karatemom2

Sadly haven’t seen this for a few years. It was a fun idea but never seemed to gain traction. I participated once for one of our Alaska cruises and the book selection was “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. Wonderful read! But your post gives me a thought - certainly one could do something similar within a roll call. We have a really active roll call for our Norway cruise this summer - maybe I’ll look for a book to recommend.

Or the Piazza tables by the International Cafe. It’s so inconsiderate when people park themselves there for hours to play games while people getting food and drinks have nowhere to sit.

We like to play cards in the Explorer’s Lounge on the Grand Class ships when it isn’t being used for some other event like trivia or art sale.

When were you on the Discovery? We have been on it a number of times since it launched just a few years ago. The juice bar has always been located in the Pastry Shop of the World Fresh Marketplace on all of our cruises.

You will see whales for sure in either place, but I would choose ISP over Juneau as there are less other options in ISP, while in Juneau there are other interesting things to do.

Wow! That’s awful. We have always had a good experience but I don’t blame you for not wanting to use the service after that. I hope you were properly compensated!

Tatting is a virtually lost art of making lace from fine thread. My Grandma used to do it and made gorgeous pieces. I still have her tatting hook - I wish I had learned more from her. @Thrak I am so impressed that your wife has that skill. You just don’t see it much anymore. Very cool!

That’s a great area in general. Easy access to the aft bar and buffet just up the steps with the nice back deck area. We often get balcony cabins in that section as well because even with a balcony you sometimes want more expansive views - like on glacier days in Alaska. If you have a room in that section it’s an easy hop out to the aft deck where you can take in all the views. Great choice for inside and outside cabins!

The other thing you can request is press only. Although we generally pack our nicer clothes like suits or dresses in a garment bag, they still get wrinkled. So, we often will give them to our steward right away after boarding to go to laundry for pressing only. We usually get them back next day which is super helpful if there is a formal night on one of the first sea days.

It seems to vary by ship, but the one theme night we seem to see constantly on all our Princess cruises is 80s night. Our recent Sky cruise featured a big 80s deck party. It warms my heart that my demographic suddenly seems to be such a target market!! I guess we have aged in. Haha!!

So kind of you to share this information! It’s interesting that they have started to provide these overviews of the food themes in the buffet at the beginning of the cruise. We got something similar on both of our recent Princess cruises on the Sky and Discovery. Must be a new thing. We don’t eat in the buffet much but it was nice to know. They had a German night one evening and we decided to try it out. The schnitzel and sauerkraut were quite good!

Excursion prices generally increase as the sailing date approaches and some can sell out. We don’t book a lot of Princess excursions, preferring to do independent tours, but there are usually one or two ports where we will opt for Princess excursions. This may be due to the specific tour offered or because of concerns around port time. It’s generally best to book early to get the lowest price and ensure your space. This recent “sale” is a real bait and switch - they highly inflated the prices and are now offering discounts that bring them back down to the original price in some cases or not even that low. Even if you buy ahead of time, you will still get your Elite discount back as an OBC onboard. Just be sure you check in with Guest Services to make sure you get your credit.

We find Alaska a very easy and reliable place to do our own tours and rarely ever book through the ship anymore unless it is something very specific that for some reason we can't book independently, or the timing pushes the edge of our port time. If you research here, you will find many good recommendations for local vendors at each port that are well reviewed and specifically cater to the cruise ship passengers so you can rely on them being consistent with your cruise ship schedule.

Yes, you can walk up - we have done it on our own a couple of times. You don't need to purchase anything ahead of time or go through the cruise.

Yes, you can walk up. We have rented a car in Juneau and done it on our own a couple of times. The price is actually slightly less because as a walk up, they charge you the local rate. It's a fun way to spend some time in a beautiful setting and the food is good. There is a nice short hike to a waterfall and they have had a singer there providing entertainment as well. Worth the investment in our opinion and we would go back again.

