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We are sailing on Freedom the first part of July from San Juan.  We will go to San Juan regardless and I figure I have until the Thursday before we sail (which is actually when we leave) to decide whether we are going to go on the cruise.

If we don't, I'll take the FCC and we'll turn this into a vacation in San Juan. Easy enough to book the hotel for a few more nights. I'm not panicking. It will all work out.

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

Princess ships (some) have forward facing balconies without the windscreen.  I've often wondered how windy those get at sea.  

We have had forward facing balconies three times on Princess ships.  Twice we've had one that was in the middle (with cabins on both sides). Absolutely no issue with wind on those, and sailed once in Alaska and once in the Caribbean.

Had a corner forward facing balcony on Regal Princess once and the balcony was unusable due to (I think) windbreaks (a/k/a balcony dividers) on only one side.

3 minutes ago, KayRaeRae said:

This is a very old post, so you may not see this, but if you do: how’s the view from the balcony?    Is there structural stuff blocking it?  Just booked 1702. 

The view is amazing.  We've had 1702 on Independence, and yes, there is superstructure, but it was not bothersome to us.  Zero noise from the Windjammer.

The balcony is HUGE and the location is great, very private and quiet.   It's our first choice of location on Freedom class ships.

Thanks for the info! Now to change our flight. 🙂

We're sailing on Freedom of the Seas the first week of July out of San Juan. We've already booked our flights, but we're considering leaving a day early.

Due to my work restrictions, we're considering flight that arrives in San Juan at 11:30 p.m.  It's just my son and I and we are staying at the Caribe Hilton.

Is a late night arrival in San Juan safe? We've never flown into San Juan and I'm not familiar with the airport.  Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!

Take the aft balcony. We've had both a midship JS and an aft balcony on Freedom.  Much preferred the aft balcony. No noise at all  (we had #1702) and after a day or so, you really don't notice the superstructure.  It's also much more private with way less foot traffic than a midship location. Plus it's one deck up to the Windjammer and pool deck. Very convenient location.   Looking forward to sailing Freedom in July - and we have an aft JS.

12 minutes ago, mattR said:

We recently got the all digital photo package on the Explorer of the Seas.  We were going to get a 20x30 canvas print done but the resolution isn't high enough the pictures are between 1.5-2.5 MB.  This isn't high enough for that size of print is there a way to get a higher resolution image from "Our Cruise Photos"?

This is an issue I have with Royal Caribbean.  The files they give you  (at least the ones I've received) are about that size and the resolution isn't really high enough for larger prints, at least in my opinion.   That's a problem for me and why I may not get the digital package next time.

I'm not sure about how to get a bigger file from My Cruise Photos, but if you have Photoshop, you might be able to increase the resolution by resizing the image. I've played around with mine in that program because I've done some of my own retouching and I've gotten pretty good prints doing that, but not 20 X  30.

When we visited that port, we used Glacier Winds for whale watching. I'd highly recommend them. One of the best excursions we've ever done and limited to 6 people per tour.

I have the Travelpro Maxilite 5 hardside; the 29" is just under 10 lbs.  It's a four wheel spinner. I have it and I love it. 

They do have smaller sizes than 29".

No review. But I found this video:

https://youtu.be/6bRdLLubBDM

13 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

If you do luggage valet and are flying on Southwest does anybody know when they check you in and get your boarding pass for you?

 

Don't want to enroll in this and wind up in group C but don't really want to pay for luggage valet and early bird

 

TIA

Based on what happened to us the first time we did it and flew Southwest using only luggage valet, I'm guessing they check you in no particular order.  We had a late afternoon flight and my then 9 year old son and I wound up with boarding passes in Group C.  When we got on the plane, there were not two seats together, so he ended up having to sit behind me in a middle seat.

If being able to find seats together is a concern, I'd get early bird and skip luggage valet. 

Because of what happened to us on that first flight, and the fact that luggage valet is an absolute breeze, we try to make it work so we can get both.

Could you send copy to dreamthesea45 @gmail.com? Thanks!

It's on my Freedom cruise in July, 2020, but I did the math and it's not worth it for us. We probably wouldn't use the priority hours on attractions, we don't go to a lot of shows.  As far as the luggage drop off, I wouldn't turn over my cameras and computers to  anyone and that's basically what we carry on. 

The only thing that is a "perk" that appeals to me is the choice of debarkation on departure day, and I can go without that.

