Thermy

Thanks everyone! I didn't think about electronic solutions to my problem! Sounds like that will be the best course of action. I don't really feel like rushing around ports in South East Asia trying to find somewhere that will do it for me.

I'm hoping to find out if there is the ability on board to print and scan a document? I'm on the Diamond Princess from Tokyo to Sydney in less that two weeks.

 

It's becoming more and more likely that I'll need to print, sign, scan and email an important document while I'm at sea (22 days). I have previously sailed on Princess and also used the internet packages before but I've never been in the position to actually have to do anything more than send a few emails and post a few photos. Is there a printing/scanning facility? It would only be one single document, so I wouldn't need ongoing access to these facilities.

 

I did have a search and I couldn't find the answer to my specific question (though I found a lot of information regarding the scanning patters!).

I paid for an online course with my favorite teacher/photographer Mike Browne on Youtube.

He's a cheeky British chappie much like myself only he knows 100% what he's doing- I am learning a new hobby. Anthony Morganti teaches me how to use Lightroom and Serge Ramelli is my go to guy (homme) for photos as art.

 

Thanks for the recommendations! I was looking for a way to improve my photography skills in my own time. I went to a day-course last year which was helpful but I haven't really had the time to get back into it.

I've only done two cruises with Princess but I have never had problems with the vegetarian options. Having one or maybe two vegetarian options is pretty common in land-based restaurants so I’m pretty used to it by now. The Maitre d' came up to me on the first night of both cruises and basically explained to look for the V on the menu. I was happy with just the one option, or having the Fettuccine Alfredo if the nightly vegetarian option really didn’t look appetising. I think I only did that a couple of times.

 

Saying that, I’m a pretty easy to please vegetarian and I like lots of different cuisines. A friend of mine who is also vegetarian would have had a lot of problems if she was on a cruise as she is very picky (doesn't eat mushrooms, or onions, or tomatoes, or olives etc.). I much preferred the one time I went on Celebrity as they had a separate vegetarian menu with multiple choices for each course – actually sometimes I found it difficult to choose, which is not something I’m used to! But I pick my cruises based on timing and itinerary, and I’ve got my next Princess cruise booked for next month.

Cathy,

We did do the Sydney Debark Tour to Blue Mountains and it does terminate at the airport. We had terrible weather...rainy and foggy...we couldn't see anything at Blue Mountain. We did have a great trip and hope you have one too.

Debbie

 

Thanks Debbie! I've been to the Blue Mountains before so won't be terribly disappointed if we get rained out. I like the idea of a debark tour, something to counter the end-of-cruise-blues. :)

Hi Cathy, good to hear from you and yes it would be great to celebrate onboard! See u onboard..are u registered for the cruise critic general roll call meet and greet for 1st sea day 11am in skywalkers lounge?

Regards

Rod and barry

 

I am registered for the meet and greet - looking forward to seeing you both there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stopping by to say I'm following and also that I adore this photo. Can't take my eyes off it.

Hi Debbie, Sorry to take-over an old thread but I was wondering if you ended up doing the "Sydney Debark Tour - Spectacular Blue Mountains"? If you did, could you tell me whether it finished at the airport or did it drop you back at the ship? The tour description on Princess says nothing about it. Thanks! Cathy

 

EDITED TO ADD: Never mind - Princess has gotten back to me and advised that the tour terminates at the airport! Hope you had a great trip!

Just a quick update to say I've finished uploading each day of the trip. Please share with your cruise loving friends and enjoy!

 

https://rrfpresident.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your review! I just finished reading it all. Loved the patters, menus and meal photos. I could do my own "what would I choose" game. Felt like I had my own fictional mini-cruise without leaving home!

 

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Hi Rod and Barry,

I'm going to be on the 19th November Diamond Princess Sailing! Hope to meet you both at the LGBT gathering!

I'm hoping it's going to be a good group as we might be on-board when (hopefully) Marriage Equality gets passed into Law in Australia (*crossing all my fingers*). I'd love some people to celebrate with (or commiserate with if things go south)!

 

 

Cathy

I attended the first my first LGBT gathering on the Grand Princess when I sailed to Alaska last year. The first gathering I found quite easy to schedule in, but subsequent times it was either when I was still on an excursion or it clashed with dinner plans. I'm going on the Diamond Princess from Tokyo to Sydney next month and this time I have Anytime dining. I'm hoping this will mean I'll be able to make most if not all the LGBT events. I'm really hoping it will be a good group as we might be on-board when (hopefully) Marriage Equality gets passed into Law in Australia (*crossing all my fingers*). I'd love a great group to celebrate with!

