ceilidh1

Vacation has officially begun

My checklist is almost completely checked. I had a snafu in my plans today when I suddenly had to work. Luckily I’m able to work from home so I’m between actual work I packed, cleaned, did laundry, and made my checklist! Does anyone else add things to the checklist that are already done just so you can check them off? Does anyone else prepare for a zombie apocalypse each time you go on vacation by not only cleaning the entire house but also eating everything in the place and refusing to buy groceries? We have had some questionable meals this week, but tonight’s dinner was the best - last hamburger bun with cheese slice and ham and a bowl of ramen. Mom of the year award goes to me! We are all checked in for our flight and will hopefully save some time at security with YVR express. For anyone who doesn’t know about this free program, you can book an arrival time beginning 72 hours before your flight. You go to the front of the security line and scan the barcode you received when you booked. I’ve also pre filled the US pre clearance using mobile passport control. Once at the airport, you just open the app and get fast tracked through the CBP line up. Can you tell I’m eager to get to the premium lounge? I hope they serve alcohol that early in the morning… Also checked off the list is calling DS out of school for the 3 days he will miss after Easter. I don’t feel at all guilty as he is not having a great year in grade 7 (he has loved school since kindergarten but this year is a struggle) but just received word that he was accepted into his first choice for high school. His teacher this year is just the worst - I wish @YVRteacher was his teacher! While I was working today, DS researched where we would eat on our trip. His search words were “happy hour” “bar” and “brewery”. I’ve taught him well. Any locals have some recommendations for good eats in the Hollywood area?

Welcome, my dear! I really do need to get back over to The Tribe....

That sounds good!

That's what I'm saying! The prices they charge for Haven these days, there better be half naked men involved!

Hotel: This was stressful as I didn't know the Hollywood area at all. Of all the times we have been to LA (and there have been many) we have always stayed at one of the beaches...last time we went to Universal we stayed at the Hilton right at the park, but with the holiday and spring break the nightly rate for that one was well over $400 a night. No thanks! I searched and searched and found a great price on a place that seemed like a whole ton of fun and it also offered nightly open bar, dinner, and parties. I came so close to booking it - Mama Hostel for anyone interested - until my mom brain kicked in and reminded me that not only am I no longer an 18 year old backpacker, but I am also travelling with an impressionable 12 year old boy. Sigh. Back to the drawing board. I finally settled on a non-chain hotel that had wonderful reviews on every site I checked. It's a 5 minute walk to Sunset and the tourist spots, offers free breakfast, and the room has a kitchen (my mom brain tells me I will buy food and cook but let's face it, that kitchen is really only necessary to keep my wine cold). The price was just over $220 a night and it seemed like the best I was going to get. I booked with free cancellation and checked other options regularly, but nothing else popped out that seemed as good a deal so I guess that's where we will stay for 4 nights. It's called the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel and I would be happy to hear wonderful stories about it if anyone has ever stayed there. If you got murdered in your sleep then keep it to yourself!

I keep reading the comments (arguments) about the Free at Sea Plus and what it does or doesn't include. I very much enjoyed the Veuve in the past and the ability to get wine by the bottle at dinner (not because I necessarily need a bottle, but because it always feels like I only ever get asked one time for a drink order at dinner) but what I'm seeing is that both these aspects are hit or miss now. So, what should I be getting with my upgraded drink package - hit me with your best ideas!

This is where my transportation home will be taking me. I have zero plans on getting off in San Francisco or Victoria - done both more times than I care to remember. I was quite amused to find a (very overpriced) shore excursion for Victoria that appeared to have a visit to Tim Hortons as the star attraction.

She is living her best life - and sending me updates as 3am each morning (I'm guessing she hasn't grasped the concept of time zones)

@YVRteacher recommended it and she is never wrong!

