skynight

Laundry. Your account is charged. Then a day or two later there is a credit.

We always packed in one 30 inch suitcase and one school bag size daypack each for 7 day, to 40 days. We stayed precruise around 3 nights at US, South America and Europe ports. Never had issues. Two exceptions were a 10 day pre cruise excursion in Australia and a pre cruise excursion in Alaska. In these cases we brought an extra air plane size carry on suitcase. Over time we had lists of just what to pack.

4pm is the scheduled sailing time. All passengers have to be on board around one hour before that. Normal boarding begins around 11:00/1130am. Once you arrive you should be able to board fairly quickly.

"I recall the upstairs lounge, forget the name, was removed several years ago. Any other modifications of note?" You may be thinking about the Universe Lounge on decks 6/7 aft. This was removed. They also moved the fitness center from deck 14 aft with nice views to inside no views aft on deck 6 where the Universe Lounge was. You may also be thinking about the Horizon Ct. which has forward views on both the Island and Coral Princess. If you are thinking about Skywalker's the Island and Coral never had this lounge.

You can use as many devices as you like, but only one at a time. Do you want and need two devices at the same time?

Lots of activities if you want them. Lots of trivia. I have seen afternoon karaoke sessions, crafts, knitters & knatters, book club, reading - bring your own, bingo, open casino, art sales, a DR open during a portion of the day for self hosted cards and games, some pool side games if warm, lectures, silly games like ring toss and egg drop in the Piazza, golf putting, fashion show, and other activities. We were never bored. Notice that some of the activities are really sales pitches for jewelry, spa treatments, clothing. We avoided them. We always enjoyed the long transit.

If you are a soda drinker you can get your fill of canned soda with the mini bar. You can exchange the mini bar for a bottle of wine. Bottled wine has a cost in the beverage package.

You will just pick up a medallion at the pier. Just bring along your travel summary and other required documents.

Normal. It happens all the time when a ship arrives after sailing away from U.S. ports for a season.

Believe they discontinued food items (gelato) when they changed the terms for the coffee card, 2018?, well before the plus fares.

You will really like the large balcony. Interiors are standard balcony category layout. No different than balcony category cabins on other decks.

One MDR open for lunch usually from noon to 1:30. On the Ruby it is probably DaVinci Dr deck 6 mid ships International Cafe with paninis, salads and some other selections Horizon Ct. buffet Lido Deck aft The Salty Dog Grill and Slice Pizza by the Lido Pools You may be able to order off the app for delivery anywhere on the ship.

Some additional comments on your partial transit. You will transit the Aqua Clara (new) locks. There is plenty of space between the sides of the ship and the lock walls. There is also plenty of space from the bow and stern to the lock doors. Lock doors are sliding ones, not the butterfly ones like the old locks. The photos in post #8 are the old locks, not representative of what you will see. You will not be transiting those locks. The Caribbean Princess is too large. The method used to transit the new locks is different than the old ones. The old locks are to the west of the new locks, not really in view when you make the transit. If you wish to see more of the canal you have to book a Princess excursion. No private excursions and no just getting off to look around is permitted. Tugs, not rail " rail mules" are used to keep the ship centered in the lock. Plenty of space. We did the partial new lock transit on both the Caribbean Princess and the Emerald Princess. Both times the promenade deck bow section on deck 8 was open. There is narration in the morning when you transit the locks. There is no narration in the afternoon when exiting. Fun fact. When transiting from the Atlantic to the Pacific a ship travels Northwest to Southeast.

If you have plus or premier fares you can order drinks to your cabin(s) at any time. They are included. No need to have separate bottles in your cabin.

I would go to your roll call and see if you can join private tours.

You approach the first lock early in the morning, it varies but maybe as early as 6am. Lock transit takes about 45 minutes per lock with 3 locks. If you can walk around the best places to view the locks are the upper decks where you can walk around from side to side front to back. If you wish to remain in one location probably best to search around once on the ship for a location that fits what you like. If you plan do not plan to take an excursion once through the locks then you can catch what you may have missed when the ship exits. There are less people around for the exit, but it will most likely be very hot and humid with strong sun during the afternoon exit. Regarding location of a balcony cabin. If you plan to remain in your cabin on your balcony then probably the best location is one of the aft facing balconies which allow you to view both sides of the ship. Side facing balconies provide limited views.

Comedians have routines which they constantly update and revise. When sailing years apart their acts will be similar. I have seen acts that change directions during the routine to focus on what is working that evening. They have their own scripts in their head. They are not provided scripts by Princess, but their act has to meet Princess' standards. If you enjoyed the act a year ago you will probably enjoy it again.

Any beverage from any bar menu priced $12 and under is covered. If the price is greater than $12 then you are charged the difference + 18%.

Not Included. The package excludes and is not combinable with other Programs, Promotions, Onboard Specials, or Events such as Wine Tastings, Chef’s Table, Buckets of Beer, Specialty Dining cover charges, or food items for sale such as ice cream, etc.

I would choose one of the the 10 day cruises on the Enchanted. Reason 10 day is longer, and Enchanted added back Crooner's Lounge which is missing on the Sky.

Many posts from current passengers confirm that the excursion OBC is just like any other OBC.

Remembering that alcoholic beverages are purchased by Princess without any local or federal taxes the plan works for Princess because the cost to pour an alcoholic beverage is way less than what is charged. Plans work for many passengers because the breakeven point is based on menu prices. The weakness with Princess inclusive fares is that they do not offer a non-alcoholic version. Maybe this is an oversight or unlike alcoholic beverages maybe it is that the menu price on non alcoholic beverages is closer to the actual cost.

Don't count on it. If they do it would be at some off hour. Don't be afraid of table games. You can most likely find instructions on line and the best way to start betting. I prefer craps. It looks difficult, but it is really very simple. It also has just about the best odds if you stay away from the middle of the table wagers.

Not accurate. It is regular OBC once on board. You can use it to pre-book a Princess excursion if you want just like any other OBC that shows up in the travel summary pre-cruise.

A 14 night cruise usually has 3 formal evenings. On your cruise I would expect Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and Dec 31 New Years eve. There may or may not be another evening.