HiMagicFan

I didn't believe it till I saw it with my own eyes....another ship that was docked next to us...made their final announcement and started putting up everything to set off...and then they did. Wouldn't you know there were these two women, loaded with shopping bags, running from their taxi, yelling at the ship....unfortunate for them the ship kept going. Not sure what the outcome cuz we left shortly after. But it really does happen! Those people were very, very lucky.

That was pretty cool!

Our Random Act of Princess was on one of our cruises when we decided to try Sabatini's.

I think because it was our first time and it was very slow - 3 tables the whole time we were there. Instead of just providing what we ordered they "talked" us into the whole shebang....you should try this - samples of each appetizer, let me bring you a taste of that (I couldn't decide between two dishes for dinner) and every dessert on the menu to try. It was kinda funny because I am a picky eater but didn't want to disappoint the staff who were trying so hard. As you can tell, it was a memorable experience.

Nice to see they can still surprise us!

If you don't get an answer here - check the rolls for your cruise date and ask there as well.

Flip Flops, sneakers, sandals

Thank you both - will have to research the suica a bit more now as it sounds like it will do the trick for us.

Aloha,

These cards are mostly used for the subways in the large cities

Aloha, rak :D

thanks for this info - thinking of staying in yokohama and going by train or subway to/around tokyo - does it work for the any trains to tokyo? as well as subway in Yokohama?

My parents are in their 80s - they opted to fly into Narita and found a flight that got them in at about 3pm (Korean airlines from HNL).

They then took a Narita hotel shuttle and stayed overnight (dealing with the jet lag).

The next day they when they were ready they took the shuttle back to the airport and opted to make their way to Yokohama via the bus.

Likewise at the end of their cruise they took the taxi to YCAT and then the bus to Narita. Plenty to do in the airport that didn't involve them walking around a lot.

We are doing a Japan cruise - we had done one before and on the last day of the cruise as we were waiting to disembark - oh my! we found that lounge on the top deck. We only found the pool at the back of the ship the last day before we were to disembark (supposedly an adult pool) but there were young'uns and when you want to unwind sometimes noise just isn't in the vocabulary.

We didn't get to really experience the Diamond because it took us so long to figure out where things were (like which side our cabin was on!). Hence this time I think we are planning to do more exploration of the ship than just the promenade deck - eating - and our room;p

So the responses to the Sanctuary are perfect! Thanks....we will still keep in mind about the early sign up because I think this cruise my sister is also gonna wanna check out more spa stuff, so depending on our budget we may have to pick and choose.

Have fun! my cruise is next year and already I am planning what to wear, what to take and what to do!

I got off the Diamond last week after 11 days, we used the Sanctuary for the 3 sea days in the cruise it was $40 per day per person or $20 for a half day. If you wanted to book every day for the cruise it was $30 per day.

Thank you very much! We are in budget planning and are not huge book club fans or trivia players so thought this might be another good option to chill outside. Our debate is if we want to do this or the onsen but maybe now we can do both with your information - half day here and half day there. :)

Thank you very much for making me feel like I was with you the whole way. I really appreciate your updates.

A quick question - what was the cost for your sea days at the sanctuary? I was under the impression that you had to pay for the whole time.

thank you

This really gives me a sour taste for Princess. If their customer service for this minor item is so poor, it doesn't reflect well on the rest of their operations. They had one job - satisfy the customer, and they failed it miserably in this case. Hopefully they will resolve this quickly. The time it takes to resolve this will certainly reflect on them as well.

But oh my - I understand your frustration but really - this gives you a sour taste for Princess?

I agree with a previous poster - put the deposit down, keep trying to resolve the issue and then use it to pay a portion or onboard credit.....or

Hmm maybe you should just skip the cruise then and go with another line because you may be really disappointed once you get on ship if anything should go wrong.

Ha Ha Ha - just checked and someone already started the roll - go just on board....

have a good night

You may want to consider after doing the ship's tour and dropping your bags in storage to take the train to Narita Station and head to Aeon Mall. It seems that a few people do this. Just be sure to check the train schedule for your return so you get back in time for security check and boarding. I included some info from my review last year:

First in Narita you catchthe Aeon Mall (Pink Bus) near the Keisei Station at 210 yen one way (Aug 2016).The bus does a loop through town to the Mall so you also get to see some sightson your way. From the Keisei Station to the Mall there are no stops, howeverthe later/evening bus will make stops along the way back to the station. In theevening you can also take the Chiba bus to Narita Station for the same amount.

We loved the Aeon Supermarket which has a huge variety of food but we ended upeating at McDonald's - quick and easy. Loved it because instead of fries youcan get hot corn! The Starbucks is by the Daiso store at the opposite end ofthe Aeon store. Daiso is attached to the mall but the entrance is outside bythe bus stop. There is also an arcade. This mall is two levels and has a widevariety of stores. In addition to the food court, there are also a couple ofsit down restaurants which were busy in the evenings.

