Particle_Penguin

Can't speak for the Canada/New England itinerary, but Princess tends to be a little dressier on formal night.  In my 100% unscientific, off the top of my head, no guarantees, no refunds, no liability estimate, I'd say:

10% in black tie.  (Tuxedo/Evening Gown)

40% in regular suit / nice dress

44% in dressy casual  (Slacks & button up shirt / basic dress)

4% Jeans & Polo Shirt

1% That one guy in shorts, t-shirt and ball cap.  (Pretty sure he's a plant just so certain people have somebody to whine about later)

Update:  I ended up booking the inside cabin so I could at least start making flight and hotel reservations.  About a week after final payment, the prices dropped as expected.  The balcony prices were still a little bit more than I had paid for my inside.  I called and talked to a very friendly agent who tried to do the upgrade but said she was getting a validation error that I wasn't eligible for the new prices, since it was for new bookings.  She was apologetic but said she couldn't do it.

I tried again the next day and got a different agent.  I explained the situation again and mentioned that the agent I made the original reservation had told me it would likely be possible.  I ended up on hold for quite a while, but she came back with the new pricing.  We went through the entire thing like doing a brand new reservation.  Bed configuration, dining times, vacation protection, the works.  When she finished, she sent me to customer service where they did some behind the scenes magic and applied my previous payment to the new balance and took my payment for the difference.  About 45 minutes on the phone in total, but completely worth it in my opinion.

You may have to call a few times before you get somebody who can help, but its possible.  YMMV.

7 hours ago, casofilia said:

Take care when you travel by bus from Seattle to Vancouver.  All it needs for for a passenger to be picked up by customs and you could be waiting an hour.

Been there done that when a passenger on our bus was carrying weed!!  It could be even worse if you are in a line of buses.

 

Personally i would travel a day earlier and take the train, lovely trip.

Yeah, that was the kind of stuff I was thinking about.  I would have left earlier, but I'm squeezing this into one week off of work so I'm catching a flight after work on Friday that doesn't get in until midnight.  

8 hours ago, LeeW said:

The problem with getting you to the next port is that if you are on a one-way Vancouver-Whittier cruise they cannot legally allow you to board in Ketchikan because it is a PVSA violation.  Typically if the transfer is delayed they hold the ship (and we have seen this happen - bridge collapse caused a ton of people to be late to the ship).

 

We normally fly into Seattle, rent a car and drop it off in Vancouver, followed by a hotel stay the night before the cruise.  Lots of people come in the day of the cruise and don't have issues.

Hadn't thought about that.  I'd rather they wait for me than miss 2 days anyway!   

34 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

How long does it take to get from Seattle to Vancouver? Do you all do this day of cruise or what?

Yeah, it leaves the morning of the cruise.  From what I can tell, its a first come first served kind of thing.  You check in with a rep at the airport (they have a designated meeting point) and they fill up buses as people arrive.  The check-in times are between 8-10am, with the last bus leaving at 10:30.  They say it takes about 4 hours including the border crossing.   
 

2 hours ago, ohnonotmeagain said:

Do you mind me asking the cost of the transfer as we are planning an Alaska trip and deciding on what airport to travel too. 

Sure thing.  It is $74 for the Seattle to Vancouver transfer.  It would have been $29 from the Vancouver airport.  I'm using miles on Southwest, and they only fly into SeaTac so it was an easy decision for me.  Hope that helps!

I'm flying into Seattle for my Alaska cruise this summer and I've booked the Princess transfer up to Vancouver.  Does anyone know if transfers have the same guarantee as shore excursions regarding delays?  On the off chance there is an accident, issue at border crossing, etc. and the transfer doesn't make it to port in time, does the ship wait?  I'm not overly worried about it, but I always like to have a backup plan if needed.

Does anybody have a preference about bed configuration when traveling solo?  I'll be traveling in a Princess balcony cabin.  I know the actual space is the same, since they just move the beds together to make the queen.  But has anybody found a particular configuration more efficient than the other? 

On 5/24/2019 at 6:37 PM, Lois R said:

Hope you have a wonderful cruise...Alaska is amazing! 

Thanks!  I've been several times but its been about 15 years since the last time.  I'm the de facto leader of a group doing the exact same itinerary next year, but I decided to give myself a little preview to do it exactly like I want!

Just booked my first solo cruise today!  Alaska in September.  

I enjoy traveling with friends too, but I'm looking forward to being able to do my own thing.  That might mean getting up early and watching the sun rise one day, and staying in bed watching TV until dinner the next.  

Thanks everybody!  I haven't booked yet, and as far as I know there aren't any perks for the itinerary I'm looking at, so I wouldn't have anything to lose if I managed to get an upgrade.  

I know I you usually can't get a refund if there is a price drop after final payment date, but are you able to pay the difference to move into a higher category?

For example, if I pay $500 for an inside cabin now, and a few weeks before the sailing date, balcony cabins go on sale for $600.  Can I pay $100 for the upgrade, or does the "new bookings only" restriction apply here as well?