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"We" are back to covid being reported on longer cruises. Both Panama Canal and Hawaii are 2 week cruises. A lot of incubation during those days. I am expecting that the one week cruise to San Francisco will have b2b passengers who were exposed to Covid... Covid has mutated to a lessor illness, but it still can be harmful for those at risk. I hope all passengers are looking out for themselves and those around them.

I am one of the very few who have not taken the train in Skagway. I have made reservations with the National Park and taken several walking tours (free but $1 reservation fee). I have taken several tours with Dyea Dave, but he has since passed and it doesn't look like the company is in business/open. I have watched the train come and go. That was enough for me. I have been up to the Yukon (passport required). I have walked the town but have yet to do the Skagway Theater. And, outside of Glacier Bay, this is my favorite town. I have walked Creek Street in Ketchikan and followed the river all the way up to the Salmon spawning grounds. There are lots of excursions to choose from. Enjoy your time watching the scenery. That is what Alaska is all about. Fly into Vancouver a couple of days earlier and enjoy the city. I stayed at the Pan Pacific, pricey but well worth the experience. No one has mentioned Alfredo's Pizza in the Piazza. Free made to order sit down restaurant. Not as elaborate as on the Royal Class ship, but a nice alternative. The International Cafe has quick bites and desserts if your cabin is closer to Deck 5 than the Buffet on Deck 14. The Grand is one of my favorite ships.

Here's a thought. Everyone should cancel their medallion order and ask for pick up at the port. Considering this only impacts those in the United States...It will only put a small dent in their system. BUT...From my understanding, it is the ship that is cranking them out for day of Embarkation. Maybe Princess will have a small revelation that their charging for shipment (and maybe reimbursement from Customer Service onboard), they will rethink this AWFUL decision to charge for shipping. GO FOR IT!

Hope you have a refundable deposit. Not sure how it works if you rebook and just move your FCD over.

How sold out were your cruises? With days/hours to go, ship is full, no denied, but no accepted bid, I've kind of resigned myself to staying in my original cabin. Friend of mine booked a last minute cruise (OceanView/guarantee). Just assigned cabin less than a week out. Pretty nice way forward "obstructed" view with no obstruction except for the forward walkway in front of his window. I'm not a gambler. I was hoping...but not relying on Princess to come through for me. Happy where I am. I wonder what the percentage of accepted bids there are.

Well scratch all the below: https://www.princess.com/html/global/cc/referral-reward/faq.html Needs to be 21 years or older. Left in place in case anyone else wanted to know about referral program. BUT...you can do a referral (I think) for the 3 kids. IF...they do not have a captain circle number IF...they have not sailed with Princess IF...they have not had any contact with Princess IF...they are referred before booking first cruise. They (and you) will get $25 OBC for the referral.

Thank you for posting this. Unfortunately, it looks like only the Emerald, Enchanted, and Island.

@mamamusings Please join our roll call for Meet and Greet information. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2882341-may-20-2023-emerald-princess-california-coastal/page/5/

With the change to Dine My Way, it is almost impossible to dine and theater. Say a 2 hour dinner is @ 7:30. You will miss the first show (or leave early). Then you be unable to find seats at the 9:30 show. At least with Tradition Dining, you would have had a chance at one show…especially if they had 2 theaters working. 3 shows definitively allowed for everyone to be in the theater. I do not recall how many seats…I’m sure one one will post. No way to fit everyone on a Royal Class ship, maybe not even with 3 show.

@mthomp5 you can cancel your order then create a new order to pick up at port. I am not sure they charge you now or when it is shipped.

Princess “used to” have 3 production shows a night. I heard that they cut back to “save” the entertainers. Then they cut the shows to 30 minutes with only two shows. Building larger ships (capacity) while keeping the Princess Theater the same size didn’t help the crowding. Then, in their wisdom, they removed the aft theater. It was used for visiting entertainers second performances. That often relieved the crowds since passengers were able to have choices. It was timed so one could actually go from one theater to the next. Princess was able to spotlight some of their crew by having them do special nights in the aft theater. Princess had a good thing going, but really went the wrong direction. Don’t even get me started me started on giving the smaller/older ships new production shows. The Grand Princess has had the same shows for over 5 years. All the new show go to the Royal class ships.

