Lynniepoo

As son as the "guided tour" exposed itself, I would have bailed

Will be avoiding the spa on day 1 next time. :D

The Rowboat doesn’t need any votes to prove it’s #1. If you’re ever lucky enough to come aboard you will know it’s the Best Rowboat on the Charles River in Boston. (y)

The Proud Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

Tony, don't you mean the Chahles Riva? :D

Wow. I hadn't heard that Princess had been shuffled over to HAL. DH and I have not cruised any other line except Princess, so I'm always curious as to what people say about other lines!

We were on the Regal over Christmas and while everything was generally good (and we had a wonderful time), I noticed a large uptick in rude/poopy face/"seriously unhappy and I don't care if you know it" crew. One fellow was so shockingly rude to me, on day 1 of the cruise, that I was tempted to formally complain.

I also noticed a concerted effort to try and steer us towards the high ticket items. This has always been there (and I'm sure its the same on the other lines), but we got corralled into a "guided" tour of the spa that included a mandatory stop at each station, with high pressure pitches for signing up for classes / services / super expensive stuff. Honestly, I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could go have some fun!

I don't want to make your decision more difficult....but if they still offer the horseback riding (actually in Dyea), I highly, highly recommend it. Beautiful, unspoiled countryside that pictures don't do justice for.

Good luck and enjoy, whatever you decide!! :D:D:D:D:):)

It seems like just about everyone liked the PP, but DH and I did not like it at all. For disclaimer purposes, I will say that (for the first time ever) I was seasick for a few days and that definitely put a damper on things. (Linda, wherever you are, God Bless you for the seasick medicine!)

DH and I found the ship itinerary to be very lacking. We did the Tahiti to LA cruise which had over 10 sea days, and it seemed like there was never anything going on, and we were pretty bored, to be honest. I like some down time, but when the only thing happening for days and days in a row is the same infomercials from the Spa, it gets old very quickly. The lack of a piazza also was definitely a downer.

I won't elaborate on this, (since its subjective), but DH and I also found the housekeeping on this ship to be WAY below par.

Before I get hate mail, let me say that for everyone who enjoyed the PP, I'm really happy you did. DH and I are still sailing on Princess, but we will never do a small ship experience again. We love the big ship and all the action, and even the walking around. More people to meet and more to do.

You can take the N'Ex from several main stations, such as Tokyo,

Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, even Yokohama: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/

 

There's also the Keisei Skyliner, which is faster and cheaper and goes

from Ueno: http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/index.php

 

Which you take and where you stay depends on what you want to do and

see. Ueno is good for museums, Shinjuku for the modern

vibe, Tokyo for high-end shopping, etc.

 

Take a look at Japan Guide and see what appeals to you, then work back

from that: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

thank you! This is what I needed. :)

Hello, DH and I are taking a cruise ending in Tokyo and we will be staying one day extra. The next day, we would like to take the Narita Express train to Narita airport.

Can anyone tell me a little about it in general, for example, where can you pick up the train in Tokyo and what is a good general area for a hotel with that in mind? thanks!

Hi, DH and I will be on a cruise ending in Tokyo (Yokohama). We decided to stay one extra day before leaving, and our flight is out of Narita.

Can anyone give us some advice on the best way to get to the airport? We saw that a bus and train goes there, but we will have all our luggage, and we think a taxi will be pretty expensive.

Thanks!

Could someone please explain what the Chef's Table is? We are on the Regal for a week beginning Nov 8, and have a rather large ship board credit we may want to use towards this. DH is a trained chef so we are kind of foodies (without being snobby about it). Also, can they accommodate food allergies? DH can't eat seafood.

Its a chance to have a special meal pped by the chef. They let you come back into the kitchen and see how some of the preparations are made, then you have hors d'oeuvers on a table set up in the kitchen (with a glass of champagne). Then they bring you out to a table and serve course after course after course of delicious food. If I remember correctly they have a pasta course, palate cleansing course, main course, cheese course and dessert. They serve a different type of wine with each meal. DH and I usually eat very light that day because there is more food than anyone can eat in one sitting. At the end you get a picture with the chef and maitre'd, and a cookbook of Princess recipes. It's a fun time and if you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend it.

A couple of weeks ago I found a deal on the Princess website that was too good to pass up and I booked it right then and there. I used my FCC to hold my room and a one hundred dollar deposit was required for the person traveling with me. Then this week I called Princess and asked if they would transfer the booking to my TA. The representative said that since I had already made a deposit I would have to send an email in to the princess revenue department requesting that the booking get transferred. I sent the email asking them to move the booking and am still waiting to hear whether they will...

