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Thank you for the reassurances.  At least we have a refund claim reference number which Princess offered after an earlier enquiry from us so it's in the system somewhere. 

We have had a Xmas 2020 cruise booked for some time so there'll be more fun and games with deposits paid and FCC to sort out after the expected cancellation of this cruise to Pac Is and Fiji.  At this stage Princess are suggesting it's still going ahead.

Thanks all.  Seems we just need to be patient a while longer.   The cheque will be in the mail....hopefully.,

Cruise 8005 Syd-Sg was terminated on Feb 22 at Fremantle and many of us had to find our own way home or to wherever at our own expense which Princess suggested would be refunded when claimed later with receipts.

Has anyone so affected yet received their refund from Princess for the expense of additional flights/accommodation, etc ?

We lodged our refund claim on Mar 11 after returning home and not a word from Princess since.     Phone calls to their 'call center' were fruitless.  

Many thanks for your advice.   I have since learnt that the bread machines start chug a lugging in the early hours as well.

We'll stay well away.     Has great access to decks though.

Wondering if there is likely to be much loud noise filtering down from kitchen/buffet above on Lido deck.

I image there would be some at meal times mainly?    

Try an online quote from Suncorp whose travel Insurance is through Vero

Thank you, Yes good idea but it seems all inside cabins booked/reserved already for our proposed trip some 18 months away.

We may have to invest more on a balcony cabin.

Seeking easy and quick access from an inside cabin to an outside viewing deck on the Majestic Princess rather than overspend on a balcony this time.

Wondering which deck and area would be recommended. Any suggestions welcome.

Thank you all for the ideas. I have previously carted "my wife's neat little laptop" and portable hard drive but it's not so little now with each replacement/upgrade.

I will take my WD Passport wireless pro unit which I'm not 100% confident with yet.

As well I've obtained some larger microsd cards for the Samsung S2 tab which I can backup to with the OTG and usb card reader.

re JBare, do you use a Y cable to connect the phone to the drive so the drive gets some power through the phone? I'm more confident backing up to a hard drive than those pesky little micro sd's.

Thanks for those comments. Was just considering options.

I invested in one of those WD Passport Pro Wireless thingies but it's been the most frustrating piece of kit I ever purchased. The first was DOA. The new one seems to be backing up OK from the SD cards but I'm still not 100% confident with it and time is running out.

I will take as well 1 portable hard drive and back up on route at Hotel or wherever. And I have an Android tablet I can use when I learn the best way to do so. Anyone tried this method ? ......https://petapixel.com/2013/03/26/how-to-back-up-your-pictures-using-an-android-tablet-and-external-hard-drives/

Are the 'Internet Cafe' computers usable for backing up camera cards via a USB card reader to a portable hard drive? At a cost I assume, as part of an internet plan?.

Not carting along a laptop this trip so looking at other options. I realize there are other backup methods but have never thought about the on-board computers.

You'll realize that what I termed 'shutter delay' is actually the self-timer function.

From my experience it's very difficult to hand hold the camera and get a sharp image fully zoomed, especially 60x.

Try setting the cam on a tripod or 'cushioned' on a solid surface and set the shutter delay to 2 second. This will prevent any camera shake when pressing the shutter button regardless of how careful we are. Even hand held this 2 second delay will help somewhat.

Great images. Tapi. We'll be there May 24 and will be hoping for similar conditions but I realize the weather in those areas is unpredictable.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I picked up on the Celsius/Faren diff. All good. Have ordered extra battery and will keep it snug.

I expect the coldest place throughout will be cruising around Glacier Bay for a day so I'll be more prepared for that now.

Thank you Martincath.... yes we realise the journey to and from Victoria on bus and ferry is longish but we are using that as one of our few rest times over there. Our package includes overnight in The Empress so it won't be as rushed as a normal one day excursion.

Many thanks for your responses. We feel a lot better about it all now. We'll try to be prepared. Our first time up there and they always suggest it's better the second time around. Or third. Or fourth.

Cheers

Peter

For our 5 night pre-cruise we had chosen and just about booked a mid priced Downtown Vancouver hotel in a desirable location for us but after adding in costs for transfers, Victoria/Butchart excursion package , a better location in a more up-market Hotel and with overall convenience and peace of mind we went with the Princess package which was not all that more expensive . We don't know if we'll get a city view/water view room but not really concerned about that. To personally book a water view room would have added heaps of $$.

Worked for us but probably depends on country/location I'm guessing.

Main camera I'm wondering about is the Nikon D7100 dslr. Usually 1-2 batteries can get me through a solid day shooting.

And a backup Panasonic P&S.

Will be leaving Vancouver on a Cruisetour with 8 nights on land leaving Fairbanks on June 3. I think that's early spring weather?

But I understand weather can be unpredictable anytime and will be about zero around Glacier Bay.

Will soon be venturing into this near zero degree climate for the first time and wondering about the effects of the cold on camera battery life and if the usual 1 backup battery is enough for a solid day shooting.

I suspect it will be but just wanted to check with those in the know.

Good advice, thank you all. We live and learn by sharing.

Many thanks for your info.

We are on Qantas from Australia then transferring directly to Westjet for LAX-YVR on a combined one ticket booking.

Have about 2.5 hours to connect if Qantas is on time. The only concern we have is if the 2.5 hours was enough to connect after hearing some horror stories from others who have connected thru LAX. I expect it is ?

Flying into LAX from Australia on one ticket booking to YVR.

Wondering if we need to collect baggage at LAX and recheck it in at Westjet for YVR or if baggage transfer is automatic.

Have received conflicting advice from past travellers thru LAX.

Sylvia Hotel, Eastern Bay Beach is recommended by Canadian friends for value and location. But there are so many choices and Downtown covers a relatively large area.

Is there a maximum number that Princess usually allow on their Connoisseur Alaska Tours?