Teechur

For us it depends on prices at the ports. In Finland, a single can of beer was $10 dollars at a liquor store near the port. 😮 We each had one beer and then went back to the ship for lunch. In reasonably priced ports, we eat off of the ship as well.

It seems to depend on the ship. For Alaska cruises from Seattle round-trip, the Emerald has a 4–5-hour window in Victoria. We are going to visit a couple of pubs downtown. The Discovery apparently only has a two-hour window. Not enough time to bother getting off of the ship.

I think it's fair to say that the food on Princess ships is better than you would get at Applebee's, Chili's, TGIF, Outback Steakhouse, etc. It isn't gourmet quality, but it is still very good. Where they have the aforementioned restaurants beat is in presentation. The dining room experience is first class even if the food is not quite. 👌

We sailed to Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and England on her in September 2023. A bit tired but perfectly serviceable. The food was good, the covered pool was nice, great library, large balconies, scooped ice cream at no extra charge, and I liked the location of the buffet. Room steward was the best one ever! (Dmetri from Ukraine.) The only downside was saggy mattresses. By the end of the cruise, 3 out of the 4 in our group had Covid. The one who didn't catch it received a booster before we traveled. I'm getting a booster tomorrow for my cruise in 45 days. 😵‍💫

T The Air Canada baggage fee is U.S. $22.00. If we pay that, what happens when our luggage is moved to the second leg on a United-owned plane? Do we pay again? 🤪 We paid extra for exit row seats. It appears that our first bag is included. I guess we won't know until we check in at the Montreal Airport. I will try to remember to come back and post what happens in each case, after the cruise. 😀

I wonder if the unnecessary sea day between Victoria and Seattle is so they can open the casino?

On the American Airlines website, it states that if you prepay the baggage fee, there is no refund even if you later upgrade to a higher priced cabin that includes free bags. United may be the same. I would take a chance and wait until at the airport. You are only risking $5.00.

OUCH!!! I'm no fan of sea days and just received notice that a port has been cancelled on our upcoming cruise, adding 1 more sea day. I can't imagine 10 days at sea with no ports and will never do any ocean crossing for that reason. You have my sympathy!

It is surprising that Vancouver to Seattle is a 3-day run. Does Princess intentionally extend the travel time? On our Alaska cruise in September, we depart Victoria one evening and arrive in Seattle the next morning.

My cruise including EZ Air was paid for with my Costco Visa Card. Only the airline upgrades were purchased with Airline credit cards. An additional wrinkle is that one flight will be on Air Canada with a United codeshare. Has anyone had this experience?

I have wondered the same thing. We are ticketed via EZ Air, and I upgraded at the American Airlines website to economy plus (main extra?), using my American Airlines Credit Card for our outbound flights from California to Fort Lauderdale. I hope to avoid the baggage fees but may not know for sure until we are at the airport. On our return flight we are booked on a United codeshare flight, (actually on an Air Canada plane) for the first leg of our journey. We upgraded the seats using my United credit card. Will we be covered? Perhaps Air Canada will charge us anyway. No one seemed to know when I called both airlines. I am curious if anyone has had this experience?

I believe they have resolved my wishes with the Sphere class. Larger showers with glass doors and no tubs, sofas, and lots of electrical outlets. Deeper balconies would be nice as well. Drop the charge for Alfredo's. It's only pizza! Lower the noise level in the piazza. I don't know if I will ever sail on a Sphere class ship though. Definitely not in one of those goofy Cabana mini suites. What a waste of space!

At first glance, my cruises appear to have dropped in price but after completing mock bookings, it becomes clear that the prices for my chosen locations have actually increased. The last-minute teaser fares offered are for the worst locations or for unassigned staterooms.

Have you asked for onboard credit in that amount? That might be a reasonable compromise. You can use the money to pay gratuities.

You didn't mention a Roomba. I bring that as well.

Paia Fish Market is also our favorite place for casual dining. Unfortunately, the Lahaina location burned in the fire so now we have to drive all the way to Paia for that treat. We also lost Kimo's which was my favorite fine dining location. Fortunately, we still have Duke's, which is a sister restaurant and #1-rated Mama's Fish House, but it is stupid-expensive. 😬 We usually only go there once a year.

Especially scooped ice cream. 👍

We were across from a laundry room on the Island Princess. No noise at all. The annoying noise was from the crew doors nearby. There was banging and talking late at night. I would take a laundry room over a crew door any day.

Now, there's a picture. 😵‍💫

I visited Leningrad, Moscow and Uzbekistan in 1984 and returned to L & M in 1986 (Sputnik Tours). Sold lots of cheap electronics to local hustlers and lived large on the proceeds. Great times and made some good friends. An amazingly strange and primitive place compared to the U.S. Visited St. Petersburg (again) in 2017 on the Regal Princess. Much improvement but still strange.

They have both types at the desk.

No one is likely to disagree with you here. I called and got a rep. in the Philippines and after about 5 minutes of him asking me questions, instead of the other way around, it seemed like he was creating a biography of me. He went over my entire itinerary, my various shore excursions, past cruises, and more. When he started to go over my future bookings I told him to stop. I only wanted the phone number for EZ Air. He wanted to sell me stuff.

On the Island last September with no IC, I asked for almond croissants in the main dining room for breakfast. They told me that it would take some time, and then the chef made some fresh for me. They were amazing and actually hot, right out of the oven. 🥰

We will do the same. I noticed that the hotels in Yokohama appear to be nicer, newer, larger rooms, and cheaper. For example: Hyatt Regency Yokohama | A Luxury Hotel in Yokohama, a port town We will probably hire a vehicle with driver and guide for an all-day loop around Tokyo. For example: 2024 Tokyo Private Driving Tour by Car or Van with Chauffeur (tripadvisor.com) Two of us have been to most of these places in the past, but Taiwan and Vietnam will be new for all four of us. ⚓

We wanted the same cruise as you. I keep checking but am not on the waitlist. The Discovery is mostly full for the first leg from Alaska to Tokyo, as well as Tokyo to Singapore. (A suite is now $34k per person.😬) I don't believe Princess will offer any more cabins for less than the entire 29-day cruise. We booked a 12-day Southeast Asia cruise on the Diamond Princess instead. It begins in Tokyo November 25, 2025, and ends in Singapore on Dec. 7th, 2025. Fewer ports/more sea days but visits the same countries. Check it out. Cruise # M535. Good luck!