Nice! We felt the same way - any reason to head back to japan on a cruise.

When we did our Japan cruise last August we found that a LOT of Japanese were on the trip - in addition, there was at least one school group with chaperones. This was really cool because on formal days - they take it seriously from really nice dresses to kimono...they usually were in the other dining room though but nice to see walking around the ship.

I suspect the other reason is that the tour agencies also reserve some of the cabins.

Our 2017 cruise preference 1 and 2 were sold out before we could decide. So when the 2018 schedule came out - we jumped on it knowing how quickly they will get sold out.

So maybe we will see you on board or on the roll call. I haven't seen one yet for our cruise but then I have been trolling the others going this year:D

Hi - we are booked for this cruise. In doing research here and other boards, consider that the 2018 cruise may be at the end of the cherry blossom time and that the blossoms will bloom first starting at the lower end of Japan working their way up and that they bloom for about a week or so.

Having said that - we booked anyway....just in case.

Another person responded to someone saying that maybe a cruise is not the best way to see the blossoms if that is the purpose of going....

Having said that - we are now lowering our expectations and are just happy to be going on another Japan cruise.

There are two April cruises next year - one leaving 4/20 and one on 4/28 - the 4/28 is in conjunction with golden week (if my memory is correct - not looking at the site) and it sounds like during that last part, since everyone is traveling, that things will get booked up pretty quickly.

If you do decide to go - consider that you should also make your before and/or after cruise hotel accommodations as soon as you are able if you want a specific area or hotel. I read that some hotels will only do reservations 3 months out - don't let that stop you. We are already starting to research where we want to stay and are thinking of returning to hotels we have stayed at just because we know what to expect.

Best of luck.

I noticed on our Japan cruise that the Japanese tend to dress for dinner a little more and really dress up for formal night - everything from cocktail dresses to actual formal kimono. How they pack all that into those little cases they bring is still a mystery to me.

My Dad does not dress up so he wore a black polo shirt with black pants and shoes and was just fine. The rest of us did more casual formal (heels instead of flats and dresses instead of pants).

We did see some men come to dinner in regular casual clothes (long pants but t-shirt) and were seated no problem. We were in a MDR late service.

Bottom line - agree if you stay away from too casual, shorts, t-shirt, and slippers - you should be fine. (I wore pants and t-shirt with slippers some casual nights and still felt underdressed but was not turned away).

Aloha! I am currently on the Diamond Princess - 9 day Kumano trip.

1. Beware: Carnival Princess is the booking agency for the cruise excursions and your excursions will be "held" from the first full day. So if you are using one credit card throughout your trip, you may want to take another one just in case. I was planning to use my card after the cruise was over and paid cash on board. However, the notifications from my credit card let me know that Princess went ahead and "held" the charges. Even tho I pay in cash, the hold will not be released until after the cruise is over....and note that they don't do business such as this on Sat or Sunday.....just saying beware.

2. The cost to wash is $3.00 US and dry is $3.00 US and the soap/dryer sheets are $1.50. You swipe your cruise card and you will get tokens. The cost will appear on your folio.

3. If you pre-pay your gratuities, they may not show up on your folio. We are about half way through and no gratuities have been posted and no pre-payment is shown on my account.

4. The fireworks was viewed from on ship - even though the cruise information says tender. It was an awesome experience. Do it again? Yup.

5. The check in process was one of the easiest I have ever experienced. It helps that we are on the preferred line, however, the regular line was moving as smoothly that the weight didn't seem long at all. We got in about 2pm. Kinda short to get situated on board because lunch and sail away just flowed into each other. So was (am) still getting lost on port and starboard - forward and aft. Yikes.

Signing off....be back later.

I previously was able to download the Messenger app but I just confirmed that it isn't available on the Apple Store because it's no longer necessary to use Messenger on the ship.

Got it - won't work even though I downloaded it.

Will just wait til I get on board and follow the instructions everyone shared.

Thanks.

Before I started reading the different boards (and then finding this one) I did download my APP (Princess Messenger) to my phone (Aug 2016).

It then pops up with a message telling me:

Princess@Sea Messenger can only be used onboard one of our ships with Princess@Sea Messenger enabled. When you get onboard, please connect to the ship's wifi and click retry.

So, it is available but can't be used til you are on board.......

THEN I started reading the boards and here you all are with wonderful "how to" and "dos and don'ts".

THANKS

Our cabin is on the Aloha Deck just below the Horizon Court. Do you hear the noise from above? Wanted to know if I should bring my ear plugs.