 

My question for those of you who have transferred a booking to your TA does this sound right or should I call and see if a different rep can do it on the phone? My TA said she had never heard of having to put the request in writing before... thoughts?

I switched from one TA to another and had to follow the same procedure.

OP,

 

In addition to the excellent advice you have received, here are my suggestions:

 

1. Check the seats on any option you consider on seatguru.com. To give you an example: Emirates economy is 31 inches in pitch and 17 inches across, while Qatar is 32-32 inches in pitch and 19 inches across. Both airlines would take you to Singapore, but one is more comfortable than the other, particularly on a very long flight.

 

2. In addition to all the options offered by other posters, check out flights from Houston's IAH. Korean, All Nippon (ANA) and EVA have recently added routes to that airport. All are excellent and EVA will begin to fly its Hello Kitty plane from IAH later this year -- look up the photos online, it's a riot! Cathay Pacific and United also fly Transpacific routes from Houston, so there's competition and availability. And it's only a short flight from Charlotte.

 

3. Arrive a couple of days before your cruise so that you can be sure to be there when the ship sails and you can see a bit of Singapore. I like to do my own, but because we knew our brains were going to be fried from all of the hours on the plane, we took a standard half day tour (offered on Viator) and let someone take us to the important sights in town without having to even look at a hop on hop off bus schedule. That was a great decision. We also took the nighttime tour to Chinatown and the Quays, which was fabulous, and visited the Gardens by the Bay by ourselves the next day, before boarding our ship.

 

4. Consider getting a Thermarest seat for the plane -- we got the regular square seat, which looks a bit big, but there's also one for planes but that one has velcro. You only need to blow it up a little bit. It will make getting up to stretch and take a little walk easier.

 

5. Consider stopping halfway if you have the time. Last time, we chose a 26-hour layover in Tokyo instead of the regular 2-hour layover (between flights that were 14 hour and 7.5 hour long). Went into the city, visited a couple of our favorite spots, and started to feel sleepy by the time we boarded our 6pm flight to Singapore. In a previous trip, we chose to spend a day in Doha, Qatar, before facing the 14-hour flight home.

 

6. If you fly on United (which was not as bad as we expected), consider the Economy Plus seats for the longest segments. If you are not platinum or silver, pay for the Economy Plus fees when you book. These will go up as the departure date approaches and the plane fills up.

 

7. Consider sitting in the back of the plane. This increases your chances of getting an empty seat next to you. Or two.

 

Have a fantastic trip!

Thanks! Stopping somewhere in the middle is a great idea. I hadn't really thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense!

We definitely plan to get into Singapore early so we can see the sights. DH and I feel that we may never get to a place again, so we make the most of it while we are there. Who can say what the future holds?

PS - googled the Hello Kitty plane - what a riot!

Still too early to price out best flight options & prices to Singarpore & return from Tokyo for April 2016, wait until May or about 11+ months out (or, with the help of your preferred TA/experienced frequent flyer, etc.) or web surfing on the major/popular sites, and, directly on your "short" list of airline websites. You are basically looking at 2 one-way trips, outbound with a (possible) stopover @ LAX.

Flights to/from Asia actually don't fly "westward" across the Pacific, they fly north in what's called the "polar"routes near the North Pole, hugging the Canadian landscape before coming back down toward Japan, Beijing, Hong Kong, etc. toward Singarpore - depending on prevailing wind & weather patterns, etc. - on the return, it's generally closer toward the Alaska coast & down thru Canada airspace to reach either the West or East Coast. Whether you are flying from the East or West Coast or out of O'Hare, it's basically 15 to 16 hours sitting nearly upright in the "main" cabin.

I see one exception, Singarpore will ticket you with its partner, JetBlue to NY's JFK's Terminal 5, switch to Terminal 1 with several hours layover, flyonward on A380 (AirBus jumbo double-decker) non-stop to Frankfort, Germany and then non-stop to Singarpore, and the one-way fare is currently priced about $850 p/p for late April 2015 (cannot get a quote for 2016 yet) - travelers around the world ranked Singarpore Air as among the best / No. 1 carrier and it has an excellent safety record, in-flight & customer services being the best. There's ample time between flights in case of minor delays and the airline will be responsible for the connections if you are delayed when ticketed together.

