karatemom2

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.

Have you downloaded the new Princess app? You can pre-purchase the WiFi there. It’s one of the options if you scroll through the main page. The web site isn’t much use these days except for excursion purchases - they seem to be shifting everything useful to the app. Once you download it, the login should be the same as you use on the website.

Honestly, I’m not a package person, but for those who have paid for them they should be active from the moment you step on the ship to the moment you step off. Come on Princess, do better! It’s almost like you know how hard it is to challenge a last day charge after you leave the ship? I say let the people with packages get every last cent of value!

My daughter and I were “waitressing” for the extended family one cruise and carrying back three plates each with three slices of pizza, which I imagine was more than a whole pie. The servers didn’t even blink - just happily dished out the slices. So I guess the answer to how much pizza you can take is basically however much they have ready to go and that you can carry!

It takes a very big person with a good heart to apologize. We all get “crabby” sometimes and as much as these boards are designed for fun and camaraderie, they can certainly elicit some strong emotions at times. You are such a kind person - don’t beat yourself up over a momentary lapse. I hope you get some relief for your pain and feel better!

Congrats! We love those forward facing balcony cabins in the Royal class ships - they are so roomy and the expansive views are amazing. That was a good score and I’m sure you will enjoy it!

Yes, Princess has formal nights. On a 12 night cruise I believe you will have three formal evenings. You can find the recommended dress on the Princess web site. It is recommended only - completely up to you on how dressed up you want to be. You will see a full range from tuxes and gowns to khakis and sundresses. Most people fall somewhere in the middle. Some don’t dress up at all. We do find on our holiday cruises people dress up a bit more than non holiday cruises so if you want to wear your “glad rags” you will be in good company. Princess usually schedules one of the formal evenings for Christmas Eve and it’s lovely. The ships we have been on follow the UK tradition of placing Christmas Crackers at each place setting and it’s all very festive. Ships are beautifully decorated and there is usually some sort of caroling gathering, gingerbread house building, Santa visit for the kids (and kids at heart) and other fun activities. You will not be disappointed - they make it very special.

I'm just curious about this because I have seen similar comments about the increase in erroneous charges on other threads as well. If you have the Plus or Premier package, do they charge you for the item and then back the charge out? I know that's what they do with the Elite laundry - they issue a charge, and then a credit, but you have to keep an eye on it. I guess I just assumed if you have a package, there would be no charge at all, but these reports make me wonder if they are issuing a charge and credit for all of the items covered by the packages in order to track usage. That really puts a lot of pressure on the passenger with the package to track their bill and charges - not very fun!

I will add that one of the things I remember loving about our inside cabin is how cozy it felt. Since a lot of the time we were cruising at Christmas, we always had a little tree with lights and the cabin was so dark at night with all the lights turned off and we would turn on the tree and the channel on the TV with the crackling yule log fireplace. Best memories ever with my littles snuggled up and feeling the ship rocking us to sleep. The nicest balcony cabin we have ever had since can never live up to those days!

I think a lot of the pricing also depends on the itinerary and time of year. We don’t book inside cabins anymore, but when our kids were young and we were paying for the whole family to travel we did. We were limited to traveling at peak season when school was out and the prices were high. We did the LA to Hawaii cruise with our kids at Christmas for four years in a row and even the price of an inside on that particular cruise was very expensive. Also a balcony is not always that great on a Pacific or Atlantic crossing so it may be easier to skip it for certain itineraries. Now we always book a balcony - we especially like the forward balconies on the Royal class ships. You will really love the Sky - we did a Med cruise on her last year out of Southampton and are coming back this summer for a Norway cruise. Enjoy your upcoming cruise!!

We were on Discovery over New Year’s and while many things were great, we did note the service level a bit lacking compared to our other Princess cruises, particularly in the MDR, buffet and bars. Our room steward was fine. The 360 Experience was the highlight of our cruise. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! We did not experience any issue with our onboard account but we didn’t have the package so maybe that’s why. The ship did seem understaffed and some of the crew seemed new. We just figured a lot of it had to do with it being a very full cruise.

So true! I’d rather actually share a table than be seated at one of those “individual” tables for two stacked side by side. At least when you are really sharing a table you know that it’s ok to speak to the person next to you - as opposed to awkwardly eating in silence in what amounts to a shared space while pretending you are at a separate table! 😂