gardenbunny

We are scheduled on Enchanted May 8 for 21 days RT Barcelona.  I am hopeful by then we can all be back cruising - And on a brand new ship.  We have one of the all glass ocean view cabins on the front of ship.  Very excited to try that!

To me, I think Princess may do something like Carnival is trying - Going slow - a few ships at a few ports in Caribbean.  

I was reading the Worldometer site on countries cases, deaths, etc and very view islands have been affected.

Anyone know the new delivery date?  I keep looking at Princess website but they don’t have any updates.  We are to be on her RT Barcelona May 8,2021 for 21 days in Med.  We might be on the inaugural season after all 😊

With regard to comments on higher fares, extra fees, using fewer smaller ships, etc  and you have to be wealthy to cruise  - - we should remember that as recently as 2000 cruising was still mostly considered for the wealthy and retired.  The tremendous growth of the cruise industry in the past 20 years has been phenomenal and all the different lines have found their own piece of the $$$$ pie to fit basically almost any budget and cruise style.  It might return for a time to those who “can” vs those who wish they could.  

A good start to try to start operations again.    There is no way to prevent 100% exposure but I feel US airlines will probably follow a similar procedure.  I would not hesitate to fly under those preventative measures.  

After hearing NY Governor announce today masks will be required beginning Friday, I have thought for quite some time that we may start to look like citizens in many Asian cities that have been wearing masks for years - mostly due to air quality - but also flu.  I hope it won’t be forever, but until a vaccine it seems probable to feel as safe as we can.  

And then there is this.....Makes sense and even Princess has said future itineraries will depend on  which ports will be open.  It is all very sad for the entire travel industry.  The effect this virus has had worldwide is monumental to every facet of life as “we knew it” before.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/04/11/europe-borders-may-close-to-september-due-to-us-covid-19-threat/

16 hours ago, Syracusefan44 said:

Spoke to a Princess representative today about my credit for excursions and a water package.  He advised that credit processing is taking much longer than normal due to the situation involving COVID19 and my credit should post approximately 60 days from the date of cancellation.

I was in the mass cancel group of March 12.  I took the Option 1 Higher Value to be applied to a future cruise credit.  My TA submitted the form for me and I got an email Compensation receipt from Princess on 3/12.  My TA said my EZ Air would be part of the compensation.  However, I booked the excursions myself and charged to my credit card.  Does anyone know if those costs will be rolled into my compensation or a separate refund to my credit card?  Thanks.  

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Word from the ship yesterday at an officer talk is that the necessary part(s) are on board they expect to make the repair for final cruise of season which sounds like will be repaired ahead of the TA to Europe.

When we were on Sapphire for So. America/Antarctica Jan 22 to Feb 6, the cruise before ours lost a generator due to a small fire.  Ship was repaired when it ported in Buenos Aires.  Crane was set up while we were all boarding and we sailed a couple hours later.  

I had no idea about the Fuegians or 90 degrees South.  I did not come upon that in all my pre cruise research and reading.  The lectures look amazing - one of my favorite activities on these type of cruises.  So looking forward to them.  Cannot thank you enough to share so much which has given us much insight for our preparations.  Have an enjoyable 3 days to rest up and process all you experienced.  

12 hours ago, cnd crsr said:

Thank you so much. Super pictures and keeping everyone updated on a unique itinerary>

 

Add me to the list of thank yous for all your pictures and comments to our questions.  You did an incredible job!  The biggest take away is the weather conditions will be our “guide” to where we will be able to cruise and what we will be able to see - but no matter what it will all be incredible and we are all fortunate to see this part of our incredible planet earth.  God’s creation is truly amazing to behold. Happy New Year.  We board 1/21

1 hour ago, erber said:

We just left Charlotte Bay, an unscheduled stop just like Paradise Bay ( neither were in the original itinerary for scenic cruising). We saw so many whales I cannot even believe it. It was nonstop for a couple of hours. 

 

Tonight we saw the production show, On the Bayou. We have seen it several times on previous cruises. It was enjoyable. 

 

Tomorrow is Deception Island from 9:30 to 11:00. 

OMG. Your sightings just keep getting better and better!  These type of cruises where wildlife is involved can be hit or miss - you appear to be having a hit.  So exciting.

