On 8/16/2023 at 10:34 AM, cruisequeen4ever said:

I can answer that because we did that last month. If you choose to do this, absolutely buy your tickets online before you go! The line to buy tickets to get in was reallllly long, UNLESS you already had tickets. Once inside, try to avoid the tour groups to speed up your visit; they clog the walkways and sites sometimes. There are signs in Greek and English. We read them, but it was soooo hot and crowded that we really just focused on seeing the sites and getting  out of there. We actually said on the way out how glad we were that we hadn’t done a tour because we couldn’t take the heat any longer. Skip the bathroom there; it was the longest bathroom line I’ve ever encountered. Allot an hour for the visit; the local driver said that’s the typical amount of time. We finished in 50 min. 

Do you recall which site you bought your tickets from?

On 8/18/2023 at 9:28 AM, Labanos said:

Istanbul

Galataport Cruise Terminal is very big and modern. It looks more like a big airport.

 

 

This vacation we wanted to spend more time walking cities like Istanbul, Athens and Napels and use the public transport.

 

We have been to Istanbul before and then visited Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue mosque), Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, Grand Bazaar and the Harem.

 

So this time we wanted to take Tram line T1 and then explore the Sulthanahmet area on foot.

 

blue line is tram T1

 

You need Turkish cash to buy a tram ticket, so we used an ATM in Kusadasi to be prepared.

 

We are a group of 3 and we bought a 10 ride card for only 110 Lira so that’s really cheap. We did not buy a Istanbul card or anything else. Just a 10 ticket card. I held the card to the metro entry and checked my family in and went last myself. So no need to buy separate tickets.

 

The ticket machine has an English interface and is easy to use. But… you have to enter your money within a certain amount of time. If you dont do that the money entered is lost. The machine didn’t accept a certain billet and we kept on trying. Then time was up and our inserted 100 Lira was lost 😞 The second time went much better.

 

The trams on line T1 are very modern in Istanbul.  The stop closest to Galataport is Tophane. We intended to buy tickets there ( as you can do at almost all stops) but the line with Princess cruisers all trying to buy tickets was long and slow.

 

So we walked a few 100 meters to Karakoy, no lines there. And after we lost our 100 Lira we were on our way.

 

We went all the way to the Grand bazaar stop. Just 100 meter and your inside the bazaar.

 

 

After that we walked to the Sultan Ahmet mosque en Hagia Sophia area, walked around and got lunch.

 

After lunch we did an amazing excursion to Basilica Cistern. After our Napels underground tour this was Istanbul underground. If you see the picture you know why it’s nice to see.

 

 

We didn’t want to walk down to the Galata bridge so we hopped on the tram again to Eminonu stop. Wandered around and used our 10 trip card again to go back to Galataport cruise terminal.

We are also would like to visit the Cistern while on our own. Did you buy tickets prior to sailing?

7 hours ago, Labanos said:

2.50 per person one way. It goed back to the bus station. But we got off at the end of Heraklion so we could walk through the town.

Thanks for getting back to me

7 hours ago, Labanos said:

2.50 per person one way. It goed back to the bus station. But we got off at the end of Heraklion so we could walk through the town.

1 minute ago, NIkkiGR said:

Thanks again. Exactly our plan too. Thank you for suggesting  the company Sea Transfer. I expect they wait until the boat is full before they leave. 

Sorry Sea Traveler.

10 hours ago, Labanos said:

Santorini

Alternative route - After the tender from the ship to the Old port of Fira, by a ticket from the ticket shop (Sea traveler) on the quai, for transportation to Oia. This costs 30 euro per person and includes a water taxi to Amoudi Bay, bus transfer to Oia and a bus transfer to Fira. A few remarks:

 

• The trip to Amoudi take about 15 minutes and is a nice sea ride
• 
• You then have to walk up a few 100 meters on a VERY steep hill. 
   
