QuilterGirl

@etphonehome24, we were on the Royal at the end of August last year. Looking back at the "Patter" for the Ketchikan day, it says arrival in port will be about 7 AM. The Horizon Bistro shows Continental Breakfast starting at 5 AM, and "full service" there starting at 7 AM. Horizon Court would open for breakfast at 6 AM. (Of course, the IC was an option as well.) I realize that the arrival time we had is later than yours, and of course each ship and year can be different, but I believe these are pretty standard times for breakfast service in the buffet area. So you might be able to grab a quick something that morning and make it work.

@lizwil10, there are four obstructed-view mini-suites on the Royal/Regal class ships. They are the far forward/side ones on the Lido and Marina decks: L107, L108, M107, and M108. They constitute the least-expensive mini-suite category, M6. They are called "obstructed view" because the "glass fence" (railing) found on other balcony cabins, is instead made of solid sheet metal - so it can't be seen through. Of course, you can see over it if you are standing, or if you are sitting on two stacked chairs, or use furniture risers under a chair. On the positive side, these balconies are HUGE. But: they can get a lot of wind, and there isn't much protection against rain or wind, so that must be taken into consideration. Because they are high up and very forward, folks prone to motion sickness may not want these cabins. And because they are very far forward, it's a long walk to almost everything. Although there are signs saying the balcony door will be locked at night, it is actually entirely up to you when to lock the door or use the balcony. You are requested to have your draperies shut at night so as to not be bothersome to the bridge. Some folks love these cabins; others not so much. You might look up some YouTube videos about these cabins; there are several.

We took this cruise this fall, from Seattle to Hawaii and back. I tested the speed numerous times on numerous days on my MacBook Pro, always from our cabin. I found the download speed averaged 1.5 mps (never less than 1.1; once was 2.3) and upload was almost always .8 mps. Of course, these speeds are nothing like one can get at home/on land, but they were perfectly fine for everything I used the internet for, including emails, internet searches, the occasional short YouTube video, etc. The wifi was never "not on" and seemed very reliable, even in the middle of the Pacific. Thank you, Starlink!

Reserve Class dining also comes with M6 mini-suites, the four forward-facing ones on the Marina and Lido decks.

@voljeep, we're on the Crown Princess just now, and it's our first sea day after four days in Hawaii. Vines is open from 11 AM to 11 PM today. Yesterday, in port, it opened at 4 PM. YSMV, of course!

I am on the Crown just now - still in DST - and we will have three time changes on the way over (extra sleep!). But then sadly, three time changes on the way back (not so fun).

This one spells his last name Moris, not Morris!

We had a B2B with room change on the Royal earlier this month - our first time in this situation. We had checked twice in advance with GS about the procedure and our room change seemed to be a surprise to them both times. We also informed our steward, who said his supervisor would take care of it. On departure day, we were all packed, had breakfast, and were in our old room at 8:20, ready to move.... time passed.... we mentioned this move to our steward again. He was surprised to see us still there. The steward contacted his supervisor again; the supe eventually came (at 9:30), but without a trolley. He went back to somewhere to get one. We took one trip to the new room with the supervisor, with suitcases, then the supervisor came back to get the hanging items. We figure there must have been some scurrying around to get the new room prepped after the supervisor was notified, and that's what caused the delay... maybe. All in all, hope it goes more smoothly for you! Suggestions: Bring a large (but easily foldable) tote bag or two to use for moving shoes and other bulky items. And it's a great time to use the self-serve laundromat! (You can peek in other classes of cabins and check them out while going back and forth.)

@ceilidh1, we were on the Royal departing September 2, and were able to get scoops of gelato for "free" (with the Plus package, that is). Sometimes they even jumped our simple requests to the front of the queue of orders, as they were so quick to make.

Concerning all the steps needed to go anywhere from a forward-facing (or a near-the-front-of-the-ship) cabin.... we are recently off a B2B on Royal Princess, in one of those forward-facing rooms. As we didn't have to disembark between cruises, I used the time that day to do laundry onboard. I made three trips to/from the laundry room (start washer / move clothes to dryer / reclaim clean, dry clothes). I kept track of my steps: 2, 275! So, those steps DO add up!

DH was able to navigate to the correct cruise on his phone and showed me where to look on mine. Sorry to bother y'all!

