Dani24

On 7/13/2019 at 9:14 AM, c-boy said:

hello Dani, if your in the area of Crooners,  and are willing to snap a few photo's. I'm interested if the remodel changed lounge area . Thank you

I’m sure we’ll end up in Crooners at some point, and I’ll get some pictures!

22 hours ago, margob111 said:

Dani24, we will be sailing on the Grand in October in a window suite, so if you can take pictures, that would be awesome.  We are in suites F307 and F309.   This is our first time in a suite so am really looking forward to it.  Being in a window suite, hubby is going to miss the balcony we usually get with a mini suite, but it's a short cruise so he can deal with it.  I'm going to exchange the alcohol for the new coffee package.

We’re in F301, which is a bit smaller than the other window suites and doesn’t have the countertop under the windows. So it’s a little different than what you’ll have. But I think outside of that it’s the same. As for the balcony, we sailed to Alaska 9 years ago in an Oceanview and had a fabulous time. We were going to book a minisuite this time, but the Window Suite was cheaper! I figure that the Promenade is right above us, and the stairs up to deck 7 are super close to the rooms, so we’ll treat the Promenade like our balcony. 🙂

15 hours ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

Like to know if any “escape room” and  “heist on the high sea” activity on Grand to Alaska.....(what days, etc)...

Absolutely! I already plan to join in the High Seas Heist (I did see on a Patter from May that they were offering it). And I’ll definitely be watching out for an Escape Room to join too, if they have it.

17 hours ago, LARGIN said:

Club Class..  Say Hello for Waiters Edgar & Royston and Head Waiter Giovanni if he is still there and tell them Larry & Ginger will see them in September.

I will definitely keep an eye out for them both and pass along the message. 🙂

17 hours ago, BeeInSF said:

Dani24, thanks for the offer! We're heading out on the AK trip out of SF in August with our 4-year old. Would love to hear your impressions when you return! 

For sure! I'm going to try to capture the kids club Patters too, because that's something I haven't been able to really find. We've only done a Disney cruise with our daughter, so I'm very interested myself in how Princess compares for kids.

17 hours ago, milolii said:

Thanks for the offer.  We cruise on her next spring.  If you can report on the suite experience that would  be great.  Any tips appreciated. Have a wonderful cruise.  

I'll definitely share my thoughts on the suite experience. It's our first time, so I want to take full advantage. 🙂

15 hours ago, marybrodo said:

Favorite excursions would be much appreciated; any info welcome.  Thank you very much for offering and look forward to it.

I will chat up people on board to see what others liked/didn't like about the ports and share that feedback too.

12 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thanks for letting me know about the robes in full suites. Could you also see if they are offering a wine package on these 10 day cruises?  I know they are supposed to but it’s happened before that they didn’t when they should have.  I really appreciate the help in planning what to bring. 

Yep! You're at the top of my list already! I will get a picture of the robes we get so you can see for yourself. If they're not the plush ones I will ask about those.

38 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

The disappearance of all of the $4001+ purchases from my redemption list has happened just recently as I made a redemption in late June at the 2% rate without problem.  It was then that I made a note of the next purchase I needed to redeem against before the 180 expiration date arrived.  

Are all of your transactions missing? Or just the ones over $4001?

I just checked my account and I still see the other charges I haven't redeemed against.

I'm sailing on the Grand to Alaska in less than two weeks (departing July 25th). These boards have always been such a big help in planning our cruises, and I appreciate all the bits of knowledge everyone shares.

So I'd like to offer to return the favor. 🙂 If there's anything I can try to snap a picture of or inquire about on our upcoming sailing, let me know! I'll make a list! It'll give me a purposeful excuse to explore the ship and chat up the staff. 

In case this inspires any specific questions, we're staying in a Window Suite. And we're bringing our daughter who will be in the kids club (she's 7). 

I also plan to capture all of the Patters and MDR menus, but let me know if there's something else along those lines you'd like me to try to get as well.

I just redeemed over 200,000 points on my Princess Visa towards a purchase of over $4001 at the 2% rate (so I doubt they're looking to screw people out of that if they let mine go through). The purchase was made in late April, and I redeemed the points in early May. I did still see the cruise deposit from January showing in the list of eligible purchases to redeem against at that time (but didn't select that). I had no trouble at all redeeming my points. I'd imagine it's a glitch. Given how close you are to the 180 days I don't think I'd wait for a response. I'd call them until someone answered and resolved it.

I'm an over-planner in so many aspects of my life. I love getting into the details of everything, but sometimes I need a break. Cruising is a great way to accomplish that. Don't get me wrong... I still over-plan my cruises. But it's takes maybe 20% of the effort of our other vacations. I don't have to research where to eat, where to stay, where all the local amenities are, how to get from destination to destination, what all the entertainment options are, etc. On a cruise I can book it and then more or less show up and enjoy (or plan out the things I want to do, but it's so easy once I'm on board to actually enjoy those things).