No sale for me. The price is more than what I'm paying now by about the amount of the onboard credit and what gratuities would be.

Hangar on the Wharf is awesome.  I'd 100% recommend it.

7 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Once you pick up your bags head over to the escalators and go up one floor to the bridge to the parking garage.  Once in the garage follow the signs which will take you (down one floor) to the third floor of the parking garage where you will find ground transportation including taxis.

Thank you. That's probably made my decision for me.  I really don't want to lug baggage around the Seattle airport at 10:00 at night. Going to splurge on the car service that will meet us at baggage claim. 

My son and are arriving for a pre-cruise stay in Seattle on a flight that arrives at 10 p.m.

I'm trying to decide between a car service and just grabbing a taxi when we get to the airport.  I'm not familiar with the layout of Seatac.  Once you claim bags, how far is it and how do you get to ground transporation, specifically, taxis? Is there any pickup directly outside baggage claim?

Thanks. Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

Very frustrated with the  app.  I still cannot get it to recognize my booking number. We are 47 days out from our sailing.  I've made three phone calls to the "Ocean Navigator" line and I keep being told call back in a week and they've opened a ticket.

I'm wondering if the problem is my device, although I can't get it to add on the ocean website either. Anyone else with a Samsung Galaxy having issues?

On 4/2/2019 at 7:30 PM, donaldsc said:

 

These are the specs of the Rx10 III - "Together, a large-aperture 24–600 mm¹ F2.4–4 optical 25x zoom lens"  from the Sony site.  It does not have a 600x zoom but a 25x zoom.  That is a large difference.

 

DON

Correct - the zoom ratio is  25X which is about the equivalent of  a 35mm 24 - 600mm zoom.  Regardless, it's a great camera.

I have a large Canon DSLR that I lug around.  However, I have a Sony RX10 III that I shoot with more frequently.   It takes beautiful pictures and has a 600X zoom.  It's a great camera and I'd highly recommend it.  It's a bit on the large side, but it takes nearly shots nearly as good as my DSLR. It is considered a bridge camera.

Just a suggestion, try before you buy.  If you've got a couple of cameras you're looking at, rent them for a few days  and see which one you like best.  Lots of rental companies out  there, but I've used either Borrow Lenses or Lens Rentals and have been happy with both.

This is the balcony of L106 on the Regal Princess.

The largest balconies will be the forward facing balconies on the Lido and Marina deck and the balconies directly on the aft of the ship.

Some of the balconies under Seawalk and Seaview Bar are larger, but they are kind of "peek a boo" and some of them can be seen from the Seawalk.  Also, I have been on the Regal Princess twice, and at night there is a blue glow that exists (at least on the Seawalk on that side) from the lighting that would be quite annoying to me.

Suites will have a larger balcony, but if it's a suite on the port or starboard side, the  difference is only in the length, not the width.

There are also some regular balcony cabins forward on the Emerald deck that have larger balconies, but they are considered obstructed as the outer wall is the steel hull of the ship and not glass. 

Previous poster is correct, the standard balcony size on the deluxe balcony cabins are no larger than any other standard balcony.

Southbound from Whittier or Seward to Vancouver.  Don't miss Glacier Bay.

When we chose the itinerary for our first Alaska cruise in 2016, we did look at round trip Seattle.  We decided not to do that for exactly the reasons some others on this post have said - the port times were just not as good as sailings that leave directly from Alaska. We love the southbound route.

Spend a day or two on land in Alaska if you have time.  Or do a multi-city itinerary with a stopover in Seattle before you go on to Anchorage.  If you don't want to go to Denali/Fairbanks, rent a car in Anchorage and drive up the Seward highway to the Alaska Wildlife conservation center. Have lunch at the Hotel Aleyska in Girdwood.

I've searched for the answer here, and can't really find a clear answer. 

For anyone who has taken the Alaska Railroad to Whittier to board a Princess ship recently, how is luggage handled? Is it handled like it was when someone takes the train to Seward (i.e, tagged at depot and you don't see it again until it's delivered to your cabin), or does it go on the train with you?  If it does on the train with you, are you responsible for getting it from the depot/platform to the ship? If so, how far is that?

Thanks - any info would be greatly appreciated.

Hi

 

We have whole day there. Any ideas ? I don’t like zip riding

 

Thanks

 

 

Nick

I'd recommend Glacier Wind for whale watching. Small tour, max of 6 people and the captain and tour guide were wonderful. We loved doing this in Icy Strait.

https://www.g-wind.com