Paula_MacFan

I've been to Europe as I already commented. Just curious why people are giving information about places the OP didn't inquire about. Just not sure how that is helpful.

The OP said they are going to Europe. Not sure why people keep referring to NZ. Is that considered Europe?

With the price of specialty dining increasing, the Ultimate Balcony Dining really is a good value for everything you get!

I did find the 'Add a Celebration' option on the app. We used to get a free sign and balloons on the door, and a card for a free cake during the cruise. Not sure what the free perks are now, other than the message boards. Can't hurt to fill it out and see what you get 🙂

Is this what you're asking? On my app on the first page when I open it up, it shows 'Checked In' and a green check mark. That means you're all good and green lane.

Every long excursion we did in Europe included meals and/or snacks which were explained in the excursion details. We had several that were long, some 10 -12 hours. We've also never had problems with taking off pre-packaged food.

We always bring our own cabin decorations too, but since the OP asked specifically about what the cruise line offers, I shared the website link. There used to be a box to check on the Personalizer to celebrate a birthday or anniversary for free, and there would be a free sign and balloons on the cabin door. Unfortunately I don't think they offer that any more. We have enjoyed the Medallion screens for birthday wishes though!

Here are the packages Princess offers from their website. You could also book specialty dining, which you can also research on the website and book on the app. https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/celebrations/cruise-gifts-services/romance-packages

You're welcome! I looked obsessively every day until excursions opened up. I show we booked it on 7/8/23 so almost a year in advance for $299. It didn't seem like very long until it was noted as 'waitlist' only and I saw the price go as high as $429. Good luck!

Yes and yes. Here's what it looks like on my app.

We did the DIY Jeep too on our last cruise to Alaska. We have another one rented for our trip in June. I don't think they offer the boxed lunch anymore -- we got that on our last rental but now I think it says you're welcome to pick up picnic supplies from the local grocery or cafe. Also now I believe there's an interactive guide (tablet/gps?) instead of the binder with instructions. We highly recommend renting on your own and not using the ship's option just because you get the rental all day vs just a few hours with the ship option. Just make sure you take your passport so you can drive to the Yukon and pass back over the border. There are so many things to stop and see on your own. It's one of our favorite memories and we can't wait to do it again!

I already commented in general about our Island cruise, but after reading the comments on crowding I thought I'd add some perspective from our recent Regal cruise. We sailed the Island in Sept/Oct 2023 and Regal in Jan 2024. We'd been on Regal 2X prior as well. Comparing the two we felt the Regal was more crowded. Public spaces that we liked much better on Island vs Regal: The Wheelhouse on Island is full-sized, has a dedicated musician/band space with a small dance area, ample seating, and multiple entrances. The Regal Wheelhouse is a small space cobbled onto the front of the Crown Grill. There is no dedicated musician space, it's open to the corridor walkway, and people have to line up for the Crown Grill which blocks the bar area. Every night on Island we enjoyed music events in the Wheelhouse. We dislike the ambiance of the Regal Wheelhouse. I have pictures of people lined up waiting to enter CG totally blocking the bar area and stretching down the corridor. The Island has an Explorer's lounge. Every night there were good musical shows there, with a fabulous house band, plenty of room to dance, and ample comfortable seating. We also saw a funny comedy/magician show there one night. The Regal has the abysmal Princess Live instead of Explorer's, with uncomfortable and limited seating, and is focused on trivia and game shows. We'll take Explorer's over Princess Live every time. The Island has a nice Crooner's which had music every night of our cruise. It was well attended and fun. The entire week we were on Regal there were zero musicians in Crooner's, as everything is focused on the Piazza below. That was disappointing as on prior Regal cruises there had been music in Crooner's. These are just a few examples of what we recently found to be better public spaces on Island vs Regal. Right now if I had the choice between Island and Regal, depending on itinerary, I'd probably chose the Island.

I wondered the same thing! I'm no insurance expert but wasn't aware they could purchase insurance for a cruise leaving next week. But I figured at this stage that may be the least of the problems with this trip..... 🙂

First, sorry that happened to you. The same thing happened to me for our upcoming Alaska cruise when our Tracy Arm excursion was cancelled with no notification. I simply noticed a credit on my card and then checked my Personalizer and realized the excursion was gone. I asked my Princess CVP about it and they said Princess no longer has a dedicated excursion department so there was no one to complain to really. Later, probably a few weeks, I did finally get an email from Princess saying the excursion was cancelled because our port time changed slightly and there was no longer enough time for the excursion. Fair enough, but I was still disappointed. On another topic, we did the European Capitals cruise last fall on the Island and LOVED it! I hope you have a marvelous time too and find some other excursions to take the place of the cancelled ones. We had an absolute amazing time, really a bucket list trip for us. If you have any questions about what we did I'm happy to answer.

