MtnBikerFallDown

We will be boarding February 8th, so I'll be following this closely to get my "fix" until we get there!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for asking this! After y'all mentioned this on our roll call, I'd wondered. Guess I need to brush up on polka.

In addition to the Conde Nast ombudsman, you may want to try Christopher Elliott. He's a great consumer advocate that handles LOTS of travel disputes. He really knows how to get the attention of travel giants, and fight for the little guy. What they did was SO very wrong. Not cool. His website is elliott.org

Here I was sweating our 12:55 PM flight! I worry more for you now! We bought our non-refundable tickets long ago as well. I have the Princess Platinum insurance. Wonder if that will cover us not making our flight?

If we both miss our flights, we'll just hang out in the airport together and pretend we're still on the cruise. :D

Very cool! I just love Ellen! She's got such a great heart!

With the unlimited soda and more package, can you buy that on board? Or do you need to purchase before you sail?

If you preorder and gift it to yourself, it's a little cheaper. I wonder if you get the mug, though? I'm not sure. Just repeating what I've read elsewhere as we are new to Princess, too!

There was a thread from January 8th with a huge warning that disembarkation and going through Immigration at the pier has been a nightmare. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1967561

 

Plus, there have been recent reports that going through Security at FLL has been horrendous with only one or two TSA lines. I experienced that in MIA the end of October when there was only one TSA line for the entire terminal regardless of whether you were in general boarding, First Class/Priority or TSA Pre. It took me an hour and a half to just get through Security. My flight was already boarded when I got to the gate.

That's one of the threads I'd seen that had made me worry. I hope we'll be the lucky ones. I started flying in a day early to prevent stress after our first cruise. Now, I think I'm going to start adding a day on the return, too. It's worth it to not stress. But, this time, we'll just have to go with the flow, I guess. Ugh.

No no! Not that.:D I'm talking about going on a cruise. The theme song for "The Love Boat" was just running through my head (darn it! It'll probably be stuck there all day). Even though we've been on several cruises, it's still exciting and new for us each time we go. Just the anticipation of waiting for embarkation day can create a giddy feeling. So, to those of you that have also been on several cruises, is it still "exciting and new" for you too? Even though you may have been on the same ship and/or the same itinerary more than once, does it still make your adrenaline go up just a little?

Darn it! Now I'm singing that song (much to the dismay of my coworkers:eek:).

I'm a very sporadic cruiser, so it's always such an exciting thing for me. My first cruise was in 1995 and this one coming up will only be my 7th. So, it's far enough apart that it's always new. And, this cruise will be our 3rd cruiseline, so again... new!

The best advice EVER was to fly in the day before the cruise. Our very first cruise was in 1995, and I had no idea. We flew in that day and... of course... we were delayed! Now, this was WAY before I had a cell phone, so as everyone is shuffling off figuring out what to do, I'm on the pay phone (there's ya a blast from the past) calling the cruise line and making sure we wouldn't get left!

We barely made it. They'd already done muster, but still let us on (again, this was a long time ago, I guess they wouldn't be able to do that now with security as it is). I still have NO idea how our luggage made it on the ship, but it did.

We were SO stressed that it took a while to calm down. Now, I get there the day before and we just wake up leisurely, grab a cab and let the adventure begin!

Happy Anniversary!

I think everyone has covered most everything, but do check out your roll call, if you're a social butterfly and like to meet people.

Also, the Princess boards are a wealth of information. Did you know you can buy a soda or coffee card (or both!) before you go, and it's a little cheaper that way? Same with internet minutes! I found that out on the Princess boards! Oh, and when you put your information in the cruise personalizer, you can let them know it's your anniversary and you get a little sign on your door, I think.

Oh, and to the poster who gave directions on what lane to get in... you are my kind of person! I hate when I get somewhere like that and wind up in the wrong lane. You are a wonderful direction-giver and deserve kudos. Or a cookie!

Have a wonderful, wonderful cruise and again... Happy Anniversary!!!

If they assign you a walk off time that you think might be too late just go to Customer Service and ask for the earlier time you want.

This is our first Princess cruise, so I didn't even know you could do that. Thank you so much!

This morning we walked off the ship at 7:50 AM. We had a 45 minute line for immigration, jumped in one of many waiting cabs and we were at our gate in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport ant 9AM.

Thank you so much for posting this. Not realizing it was an "early" time, I booked at 10:45am flight out of FLL. I tried to change it when everyone started saying the port was running slow... no dice. They had nothing to change me to! I have insurance, so if I miss the flight, I'm probably still okay. It just would be a little bit of a pain. But, this post gives me a little hope that we'll make it okay!

Thanks!

