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Are you also watching out for "fireworks" from North Korea?

I'm not sure I understand what happened? You did not receive information about check in times? Did you use the Medallion App to get an arrival time? Did you look at your booking invoice? It gives departure time. Where were you coming from? It looks like you were driving to the port. Did you have a travel agent? Did you call the ship/port/enroute number to let them know you were on your way? Usually the cut off time is around 2-3 PM on embarkation day. I'm not faulting you. I'm sorry you missed your ship, especially if this was your first cruise.

That's a little too close for comfort. Malama Pono @LACruiser88

A couple of misinformation: Any one can book Specialty Restaurants pre-cruise. Being Platinum or Elite or in a suite does not matter. Many have complained that the Premier Beverage Package with 2 complimentary dinners a Specialty Restaurants has its challenges. Technically, you were able to book it the last time because you were on board the ship. As with many things Princess does, it does not always think things through. They are selling the Premier Package with two dinners. There is a "glitz" in the app that will charge your for the dinners if reserved pre-cruise. The catch 22 is that if you want to reserve once onboard, there may not be open reservations (duh...Princess just gave away 2 free dinners times number of packages). The Crown Grill has been notorious when it comes to filling up and not having enough spaces for all that want to dine there. Not the optimum sales pitch: Buy the package, but we may not be able to fulfill offers..

Need a little more information: Time of year? Do you have Princess Transfers? I have not heard good things about Heathrow lately. Good Luck.

Just for clarification. I only looked, didn't use. The Thermal Suites are in the front of the ship near the Lotus Spa. I could "see" hot stone beds and saunas. It looked like you needed to go down some stairs to see/use the pool (not the sanctuary pool). Attendant would not allow me access without making a purchase. The Izumi is located aft. They have smaller rooms for male/female. They do have a schedule for clothing optional and clothed. The public Izumi is out in the open and clothed only. They are not the same.

You've ruled out a lot of Asian foods. There are always hot pots, lots of udon, a few Ramen places. Do you eat sushi or sashimi? Then there is always teriyaki (not katsu).

Lei making activities sponsored by the Cruise Director Staff are free. Generally, tickets are given out for selected times (Sabatini's). There will be ribbon leis on the way over and fresh orchid leis on the way back (sort of...actually there is only enough flowers to make half a lei). Leialoha (on the Emerald now and Ruby later) will have a small charge for supplies for her other leis (Kukui nut, yarn, crochet, etc).

If, I can remember, the line was to get off the ship (immigration into Korea). The market was fun. Yes, walk and see first. It was tangerine season. I was able to taste a few different varieties. They were really good. You can bring them back to the ship. But they spoil very quickly. If you are into Kim Chee, there are so many varieties. They have a version of Korean Fried Chicken. Very tasty. Could not find anyone to cook the fresh abalone. I was looking for "omiyage" that would not break the bank. Found small packages of dried tangerine covered with chocolate. Should have bought more to give away.

Didn't want to hijack @Ken the cruiser any more than I have. So will add this Mochi link to my thread. https://www.cnn.com/wbd/10-ways-you-can-eat-mochi/index.html

Important information, thank you. Also, be sure to close your Casino account by the last night the casino will be open and take all of your "winnings". It will NOT roll over. I thought it was most interesting that there were many days the casino was NOT open due to not being far enough out into International Waters.

My "best" Alaskan cruise was on the Coral Princess. LA to Vancouver to Whittier to Vancouver with 2 beautiful clear days in Glacier Bay. Too bad I had to fly home from Vancouver. Second best was on the Grand from LA to Alaska to LA. I do feel for those on the Ruby with a abbreviated Alaskan Cruise. I thought the compensation was generous. Reminds me of the Grand Princess to Hawaii in December 2015. She had a small contained fire outside of Hilo Bay. Was not allowed to port. She limped to HNL where she sat for 3 days. One port cruise. Those that decided to get off were put up in a hotel and flown home with 100% refund. Those that decided to ride her back to California got 100% returned and a free cruise. The Cruise Director and his staff did a remarkable job of keeping them entertained. Best part was the empty ship! I'll take any one of those redirected cruises. I am sure Princess/Coast Guard would not allow her to sail if she were not sea worthy.

