karatemom2

In our experience, Princess unlike some other lines, does not have a limited sign up daily for the club programs. You register your kids for their appropriate age group and it is drop in and drop out during all open hours. Princess knows exactly how many kids will be onboard each cruise and staffs the clubs appropriately to accommodate the number of children onboard. You will sign them in and out as you like during the club hours - no reservation needed. Older tweens with your permission can sign themselves in and out (I think the age used to be 10 - not sure if that still holds true). We allowed our daughter sign out privileges once she was 11 as long as she notified when she signed in and out - even easier to manage now with the medallions as you can see where your travel companions are at all times. Teens can come and go from the teen club as they like during open hours. The youngers are divided into the applicable age groups with age appropriate activities. Not sure how old your kids are, but if you look at the Princess web site family page, it provides a little more detail about the clubs, hours, etc.

No, you are NOT crazy. Book it now and lock it in if this is something important to you. That excursion will most definitely sell out and will be limited in space. The chance to take a small boat up close to the glacier is far and away superior to viewing it from the distance of the ship. We have done similar excursions twice in Tracy Arm Fjord and they were amazing. Last time we waited too long and the excursion through the ship was full, and it was not an excursion we were able to book privately. It may seem pricey now - but given the recent trend, as the sailing date draws near, excursion prices seem to be going up and popular tours like this WILL sell out. So book now to be sure you have a space reserved - you can always cancel for a refund if you change your mind for any reason.

We have been on Discovery Princess a few times - once was during Spring Break, once over New Year's and once over Presidents' Day/Super Bowl Weekend. So I can speak to the crowds a bit during these peak periods - yes, the ship will be full and it will be a bit crowded. But the good news is there will be a lot of families and other kids onboard. Princess runs a great Kids Program and will offer much to do, particularly during these peak weeks. My kids are grown now, but they always enjoyed their time in the clubs on Princess. The casino is near the theatre, but you shouldn't notice any issues with smelling smoke outside of the casino and definitely not in the theatre. It's mostly noticeable when you walk through, but you can avoid that. Discovery is a great ship - there is ample entertainment for everyone in the family. If it is warm enough you can enjoy the pool areas and the Movies Under the Stars. Assuming this is likely a Mexican Riviera or Pacific Coastal cruise which both offer fun itineraries with plenty of choices for family activities in the ports. In terms of the desserts - I'm not all that familiar with how they enforce these benefits, but if you get a package that includes two a day, I would imagine that you could get them and share them with the kids if you want to do that. I doubt they are going to police that for a family traveling together. There are plenty of other dessert options for the kids as well - including soft serve ice cream. In terms of cabin, that is really a personal and financial choice. We have traveled with our kids from insides to suites. We generally prefer a balcony. You would need to check the cabin configuration to see what the sleeping arrangements are - cabins for four usually feature drop down bunks. The deluxe balconies and mini suites also have pull out sleeper beds. When we traveled when our kids were young - we kind of preferred the drop down bunks because they don't impede in walking space in the room like a pull out - plus the kids loved them. No matter what, I'm sure you will find plenty of fun activities for adults and kids on the Discovery- including a new arcade that was just completed recently. There are a number of threads here in this forum with live reports from the ship if you use the search feature, you can pull those up and review them which you might find helpful.

When we visited Marseille last September we took a ferry to the Chateau d'If in the morning and spent a couple of hours touring there. It was quite easy as the ferries to the island run right from the harbor area near where the shuttle buses from the ship drop you off. In the afternoon we took the tiny train tour that drives you to Cathedral Notre Dame de la Garde - you can depart and tour the cathedral then catch the train back to town. All very easy to do on our own and accessible from your cruise ship shuttle. We enjoyed some crepes for lunch at one of the local eateries along the harbor as well - plenty of options there.

We used EC Minibus last year for our transit to and from Southampton with tours both directions - on the way we did Stonehenge, on the way back we did Hampton Court Palace. We were quite pleased with the service - they also took care of taking care of any necessary reservations and ticketing for the tours. I would definitely use them again.

Just another reason Skagway is awesome. Quirky and historic little town. I’m sure the 1,000 or so locals who live there year round love getting the best pizza in town and a good taco in one fine establishment.

It wasn’t terribly difficult. The ferry drops you right at the entrance and the course through the cave is well guided with ropes or bars as hand holds on both sides of the path. There are some stairs and uneven areas so while you don’t have to be in top physical shape you do need pretty good mobility. It is not walker or wheelchair friendly, but anyone with normal physical capability shouldn’t find it too challenging. Here is a link with more info and a couple of the photos we took. https://grottadinettuno.it

I have to give a shout out to Soleil and our experience in that dining room last September. We had a private two top toward the back and reserved it for the full two weeks. Our wait team was amazing and the Maitre D’ stopped by our table virtually every night without fail to check on us and several times brought us special dishes not on the menu. One of the best dining experiences of all our Princess cruises.

