halfapair

8 hours ago, MJU said:

Alaska airlines changed our return flight from Seattle to 7:30 am from 12:30pm.  They do have a later flight.  Do I call Princess to change or do I call the airline?  There are other airlines with better times but more expensive than when I originally booked.

Since you booked through EZ Air, you should contact Princess first and ask about changing your flight time.

We booked our flight ourselves through Delta for our upcoming cruise. The itinerary changed, and I didn't like it, so I called Delta. They have a policy that if your flights change by more than 90 minutes, they will allow you to change your flight to something you would prefer. The time on our flight had indeed changed by more that 90 minutes, so they worked with me to find a flight I would prefer.

Our flight is actually better now than when I originally booked, so it worked out well for us, and there was no charge for the change.

On 12/8/2019 at 5:46 AM, cruisintoddler said:

Thanks so much! We live in Oakville and are boarding Crown Dec 27 for 10 days - we are glad to be getting away from our early winter!   I'm impatiently counting down the days and your posts are a a very appreciated peek at our trip! 

Thank you for the review. We, too, will be on board the Crown on December 27th.

Looking forward to reading more.

On 7/1/2019 at 5:07 PM, oceaniacruiserri said:

I totally agree that there is nothing like independent land travel. Some of our best trips in the past we have flown to a large city in Europe and stayed in that city a week or so, then rented a car and driven to small towns and stayed in inexpensive gites, inns, etc. I also like cruising (on Oceania) for the simplicity and relaxation which you will never find on independent land trips unless you just plop yourselves down at a resort. Both are nice and if you are fortunate you can do both at some time(s) in your life:)

We like to travel that way, too. Sometimes a cruise is a good way to reach some of the more "out of the way" port towns or islands you might not get to if you travel on your own.

Loved your review. We did a Baltic cruise on a different cruise line last year and I thoroughly enjoyed reliving our trip through your review. We'll be on the Crown in December, but in the Caribbean.... Thank you for all the effort you put into your review. Your pictures are extraordinary!

We were on the Oceania Marina for a 12-Day Baltic Cruise. The Marina is a lovely ship, but is not large compared to the Enchanted Princess. Oceania is known for their excellent food. It's true that you get a certain number of reservations in the specialty restaurants on board, but we had no trouble getting into them on additional nights - you just need to stop at the desk in the lobby in the morning and ask if they have any openings for that evening.

The Marina does have some shops, but not nearly the selection you will find on a larger ship, so if shopping is something you're looking for, Princess will be the better option.

Oceania is not known for their entertainment. So if you want lots of shows and other entertainment, then Princess may be the better option.

I think it's all a matter of what is important to you. Do you value entertainment & shopping? (choose Princess)

Do you value excellent food (choose Oceania!).

Thanks for the great review. It sounds like you really maximized your time in London - you saw & did a lot!

On 3/12/2019 at 6:03 PM, jronan said:

Is it safe to book a 10:50 am flight for debarkment day ?

What day of the week? Sunday morning, probably not a problem.

A weekday, take a later flight.

I'm glad you enjoyed your Oceania cruise and that you realize the limitations of cruising, which is usually just one (maybe two) days in port. We did a Baltic Cruise on Oceania that started in Stockholm. We flew to Copenhagen, spent a few days there, then went to Stockholm and stayed there for 4 days before boarding our cruise. Then the ship docked for two night in St. Petersburg, Russia, which gave us 3 full days of sightseeing there, and we disembarked in Amsterdam. We spent 3 days in Ams, and flew home from there. So it was a good mix of seeing some new cities, cruising, and getting a flavor for some small Baltic ports. 

We were on the Marina, which is a slightly larger ship, more dining options, and more shopping options. You may want to give Oceania another try with a larger ship.

Yes, many of the Baltic countries prefer that you use a credit card - especially Sweden and Denmark. In Russia they will take US dollars, Euros, or credit cards.

On 6/2/2019 at 11:38 AM, ohnonotmeagain said:

Do you mind me asking the cost of the transfer as we are planning an Alaska trip and deciding on what airport to travel too. 

If at all possible, I think it would be better to fly into Vancouver, BC. The trip from Seattle to Vancouver is not pleasant - even if someone else is driving.

On 7/14/2010 at 2:06 PM, Shogun said:

Hi There,

 

There are saunas in the changing rooms,

 

however in the thermal suite area all are open to those that pay for them.