To be honest, I can't remember each port. They sort of all blended together. I had to look up the city. We took a shuttle from the port to a drop off point near the Ferry Building (for the ferry to the Sakurajima/volcano). Many passengers (2 or more) chose to take a taxi from the ship to town. I don't see why you couldn't take a taxi to Shiroyama Park. Japan seems to have taxis waiting at local tourist areas. Taxi's can be expensive. We walked from the parking lot drop off to a large mall. Near the mall were trams but I don't know where they went. Be adventurous. Just give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship if you get lost. By the way, If you are familiar with 7 Eleven stores in the US (Hawaii), they are owned by the Japanese.

If passengers wanted maximum time in ports, they should have chosen a one way Vancouver/ Whittier itinerary. Minimum amount of sea time. Seattle requires sea time to get to first port/and return San Francisco requires a couple of sea DAYs to get to their first port/and return. They gave up itinerary for convenience, air fare, and for more days on the Ruby. If Princess offered a ride on the Grand Princess from San Pedro, I would have jumped on the opportunity. Forget the ports. Love the ship and sea days. But, alas, I am in the minority.

I am "oldER" school and prefer the previously known Traditional Dining. I really wish Princess would return at least one MDR to this concept. In the meantime, I am either in Reserve Dining or have manipulated the system so that I have a modified Traditional Dining reservation. It is complicated and requires some serious moves. I, for one, and finding it more stressful to cruise than ever. I miss the "good ole days" when cruising was so simple.

A Japanese breakfast is offered. A few pseudo Japanese dishes are available on the dinner menu. No Korean dishes that I was aware of. If you truly are looking for authentic Japanese fare, it would be best to have lunch off the ship. Plenty of sushi, sashimi, and tempura off the ship. Kai is the Diamond's onboard sushi bar. It is open on sea days for lunch and in the evenings. I never saw many people inside. The menu offerings were expensive (compared to off ship).

Princess does not use the phone Medallion Class app as a key card either. The Medallion opens the cabin door. You really do not need a smart phone. You do not need the Medallion Class app on the phone to complete your registration. You can do it all by computer then go to the pier and complete the rest (passport, credit card, pick up medallion, etc). The Medallion Class app is just a "convenience" for those who want to compete everything before arriving at the ship.

That was my sentiment too. But it was a requirement to test in order to visit a friend in a nursing home. Being positive meant that I could have infected some very vulnerable residents. I test regularly before and after any trip. I’m not saying that everyone should do as I do. This is just what I do.

Izumi outdoor bath is definitely aft. It's that round wooden structure above Deck 14.

I will admit the frustrations and glitchiness of the app when it first was launched. I have been on 5 cruises since the pandemic. I rarely have had any issues with the app. If I did, I'd wait an hour and try again. Usually fixes itself (latest was "lost" green lane). I've used it ONCE, to order a bottle of water in the Piazza. No problems. I use it all the time to crew chat (faster than standing in line/gives me something to screen shot). I use it to find friends. As others have said, you can do some stuff on their web base app. Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread? No. Does it work: most of the time. Will it work when you need it? Who knows. Too many are expecting miracles from JP's marvelous toy.

Thanks @Ken the cruiser for such prompt responses from your loyal followers. Enjoying your shares.

IF...you booked a Princess hotel, you will be provided a transfer to Southhampton before your cruise. Otherwise, you will need to find a hotel near Heathrow and request a Princess Transfer the day of.

@Ken the cruiser These numbers seem to be the running score. I had expected more Japanese Nationals onboard. I was shocked to see that there were more passengers from Hawaii than from Japan on my cruise. USA - 1,154 Japan - 483 Australia - 253 Canada - 163 UK - 150

My brother runs a restaurant. He is in contact with many people a day. Just lucky, I guess. Others have been living life normally. Grandson avoided covid when everyone else in his family got it. I will agree, that most everyone has had covid. A while back, the news reported 25% did not get it. I'm sure that number is now smaller. Sister just returned from a visit with her family. Avoided COVID for 3 years. Came home with covid. I took a Rapid Test to visit a friend in a nursing home. Came back negative. But testing site also do a PCR. Came back positive. Absolutely no symptoms. I would never have known. Antibodies test came back with a very high number. Yup. I had covid. Don't know how I caught it since I didn't go anywhere during the height of the pandemic. But getting back to the OP. I do know that cruises over 7 days will have more "reported" cases of Covid. I'm sorry that OP got covid. I've been on many long cruises without getting Covid. But then again, I mask, I am vaccinated, I wash my hands, I avoid crowds and elevators, and I travel with insurance. Trying to keep everything on my side.

I know of, at least, 4 of my immediate family members who have not had covid yet.