sminfiddle

Are we nuts for not taking it?

Consensus so far says Yes.

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If you do not see any, contact Princess and ask why they are not there.

 

Travel Documents

Print Travel Summary

Print Boarding Pass, Luggage Tags, and other documents

Pre-Cruise Emails

If they ARE there

Check the SPAM Folder of the email software :)

$100 per couple and has nearly $100 in extras...photo, flowers, cocktails, champagne & specialty coffee drinks. :D

Exactly $100 in extras if you add it up. The food is complimentary.

Same as with the Ult. Ship's Tour.

Accounting. :D

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I saw in a post HERE that Cozumel was moved to the end of the itinerary...

Roatan -- Belize -- Cozumel

...due to a delay in departure.

Rick

...

I do well-recall the lengthy trip form Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to the dock.

 

...

 

I ask this since we are considering a couple of cruises that depart from Houston.

 

In advance, thank you.

We live in Houston, drive to the port and even we stayed in nearby La Porte the night before.

My advice would be to come on down, but fly Southwest Airlines - the airport they use (HOU) is closer to port than IAH, they check 2 suitcases for free, and most importantly they don't charge a fee (other than any change in fare) for changing your flight. Even the same day as the flight.

We had two wonderful cruises in December on the Caribbean Princess. We sailed from GAL last year and between the two, I prefer the shiny new Bayport (Houston) terminal.

Sorry gang, I know that I promised Patters and I do have them in pdf format, but sadly even the smallest file exceeds CC's KB limit. I don't have a smart phone, nor do I have my camera here at work with me, but I'm happy to send them via e-mail if anyone wants them that way. Sorry for the inconvenience! :o

Odd, very odd. :confused:

I just posted two Patters to a Roll Call asking for them (so they could plan a Cabin Crawl around the ship's more popular activities.

They were PDFs, one was 568kb and the other, 614kb. It worked fine.

I attached using the "paper clip" icon in the toolbar.

(Mine are Caribbean Princess Patters from December, not Ruby Princess - anyone want these?)

Charleston is in SC not NC.

There wasn't enough time in the tour stop to cover that.

I will be sending a sternly-worded letter to Pablo requesting compensation for the COFFEE I just spat out. He's lucky the keyboard still works.

That was unfairly hilarious!

Any suggestions?

 

I might have to end up with a balcony cabin.

E734 or E735 would be nice covered balconies if they're not taken. Quiet neighborhood. :D

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Is it a nightly thing like on Royal Caribbean?

Sometimes it is pre-empted by a Captain's Circle or Most Traveled party.

This is noted on the card in the cabin listing the featured appetizer and drink for each night.

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Is the admin fee per item or just once time on the total tax?

Hmm, good question. Looks like it will be the same practice as at the borders now... Whatever that is. I haven't done a crossing with spirits in a while.

"Section 107.07 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, in effect for over 40 years, requires that each adult (21 years old and over) importing alcoholic beverages into the state for personal consumption pay the state tax and an administrative fee of $3.00."

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If we have a joint brokerage account and book two separate cabins, should we both get the OBC, or will they just give the OBC to one of us. The cabins are booked with me and my son in one and my wife and daughter in the other.

Definitely if there's 200 shares in the joint account.

If using the same 100, well they would have to be very loosely applying the rules, or not notice, for that to work.

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The "professional cleaning" (not exactly dry cleaning) uses lower temps.

Blouses $4.00

(That's what a wash and dry cycle in the Self Serve Laundrette would cost, too)

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Galveston collecting now. Bayport to start collecting "Fall 2014."

(including $ 3.00 administrative fees)

Distilled Spirits

Miniatures (2 oz. or less) (50 ml or less)$ 3.25

Half Pint (200 ml)3.25

Pint (500 ml)3.50

Fifth (750 ml)3.50

Quart (1 ltr)3.75

1/2 Gallon (1.75 ltr)4.25

1 Gallon (3.5 ltr)5.50

Beer

6 12-ounce containers$ 3.25

24 12-ounce containers3.50

Malt Liquor

24 12-ounce containers$ 3.50

Wine

Fifth (750 ml)$ 3.25

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So I'm looking at the warm clothes on the passengers. How cold was it?

That was a turnaround day for us. We had just come from Cozumel and two sea days crossing the Caribbean and about to go back to sea. We just had to go off the ship to see Immigration and get back on... Unfortunately my wife forgot her jacket in the cabin, and she was shivering when we were traversing the gangway, and while in the Terminal's bare concrete Customs area. Couldn't wait to get back "home" onto the CB and have that great embarkation lunch!

She's from New Jersey but it was actually pretty chilly even for early December.

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What is your favorite Princess specialty restaurant and why?

We've been to the Crown Grill twice, Sabatini's once. We'll keep going back to each one, trying different things.

