ctompkins

On 8/18/2021 at 10:40 PM, caribill said:

 

Just keep signing in to Princess.com and look at the price for a new booking in your category.

 

However, close to sailing (when supposedly special prices are for new bookings only), sometimes only TAs have access to seeing the new, lower fares.

Thank you, will do!!

How easy is finding out when there is a price drop??

On 6/19/2021 at 6:10 AM, puppymama1 said:

Thank you for all the information!  We do like to sit outside on the balcony, so I wanted a covered one in case it was raining…. I guess we have to decide if we want a covered balcony or a sofa…😊

 

Mini- suites to me are the only way to go, especially on the longer voyages.  Large closet too!  Two tv’s is a huge bonus too!

Hello,

My hubby and I have many times been booked on Dolphin Deck 9.  Yes, you do have people directly above, looking down on you when you are standing at the balcony railing.  It is usually when you are coming into or leaving a port.  Occasionally again, when there is a landmark or wildlife to be seen.  You never really have full privacy.  In fact, we met 4 life-long friends from Michigan, when sailing the Panama Canal!!

I am a huge sky watcher, and most nights I will go out to look at the sky to see the Moon, Northern Lights, Meteor Showers, Satellites, or Constellations. Love a wide-open balcony for that!!  My biggest issue about not having a covering over our balcony, is when the cabins above us, leave their balcony lights on ALL NIGHT!!  I have no problem with it when they are sitting outside enjoying the evening, but seriously, who are you expecting at 1am-5am!!!  Please be considerate to your Dolphin Deck neighbors, and turn your deck lights off when you are not using them!!

On 10/2/2020 at 9:10 AM, john watson said:

 

I think it will be 50/50 on which side of ship is the better.  If you look at the itineraries they do vary even for the same cruise length.  Ports which sometimes are included sometimes not are: Portland England,  Holyhead Wales, Invergordon Scotland, Kirkwall Orkney Islands, Lerwick Shetland Islands, Belfast Northern Ireland and Liverpool England.   In my opinion look at the minor itinerary variation if there is somewhere you regard as a must.

 

Regards John

Thank you, Mr. Watson, great info.

On 9/24/2020 at 9:59 PM, Kiwi_cruiser said:

One of the times we stayed in Greenock, Scotland.

 

The Caribbean Princess came in for a visit.

 

These photos where taken before she got her bow art. - 30th August 2016

 

 

Thanks for thanks for the photos!!  I love this ship!!

On 9/27/2020 at 5:48 AM, skynight said:

Port or Starboard really doesn't make much difference. The itinerary has just a few non tropical sea days, but I would select port as my 1st choice.

Generally while sailing you are far from land overnight with little to see. In ports you are off the ship, not much balcony use. Sea days could be cool going around the north end of Scotland. In Cobh, Belfast and Greenock we docked port side to the dock. Docking directions could change based on operational conditions. In the post below you can see photos of a ship docked in Greenock starboard side to the dock. Not much to see from the ship in Cobh, just a rail station and cliff. In Greenock we experienced a bag pipe welcome both times we were there and had a view of the working docks. Belfast probably no different either side. One side will give you a view of the dock, the other a view across the channel to the Titanic dock and some city skyline. 

 

Hi Folks,

Well, we will try this again!  After having 3 cruises cancelled during this pandemic, I went ahead and rebooked the British Isles sailing.  I did book a Port Side cabin!  I am being silly, and should step back and realize ANY view off of a cruise ship is gonna be a fabulous one.

Not sure if this happened to you, but almost all of the sailings on the Princess Crown were canceled, as they are redeploying that ship to the Caribbean and replacing her with the Sky.  There were 20 sailings moved to the Sky and 2 sailings to the Regal.  Please check the attached photo, listing all off the pertinent information.  I would suggest that if you see one of your sailing dates, call princess to rebook.  All of your monies, Cruise Credits (FCC), and On Board Credits (OBC) will transfer.

Good Luck, Everyone!  Let’s get back to Cruising!!

Colleen

Hey all,

When cruising the British Isles with a balcony cabin, better port views, Port or Starboard side??

Thanks, see you on board!

Colleen

I was also on a cruise that was canceled but sailing Sept. 23, 2021.  My email did not say that I was being automatically rebooked.  The above booking was a rebook for the Canadian/New England cruise that would have been leaving today.  With this cruise we had Gratuities, WiFi, and Free drinks as a perk.  When I booked the British Isle sailing my perks did not show up or were mentioned until the booking was made.  I had noticed when I was booking the mini-suite, that the prices were about $800 more a person because of the “perks”, and was upset that I was going to now have to pay for the perks.  After I had selected the cabin the discounts did show up.

