cruiserjanet

I tested positive the day after returning from our 15 day Hawaii cruise in April. I was masked indoors and never took the elevator. Used hand sanitizer or washed my hands. I’m double vaxxed, boosted and have no underlying medical conditions. I had horrible Covid symptoms but fortunately didn’t have to be hospitalized. 

1 hour ago, Katwoman007 said:

Nice photos! I wish we could have done LA RT, but they did not start adding dates that would work for us till next year, so we are driving up to SF. 

Do you think it was colder or warmer than you expected? I know it is iffy in Alaska, but I feel like I am going to be cold. haha 🙂 

The weather was what we expected, which was cold. It was originally supposed to rain in most of the ports we were visiting, but it was sunny, including in Glacier Bay. However, several ships after us had cloudy skies and some rain. A worker at a store in Juneau told us it had hailed 3 days before we arrived so we felt we were very fortunate. The next time we go, it will be in June. Round-trip from Los Angeles was ideal for us since it's our home port.

9 minutes ago, maktiller said:

Thanks so much for sharing!! GREAT pics.. Can't wait. We are on the star may25! How were the seas? Are the seas rough.. I'm used to carribbean cruises and have to bring and take Dramamine .. Was wondering how the seas are on Alaskan cruise? 

Thank you. It was wonderful especially since we've never been this early in the season. We've been in August and September in the past.

It was different for us since we were coming from Los Angeles so the sea was a little rough the first few nights. My husband took Bonine just to be on the safe side. As we got further north into northern Oregon and Washington, it calmed down and remained that way the rest of the cruise until we returned to Los Angeles. Therefore, I think you will be fine. But it's a good idea to have Bonine (easier on your stomach) just in case you start to feel "iffy". We take our own first aid kit which includes that and other "just in case" items.

8 minutes ago, maktiller said:

How do I see your pics ?

There's a link in my signature. I have included it here just in case.

http://cruiserjanet.shutterfly.com

We returned on Sunday from a cruise to Alaska on the Ruby Princess. It was round-trip out of Los Angeles. The weather was cold but sunny and beautiful. We were the first ship in all of the ports except Victoria. The cruise overall was wonderful. I have pictures in a link in my signature if you are interested.

Island Princess in 2003 when it was a month old. Northbound Alaska.

When we first purchased the photo package in 2016, I understood the terms to be as the OP stated back then. 

I always take insect repellent when I go to the Caribbean or Hawaii. Mosquitos tend to find me even when we don't think we see any. I layer insect repellent with sunscreen.

Where did he find the travel size?

It’s a Resmed Air Mini. His sleep doctor actually recommended it. Like I said, it’s not cheap nor will insurance cover it. But no more humidifier and no more lugging around a big machine. He hasn’t received it yet.

The outlet behind the bed is such a pain to get to and it’s so dirty back there. My husband is getting a travel CPAP so he won’t have to deal with cords or distilled water anymore. It’s not cheap but it’s a lot smaller and will be worth it in the long run.

My husband takes an extension cord. It's Princess approved since it's just an extension cord and nothing else. Princess will supply one but it's like 100 feet long (I'm exaggerating) but we bring a 6 foot one since we don't know what wall the bed will be on until we get in the room.

We were on the Coral last month for a full transit Panama Canal cruise and had the best time. This was our second time doing this cruise and our third time on the Coral. Except for some obvious and normal wear and tear, she was great. The crew was the happiest I've seen on a ship in a long time too. The new bed was wonderful.

Like Lois, we got off the Coral yesterday. Had a blast. This was our second time through the Canal and it was just as good as the first time if not better.

Crew was very friendly. We had the best stateroom steward ever. Also, the new bed was amazing. I slept like a happy baby.

One of the photographers was from our 2016 cruise. She takes the best pictures. I was stunned as to how well they turned out. We had the photo package and came back with more than 100 pictures.

We went to Sabatini's on a sea day at lunchtime and had Alfredo's pizza there. Yummy!

Main Dining Room food was good. I think it's time to change the menus up a bit. However, I never went hungry and they did have some of my favorites. ;)

In Fuerte Amador, we did the Panama Canal & Locks by Boat excursion. It was one of the best excursions we have been on. We went through the Miraflores and Miguel locks (the older ones). We were so close to the locks we could almost touch the wall. The tour guides were very good. I highly recommend this excursion.

In Puntarenas we did a Walk in the Clouds excursion where we went to a rainforest and walked over three suspension bridges. Very pretty.

Just went out on our own in the other ports and walked around.

I haven't been on this ship since 2010 but I like the layout of the Horizon Court and the happy crew member greeting us with silverware. I do not care for where they put the International Cafe though.

I like the hand washing stations at the Horizon Court (similar to what is on the Royal and Regal). The water felt so good. Much better than the "cut finder" that is at other places.

If you've never been to the Bayou Cafe, I highly recommend it. I was traveling with 5 other people, 4 of whom had never been to the Bayou Cafe. They all liked it so much that we went back a second time.

My best friend was on Voice of the Ocean. She didn't win but she sang her heart out and we were proud of her.

I ditto what cnkgirl said. Thank you.

My BFF got a Fossil watch on the ship. Found it cheaper when we got home. It might be a good idea to research before buying. I got some Effy jewelry much cheaper in Aruba than on the ship and it was the same jewelry.

I don't have a ruler so here's some coins for scale thickness is about the same as 2 quarters and a dime

 

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Thank you.

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I haven’t had a chance to read through this whole thread but does anyone have actual dimensions of the medallion, like how many inches across and how thick it is?

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We have packing lists that we edit but don't get the suitcases out until a week before. Packing happens during that week as regularly scheduled laundry gets done.

Is it worth doing this excursion? Also, is it better to book a private tour when we are in Quebec a few days early or do the ship's excursion the day the ship leaves?

We got it for $49 last year when they were testing it out on the Royal. We ended up with more than 60 pictures for 10 days. We got not only the hard copies but the electronic ones on a ship USB drive. When it was offered for $99 earlier this year, we jumped on it because that's an excellent price especially since you know how expensive each picture is when purchased on their own without the photo package.

When we did this cruise the last time, we stayed at the Hilton and took a taxi from the hotel to the ship. This time we are staying at the Frontenac and have booked a princess transfer. I know we will get a letter when we get to the hotel and there will be a Princess rep on hand, but by that time, it would be too late to change our mind since the transfer would have been paid for. Approximately what time does the hotel pick up our luggage? Once the hotel picks up our luggage, do we see it again at the bus at the port or does it get delivered directly to our stateroom on the ship from the hotel?

From what I can see, it still shows the full amount of OBC in the Credits and Payments page even though it is 'paid' in the Shore Excursions page. Haven't tried cancelling anything, but I suspect they won't actually deduct the OBC for the excursions until onboard the ship when they print out the ticket vouchers.

That is correct. I spent much unnecessary time with several Princess reps regarding excursions. It showed our excursion confirmed and no balance due for each one. However, in the payments and credits portion, it showed we still needed to pay the balance and had all of our OBC. The rep stated that this would all be cleared up on our shipboard account when we board the ship. She also stated they were still working out the bugs. I hope so because it's confusing.

Our plan is to spend a few days in London so I think we will do it beforehand and take the tube to Paris to meet our group. We have never been to Europe before.

Not a fan of having it done but if we are dressed up nice and I'm not at a specific place in my dinner, then we may have a picture taken.

We are flying from the US. Is it better to fly in to Zurich and take the Zurich to Paris route or fly into Paris and do the Paris to Zurich route.