Guindalf

Great comparison. Shame it's completely useless! If you're going to compare two cruise ships, let alone two different lines, it's important to at least name the ships and itinerary! Alaska on the newest Princess ship, Discovery Princess, is NOT a direct comparison to the Reflection in the Caribbean!

Well, we're on Discovery in three weeks' time in a Penthouse Suite. We have the Plus package as a gift from our TA, so also confused as to what's included and what isn't. I guess the changes will be implemented for Sunday's sailing, so anxious to see what changes there will be. I'm guessing that if it's not the product I originally purchased, I have the right to cancel, even this close to sailing, but it may mean I have to sue rather than Princess just rolling over and accepting it. This will be our first Princess experience after being Celebrity cruisers since I quit smoking eight years ago. Prior to that to was mostly NCL with some RC thrown in. I know none of the lines are perfect, so we'll se what happens.

This is our third cruise in Alaska, so we are whale-watched out (plus we did it in Cabo earlier this year)! Majestic creatures, but I think all the whale watching we'll do is from the ship. We do have an excursion to the Misty Fjords, so taking a boat there. I own my scooter, so no need for any of the above.

Anyone tell me what excursions are scooter-friendly? We'll be in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, BC. We're sailing on the Discovery Princess. My ability to walk with a cane is severely limited and as we're flying in from ATL, it's unlikely I can also bring my Rollator (although we may try). All of the wheelchair accessible tours are sold out or at least wait-listed, so we've reserved the non-accessible versions where possible. Our last visit, in 2019, I was able to walk relatively short distances, so we made it onto a whale-watching tour in Icy Strait Point, the Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchecan and even a float plane tour in Juneau. Does anyone have anything to add? (Post duplicated in 'Alaska Port Of Call')

Anyone tell me what excursions are scooter-friendly? We'll be in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, BC. We're sailing on the Discovery Princess. My ability to walk with a cane is severely limited and as we're flying in from ATL, it's unlikely I can also bring my Rollator (although we may try). All of the wheelchair accessible tours are sold out or at least wait-listed, so we've reserved the non-accessible versions where possible. Our last visit, in 2019, I was able to walk relatively short distances, so we made it onto a whale-watching tour in Icy Strait Point, the Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchecan and even a float plane tour in Juneau. Does anyone have anything to add? (Post duplicated in 'Disabled Cruising')

Yep, me too. Booked three excursions for our upcoming Alaska cruise just this morning and was able to uncheck the OBC box.

We also have the Plus package, given as a gift from our TA. we're in a Penthouse Suite. I'm thinking we'll be grandfathered in and have all the new 'perks' included, but I intend to verify this when we get on board. If anyone finds it is different, then I would think it's grounds for cancellation, even after final payment!

The one time we rented (from Special Needs At Sea), the scooter was delivered to the room some time after we boarded. It was not there when we got there. I was, at least, able to ride it down to the door of the terminal when we left. This was at FLL. That experience caused me to buy our own after we got back and that makes things simpler. I have a GoGo Sport, which is now the go-to model of the rental companies.

No. Photographers and shopkeepers are contractors and are not part of the pool. Excursions are also run by individual contractors, so do not get a share.

We'll be on our first Princess cruise in September and have opted for a Penthouse suite. Our last two cruises have been in a Sky Suite on Celebrity. There are many differences that we can see from the offerings, so we're not expecting the same experience as X, but we'll see what it actually means in a few weeks. We'll be on Discovery in Alaska and have previously been there on Celebrity Eclipse in 2019 and NCL Pearl in 2009 (in a balcony room). We have also sailed on Oceania, but being a much older ship, it wasn't what I would consider a 'suite experience'.

No. You keep whatever perks you got when booking. You would get Retreat and Luminae access with a suite which may include premium drinks, but nowhere else on the ship. You would still have to pay for wifi and gratuities. Aqua class gives you Blu and thermal spa access, but no extra perks.

What if my cabin steward's name isn't Stewart?

We're headed on our third Alaskan adventure in early September. This time, we're trying Princess. First was on Norwegian Pearl in 2009, R/T Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Victoria, BC and Glacier Bay. Second, in 2019, we sailed on the Celebrity Eclipse and went to Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point instead of Victoria, Glacier Bay and Skagway. Alaska is all about the destination and, in our opinion, there is NO bad way to visit!

You have definitely been lucky. I'm a Brit who grew up on he outskirts of London, although I've lived in rural GA for the last 25 years, so I think I might be qualified to express an opinion. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that I prefer to start my vacation with my heart still in my chest! Remember, we're also talking post-covid.

Do you play Russian Roulette with five bullets in the gun??? I wouldn't fly in on the day of the cruise for a two-hour domestic flight, let alone flying to London! Southampton is at least a two hour drive from LHR on a good day, so if you land on time (unlikely) and it takes an hour to deplane and recover your luggage and another hour to get to your transport, you MAY make it, but it'll be one long stressful experience! Why not arrive the day before, do some sightseeing and have a relatively relaxed trip to the ship the next morning?

We have a booking for our Alaska cruise (suite guests) There is absolutely NO option to purchase and NO price for the future. Anyone who is 'almost certain' is just pulling a number out of thin air and has no basis in reality.

We flew ATL to SNA and stayed near the airport. Then we got an uber to the port. SNA is MUCH easier to navigate, especially with my mobility scooter! There was no confusion as to which berth. All we had to do was tell the driver which cruise line it was and he did the rest (with me pointing out signs at times).

Funny, that question was never asked. My scooter is a Pride GoGo Sport, so definitly under 100 lbs. In fact, if necessary, it can come apart for transportation.

Kirkland is not necessarily Costco!

Princess perks.tif Looks like this if you go to the Princess site and navigate to Booked Guests/Access Cruise Personalizer/Onboard Services

I am disgusted with Seattle Express, whether they would get me there or not. I use a mobility scooter and they want to charge a 'handicap tax' of $25 extra to take it! They claim it's legal to charge double for a scooter user, but I think it's diabolical that they are profiteering at the expense of a disabled person.

I thought so too, but she said it wasn't.

We're headed to Alaska in early September and are flying in to Seattle from Atlanta the day before. Looking at transfers from the hotel (Doubletree at SeaTac airport), I called Seattle Express to see what arrangements I needed to make for my mobility scooter. Imagine my shock when I found out that they wanted to charge me an extra $25 for the 45 minute trip from hotel to port! That makes a total of $75. Insane. Since when when is it acceptable to charge extra for handicapped facilities?

Maybe the Mast Grill will be open. It's worth checking your daily planner. If it's a ship excursion, they will have encountered this situation and will nost likely have something arranged.

Just get a passport! Anyone traveling without one is asking for trouble. What happens if they, or a companion, get sick or miss the ship? They could be stranded in a foreign country without a passport and the ability to get home.