Now I have a certain song ringing in my ears! 🎶 🎉

Yes it does. Served from Noon to 1:30 pm.

This story reminds me of our very first trip to Alaska. My daughter was just 5 at the time and we were on a whale watching excursion on a larger boat. First time ever to see whales, and they we were finally on a good pod, when my little angel desperately had to use the bathroom. Being the good Mom I am, there was no way I was letting her go alone in a strange environment on this boat full of other people, so I accompanied her to the loo, and as I was helping her I heard screaming and cheering outside, not once - but then again! I rushed her as fast as I could and came out to my husband and son excitedly telling us how a whale had breached right in front of the boat - not once, but twice!! I love that little nugget more than life, but I was so mad at her at that moment! 🙄 Luckily we have had the joy of seeing whales breach in Hawaii and Mexico in particular many times since that fateful day. But I never her let her forget the day she made us miss our first whale breach while the boys got to gloat!!

Congratulations to your wife on her 50th, and what an amazing way to celebrate!! You will love the Sky - it is a beautiful ship with so many lovely amenities. We did a similar Med cruise on the Sky last September - not all the same ports, but several in common. In terms of shipboard activities, there will be a daily schedule that you can use to guide your interests. If you enjoy poolside time, it should be nice and warm for you. There will also likely be some other young people in your daughter's age group that she might enjoy meeting. Since this is a celebration cruise - maybe your wife and daughter would enjoy some spa services - massage, pedicure, manicure. My daughter and I have done that together and it is always fun. The Catch would be a great choice for a nice dinner for your wife's birthday - very special!! In terms of the ports, I can share a few things we did at some of the ports you have in common with our cruise last year. Livorno - We booked a private small group tour with EU Italy that picked us up at the port - we stopped first at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and had about an hour there, and then proceeded to Florence for a brief guided tour and then time on our own to explore. They arranged advance reservations and tickets to see the Statue of David, which was immensely helpful to bypass the lines. I would highly recommend them. Barcelona - we did this day on our own as taxi service was so easy to use there. We caught a taxi from the ship first thing in the morning and headed to the Gothic Quarter and spent the entire morning their walking the streets, touring the Cathedral, and stopping for a Tapas lunch with a generous pitcher of Sangria. We then caught a taxi to Sagrada Familia for our pre-booked 2 p.m. entry and spent a couple of hours there - stunning!! Easy to catch a taxi back to the ship at the end of the day with a little added tour around the city that we requested. Alghero, Sardinia - We did something pretty unique here that didn't seem to be on the radar for most of our fellow cruise passengers. There is an amazing sea cave just off the coast - Neptune's Grotto (Grotto di Nettuno). It is spectacular and there are ferries that run back and forth to the cave from the dock directly where your tenders let you off at the base of the old town. It was jaw droppingly beautiful - like a natural cathedral. We did that first thing in the morning and then still had time for lunch at a street side cafe and a walk around the old town - be sure to check out the beautiful red coral jewelry. Civitavecchia for Rome - this was the one place we splurged on an expensive Princess tour because we wanted to see as much as possible and not be worried about getting back to the ship - we booked the full day tour that included a tour of the Colosseum, Forum and archeological sites, Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, and lastly St. Peter's Square and the Vatican. It was a Sunday, so the Museum wasn't open, but we were able to tour St. Peter's Basilica and actually see service being held and hear the choir. It was worth every penny to make the absolute most of our day in Rome. Hope you find some of these suggestions helpful and that you enjoy an amazing cruise!!

So we always go queen - my DH is 6’7” and we have a California King at home. That twin would never do. At least with the Queen he can use his full space and invade mine as well. Good thing I like him! 😂

Oh, how I relate to this. Hang in there - you will get your own room eventually. But even as adults they will still want to tag along - so save up for those extra cabins!!

Yes, that is the downside of comeback offers - you have 45 days to book and you have to take the cruise within 6 months. But we have also noticed that after a cruise with a comeback offer, we also start to get flooded with other promotions. So fingers crossed!

Exactly why the statement that you see all of Alaska on a cruise is so untrue. This is only an experience you get on a land tour. I hope to be as lucky one of these years when we do it!!

We are noticing the same thing. Kicking ourselves now for not booking with some of our really good casino offers that expired at end of February. We hesitated due to the non refundable deposit and not being fully certain of the days I can take off work next year. But we didn’t really worry because we have always had multiple offers going. I guess as they say, you snooze you lose!! At this point we are just going to wait and see what kind of come back offer we get after our summer cruise.

