WisCruiser2

Are you asking how to set up WhatsApp and invite contacts to message with you?

Does your phone support wi-fi messaging/calling?

2 hours ago, GloriaF said:

Thanks for the pics of the Royal Tea, WisCruiser2!  Your blog was very nicely done and helpful.

 

Also thank you to everyone that answered some of my questions. 

 Nope, that wasn't me 😊

16 hours ago, GloriaF said:

 

 I can't find wifi cost either.  Looks like it's only available with one of the packages.  It used to be free for elite, then a reduced charge, now nothing it looks like.  We don't need a package, we don't drink alcohol and we usually have enough OBC to cover gratuities.   

 

 

Wi-fi is on the app. Go to your Profile, then scroll down to MedallionNet Wi-Fi. Platinum and Elite get 50% off the wi-fi packages still. I think  you can still add it after you board.

@Abiding, search for a recent "Live from" by YVRTeacher here (her cruises on Island & Regal) and her NCL Jewel Live from on that board -- she's a long-time NCL cruiser and these were her first Princess cruises. At the end of each, she does a comparison of the lines from her perspective.

@Muffinz, you asked, "We will be picking our medallions up at the port so how does priority boarding work if you don't yet have your medallion?" You get the medallion before entering the boarding area. So if you get to the terminal and go through security and pick up your medallions before boarding begins, you should be shown to a special waiting area and allowed to be in the first group boarding. Not sure if you get to jump the boarding line if you arrive after it's begun, others would know better than I do.

@Have2Cruise the James Faherty Trio was on the Enchanted in February during our B2B - we caught one of their sets every night! So disappointed Princess has eliminated that venue...

It was on Enchanted as of this past February, in Amalfi DR. We had tables near it, fun to watch the courses being brought out.

@Treasure Hunter, according to other threads, looks like that was a major part of the drydock.

@Giantfan13, don't know if you've already gone on your cruise, but it's easy to get to Nevis on your own -- Google St. Kitts - Nevis ferry schedule to see what works for the times you want. We used Next Edition last February as they had the times we wanted (10:00 and 3:00), $24pp roundtrip. The ferry dock is a short walk from where the cruise ships dock. There are taxi services on Nevis, either for a tour or to take you to Pinney Beach.

It's easy to get to Nevis on your own -- Google St. Kitts - Nevis ferry schedule to see what works for the times you want. We used Next Edition last February as they had the times we wanted (10:00 and 3:00), $24pp roundtrip. The ferry dock is a short walk from where the cruise ships dock. There are taxi services on Nevis, either for a tour or to take you to Pinney Beach.

16 hours ago, SKCruiser007 said:

One thing to consider, several people I know took the land portion first, cruise second this summer. Almost everyone picked up a respiratory illness on the land portion. So, they were down a day or two during the cruise. My advice now is cruise first, land second. Then, your sick days can be when you get home 

People also pick up respiratory illnesses on the ship, basically it's a crap shoot either way.

16 hours ago, Tristanistan said:

We are flying from San Francisco to Vancouver tomorrow morning and we will be on this cruise. Looking forward to a few days in Vancouver then getting on the ship. I love cruises, my husband has never been on one. I've only ever stayed in an interior room, this time we are in a suite. I can't wait. We have a Vancouver tour booked for Monday, and a Victoria tour booked for Wednesday. We have birthday reservations at sabatinis on Tuesday night for my husband. Other than that I'm not sure what we will do for dinners. I'm all packed and ready for my 530 am car to the airport.

I see what you're doing - spoiling your husband with a suite on your first cruise so you'll never have to go back to an Interior again 😉

@mtnesterz, yes, that makes more sense. I was interpreting the "passenger to space ratio" number as the number of passengers to a given unit of space, hence my confusion!

Thanks, too, for the abbreviation clarification. I knew that CB is Caribbean (have seen enough posters get corrected) but couldn't remember the one for Coral 😊

Easy-peasy! Talk with your steward, he/she will know you are moving cabins. After confirming our new cabin was empty, we were able to take the things in our safe to it and put in new safe before we left the ship. The stewards took care of moving the rest. 

@paddingtonbear, that makes more sense. I think I was interpreting "passenger to space ratio" as number of passengers to a given space! Perhaps it should read "space (sq feet or whatever) per passenger.

We did Cruisetours in 2002 (the old Sun) and 2018 (Coral), so bear in mind things may have changed since 2018. We chose the land portion first, but your reasons are certainly valid and either way, it's a great experience! We chose the cruisetours so we didn't have to make all the arrangements.