If you connect via LAX, Eva Air has the lowest fare now with the LAX-TPE nonstop (Taipei) and connect to SIN non-stop (another 4 hours.) Surprisingly, Singarpore Air is only slightly more with a brief stopover/connection thru Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is much higher (by $150 USD one-way) nonstop to HK and connect to SIN. US carriers pricing is much higher & given a choice, we don't deal with UA, AA, DL, etc. with international flights. Most of these flights depart around 1 AM (out of JFK, LAX and also from SFO) so it's possible to not travel a day ahead for an extended layover - not much to do @LAX unless you have family/friends or other sights to see. SFO sometimes run into problems & delays with fogs, usually in the morning but ... (LAX, not so much & better)

If you don't travel much on these TPAC flights, might want to consider arriving 2 or 3 days earlier, to adjust to major time zone changes & resulting jetlag - will be "worst" on the return home afterward. With upwards of 30 hours and 2 stops en route, will be tired after landing & worst if you spend the next 2 to 4 days sleeping on a cruise as the body is fighting jetlag. Ease yourself gradually after arrival, rest and see that city, then, transition to the cruise - that would be the strategy we adopt ... ;)

*

On the return, NRT to CLT - that looked to a "challenge" in coming up with good prices what a quickie search, apart from Air Canada's pricing & connections. These are tasks that we would likely ring up our reliable local TA knowledgeable about TPAC travel & have them work up a good set of prices and bundle it together.

This is great information, thank you. I had no idea that the flight would actually head north instead of west, so this makes the layovers in Chicago make much more sense. We also try to avoid American airlines if we can, but we will check out Singapore Airlines for sure.

On the way back, to be honest, I'm much less picky, so we'll just see what becomes available. We definitely want to stay an extra day in Tokyo before we fly out, so we'll see what happens!

Thank you to all! Our primary consideration is price, but we are willing to spend a little extra to have some comfort on such a long trip. We also would like to avoid O'Hare at all costs, as I've heard enough horror stories that I get nervous just thinking about it!! Honestly, not too crazy about having to go to JFK either, because I hate going due North to go due West! :p

I have also heard great things about Cathay Pacific but I will also check out Singapore Air. US Air has direct flights to LAX from CLT, so an option might be to fly to LAX the day before and stay at a hotel, then fly to Singapore from there. We do plan to get there one day before so we can have a little time to see it and/or cushion for delays, etc.

Somewhere around $600 - $1200 pp was what I figured the cost was going to be, depending on what airline and how good of a deal we can get, and now we will keep our eyes open!

Hi All

DH and I are sailing on our first Asian cruise next April (2016). I know its early, but I want to get the jump on the best airlines and flight prices as possible. Does anyone have recommendations on airlines they had a good experience with and (generally speaking) what average flight costs are? We are flying from Charlotte to Singapore and then from Tokyo back to Charlotte.

Thanks!!

Thanks again to everyone! I understand now. the 2 for 1 was the already discounted price per person, most likely including an allowance for airfare. I emailed my TA and asked him what he could quote and we will see.

I got very seasick the one time I went on a smaller ship, so that will be a consideration. But I feel much more knowledgeable!! :D

Hi,

 

From a Princess regular (23 of my 38 cruises have been on Princess) we are trying Oceania for the first time next month. Not sure what itinerary you were looking at, but there are some phenomenal deals running in March for the Caribbean, I have been getting emails from several online agencies (which are true 2 for 1 deals!)

Thanks Wendy! I don't want to ruin any plans you might be looking forward to, but be careful of chikungunya and dengue fever, which was on the rise in the Caribbean. You can check the CDC or WHO website for more info and I hope this doesn't ruin things for you!!! :(

As for us, we were looking at a 12 day Alaska in June.

Thank you all to your posts, both positive and negative!

I know no cruise line is perfect and all have their plusses and minuses. From what I'm reading, we might represent a younger demographic than Oceania usually has, but that's okay with us.

We like to be active and do things but generally go to bed fairly early and rise fairly early, so the shows are not a huge concern as long as there is stuff to do while onboard! No constant selling is definitely a plus. We have grown weary of the constant barrage of soda sales, coffee sales, liquor sales, jewelry sales, etc. etc. etc. on Princess. (We have found a polite way to say "no" with predjudice after so many sailings!).

