karatemom2

So many great ones and great memories, but if I had to narrow it down I would pick our very first ever Christmas/New Years cruise with our kids - it was on the Diamond Princess, a 15 day roundtrip LA to Hawaii. It was the last time Princess did 5 ports in Hawaii and included Kona, so we got a really amazing itinerary and the whole Christmas celebration with all the decorations, entertainment and happy families traveling together was just special and magical. We did again for the next few years on the Golden, and they were all amazing, but that first one on the Diamond was extra special. And, tied would be our 12 day roundtrip Alaska cruise out of Vancouver on the Royal last May. Not only was it a spectacular cruise and itinerary, but we had the awesome forward balcony cabins which provided such beautiful scenic views and wildlife watching, and the icing on the cake was that our daughter and her boyfriend got engaged on the trip and the entertainment crew was so wonderful to them and our whole family. We felt like we were celebrating the entire time and people all around the ship were congratulating them - it was lovely and something they will always remember!

Hoping some here might be able to offer some information since we can't seem to get an answer from NCL. My husband, my son and his friend are traveling on the NCL Bliss that goes from LA to Vancouver on April 9. It overnights in Vancouver from 4/13 to 4/14 and then departs for Seattle where it starts its 7 day Alaska roundtrips on Sat April 15. My husband and crew are booked on that voyage as well - so technically a B2B, but they have this strange one day break between cruises. At first, the NCL rep told him that they would likely be allowed to stay on the ship since they were on the subsequent cruise and thus considered B2B, but she wasn't sure. We still can't get a firm answer - yes or no. So, they have a hotel in Seattle booked for the night before, just in case, but now are trying to establish the best way to get from Vancouver to Seattle if they can't stay on the ship. There is an Amtrak train that departs at 6:35 am that they would like to take if possible - the ship is overnighting in Vancouver so does anyone know if they can walk off the ship in early morning? They are in the port at the dock all night and people should be able to get on and off the ship anytime I would think? Also, if available they would consider booking a transfer through NCL. Has anyone transferred from Vancouver to Seattle using an NCL transfer? It would be great if we could get these answers from customer service at NCL, but unfortunately we can't seem to find anyone who can give us any solid information.

We will be on the five night Discovery cruise to Cabo in February and overnighting in a tender port is a first for us. Do the tenders stop running at some point in the evening on the first night and then pick up again in the morning? I know some people opt to spend the night in town, but we will prefer to return to the ship. I would imagine they suspend tender operations at some point - anyone have any idea how late they are usually taking people back and forth on these overnight stays?

Here's a vendor you might want to check out: https://lacitytours.com/layover-tours/ They offer tours with pick up at San Pedro port and drop off at LAX.

My adult daughter has shared a room with us and used the sofa bed several times. One thing she did to make it more comfortable was ask the Steward for an extra comforter that she put over the mattress. He would actually put the sheet over it for her when he made the bed. She found it very comfy with the little bit of extra padding.

I invested in the nice gold bracelet for mine this last cruise and it was so much nicer then wearing a lanyard around my neck which makes me feel like I'm at work. I figured that as a frequent Princess cruiser it was a worthwhile purchase that I will use again. It held my medallion very well and looked nice and was very convenient!

I wouldn't anticipate at this point they would be adding many more. Most of these ports are very easy to do on your own and a lot of people probably book private excursions or make their own plans for the day, so perhaps they just don't offer as many options on these Coastal cruises as it might be hard to fill them. I would encourage you to take a look at Tripadvisor for each port and you might get some great ideas for more cost effective tours or activities that you can schedule on your own. These are great ports - lots to do that is easily accessible without booking through Princess!

My DH plays craps so not as easily tracked as slots, but they pay close attention and log his chip buys and playing time at the table. He generally gets to know the casino host each trip and we usually net some perks during the cruise like free dinners in the specialty restaurants, treats delivered to our stateroom and champagne. He generally leaves with an offer for an upcoming trip or the come randomly when we get home. There doesn’t seem to be any formula, although I’m sure on the casino end they have some kind of basic criteria. If you play the table games just make sure they are tracking your dollars and time.

We were so fortunate with weather. It seems Europe and UK in general is having a warmer than average summer. Our four days in London were really warm. We got a splash of rain on embarkation day when we went to Windsor Castle but it was very minor and a great excuse to buy one of their cute umbrellas. Most of our port days were high 60s to mid 70s and no rain. Our only slightly less than perfect day was Edinburgh. It was pretty windy and delayed tendering. It rained lightly and by the time we got back on the ship it was cold and very windy. Now of course your mileage may vary - I think every tour guide we had pointed out that in the UK you can experience all four seasons in one day (not kidding, heard that almost every tour, haha!). But we had beautiful weather and I would book in late August again for a future cruise.

I agree. My DH gets tons of Casino offers and we take advantage of them when it makes sense for us and our vacation timeline and interests - but I wouldn't book just to get the credit. You will find if they offered you that free play money this time, you will likely get it again at some point in the future with another offer. We just did our British Isles cruise and our cabin was next to nothing as we got a free inside for the trip and just upgraded to a balcony for a nominal cost. And he got a nice amount of free play chips on top of that. That wasn't from one of our exit offers - just one that came in the mail. They show up every couple of months. So, don't stress. If this offer doesn't work for your there will be another one at some point. Plus, you can book any cruise you want now with the Casino discount and sometimes when you do, they will add free play to those cruises as well.