We just did exactly that August 2/11 for our day in Juneau. My cruise itinerary, journal and pictures are on the Alaska tab on my shutterfly page (link is in my signature). We took the shuttle out to Mendenhall (tickets are available from numerous vendors for $8 each way or $16 round trip at the dock right beside the ship). We elected to go to the glacier first as there was a little cloud cover at the top of Mount Roberts so we figured we would do it mid morning, hoping the clouds would lift. The ride to Mendenhall took about 20 minutes and then we spent about 2 hours or so out there wandering various trails including out to the base of the glacier and nugget falls. We also spent a fair bit of time at the Steep Creek trail right beside the parking lot as there were brown bears fishing for salmon. Upon return to Juneau, the fog had lifted above the mountain so we bought our tram tickets. The $27 tram tickets are good for all day multiple trips if you wish and the tram base is right at the dock beside where the ships dock and all the various vendors and shuttles are. The tram only takes minutes up to the top. We wandered around different trails up there and came down after a couple of hours and then went to Tracy's for crab legs. Tracy's is also right at the dock. We shared one King Crab leg and coleslaw between us for a late lunch (1 leg is $24 dollars). Very fresh crab and the one shared did fill up the two of us. Many people there were sharing buckets of multiple legs but it really depends how much you want to eat and pay. We had each eaten a whole large Dungeness crab the day before in Hoonah ($14 per crab). After Tracy's we wandered Juneau shops and streets for the remainder of the afternoon. As our ship was in port until 2030, in hindsight, I wish we had booked a whale watching trip as well. Some of the folks who had done whale watching with us in Icy Strait Point also went whale watching in Juneau and had a fantastic experience with the humpbacks bubble feeding. If one could only predict those animals!!!

Than you so very much! I am thinking about the whale watching or doing it on my own as well. Now with your info, I might be able to decide if I can fit it all in! Thank you, thank you!

Loved your site! Great, great, great! thanks for everything. am definitely rethinking juneau. :) and may add that whale tour. :)

Great thread! I know most of the posts were from 2009/2010 so if I asked a question and you see it thanks. Otherwise here is mine:

Disney Cruise Aug 30

27Aug - Vancouver: (AM) arrive Vancouver

27Aug - Vancouver: (PM) Lonsdale Quay, Nr Vancouver

28Aug - Vancouver: (AM) Vancouver Aquarium, Stanley Park

28Aug - Vancouver: (PM) Chinatown Night Market

29Aug - Vancouver: (AM) Granville Island, Ferry Creek

29Aug - Vancouver: (PM) Gas Town

30Aug - Vancouver: (AM) Vancouver Lookout, Canada Place

30Aug - Vancouver: (PM) boarding Disney Wonder

31Aug - DCL: at sea

01Sep - DCL: Tracy Arm

02Sep - DCL: Skagway - (AM) Alaska Nature and Wildlife Expedition

02Sep - DCL: Skagway - (PM) Skagway Ranger Walking Tour

03Sep - DCL: Juneau - (AM) Mendenhall Glacier

03Sep - DCL: Juneau - (PM) Downtown and Shopping

04Sep - DCL: Ketchikan - walking tour

05Sep - DCL: at sea

06Sep - Vancouver: (AM) disembark the Wonder

06Sep - Vancouver: (PM) Grouse Moutain

07Sep - Vancouver: Hop on Hop Off

and I can't wait!:D

Tue 5/12/09 Ketchikan, Alaska

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

Arrive 07:00 AM Depart 03:00 PM

- Totem Heritage Center

Deermont St

- Ketchikan walking tour

Pick up a map at the visitor center

- Creek Street

The street once was the town's red light district.

- Dolly Arthur's House

Museum of ill repute

Keep an eye on the shower curtain

- Married Man's Trail

- Saxman Totem Park

2 1/2 miles south of Ketchikan

cultural center & carving shed

http://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/publicworks/bus/RedLine1.htm

Wed 5/13/09 Juneau, Alaska

Arrive 08:00 AM Depart 10:30 PM

- Mt. Roberts Tram

 

Thu 5/14/09 Skagway, Alaska

- Skagway Walking Tour

Printed Map

- National Park Visitors Center

45 minute ranger guided tour of town

Thu 5/21/09 Juneau, Alaska (http://www.traveljuneau.com)

Arrive 08:00 AM Depart 06:00 PM

- Alaska State Museum

395 Whittier Street

8:30 AM to 5:30 AM - $5 per person

- Juneau Walking Tour

Get map at visitors center or Juneau Museum

- St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

326 5th St

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - $2 Donation

- Mendenhall Glacier - MGT's "Blue Glacier Express"

$14 per person roundtrip - No time requirement

I am planning to do it my own and you have also done some of the things I am planning. Can you share if this worked for you or not and how was your time spent - more time here? less there? was the walking easy or hard?

7/26 - Juneau: Shuttle to Mendenhall, Mt. Roberts tram, eat King crab at Tracy's, just walk around.

This is my plans for Aug/Sept cruise....can you share how your day went - what you did at mendenhall (how long did you stay) and how was your meal at Tracy's - did you walk from there to the tram?