Additionally, I'm a very active vacationer. I like to see, taste, experience everything. I have had a problem in the past building in time to just "relax" (because in my mind I can relax for free at home -- why spend money and time travelling somewhere, with all kinds of neat things to experience, only to sit by a pool or whatever and do nothing?) On the flip side, my husband is a very go-with-the-flow kind of guy who likes vacations where he can just chill. We started cruising because it was a really good happy medium. We could both be on the same ship, enjoying some activities together, and then splitting up so he could relax while I go explore -- without feeling like we were abandoning each other in a foreign city. We could easily pop in on the other or join in/opt out at our leisure. And I'm much more inclined to relax on a cruise -- particularly on sea days -- than on land-based vacations, and I know that's good for me.

We love Princess because it has the right balance of activity vs relaxation for us. Plus it's quiet and has a sense of down-to-earth refinement and class. We feel pampered and indulged on Princess. And we always leave wishing for more. Plus we love that it lets us sample different areas of the world without committing to a vacation to a place we may not ultimately enjoy. Cruising has introduced us to several places we never had considered otherwise that now are on our list of places we plan to vacation to someday.

As another local, who worked in downtown SF for over a decade (right by the Embarcadero), I concur with the others above who said that following the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building and then turning right onto Market Street, where there will be a BART entrance, is the easiest. And it's completely flat, and the sidewalk is wide there. If you don't mind the distance it's completely doable. 

33 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I think the Sky has 2.

It does, but they're different than the ones on the other 3. They're like double the size, and up on one of the highest decks. I have not seen any pictures of the layout of the Sky's window suites yet, but based on the room size/shape, they could be quite different.

3 hours ago, fishywood said:

The unlimited package was for all candid ship's photos that you were included in.

This new 10 for $189 is specifically just for portraits. Not photos taken on the gangway, in the dining room, or elsewhere on the ship--only ones such as the formal night sittings in front of their backgrounds.

So the package will be useless to anyone who just wants to pick a la carte. You are right to skip it; sorry you didn't jump on the old package in time.

 

That seems absurd! Why would they exclude those other photo types?

We sail in two weeks. Just within the last week or so I was looking at buying the former “unlimited” package. That was, for sure, in my personalizer. But when I just looked now, that package is gone and replaced with the $189 package for 10 photos. 

I don’t think I’ll bother now. I’ll just pick one or two that I like and buy those a la carte.

6 hours ago, jondfk said:

Thanks Dani for posting photo's and apologies my prior message wasn't more clear.  I was truly amazed by how many of these chair lifts were installed during dry dock.  At all entrances to Princess theater, to reach the Sanctuary, to reach the MUTs viewing deck forward, and many other locations around the ship.  While the increased access is undoubtedly great, I did find myself wondering whether the ship is up to the maintenance challenges that having such equipment exposed to sea air represents - time will tell. 

 

Oh, and hope you had a wonderful first experience with your window suite!

 

Jon

No need to apologize! I realize that elevators are commonly referred to as "lifts" in British English, and figured that may have been where some of the confusion was. 🙂 

23 minutes ago, skynight said:

A selection of Mighty Leaf specialty teas are available at the International Cafe. Here is a fairly recent list. Selections and costs may have changed. Believe it is included with the coffee package as well as the other beverage packages.

 Mighty Leaf Tea                White Orchard $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Vanilla Bean  $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Organic Earl Grey  $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Organic Breakfast  $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Organic Spring Jasmine  $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Chamomile Citrus  $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Ginger Twist   $1.25

 Mighty Leaf Tea                Marrakesh Mint  $1.25

Thank you. I'll definitely be taking advantage of that, since I expect we'll be getting coffee cards in exchange for the mini bar set up. I do love Mighty Leaf teas, but was hoping for a bit more variety. I think I'll pack a few additional flavors I enjoy from home as well. 

18 minutes ago, idahospud said:

It's just a library now. If you want coffee or tea, Crooners is just around the corner and they serve both. 

Oh, that’s quite a bummer! I love tea (and don’t like coffee) so I was really looking forward to trying it out. 

How does the Leaves tea lounge, in the library on the Grand Princess work? Is there a charge for the teas? Can you use the coffee cards to pay for it, or is it a separate charge? Are there certain hours its available? Are they loose leaf or bagged teas (and does anyone know their source)? Are there any other ships with such a tea lounge as well?

11 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thank you for the offer Dani24. I’ll be getting on as you disembark.  

