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I'm looking at an inside cabin (P323) that is below the casino and near the Piazza. I'm not real sensitive to noise but if the area will have excessive noise from the casino or Piazza, I may consider moving elsewhere. I love the idea of being in the location because of proximity to the Piazza as long as the noise level is reasonable. Opinions from those who have stayed in cabins here will be appreciated. Thanks!

I was upgraded to this cabin on the Star Princess in August to Alaska and thought it would be great. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I heard banging and noises all night and the DJ that was set up in the Piazza was going strong after 11 PM. :eek:

I tend to turn in earlier on Alaska cruises so this was particularly annoying! Worse sleeps I have had at sea. During the day the location was ideal - at night, not so much :mad:

I had sailed many years ago on the Grand Prince in an outside cabin (P336) and had no issues so I was caught off guard..........

Even when I have used a large on line TA the final payment date is clearly marked on the confirmation and yes it is about a week before the final payment is due to the cruise line.

It should not be a surprise :eek:

Off topic where would you say X stands out? What would you recommend to a new X cruiser, your piece of advice. What deck is better

Seems you keep coming back to the cruise line. With all the great advise and posts on Cruise Critic I suggest you step back and read as much as you can before choosing. Look carefully at the itineraries (including time in ports) and what excursions you are interested in (this can be done by visiting the ports section or the cruise line websites).

Alaska is really about what is off the ship although good naturalists and on board lectures related to Alaska are a plus.

I never recommend a RT from Seattle either. I did that trip once with friends and it is just lacking in scenery and the port time in Ketchikan was too short. Transfers or train to and from Vancouver and easy or choose a one way trip as suggested.

I have booked an inside cabin on my last 2 trips and no longer spend any more money then I have to on a cabin. That way I have extra money in the budget for the adventures that I want to do :)

Hmmm, the only good itinerary is the Sept 23 - 10 day sailing and that is too late in the season for me :(

I am in the process of booking an Alaska cruise in July 2017.

 

Both the Emerald and Ruby are sailing out of Seattle with one going to Tracy Arm Fjord and one to Glacier Bay.

 

Is one better than the other? The Emerald is going to the Tracy Arm Fjord and the cost is lower than the Ruby's itinerary.

You may also want to consider a RT sailing from Vancouver - especially since you may have reasonably priced flights within Canada. Then check out the itineraries offered by Holland America that include Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

If you still prefer flying in and out of Seattle the transfer to Vancouver relatively easy and you may really enjoy the trip via Amtrak.

Have fun choosing!

Am I reading it right, it looks like Alaska 2017 isn't part of the sale?

I was looking for that too and don't see any :(

No sense calling Princess if your booking(s) are with the TA...Princess won't talk to you. Regardless, this is not a case of "she just got bad information". It's a simple equation:

 

Non-US-flagged ships cannot legally provide transportation FROM one US city TO a different US city, unless they travel to a DISTANT foreign port in between.

 

The itinerary you've put together involves transportation from Canada to US, which is not restricted by the PVSA. The intermediate stops don't matter, only the endpoints of "transportation". You can legally assemble transport between two US cities by switching ships in the middle of your transport (thereby breaking it up into two segments, one US->elsewhere, the other elsewhere->US), or by disembarking the one ship for at least 24 hours.

I haven't booked yet! And there is no longer a problem :)

We also stayed at the Albergo Cesari based on recommendations of CC members on these boards. The location is perfect and Rome Cabs was easy to book on line too and we shared expenses with others on our roll call to and from the port - very easy to do.

Enjoy Rome!

Yea....!

Yes, it is good news :D

She shouldn't have to consult anyone. She should be able to just book it.

 

The odd thing is that she didn't figure out that the info she gave you was wrong. That would bother me.

I only asked for pricing so far and whether or not I could continue on to Seattle.

I received another update and Princess has confirmed I can book both....which we all knew already :)

I wonder if you are using the agent who took over her sister's agency when she died. She does a lot of bookings but doesn't get it if that makes sense.

No, but I remember reading about her somewhere on these boards.

I know.....

She is one of the top producing agents which many use here on CC so she definitely isn't new at this. She just got bad information since there are published itineraries between Vancouver and Seattle and early and late in the season.....

My surprise is that she didn't go higher up the ladder since this is obviously incorrect.

I will be calling Princess direct on Monday when there are supervisors available.

My TA just confirmed that I can't add the one night from Vancouver to Seattle on the end of the trip.

