ciera123

On 3/18/2023 at 4:51 PM, wdblake said:

 

Very helpful, thanks so much!!! 

1 hour ago, Duanerice1 said:

Glad you had a great time. Totally agree with Woodwind, they are the best. Just booked them again today for a fall cruise. 

 

Bonaire is one of the snorkeling capitals of the world.  I’ve been 3 times and have never been inland past the docks.  Lol.  We took Woodwind again and they delivered.  Talk about service!   From the moment you step on board they are always offering drinks from water to almost anything. They sail for about 45 min and get everyone outfitted with masks and fins.  Once we get to Kline Bonaire they split us into groups and in we go with a guide.  Our guide stopped along the way and pointed stuff out and explained what we were seeing.  We all got back on and went to the East side I think.   Same routine but the snorkeling was out of this world. The coral, the fish… amazing.  Wow is all we can say.  After we got back on the boat, they gave us a great lunch while we sailed around.   Five star treatment the whole way.  Great snorkeling, guides, food and drink.  The tour was 4 hours and was only $85pp.

 

 

On 3/18/2023 at 11:43 AM, scottca075 said:

Readily available? No. Available? Yes.

 

A lot depends on the day of the week, time of year, time of day, etc.

 

Kona only has 20,000 people in it so there are not that many cabs and Ubers, and what there are service the Kona airport, the cruise ship and the local population, so it can be very thin at times.

Thank you!

Is Uber or Lyft readily available around the port in Kailua-Kona? We’d like to go to the Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation and don’t want to bother with a car rental. 

19 hours ago, rnr4thatsme said:

When did you make your bid?   Before Feb 24?  

Yes, that is the difference I guess. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have bid with the new rules. 🫣

5 hours ago, rnr4thatsme said:

Actually, I double checked and you do need to accept the offer before you are charged.  The difference is accepting the offer triggers an automatic payment after Feb 24.   I was just wondering if everyone who received an offer was notified of the exact stateroom location in their offer.

 

 

That’s how ours worked when our bid was accepted yesterday. They gave us our new cabin number, then stated that we needed to pay within 48 hours. 

5 hours ago, Clampram said:

Congrats on the nice upgrade. We are on that cruse as well and hoping to get one of those emails since we bid on an upgrade several weeks ago. Did they give you a location of your new mini suite?

Yes they did. The letter stated that if we didn’t pay within 48 hours we would be staying in our original cabin. If we didn’t like the location they gave us on Aloha Deck 12, apparently we could have just not paid for the upgrade. We don’t care about location too much since we like the movement!! Good luck! 🍀 

We received an email today saying our upgrade was accepted, then I went online and had to pay for it within 48 hours.

We were originally on Ruby Princess for a 15-day Hawaii, San Francisco round trip, ocean-view cabin. When they changed ships to  the Royal Princess, they upgraded us to an obstructed balcony, as Royal doesn’t have ocean-views . We put in the minimum bid of  $390 per person for a mini-suite. 😊

3 hours ago, Sarahg0915 said:

@ciera123 send them a Facebook message. I reached out last week and have had near-instant responses. 

Thank you, I will do that!! 

Woodwind is the best!!!! 

On 2/7/2023 at 2:45 PM, keys24 said:

We did this excursion last 1/29/23. Great excursion! The crew is outstanding and even served a nice fresh cooked lunch with dessert. We got on a tour bus after changing and did the south end for $25. We didn’t have reservations he was just waiting for people. Taxis will also provide private tours as well. The prices are controlled and listed.

On 2/7/2023 at 2:45 PM, keys24 said:

We did this excursion last 1/29/23. Great excursion! The crew is outstanding and even served a nice fresh cooked lunch with dessert. We got on a tour bus after changing and did the south end for $25. We didn’t have reservations he was just waiting for people. Taxis will also provide private tours as well. The prices are controlled and listed.

Just wondering how long it took for them to get back to your email??? We’ve been on their snorkeling tour several times, but I haven’t heard back from them after contacting them last week. I’ll wait a few days and try again.  

21 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

I'd consider staying in Downtown Long Beach rather than near LAX, unless you are arriving late (5PM or later). LAX is a bleak area with virtually nothing to walk to and few dining choices besides those inside hotels.

 

DTLB has shopping, dining nightlife, a great aquarium and more.

We’re looking at the Hyatt Centic at Pike Outlets 1 night pre-cruise. Any opinions on that hotel and/or area? 

I’m pretty sure that water shoes mean closed toe water-proof shoes, like Keen. 

I’m so sorry this is happening, and wish you and your husband the very best!!! 

Enjoyed your post so much! Thank you for sharing your cruise!!! 

35 minutes ago, Tiggerontheseas said:

 

Correct.

Thanks so much! 

1 hour ago, Womble99 said:

No, read the T&C. If your bid is accepted your cabin is forfeit. If you do not pay for the upgrade, you may get your previous cabin back but Princess is not obliged to as you have agreed to give it up.

Understood, thank you! We would except any mini suite, we’re not picky about location. Just want to make sure that if they DON’T accept our bid, my cabin remains the same, correct? 

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

To the original poster.

You can lose the cabin you are in, and risk, again, being put back where ever they want to.  Then, if your cabin is no longer showing available, you won't be able to get it back.

 

That, to me is why we won't bid. 

I am picky about location!

Just to clarify, you would only risk losing your original cabin IF your bid is accepted and you choose not to accept, correct? 

I just checked (6:30pm Pacific time) anywhere from $55 for UberX (4 people) to $72 Uber XL (6 people). Not sure how much luggage you have with 4 people……

Uber or Lyft are most likely the most economical way. 

What a wonderful review, thank you!!! 

20 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. We embarked on 10/26 also, and now still on the ship. Will disembark on 11/14.  The current 5-day cruise also full and I was told the next 4 days cruise (11/10-11/14) also full. We double-masked all the time. Also tested ourself with the home kit every 4 days. So far we are okay, and hope will remain that way. 

Just curious as to how many are still masking? 

We have a port stop at Kona - Kailua Bay 7am-6pm on April 1, 2023,  and are looking for a recommended tour company that is close by. We’d love to do a catamaran or tour on water to see the coast, and are looking for any companies that you may have used. 

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your vacation with us! It was such a great review, and I’m sorry it's over. ❤️

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your review and all the gorgeous photos you’ve shared. Thank you so much for taking the time to post!!!!!