Not the OP, but per your question Princess does appear to provide kettles on British Isles cruises out of Southampton. We just were on the Emerald and had one in our cabin. We never made use of it, but it was a nice touch considering the very large number of Brits on the ship. I have never seen one on any of our other Princess cruises. It must just be for those cruises based in the UK.

The MDR is open but bar services are super limited on the last day and a request like that will put a lot of stress on the server who may have to go a long way to fetch it for you. I would suggest checking out an open bar up by the buffet or in the atrium and getting it yourself and take it to the dining room with you.

We used: Belfast - Odyssey tour: Giants Causeway and Titanic Museum Liverpool - Busy Bus: North Wales tour Glasgow - Discover Scotland: Loch Lomond, Trossachs, Stirling Castle tour

This is not true. We just returned from a British Isles cruise and enjoyed very scenic cruising from our balcony. We were often quite close to the coast, especially on departing and arriving into ports. We saw incredible scenery, castles, cathedrals, lighthouses along with some stunning sunrises and sunsets. We got fantastic views of the White Cliffs of Dover from our balcony on our sea day traveling from Edinburgh to Le Havre. I would recommend the Starboard side - we chose it as it is the land facing side most of the time. And bring good binoculars. Here are some photos from our balcony view. The first was White Cliffs of Dover at twilight.

We recently used Justin Chauffers for a transfer from LHR to our hotel in London and were exceptionally pleased with the service. Our driver was promptly waiting for us as we exited holding a sign with our name as well as texting us as we were clearing customs. The Mercedes sedan was very comfortable and the price was reasonable such a high end level of service.

That last photo was actually in Bayeux. They were both just charming and picturesque towns. It was hard to take it all in!

In our experience with all of these ports, you may be walking for a good way depending on the location of your dock. And even if you are on one of the docks closer to town, if you are planning on exploring the towns by foot, that will entail quite a bit of walking. We have never seen golf cart transfers at the ports. Most people are either walking into town or heading off on an excursion from the port. If the uncle can't walk long distances, maybe you need to consider using a wheelchair or walker of some sort for your port visits.

It really was a wonderful cruise, wasn't it? And so glad the pizza worked out for you - both times we arrived right as they were opening and maybe it got better as the day went on! We missed the singer, but heard from others that she was wonderful. So glad you enjoyed your cruise as well!!

I just want to say a few things to some who have made slightly snarky responses. First of all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and we don’t all enjoy the same things. I was actually on this tour with Cruisegal and although I did enjoy our time at Giant’s Causeway and found it worth our time, I can totally understand her feelings. ColonyGirl2 - you got the tour we were supposed to get. We only got an hour at the Causeway and we never got our lunch in Ballycastle due to our ship arriving late and our day being cut short. Mr&MrsHendricks - despite what you say, it IS a long walk if you have a short time and can’t be “leisurely”. Also the return walk is straight up hill. We did the walk both ways and it does require one to be in good shape and able to handle a pretty vigorous hike as does jumping around on the rocks. It’s not for everyone. And as to your kind of snide comment about snacks - you try going all day without lunch, especially when you are exerting yourself like that. I was starving. We managed to get a small snack and drink at the hotel there but I wished we had brought something. We were never given an opportunity to have lunch during a 9 hour excursion - so you can imagine why Cruisegal was thankful she had snacks. i am not blaming the tour company - they did the best they could given we were two hours late. If the Titanic Museum had given them any flexibility to push our reserved time back it all could have been different. But it was a bank holiday and they were packed and couldn’t change our time. So we all tried to make the best of it but it didn’t lend itself to an optimal experience at the Causeway. I would have loved more time there and we did find it beautiful and worthwhile for us, but I can certainly understand why others on our tour would feel differently.

Here is my two cents - how much risk are you willing to accept? If you are ok with some risk, then it would likely work out for you. We live about an hour and half from LAX and so of course we drive to and sail out of San Pedro quite often. Because we live within easy driving distance, we generally do walk off and hop in our car and drive home. Generally we are off the ship by 7:45 and home before 10 a.m. If you can get off expediently and either have a car waiting or get a taxi asap, you would likely get to LAX fairly quickly on a Saturday unless there is some kind of accident or other traffic issue. Anything can happen and mess up traffic pretty quickly here. But in our experience getting off on Saturdays, we have driven home quickly with no delays and live about an hour and 45 minutes from the port. We are generally passing the exit for LAX within 30 minutes of leaving the ship. Since this is not an international flight, even if you were there to make sure to get your luggage checked at least a full hour in advance of your flight you would probably be fine as long as the security lines aren't horrible. Chances are pretty good that you could make it work and all would be fine. But you would have to make the decision knowing that any hiccup in ship arrival, clearing customs, traffic issue could cause you to miss your flight. Only you can determine the level of risk you are willing to take but I think your odds are good.

I do hope you have great weather. I would imagine these ports might be especially lovely in Fall.

Le Havre:

Edinburgh:

Invergordon:

We loved the hotel. It is small and the staff were so warm and friendly. We really enjoyed the historic vibe and the great pub. However, no air conditioning. It was warm while we were there and it was fine for us. The window opened and let in a nice breeze and the provided us with a fan for the room. So we didn't mind, but if a/c is a must for you, you might need to look elsewhere.