The 2018 started in Anchorage, 2 nights at Copper River (our favorite), 2 nights in Fairbanks, 1 night each at Denali and Mt. McKinley. We bussed it (so a couple long bus days), with train from Denali to Talkeetna. The riverboat and gold dredge excursions were included (I thought they'd be totally cheesy but enjoyed them!) as well as the Natural History tour. In 2002, we did the Wilderness Tour, when you could go to the end of the road. 

We did not do either the Connoisseur or opt for the meal plan and found we were ok with paying a la carte for what we wanted. The lodge in Fairbanks is crazy busy, so we ate dinner at local restaurants both nights.

It sounds like you've narrowed down your priotities, just have to decide what best fits your budget and don't regret whichever choice you make!

2 hours ago, skynight said:

The Coral & Island were identical when built. The Island had the aft public venues removed and replaced with cabins resulting in more passengers with less public space than the Coral. Less passengers with more public space equals a higher passenger to space factor. 

Yep, I know that, which is why I'm wondering how the Coral has a ratio of 38 and the Island's is 35...

17 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

Agree with @Arizona Wildcat. Most ships are going out full these days regardless of season. So if you don't want to feel crowded, what you can look at is the passenger to space ratio. The higher number the better. Onboard or number of passengers going ashore in a small port, you're best on the Coral, followed by Diamond and Sapphire. Least space on the Caribbean Princess, though must add some here really love the CP. From CruiseMapper:

 

Princess Cruises ships capacity
Vessel Name    Passengers (Min - Max)    Crew    Passengers-to-Space-Ratio
Caribbean Princess    3138 - 3766             1200    30
Coral Princess    2000 - 2400                      895      38
Crown Princess    3062 - 3674                    1200    31
Diamond Princess    2706 - 3247                1100    36
Discovery Princess    3668 - 4402               1350    32
Emerald Princess    3066 - 3679                  1200    31
Enchanted Princess    3668 - 4402              1350    32
Grand Princess    2602 - 3122                      1150    34
Island Princess    2214 - 2657                      900      35
Majestic Princess    3560 - 4272                  1350    33
Regal Princess    3560 - 4272                       1350    33
Royal Princess    3560 - 4272                       1350    33
Ruby Princess    3060 - 3672                        1200     31
Sapphire Princess    2678 - 3214                  1100    36
Sky Princess    3668 - 4402                           1350    32
Star Princess (2025)    4320 - 5189              1550    34
Sun Princess (2024)    4320 - 5189               1550    34

Am I reading this wrong? By CP, do you mean Coral or Crown (I can never remember)?

Re the Coral and Island, how can Coral have a higher passenger to space ratio when the Island has more passengers in same size ship?

Has anyone been there and is it worth it? We're not interested in the zipline, but the Sky Explorer sounds intriguing. There is a ship excursion but thinking about just going there on our own.

For closer to Phillipsburg, take a look at Divi Little Bay, about a 10 - 15 minute taxi ride. You can rent loungers at the resort (IIRC, $20/2 + umbrella), with a very nice beach, bar, and food.

For those reading this thread to answer the original question, we have been to Divi Little Bay, most recently in February. It is a resort with chair rental (IIRC, $20 for 2 with an umbrella), a nice beach, bar, food, and about a 10 - 15 minute taxi ride from the port, depending on where you dock. Would go back there again!

My hesitation in booking a Guarantee is that the deposit is nonrefundable. We did have a Guarantee Deluxe Balcony on the Enchanted this past year but only because that was all that was left for Balconies when we booked - so the deposit was refundable. We ended up with one that was way forward (we prefer the aft section) but it was fine, and we were on Dolphin Deck with the bigger balconies, so it was a win-win.

I just booked an excursion and it automatically applied the OBC. Do you have enough OBC in your accounts to cover the excursions?

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The Chocolate Verdict

 

While enjoying the ports this summer I bought chocolate in Halifax (Peace by Chocolate), Corfe (Tony’s), Reykjavik (Omnom), Dublin (Butler’s) and London (Cadbury’s.)

 

Now that I have sampled them all, I have a clear favourite. I thought it would be Omnom but it is…

 

drumroll…

 

Peace By Chocolate!!!! Now I need to return to Halifax.

 

My least favourite, with apologies to @ceilidh1, is Tony’s because it is too sweet.

Awesome! Now I know where we need to stop when we're in Halifax next summer!