Justprettynpink

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Our ship says it arrives in Piraeus at 4:00 am, and I am wondering what is the earliest time we could reasonably expect to debark the ship. We will carry our own luggage/do the self debark (not sure what Princess calls it -- but the one where you don't put your bags out the night before).

 

I am trying to arrange for a taxi to meet us at the port, and I was wondering if 7:00 am would be reasonable, or is that too early? TIA :)

You should be ok. We just got off Sat. We had the middle time at 8:25. We just had to find our luggage and walk out the door. No customs.

I am looking for our disembarkment paper to find the times.

It was super easy...

 

Don't paint all TAs with the same brush as there are some really good ones who provide a lot a value.

 

I know there are...I just made the mistake of picking the one I did. Since we can not name names here...I just covered it by saying if they charge a cancellation fee don't use them. :-)

I am an experienced Caribbean cruiser who completed her first but not last cruise across the pond.

I would like to share what I learned on this cruise....

First I would like to share about the TA I used. I just usually pay attention to the amount of OBC that comes from a TA in order to decide who to book the cruise with. I was told that $100 would come from them. I booked the cruise with $600 OBC from princess but they only listed $500. I just thought it was a typo since I saw the correct amount in my personalizer. On the cruise their OBC was not there. I contacted them and was told that their OBC was in conjunction with Princess :eek:. They reduced the amount shown on their invoice from the cruise line and said $100 was from them!!! That was a new one for me. There was no benefit with booking with them. I would have gotten same amount of OBC and better service booking directly with Princess. Do not book with an agency that charges a cancellation fee and that will keep you away from this place. (thank you for listing to my rant) Lesson learned!

Euros:

Got them from the ATMs and it worked great. Got an account from Capital One that had no transaction fees and no ATM fees (1000 daily max withdrawal). Use the ATMs in Italy vs Greece. No ATM fees in Italy and in Greece I saw a 5€ fee on the screen. There is a bank ATM at FCO on the left right after the baggage claim so we had Euros before we left the airport. (Got this great info from Cruise Critic boards)

Roll Calls:

Be sure to find your roll call. We were able to share port transfer and awesome excursions with others. You get to meet great folks (because they are all on Cruise Critic) and it saves you money.

Embarkment:

We got there at our usual 1130ish time and was very surprised not to see the long lines like in Ft. Lauderdale. The ship was empty since most of the ship were doing B2B and they were all off doing excursions. It was great. Princess gave us a paper that said the cabins would not be ready until 1300 but when we got on board, the staff in the elevator asked what deck our cabin was on :D

Regal vs Royal:

The only difference I could tell was the glass around Princess Live

Butter on the table: (because inquiring minds want to know)

In a Allegro (late seating), yes Virginia there is butter on the table.

Crown Grill - waiter served the butter

Shopping Host vs Port Guide:

In the Caribbean, I do not go to the port talks because I feel that they are just commercials. I do not care were the the Effy and Diamonds International stores are located. (This is just me, if you enjoy them great :) )

Well I did not realize that there is a difference between the Caribbean Shopping Host and the Mediterranean Port Guide until half way though the cruise.

The port guide tells you about the history and the sites to see in the port. I wish they had this for all their sailings. It is very nice to get that information if you are going into the port on your own.

Meet & Greet

We had a great turn out for our slow roll call. The Captain, CD Ron Goodman, and two officers came and mingled with us. It was fun to just visit with each other.

Chef's Table

We did this for the first time. Chef David McDonald is the only Michelin Star Chef in the Princess fleet and one of two chefs on the sea. It was great to do and the food was very yummy. It will probably not be a must do thing on every cruise.

Spa

Booked pre-cruise online for a cheaper price but then used a coupon to get a little more off. I got a massage without a sales pitch (yay) but DH made up for that....as he came back with products after his massage.

Casino

Not crowded and tight machines. Did not spend my usual time in there. (There goes the casino rate)

Food

We are not picky eaters. If we do not like something, there is more food.

We had surf & turf three days in a row (Crown Grill, Chef's table, dining room).

Cruise over all

All of the ports were great! This cruise was such a port intensive cruise that I missed being able to enjoy the beautiful Royal Princess. I would call this cruise the Tour of Olives and Hot Ruins. I tried the olives in every port.(yummy) I love history but those ruins are HOT. Use the restroom as soon as you get there because you will not see another one for 1.5 - 2 hours later. Bring lots of water!! Did I say those places were hot??