This is so exciting.  Husband and I will be on Jan 21st and I cannot wait after reading your posts.  You are doing a great job!  I looked on Weather Channel app and it is showing “general” Antartica at -6 F....yikes - is it really that cold?  We have a balcony so I am hoping to see a lot from there but how is it on open decks?  We just did Northern Lights to Alta Norway on Sapphire in late October.  The night we saw the lights it was -9 and it was sooooooo cold.  I am bringing a few of the clothes I wore on that trip because I was mostly comfortable going from inside and out on to decks. What a swing of temps on this cruise - hot at beginning and end and cold and freezing in the middle.  And what are your observations on sunset at 12:00 am and sunrise at 1 am!!!  Must be strange.  

We are from Atlanta GA and will be doing this cruise.  We are looking at Viator.com for tours in Iceland.  We use this company when we are staying extra days before and after cruises.  Just used them in April in Cape Town on Princess 2019 World Cruise since we were in port 3 days.  Excellent tours.  

Many large banks can get currency for you.  We have an account with Wells Fargo we keep open for that purpose.  We have to order in advance. Takes about a week.  We leave on a world cruise on 1/18 and are going today to place our order for about a dozen currencies.  It comes in handy for small purchases such as soda, little souveniers, places that do not take cards, etc.  And sometimes it is hard to find an ATM.  

6 hours ago, jagsfan said:

If you do Rocky Mountaineer, I recommend doing it Vancouver-Banff. I’ve done it both ways. 

It’s better, in ny opinion, to begin on the flat area from Vancouver and build up to the beautiful Rockies. 

On that route, you spend a night in Kamloops, so that your train travel is all daylight. Your luggage is waiting in your hotel room, and  you’re delivered to and from the hotel. 

the train moved at what they call Kodak speed so you have plenty of time to absorb the gorgeous sights. 

It’s a grand way to see the Rockies, and the hotels are amazing. 

Thanks for the advice.  This is the land portion my husband and I did on our own for our honeymoon in 1991.  Stayed at all those places and ended in Edmonton.  We have been back to other places in that area over the years, but he has been wanting to do this route again, and we wanted to do another Alaska cruise.  This could be a definite possible maybe for us!!  So glad I saw this topic.  Leaving for 2019 WC on Pacific Princess Jan 20 from LA to FLL.  May have to put a future cruise deposit down on board!!!  We put deposit on board 2017 WC for Baltic Cruise/Land tour we just did in August.  First for us and it was excellent.

On 12/1/2018 at 3:01 AM, brian1 said:

I never use plastic straws,I suggest those that do,research a bit about the eco damage they contribute to.

My two cents worth on this topic - I agree about all the wasted paper used for spa treatment info and art auctions!  And even restaurants now do not offer a straw.  But how about all the billions of plastic water bottles tossed each year.  My guess is only a small fraction get recycled worldwide.  And those do wind up in the plastic floating waste in the oceans.  At least paper straws, which I grew up with, decompose.   Thanks for letting me vent.

We booked our first half-WC on Pacific Princess in 2017.  54 days from Sydney to Venice. We fell in love.  Totally understand why people love that ship.  It does have that classic traditional cruise decor when cruising was only for the upper class but friends who have been on board since the refurb said the areas that got the refit are very nice.  (and they did not understand why they did nothing in the theater and Pacific Lounge).  They asked the crew and got the impression from them that it might have more done in those areas before the WC....we shall see.   We are back on board Jan 20 for the full 96 day WC and I cannot wait to be back.  Small ship cruising is not for everyone, but since we have cruised on PP,  I find I don't like being back on the larger ships!  

As I recall they are stackable units and I believe there are 3 or 4 on on each side.  Just one laundry room on 7th floor.  We used it every week on our 2017 WC.  Token machine did not always work so I would get tokens at Customer Relations desk on 4th floor

We were on the August 19th trip.  Thought it was fantastic.  Princess contracts the land tour and our guide was Globus.  Sheryl was one of the best tour guides we have ever had.  It is a very busy schedule but there is also a lot of free time, so you can see more of each city at your own pace, or just relax.  The motorcoach was very nice and the drives from city to city were not terribly long and several stops along the way kept it interesting.  Hotels were nice and good location with a 15-20 minute walk to city centers and points of interest to do things on your own.  This was our first time to all these cities (and cruise ports) and it did not disappoint.  