• In 5-10 minutes a bus takes you to Oia center
• 
• Every hour from 10-16 a bus leaves to Fira. So you can take your time in Oia and leave when ready
• 
• We found this a perfect way to go against the flow of all the people wanting to go to Fira first by cable car
• 
• Even when Enchanted Princess was the only ship in Santorini (lucky us) it was busy everywhere. The lines for the cable car going down were long!
• 
• We took the donkey path down from Fira to the old port. We did this at 14:00 in the full sun. Well what should I say 😅😟. Yes it’s doable for any fit person but it’s not an easy task. The steps are sometimes high, the path uneven and you have to watch for slippery parts and donkey poop. Really watch out! We did it in 30 minutes as untrained persons with how should I say it, not fat but a quite a few ponds to much.
• 

Thanks again. Exactly our plan too. Thank you for suggesting  the company Sea Transfer. I expect they wait until the boat is full before they leave. 

On 8/14/2023 at 3:50 AM, Labanos said:

Heraklion

Bus 2 stop just before leaving the gate so you don’t have to walk to the bus station for the bus to Knossos

 

2.50 one way.

Knossos has almost no shadow so wear a hat and use sun lotion. It’s hot out there

 

Take water with you. There are some shops and restaurants in the area

 

Toilets are available just after the entrance

 

The bus back can be challenging. It leaves every 15-20 min but in real life it might be longer. Sometimes it’s crowded and people are pushing to get in. But if you don’t get in you have to wait even longer for the next bus

 

Walking from Heraklion (old town) to the ship takes a good walk in the burning sun when you are tired already. So be prepared

 

Exit the bus at the end of the city and not at the port side. This way you can walk in a straight line through Heraklion seeing mosts of the want to see stops.

Do you recall how much the bus to Knossos costs? We are are the same 21 day cruise in September and this was my plan also. Does the Knossos bus take you back to the bus station? Or where did you get off? 

17 hours ago, Kolleen said:

Maybe we will see you there. We much prefer the MDR to the buffet.

 

Rhonda

I absolutely agree. Hoping to get on before it closes at 1:30

2 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

usually but NOT always for various reasons

 

it was not listed in the Patter for our current Crown cruise, but even though boarding was delayed DaVinci was open for MDR lunch

The thread I was referring to is yours! That is where I looked. Thanks for letting me know. We get on the Crown when you get off. I am hoping that we will be on board before the MDR closes. 

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

Only one Main Dining Room is open, and the crew will not tell you about it.  The crew is instructed to direct you to the buffet.  

 

The embarkation day lunch menu seems to be the same one offered on every ship for many years.  I recommend the souffle.  

Thanks. I also noted it was not listed as open on the a recent Patter on a thread I have been following. I will be checking it out on Friday 

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Normally yes,  until 13:30.

Thank you 

Is the MDR open on all Princess ships upon embarkation 

3 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Don't know where I read it, but Norman Love contract expired so they can't call it Chocolate Journeys by brand name.

Thank you. I will just have to trust my memory as to which desserts were once called Chocolate Journeys then 

1 hour ago, travelin.sisters said:

Sea Day~March 5

Formal Night, DaVinci Dinner & a Show

 

Even the little bears got dressed for formal night. Canapes were delivered at 3:15 which seems way too early. They tasted fine, but were not very impressive in any way (CC was right again, but we had to try them at least once).

 

 

 

I think fewer people eat in the MDR on formal nights, but for whatever reason, we were able to get our table when we arrived. We are very close to Club Class Dining & whatever special thing they were having smelled very much (& deliciously) of garlic. Neither my BIL or sister knew anything about CC (or is it Reserve now?) dining & are now wondering if that is what they want in the future. There were more men in suits than on my last couple of cruises, but the usual range of attire for formal night.