Bummer :(

Mom and I decided to book a last minute (cheap) cruise on the Ruby to Mexico end of January. Got an email from princess saying we got upgraded to a 100% obstructed OV. Will it be annoying staring at a lifeboat? Im guessing thats what it will be. We don't mind an inside cabin as we are rarely there and honestly thats all we have been in. Anyways, just curious on peoples view on this "upgrade." I imagine the natural light will be good. Thoughts? The cabin is R605 on the Ruby.

If you were willing to cruise in any inside cabin with no view I would think this would make you happy.

If you don't like the view just keep the curtains closed and enjoy the daylight that you get :)

The prices for 2016 are still high too and I'm waiting for the last minute pricing.

There is a new sale starting on Dec 10 that includes Alaska so check then and of course all the way up to final payment :)

If you start in Vancouver and end in Seattle, you are fine.

 

Though - I have left the ship during B2B cruises in Vancouver and it is often a mess, depending on how many ships are there that day. It wasn't the leisurely day in Vancouver. Getting back on the ship was a nightmare.

You are sailing round trip Vancouver? You can add a day to sail to Seattle. BUT- hardly worth anything unless it is real cheap? Most of the scenery is at night, and the ships are in Seattle port real early.

Looking at the 2017 Princess schedule and thought it would be great to be able to spend a day in Vancouver and re-board the ship and sail overnight to Seattle.

Anyone know if that works within the PVSA rules? My TA wasn't sure and will find out tomorrow when bookings open - so just curious.....

Bayport was an experiment that failed. Bayport does not work as a cruise port. There are too many problems. Long, expensive connections form the airport to the pier, unplanned delays in debarking and embarking, unhappy cruisers./ That is why the experiment ends in 2016.

 

We are on a Caribbean Princess cruise in January. and although we never use Princess Air or Princess transfers they were essential for this cruise as insurance to offset a complete debacle.

 

It was worth a try. It did not work.

 

I don't think the airport transfers are a problem since it is closer to IAH. The one cruise I took out of Galveston was pricey though. Renting a van and parking for 5 nights was cheaper than the transfers for 6 of us. That was a family reunion cruise so no need to repeat sailing from Texas thankfully :)

So, I booked an Alaska cruise a couple of weeks ago for June 2016. For the first time ever, I decided to use a travel agent that I found online. Do I just call the travel agent on Dec 10th and ask her about this sale? Since I've never used a travel agent before, I'm not sure how to proceed...

Yes, and they should have the information a couple of days before - regarding which sailings. :)

No change in Princess OBC combinability , same as always.

The OBC combinability thing just means if you are previously booked with a Rate Code that gives you OBC , it will be replaced by whatever this new Rate Code gives you.

You can only have 1 Rate Code for your booking.

Nothing like those restrictive RCI OBC's :mad:

 

No precise dates yet , just saying over 700 sailings.

Your TA should see the ships,dates and rates a few days before the Sale begins.

 

6-DAY WESTERN CARIBBEAN

November 2016 – April 2017

 

7-DAY MEXICO & CALIFORNIA

May – April 2017

 

7-DAY ALASKA

May – September 2016

Roundtrip Seattle

 

10-NIGHT ALASKA

LAND & SEA VACATIONS

May – September 2016

 

11-DAY SCANDINAVIA & RUSSIA

May – August 2016

 

14-DAY MEDITERRANEAN

May – September 2016

Thanks for the info. Looks like none of the one way Alaska itineraries will be included....

I'll be waiting to see what discounts come later since $1114 pp for an inside cabin to Alaska in August 2016 is just not reasonable.

For now I will keep my reservation on the Celebrity Millennium at $649 pp :D

Here is a link to a site that a Cruise Critic member has put together by ship. .

https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/

It seems a few of us have sailed in all the categories and I have been in all but a suite.

I only book inside cabins now and enjoy my time on deck :D

Enjoy your cruise!

It is true that most ships are docked where you can literally walk a few steps to the shops but....twice I have been docked at the AJ dock which is a long walk and using the shuttle is better. Some ships will tender passengers ashore too if it is a busy port day.

There are so many wonderful opportunities in Juneau that I wouldn't stay on board. I'm not sure spa services are as popular on Alaska cruises so you may find prices are about the same on a sea day or during your Victoria stop?

Any Alaska itinerary that skips Ketchikan in favor of Victoria is a really poor option IMHO.

Not to mention that you sail in open ocean for so much time out of Seattle to begin with.

In the case of the Explorer you don't get Hubbard Glacier either :(