Deesquared

We had a White & Gold night on NYE on our recent Caribbean cruise on Ruby. My daughters and I tried to find something at the local consignment store, but only one daughter had any luck. She found a very pretty gold pleated dress. 

Not too many people were wearing white & gold, but many folks were in party clothes for NYE.

When we did it, it was ages 14 and up. It was lots of fun, but just remember that it's JUST for fun! Two of the people who were in the show with me thought they they were going to get picked up by talent scouts and such. They made the whole experience surreal and a bit uncomfortable.

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

All the Royal class ships have the water dispensers in the buffet area dining area, right next to the coffee stations. 

Yes, I have seen the water/ice dispensers at the coffee/drink stations. 
The OP had mentioned a dedicated bottle refilling station, which is different.

On 1/5/2023 at 2:31 PM, freecruiser2 said:

I was on the Ruby in August.  Yes, it does have a refillable water bottle station.  This was the first time I've seen one on a ship. It's like the ones at the airport where it doesn't touch.  I actually never saw anyone using it.  I'm on the Royal next, I do hope they have this! Does anyone know?

Where did you see it? I was just on the Ruby, and I couldn’t find one. I just used a cup to refill my water bottle from the water/ice dispenser.

6 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

 

From what we see, most people dine in MDR respect some level of "smart casual" attire on non-formal nights.  I doubt jeans are even allowed in MDR with the exception on the embarkation nights.  

Jeans are definitely allowed. The only restriction I recall is that ripped jeans are not allowed. I remember telling my kids this on their first cruise back in 2017-ish.

I was just on the Ruby, and they had the dessert that looks like a viking ship (the hazelnut bar), and the pistachio dome.  

23 hours ago, MissP22 said:

We opted out of receiving all the ad's and  other than a few announcements & the patter that we requested we had a hard time find any paper to write notes on. We finally took a bunch of paper towels from the public rest room rather than using toilet paper. 😁

Next trip we'll be requesting the ad's again. 

If you go to the ship's library/games room, they usually have pencils and paper. I've also been able to get a pad of notepaper from the guest services desk.

Thanks for all the awesome photos!

We were also on the Bliss last week. We had originally booked the Grand from LA to Vancouver, but switched to NCL when it got shortened from a 7-day to a 4-day.

The Bliss was lovely, but man...I really missed the beautiful Princess Piazza, and the delicious Princess desserts. 

Can't wait for my next Princess cruise!

Maybe the NCL Bliss would be one you would enjoy. It's very big, with a go-kart track and laser tag on the top deck. 

It has a HUGE Observation Lounge in the front of the ship, perfect for watching the scenery in Alaska.

I think we need to know why you want the biggest newest ship. Are there certain amenities you are looking for? 

2 hours ago, coastcat said:

 

Oh, the "good morning" gauntlet in the Garden Cafe... lol. Were the Pastry Twins doing their thing during breakfast service? Scared the heck out of me the first time - cheerful young women with a tray of danishes suddenly materializing at the table to sing, it's a bit much to handle before the coffee kicks in...

Ha ha ha! I called them the pastry robots! It was so creepy, but kind of adorable.

Oh this note, if you are booking with NCL but are not a drinker, be sure to UN-CLICK the "Free Drinks" perk when you book. If not, you will still be charged the gratuities even if you never order a drink.  I'm glad I noticed it, as it saved me ~$250 on a recent cruise. 

It's quite sneaky how they add it to the fare. 

Just FYI, the Peace Arch Border crossing is called Douglas Crossing on  Arrive Can.

The truck crossing is called the Pacific Highway Border Crossing. Those are the official names.

18 hours ago, koolforkatz said:

We were booked on a 7 day return Vancouver sailing April 25 on the Royal. Made final payment last week and 3 hours later received notice it was cancelled. There was also a similar sailing the week before. Perhaps these were the sailings you saw. 

Yes, that's the one! I'm so glad to hear this. I thought I was going crazy for sure! 😄

I wonder why it got cancelled. I was so excited to see another round-trip from Vancouver. They are so rare, except for the Alaskan cruises.

