Raisinette

I suspected as much...that's too bad, now I'll have to lug a few books instead!

Thank you.

I've checked the deck plans and don't see a library on the Enchanted Princess; does anyone know if there is one on board, and if so, where?

Thanks!

On 2/18/2023 at 10:14 PM, cruzin4us said:

I think it might have more to do with the Stockholder's Credit.   The SC is not combinable with any other travel agent rates, blah, blah, blah (casino comps it seems to work with).   Here's the fine print at the bottom of the SC's page.   That's my guess anyway.

 

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head...the 'fine print' above seems quite clear to me - I guess I was just lucky in 2019!

Thank you!

Thanks for the info, likely that's the reason. My sometimes TA (a friend of a friend) had never had a 'group' booking prior to mine so was learning with us. 

You learn something new most days!

This question is aimed at any of the travel agents or group organizers posting here that may be able to shed light on this scenario...

I organized a small 'group' of 6 cabins (10 people) for a recent cruise, and in discussion with my travel agent we agreed to use the amenity points to receive a Tour Conductor credit (basically a payment from Princess of a % of the value of the total booking) rather than allocating some Onboard credit to each cabin.  The Tour Conductor credit was worth more than the offered OBC.

When it was time to initiate the Tour Conductor payment my TA was informed by Princess that I (the group organizer and part of the travelling group) could not receive the payment as I was already receiving the Stockholder benefit.  Allegedly anyone receiving the stockholder benefit is ineligible for the Tour Conductor credit.  (I don't keep the tour conductor payment for myself, I take it out in cash and divvy it up between the group as we are all family, but like to keep it as a nice surprise for once we are on board) So I had to cancel the surprise aspect and instruct my TA to pay the Tour Conductor credit to a person in our group that does not claim the stockholder benefit.  Then have that person transfer the funds to me so I could get the cash and split between everyone.  

The reason I'm asking about this here is that I organized my first and only other 'group' (with mostly the same participants) in 2019 and there was no issue with me receiving the Tour Conductor credit that time - even though I definitely claimed the stockholder benefit on that cruise too.

So, does anyone know if Princess has changed their policy regarding payment of the Tour Conductor credit since the fall of 2019?

thanks,

Becky

It was a bit crazy the first night but since then has been fine. I’m with a family group of ten so we were able to reserve the same table, same time, for every night. This was in the Da Vinci. The Botticelli dining room is being used exclusively for two reserved seatings - one early and one late, but not exactly the same as old style tradition dining. The actual seating times vary slightly but the end result is two seatings overall in that dining room if that makes sense.

I’m on the Emerald at the moment. Port side. There is a pillar in the middle of the entry area and they had a sign on either side indicating that one side was for people that had a reservation and the other side is for people without a reservation.

Just now, mevs904 said:

Thank you so much!  We love Sabatinis and this looks like their best menu yet.  We’re looking forward to trying their Ribollita.  We’ve had it in Florence and Siena and practically licked the bowl we liked it so much.  Do they still offer the dessert sampler as one of the choices?  We’ll be on the Enchanted in April and it looks like we’ll be going to Sabatinis more than once!

Yes, the dessert sampler is still available and is (now) called the Chef special if I remember correctly.

3 hours ago, malba2366 said:

Thank you for posting this.  Looks to me like an improvement over the previous menu.

 

Can each person order a pasta and a main course, or one or the other without the surcharge?  Can kids order from the same menu or is there a kids menu that the kids have to order from since they are half price?

Each person can order a pasta and a main. I don’t know what happens for kids.

38 minutes ago, lbfluffy said:

Has the price increased? When I go on dine my way in app, it says $35 pp.

I was charged $25.

One extra comment - the dessert options are the same as I remember from last November.

Hello all,

I’m currently on the Emerald Princess, and this is the new menu…hope my photos load okay…!

I ate there a few days ago and will be back tonight. One thing to know, the new menu will be a slower meal and it seems that is intentional as the dining room maître’d made the same comment when we told him we wouldn’t be at our usual table tonight. (We are a group of ten)

Enjoy!

I enjoyed both of those specialty restaurants in November, however I think it comes down to personal preference.

If you want meat - go to Crown Grill.  If you like Italian - go to Sabatini's.

We did both restaurants twice on that cruise and I preferred Sabatini's based on the greater variety in the menu.

Here's a PDF of each menu that I saved last January as an indication of the menu possibilities!

Enjoy making a decision!

1364806272_SabatinisMenu.pdf 1449295499_CrownGrilleMenu.pdf

On 1/16/2023 at 2:32 PM, sonomaphil said:

Thanks!  The beach is to the left as you exit the pier.  It's kind of a restaurant row and they all do have umbrellas and chairs for rent.  Not sure of pricing.  We didn't go in the water but there is a dedicated swimming area.  Keep in mind the water in the Pacific is always cold.  

Thanks for this information.

Thanks so much for all the info and food porn photos!

