shiner6

I am looking for information on how to book the Chef's table on my Crown cruise in January. Any advice from those who have partaken of this experience on the Crown would be helpful. This cruise will have quite a few sea days, so I am hoping to attend this on one of those days. Thank you in advance.

Princess is first choice for Alaska, no brainer.

Hi Steve, Yes, I emailed Deanna and she was very helpful. I want to clarify for everyone, that your insurance store has been great! My complaints have to do with the insurance company. I believe most people would be surprised to learn that in order to file a claim for lost or stolen bags along with all belongings---They require receipts. Not only the receipts, but you may be surprised by the depreciation value of your belongings. It seems to me that the worst covered part of trip insurance is for the baggage. This is probably due to scammers in past claims. For instance, your $100 shirt you purchased in 2021 to wear only on cruises will now be worth $10 in the depreciation insurance world. My loss concerned a really nice piece of carryon luggage which I treated myself to earlier this year. No way can I replace that. Lesson learned, I will only purchase cheap luggage going forward. As others have stated, buyer beware when purchasing trip insurance, be sure to read everything and make sure you understand what is covered. If you are like me, I do not take the time to read every word, instead relying on justness and common sense, which doesn't apply to contracts! MY BAD-----But we all learn and manage to go forward-hopefully a little wiser.

How would a forward cabin be on a Transatlantic trip? I am prone to seasickness. I do take my meds and it helps a lot. I have always done AFT or MIDSHIP before.

Thank you everyone. I certainly have learned from this experience. I always purchase trip insurance with the hope that I never need to use it. That being said, I now will always keep receipts of my travel buys. Most of the time I use credit card anyways but sometimes I pay cash when it is a splurge for just me and I do not want put it on a card. I sent in my claim filling it in to the best of my ability. I will take what I have learned from this and go forward.

UPDATE: Despite all the hoops to jump through, I am going to be persistent and at least not be disuaded and give up without trying. I just spent several hours completing the claim process. Now, I will see what happens. I am going to the store where I purchased the suitcase and see if they can help me.

From what I can figure out (and they don't tell you this upfront), they do this to insure themselves against fraud. I understand their concerns, however, their requirements for lost or stolen baggage is unfair to some honest folks. I have no receipt for my bag, because I paid cash and I do not keep all of my receipts. I do however, have a picture of my bag with my family on This trip, but that will not meet their criteria. Also, why should I have to show proof of my homeowner's insurance refusing to pay this claim? Very tedious, but I am going to try anyways. Their system will not permit me to continue filling in my claim until I fulfill it all. I guess I will try to call them again today. I might add that this is the first time in all of my 40 years of purchasing travel insurance that I have needed to file a claim.

I understand, but I cannot find receipt for my suitcase. I paid cash. I have a picture of it on this trip.

I booked my insurance through the Trip Insurance store (Globiali) for our trip to Alaska. I am now having a world of problems trying to file a claim for a lost carryon bag. It is so tedious and no assistance. They want proof that I filed with my homeowners and was denied first. They want receipts for every item. (who keeps all of their receipts?). They also want proof of the trip and all expenses. There is more-you cannot submit before everything is uploaded and the site keeps sending me error messages and won't allow me to enter any more. I spent hundreds of dollars for this insurance to provide peace of mind. Now I feel betrayed. I have been trying for months to locate my lost piece of luggage with AA and nobody ever returns my calls. I guess I am trying to tell all of you to really investigate your options before paying for a policy.

How about some reviews from those of you have done this city recently? PLEASE!!!!

I just read this article!!! Oh my. Thank you for posting!

I cancelled 2 excursions to Pearl Harbor last night. I would read what others are saying first before booking.

I was fortunate enough to reserve a car for this port also. How difficult would it be to pick up the car at the airport and do the Volcano Park on our own?

Thank you! That is what I am thinking. It was $190 pp and was supposed to include a dinner and wine in a lovely setting, so not a cheap outing for 4 people. If I can just do the Volcano Park, that will be fine with me. I had read some awful reviews on other cruise line boards about the Macadamia Nut Place. If it is also a lovely place, then I am ok with it. If it is a factory with large tourist geared herding into stores, then I want no part of it. Here is a better version of the notice: SHORE EXCURSION MODIFICATION (ITO-300) Please be advised the Ultimate Hilo: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park & Tastes of Hawaii (ITO-300) shore excursion in Hilo has been modified due to operational reasons. The venue for the tasting has changed from O.K. Farms to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm. Please visit the Cruise Personalizer at www.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer to review the updated tour description or, if you wish, to reserve an alternate tour. You will be able to do so online up to six days prior to sailing or once you are on board. We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause and look forward to welcoming you on board for your cruise.