You haven't joined our Meet and Greet yet. Time is running out if you want a printed name tag. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2882341-may-20-2023-emerald-princess-california-coastal/page/5/

@nini I also book my cruises way back (when they first come out). I ordered my medallion when I read that the price of Princess Plus was going up (Feb 2023?). I was not charged for the two cruises I had without the beverage package. I was not charged for the two cruises ahead. Did you try to finish the order? I would get a new TA. I am sure (with documentation) you will be able to get your $10 while on board (as maybe...sorry...non-refundable OBC). So much more paper work for Princess. Was it worth it? NO !

Be sure to wait for confirmation by email. I have done it both ways: via app/in person. I much prefer to hand paper to person (I don't know who will do this now that they are consolidating departments).

You can order Hot Chocolate in the MDR for breakfast (free).

July is hurricane season. Most hurricanes come in from East to West. A few of them make it to Hawaii Island. A few make it to Kauai (1982/1992). Most of the winter storms come up from the South (or West to East). Kauai is a very tricky navigational port. If there is any wind/weather, the ship/pilot/captain will not try to dock. Fascinating to watch the tight S turn to get the bow facing the entrance to the harbor.

Mac Nut Pie? Are you referring to Duke's Hula Pie? There's a Dukes in Kauai near the ship.

These drinks from the IC are charged to your folio. They are not free unless you have a beverage package.

@californiagirl has some very sound advice. You will need to get yourself from Nawiliwili Harbor to Lihue airport to pick up your rental. I am not sure if the rental agencies are running shuttles. Also keep in mind that any car rented from any airport has a nice fee attached to it. The Right Slice is a great recommendation. They used to have bites too. You are going the opposite of Lihue to Waimea. You will miss an opportunity to get authentic saimin (not ramen) from Hamura's. Their lilikoi chiffon pie is so much better than anything at the Right Slice. If memory serves me, Koloa Rum is on the way to Waimea....maybe you should do this on the way back (lol). https://koloarum.com/tasting-room/ There's lots to see on the South end of Kauai. But give yourself plenty of time to make it back to the airport to return your car. Head for Waimea first. Once you are down at sea level, you will be more relaxed with your time restrictions. There are no freeways on Kauai (highways, yes). There are no roads that goes completely around any of the islands. And traffic in Honolulu is a nightmare.

My TA has applied one of my FCDs to my cabin mate's reservation as a (reduced) deposit. Cabin mate received NO OBC (and I don't get twice as much). You can apply as many FCDs as you want to your booking, with only the first one granting you OBC. With the new one year expiration date, it may be a good way to use up your FCDs. I prefer to have many in my CC "bank". It's already paid for, so why not use them up?

What? You want Princess to not have the same name. Need I list all of the "similar" names Princess uses (starting with mini-suite....).

Current policy is that they charge you immediately after the assignment. No going back to what you had. Others have said you can "look" at other locations that match your category and "maybe" move.

Which ports? This is Princess' verbiage in the Patter: Arrival: xx am All Aboard: xx pm "We know you're excited to start exploring in port - so are we! - but wait until we announce that the gangways are open to head that way. We promise we'll disembark just as soon as we can!" The ship will need to clear customs and border patrol at its first port. Usually, Hilo is the first port. Unless there is something unusual happening, all clear is about an hour to 90 minutes after arriving in port. Check Princess excursions for time of first excursion. That is a good frame of reference. Hilo and Nawiliwili are day time ports. They have to leave by a designated time. Honolulu is a very late port (10:30 ish). Lahaina has a little more give (in case tenders are late). Princess excursions have first dibs on the tenders unless they run them independently. Some have reported that it takes a while to get off the ship. Getting back to the ship is another headache.

Can this also be done on a Mac (sorry)......I wish I took a screenshot on my (i)Phone. I was lucky, I guessed right and didn't knock anyone off. Is there a way to actually place names on the descriptive tags? I only saw "generic".

Yes, you may share your devices with friends not in your cabin. The only drawback is a "fifth" device will kick one of the 4 other devices off...randomly. I shared my plan with my sister. I could not tell by what was displayed on the screen, which devices were connected since they are not named. We had 2 iPhones, 2 computers, and 1 iPad.