DougMacP

We are scheduled to be in Halifax in September and were considering an excursion using the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) buses. From some of the older port reviews and remarks it appears when multiple ships are in port the wait times can be quite long. So, I checked for our date Sept 25th....and discovered 4 ships are in port that day.

Anyone have experience with that many ship in port with passengers trying to use the HOHO buses?.... Should be make other plans?

opps...you are so right

We are scheduled to be in Halifax in September and were considering an excursion using the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) buses. From some of the older port reviews and remarks it appears when multiple ships are in port the wait times can be quite long. So, I checked for our date Sept 25th....and discovered 4 ships are in port that day.

Anyone have experience with that many ship in port with passengers trying to use the HOHO buses?.... Should be make other plans?

Are the specialty restaurants also formal on Gala (aka Formal) nights? I know on Princess they are casual no matter what night it is. Trying to determine our options since we don't like to dress up.

Actually their cruises are posted. Go to Princess.com, then enter your destination and dates. Ruby and Emerald have 7 day round trips out of L.A. and a 10 day in January out of San Francisco.

For Alaska I prefer to go earlier in June when most kids are still in school....(unless you are traveling with kids and like to be around them).

Standard rule of thumb....don't book directly over, or under public areas. I'd book mid-ship but not the closest cabin to the stairwells, elevators or crew service areas (those vast blank spaces you see on the deck plans). Personally, I'd be looking at the Baja deck (11). You are 4 flights up to the Lido, and 4 flights down to the Promenade.

If you are more elevator dependent, then the deck doesn't matter as much (other than first rule of thumb!) but you might consider a room further aft (but not too far aft!) and use the rear elevator bank, as traditionally is not as busy as the center or forward elevators.

We ordered 2 bottles of whiskey and 2 bottles of vodka for the room on the last couple cruises (14 day and 15 day respectively). The first time on the Island, it was all brought in at once. More recently on the Star, they would only bring one bottle of each at the time and you had to call when you were ready for the next bottle. Guess they didn't want us flipping over the balconies.

Having done both a full and mini suites on Princess our last two cruises, we decided we prefer the layout of the mini suites. There is a lot of wasted space in the full suites. We hated the split bathroom set up with toilet and sink in one room and the gargantuan jetted tub and glass enclosed shower in the other separated by a door that belongs in a hobbit house (the jam height is probably 6'2"). Definitely a head banger for me. The closet in the full suite is really enclosed and cave like. We prefer the mini-suite one long rack with mirrored doors enclosing the drawers on the far wall.

If you like 6 feet of vanity space and absolutely positively need a small bar sink...then the full suite is for you. However you get the same size sofa (a queen sleeper) and only one additional chair in the sitting area. The separation of the bedroom from the sitting area on the full suite was the something we really liked, with a full curtain separating the area. The mini suite doesn't have that which is really more of a design defect on the mini suites (due to the curved book case).

The balcony on the full suites are essentially double wide, and the full loungers are great, but the adjustable chair backs with separate foot rest are very comfortable in the mini suite.

The thing we really missed was breakfast at Sabatini's nearly everyday, but all the other perks aren't worth the added price, for a stateroom we liked less.

Done the Hawaii Circle twice now (on Grand 2011, and Star 2017)...the sanctuary was never busy on either cruise. The sanctuary seems to be more popular on itineraries where it is very hot, because so much of it is in the shade.

As for Hawaii circle, as a general rule it starts getting warm enough to lay out at after 2 days going and 2 days before the return.

Didn't mean to confuse anyone.... It is not a Princess cruise....it is the Carnival Legend some cruising friends of mine booked for 4/19/17 and 4/30/17 Itineraries

Carnival used the Jones Act terminology with them explaining the "fine" of $300 months after they book. I posted this on the Princess Board...because I cruise Princess (just finished the Hawaii Circle on the Star today), and I've learned to trust the collective wisdom of this forum!

Thanks....appreciate all the input.

This is a Jones Act question.....If you book an itinerary from Hawaii to Vancouver BC, THEN do the next cruise from BC to Alaska on the same ship...and disembark in Seattle have you satisfied the Jones Act requirement? A particular cruise line which shall remain nameless (hint...it owns Princess and most everything else) says no. But, it seems to me that since you are required to disembark in Vancouver BC (like most back to back cruises) and re-board wouldn't that be sufficient? Since the origin of the cruise is now in foreign country? Even thought the booking was done directly through the cruise line, the people were just informed they would be fined $300 each.