Here we go again...back on my "tradition: repositioning cruise for Bliss. I have done this sailing, both North and South, every time it has been offered (I'm noticing it is not scheduled to do end of season South this year and no sign of either for next year - don't let me down NCL, I need this tradition in my life) Background: I booked this as soon as it opened up for bookings and the original plan was that myself, DD (17) and DS (12) would have this sailing as a means to get home from LA to Vancouver after a 2 week sailing we had booked on Princess right before. The timing was perfect as it coincided with both Canadian spring break and Easter, so we could get in 3 weeks of cruising and the kids would only miss 3 days of school. Well, things changed along the way and DD decided she would rather spend spring break with friends in Europe than with her family (she is currently sailing on the new Sun Princess) and DS desperately wanted to do the new Nintendo World at Universal, so I cancelled the Hawaii cruise and DS and I are doing a mom/son tourist trip to Hollywood and cruising home on Bliss! Last year, the sailing at this exact time of year was jam packed with families and kids and there were lines for everything. I suspect this sailing will be the same and we have already had the warning letter about probably not being able to get into the kid program. Not a biggie for us but some families last year were hugely disappointed - it baffles me why you would make a family focused ship but not have enough capacity for all the kids....but I guess that's why I don't run a cruise line. Pre-Cruise: We fly to LA tomorrow (Tuesday) on a one way Air Canada flight that was a killer price when I booked. Flights from Vancouver are insanely expensive, so as soon as I saw this deal, I snapped it up. A week later, the one way was double the price! Bonus is that it's not leaving at 8am so we won't need to wake up at stupid o'clock. We are fortunate to live a few blocks from the Canada Line, which is the train that goes to YVR airport, so that it what we will be doing tomorrow morning. Before that, though, I need to clean my house as I have friends staying while we are out of town. My kids swear that the only time I ever really clean is when we are going on vacation...they're not wrong! Something exciting (to me) is that I was gifted Priority Passes for the airport lounge, so I am going to make full use of that tomorrow. Keep everything crossed that I'm able to get in as I can't pre-book. We will be staying in Hollywood (more on the hotel, etc later) until Saturday. We have the VIP tour booked for Universal Studios (more on the reasoning behind that later) and I purchased Go City passes for both of us as I find them to be both a good deal and a motivator to actually do stuff. Already booked with the passes is the Warner Brothers Studio tour and the a walking tour of the Hollywood sign. We plan on doing the hop on hop off bus, La Brea tar pits, Madame Toussauds, and the Chinese Theatre. We will definitely get our moneys worth. We do not need to use the pass for Universal as we have the tour, but that woule have been covered had we wanted to. After we get our fill in Hollywood, we will do another pre-cruise tradition and stay one night at the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro. This hotel is ideal for one night as it's walking distance to the port and next to one of my fave LA breweries - the San Pedro Brewing Company. We will have dinner there on Saturday night. NCL Stuff: Since there are only the two of us, we booked an inside room this time and will spend the money we saved on the room on other things. I have sailed in every category (except solo/studio) on Bliss and find them all great. Haven, obviously, would be my preference but the pricing right now is just obscene. No thanks. I did put in a couple of upgrade bids at the lowest amount, so don't expect anything to come of that. As we booked so early, the price was very good and it has only gone up so no price drops for us! We had free at sea and I ended up upgrading for both of us (I'm sure that wasn't the economical thing to do given that DS doesn't get anything for the drink package, but I just didn't want to do the math). The FAS plus works well when traveling with DD as she loves the extra dining and HAS to have unlimited wifi - DS couldn't care less about either so I theoretically could have saved money by just upgrading my wifi and drink package...but, girl math.... We have booked Tepanyaki and will try Los Lobos for the first time. We love Food Republic so will likely use the other credit on that. We have Jersey Boys booked but having seen it many times, may give it a miss this time round. I am so, so sad that Six is no longer on Bliss. Hands down my favourite show ever. I'm so excited that it is coming to Vancouver next May and plan on buying tickets for every performance. I hear that Siglo are onboard - another huge fave of ours. DS requested the arcade pass, which he gets each time and really gets his money's worth from. It has gone up in price quite a bit since the first time we purchased but if the kid program is full, he often meets friends at the arcade so I'm more than willing to do it! Well, that's all the background stuff out of the way. Feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to get answers!

