Cruise Raider

While this is true, they now appear to overestimate the port charges and we’ve seen them refunded on our folio quite often. We’ve not had them go up over the last couple of years. That’s just our experience.

I am not trying to dissuade anyone from getting a passport but am just answering the question asked. I will repeat .. there is nothing in life with zero risk .. absolutely nothing!

There is a risk, albeit a very slight and calculable one, which you should know that everything in life that involves some risk. It is a drivable distance. It’s a risk, but as a healthy and law abiding passenger, it is one I would be willing to take. Heck, I’ve done it before several months ago. And I do believe distance does matter .. I wouldn’t be taking that risk with stops down in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan or Manzanillo because the risk would be too great for my liking. But for Ensenada, Vancouver or Victoria, I would not even give it a second thought. We all have our own risk tolerance.

Yes, yes, yes, passports are the gold standard for travel but I still will stand by not spending the money on something that isn’t required and where there very little risk is involved. Do you all realize that Ensenada is less than 90 miles to the US border?

Like @skynight, we tend to avoid the events that are just sales pitches. You will see them for acupuncture, free charm, art auctions, guess the weight and win, mini spa treatments, etc .. anything like that. You can get a raffle ticket and they keep it going throughout the day for some of these events. We do love to participate in the activities in the piazza and the lounges set up by the cruise director’s activities staff. we don’t really watch TV on a cruise but do turn on the woke show in the morning to find out bout the day’s events. They are listed in your daily schedule in your stateroom or in your app, but we like to hear more about the don’t miss events. There are free Zumba classes every morning if you like that sort of activity. Trivia games are fun and the offers vs the guests games in the piazza are a hoot! We always go to every enrichment lecture or activity. Those are always quite interesting.

For their levels of loyalty that are below elite, I believe you have to wait to be paid in full for MDR reservations. That might be old information now but it was valid back in 2022. Now that they are changing the whole dining reservation system, I read somewhere that the reservation system via the app won’t be available again until mid June. That is hearsay but I’m having the same issue on my app so, it seems logical.

The port agents definitely know about the documentation requirements, as do the CBP agents. The customer service reps on the phone or chat line at Princess are less informed. There is an area in the app to enter this info so, when they scan your medallion at the terminal for check in, they are just looking for a match to the documentation you’re using. For cruises where you need a passport, it won’t allow you to complete your pre-cruise check in on the app if there is no passport number in your app. For the OP: definitely check out the pre-cruise FAQ’s on the Princess website. It lists all your documentation requirements and many other helpful pearls of info.

My DH and I have traveled from San Francisco on a closed loop cruise in the past and it requires a certified copy of your birth certificate and a government issued photo ID. It was a piece of cake. We easily took the slight risk for a cruise where the only foreign port is Ensenada and would also do so for the only foreign port being Victoria or Vancouver, where you can easily get back into the US by land or sea in case of an emergency. If the stop is in Mazatlan or south, I wouldn’t risk going without a passport. But for Hawaii, your only foreign port is Ensenada, which would be an acceptable risk, in my opinion, to use your certified birth certificate and driver license.

they can only see what I can see.

Seems Princess might be trying the Holland America method. New cruisers usually don’t mind but, like you, I don’t like it much either. I guess all that we can do is voice our opinions until they are heard.

I absolutely love the Discovery but she doesn’t have a Vines wine bar location. She does have the Catch by Rudi, as well as Sabatini’s and the Crown Grill for specialty dining. For casual dining venues, she has GiGis pizzeria, the newly opened O’Malley’s Pub and Ocean Terrace sushi. The Sapphire only has the pizzeria as far as I know. Many people like the full wrap around promenade deck, which the Sapphire has and Discovery does not have. We are going to try out the Sapphire for the first time in the fall as she sails back into our home port to disembark. I understand she is a sister to the Diamond, which is the one Princess ship I’d never book again but has some amenities that are missing on the Diamond. If it weren’t for the additional flight involved, we’d definitely choose the Discovery over the Sapphire, though. Forgot to mention, I think the Crown Grill or what is now a Brazilian restaurant is actually part of the buffet area on the Sapphire.