Awesome. I will try to post a picture before we sail away on the 25th, or when we arrive in Juneau on the 28th. 🙂

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I wasn't aware of them adding any elevators.

We have sailed the Grand many times and the forward lift stopped at Sun deck 15

Did they just extend the lift up to the Sanctuary on deck 16?

 

TIA

They're not elevators, per se. More like chair lifts. Here are some pictures of some of them from the March dry dock.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I love a nice cozy robe and they take a TON of room in my luggage. I have a full suite on the Grand this August and I’m wondering if I need to pack it. 

When in August are you going? We will be on the Grand July 25-August 4th, and will be staying in a suite. I can definitely report back. I may even be able to respond when we're connected to our cell service, earlier in our cruise. 🙂

Is the price pre-cruise the same as on board? Or is the price refundable on board if I book it now but them cancel once I've had a chance to talk to the photography department on the ship?

1 minute ago, doverboy said:

I have only purchased actual prints from ship photographer.  Don't need every shot nor would I want a thumb drive.  Take a camera with you, don't depend on your cell phone.  My picture of Denali, without clouds, blew up to a 24X30. No way a cell phone goe that large

I have a high end camera for taking pictures, but am considering the photo package for posed pictures of our family from professional photographers. My camera isn't made for selfies (and I'm not a huge fan of them anyway). And handing off my camera to a stranger to take pictures of us can be challenging. People often take horribly composed photos (cutting off limbs, centering faces in the very middle of the frame, no regard for the background, etc.) I mean, I do it anyway because sometimes it's the only way to get a family picture. But since I'm always the one behind the camera I like having some well composed shots that include me, DH and our daughter.

So I'm only concerned about the resolution of the pictures the ship's photographer's take (and then are loaded onto a USB drive with the photo package). If I can expect the resolution to be poor, I won't bother with the package. I'll just buy one or two prints that I like and scan them at home.
 

I saw a report elsewhere that someone purchased the photo package and when they got home realized all of their photos were 1MB or smaller. Certainly not big enough to print much more than a 4x6 most likely.

I've been back and forth on purchasing the photo package. I'm curious as to others experiences. Were your photo file sizes on the USB stick also really small?

And do you get all of the printed copies of the photos with the package (at least that way they could be scanned at a higher resolution).

5 minutes ago, FloaterBoat said:

 

 

That sounds awesome! Missing out on the balcony, but, sounds like it makes up for it with the other benefits.  So there's a balance.

We've mostly sailed oceanview (though twice had a balcony). We've always been happy with oceanview, though balconies are nice too. So when this opportunity came up we figured we'd jump on it. The Promenade is just a deck above us, with stairs leading up to it steps away from our room, so we'll treat the Promenade like our balcony. 🙂

20 minutes ago, FloaterBoat said:

Also, now that we're on the subject, what is a window suite? Lol. No balcony? Is it a mini-suite but trading the balcony floorspace for more room space?

Yes, it's a suite with large windows, but no balcony. There are only a handful of ships that have them. The Grand, Golden and Caribbean, and the new Sky Princess will also have some, but they're a bit different (much higher deck, much bigger square footage). 

The Window Suites (at least on the original three) are relatively "cheap" compared to other suites. They can often be similar (or even cheaper) than some mini-suites. But you get all the suite perks, minus anything balcony related. 🙂

Any word on how these high temps have been affecting excursions and glacier viewing?

For instance, do the glaciers calve more when the temps are up? Is it harder/easier to get to the glaciers (e.g. for scenic cruising days)? Are the temps causing wildlife to be more or less visible/active?

2 minutes ago, dznybnd said:

Do you need to call DINE every morning to request a seating time? Or just show up?

As I understand it, for Club Class Anytime, you don't need any reservations at all. They should be able to seat you right away, or within a few short minutes of your arrival.

If you book now and the price goes down before final payment you can most likely get a price adjustment. Just be sure to book with a refundable deposit. And note that if you book under a special promotion you may lose those perks in a refare. 

If you wait too long, you will find some of the best cabins may have already been booked. If you aren’t picky about where your cabin is, then booking later can be fine.

Waiting until after final payment could see great deals, but you will be much more limited in the cabins available. And you’ll need to be really flexible with your dates because some sailing may sell out (or have very limited cabins, possibly in categories you don’t like), and the one a week or two later may have space. 

Also, if it’s really important to you to book flights, pre and post stay hotels, etc. then you may wish to book earlier to ensure availability and decent pricing. But, even with that, there’s always a chance you could get decent options closer to the trip.  

There’s always a trade off. 

There are also some websites you can Google (search for “cruise price tracking”) that may show you the history of a particular cruise’s rates to help you decide how you’d like to proceed.

Personally, I’d book as soon as I know I want to go, with a refundable deposit, and then watch for price reductions.