One day cruises

[ehogan]

just returned from a one day cruise on the Ruby. We tried this mainly because it moves us up a notch so we will be In the Elite category next cruise.

 

Have to say this is a never again experience...perhaps because a lot of the passengers have never sailed before, the atmosphere is frenetic. Most are attempting to cram in as much as possible into the one day. Staff are noticably stressed and I noticed a lot of rude behavior on the part of passengers.

 

Breakfast on the departure morning was limited to the Lido so the area was so overwhelmed they ran out of plates!

 

For first timers this is not the way to judge cruising...I heard several passengers say they were disappointed in the cruise.

[voljeep]

without being too personal, but kinda, what was you ballpark figure for this one day cruise? please include ALL costs - not just the base cruise fare...

 

to and from the port

flight/drive home

parking

pet care

 

of course, drinks, specialty dinners are 'optional' and should not be included

 

obviously please ignore this post if it is too personal...

[Cruise Raider]

We agree, although never having done a one night sailing. We've done two and three night sailings and three is ok ... never again would we go on a two night unless it is to get us from where we are to where we want to be. In other words, if we take a sailing out of Canada and would like to sail back to our home port in San Francisco, we would consider the Vancouver => SF itinerary rather than fly back home.

But, I would never suggest someone try out one of these short itineraries to see if they like cruising or not .... it really doesn't give you a flavor for what it is really like.

On the other hand ... congrats on your step up to elite! Enjoy that free laundry!

[dfields1814]

I had a great time on a one night cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. You have to remember that a one nighter will be a party cruise.

[voljeep]

I'm guessing there is no dress code or formal night on a 1 day-er, huh?;p

[neverbeenhere]

We’ve done one night cruises on a number of lines. Vancouver to Seattle a few times, Miami to Fort Lauderdale once and someplace else... for the purposes of repositioning. They have always cost about the same as a shuttle.

 

Yes, doing a one nighter for the purposes of receiving Elite benefits on Princess is not a profitable endeavor.

[neverbeenhere]

Dress code— many people dress up quite nice. Cocktail dresses of the glitziest type are common. Along with the shortest dresses you have ever seen on a ship. —- it’s a party.

[ehogan]

To Voljeep:

 

Cruise cost: inside cabin. $136. CDN. all taxes in per person

Amtrak bus home: $35 USD per person

No pets

No car/parking

 

So, cheap enough but a miserable transport day home. Train would have been more comfortable but didnt want to wait till 7:30

[neverbeenhere]

Just checked, our last one was $59 + $15 fee per person. Total $148

[cruiseintoheaven]

We did this once - it was actually part of a bigger trip. We spent 3 nights in Seattle, then took the Amtrak Cascade rail trip from Seattle to Vancouver, hopped on the 1 night cruise from Vancouver to Seattle, and then did the 7 day R/T Alaska cruise. Boarding for the one night cruise was hectic, but I don’t recall it being a big party night. Total fare was around $130 and we got the Shareholder OBC of $50 - not a bad price for a date night. [emoji4]

 

 

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[VibeGuy]

I like the product so much that I do these willingly. Between loyalty cash, the chance to stock up on duty free hooch, shareholder, refer-a-friend and cheap fares, it’s a fun night with friends and I’m 10 miles from home on one end or the other.

[recyclelady]

We did the one day cruise from Seattle to Vancouver last year for the purpose of getting us up to Elite before a 60-day cruise! No way was I going for two months around South America without free laundry.

 

We turned it into a really fun trip. We visited first with friends in Oregon and Washington. Then when we arrived in Vancouver we stayed two days with some old trivia buddies. It was only a small part of a much bigger trip.

 

For that one night we booked an inside cabin on Plaza for $79 each. Seemed like a better deal than buying a hotel room in the area too!

[TheRabbit]

We did the one day cruise from Seattle to Vancouver last year for the purpose of getting us up to Elite before a 60-day cruise! No way was I going for two months around South America without free laundry.

 

We turned it into a really fun trip. We visited first with friends in Oregon and Washington. Then when we arrived in Vancouver we stayed two days with some old trivia buddies. It was only a small part of a much bigger trip.

 

For that one night we booked an inside cabin on Plaza for $79 each. Seemed like a better deal than buying a hotel room in the area too!

I tried to convince the DW to do a 3 day trip out of LA before a 30 night cruise to do the same (get to elite). She didn't go for it, so each time she asked that I go down and sit in the laundry I had a good excuse that we could have avoided the hole affair. (I did sit a few times.) Looking back, I think she wished we had done that.

[wheezedr]

We did a 1 day from Seattle to Vancouver, then switched ships for a 2 day Vancouver to SF. For the price of 1 short SW flight, I used points, and a couple of low Princess charges it was a fun long weekend. At the time it drove us closer to Elite as well. Would have cost a lot more to book 3 nights of hotels and meals.

[CineGraphic]

According to someone I spoke with, Princess is phasing our these short trips. It’s stressful for the crew, and the post-cruise surveys are filled with complaints.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone while I probably should be working.

[wheezedr]

According to someone I spoke with, Princess is phasing our these short trips. It’s stressful for the crew, and the post-cruise surveys are filled with complaints.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone while I probably should be working.

Hard to totally eliminate on the West Coast because of the PVSA. If they want to move ships from LA to Seattle or vice versa as they change seasons they must sneak a cruise in that stops or starts at a foriegn port. That’s why you get the early May and October versions as they run ships into or out of the Alaskan waters.

[CineGraphic]

If you notice, the last Alaskan cruises of the season that are usually round-trip from Seattle, now end in Vancouver, eliminating the one day sailing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone while I probably should be working.

[VibeGuy]

They’re welcome to unload in Vancouver in the morning, sail without passengers to Seattle for a delayed boarding and begin the 7-night sequence. They don’t. Celebrity has.

 

These ships sail full-full and introduce a lot of people to the brand. They spend lavishly on booze and specialty dining and the casino is busy on sailings when it opens (discretion of the casino manager). You cannot get a seat at Crown Grill or Sabatinis to save your life unless you book early. They remain good business because nothing about them has changed since Princess started homeporting ships in Seattle.

[Wulfwyn]

Also Princess is now starting to leave from Vancouver do the 7 day Alaska then end in Seattle. Which then starts the 7 day Alaska runs from Seattle round trip.

 

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[WanderlustJourney]

I was on this one day cruise as well and found it a huge improvement from last May’s sailing. Staff were much more friendly and while I also had to wait for a plate and a coffee cup in the buffet in the morning, I still enjoyed the quick trip.

With Elite benefits of being able to board by 11ish in Vancouver, I felt I was able to really enjoy this mini trip. I even caught some sun by the pool! My mini suite costed me $150 Canadian as I booked super early and I took the bolt bus home for $10 bucks, it’s still WAY cheaper than a night out with friends downtown Vancouver or up in Whistler! Disembarkation was way better too, everyone was lined up mid ship, went forward to the other disembarkation point and walked right off the ship with no line at 9:00am.

[anthonyy7]

We were on that 1 day from Vancouver to Seattle. I added it to our 7 day Alaska. We’re currently in Juneau. OMG, there so many kids and tipsy parents on that 1 day. The line for pizza and ice cream always had 50+ people in it. Kids running me over and staff decided they weren’t going to do squat that day. I felt really bad for them having back to back turn around days. So relieved when we reboarded after a day out in Seattle and found our usual Princess crowd.

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

I did one once and it was enough. For us, it was a means to get where we needed to be but I don't think I'd do that again.