We have been in F309 and our neighbors were in F307 on the Grand. Seems like F307 forward has trouble with the AC, not only learning this for the previous post but also while my neighbors in that cabin on a previous cruise. So, F309 would be my #1 choice. I would stay away from the ones right by the hallway door entrance as some fellow passengers were complaining about the noise from the door constantly opening and closing. We never heard a thing and never even a hint of smoke from the casino .. thank goodness. The only small disappointment with that cabin is that when trying to soak in the jetted tub, rusty water came out of the jets. I can’t imagine that was an isolated problem to that cabin alone. Other than that F309 was a perfect choice and we’ve stayed in that cabin twice.

Most of the people who comment on here just want you to have the best time ever! I think you made a wise decision, one you won’t regret! Enjoy

Some of the mini suites in the midship section have larger balconies. There are 4 mini suites way up forward on the marina and lido decks that have absolutely huge balconies. I think they may be reserve class balconies but the cabins are also designed a bit differently as to where there is an actually separation of the bedroom and the living area.

We do like our specialty coffees and wine, beer and cocktails so, it’s definitely worth it for us. We also like to order food via the app or through the cabin phone, so that is nother plus for us. I may not have seen it mentioned but it also includes free shipping for your medallion if you pay the plus fare ahead of time. And it also includes two dinners at casual dining. For us .. it’s a no brainer! For the Royal class ships with additional casual dining venues, we tend to upgrade to the premier package and don’t even bother with dining in the MDR for dinner. Again, well worth it for us.

Great review! Thanks for posting

It could be anywhere from a week to right up until your cruise.

My DH was rather disappointed when he heard I booked a Window Suite over a balcony cabin for the first time on the Grand. Lo and behold .. he absolutely loved it and so did I. We are just sorry to see more ships don’t have this type of cabin in the same location as on the Grand. We loved the extra room in the cabin, we were never bothered by noise or smoke from the casino and we just went one deck up for the suite breakfast (at that time, it was in the Crown Grill), one deck down for Vines or the IC and just short walk to the Reserve Collection dining room (formerly known as Club Class). It’s also just one deck up if you want to spend some time outside on the promenade deck. Honestly, while I’m not a huge fan of the Grand, I would book one of those WS cabins in a heartbeat! The room in the bathroom and closets / drawer space, the 3 large picture windows, the perfect location on the ship and the full suite benefits make it so worth it. The only drawback is that when others discover that private hallway to or from the theater without having to go through the smoky casino, they sometimes can be noisy .. but that exists in any hallway onboard. My vote is for the window suite!

I’m sure the OP was asking a serious question and no need to make fun of him/her. No harm in trying to save some money on the land portion of a cruise tour while eating the foods one is used to having where it might not otherwise be available. I have been to Asian restaurants where one serving of brown rice is available for $10 extra .. so, with tip, that an extra $25 per couple. That’s crazy! I’m not cheap when it comes to tipping but I will try to find a bargain while traveling.

No, I got the humor and always appreciate a good laugh!

I may have worded that incorrectly ., I meant former customers that haven’t cruised with them in over a year. I book an average of once a month with Princess and never got the letter. It would be nice to be appreciated for that but seems to go to customers to lure them back onboard more often. I do appreciate the onboard experience so a, going to just say that’s enough .. but it still would be nice to get a loyalty perk once in a while, especially now the loyalty credit is no longer in place. I am not going to let $50 sway me one way or another, though.

I am just going to buy the plus package on my next cruise and buy from the premium wine list and pay the difference .. unless, of course, they have an unlimited supply of Rombauer by the glass on my next sailing. In that case, I will upgrade to the premier. While I like the photos and the extra dining options, the Crown Class just doesn’t have enough casual dining spots to make the premier package worth my while. Plus, I’ve seen the production shows a number of times so, will probably pass on the premier seating.

Many ports now care if you take food onboard. In both San Francisco and Los Angeles with a trash can of food being brought onboard. Maybe it’s a California thing but yes, if unsealed or restaurant food is identified, you will be asked to scrap it!

To offer that $50 to bring old customers back but not giving it to loyal customers does kind of irk me. I know, it is all in marketing but still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

While Canyon Road is absolute swill, Gallo also obtained not only Hahn and Rombauer. not all gallo brands are ick!