We have a number of upcoming cruises with Princess. For our next cruise, this August, and for the following cruise, in September, we are NOT in Reserve Class - so I want to make dinner reservations for them. On the app, I can see only the August cruise to arrange dining (or anything else). On the Web, I can see only a cruise booked way out for 2025. What I want to do is make dining reservations for the September cruise. It is paid in full and we are Elite (if those things matter). Shouldn't I be seeing this cruise in one or both versions? Can anyone talk me through how to find that cruise?

We are on this cruise later this year. Can you tell me if the Patter shows Pop Choir? Don't know if that has resumed post-Covid.

@Teeara and @Boiler Cruiser, we've been on several Princess Hawaii/trans-Pacific cruises, all of which featured "Aloha Spirit" programs, and never had to sign up for a deck party, Hawaiian movies, special foods served in the dining rooms, and such. (I think they are perhaps saying you should "sign up" for these Princess Hawaiian sailings?) One or two classes, such as lei-making, will have a fee for supplies and for these classes you sign up. However, the hula classes and the ukulele classes are free. Ukuleles for these classes are supplied on the ship; but they are very inexpensive ones, all of them the small (soprano) size, and there are a limited number of them. Some people bring their own aboard. My hubby bought a concert (next size larger) uke at the Costco next to the Dole factory in Honolulu (other Honolulu Costcos didn't have them); they were also available online from Costco (but not currently, I see). The ukulele teacher aboard thought they were pretty good ukes for the price. To answer another question, yes, aloha/Hawaiian shirts are definitely appropriate aboard! (All the Hawaiian Costcos have a lot of these to choose from, as well as heaps of gift boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts - to take home to those who were not fortunate to accompany you on your cruise!)

We are on Serenade just now and are reaching our 140 milestone on this cruise. We had a note in our cabin that said that they are currently out of stock on these blocks, and included a coupon that we are to fill out and turn in on the ship, and the block will be sent to us when the stock is replenished. The question, of course, is who is "they" - the ship, or corporate? I'm guessing the latter.

I agree. We were on a Western Caribbean itinerary with RCI recently, and had to book all our excursions (two snorkling, one bike-riding) privately because apparently 70 year olds are too senile to handle those active outings. My guess was that it was not so much about insurance, but their thought that those seniors might have a heart attack and die on the dive boat = bad for PR.

@martincath, this is a WEALTH of information - and a lot I would never have thought of, such as no need to go through CBP pre-clearance in Vancouver. About ArriveCan for the first ship's boarding, that was my error; I had forgotten about exactly when it gets filled out, so thanks for the reminder (needs to be within 72 hours of first boarding, not of first arrival in Canada). I don't see how Royal Caribbean can demand ArriveCan to be filled out when we are moving from a Canadian port to another (Van to Vic), but either they will let us know in advance, or we will do it on the pier on general principal. Great tips about not booking early-departing shorex for Astoria and SF. We've been to Astoria several times via cruise ship, and were planning on just a city stroll if weather suited. As for SF, it's an overnight stop; we'll arrange any must-do excursions/outings for the second day. Will prepare to be flexible and patient. Your testing suggestions are most insightful. I can see you really know your stuff about the Vancouver cruise port situation! We can't be the only folks who have done this sort of S2S transfer, but it's our first time. I hope pier personnel are as helpful as you have been. We so appreciate your detailed thoughts on this matter - thank you!!

@Ferry_Watcher, @martincath - you are both indeed very helpful. It is appreciated. Hoping you can clarify some questions about a somewhat similar situation as recently discussed here, for me: We will be on the Discovery Princess's last Alaska cruise for this year. It departs Seattle but has no stops in Canada until the passengers disembark in Vancouver on September 25. So (barring changes by the Canadian government) one would for sure need to finalize ArriveCan within 72 hours of arrival there (we've already done the basic work, downloaded the app, etc. - we used it on an Alaska cruise earlier this year). I get that. 1. OK, now the tricky part: after collecting our luggage from the Discovery Princess, we will be "walking across the pier" and boarding the Serenade of the Seas that same morning. (Serenade OTS will also be concluding its Alaska season for the year that day, then proceeding on a southern coastal route.) Will we need a second "finalization" of ArriveCan for boarding the second ship, even though we had just arrived in Canada a few hours previously? And are on the same dock? It's not like we had left the country during those few hours. 2. The Serenade OTS will stop the next morning in Victoria, but that should not generate a need for (yet) another "finalization" as we will have been sailing within Canada....right?? 3. Also - any intel on logistics at Canada Place for us? I'm guessing we would want a late departure time from the first ship, claim luggage etc., hang out at Canada Place until the earliest possible time to check in to the second ship (will hope to select an early check-in time in three days, when that opens). We don't care to see the town (been there, done that - 'tis a beautiful city, though!); just want to get 'er done and get on the second ship. Good to know there is free WiFi at Canada Place - we may need to do our Canada-required (and maybe Royal Caribbean-required; who knows at this point?) Covid tests there at the port, between ships, if we can't get a decent internet connection for online proctored tests on the Discovery Princess as it sails from Alaska. Thanks for any tips you can give me!