Well as someone who spent a lot of $$ for a 600+80 minute internet package just two hours ago (as a solo cruiser, it's especially nice to stay connected to friends and family on a long cruise), I would LOVE an unlimited option.

Excitedly following along too! I'm on the Diamond from Tokyo to Sydney in November, and if I enjoy Japan I'm planning on going back and doing a 8-day "Circle Hokkaido" when time (and money) permits!

Well I didn't get internet in my cabin on the Grand last year, but I didn't question it. It was the first time I had an internet minutes so I didn't realise this was unusual (until reading this thread right now). I would type up my emails in the cabin and then pop down to a public area (usually deck 7, outside the Wheelhouse Bar or the Explorers Lounge) to sit, connect and send my emails and upload some photos.

I'm not planning on going on the Grand again or cruising Hawaii any time soon but I'm still finding your review riveting. I love the amount of detail - it makes me feel like I'm there. Please do continue! A cruise to Hawaii in definitely on my to-do list now.

Loving your review! Your photos are spectacular. Looking forward to reading the rest. :)

I was actually quite disappointed when I found out that there wasn't a Salty Dog on the Grand. I was hoping to try it on my cruise in August.

 

It's the first time I've ever been keen to try a speciality restaurant on a cruise. Previously the vegetarian options have never looked very appealing or are sometimes non-existent. The Salty Dog had quite a few options, all of which sounded appetising.

 

As for the name - I love it. The nautical theme really works well on a cruise ship. I also didn't blink on the whole gastropub name, probably because I'm very used to the term as they're very common here. The logo is also super cute. :)

 

It's probably not to everyone's taste though. However, I like how they're trying to cater for different preferences and offer different experiences.

Thanks for much for your review! I'm really enjoying it! I'm cruising out of San Francisco to Alaska on the Grand in August. Looking forward to reading the rest of your review. :) I saw your photos by right clicking on them and choosing to open them in a new tab.

This is the one I'm talking about BUT our ports go: Skagway, Tracey Arm Fjord, at Sea, Victoria. If we did it in reverse we would board in Skagway. I guess I have to wait until someone doing our exact itinerary can tell me.

 

I'm not doing your exact itinerary (I'm doing a round trip from San Francisco this August) but we are also having a separate day for Tracy Arm. Our itinerary is Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Straight Point, Tracy Arm Fjord and Victoria - all on separate days. The Tracy Arm excursion is not offered on our itinerary.

Thanks for the photos! Looks like a gorgeous day!

Yes, they're available all day at the cafe.

 

Ha! They sound like a side dish. ;)

Thanks for your review! I have only ever cruised on Princess or Celebrity (ignoring a P&O cruise I did back in 1999) and found them pretty similar in quality.

 

The only difference that really impacts me is that Celebrity has a separate Vegetarian Menu in the MDR which has multiple options for each course. It's great having multiple options. To make up for that Princess has self-service laundry which is great when most of your cruises are longer itineraries. :)

Obviously I don't know you or your family and how you will cope with your planned schedule but I know I have always jammed as much as I possible can into my port days. I've never been to Alaska (I'm going in August!) but my cruises of South America, New Zealand and the Pacific all involved multiple tours per day if time permitted. I would usually then spend my sea days relaxing, going to a few lectures and reading with a nice drink.

 

Then again that's obviously personal preference and other people like a more relaxed vacation. When I used to cruise with my mother she used to like spending time in ports going at her own pace exploring the 'town' and doing some shopping with the occasional shorter tour. Whereas I'd go on a couple of excursions if I could (often quite active excursions) and would spend maybe an hour 'in town'. We both used to meet up for dinner and have a great time discussing our days.

 

You're the only one who can judge how your boys will cope but I work with kids and in my experience anything that tires them out is a good idea. ;)

I'm going to be doing a solo birthday cruise! Last week I booked an Alaskan Princess cruise round-trip from San Francisco in August.

 

I was in the midst of trying to trying to plan a 30th Birthday party and since it was starting to fill me with dread I thought maybe I’d leave the country instead. ;)

 

I’ve never done a solo cruise before – which I’m actually looking forward to. We tend to keep to ourselves when cruising, so being solo will mean I’ll meet more people!

I'd love an idea about how much is customary. I'll be doing an Alaska cruise solo this August and would like to be able to budget for tipping on excursions.

 

I get a bit befuddled with tipping in general - would this be like tipping at restaurants? 15% for good service, 10% for not-great and 20% for great service? Or would 10% be a satisfactory tip? Or $10 like was mentioned earlier in the post. I don't want to be rude, but I also don't want to burn through a good chunk of my budget by inadvertently over-tipping.

 

Any help would be appreciated!