Since most of your days will be sea days a balcony isn't the end all be all. The upgrade will cost your approximately $26. per day. A748 looks to be a rear facing cabin (sweet) but you are under the Lido deck, albeit the outside area from the buffet. You'll hear foot steps and chairs moving...plus it is prone to vibration from the props. I'd strongly consider the balcony....Personally I never book a room under the Lido, or over a restaurant, lounge or showroom.

P.S. Add to the do not book list......under the gym, and below any walking deck.

The Hawaii circle cruise really isn't that much about the Islands...You get a taste, but not a meal. The cruise is about sea days at a pretty great price. Other sea days options have been noted in this thread. Panama Canal cruises, Transatlantic, and my personal favorites repositioning cruises, from

Europe to the Caribbean in September / October

Caribbean to Europe April / May

East Coast to Alaska May

Alaska to East Coast September

Never, ever go to an art auction on board....but if you are considering it...look up terms like "chandelier bid", "buyer premium" "shipping" and "refund policy" and "park west class action lawsuits". If you want to buy something onboard to remember your trip....get a coffee mug or refrigerator magnet. It is a better value, and probably of better quality.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/09/27/guide-to-cruise-ship-art-auctions.html

Thanks!! BOGO is the reason I don't buy the beverage package, you can have 4 drinks for something like $20....Take the last one or two (if you order them without ice) back to your room for later. Plus I don't like to feel I "have" to drink everyday because I bought a package.

Hope it is still in Sabatini's or Share...Honestly that was my favorite of the full suite perks.

Last year Princess was doing a couple Happy Hour promotions per day...specifically Buy One Get One (hence BOGO) are they still doing that fleet wide?

Also, last year full suite passengers could have breakfast at Sabatini's, I don't see that currently listed as a perk. Gone?

Yes it is the same menu in both. On "Formal Nights" if you don't want to dress up (which I never do anymore), the specialty restaurants are always "casual attire".

Since this is my first Princess cruise will I still be able to walk off early?

That shouldn't be an issue...but you need plead your case with the front desk to get in the first or second walk off group. I normally do this the first full day of the cruise, so there is plenty to time to process the request.

The new cabins added in the 2013 refit are much more modern than the originals, that have beige cabinets...with small crystal pulls and shiny brass bathroom fittings. More 1980's than 2003 when the ship was built. We were in a full suite D703 (3/24/16 voyage) and the split bathroom with its 6 foot tall separating door did more than a little damage to my head. Additional issue with the Lido balcony cabins is that you can't use the balcony during the transit, but they give you a pass to The Sanctuary, as the cables for that secure the ship in the canal are against the side of the balconies. Was that so with your rear facing balcony? As for vibrations wonder if that was because during the first part of the trip to Aruba they were close to max cruising speed...after that they had plenty of time and were dogging it at 15 or so knots?

For a 15 day Panama Canal cruise we bought 2 bottles of Crown Royal and 2 of Absolute Vodka prior to boarding...Not cheap but I thought fair considering the general mark up onboard...then one thing changed everything. HAPPY HOUR...in fact three of them 3ish, 5:30ish and 10pm ish per day...One drink regular price....another for a dollar extra. As long as the policy continues fleet wide, you don't need to buy extra for the room. Just drink one there and take the extra to your room. Literally cut our normal bar bill in half for the trip. Ended up bring back one bottle of each that we purchased.

The only 5 day cruise I see is on Dec 17 on the Ruby Princess (great ship). There are a couple of 6 days on the Carnival Miracle that go to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. The vast majority of the short cruises are 3 or 4 days and the only place they go in Mexico is Ensenada. So to answer your question (sort of) I would prefer Princess because the Carnival ship that runs most of the short itineraries is the "Imagination" one of the smallest and oldest ships in the Carnival fleet. The Ruby Princess has a lot of alternate dining choices, and a great pool deck.

I bought about half Of the 30 cruises I've taken at the last minute, but I never buy air or hotels in advance.You just have to price everything to see if it makes sense. Remember that the best accommodations usually sell out first so if you're fussy about category and location of your cabin last minute is not the way to go.

Just have to hope the cruise doesn't sell out!

I have an upcoming cruise on the Island and have been reading the reviews and posts about how they stuffed a bunch of extra cabins on her....taking away part of the promenade deck (hate that) and rear lounge (sort of hate that). Looking at the Princess Website.....

Lists the Island with 2,214 lower berths

Coral at 2,000 lower berths.

What you would expect if cabins were added to the Island, right? This is where it gets interesting. Because according to Princess the Coral has more cabins 1,000 than the Island 987. The biggest difference is the Coral has more outside cabins.

So if Princess jammed more cabins on the Island to make more money....why haven't they don't that to the Coral??