As many have said, what works for one may not work for another. Some have no problems with drowsiness and others sleep the cruise away. Some get blurry vision and some have no problems.

I think the key would be to try it before-hand. So, you can see if there will be any issues BEFORE you are sea-bound. My mom used to get terrible motion sickness. But, even on really rough seas a few years ago on Explorer of the Seas, she was totally fine... with no meds! So, you never know.

Recently, this was a thread on the Princess Boards and a lot of folks chimed in with some really good OTC ginger sources.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966888

Regardless, I hope whatever you find works and you have a lovely cruise!

Mine was Carnival's Ecstasy. Summer of 1995. My Dad and I went for a last father/daughter trip before I got married that December. We got a "suite" with a balcony and a jacuzzi tub! I thought I was soooo fancy!

Thank you ALL for all the posts/comments! It all worked out for everyone! :):)

YAY! I love to hear a happy ending! :D

TJ Maxx currently has the large bags of Chimes ginger chews for less than $3. That's a steal! I don't get seasick, I just like the taste. So, not sure if they'd work, but thought I'd let everyone know, as ginger stuff can be rather pricey!

Matt,

Thanks so much for that video and the ones of Crown Princess! We're leaving on her in February, so this was a nice preview. VERY helpful! Thanks (and I gave you a thumbs up on all of them. You do a GREAT job!).

:D OK Now I'm going to giggle like mad during Mustard drill. And people will think "short, chubby, probably insane, she's gotta be the first one we BBQ."

You made me snort laugh this morning!!! I needed that!

Nah, I figure if we're funny, they'll keep us a live for comic relief, in case we're out there a long time. Right?!

This may be an odd question - or I just may be very odd... but...

 

If you're in a safety drill where you go to your muster station with everyone else who'll be on your life boat if you ever need to abandon ship, do you check out your potential life boat mates?

 

I always look around to see who and how many people might need extra help, and who looks strong enough to help. I look around to see if there are people who look like they might step up and be helpful to the crew, or who might become one of those unofficial leaders who seem to emerge in emergencies.

 

I know you can't tell from just looking at people (I probably look like a little old lady who might need some help) and that even if you could, emergencies change people: ditzy people become focused and organized, pushy people hang back or visa versa.

 

But does anyone else study your potential life boat mates? Or did I just admit to something really really odd?

I have never done this, but I most certainly will now. It's really a good idea, because as large as the lifeboats are now, you can bet the one crew member isn't going to be able to do everything all at once. They'll need help. I'm a very level-headed person in emergencies, and can usually tell who's going to help and who's going to hinder. But, never really thought about it with the muster drill. Interesting!

Oh, and to the cannibal people... I'm chubby. I may be able to provide you with a lot of meals, but just know... this is one dinner that's gonna fight back. LOL!!! :D:D

We took the b2b on this ship December 14-28, as usual on Princess the first thing I do is call the Dine Line to get on the list for Chef's Table, which is $95.00 per person, and worth every penny. Less than one hour after being open for boarding the Chef's Table was sold out and I was put on a waiting list!! Just an FYI. Luckily there was so much interest they managed to put on one more evening and we were ïnvited, excellent evening! It has become a must do and is very popular.

I am worried about that! We aren't elite or any type of priority boarding, so we may not make it. It won't ruin our cruise if we don't, but I really hope we can get on the list.

Go for it when you are onboard-if they get some really memorable photos you just can't put a price on it!

Oh, I second this! My Dad was diagnosed terminal in September last year. He loved to cruise. We took him on what he called his "bucket cruise" in November that year. We lucked up and got a fabulous photographer. My Dad always froze in pictures. She got his true smile. She got one of my Mom kissing his forehead and him smiling at the camera that just captured the two of them perfectly!! He passed away December of last year. Those pictures are what I would grab if the house was on fire!!

$20 is soooooo worth it for capturing a moment!!

However, they will automatically have a Princess Captain's Circle # and be able to attend the Captain's Circle party. Plus, they are eligible for past passenger fares.

That is awesome to know! I had no idea that our past on Carnival got that for us! Nice surprise! Thanks, Pam! And, I agree with the prior statement. CC is such a font of info!

Welcome home! Thanks for your updates! Did they do the staggered boarding times? Which was your favorite, Sabatinis or Crown Grill? I hope to try both and do Chef's table, but just in case we have to choose...

We didn't do the chef's table, so not sure. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did. We were very impressed with the level of service the staff provided on this ship.

It's our first cruise on Princess, so we're really excited to see how different it is. Of course, to me... any day on vacation is a good one! :)

Loving your review so far! Thanks for posting it! It's tiding me over until we leave in February!