aikensbest

You are confused. How can you be Elite if this is your first Princess cruise? Or are you referring to being in a suite?

We did not have a suite on HAL, but had two stewards. Not sure why as we had trouble finding either one of the two most of the time. Always had one on Princess even when we were in a suite.

I would like to see:

 

Partial Panama Canal R/T out of Fort Lauderdale/Miami. (Even RCL doesn't do this anymore).

 

R/T to Bermuda from Fort Lauderdale/Miami. Preferred months of April or May. (not hurricane season).

 

R/T New England (including Quebec overnight) in the Spring, not just the Fall.

 

R/T out of West Coast 25-30 days, Hawaii/Polynesian islands. (Holland does it, but I will not cruise them).

If you want a round trip from florida to the Panama Canal..use Princess. They have two ships designed for the Panama Canal (Island & Coral) and offer a great cruise for this.

Also for Hawaii?Polynesian islands via Princess.

All cabins will show OBC if you are a returning passenger.

Priority is given to new passengers in order to hook em and reel em in. :(

I really can't agree with this. I had been on 9 cruises with Princess before being offered an upsell on a cruise to Hawaii. It was for a window suite an we accepted and enjoyed.

For too many of us the ten day itinerary (as interesting as it is) is not an option. The seven day itineraries are booooring. Time to shake them up.

What would you add or subtract? There are only so many islands you can reach from Fl. with a 7 day cruise.

Until a couple years ago those of us ex military in the U.S. also had to apply each time. To me that is small effort to receive such a great benefit.

I am glad Princess did not remove the option of paying at the end of the cruise for tours. I know there are people who book and then cancel before the tour, creating a slight mess for those who may be wait listed, but for me the most irritating thing on some cruise lines is having to pay for tours before i cruise. It's like paying before I eat at a restaurant, or paying for my groceries before I go shopping.

When I want to book a cruise, Princess is usually the SECOND line I check after Celebrity. They're very similar, X doing some things better and Princess doing others better. But at the end of the day when I add up service, ships, food, entertainment, price, amenities, Celebrity usually edges Princess out overall.

 

Service: Slightly to Celebrity

Cabins: I find Celebrity to be roomier

Ships (layout and decor): Celebrity

Food: almost a wash depending on the ship. If you take away the IC or Alfredos.. then Celebrity would win by quite a bit.

Entertainment: Princess, day and evening.

Price: it could go either way

Amenities: close but probably to Celebrity

Shoreside customer service: Princess

I happen to really enjoy the British Captains on Princess.

Celebrity Captains are mostly very approachable and visible, some a lot more than others.

I find service almost identical.

Cabins..much more storage on Princess and better closets

Princess..OBC for ex military (only 2 years or more), OBC for carnival stock,

free internet pkg. after a few cruises, and allow TA.s to discount, don't have to pay for gratuities in advance of cruise, and the same is true for excursions.

As to the ships themselves...toss up

Your selection criteria for AK should be

 

1) Itinerary

2) Port arrival and departure times

3) Length of time in port

4) ship

 

Note that ship is last.

 

DON

I would add cruise line. Princess has a number of great cruises to Alaska.

I'm wondering if Sabatini's would have one waiting for you if you asked?????:rolleyes:

Sorry to disappoint,but no!

Room service can deliver pre-purchased wine to your cabin.

Thanks, appreciate the info

It should be tagged when delivered to your cabin & if not contact room service to have it marked. I have only preordered a couple of things & had a card in my cabin upon boarding to show my purchase. If that's the situation you may be able to bring the card to the dining room instead of being delivered to your cabin & carrying it there. I bring my card showing the wine my TA gives us to the dining room to redeem it.

We have no interest in having a gift pkg. being delivered to the dining room..we generally eat in the buffet...but will they deliver the gift pkg wine to your stateroom I have heard you have to pick it up in the dining room. Sure would appreciate clarification.

what type of cabin? inside, balcony, suite, etc?

We have cruised on both lines and find them very similar in most ways. Food is subjective so I never try to rate that ( learned that if it is too salty or whatever inform the staff and in the future it will be to your liking). Each line has different classifications for cabins. Princess has better storage, and if a mini suite all else becomes equal. For us the itinerary is the most important and additionally the perks. Example, Princess TA.s can discount, previous military service gives you additional monetary benefits. Celebrity has drink pkgs, etc, but benefits are not combineable.

We have found ship personnel to be great on both lines and either line will satisfy whatever you are looking for in a cruise.

Enjoy!

personally when going to Alaska there are two lines I would consider. First choice Princess and 2nd HAL. Their itineraries and amenties outdo any other lines for Alaska. I have been on both and you won't be disappointed with either. Celebrity is a great line, but not best for Alaska

Handicapped is not a phrase indicating someone is not functional or unable to live a very productive life. I have two relatives that are handicapped in that they are either unable to walk without a cane or a walker. We consider that handicapped as they require assistance beyond the norm. It is not a derogatory comment in any way, merely a statement they need the assistance mentioned above.

Since the island is owned and maintained by the cruise line I doubt if there would be any port fee.

Smoking policy will always remain an issue with some passengers, but I personally don't believe anyone has quit cruising because of it. I remember a cruise to the Panama Canal the balcony next to us had 3 dedicated smokers and we were truly unable to use our balcony. I also remember that when the city I live in went non smoking in ALL retail establishments people said the bars, etc. would go out of business. Nope! All still open. There are places for smokers on every ship so shouldn't be a major problem for anyone.

We took a cruise in the spring on Celebrity and quickly came back home to Princess. Paying my tips up front because I eat in Anytime,pre paying for all trips via the cruise line is just not in the cards for me. I do not understand why people put up with this. I don't pay for my car, my groceries, my gas, etc. in advance, why should I "loan" my savings to a cruise line?

I spend little time in the hallway, just heading for an elevator, but gosh I see carts in the hallways in motels...does that mean i need to change motels?

I love to cruise and regardless of the line I am on, cannot say I pay attention to the carts, except it is an opportunity to say Hi to the hard working stewards.

E cigarets have no odor, BUT there is nicotine in the smoke they emit.

I love Princess, but did take a cruise this year on Celebrity(for the itinerary) and they prohibit smoking even in the casino. First time in years I gambled on a cruise.

Unless you get a handicap room, you will find this in all cabins or all ships.

We always leave a tip, unless we are very unhappy with a tour (not often), but generally on tours that we pay $40 to $60 we leave $5. Double if tour price is double . Recently on a roll call folks joining a tour costing about $60 the participants were advised to bring money for a tip, and suggested strongly it should be at least $10 per person.

Any suggestions? I feel this is too much, but certainly glad to pay what most folks feel is right.

#1 Alaska

#2 Hawaii

#3 Alaska (yep, over and over again

Actually with 17 cruises so far have never found one that was not exciting and rewarding. Truly enjoyed each and everyone.