We're getting on in a couple of weeks and I have a Huatulco question if you don't mind...it looks like you can walk to the beach from the pier? Are there lounge chairs/umbrellas for rent? Should I bring water shoes for swimming there or is the bottom mostly sand?

This is my first crossing and your info has been really helpful, thanks!

Becky

I did a TA this fall stopping at a few of these ports and offer the following opinions!

There is N O T H I N G at Le Verdon, the port guard doesn't even have a hut, he/she operates out of their car, and the 'port' is just about in a field.  I wasn't interested in any wine country type excursions but other people on our roll call mentioned that on previous stops here there was a shuttle service to 'Soulac Sur Mer' on the opposite side of the penninsula, about a 20 minute or so bus ride away.  The day we were here the port was engulfed in fog - you could hardly see one end of the ship from the other.  However, we took the free shuttle and halfway to Soulac Sur Mer all the fog disappeared.  Soulac Sur Mer is a small summer resort town, a main street with many small stores, cafes, pharmacy etc.  From where the bus dropped us off to the beach was about a 7 minute walk down the main street.  We really enjoyed this as a quieter day compared to some of our other stops. The ship was still fogged in when we returned.

La Coruna - I did a ship tour that took us to many areas in and around the city, included snacks, guided walking tour, enjoyed it, but did it mainly because I had an excess of onboard credit to use.  The ship docks right in the city with a very short walk to harbourfront cafes, shops etc.  You can do this on your own if this type of activity appeals to you.

Good luck with your planning!

This is easily possible, however I have a suggestion...

Leave your luggage at the airport Schiphol | Baggage storage at the depot or in lockers , take a train from the airport to Rotterdam Centraal station, do your sight seeing then take a train back to Schiphol, collect your luggage then continue by train to Amsterdam Centraal and walk/taxi etc to your hotel.

The trains at Schiphol are right underneath the Arrivals concourse.  There is very frequent (mid day approx every 5 minutes!) service on Intercity trains to Rotterdam, and the journey on these trains takes approx half an hour.  Tickets can be pre-purchased on the ns.nl website, or at the ticket counter on the day you arrive. I think you can also purchase your tickets at the vending machines in the concourse, with English being a selectable language on the screen when you begin.

Good luck with your planning!

Yes - that was helpful!

However I now realize I likely won't be able to go anyhow as my tour finishes approx 2:00 and the market closes at 3:00.  

Thanks!

Becky

Hello,

We'll be in La Coruna on a Saturday in 3 weeks, and I have a comment in my trip notes that there is a decent (?) Saturday market within walking distance of the port.  Unfortunately I don't have any further info and had no success in Google.  

Does anyone know if there is in fact a Saturday market close-ish to the port area, and whether it's worth a look?  I don't need fresh meat/fish(!) but am always interested in regional specialities and perhaps some nice fruit.

Any info would be appreciated,

Becky

Aaaaahhh, so just testing the waters so to speak - thanks!

Hello,

I’m on the Carnival Panorama, docked in Puerto Vallarta today. A couple of hours ago a Princess ship (Diamond Princess according to the cams) came into view, then stopped well outside the port area. They haven’t noticeably moved other than rotating a bit, and no tendering happening that I can see either. Is there anyone onboard that can shed light on this!?

Thanks,

Becky

1 hour ago, 1emerald1 said:

According to the bridge cams, the ship is the Diamond Princess.

Thanks!

Hello!

By chance are you at Puerto Vallarta today?

I’m on the Carnival Panorama, we’ve been docked for hours, and a few hours ago I noticed a Princess ship coming into view- and then it stopped. It doesn’t seem to have moved and doesn’t appear to be tendering either, so I’m curious to know what’s happening?!

I was planning to take some photos of the ship coming in as I think the docking entry area is a little snug, but maybe that’s my imagination.

Can anyone onboard enlighten  me?

thanks, 

Becky

We’ve only done this once before, and that time we met in the terminal (I couldn’t remember which one, hence my original comment) and boarded together. On that trip she arrived the night before and stayed at a hotel very close to the airport and took a taxi to the terminal in the morning. (She has slight mobility issues and is not able to take the tube to meet me in town) The bus made a quick stop at terminal 5 to pick up a few more people. This time she’ll arrive in terminal 2 - allegedly - so we may or may not end up on the same bus. It’s a chance we’re willing to take! If I was on my own I’d likely take the train or coach option, but don’t want to pay the single supplement on the cruise itself! 

Hi Globalizer and John Bull,

I recognize both your names from many previous informative posts - thanks so much!

On this particular trip (and in fact most of my cruises in Europe), I'm cruising with a friend that is arriving separately and won't have any time in London pre-cruise. We live in different countries and tend to connect to do the transfer together, chatting for most of the bus journey!  I will however save the info and links for future reference.

As an aside, I don't know if Princess still offers transfers from Victoria as we specifically requested the Heathrow transfer through our agent.

I appreciate the input!

Becky