I have so enjoyed your posts and will enjoy meeting you when we board the Pacific Princess in LA Jan 20 for 96 days to FLL!!  I have also been keeping up with this cruise because 2 friends we met on the 2017 WC (we did the 54 days from Sydney to Venice) have also been on your cruise - Rich and Francine from Mytrle Beach.

We have reserved a rental car in Honolulu and going to the North Shore in hopes to see the massive waves at Bonsai Pipeline!  So excited to be back on PP and see all the updates.  Continued safe travels home and have a Happy Thanksgiving.  Be good to have you back on our roll call!

Hello! I just saw this. I’m blushing here! 😊 Thanks for the motivation to blog again when we leave mid-October. Our plans have changed already (of course they have!), but we are starting in Southampton on October 21.

Count me as a fan, also. I was just thinking of looking to see where you will be!! You have been such an inspiration for me. I found your blog in 2016 before DH and I did our first half-WC in Feb 2017 on PP. And we got hooked! Starting the full 2019 WC on PP in Jan from LA to FLL. All the information you shared on doing a WC was invaluable. We followed it to the letter and had a fantastic and organized time. Safe travels and looking forward to Oct 21!!

I'm sure that will be really helpful to a lot of people. The majority of the videos of the ship on YouTube don't show the new-ish renovations.

Very nice. Thanks. We did our first World Cruise on PP in 2017 and totally fell in love. It is a fantastic ship for the WC, so we are going again in 2019. Cannot wait to see these new refurbs in person. I just wish they had done something new-ish with the Pacific Lounge. Favorite location is eating outside on Deck 9

I have been one of the passengers complaining about the new buffet concept on the ship. I never complain about anything, but I found that new idea really bad. Had read in other posts Princess is not bringing that idea fleet wide, and glad to hear they are making changes to the current buffet. Interesting about the dryer for the sheets. I have always thought one of the most unpleasant jobs on a cruise ship is the laundry, and by far the least recognized and appreciated.

When I first started cruising in 2003 with Cunard, shopping for formal nights and wearing my purchases on board was a highlight. I was 53 and felt like a litttle girl playing dress up. I still feel that way, but must admit I now purchase fancy cocktail dresses vs the long gowns. We did Cunard in January and dress code is still being enforced (beautiful gowns and the kilts") We noticed on a Caribbean cruise in March on Princess that people were wearing shorts in the MDR. I agree with other comments that shorts should not be allowed at dinner in MDR - long pants should be worn. And went to Bermuda on Celebrity in May and we had no formal but 2 nights the casual chic code. Worked for me but I wore black crepe pants and fancy tops. I do feel sad that things change, but also agree with others that if I still want to play dress up and use that valuable space in my suitcase, I will!

We did the Military Tattoo last summer... took the ship's excursion so as not to worry about getting back too late and because we just didn't want to deal with buying our own tix, securing other transportation etc. . It was expensive and worth every penny! The seats Princess put us in were excellent; the Tattoo itself was stunning! It was definitely one of the highlights of this cruise. Highly, highly recommended.

We also did this last summer on Princess excursion. Ditto to everything you said. It is a once in a lifetime event not to be missed. Very impressive.

My husband and I did the PP for 54 days of the WC in Feb 2017 from Sydney to Venice. Had never been on a small ship but like many many others will attest, fell in love! We are not the "must always have something to do" type so her laid back style suited us just fine. You really get an opportunity to know the crew and fellow passengers on the longer voyages. In fact we enjoyed the PP so much we are booked on the 96 day 2019 WC from LA to FLL! And after seeing pictures of her recent update, looking forward to being back. The PP is great for the World Cruises. They can get into ports that the larger ships cannot. And when you are on a ship for that many days, it really does take on an atmosphere of being your "home and family" away from home. It starts to seem like your own 650 passenger private yacht!

Small ships are definitely not for everyone. My sister did Alaska in late 2016 and did not like the very limited venues and quietness. She prefers the larger Princess ships with the 3 level atriums. Always something going on.

So my advice would be to decide on your cruise style and your "must haves". And if PP fits, then I know you will enjoy her.