Paula_MacFan

Not sure where your hotel is located but Princess also does a transfer to Southampton from Victoria Coach Station for the same price as the LHR transfer. I know this info is current as we are going in September. We are also IHG members and regularly use points for hotels. There is a Holiday Inn Express Victoria a few blocks from Victoria Coach Station. Maybe that doesn't work with your plans but just thought I'd share. 😊

I have CC bookmarked and it comes up to the forum page. Are you typing in 'cruisecritic.com' every time you want to access the page? Just save it as a favorite to whatever pages you most frequent. Maybe I'm not understanding your problem correctly.

These are just a few, but I hate to hijack this thread as it's supposed to be about the bidding process only. You can use the search function to find more if you're so inclined.

Yes, and there have been a few lengthy threads lately discussing this topic 🙂

Three months? For our upcoming European cruise most excursions were sold old around 7 - 8 months. We've already locked in excursions for our next 3 cruises that are anywhere from 2 months to 10 months away. I've noticed prices just keep going up, so if you know you want to do it, why not just lock it in.

I'm sorry, but I've been reading this thread and just can't get past this first line. Wouldn't your daughter-in-law and her husband be your son and daughter-in-law? Maybe it's my detail-oriented brain but I'm trying to figure out who is who in this scenario.

I could be wrong and I'm sure someone will correct me if so 🙂 but I thought the Kantishna tour wasn't offered now due to the road closure through 2026. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/conditions.htm https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/bus-tours.htm

Same here! Our cruise went up $200 per person 😞

Our practice with the drink package has been to pick up a couple bottles when we're out and about on the ship, then we always have some in the fridge for going ashore or sitting on the balcony. Also wanted to chime in because you mentioned NCL's drink package -- we took an NCL cruise in January and loved their boxed water. Very handy and seemed more eco friendly than plastic.

It's not closed, it's just too far out to book. I'm having the same problem and have the Avis website saved so I can keep checking. If you put in an earlier date it does show availability, so it appears they aren't truly closed and the website has a glitch with the message. We rented a Jeep back in 2012 from Green Jeeps which I believe is now called DIY Jeep Tours (google their website). If we aren't successful with the Avis rental then I plan to rent from DIY again.

Per person as shown on the Princess website. I posted a link to this page in this thread back on June 30 as well.

You didn't say if you're looking at 2023 or 2024, but they each have different embarkation days. In 2023 the Grand sails on Saturdays and the Sapphire on Wednesdays. In 2024 the Grand sails on Wednesdays and the Sapphire on Saturdays. I'd pick whichever one works best with your schedule; many people prefer the Saturday due to work schedules. If schedules aren't a concern then I'd pick Sapphire for all the reasons others have stated already. We're booked on Sapphire for 2024.

Ugh -- I am a planner and I would hate that! If I couldn't know those details in advance I wouldn't do it. But that's just me 🙂 Good luck with your trip! Edit to say I also think it's crazy that you can't book excursions until arrival. Some outdoor activities need appropriate gear -- I want to know what to pack.

I am unfamiliar with Royal's cruisetours, but Princess provides a detailed daily itinerary (Travel Summary) at booking that lists daily activities, transportation details, pre-purchased items, excursions, etc. Does Royal not provide anything like that upon booking or somewhere when you log into their website? Or you're saying it's just so cursory as to not be helpful?

How long does the experience last? We bid on a suite for an upcoming cruise so I'm just learning about this feature. Thanks!

You didn't say what cruise line you're on, but for our Princess cruisetour we received detailed info at booking. They also have a FAQ page that answers a multitude of questions on the cruisetour. Have you looked at the cruise website for whichever line you're using? Here is Princess': https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/cruisetours/alaska-cruisetours/ See the 'Luggage' section, and others, regarding packing and bags.

Per the Princess website: https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/cruise-ports-and-hotels/

CVP = Cruise Vacation Planner I would be happy to share my CVP contact info with you but you have your message function disabled. We aren't allowed to share that info on the forum due to the rules. My CVP has asked me to share his info with anyone who is interested in using his services so I know it's ok on the Princess side.

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I'm aware of the road closure -- I knew before we made the change and my CVP also told me when he made the change. The tour is just shortened, as noted on the Park website which explains the tours. https://www.denaliparkvillage.com/tours/tundra-wilderness-tour/

I just did it last week with the assistance of my Princess CVP. It took about 3 minutes on a phone call and the difference in price was $35 per person. There have been many reports over the years of people upgrading this tour. I'd suggest you call back and hope you get a more knowledgeable rep or ask for a CVP to be assigned to you. Good luck!

I already posted this in a similar thread but last week my CVP told me Princess wants to force you to call a live person to select a specific cabin so they can upsell you other stuff. I told them I wasn't a fan of wasting their time & mine when I know what cabin I want.

There have been some lengthy recent threads about this same topic. I complained to my CVP during a call about something else, and he said Princess is trying to drive passenger contact back to the in-person reps so they can up-sell you more stuff, vs booking online. I think it's a real hassle for those of us who want a specific cabin and the only way to secure it now is by calling and talking to a live person vs being able to book it online.

Maybe your screen is different because you are in Australia but when I go to the Princess website on the front page is a chat feature at the bottom of the screen, and also when I click on the 'help' link at the top of the main page, the following contact information is displayed: