DEABILLINGDEPT

Wow.  Thank you so much for the information! 

Hi everyone.

First time cruiser.  We will be sailing in July on the Enchanted Princess.  Would anyone happen to know if there are “theme nights” on Princess?  If so, how and where would I find out what they will be?  

Thanks in advance for your help. 

16 hours ago, lola2013 said:

We have used Viator many times...most recently on our Italy/Greece cruise earlier this summer.  They are reliable and offer a great product.  You just have to be aware that if there is any type of delay and you are late getting back to the ship, it is your responsibility to get to the next port.  Excursions booked through Princess are guaranteed to get you back in time...the ship will wait for passengers on their sponsored excursions.

That said, we are very careful to book tours that will get us back with a minimum of 90 minutes before the time we're due back (which is usually 30 minutes before the ship sails.)

So basically, you allow 2hrs? I feel that is something I will definitely be sure to do.    For example, we will be in Santorini 7am-7pm and Montenegro 7am -3pm.  How soon are you required to be back on the boat? I thought I read somewhere that is was like 2 hrs ahead of time but I can’t remember. 

Thank you all for the feedback.  It’s very helpful.  I like the security that Princess offers but I feel that viator’s selection seems more vast and appealing for my group that will be 4 ladies ages 63, 51, 43 and 18:)  I think I will start with Viator for tour ideas and then branch out to see if I can locate the tour groups directly and of course, sift through reviews before booking.  As with most things,  especially tours, there is no guarantee of 100% success but I think independent tours/viator is worth the extra effort and consideration on my end.  

I do have 2 subsequent questions.  If I book independently, what is the least amount of time that I should allow to get back on the ship?  I definitely to not want to cut it close and I would like to allow time for any hiccups that might occur. 

Can someone tell me what roll call is? 

For those that asked, we will be 3 days each pre/post Athens and Barcelona.  Cruise ports are Santorni, Sicily, Naples and Montenegro.

I adore this site!  Thanks again;!

Hi there. I will be taking a July 2020 Mediterranean cruise on Princess, Athens to Barcelona.  I’ve never cruised before and would be more comfortable booking tours as opposed to setting out on my own.  Viator seems to have a great selection of tours.  Is this a reliable option or would you recommend sticking with the options that the cruise line is offering?  

Thank you

NavyVeteran it’s listed exactly as you mentioned above:)

Thank you NavyVeteran!  I ended up booking this through a local travel agent, who unfortunately is doing the bare minimum to assist in arrangements.  That being said, I do have access to the cruise personlizer and It does show my neice listed with the sip and sail alcohol package. (Ironically, i spotted that this morning just before reading your post:)  Considering the travel agent told me the same thing about the drinking age being 21 for this cruise, I wasn't sure if  this was entered in error or if it is listed like that because it's the name of the promotion and would then be addressed and adjusted to premium beverage at the time of boarding.   I travel quite a bit but I am one that generally uses a good, full service travel agent for larger trips. (ie South Africa, South East Asia etc.)  Cruising is a whole new ball game for me:)  I thought having a travel agent to organize the pre/post stays and cruise would be similar to previous experiences but I am now finding that this is a very basic service.    I was hoping to get some help with selecting excursions etc but I think I will be doing a lot of research on my own.  This seems to be a very responsive and informative site and I feel confident that I will be able to get some great information here.  Thanks again!!

Thank you for the info!  It's much appreciated.

Thanks so much for the response.  I'm assuming at this point it will just be a wait and see situation but this gives me some hope.  Would you happen to know if this is something I would address at time of check in or would I have to visit another customer service area on the ship?

Hi there.  I will be sailing Enchanted Princess in July 2020, Athens to Barcelona. (1st time cruiser)  I will be taking my 18 yr old niece on this cruise as a graduation present.  I wanted to know if anyone has actual experience or knowledge of Princess' drinking age restrictions on destinations that embark and disembark in European countries? On thier FAQ page, I noticed an exception to the rule for certain destinations, Europe being one of them.  I called and spoke to a Princess rep for clarification, who informed me that the drinking age is 21yrs old.  When I mentioned the exception on the FAQ, she wasn't aware that it was even there. So this is the reason for my confusion.  It's not a huge deal, as we are only talking about an occasional Pina Colada pool side with her old Auntie but It would be nice to know.  I should add that this question 1st came up because we added a "sip and sail,free alcohol package" to our cruise upon booking and the fine print stated that 21 and older would get the alchol pkg, under 21 would get the premium bev pkg.  Since we were traveling in Europe, I wanted to see if she would qualify for the alcohol pkg with Sip and Sail.  

This is from their website...

The age for gambling on Princess ships is 18 years old. The age for drinking on Princess ships is 21 years old*. Guests under the age of 18 will not be permitted in the Casino or Night Club after 11:00 p.m.

*For cruises between Australia/New Zealand, China, Europe and Singapore ports, the drinking age will be 18 years old. For cruises between Japan ports, the drinking age will be 20 years old.

Thanks so much.