sparks1093

Interesting thread with a lot of good info (and the usual kerfluffles between members, of course 😉).

A lot of good information here, but it doesn't address the OP's question. OP, you do not generally need documentation for excursions other than what you need to leave the ship in port (typically the cabin card and a photo ID for passengers 16 and up). The only time that you would need passports for an excursion would be if the excursion actually crossed into another country or if the local government requires the documentation. There is a train excursion in Alaska for example that crosses from the US into Canada and there is an excursion in the Caribbean that goes from one island to another (and hence from one country to another). So as long as your documentation allows you to board the ship you will be fine not having it with you on the excursions that you list (although some people do like to take their passports ashore regardless, but that is another discussion in and of itself).

And thank you for your details as well!

Thank you for the detailed description! My fingers hurt for you 😀.

I have imbibed everything from soda to coffee and even a mixed drink (or two) during a meal (presuming evening meal here). What I have depends on what is available and what I feel like.

Pardon my newbie question, but I presume that UBD may be ordered either before the cruise or while onboard. I went to the Princess website to look for details but since we haven't booked yet we can't see what is offered. So, how much is this and what is included in the price? This sounds like something DW would like to experience at least once during the cruise.

Excellent, thank you! They had a similar gadget on Royal and it needed to be removed when making a purchase, which seemed like a huge PITA (and they charge for the device, as well).

Please allow me to piggy back on this, will be first time on Princess and wondering if you are wearing the medallion on your wrist if it needs to be removed when you make a purchase?

I started reading this thread because we may be booking Princess for 2025 and I'm gathering info in the mean time. I have to admit that Ultimate Balcony Breakfast and Ultimate Balcony Dinner caught my eye!

Thanks for the thoughts. Everyone certainly has different spending habits. Once we've settled on the itinerary and ship studying the deck plans and reading reviews will be the order of the day (and I will of course be reading negative reviews with a grain of salt).

The main safety benefit to the passenger is that the entire crew gets to participate in the process as well and they get to practice their assignments in a realistic way and that experience could prove to be invaluable in an emergency.

It was the Plus fares that caught my eye. Since those are things we purchase separately on Carnival I can make a true comparison by adding them to the Carnival fare to see the true difference in fare.

Thanks for the info!

I did some research about fortified wines and any liquor is added during the fermentation process, so by the time the wine is completed the liquor has been converted into the wine, which is why they don't list this on the label. Interesting stuff.

I of course recognize that, simply pointing out that at least one legal authority has determined that agave wine is still wine. And of course I will report the result, but as has been pointed out that is going to vary anyway.

Howdy Princess cruisers! DW and I have the goal of trying as many cruise lines as we can and it looks like Princess may be our next "victim"🤣. I've priced out cruises in 2024 and when we factor in the costs we have to pay with Carnival versus what is included in the fare on Princess there isn't that much difference between the two (around $300-ish). But we already have a cruise booked for 2024, so we are already looking at potentially booking for 2025, which leads to my first question- how far in advance does Princess typically release itineraries? Phrased another way, when could I book a Caribbean cruise for 2025? Since I'm asking this question are there any booking tips I should be aware of? Is booking through the website ok or does Princess assign someone to help you book (similar to the PVP on Carnival)? If you have any other thoughts you'd like to share with a first time Love Boat cruiser we'd love to hear those as well.

I think everyone else pretty much nailed it. We bring one carryon onboard, everything else gets checked. What we bring onboard has our meds, any beverages we are bringing, electronics, documentation and a change of clothes. We aren't worried about changing for dinner, since the dress code on the first night is very lax. We've been on Pride several times and had a great time. I would go to the kids club to register as soon as you are onboard, then head to the buffet for a bite (if you board early enough lunch might be served in the MDR but you would have to ask). As mentioned the Pride is easy to navigate and there is always plenty to do. (There is a link in my signature to my last Pride review from when we cruised in 2018.)

Here in Vermont beer and wine may be sold in grocery and convenience stores, liquor may only be sold in a state liquor store. Agave wine is sold in grocery stores. That settles the issue for me, regardless of how it is made. When we board in April we'll bring at least one bottle with us and see what happens (and no, I won't go "Karen" on security if they do confiscate it).

The muster drills aren't just for the passengers, they are also for the crew. While the old way was inconvenient, and I do much prefer the new way, I do see the benefit of the old way in getting the crew used to their assignments (practice) and also for the passengers. You train the way you fight and when muster happens everyone reports to their muster station. @chengkp75 has posted on the topic before and hopefully he can chime in on this discussion as well.

It doesn't say that anywhere on the label.

The policy doesn't mention alcohol content at all. I've never looked at wine alcohol content and don't know what is available but one could bring wine with 30% content under the policy. DW did like the strawberry agave wine and had no reaction to it. If there's too much sulfite then she has a reaction. There are a few wines that she can drink but we need to be careful.

The other part of the equation is making sure that one uses care in port. Accidents do happen, of course, but some activities are more dangerous then others. I read about one fellow who had an accident on an ATV excursion and had to be admitted (with no insurance, of course). The article didn't say it but from the background given it was safe to conclude that he had never riden an ATV before, much less driven one. A lot of people overestimate their ability to do something when on vacation and it can lead to trouble. As for traveling with high limit cards it is good advice but as mentioned many folks travel with limited resources (and for many years that was us, as well). The fortunate thing is that the vast majority of people do manage to cruise without a safety net.

I would also ask for a supervisor if pointing out the obvious didn't work.

Or it could be the person doing the checking isn't knowledgeable about what is wine and what isn't. I read the label for some of those Margarita wines and if you fixate on the "margarita" part you overlook the fact that it is wine made from agave with no liquor in it, it's a wine cocktail. It should be allowed.

The only time they've ever looked in our carryon was when we had soda or wine in it.