 

 

 

 

 

Starters: bacon potato soup, duck liver pate, crab & monterey jack cheese quiche, seared walnut crusted goat cheese & greens (all good)

 

 

 

 

 

Entrees: roasted red snapper with yellow bell pepper bisque (snapper was overcooked, but sauce was really good), medallion of beef tenderloin (excellent & cooked to the doneness ordered)

 

 

 

Desserts: gourmandises (the little plate of bite size goodies the waiter brings without you ordering, like the Elite canapes, ok but never really exciting). chocolate hazelnut bar with citrus creme (this is my absolute favorite of the old chocolate journey desserts & I am so glad they haven’t ruined it yet), chocolate chip & banana brioche pudding (delicious), vanilla ice cream with pineapple sauce

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first night we went to the theater. I am not a big fan of comedians or concerts, but I have heard excellent things about all the evening entertainment from fellow guests. Disco: Blame it on the Boogie was the first production show of the cruise & the cast is excellent. I miss the days of a storyline for the shows rather than just musical numbers around a theme, but it was a very good show. I was surprised to see that drink service has returned to the theater. We went through the casino to get back to our room, & I thought it was not as smoky, until...we got inthe elevator & I started coughing from all the smoke caught in my mask (yes we are among those few who are still wearing masks.

 

 

 

List of my posts in this LIVE: 

• Introduction~post 1

• Pre-cruise: packing~post 10

• Pre-cruise:  booking & trip prep~post 29

• Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43

• Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67

• Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69

• Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70

• Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75

• Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78

• Embarkation Day~March 2:  the papers & the patter~post 89

• Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104

• Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114

• Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142

• Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147

• Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148

• Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149

• Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150

• Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151

• Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167

• Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172

• Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173

• Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175

• Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176

• Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204

• Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205

I see they are no longer advertising which desserts are the chocolate journeys on the menu. Umm those were always my favourite. We board for 28 days when you disembark. Thank you for your live 

2 minutes ago, Abercrombie2019 said:

We noticed that we had switched from Green Lane to Blue Lane on the transfer bus from the airport to the cruise terminal.  Other people on the transfer also noticed that they had switched from green to blue.  Once we re-authorized the credit card for the second person in the stateroom, we were green again.

Says there is a problem with the site. Mine did the same thing, the app still has both cc authorizations. 

47 minutes ago, arctickitty said:

For those of you sailing on the Crown in the future, look for this book I left in the library:

 

 

Also look for:

 

-Artem (Good Spirits) until July

-Velimir (Good Spirits) only for 14 more days!

-Josy (Adagio) until August

Boarding March 17 for 28 days. Thanks for letting us know. I certainly will be checking these out 

32 minutes ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Hey, fore I forget, does Princess still give out the princess patter? Don't have or will never get an app, jest have a flip phone. 

We had the option of either a digital version of the patter or the paper for our upcoming cruise on March 17. The only kicker is the you need to make your choices on the app. However when you log into Princess you can choose  the web version of the app. 

@travelin.sisters

Looking forward to your lives. We will be boarding for a 28 day cruise as you get off the ship. I have been packing with my lists, could not pack without them. Thanks for letting us join you virtually 

8 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

If it were me I’d be looking at jewelry (specifically Brighton) or getting a few pieces of clothing in the gift shop.

Can you spend OBC at the all the shops? 

12 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

Pictures are wonderful and very helpful!   Thank you so much!   I appreciate you helping me and taking the time.    I am really enjoying following your trip!    

Is the pool empty?

On 2/26/2023 at 5:14 PM, arctickitty said:

Regarding questions about how drinks are charged or comped when ordered via Ocean Now (room service) I have some screenshots to illustrate how to check your order.

 

This shows a free (comped) beverage order of tea and a lovely mocktail.

 

 

You can also see that with an order you can see if it has been placed, is being prepared, and is being delivered although in reality these buttons are not perfect as we’ve had some orders show up before the “on the way” button had lit up.

 

But for whatever reason they want money for hot chocolate.  These figures are visible in your electronic shopping basket before you check out (click order button).  You can see that the service charge is automatically added to a non-free item but not to an included item because the Princess Plus package already included the service charge.

 

 

This shows a theoretical food order with only complimentary items.

