Lady Arwen

Good for you! So many others have reported that they were denied a kettle unless in the UK or Australia. Your first two words were really unnecessary, since absolutely many folks did not have your experience.

Yes, quite a few people have also tried booking their complimentary dinners, two per guest, and have been asked for their credit card. I had no problem booking them with no credit card prompt to pay. I believe that if you pay, upon boarding a trip to GS will have the amount charged applied as refundable OBC. A few of our members contacted Princess and received this response. However, I don’t recall anyone coming back to report if they were successful. Hopefully, someone will chime in who has experienced this.

Your last sentence says it all. Well done.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy having the package. Yes, it’s lovely to be free to order whatever and whenever you please. We would be very interested hearing from you after your cruise with your opinion on how the packaged worked for you.

Hoping you and the Mrs. have a fabulous time cruising Hawaii! Please report back when you get home. Bon voyage, my friend!

Don’t forget my two Manhattans you promised to have for me!

You can ask your cabin steward, but it’s not likely you’ll get one. A few CC members from the UK have asked onboard, but their request was politely declined.

Yes, put the tags on before checking into your flight. One of our members recently posted that a friend, who works at a large airport, told them that the luggage handlers always try to prioritize cruise luggage because they know the ship will leave without it. I had no idea! But, it makes sense, right.

Enjoy your cruise!

I’m sure you’ll enjoy having the package. Not only does it pay for itself in our case, but we love the freedom of not having to think about anything. Our next cruise on Enchanted we’ve gone with the Premier package and I’m sure it will be well used.

We use luggage tags purchased from Amazon that are virtually indestructible and very inexpensive. I doubt if many people still use just the paper tags attached with a cable tie or packing tape. Still, it’s good advice to use your idea, too.

Your luggage will be taken from you at the baggage pick up area by a Princess rep who will load your luggage onto the bus and then it will be off loaded at the terminal and put on the ship. You will see your luggage when it arrives in your cabin. Very easy. Attach your luggage tags before your flight so the airline is aware you are going on a cruise. This usually prevents misplaced luggage never being seen again. We also put a copy of the luggage tags inside the bags, just in case.

Are you Platinum or Elite level? At these levels you can reserve dining as soon as you book.

😉

And, you are post #5 in this thread. I guess we should ignore it since it’s “a waste of time”. Perhaps you should rethink your advice. lol

We haven’t done Caribbean cruises in quite some time, but years ago we got off the ship once in Jamaica and never again. I’ve heard that things are much worse now. Sky Princess is a beautiful Royal class ship and I’m sure you will enjoy your cruise.

Yes!

Bon voyage! Have the absolute best time. Please have a cocktail for me!

Like my friend @memoak, we would never eat dinner in the buffet for a number or reasons. We eat mostly in the specialty restaurants and occasionally in the MDR. I would rather grab something from the IC than eat in the buffet. As long as it’s self serve, we’ll pass.

We sail both Celebrity and Princess. Our last Celebrity cruise was in January on Ascent. Probably one of the best cruises we’ve ever had. So, I would choose Celebrity over Princess, depending on itinerary. I don’t know if it matters to you, but on Princess smoking is allowed in the casino and it tends to waft out into the surrounding areas. Of course, Celebrity has been indoor smoke free for years. Sun Princess is not a ship I would be interested in, personally, so I can’t help you there. Good luck with whichever ship you choose.

This is always a disappointment for me on Princess. We adore The Crows Nest on HAL and spend a good deal of time there.

I have had the same CVP for years and she lives in Florida. She is an employee of Princess. She is a gem and we’re so lucky to have her.

Run as fast as you can to deck 18 at the Sanctuary entrance, A crew member will be there to help you. Keep in mind the Sanctuary books up very quickly, so you must get on the ship as early as possible. We always try to book it for our entire cruise, but a couple of times it was fully booked when we got there. Good luck!

I don’t think the OP is flying out of LHR. I thinks it’s SOU to Amsterdam.

Are you flying out of SOU or LHR? This makes a huge difference in timing.