Here's a Diamond question: We will be on Liberty OTS soon and have booked a private-agency tour in Belize that requires us to take one of the earliest (if not THE earliest) tenders in order to make the tour on time. Does being Diamond level get you any "pull" in getting an early-tender-ticket number? We've not tendered before on a Royal ship and are unaware of the procedures they might use....

We did B2B Alaska cruises on the Crown; one had 20% FCC and the other 0%. We received an email just now regarding each cruise and this letter is from the 0% one. Someone saw the light!

@vdlcruiser, we were on B2B Alaska cruises on the Crown commencing May 21 and 28, and no testing between cruises was necessary or provided. Our two cruises had separate reservation numbers. Even better than no testing, IMO, was that we did not have to exit the ship or see anyone from Customs/Immigration between cruises. Perfect time to do laundry! (Understand that we COULD have exited the ship and returned as "In Transit" passengers, but chose not to.) We also did not have to get a new medallion, or get ours "reactivated" or any such. Also, we did not have to watch the safety video again, or visit our muster station again (we were in the same room both segments - YMMV if you change cabins, and because things may have changed).

@memoak, I don't know what the cutoff was; it was not announced at the MTP luncheon. We have 322 days. Alaska cruises are the only ones where we have made the cut-off, as there are so many new Princess cruisers on these routes.

On B2B Alaska cruises on the Crown Princess last month, we were among the MTP on both legs. The luncheons were held in Sabatini's on the last full day on board (the Victoria day). After having our names checked off, we posed for a photo with the (masked) Captain, who stood between us and had his arms kind of wrapped around behind us (but not touching us). There weren't name cards at the tables; a waiter led us to the table indicated by the Loyalty person. Guessing that 10-12 officers were there and were introduced; they left after intros, but the Captain came around to each table for a brief chat. There was a different menu each week, and all items were different from the foods pictured in partybarbie's photos. Excellent wines flowed freely. Photos were delivered to us while we lingered over dessert. I saw Afternoon Tea (in a dining room) only once in the Patter. Never received a canape order form, although we are Elite.

@GloriaF, I have used the CrewChat feature on the app to ask about passenger count while on board. Sometimes it is announced over the loudspeaker by the captain etc., or at a function for one or another class of passengers. And one could always ask at the Guest Services desk.

DH and I are currently finishing up our eighth Princess cruise since the pause, a total of 65 days at sea. Some of the cruises were "no masks required." Some were "masks required." Some were "masks suggested." Five of our cruises were out of our home port, not involving flights. Three involved flights, including cross-country. We are double-vaxxed and double-boosted. To the best of our knowledge, we have not gotten Covid. So - it can be done! We have worn primarily well-made cloth masks (tightly fitted, with several layers, and properly worn). We wore KN95s on flights. We wear masks 100% of the time when out and about on the ship, and on tours except when by ourselves outside (bike ride, snorkeling, etc.). We use hand sanitizer after handling menus and many other times throughout the day when away from home, as an adjunct to washing with soap and water when feasible. We have not gone out of our way to avoid crowds, but the passenger counts on these cruises has made it easier to do so. In some of the ships' dining rooms, we were able to be seated at tables away from others; on some, it was at two-tops so close to each other that you could hardly not get involved in your neighbors' conversations. We leave our masks on until we have ordered our meals. On our current cruise, we estimate the passenger mask-wearing to be 5-10% (and not all of those worn correctly). On all of these cruises - starting last July and continuing still - the crew wore their masks constantly (and consistently). Kudos to them!