On 5/15/2020 at 8:02 AM, kayehall said:

I just found an Alaska sailing on Quantum that the dates fit around a convention we have in Seattle, Sept 2021.  Itnerary is Seattle, Juneau, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, Sitka, Victoria, Seattle.  I would love to see Alaska but won't have the finances to do 14 day cruise/land tour.  So I figured a peek is better than none.  How do you like these ports?  Should I look for something to include Ketchikan, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier?  How is Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier?  Suggestions and opinions appreciated.  Thanks, Kaye

Hi Kaye,

We loved Skagway (White Mountain Pass) Train Ride.  Also Glacier Bay is incredibly  awesome, and Ketchikan is so pretty and walkable.  We are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas in July, visiting most of the places that you currently are looking at.  I don’t think you could make a wrong choice, just see what fits your schedule (and pocketbook) the best.  If at all possible, DEFINITELY, get a Oceanview Balcony Cabin (even if you have to second-mortgage the hubby)!  😆

Thank you, masterty.  How will I know if the fare I am purchasing is ‘refundable’?

Hi all, 

My DH and I, are wanting to book two cruises for 2020 & 2021.  There is a current Anniversary Sale going on right now, but don’t really need a room upgrade, as we usually book Club Class, and I don’t drink Wine.  I have heard people comment that they are waiting for one sale or another, before booking their cruise.  I have not ever paid too much attention to the sales (my bad!), so not sure which promotion will give us the better deals on cost.  What sales should we hold out for?  Best Deals?  Any thoughts?

Thanks, 

Colleen

Hi Gay,

Well glad my review helped you out.  ItalyToursEU were really great.  Make sure when signing up online you keep all your email correspondence in a folder.  Sometimes, with all the tours we booked, (with this company and others), I was confused on whether we were actually signed up and confirmed?  Print your confirmation pages and bring them with you, as they will give you info as “paid, dress requirements, meeting places, etc.

Have a great time!

Colleen

On 8/9/2019 at 12:52 PM, dfdub said:

Apologies if this has been reviewed before. 

We are sailing on the Emerald early 2020 to the South Pacific.  I think a duvet/topper may be too hot to sleep in that climate even with air conditioning.  What is the process to get two sheets when you get on board?

Do you tip the room attendant when asking for two sheets?  Should there be additional gratuities for the extra sheet?

TIA

Hello, All you will need to do to get an extra sheet is ask.  We have found that our room stewards are more than happy to accommodate their guests.  An extra tip is really not nessesary, but if you feel the need to, a couple of dollars would be sufficient.

Enjoy your cruise!

Pre-order your flowers.  They are pre-arraigned from florists on land and delivered to the ship.  They have a greater selection and are so fresh.  DH always gets me an arraingement, and the ones I got last time, lasted the whole 21 days (w a little plucking and placing).  Still so fresh I could have taken them w me (but as we know, that’s a No No)!

Plus, they are half the cost of RC’s flower bouquets and twice as big!!

On 3/22/2019 at 12:44 PM, Ofmyheart said:

The Island and Coral were designed for the canal but I wondered if they switched to the newer canal.

 

Guess I will find out in a few weeks.

Hi EP010835,

My husband and I did a full transit on the Coral last year.  It is my understanding that you will never sail through the larger, newer, locks if you are on the Coral, or if you do, something is really wrong!  This ship was the 1st cruise ship built to transit the full Panama Canal.  It is advertised as sailing the old locks.  There would be a mutiny if it did not!  The new locks are huge, (which you can see every now & then) and like you are sailing up a flat, grassy canal.  We also heard (so don’t remember if this was from Lecturer on the top decks or a very knowledgeable cruiser) that every transit is bid on 4-6 months before the crossing.  The more you pay the sooner you go thru!!!  Our time slot was 7:00am.  I was in awe as we sailed by 26 ships (counted from our starboard balcony) waiting to do the transit.  We also heard that our transit cost $400,000/one way!  This actually is a case of “whomever has the most money wins”!

34 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

Some of the cruises are sold in multiple ways. For example, a Mediterranean cruise may be sold as a 21-day round trip, as 14-day cruises, and as 7-day cruises. In this case, some of the cabins are allocated to each cruise. Look to see if your cruise is sold in other combinations. If the cabin you want is not available for your cruise but is available for another cruise at the same time, you may - or may not (I've heard both) - be able to get Princess to reallocate the cabin to the cruise you want to purchase.

Ahhh, that makes complete sense now!  Thank you for that insight.  We really weren’t picky as to where the mini-suite was, just that there were more than 8 cabins to have selected from.  I did up-grade to Club Class to get a decent mid-ship location.  Going forward, I do need to look to see if the itineraries will be sailing back-to-back, or more.  I know several folks on this trip are doing 4 back-to-backs!  Happy sailing!

