Princess Star Princess November 8, 2015 Vancouver to LA

[559cruisers]

Husband and I are booked with another close friend. Wondering if there are any other FOD on board. :cool:

[movie buff]

My husband and I just booked this nice little cruise a week ago. We are flying in from San Francisco and staying 3 nights pre cruise at the Pan Pacific. Going to turn it into a nice one week getaway. Hope we can meet up on the cruise. My name is Gary and my spouse is Brian.

[559cruisers]

My husband and I just booked this nice little cruise a week ago. We are flying in from San Francisco and staying 3 nights pre cruise at the Pan Pacific. Going to turn it into a nice one week getaway. Hope we can meet up on the cruise. My name is Gary and my spouse is Brian.

 

Welcome aboard guys! Nice to meet you!

Would have replied sooner but we've been in South Beach soaking in the humidity...lol

I'm Danny and my husband is Kevin. We are also doing 3 nights in Vancouver pre-cruise. Staying at The Burrard near Davie St. Flying up from LA on 11/5. We bringing another friend (straight girlfriend) Erin, along as well.

Any plans for Vancouver yet? This is actually our first time to Canada. Looking forward to meeting you guys soon!

[movie buff]

Nice to meet you Danny. We have been to Vancouver many many times. We love Vancouver and Vicitoria too. We are planning to arrive early afternoon on November 5. We have stayed at the Pan Pacific hotel before and like the fact that the ship leaves right from Canada Place where the hotel is located. We really have no special plans at all except to relax and enjoy the fine dining that Vancouver has to offer. We are still trying to decide where we want to go for dining. We are always trying new places. I know you will all enjoy your stay. Be prepared because it can be on the cool side especially at night. We are looking forward to meeting all of you. This is a very special trip for me since I will have officially retired as of October 30 along with it being my birthday too during the cruise. It was a nice present from my husband of 20 years! Really looking forward to the trip. Gary.

[559cruisers]

Congrats on retiring! I can only imagine that feeling... And your birthday too, how great! It will also be my husband Kevin's birthday during the cruise, 11/11. We were thinking about the Crown Grill that evening on the Star.

If you have any recommendations on sightseeing/dining in Vancouver, we would be much appreciative.

:) Danny

[movie buff]

How funny, my birthday is also 11/11. We were planning the crown grill too. We have been on princess several times and love the crown grill. Gary

[559cruisers]

What are the chances of you two having the same birthday? That's great! :D

I'm glad to hear good things about the Crown Grill, I was curious about that. But from what I've read/heard, Princess does a better job than most in the food department.

A couple questions, if I may... 1) What is the Sanctuary? And is it something you pay extra for? 2) Is there a charge to use the fitness center (like NCL)? 3) Is there a piano bar (the sing-a-long kind) on board the Star?

Ok, that's it for now, promise.

 

:) Danny

[movie buff]

Hi again, ask all the questions you wish. Brian and I are cruise crazy. We have lost count on how many we been on. Have done most lines except carnival. You guys have been on that line quite a bit and we have some questions for you too. We can exchange stories when we meet up. As far as Princess goes the Sanctuary is a very nice adult area on the top deck, outside. They do have a daily charge to use it or one charge for the complete cruise. You will have to check it out when you tour the ship when you first get on. If the weather is nice many people use it. When it is cooler then it pretty much stays empty. No charge for the gym use. They have a sauna and steam room in the spa area that use to be free to use. Have not used it for many years so not sure if they have a charge now. You will have to ask once you board. Or there might be some info on the princess cruise critic community boards. They do have quite a few entertainment venues with a piano on board but not sure what to expect on a four day cruise. Most of the time we do 10 night or longer cruises so they have tons of stuff happening. Any more questions feel free to fire away and I will try to answer them. Perhaps we can meet up at some point in Vancouver for a drink prior to the cruise. By the way I Also what to prepare you for the very strong possibility of rain in Vancouver. November and December are the months they get major rainfall. So plan on everyone bringing a umbrella for sure. Could be cool too especially in the evening so be prepared for that too. On day three and four the weather can start to be warmer if we are lucky. it is just that time of the year. We will check the weather report a couple of days before we leave and keep you posted. Who knows maybe we will be lucky. Gary

[559cruisers]

Thanks for the info! One of the reasons we like Carnival is because they don't charge any additional fees to use the fitness center. We always use the gym and sauna/steam room onboard. Makes us feel less guilty about indulging in the dining room...

As for the rain, bring it on! Being from the central valley we've almost forgotten what rain feels like. Although we are getting a slight sprinkling today (AMEN!). I'll bring my French Connection umbrella...it reads: "FCUK RAIN" I love it and hardly ever get the opportunity to use it!

We would love to meet up with you guys in Vancouver for a drink! We don't have any definite plans as of yet. We weren't planning on getting a rental car while in the city, seems fairly compact and easy to get around (from what I can tell).

So you mentioned you were flying in from SFO. Do you live in the City as well?

[movie buff]

We live in Walnut Creek. East bay. We are about a 30 minute drive from SF. Princess has been having one of their ships home ported in San Francisco for the last several years. They do 7 night south coastal, 10 night Alaska and Mexico and 15 night Hawaii, all round trip SF. Because of this we have taken quite a few since for us you do not have to fly. We really wish Celebrity cruises were here because that really is our favorite line. Nothing wrong with Princess but everyone has reasons they like one line more than another. We love to cruise so we are open to trying other products, which of course we have. We have been wanting to give Carnival a try. Been thinking of doing one of their ships out of Long Beach to Hawaii round trip. We are always looking for deals so we can cruise more often. I will look up some places in Vancouver and see if we can meet up somewhere between where we are both staying. Some nice bars not far from where you are staying. We have a month to plan and research so I will let you know what I find. Should be fun. Gary.

[559cruisers]

My husband Kevin is originally from the North Bay, Santa Rosa. He moved down to the valley about 8 years ago. So we go up there quite a bit to visit family and friends.

I've always wanted to cruise out of SF. Something special about the idea of sailing under the Golden Gate! I wish there were more cruise lines that would come to SF. It would give us a few more west coast options.

As for Carnival, we've had good experiences so far. I would definitely recommend the 7-day Mexican Riviera. I've done that one a few times. And we love Puerto Vallarta! Probably my favorite port. I'm hoping they bring a new ship to LA soon. They've had the same 3 for several years now.

Hope you guys a great weekend. Talk to you soon!

:) Danny

[559cruisers]

Hi guys!

We've had a slight change of plans. Decided to go south instead. Vancouver looks beautiful, but maybe in late Spring. Hope you enjoy your vacation. And hopefully we'll meet on a Celebrity Cruise someday soon. Keep in touch, sordid559@yahoo.com

:) Danny

[movie buff]

Sorry to hear you are not going. Brian and I sometimes make changes in plans too. Hope you didn't take a big hit in cancellation fees. We have had to take a hit a few times with airline ticket changes. You have any questions in the future about cruises or ships feel free to email me anytime. garysund12@yahoo.com. Gary