The 2 in 1 being not as they are describing is worrisome. A 12 day cruise I was looking at was over 4K per person - that's astronomical IMO, but reasonable for 2 ship fares.

We also love food, not exactly foodies, but I love to try new cuisines and new flavors. From what I heard, I think the choices of food would be fine for us.

As for people, I have to say that I've met extremely rude ones and extremely nice ones (and everywhere in between) on Princess sailings, so I'm too worried about the people on the ship. DH and I would have fun regardless.

If anyone wouldn't mind, could you give us more details on how the 2 in 1 works if it's really not 2 in 1?

And thanks again, for all the feedback!! :D

DH and I received an email offering us a 2 for the price of 1 cruisefare with airfare included. We've never cruised on Oceania before, but are really interested in this type of deal (of course!).

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between an Oceania cruise and Princess? Princess is the only line we've been on to date. Thanks!!:D

I appreciate fully what the op is saying about vibrating sounds in the walls of the cabin, based on a previous cruise of mine.

 

If you had been submitted to this tortuous noise anytime of the day/night 24/7 I would guess that 25% wouldn't be enough for you either.

I agree. People take cruises to relax and pay good money to do so. To be denied a shower (or even washing your face and hands) and sleep would be one thing, but to have to prove your case to the ship staff would move it to a new level for me. Definitely write a letter, and be specific about what will satisfy you, like mentioned above. Good luck!

It's water hammer. Had it on the Crown. They knew what it was and looked us in the face and flat out lied.

 

Hubby made a bed in the atrium until they changed our cabin.

 

Write a letter.

LOVE this! I'll bet they changed it quick!! :D

I did read some of the reviews before I booked this cruise.. and to be honest it would not have stopped me from trying Princess..and I am glad I did .. cause it was the one that was missing from my list..Please don't think there were not come good things this cruise line does.. like I said they have excursions down to a science.

Our room was spotless at all times. ..sometimes you have a room where it just feels not so clean from the start.

 

And we loved the tv set up.. a nice big tv right in front of the bed... And there are tons of GOOD movies to pick from!

 

The fellow passengers were beyond friendly! There seemed to be a lot from the South..

We southerners pride ourselves on our good manners! ;)

I agree that maybe you should try a different Princess ship. DH and I especially loved the Ruby.

As for staff, we too have had a mix of happy and grumpy over the years...but doesn't that apply to every service industry? We've only sailed Princess, but I would think every cruise line would have some type of similar problem. (For others who have sailed on other lines, please don't flame me over this!)

Once a cruise.

I believe the longer the cruise (or perhaps the bigger the ship), the more they will schedule.

we have done chef's table and agree with everyone previously - well worth the money! As soon as you get to your room, throw your bags down and call the dine line to ask for Chef's table. They will let you know in a few days if you've been selected for it (usually first come first serve, but I've heard it's at the Maitre'd's discretion).

Eat light the whole day and prepare for a feast and wine with every course! We also had our pictures taken and we got a beautiful hardcover book of recipes signed by the Matire'd and the Chef.

We have sailed RCI, HAL, and Carnival and the best food we have had was on the Carnival Liberty. From the main dining room, the hand tossed pizza, the Blue Iguana cafe, and the premium steak house, everything was delicious. We were with friends who are very experienced cruisers and they were a little very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Carnival isn't for everyone, but their food, for us, has always been good. We are sailing on Princess in three weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Coral has to offer!

 

 

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We also loved the Coral! Sailed on her through the Panama Canal. Hope you enjoy!

The PP's laundry room occupies the space an interior cabin might. There are I believe eight washers, and eight dryers, with the dryers over the washers. Two ironing boards, and a vending machine for supplies (before I became Elite, I always brought detergent pods and fabric softener sheets onto the ship). It can get crowded in there, especially since sometimes you see husbands in there who are doing nothing as wife irons or so forth. Others stare in fascination as the dryer counts down from 0:05 rather than glancing at watch and coming back in a few. Good people, seeing how many can fit in a telephone booth went out with the telephone booth.

 

The room opens in theory at 8 am but that's a little hypothetical. I once arrived at 7:55 to find the room open and all machines in use. Make sure you are putting the quarters in the right coin slot, easy to get burned that way.

 

It's good to be Elite ...

We will have just attained Platinum status when we arrive on the Pacific Princess, so we will still need the laundry room for a long time! :( But we also pack some laundry pods and dryer sheets. If I'm really on it, I bring a few rolls of quarters too.