I will post pictures and patters after I recover to the correct time zone :-)

Please ask any questions!!!

I like the sideways insides on Riviera deck.

I second that!

I have been able to choose seats before I have been "ticketed" ...

Did you try to do it yourself online without using an agent? (on american's website)

If you booked the flexible fare you can get any price drops up until 45 days from your cruise date. Keep checking :-)

I watched it Live on Face. Book your cruise soon, it looked good.

PS It is still there to watch some sample numbers

EZair got our outbound flight ticketed but did get our return flight ticketed. I caught it by looking at our travel summary (air section) and not seeing ticket numbers for our return flight. I was able to catch it before we left.

Just read on Flyer Talk that there are impending work stoppages by security personnel at AMS. Flyers are urged to arrive 3 hours pre-flight.

Don't know when you are traveling but Dutch papers are reporting that escalations of the work stoppages MAY increase as negotiations proceed. The security workers process luggage as well as passengers.

We will be flying in July so hopefully it will be settled by then :-)

Flying in from another EU member state at 20:00/8pm?

 

The Hilton is great, it just re-opened but it's actually a new build hotel. You might still smell the fresh paint!

 

It's an indoor walk with moving walkways, from hotel to Schiphol Plaza (where you might want to catch the bus to Amsterdam or a cab) is under 8 minutes, might be even 5 with a pace.

 

Some shops might be closing around the time you arrive in the evening, there's a good bookstore in Arrivals 3/4 with a decent English selection of books if you want something to read on your day flight back to the States. Also icecream (that one always closes too early IMO lol), Burger King, pizza & pasta, sandwiches, Starbucks and a large grocery store Albert Heijn and some smaller Albert Heijn To Go's (think 7eleven) for anything you might need.

Most airport restaurants open 5 or 6am so your morning coffee and pastry are waiting after check in! Enjoy Amsterdam!

We are flying from Athens...

I want to get enough of Amsterdam to make us want to come back and spend more time :-)

Thank you all for your information!!!

Because of your early departure an airporthotel might be best. Mercure Hotel is a hotel right at the airport after customs. Citizen M and Hilton are walking distance, Sheraton is connected to the airport.

If you choose a different hotel check is their shuttle is availbale that early.

Schiphol airport has frequent trains in to the city (less during the night), all schedules and info here: http://www.ns.nl/en

The RLD is walking distance from Centraal Station. At night a lot of people will be walking around there, looking at and visiting the girls. (Never take photos of them!). Of course there will be some sex theatres too.

The location at the canal itself is quite nice, but the atmosfere at night can be ""cheesy"".

Around Centraal Station canal boatrides of about 1 hour are offered.

Depending the weather you will see many terraces open for food or drink, many of them around Rembrandtsplein.

Thank you for the suggestions :-) (everyone!!!)

We were at the Hampton Airport but I was concerned about the time getting there...I was able to get the Hilton at the Airport with points and cash for the same price so now we just have a 15 min walk then we can head to the city :-)

How late do the Canal Tours run?

Looking forward to getting a brief taste of the city!!

We will need a little sleep. Hotel in City Centre or by the Airport?

Besides the Red Light District what should (can) we see?

We are traveling in July on a Tuesday. Should we plan to arrive at the airport at 5? (flying back to USA) or can we sleep in a little bit? (0530 ish)

Thank you in advance for your help!

One more question....

How long should I expect it to take to be able to get out of the airport?

Customs and all that jazz....

I'm wondering if the same applies if for example you want to pay $ to upgrade to Delta Comfort on Delta? We are booked through EZAir for our Alaska cruise, and as of today it still will not let me purchase the upgrade to Delta Comfort - it says I must select a seat that is in the price category I paid for - which I've never seen on Delta's website before.

 

I was hoping that once I was inside the 45 days I could upgrade, but I'm not at 42 days and no such luck. Could it be that Princess has not actually paid the fare yet? Do they do it right at 45 days or is it sometimes a bit later?

If it is a domestic flight, Delta no longer allows upgrades to Comfort. You have to purchase a ticket in that class.

I was able to upgrade my international leg but not my domestic leg.

