genmasjoy

I've had this same response re:  code 500.   

I am glad to hear this.  I love to sit in a deck chair reading a good book.  I recognize a lot of the titles on the list and I look forward to exploring the library on the Rotterdam this fall.

Very good review, especially with the video

Sorry you went through this experience.  I'm sure it was very disappointing for you and your family.

At least it's only the deposit.

Our December cruise was canceled by Princess yesterday.  I'm not surprised and I'm happy we had not made the final payment.  I asked our travel agent to tell them we did not want FCC and to return our deposit.  Princess acknowledged the request and said it would be at least 60 days until the reimbursement is processed.  We haven't been anywhere this year to date which isn't like us.    We had a wonderful Panama Canal cruise, partial transit, round trip FLL, on Island Princess in October 2018.  I am glad to have the memory of it, as well as the memories of our cruises on other Princess ships.   In early August we are going to rent a villa in Vero Beach for a few days - it will be on the beach, we'll have a kitchen, and our family can join us because it is 2 BR, 2Baths.  Hope we will be able to sail again with Princess some time in the future.

Just call DCL, they will have it in their records.  We rebooked for November and with the 125% credit, we got the same category and 4 night sailing with only $23.50 for onboard credit since it was a higher price.  Our original cruise was in September which is the peak of hurricane season, but we've gone in September twice before and it was fine.

We're going on the Western Caribbean itinerary on Veendam on November 6 out of Fort Lauderdale.  At the time we booked, it was going to two ports in Cuba, but when that changed, the cruise was repriced (lower) and we decided to keep our reservation.  We have been on Veendam twice before, once for a Canada/New England cruise and last year to Bermuda.  I'm glad to hear the positive comments.  I enjoy the ship because of its relatively small size.  It's so much easier to get everyone organized at a port call and you get to know the other passengers.

We like the Veendam.  Have cruised on her twice and will be doing so again in November.  It has the atmosphere of a being on a ship at sea, unlike the large floating hotel type ships which are more like a  mall with hotel rooms.  We enjoy getting to know other passengers.  Since it is a smaller ship,  there are more opportunities to socialize with the same people.  I enjoy the piano bar and the main evening show.  The casino is small but has a good selection of slot machines.  I like the lunch options of the taco bar, the hamburger/hotdog stand, or pizza to order which are all on deck and don't require changing out of a swimsuit to enjoy.   It is also much easier to disembark and embark at the port calls, since there aren't so many people at one time trying to find their tour.  It has a relaxed atmosphere.  We have also cruised on RCCL, Disney and Princess. but we enjoy the Veendam as well.

I'm waiting too; we are also booked November 6.   If the itinerary is acceptable to us, we will not cancel because we like the Veendam and also the date worked well for us. 

We are cruising on Island Princess and our departure date is October 31, 2018. Does Princess normally celebrate Halloween? Do the passengers dress in costume?

I enjoyed the review and port information, thank you. I am sailing on the Veendam in September with my husband and another couple, so the information was helpful.

Thanks for the review, we are going on this itinerary on the Veendam in September. I am looking forward to the smaller ship since most of our recent cruises have been on much larger ones.

We took a bus booked through Princess which took us to the Glacier visitors center. It had interesting exhibits, and a walkway leading out to observation points to view the glacier. I enjoyed seeing the Glacier at ground level and learning about it at the visitors center. Princess offers other more expensive options, such as a helicopter flight over it, but DH and I both enjoyed our tour and it wasn't expensive.

If it's a clear day in Juneau, you might want to take the cable car which is in walking distance along the pier. It takes you up to the top of a mountain which has great views, but no good if it's fogged in. There are exhibits at the top which are about the native people of the area, which we found interesting.

Great review, thanks. DH and I have been to Hawaii and loved it, so Tahiti sounds even better. We are hoping to cruise on PB in 2017.

I just happened to see this review. Great job, thanks for all the information and photos. We are taking a four night cruise on Independence in December which will have two sea days and on in Cozumel, so it was good to see there's plenty to do on the ship.

Sorry to hear that. It's hard to avoid spring break since there are so many different weeks when school and colleges take their spring break, it's not one set time like Thanksgiving or New Year's. How did you like Independence otherwise? We just booked a 4 night cruise on her in early December, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so hopefully we're avoiding the holiday rush.

Enjoyed your review, thanks

On our recent Oasis cruise, there were no bathrobes in the stateroom although we are Platinum. I didn't think to ask, wish I had. We did have a really fun event, a sail away party on the helipad at the bow of the ship as we left Labadee. Drinks were served and the cruise director, staff, and several officers were there.

I was surprised because I have been on holiday cruises on Disney and on Princess which were busy but I didn't realize the amount of additional passengers that Oasis would have above the usual occupancy.

Regarding Mr. Sancho's, it was not over crowded at all. We saw other passengers from Oasis and from Carnival - you have to bring your own beach towel from the ship so that's how I was aware it was cruise ship passengers. We had both a table with chairs and an umbrella as well as two lounge chairs assigned to us for the day. The cab fare was $17 each way for the cab, up to four people (not $17 per person). I would recommend it if you just want a beach day.

We were just on Oasis last week and we enjoyed the hibachi side of Izumi. It is very similar to Benihana. The chef did some tricks as he was preparing the food but he explained he can't use fire because it's on a ship so they have to be careful. The cost is $30 pp for one main course meat and $35 for two meats. We enjoyed the ice cream dessert, it was three small balls of different flavored ice creams encased in a thin layer of dough.

If you enjoy a steak house, then Chops is very good. It has several appetizers, then a selection of steaks or a veal chop or a couple other options, and vegetable portions are generous. The desserts aren't too large, which is good because at that point you are pretty full.

We were just there last week. We went to the left as we got off of the pier, to the swimming beach area near the cabanas. It had lounge chairs and nearby restrooms as well as lunch service. There were small rocks in the water but if you wear water shoes (I'm not sure what the exact name is but they are black and fit tightly on your foot) you'll be fine.

We'd been to Cozumel before so we just took a cab to Mr. Sancho's Beach Resort, an all inclusive day pass was $50 pp for food, drink, lounge chairs, pool, beach, etc. A really nice day and no ferry ride required.

I was on the cruise also, with my husband. I think there were too many passengers for the ship to provide its usual level of service. There was an announcement that over 6400 people were on board and usually it's more like 5000. There were lines everywhere, noisy restaurants, crowded elevators - not at all relaxing. The entertainment is very high quality. Our cabin was an ocean view balcony and it was quiet, and well maintained. The food was not great except at the specialty restaurants. I thought the drink prices were high and we didn't buy a drink package because we wouldn't have used it. Agreed, the seas were rough and it was windy the last day so we did things like bingo and trivia rather than going out on the deck.

Congrats to your brother on winning the free cruise, that's terrific. And here I was happy that my husband won $250 at the casino on a 25 cent slot pull, lol.