Thanks again for the info! 

Thanks for all the input everyone. I'm sure it was Princess because that's the only website I ever check, but maybe I'll have a look at other cruiselines and see what they have availble.

So mystifying!  🤔

Hi everyone,

I'm SURE I saw a 7-day round-trip cruise from Vancouver on the Princess Website, but now I can't find it!

It wasn't the 10-day California Coast in the fall. I've done that one twice, and loved it! It was a 7-day trip in the spring. I was so excited because I'm dying to go on a cruise, and this one looked very tempting.

Has anyone else seen this elusive 7-day round trip out of Vancouver? So odd...

Yes, there are Fare Machines at all the stations. You can purchase a ticket using a credit card. Sorry, I don't know the cost, but the link posted by clo should help.

One thing to be aware of is that if you are taking the Skytrain from YVR Airport to the cruise terminal at Canada Place (or anywhere for that matter), there is an airport surcharge. I think it's $6?

8 hours ago, diane.in.ny said:

 

what! No place to get and leave books?

 

I was on the Star in October, and at that time there was still a Library. It was combined with the computer lounge which was on Deck 5, behind the Piazza. Just head in, and the books are on shelves at the back of the room.

28 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

If it was us we would do one adult for each cabin. That way each cabin would get Shareholder OBC and each cabin would get a mini-bar (which would obviously be moved to the cabin that actually ended up with the adults). Also, if there is a beverage package included as a perk the second person (the minor) would get the soda package included.

Smart thinking!

I need to get some of that OBC soon!

I have booked my teen kids in their own cabin twice. I call Princess directly, and they have booked the kids in their own cabin without any trouble at all. They would have been 12 and 16 the first time, then 13 and 17 the second time. 

The booking staff then linked our reservations together so I could buy soda packages and make reservations for all of us. We got extra door keys at the Customer Service desk soon after we boarded. It was no trouble at all.

Don't worry about booking one kid and one adult in each cabin. Just call Princess directly and they will take care of it for you.

Why are they putting Medallion Net on her if she is going to P&O in October? They hadn't even switched out the TV's to the new wall mounted flat screens when we were on her in October. And there was no sign of an Medallion installations.

Recently on the Star, the prizes were usually coasters, wine stoppers, and stainless steel water bottles. 

There was one instance of a guest yelling at the cruise staff because she thought her answer was correct. She would not shut up. So I yelled out that she needed to calm down, and that it was just trivia. She did shut up after that. I think people need to be called out for their bad behaviour. 

I also had one guy accuse me of cheating, saying that I googled an answer. Buddy, I don't get wi-fi, on the ship, and I certainly wouldn't bother using it to win a Princess Coaster...

What type of cabin were you in? What deck?

So exciting to have the rare Barrel Chair! Ha ha!

42 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Which cruise are you on?  I have a coastal coming up but I have not yet received a letter.  Could you possibly share a copy of your letter? Thank you so much.

Oct 22 Star Princess Vancouver round-trip.

I got the same notice last night for an upcoming California Coastal on the Star. I assume it's US based, as it affects all of our port stops in California. We will have less time in San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara and LA, but no change in our arrival time back in Vancouver.

Sadly, it cuts 3 hours off San Fran, 2 hours of San Diego, and 2.5 hours off our LA stops. But I'm glad marine life is being protected, in a small way.

3 hours ago, Potstech said:

Maybe there is a young child missing their duck toy and parents wondering where it was left?

No, this is a little game that some cruisers play. It seems to be more popular on Carnival. If you find a duck you can post it on social media. You can keep it or re-hide it. 

There is another cruiser on RC who hides little bears, and he wears a t-shirt that says Papa Bear. It's all in good fun. 

Yes, if the crew finds them, I'm sure they get trashed. Along with all the one-time use styrofoam cups and plastic lids from the cafe, and all the other garbage generated by 3000 guests.