gingera

So, let's say I come on board with three bottles of wine for a 7-night cruise, willingly pay the corkage on the extra two (I'm by myself) and somehow only consume two of the bottles (a shocking thought I know!) Would there be a way to have the corkage on bottle three refunded?:confused::confused:

We did not get a refund....

We had 2 guys approach our cab when we pulled up. I made a few mistakes prior. I didn't attach our tags and I bought 2 cases of water to check in. They handled it like pros!! They were tipped liked pros.

So, once my luggage was lost after I tipped at the pier...it was a good tip. So, how good is good? I tipped $10 for 3 pieces...

Many people don't tip the porters at all and don't have issues. Remember, the porters are making union scale - they aren't dependent on tips like the cruise staff are.

What's union scale wages nowadays? And, do they really destroy luggage? Really?

My TA told me that the Princess transfer price includes tip....so, does that mean I tip on top of tip?

I really don't get this new marketing campaign/tag line. "Escape Completely"…That I get. "Come Back Renewed"…That I would get. But "Come Back New"? I don't get it. I don't want to come back new. I like who I am. My wife doesn't want to come back new. She likes who she is. Every time I hear the tag line on a commercial it bugs me...

I took the commercial as coming back refreshed, but I am far from refreshed physically. When I get back from a cruise I am really tired for about 2 days, but mentally I am recharged.

DH never gets sea sick, and I have been known to get sick with swells of 6-8 feet in fishing boats.

I have never been sea sick in the slightest on the Pacific side on the cruise liners and I have experienced enough movement to cause plates to shift.

I was told once that the boat/ship moving side to side is harder on inner ear and causes more seasickness than the boat moving forward.

Sounds good. I've stayed away from the block busters this year so I can view it on ship.

Thanks all!

Does anyone know what movies are currently being played on the Golden?

Thanks in advance!

hopefully, even though you are confined to the cabin, that you have a balcony.

We spent almost a full day on our balcony when we went thru the Panama Canal locks...we listened to the narration on the TV and watched the ship move through...it was unforgettable.

I have heard that the International Café has fabulous salads. Can anyone tell me what kinds of large salads they have, like for your whole meal type salad? For example a Chef's Salad. What do they have available?

We have spent many a times eating salads at the IC.....they are really good!

Unfortunately we had to do a last minute cruise cancellation due to my husband having a traumatic injury to his eye.

 

We cancelled our February 7th Emerald cruise on February 1st, filed all papers on February 10th and a check for the full amount was cut on February 21st. I just received all monies in today's mail.

 

For those having second thoughts about Princess insurance (Berkeley), stop worrying.

Hoping your DH is doing OK...thinking of both of you

I posted this question on the South Pacific site as well.

I'll be in the 4 main ports of call of Hawaii this spring. I am wondering if I'll be able to get a manicure that is within walking distance of these ports: Hilo, Hawaii, Nawilliwili, Kauai, Honolulu, Oahu, and Lahaina, Maui.

Thanks so much..

I"ll beg to differ a little ;) The coffee is "strong" depending on how it is roasted. I've had several Konas done as medium roast that are very mellow. My last trip a year ago, I bought some excellent small-crop organic beans done medium at the KCC farmer's market. Some of the best coffee I've had. If you can find some peaberry, that's good, too!

I agree, we bought Kona coffee a couple years ago and it wasn't strong in my opinion. What I enjoy about this coffee is that it can be made stronger but it doesn't taste bitter. Love, Love, love it!

Another poster said Kauai coffee is good, too. We did buy some when we were there. We went right to the farm and bought it there and we had some when we got home and it was very good! Sorry, I cannot remember the name of the place.

We found Tahiti to be really warm...steamy when we were there. The scenery is awesome!!

Also, in general more expensive than in the Caribbean.

Being underwhelmed by the food at IC and overwhelmed at the prices, you might want to do what we did - it is a short walk to a grocery store on the road back to Papeete. You can find some excellent French wines, cheeses, foi gras and baguettes - have a picnic in your room.

 

Go out the road and turn left and about 10 or 15 minutes you will see the grocery store on your right. There is a larger one if you go to the right but I preferred the smaller one.

 

Otherwise, I do not think there is much close to the hotel.

We did the same thing. We took a bus ride to a store and bought wine, bread(awesome!), cheeses, and canned sardines,...we lived off the food for about 3 days....it was sooo good!

I'll be in need of a manicure once my ship docks at Lahaina, Maui,...Honolulu, Oahu, Nawilliwili, Kauai, and Hilo, Hawaii.

Does anyone know if their is nail salon within walking distances of these ports of call? I found out the manicure on ship is $45. I only pay $20 at home so I'd like to see if I can get it cheaper in port.

Thanks

Thanks for all the info.

OK, I'm ready to hear, "if you can afford to take a cruise, you can afford to pay the corkage fee." Yes, and if the price to cruise on mainstream lines increases enough with these added charges, we can likely take a step up to more luxurious all-inclusive lines for a just a little more.

All inclusive is a great option and have done this....check into it....you might be surprised!

We were on the Jan 25th sailing on CB....no one checked to see how many bottles of wine we had ......had two bottles in checked luggage and no problem.

My sister had a small fan which they confiscated from her.....told her they were no longer allowed on the ship. she checked with passenger services onboard and they told her fans are " ok".....

:rolleyes:

never had problems with a small fan....

We've never needed ponchos or umbrellas.....I use a cap to cover my head and glasses. It is usually very warm and a little rain(if it does rain) doesn't bother me.

Thanks for reporting this....it is a nice surprise!

I agree with some of the others....try the syrup coffee first. You might be fine with it. Personally, I cannot stomach it. So, I buy the coffee card. DH doesn't care..he drinks most everything but does enjoy specialty coffee once in awhile so he also buys the card.

We are snowbirds, so we are wearing short sleeve shirts, without coats, in March with temps of 40F.

We use the balcony a lot.

I am from the Midwest, and from where I live the tip is 15%-20% of the cost of our meal. Midwest meals are much cheaper than many parts of the country, ...so are my wages.

$50 tip in my town is very high. People just don't tip that much where I am from.

If what some say that the tip is included with the fee, then are we tipping on top of the tip? I don't know....

We also ate lots of lobster....

any foie gras?

Please do not slaughter me on this question. I realize this dish is very controversial.

I grew up with it, along with tongue, heart, and brain.

I just returned from a cruise on the Golden. PUrchased FCC and was surprised to find that the OBC has been eroded. Now you must sail for 17 days (not the usual 14) in a minisuite or better to ge the $150 OBC, for less than 17 days you will receive $100 even in a full suite. Not sure if you all knew this.:(

Yeah, was aware of this...

That is a pretty blue top.

I say go for the dressy pants if that is what you like.

There is nothing like feeling confident in what you are wearing to make you look good.

I feel most comfortable when I wear palazzo pants with a dressy top on formal nites.