Hope you have an awesome second week! I will compare notes once we get on Bliss on 31st!

More feedback from my teen who is on the current sailing: - Captains Circle Elite/Platinum Party was held in the Dome. It was very busy/loud but they were able to get seats and won one of 3 door prizes (model ship). - Ship still doesn't feel overly crowded but the layout is very different to other Princess ships (my teen has been on well over 30 Princess cruises and knows the ships well but says she is constantly getting lost on this one) - Got nails done at the spa. This is a tradition on every sailing and there has always been a teen manicure package. Not on this ship. $100USD later... - She got a $9 bar charge appear on her account (hope they didn't serve her the alcohol the charge was for...lol) She used the crew chat on the app and the charge was removed within half hour - Santorini today. They had priority tenders so no issue getting off but huge line to get back on! Big line for gondola - they did wait to take it up, but walked down. Very windy today! - Elite laundry was sent out and returned within 48 hours. Charge removed same day. - Alfredos was excellent (though she got spoiled with real Italian pizza) but disappointed that her fave veal pasta is no longer offered _ Still no complaints so I'm taking this as a win! -

OK - enough with the new friends. You have plenty of old friends back home. #jealous #missingyou

The self service forms for TAs to submit are very recent - a new enhancement that came about to reduce hold times when trying to call. There are a number of them available for various issues and I have found them very effective. I have submitted twice for unwanted upgrades (both bookings marked as no upgrade) for guests that wanted/booked specific rooms. Both times, the original rooms were returned within 2 business days. I'm sure at this late stage the OP likely won't get back the original room unless Princess decides to "upgrade" the new occupants.

I'm not convinced this is true - as a TA, there is a self service form that we can complete and submit for the original cabin to be reassigned if a guest receives a complimentary upgrade and isn't satisfied or doesn't want it. The turn around time is 3 business days - I've only had a to do it twice and both times the original cabin was given back to the guest. I'm sure by now the cabin has been assigned to someone else, but I'm not sure it would be "instant" and I do think that OP may have had a good chance of getting it back had someone at customer service been more responsive.

I’m sorry! That sucks.

Is your original room still available? If so, can you just book it as a 24 hour hold and then call/use chat to get your current booking switched over? Or has the price increased significantly since you originally booked?

My teen just boarded yesterday. I’m not hearing much, so I’m taking that as a good sign. I did get a 5am ;my time) FaceTime tour of the cabin yesterday and it looked great! I’m beginning for pictures but I just don’t rate as highly as her 200 internet followers that she doesn’t know. Lol. So far I’ve been told - boarding was not great. Bags had to be taken inside and there was no separate elite line so it took them an hour of lines to get to the ship - lots of teens (at least 30) but too many Canadians and not enough Australians (?!?) - the ship is full but doesn’t feel crowded - the hot tubs are awesome - there is no movement on the ship. So smooth - steak at dinner was amazing

Thank you for your live - I have been following along as my teen and family friends boarded the ship today. She FaceTimed me and gave me a tour of the room and all is well so far. Her only complaint was that there was no elite/priority and it took them almost an hour to get on the ship. I believe what she meant was that was at bag drop (which she said was inside the terminal) as it sounded like once that was done it was a breeze!

My friends board on the 19th with 3 almost 17 year olds (one of which is mine). I'm sure I will get all the dirt on the happenings for teens! I'll update as I hear!

Inquiring minds need to know... 1. Did you see a gator 2, Did you eat a Beignet Very important info

Uhhhh....what? Now I can never use a hotel coffee maker again.

I FOUND YOU!!!! Yahooo.... Safe travels my lovely and see you for brunch in April!

Now you have me wondering why those deck 17 deluxe balconies weren't booked? Lol. Are they duds? 😁