Feels like a bit of gamesmanship on the part of Princess. Hike up the prices by ridiculous amounts and then put them on "sale" to make unsuspecting consumers think they are getting a bargain or big savings if they hadn't been following these pricing maneuvers. We see what you are doing here, Princess, and we aren't falling for it!

We have noticed this as well. Our laundry has come back in excellent shape!

It comes with a lanyard so if that works for you, nothing else is needed. Princess does sell other holders - wristbands, bracelets, clips, necklace. I’m a regular Princess cruiser so I invested in a bracelet that I really like. It’s now been through three cruises. But if you don’t want to buy one of the accessories Princess sells, people here have reported ordering other types of holders. Just for reference it’s the same size as an Apple air tag.

We managed to book one of the forward balconies for our Land of the Midnight Sun cruise in to Norway on the Sky this summer and I can’t wait to take in all the amazing views! It’s been a bucket list itinerary for us for awhile.

Yes, you may be overly concerned. It’s really pretty easy and intuitive. First of all the information you are providing via the app is basically the same as you had to complete previously via the website for check in. Just a different format. I like the ease of making dinner reservations, excursion reservations, etc. through the app. It’s convenient having your cruise info easily accessible via your phone and I like the ability to find traveling companions on the ship. It has a lot of cool features. We don’t really use the Ocean Now as we find it easy enough to go and get our food and drinks - but some people enjoy that delivery option. We also don’t do the packages so not really worried about the drink count monitoring or charging, but we have no issues using our medallions to pay for our onboard purchases as we go. It’s great for getting on and off the ship and unlocking your room door as you walk up. I never enjoyed carrying a card around - don’t usually have pockets so my DH carried it for me a lot. The medallion I wear on a bracelet and it’s very convenient. I know it may seem an odd little tool at first, but I’ve grown to be a fan.

We started cruising as a family when our kids were 5 and 10 on Disney. But we quickly graduated over to Princess for the better itineraries, prices and casino. Now, while my kids are perfect 😊, I was well aware that many others don’t care to dine with children, even those as wonderful as mine. So we just got in the habit of requesting a table for our family only. Sometimes we would meet new friends onboard and share a meal or two, but that was by mutual choice. Now. 20 plus years later, even though my DH and I are venturing off adults only, we still prefer our own table. I am not an introvert or antisocial, but I work in a field that requires me to be “on” much of the time, including a lot of external lunches, dinners, Chamber events, etc. it’s fine and I don’t hate it, but I don’t want to be that person on my vacation. I want to relax, chat with just my DH overly a leisurely meal, and not feel pressed to be ever so cordial and witty with strangers. I need a break. People have all sorts of different reasons why they want to dine without sharing a table and others have reasons they love to share a meal with others. Thank goodness modern cruising has evolved to offer choices. While some might pine for the “good old days”, I am firmly on the side of “it’s my vacation, my choice”.

There is absolutely no additional charge for picking it up at port. Just the potential inconvenience of standing in a longer line and having embarkation delayed. The medallion comes with a standard, inexpensive lanyard that does the job if you aren't interested in anything fancy. I prefer not to wear a lanyard while on vacation - I do that at work. So I bought the bracelet and find it very convenient wearing my medallion on my wrist. However, the lanyard it comes with is perfectly fine and there is no need to spend extra for another holder unless you really prefer one - especially a wrist band or bracelet.

Agree with this - the pizzas are constantly coming out of the oven so it’s really not an issue. And we much prefer the great thin crust pizza at Slice. I’ve never been a huge fan of the restaurant pizza at either venue.

It is probably hard to know if you will be comfortable until you give it a try, but we never felt claustrophobic - just cozy, like our little cocoon. But some people will share that keeping the TV tuned into the bow cam can help. Like a virtual window to the outside.

I think the only risk would be if they had filled and you potentially lost your slot to someone on the waiting list by canceling. If they are still showing availability then you should be able to cancel and rebook without issue.