 

 

This shows a theoretical good order with both free and for-fee food items.  Note the lack of a charge for the pizza.  I thought the pizza costs money but it doesn’t seem to at the moment.

 

Thank you for posting this. For us this will be the first time with a Beverage Package. Prior cruises included a hefty OBC so we used that for our drinks. We only ordered a bottle to be sent to our room, not with the app at that time. This will be a much easier cruise with the ability to use the app. 

On 2/25/2023 at 7:28 PM, Happiest when cruising said:

There is no room service cost… for most things. There is a delivery fee for a couple of things, so just go and enjoy. I’ll leave whether or not to tip the room service staff up to you. 

Thank you I have re read the terms of the drink package and it includes the 18% service charge which is obviously what I interrupted as room service.

On 2/26/2023 at 10:01 AM, Happiest when cruising said:

There is always an automatic tip added to the drink cost when you don’t have a drink package, so I do not think it had anything to do with it being delivered by room service. 
 

What do you mean you were charged room service? 
We had a bottle delivered to the room and were charged room service. It could have been a tip but there was a charge added to the price of the bottle.

11 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

There is no room service cost… for most things. There is a delivery fee for a couple of things, so just go and enjoy. I’ll leave whether or not to tip the room service staff up to you. 

We always tip but we  were also charged room service for drinks on the last Princess Cruise without a beverage package

5 hours ago, arctickitty said:

Next I want to talk a bit about our experiences using OceanNow, the service on the Medallion app to order conceivably anything anywhere.

 

1. As mentioned by EmmaCruises, you cannot use OceanNow in a laundry room.  It is still true that if you try, it will say “service unavailable in this location.”

 

1. It works for room service almost all of the time

 

1. It doesn’t work as well out on the open decks.  

 

1. We have Princess Plus and haven’t been charged for ordering multiple drinks at the same time 

 

1. You can see if you’ll be charged for something before you place the order (it will show the total and then subtract your package).

 

1. You can order San Pelligrino but not Perrier

 

1. You can order the small bottled waters

 

1. If they don’t have something in stock you ordered they will either substitute and bring it to you or come and talk to you in person.  When we ordered Maker’s Mark we saw in the app that they changed it to Knob Creek.  Yesterday Special Someone was continuing his quest to drink beer around the world and they didn’t have one of the beers he ordered and they came to the door and asked if he’d like a Guinness instead.

 

1. You can customize if you want a drink neat, on the rocks, blended, etc and for many drinks you can customize what garnish you want.

 

1. When you’re done with a room service tray, there is an option in OceanNow to have it picked up.  We use this every time and it’s fast service.  I think I’ve seen far fewer trays in the halls on this cruise than any other and I wonder if it’s because people are using this feature.

 

1. You can also order extra towels, pillows, hangers, etc…. We used it to order bathrobes and got them, but when we ordered hangers we didn’t get them.  We folded up our extra clothes instead of asking for hangers again.

 

1. We have yet to reach the limit on how many specialty coffees you can order at one time.  

 

1. Our specialty coffee orders have been about 50-80% accurate.  

 

1. Their lattes are coffee-weak and they don’t consistently add the extra shots that you can request so we started ordering double espressos and adding them in ourselves.

 

1. You can add flavored syrup to a latte but not an americano.  

 

1. We have worked our way through the syrup menu (I think) and our favorites are caramel, coconut, tiramisu, and vanilla.  They also have lavender, butter pecan, cinnamon, chai…. they told us the ship doesn’t have the mint chocolate on board so you can’t get any of the mint coffee drinks.  I’ve ordered the chocolate chip cookie via OceanNow and in person several times and gotten a plain latte every single time, no explanation.

 

1. You can get your latte hot, iced, blended etc but not an americano

 

1. But if you want it blended it has to be after 6am because the blended drinks are made by a bartender and they don’t start work till 6am (yes, they came to my door and told me this when I ordered a blended latte at 5am)

 

1. They have blended drinks on the menu in the IC that they don’t have on the OceanNow menu but you can get any flavor latte blended.  So you can order a latte with coconut syrup or caramel for example and order it blended and get the same thing as the blended menu options in the IC.  But they don’t have the cherry syrup on OceanNow so you can’t get the Black Forest.  