Are you staying at the Hilton FCO because you are an HHonors member? That would be the only reason for staying out there at the start of a trip. I love that hotel and stay there at the end of a trip because I don't like getting up real early for that early AM flight home and I've always been upgraded to a nice room on the Lounge Floor as an HHonors Gold ;) If you are an HHonors member, see if you have enough points to splurge at the Rome Cavalieri…

 

Along with the free shuttle, you can also pay and take the train back to the hotel at night if you miss the shuttle. Just keep an eye on the schedule for that day…

 

For a family pasta meal, well, I'll recommend my favorite "first night in Rome" restaurant - Armando al Pantheon. It is a very small trattoria that is noted for it's Roman cuisine. You MUST have reservations - you can make them on their website. Every time I've gone in there, there has been a mix of local families, groups of friends, travelers. I'm mostly a vegetarian (I prefer no red meat), so I will make a meal out of an appetizer and one of their plates of pasta. I have never had a bad meal there. The price is reasonable but it will cost you more than $100. I guess if you just got pasta and drank tap water you could do it, but you're missing out on other good things. You have to save room for their Roman Torta for dessert!!! It's location can't be beat - it is about a block away from The Pantheon.

Yes we are using points. :-)

I made our reservations at Armando al Pantheon :-)

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions...looking forward to continuing to get ideas and suggestions...

This will be our first trip to Europe :-) (Next month yay!)

Will have arrival day and one full day in Rome before our cruise. We want to play it by ear but I want to make sure I have done everything to save money and time. I am not looking to see everything just get a great experience (If I don't see everything, I have to go back right? ;) )

This what I have learned so far in searching the boards:

Euros: Using ATMs (found a bank that does not charges fees)

Hotel: Hilton FCO - using points and they have a free shuttle into Rome

Advance Tickets in hand: Vatican Museum/ Sistine Chapel (Day 2)

Colosseum (day 1)

Restaurants- Have some places in mind. Suggestions for a family owned/non touristy pasta dinner? (Can we do it for not over $100? )

If we go to a small restaurant, and there is no room, any suggestions as to where we can take our food? Can we have alcohol in public?

Transfer: Private shared shuttle

Anything else I am forgetting?

Any other tips?

Thank you all :-)

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We have booked a mini suite (M107) on the Marina Deck. Is a corner mini suite so I understand the balcony is bigger. Has anyone stayed in that cabin? Any comments? Any comments about the mini suites? I'm big on space and like to have room, hence why we booked the mini suite. I've been reading about problems with elevators mid ship. I believe there are elevators by our cabin. Thank you. I'll appreciate any info. This is our first Princess cruises.

We were in M106 and were able to take a peak into the corner mini suite.

It is L shaped. There is a small (2 cushion) couch facing the side balcony and the desk in the corner.

The feet of the bed faced the forward balcony.

It was not as roomy as M106 but it was neat to have a small sitting area separate from the sleeping area.

It was a little hike to the forward elevators and stairs.

We loved M106 but could feel the motion of the ocean :-) There was also some vibrations when we entered or left port.

Plan on hosting the sail away on your balcony :-)

Thank you very much!

My mother told me her story of embarkment on a Celebrity ship at Civitavecchia. Her travel companion lost their passport and had to race to the Embassy to get a replacement before sail away. She waited off the ship until the companion returned just time. They went through security and then had to get their bags and open them for inspection. They then had to bring their own luggage onboard.

I was hoping her story was not the norm but due to their late boarding adventure.

I have a Port Everglades embarkment down to a science.

Is embarking at Civitavecchia different? What should I expect?

Thanks in advance!

Hi this is also my first attempt at the Meet & Greet. We have attended a few through the years and I hope to have a good time with this. We have 104 signed up but we all know if 2/3 come it will be great. Heck if a handful of the folk's from our roll call show up it would be great. We have a wonderful bunch of folk's on this cruise.

 

I'm with Susan and am at a loss for the wording on an invite.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks

I have used:

and also

Does the Crown Grill serve surf and turf? I checked the menu on the princess website and I see steak choices and fish choices but no surf and turf. Can you ask for steak and lobster...or are you limited to one choice?

Thanks.

You can order a steak and lobster :-). The tails are small and we are usually served about 6 tails.