It was really interesting and probably due to the huge number of Brits onboard, but on our cruise out of Southampton last year Fish and Chips were available everyday in the buffet and many days on the MDR lunch and dinner menu. Also, the afternoon tea was a step up on that cruise - much better and more authentic tea sandwiches and real clotted cream for the scones. I love cruising from Southampton!!

There are a few things we always do every cruise - first is lunch in the MDR. That is the best way to start off a relaxing vacation. We usually skip the chaos of the deck party and enjoy sail away with a beverage on our balcony. Another must do for me at least one or more days is afternoon tea in the dining room. If we are doing a scenic cruise, like in Alaska, we always order the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast for our glacier viewing day. We also like trivia - so try to make at least one or two a day. And we always choose at least one of the nicer days to eat lunch sitting outside at the grill - pizza, hot dogs, burgers followed by soft serve cone. We also usually have at least one or two meals in specialty restaurants and we attend one of the wine tastings. At some point during each cruise we also try to watch a movie that we haven't seen before one evening - usually after a long port day when we are tired and just want to hang out in the cabin. Those are pretty much our must dos (well except for Casino - that is DH's must do!). Other than that we just do as we please from day to day and mix it up from cruise to cruise depending on the choices, time onboard as opposed to port days, and our interests - maybe shows or piazza entertainment, crafts, lecture, spa, etc.

Glad you loved Alaska - and I agree it is an amazing destination. But no need to disrespect Los Angeles. It's a big city that covers a huge geographic area, and like all big cities has its issues that need work. But, the greater Los Angeles area and Southern California in general is a little slice of paradise for those of us who live here and love it. So, while I appreciate you making your point about Alaska, it isn't necessary to denigrate another place that many of us call home and do so happily. Perhaps you might visit one day and admire our beautiful beaches, verdant farmlands, and gorgeous mountains. It is not just Hollywood and Disneyland.

Welcome to cruise critic. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the land portion of your tour. However, I must disagree with this statement - and this is from someone who has done more than 15 Alaska cruises, but not yet a land tour. I have had the opportunity to visit Anchorage, however, and explore enough in that area to know that there is much more to Alaska then a cruise offers. And that is coming from someone who obviously loves to cruise Alaska, given the many times I have done so. I fully plan to do a land trip one of these days as I know there is so much more of Alaska to see - especially in Denali. First, in terms of accommodations, while this is part of a cruise experience, you are staying in a National Park setting. Even the the top hotels like the Awahnee in Yosemite or El Tovar in the Grand Canyon which are considered 5 star historic facilities, could be considered rustic by some. You are not staying at the Ritz Carlton when you are choosing to stay in and explore a remote and rugged landmark like Denali National Park. And the train ride is part of the allure and by all accounts I have read from others, incredibly scenic. The land trip, by its very nature more rugged than the cruise, so perhaps your expectations were just a little too high. But it is really too bad you couldn't just overlook some of the minor inconveniences and truly enjoy the beauty of Alaska and the wonder of nature. It is such an amazing and unspoiled place.

We did a 12 day cruise out of Vancouver on the Royal a couple of years ago that started on May 2 and it was one of our favorite Alaska cruises. Most things were open, not all, but certainly not enough to detract from our trip. Mostly just a few shops. We expected that traveling early during shoulder season - it will be the same in late September as some things will have closed for the season. The weather was cool, but glorious! Hardly any rain with the exception of some in Juneau. There was still lots of snow everywhere and driving the highway in Skagway was incredible - the lakes were still frozen over and stunning. Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier were breathtaking with all of the snow still sitting low on the mountains. We still saw plenty of whales, eagles, seals and otters, but no bears or salmon - too early for that which might be more likely for you in September. It will also potentially be much rainier later in the year. But we have heard in September there is a small chance to see the Northern Lights. I would absolutely cruise in May again, but we are also considering a cruise In September too. It’s the only cruise season month we haven’t visited Alaska yet, so we would love to give it a try and see it late in the season with Fall coming on. In your case, I would probably choose May, especially if you are concerned about weather. We found the weather to be spectacular and May and June are generally the dryest months in terms of rainfall.

Yes, there is a $5 charge for all room service deliveries with the exception of breakfast items ordered via the door hanger provided in your room each day. However, if you purchase the Plus or Premier package, the room service charge is waived as part of the benefits.

There is bear watching, kayaking, zip line, cultural heritage presentations, the gondola, beach, scenic walk into town, and charming authentic Alaskan village. So lots more than just whale watching.

Never seen all the glasses on the tower filled - it is just a photo opportunity. However, there are wait staff passing pre-poured champagne on trays to passengers attending the party in the piazza area while the champagne tower is going on, so people do get to have a free glass of bubbly - cheap though it may be!