 

 

yours Shogun

Hello Shogun,

What is the thermal suite area? And how much does it cost?

Based on the pictures you posted I just bought myself a coffee card for our 10-Day Caribbean cruise in December.

Thank you @Thrak

Thank you for the great review! We are taking a similar cruise on the Crown in December. I put Magen's Bay, St. Thomas on our To-Do List - looks awesome!

I ordered it for our 10-day cruise on the Crown in December. It was there previously, but I noticed it yesterday or the day before and bought 2.

Thank you for the great information! I hope Delta participates in the EZ Check program. 

I was trying to add our flight information for our cruise and the Princess site didn't like my airline choice (Delta), even though I used the autofill prompt that it gave me. I'll try again another day.

5 minutes ago, Potstech said:

You should be OK.  Look into the EZ check program to handle your luggage to save time at the airport.  The program, if your airline participates, will be picked up the night before debarking and the next time you see it will be at your home airport.  Also they will issue you a boarding pass. 

We did not book our flight using Princess EZ Air. I booked our flights independently...will we still be able to use the EZ Check Program? I have never heard of that - but would love to use it!

My husband and I will be taking a cruise from the Ft. Lauderdale cruise terminal. We have never flown into or out of Ft. Lauderdale, so we have no experience with the airport there.

Our flight home doesn't depart until later in the afternoon, so I thought we could take an excursion that came with an airport transfer. The excursion I would prefer to take is 5 hours (9am-2pm), but now our flight is at 3:35pm which would only give us about 90 minutes to check in at the airport and get to our gate. We have TSA Pre-check, so security lines aren't usually a problem.

Is this a reasonable idea? Or should we take a shorter excursion, or do something on our own?

We did Tallinn & Gdansk on our own. It was nice in both cases because we got into town before the crowds showed up, so we had about 30-45 minutes of peace & quiet to explore, take pictures, and have some local pastries & coffee for breakfast.

Thank you, @pacruise804 I reserved a cabana for GT & C. Hopefully it will be a nice, relaxing day.

3 hours ago, cubfan63 said:

 

Had the booking promotion for free specialty dining on Ruby Princess last September 2018.    Could not pre-book thru personalizer.  This was all handled (quite well) on the ship. 

 

Right after boarding and going to my room, I called the Dine Line about it and they said I had been pre-assigned to the last night at the Crown Grill.  I told the woman on the Dine Line, this was not my preference and could I pick something else.   She said no problem.  I ended up switching to a Crab Shack on the first formal night.  

 

There was no voucher in room (by the way) like I expected, but that was no issue.

 

At check-in for dinner at Crab Shack, I mentioned to the Head Waiter about the free dining and he said he would deal with at end.   At completion of meal, when I would normally present my card to pay, the Head Waiter came over with my voucher (he had it) and I signed it.  I saw him do similar with other tables.  

 

There is is no guarantee that each ship will handle 100% the same as to whether you receive the voucher or it will go to the specialty dining internally, but absolutely call the Dine Line right away when you get to your room to make the arrangements as you want.

Hi Cubfan63 - since you were dining at the Crab Shack on a formal night, were people all dressed up to eat crab? Just asking because we don't really want to dress up for formal nights, so we look for alternate venues that might be more casual that night. Crab Shack would be a good choice if it's less formal.

Catguy7 & MaineCruiser243 - Thank you for the great info regarding the cabana.

I reserved one.

I have a question about reserving a cabana at Grand Turks & Caicos. My husband I are traveling together, and the Princess site seems to indicate that only one person needs to book the Shore Excursion for the cabana (GDT950A). Is it correct that only one person needs to "buy" that shore excursion, then up to 4 people can use the cabana?

"This rental is sold by the cabana. Please book per cabana. A cabana can accommodate up to four guests. One ticket is valid for up to four people. There is a nominal charge for the massages, snorkeling. FlowRider® and all water sports."

My husband & I will be on a Princess cruise and I am thinking of renting a cabana. The Princess website is not as clear as the Carnival site, but it looks like I just need to pay for one person, and then the two of us will have our own cabana. Is that correct? We've never had a cabana before, but I'm thinking it would be a good idea on Grand Turk.

On 2/19/2019 at 8:26 AM, john_galt said:

Breakfast in Sabatini's (if you are in a suite). Never gave it any thought until someone raved about it. Wish I'd picked up on it earlier!

 

Does that include mini-suites? Or is it just for people in the larger suites?