 

1. This is a tangent about the coffee but the espresso at Coffee & Cones doesn’t open until 11am so the IC gets very busy 9-11am.

 

1. Additionally, they don’t have a blender at Coffee & Cones so you can’t get the blended drinks there, only IC or room service.

 

1. The bar menus on OceanNow are very extensive.  Different bars have different menus but the OceanNow list seems to be the longest.  I’ve ordered some drinks on OceanNow in order to try them and not have to figure out which bar has them or not.

 

1. We’ve had some really fantastic burgers for breakfast thanks to OceanNow.  Yes, so read that right.  Burgers for breakfast.  I had the idea our first port day to order a burger and a fruit plate.  You can order up to 3 additional toppings on your burger so I selected extra lettuce, extra tomato, and some mayo.  It also came with extra onion.  They left the bun open with the burger with cheese on one side (you have a choice of cheese or no cheese but not the type of cheese) and the veg on the other.  The mayo came in a little dish.  So did the ketchup another day we ordered it.  It was a perfect breakfast combo of produce, carbs, fat and protein to fuel us for a busy day.

 

1. Another good favorite has been the Greek Salad.  It’s not as good as what they serve in the MDRs but it has real feta and big chunks of bell pepper and good olives.

 

1. I didn’t see it at first but on the burger if you scroll down you can choose a side: coleslaw, fries, or chips.  I got the coleslaw once and it came in a tiny condiment dish but it was delicious.  Mayonnaise is one of my favorite food groups.

 

1. The fruit plates have been fresh and beautiful.  One even came with a strawberry!

 

Well, that’s the random OceanNow observations I have in my head at the moment.  I’ve been using my stabilizer muscles on the treadmill as I walk and type as the ship heaves and hos.  Reading and posting on Cruise Critic is one of my favorite things to do to pass the time during lower intensity gym work.

 

Having the free balcony upgrade has made room service make more sense.  There’s no way we would have used it as much with an interior room.  I would have gone to the IC for our coffee.  For me it’s helpful because they can deliver it while I’m putting on my compression gear or doing yoga.  We also wouldn’t have used it for drinks like we have without the Princess Plus package.  We do not live extravagantly at home and generally dont even travel as extravagantly as this cruise, but we like to try new things and try everything so the package has made that possible.  We are not forcing ourselves to order things “to get our money’s worth” but just having a good time while the good times last.
 

Happy to answer any questions on OceanNow.  I haven’t screenshotted everything but I’ve taken a good number of them and will post them eventually.  If there’s something specific you want to see from the app (or any other features of the app) let me know.  It’s an easy thing for me to do when I’m lying down “stuck” on my leg pump or when I’m doing an easy workout (which I need a lot of…we were lazy yesterday and I only got 13,000 steps).

 

We can also take “requests” of things to try if you have a favorite I haven’t mentioned!  Or something you are curious what it is like!  Mention it and if it fits into our sea days, I’ll give it a whirl.

When you ordered room service for a drink does the app tell you the cost of the room service itself as the gratuity and the drink are covered by your drink package. I was wondering if the room service cost was also covered in the drink package 

23 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Really?  Not doubting you. Blue Ginger and Jams are good local stores.  And then there is Reyn's.  

 

I go to Hilo Hatties fo rmy free shell necklace.  Accumulated many through the years.  DId you know....they have them "marked".  Tour bus/walk in tourist/Kama'aina (not going to buy anything).  

 

ABC / All Blocks Covered.  They are one of the few places that you can buy small liquor bottles.  

 

@arctickitty  Thanks for supporting the local businessman.  Very creative and quite an entrepreneur.  

In 1988 we were told ABC means “ Always Bring Cash” 🙂