I just received notice that our wine tasting has been moved to the Macadamia nut factory! I don’t want to go to a nut factory if it to sell me merchandise. What are your experiences with this?

Great review, we will be on the Pride in June 2023 as well.

No, it was offered in the shopping section of my booking itinerary.

Has anyone pre-purchased the Princess fleece to nylon reversible jacket online under your already booked account and had it delivered to your room? I have tried to find a size chart for these jackets without success. If you purchased one, how was the fit and quality?

Totally agree. This is what I do. I just move their stuff. Would you leave your belongings anywhere else in the world and expect it to be there after you're gone? Nooo!!! I would expect my belongings to be long gone.

Thank you for the speedy replies. I have been to the government site and plan to obtain tickets and shuttle in this way. I guess that means there is no reason to pay $129 pp for an excursion through Princess. Does this make economic sense? It is rather confusing. What reason would I want to pay Princess? Isn't this something which I may do myself now that they are not providing tickets on the shuttle?

I received this as an "Emergency Notice " just now from Princess. I went to my itinereary and could not find any information about change or cancellation or refund. Having difficulty understanding what this means and what should I do? IMPORTANT NOTICES SHORE EXCURSION MODIFICATION Please be advised due limitations by the National Park Service, your shore excursion at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii has been modified and we are no longer able to provide a shuttle ticket to the USS Arizona memorial. You will be able to secure a complimentary shuttle ticket on your own once you are at Pearl Harbor. Please visit the Cruise Personalizer at www.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer to review the updated tour description or, if you wish, to reserve an alternate tour. You will be able to do so online up to six days prior to sailing or once you are on board. We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause and look forward to welcoming you on board for your cruise.

Thanks, where did you find that phone number?

As it is my first Trip to cruise out of Europe, I did tons of research here and on other sites before booking my airfare. I easily booked my RT from JFK to LHR and purchased a ticket which stated that changes can be made easily by using their "chat" automatic session. Well, as it happens, I needed to change my return flight for a day later. Same time, same seats, just a day later. I tried the Virgin chat "bot" for 7 days in a row at different times in one day----so very many attempts. No luck, no way to leave a message to be contacted, no way to leave a complaint. I tried using all the forms they directed me to, only to be sent back to the "bot". The "bot" stated that they were too busy with other patrons and to try again later, then "it" dismissed me!!! Ok, I can attribute lots of service issues to covid, but come on now, there has been plenty of time to get this straightened out. Yesterday, after multiple phone attempts and persistence, I was able to speak with a rep. who was quite pleasant and assured me it was an easy fix since I wanted the same flight and seats. I was sooo grateful to her........until I received my updated itinerary!!!! My seats are not assigned ( I paid $92 per seat extra for 3 exit row seats). If I try to assign these seats by myself, I have to pay the fee again!!! By this time, I feel defeated and angry about this entire process. Want to warn others before they make a choice.

Thanks for posting! I have been following your journey daily and look forward to the updates. I am booked on the Pride in a Vista suite for Norway and Baltic next year and would love to hear your experience with the ship. Do you find the Vista suite to your liking? Any issues with motion sickness, noise etc? More than a few reviews have me concerned. The itinerary of course is center spotlight and looks fantastic. BTW, my son-in-law has taken his construction crew to Florida for the next 2 years to help with the cleanup. He says he is humbled by the devastation and the inhabitants resolve to rebuild. ,

Having done this trip with both Princess and Hal, I would say that I loved them both. However, for your specific situation I would recommend HAL Koningsdam out of Vancouver. We just did this itinerary with our extended family. Everything you are are looking for, is on this ship. Make sure you do the Deadliest Catch expedition!!! I would book regular balconies. Do not waste $$$$ on a Vista suite---not worth the extra cash for a tiny amount of extra room. Our family would gather up in the Crow's nest and play board games, eat snacks , have a cocktail, stretch out and relax all while having a broad view of the beautiful scenery while inside. There was plenty of viewing spots outside as well. One of our group had 4 to a regular balcony room--no problem. We chose rooms near elevators and loved this location. The entertainment in the lounges were good ,the nature talks were spectacular.