5 minutes ago, polmcs said:

 

If you connect in LHR from a country outside the UK and the connection is less than 24Hrs, then you will avoid having to pay the  hefty APD tax

Aaaah, good to know!  Thank you for that information.  Safe travels!

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Yeah I book United on them but it is actually a Lufthansa flight. I hate Lufthansa with a passion but the times and convenience  to Denver is really good. Lufthansa has 2 flights out of Denver everyday. 1 to Frankfurt and 1 to Munich. They do not allow seat selection until 24 hours prior to the flight.  

British Airways is as bad as Lufthansa but they also have a really convenient non stop flight from Denver to Heathrow.

Like I said if you were not staying over in Rome the choices back to Denver the day the cruise ends are really bad IMO. Flying to an east coast US city then to Denver. Most of those flights didn't get back until 8p to 10p that night.

This will be our first time on a plane to Europe, so we really don’t know what to expect!!  Have a great time on your cruise!!

You can also notify the front desk of your earlier flight and they will probably give you an early disembarkation ticket.  Also, if you walkoff on your own with your baggage, you get off first.

The Royal is my favorite ship I have ever sailed on!!  The thing that spoiled me the most (after all the awesome entertainment was over for the evening) were those amazing TV’s!  I am a night owl and do love to watch TV in bed!  It’s a treat for me, as my hubby and I have been married for almost 46 yrs, and have never had a TV in our bedroom!! 😉😉

On 3/15/2019 at 12:34 PM, Georgie562 said:

 

I would definitely go for the 15 day one where you have to fly. That cruise will give you the full Panama Canal transit experience crossing all the locks.

 

The roundtrip from LA although nice because no flying involved, it's only a partial transit experience. I haven't done a partial transit yet but I believe with partial transits you just pass through one set of locks and then turn back around to come back home ( not the full panama canal crossing)

 

So if this is your only Panama Canal cruise, definitely go with the full crossing experience.

 

I went on my first Panama Canal Cruise in November through the new locks. Now I feel obligated to book another one through the old locks. I want to experience both.

We went on the full Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess last April!  It was right up there as being my favorite cruise ever.  ABSOLUTELY, do the old locks!!  You will get a great look at what those poor men who built the Canal had to deal with.  If it is in your budget, get a balcony cabin on the Starboard side.  Fly to Ft. Lauderdale and sail to LA.  We were on the last Panama sailing the Coral was doing for the season, before heading to Alaska, so our stops on the Pacific side were not their “regular” stops.

I looked at the same cruises you guys are on and noticed that a few days after the itineraries opened, half the ship was sold out!  What’s up with that?  TA’s pre-booking and hogging the best rooms???  Can’t believe hundreds of cabins would be sold that quickly?

23 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Try looking up the price of that return flight Rome Munich Denver on the Lufthansa website.

It is crazy.

Your EZ Air price at $887 pp is actually pretty good.

For that return flight did you have to stay overnight in Rome?

I could not very good return times and stops by flying back the same day the cruise returned.

I could only get that Rome Munich Denver flight if I waited until the next day as it leaves in the late morning.

I will never fly from Europe if the first stop is in the US again. Just makes the return so long. I would rather stop in Munich/Heathrow/Frankfurt etc then fly direct to Denver from Europe.

 

23 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Try looking up the price of that return flight Rome Munich Denver on the Lufthansa website.

It is crazy.

Your EZ Air price at $887 pp is actually pretty good.

For that return flight did you have to stay overnight in Rome?

I could not very good return times and stops by flying back the same day the cruise returned.

I could only get that Rome Munich Denver flight if I waited until the next day as it leaves in the late morning.

I will never fly from Europe if the first stop is in the US again. Just makes the return so long. I would rather stop in Munich/Heathrow/Frankfurt etc then fly direct to Denver from Europe.

 

Hi, we will be staying in Rome two days after the cruise.  We fly out of Rome to Munich, at 8:50am FL 8886, Saturday, October 26, fly out of Munich at 11:50am, FL 8459 getting to Denver 2:25pm, Saturday, Oct 26. 

The the only thing I am a little worried about, is that we will have to get up really early in order to get to the airport 2 hrs before the flight leaves!

Several folks told me that flying out of Heathrow will really escalate your fare costs due to the taxes?  But then again, I’ve heard DEN does the same thing!

FYI:  Our flights (4) were all “United” flights, but Lufthansa operates the European portions and each airline has a different confirmation number.  Yikes, I just hope we get there!!  And back!!