Outstanding dishes have been Sabatini's twice-baked artichoke soufflé and the veal chop, and Crown Grill's lamb rack and the (discontinued but fondly remembered) scalloped potatoes.

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What are the current cover charges for the CG & Sabatini's? We'll be on the Emerald soon.

Both are $25 per person.

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Call the Kroger in La Porte. Most have a natural foods section.

1300 W Fairmont Pkwy

La Porte, TX 77571

Store Phone:

(281) 842-1020

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It just got a Thumb Up from me ("bayoufilter").

I have seen many many pictures, but the video gives a better feeling of what it's like. Thanks for making it and posting!

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I would love to do that hike (taking the road) but DW is not up to that much walking. We will hit PC twice on a 14-day in June 2014. Need a hiking buddy LOL!

I'd be happy just seeing the Lighthouse and the 'lighthouse house.'

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Can someone confirm that there were actually chocolates on the pillows and towel animals?

Chocolates are placed every night, I think I counted 3 different kinds they kind of rotate to match the day.

We got a towel elephant, with a letter of introduction (his name was Jumbo). He was found in a different place each day doing something different each time. He had such a good work ethic we left him his own tip at the end.

Only 9 more sleeps til we leave!!

 

Terry

Enjoy!!

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I thought I read they were from America's Got Talent or something? Nothing they did was new and not overly done. And the tired 90s metal music killed it for me. I'm wondering what all other's liked about them?

Heh, if you can show me anyone doing a truly new magic trick I'll give you an unpunched, unmarked Coffee Card. Seriously.

We liked the Hawleys a lot, for the pace of the show and how they presented so many illusions. 3X a night. Heh, they are such a good-looking couple that they could have been doing yo-yo routines, and DW & I would probably still have enjoyed front row. ;)

I may be biased though, by them coming to our entire Meet & Greet and charming the socks off of everyone.

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So we went to the port side, tried the handle and broke it off! :eek: I hope they fixed it. But in my defense I think it was already broken before we got there.

So YOU'RE the one... Just kidding. It was fixed and working fine by December.

Second officer told us they leave it accessible (different ships, different policies) locking it for wind or at sundown.

I never knew the crew called it the Monkey Bridge until talking to him.

(OO! OO! :D )

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Did anyone find a part of the ship they really liked to hang out in?

The crew leaves the Monkey Bridge open even on sea days, closing for night or extra windy conditions.

This is the mini deck on top of the Bridge, accessed from the far forward end of Deck 15's hallways. No loungers but great views.

I liked Skywalker's for good views in indoor comfort.

Promenade Deck has a lot of comfy seating all along the starboard corridor.

I especially like the sofa/benches just outside Club Fusion's starboard door, I don't know why, guess it is out of the way without being TOO quietly isolated.

Deck 17 Aft hot tub is a nice quiet soak with a view. Never saw anyone else in that one.

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I, too, live in Alief's Park Glen West, (40 years).

What route did you take to Bayport Terminal?

I didn't. We overnighted in La Porte and our son took the car home for the two weeks. He had to work on our embarkation morning.

We planned to taxi the short distance to port, but the hotel had an unadvertised hourly port shuttle so we jumped on that at 10:30 am.

Disembarkation day we were pulling in a couple of hours late so we let him sleep in a while, then I directed him to the little beach in El Jardin Del Mar just outside the port:

From Alief

Beltway 8 to 225, to 146 south thru La Porte...

Then, since I knew there might be traffic on Port Rd unable to proceed into port, he stayed on 146 past the port road to Red Bluff, and took that, east, to Todville Road. He got a little more nap time at El Jardin's beach before we called him that we were going down to join our Yellow 5 luggage, come on up to the port's pickup lane.

My reasoning : Todville Road hits Port Road much closer to the port gate. But there wasn't a traffic jam at all.

Timing was almost perfect; he circled the parking lot once on the Dropoff Loop and then we were coming out of the building with the porter.

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But if that isn't an issue, is it similar to FLL? Is there a preferred check in line? Does getting there at 11:00 allow you to get in and sit down somewhere?

Yes. The entry doors are in the middle of the terminal, to the right of those will be disembarking passengers. Three doors, Preferred is on the left, Special Assistance on the right.

You go in and you may wait until 11 for the security scanner lines to start up. But there's even some (about 10?) chairs there for the earliest like BVEs.

Once thru TSA you can go straight to a check-in counter and there is a LOT of seating after that until boarding. If eligible for the Lounge, there's cushier chairs and tea/coffee/pastries. Boarding starts at noon on a normal day. BVE are boarded first, then suite-elite are called from the lounge, and then they go to a color system of first-come-first-boarded.

Do the other groups really show up at the staggered time or does everyone still come at once?

Everyone comes all at once or when they darn well feel like it. It's Texas. :D

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