JimAOk1945

We tried Carnival first, then branched out to Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America. We have another Liberty of the Seas cruise booked for December and a Princess cruise booked for next year.

We are Diamond on Royal but still plan to cruise on other lines. We like having a variety.

We have done both the full transit (Holland America) and the partial transit on the Island Princess. We had a great time and enjoyed every minute of both cruises. Great ships, wonderful crews, and fantastic itineraries.

Pictures tell the story better than anything I can say. You might enjoy looking at the slideshows my wife made from pictures she took for her website. Since you're interested in the Island Princess, I'll insert a link below so you can view the pictures when you have time. They include pictures taken around the ship as well as all of our shore excursions.

Island Princess Partial Transit Cruise

Have a great cruise. It's a wonderful way to travel!

When the unpacking is finished, the muster drill is over, and the ship is underway with the cruise terminal vanishing in the distance. Fantastic feeling!!

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I am hoping Princess will return.

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Hopefully new terminals will bring in other cruise lines that will offer a regular variety of itineraries and longer cruises year round.

Yes, different menu, and made fresh to order.

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I thought about that but Coastal Kitchen won't deliver to the suite so that leaves only MDR food and we don't eat at Applebees.

How is Coastal Kitchen different from the MDR?

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One thing we like about the OS is the separate dining area. It makes eating in the Suite very nice.

Here is a link to my wife's website slide show with pictures of one of our cruises in a Owner's Suite.

http://nancysoasis.com/2015suite/2015suite.htm

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Splurge. It's your 50th anniversary which is something very special. We have cruised in Owner's Suites on other ships and really enjoyed them and the perks. Go for it. Have a fantastic cruise and Congratulations!

Bad? Awesome

Better?

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We chose the Maasdam to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. It had the Alaska itinerary we wanted. Although we had already been to Alaska twice before, both were 7 day itineraries. The 14 day Alaska cruise on the Maasdam was fantastic! Yes the ship was older and didn't have the WOW factor of the Radiance of the Seas, or the beauty of the Star Princess, but has a understated elegance of its own.

We have plans to take one of the longer HAL New England/Canada cruises in the future.

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HAL is for dead people!:cool:

You are missing out on a lot of very wonderful and often unique itineraries if you allow passenger age to determine which cruise you book.

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December is also bad with the Dickens on the Strand going on all month.

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I was hoping he would come back and finish. It was a good start and I was looking forward to seeing more.

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I agree. The longer cruise is a wonderful itinerary. We've done it and really enjoyed it. I would also get a balcony.

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Most people meet their room steward on day 1. The steward will introduce himself/herself to you. That is the ideal time to ask any questions you may have, and ask about having the sofa bed put away during the daytime. It's not necessary to tip extra.

We enjoyed having a Grand Suite. I'm sure you will as well.

This is an old thread.... Realize there are now lot of places, Amusement Parks and even some Countries that now Ban these Selfie Sticks...

Yes, many places ban and/or discourage the use of Selfie Sticks. This is way I only occasionally use mine. Have a nice cruise.

I take my selfie stick on every cruise but don't use it often. My wife uses an expensive SLR camera. Although people offer to take a picture of us, she doesn't want anyone to handle her camera.

Yes, it is an inconvenience when she wants to take a picture of something and has a lot of people taking selfies, but if I didn't have my selfie stick with me, we wouldn't have any pictures of the two of us together when we go ashore.

Take your selfie stick and enjoy your cruise.

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This is a great thread and I have learned a lot from reading through it. We are planning to take a British Isles cruise next year. The highlight of it will be the Tattoo. So a big thank you for all the wonderful tips and information.

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Question

We have been on several cruises and have another booked for December. We have never received emails offering upgrades.

Does this depends on what type of room you have already booked?

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This is a great thread. I've learned so much from reading it. We've been on two HAL cruises so far and have enjoyed both. They exceeded our expectations. We will definitely be on another sometime in the near future. Cruising is a fantastic way to travel.

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Have a great cruise. The itinerary is fantastic.

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It's a great ship and wonderful itinerary. We've done it twice and look forward to doing it again. Cruising is a fantastic way to travel!

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Same here. We always have a balcony and don't cruise without one.

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First of all thanks for your review. I've found it very helpful since that itinerary is one my wife and I are looking at for a future cruise. I have a question.

In post #3 you said " We just wandered around and shopped at Antigua and St Lucia."

Is there shopping at the pier where the ship docks at both Antigua and St Lucia?