Sorry that hassle happened to you. Hope you can now enjoy the rest of your cruise 🙂 We cruised on the Regal in January and have cruised from Galveston many times. We live south of you in Kansas and consider Galveston a driving port. I think many people from the Midwest drive there for the reasons and hassle you stated. If I was going to the expense of flying to a port for a Caribbean cruise I would go from Florida (which we have done). Much better and varied itineraries and cruise passenger infrastructure compared to Galveston IMO. If I'm looking at the calendar correctly the Regal will soon be transitioning to Southampton for upcoming British Isles cruises so Galveston will be done until next season.

Our roll call is absolutely dead. Open over a year I believe and still on the first page. Roll calls in general on our last several cruises have been a bust, not much activity. Something else to keep in mind, with bookings in Alaska and elsewhere so strong, demand for tours will be increased. I checked the port schedules for our Alaska cruise and we have as many as 6 ships in port. That's a lot of people vying for excursion spots.

Not crazy. Prices will only go up. We booked our 2024 Alaska excursions a long time ago and have watched prices steadily increase and sell out in many cases. We also have booked the Hubbard Glacier tour for $299, and several months ago it was only available as 'waitlist' on our cruise for $429. $299 doesn't seem so bad now, does it? 🙂

We were on the Island for 12 days in September & October 2023 for a European cruise. We had a wonderful time! The Island does a lot of unique itineraries so if you want to do those trips, then the Island is the ship 🙂 We decided to overlook the 'doom and gloom' reviews and go for the itinerary and experience, and weren't disappointed in any way. We had a very nice mini suite in good repair, we had plenty of good food and entertainment, and the ship was in overall good condition. We would not hesitate to sail her again if the trip was right. Go for it!

Same here! We mailed hubby's expedited renewal the day after we got home from our cruise, knowing we needed it soon for another upcoming cruise. Couldn't believe how fast we got it back and I had the same thought -- did we fill something out wrong on the app 😊

We rented a Jeep in Skagway on our last cruise to Alaska and drove to the Yukon. It was a blast getting to see so much beautiful scenery and exiting the US and coming back through the Canadian border. We had a boxed lunch and spent the entire day on our own. Before returning the Jeep we went to Dyea which was another pretty drive, and we stopped at the Slide cemetery. The whole day was amazing and we have another Jeep rented for our upcoming trip -- can't wait to do it again.

Follow up to my prior post: even though the casual dining doesn't show up on my Personalizer or Travel Summary, when I open the app, under 'Packages' I see this

If I'm understanding your question correctly it's that you can't see anywhere that you have 2 casual meals included in your package, not that you are looking to make a reservation. Unfortunately Princess doesn't show the included casual meals on the Travel Summary or the Onboard Services section of the Personalizer (see attached example). I'm not sure why -- they list the other 'benefits' such as the fitness classes and 'free' desserts. It is confusing! Rest assured we just sailed and got our free casual meals with no problems even though they weren't specifically listed anywhere on our paperwork. Here's an example of one of our upcoming cruises -- not sure why they don't list the casual dining here like they do the other 'perks'. Edit to add: not sure if when you booked your package if the casual meals were included? That could add a wrinkle I hadn't thought of in my initial response. Sorry if I misunderstood your query.

That is how we spent our last cruise to Alaska as well 🙂 We are all about the nature and scenery. Could not care less about shows, trivia, etc when it comes to Alaska. We do enjoy the naturalist presentations though. We have another aft balcony booked for our upcoming cruisetour this year too.

We've used EZ Air successfully many times over the years. I book myself on the website. We've always had our middle names combined with our first names on the tickets and have never had a problem boarding. I think you made a problem where there wasn't one.

Here's the pricing for our 2026 Panama Canal cruise. I chose the window suite 🙂 It made no sense to me to pay more for the Reserve mini when I can get all the same perks plus more, for less money. I can live without a balcony this time! For 2 people the difference between the Reserve mini and the window suite is $1,248 on the 12 day cruise.