totally get why you'd want to try and spare their feelings.  That being said, some of the specialty dining venues are on the smaller side and tying up a large table for those of us who really do want it is unfortunate.   We were a group of 8 and had a heck of a time trying to get reservations at a decent time (before 9😉).  

We were on this cruise and agree with everything the OP has said.  We did have some service issues the first day, but a "note to Errol" and they were all resolved.  Errol is the general manager for those that don't know and there's a box with note pads to drop a note in.  We've done several large ships and I definitely noticed the cutbacks others have mentioned here.  

We also loved Le Bistro,  but disappointed in Ocean Blue.   Other than specialty dining we did most of our dinners in Tropicana.

4 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

I just checked one (Elite so pricing shows for me) and it was offered both “bare” (no amenities) and with the BSE amenities. BSE price for the 7-night cruise was $280 more so $40pp/day (the same as the add-on for older bookings that want to add the BSE amenities).

Thank you!

Thanks.   That's the same answer I got, but a TA on another group posted otherwise and seemed pretty sure of herself, lol.  I know how it is getting different answers from different folks, so I guess I'll find out for sure tomorrow,  lol.

Does it appear the current sale is applying to these sailings?

This is awesome!  We'll also be boarding as you get off, and in Aqua.  Travelling with our longtime best friends. 

Can someone please tell me the order in which JetBlue loads their planes?  Front to back or reverse?  We have no special privilege or need that would allow for priority boarding. 

Mr. Worldwide, Toma and Rebellious Fish.   You'd think from the description that the Rebellious Fish would be very sweet, but it wasn't.   Quite delightful. 

Does anyone have an idea of current pricing for pool cabanas?  And what does that price include?

We just returned from the Grand Hawaii cruise.   This was our first Princess cruise (cruised multiple times with other lines) so I don't have any other Princess ships to compare it to, but here are my thoughts.

Yes, it just came back from drydock, but she is still old and it shows.  Rusty areas on the balcony, leaks every day in different areas, peeling ceiling tiles in the dining rooms from apparent leaks, old fixtures in the stateroom.  We had no hot water in our stateroom shower for 2 days. 

That being said, with the exception of a blase guest services desk and a poorly handled issue with a shore excursion, the service on this ship was amazing.  Embarkation was a breeze, onboarding and having lunch in less than an hour from curbside to dining room.  Our luggage was waiting outside our stateroom by 1:00.

All this to say,  while it did have a lot of positives, I probably wouldn't do this ship again.

8 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

We do weekends at St Francis a couple of times a year and that walk won't be an issue.  Also, try Sear's for breakfast it's just a block up from the hotel.  If you're not fixed on Sam's you might like Le Colonial.  It's a closer walk than Sam's and has really great food.  The cucumber martini is awesome.  It's off menu so you have to ask.     

We had breakfast at Sears the last time we were there and loved it.  Definitely on our list for this trip.  We're meeting a friend who has already made the reservations for dinner, but sounds like that might be our next night's stop. 

Thanks for the input, all.

We have dinner reservations here and it looks to be about a half mile walk from our hotel, Westin St Francis.  Is this a safe area to walk?  We'll be a group of 6 adults. 

Thanks.  I think we'll most likely just return the car before we go out for dinner.  Budget says their last shuttle is at 8:30.  And this way we dont have to worry about a designated driver if we want to have some cocktails out.

We'll be on the Grand to Hawaii in April.  We're renting a car in Honolulu for the day (in port until 11 that night).  We want to have a nice local dinner somewhere.   My question is, is there parking at the cruise terminal if we want to go back to the ship to clean up for dinner?  Or would we be better off returning the car ahead of time and Ubering to dinner (6 in our party)?

Thanks, this gives me some great information. One question about the St Francis. I see landmark rooms and tower rooms. Any advantage to one or the other?

Sorry, you're right, I should have defined pricey. Ideally, our budget would be under $200, but it doesn't look like that's happening, so we'll be happy if we can find something nice for under $300. Looking at doing 2 days precruise and possibly a day after we get back on the 21st.

For some reason, hotels for my sail date are pretty pricey for the Fisherman's Wharf area. Maybe, I'm looking too early, sail 4/6/19. So, I'm expanding my search to the Union Square area. Does anyone have first hand experience with The Donatello?