Confused... Which deck are we on?

[crazymrsnancy]

Hi! This is our first cruise, so I apologize if this is a silly question!

 

Our TA just sent our booking confirmation for our Ruby Princess Cruise by email and it says :

 

Stateroom / Cat: E201 / G Beds: Convertible Twins

 

(Does convertible twins mean we push them together?)

 

Also, she had asked us if we preferred earlier or late dining and we said late, but on the confirmation booking it says :

 

Dining Request: Anytime Dining / Confirmed

 

Help!!

[Toto2Kansas]

Hi! This is our first cruise, so I apologize if this is a silly question!

 

Our TA just sent our booking confirmation for our Ruby Princess Cruise by email and it says :

 

Stateroom / Cat: E201 / G Beds: Convertible Twins

 

(Does convertible twins mean we push them together?)

 

Also, she had asked us if we preferred earlier or late dining and we said late, but on the confirmation booking it says :

 

Dining Request: Anytime Dining / Confirmed

 

Help!!

Any stateroom beginning with E will be located on the Emerald Deck.

Convertible twins are the norm, two twins that are converted to a queen with a lumpy thing in the middle to keep them together. ;)

 

Dining request for assigned seating need to be made long in advance as they fill up quickly. If you aren't one of the early ones, you will be assigned anytime dining. Same menu, different diningroom and you can dine whatever time you please.

[willysgrandma]

You don't have to push the beds together - call your TA and tell her you want the beds together. They will let the cruise line know and the beds should be together when you get on the ship.

 

If they aren't, contact your room steward when you get in your room (there will be a card on the desk with his/her name on it and phone number) and tell him/her to move the beds together. They will do it for you. Your on vacation - you shouldn't have to lift a finger!

 

Enjoy!

[crazymrsnancy]

Wow Thanks everyone! That was fast!!

 

Can I push my luck and ask one more silly question ? hehe

 

I read on these forums that you are supposed to carry a 'cruise card' with you... how do you keep it with you ? In your pocket? Is it 'waterproof' ? (Or can you just leave your stuff on your chair while you go in the pool?) When we get off the boat, do we have to carry our passports with us? What's the best way to carry all that important stuff ?

[crazymrsnancy]

Gah, I just looked at the deck plans on princess' site, and there's a lifeboat in our 'ocean view'! hehe. Ah well, we were going for an inside cabin and our TA said "Oh we got an OV, Bonus!" Maybe that's why... hehe.

[Nicki61]

Wow Thanks everyone! That was fast!!

 

Can I push my luck and ask one more silly question ? hehe

 

I read on these forums that you are supposed to carry a 'cruise card' with you... how do you keep it with you ? In your pocket? Is it 'waterproof' ? (Or can you just leave your stuff on your chair while you go in the pool?) When we get off the boat, do we have to carry our passports with us? What's the best way to carry all that important stuff ?

 

We get our cards hole punched and hang them on a lanyard. They are the size of credit cards and made out of the same plastic. You can purchase one on the ship or bring one with you. CC has a very nice one for sale here on this site. It easily unclips when you need to scan it or hand it to the bartender or at the gift shop or...:D See how uncliping is nice??

When we are at the pool, I just lay it on my chair under my towel or in my bag. I personally have never had a problem.

I don't bring my passport with us off the ship. I know others do, we dont'. They get put in the safe.

No questions are silly questions, you wouldn't ask if you knew the answer. So ask away.

[cruznliz]

You were very lucky to be "upgraded" from an inside cabin to an oceanview. At least you'll have some daylight even if you don't actually have a view.:eek: The cruise card is similar to the material a credit card is made out of. I suppose it's waterproof, but it's also safe to leave it on a chair with your towel (or covered up by your towel). I usually just carry it in my pocket around the ship. I don't like carrying a purse onboard the ship. You can also get a hole put in the card and wear it around your neck on a lanyard.

 

It's usually not necessary to bring your passports off the ship, but they will require that you have a photo I.D. with you in port along with your cruise card. A driver's license works just fine. We find it best to just leave the passport, jewelry and cash in the cabin safe. Have fun on your first cruise! You'll never forget it!

[CruzinNoony]

You don't mention when your cruise is, but if it isn't real close, you could request to be put on the waitlist for late traditional dining. You can always get anytime dining. Also, we make copies of our passports and bring those with us.:cool:

[crazymrsnancy]

Ah sorry! I had signed in on the roll call but you wouldn't know unless you're on that same cruise! hehe

 

It's Ruby Princess on March 21st 2009. I can't WAIT!! My husband Stephane and I are going to celebrate our weight loss :) (130lbs lost each so far, still have a ways to go... I started at 350lbs...) So hopefully we are closer to goal in march :)

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Another way of having a copy of your passport is to scan it to your email account and if you are ever stuck and need it you can easily access the internet to print of a copy. I do this as well as a photcopy with me. That way I can keep the original passport in my safe for the week.

 

 

You don't mention when your cruise is, but if it isn't real close, you could request to be put on the waitlist for late traditional dining. You can always get anytime dining. Also, we make copies of our passports and bring those with us.:cool:

[cruznliz]

Congratulations on your weight loss!! How exciting! Don't believe anyone who says you will gain weight on a cruise. There are many ways to eat healthy and still have lots of fun. Also many, many ways to get extra exercise. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and use the gym with the gorgeous ocean view! :D

[kellor]

Ah sorry! I had signed in on the roll call but you wouldn't know unless you're on that same cruise! hehe

 

It's Ruby Princess on March 21st 2009. I can't WAIT!! My husband Stephane and I are going to celebrate our weight loss :) (130lbs lost each so far, still have a ways to go... I started at 350lbs...) So hopefully we are closer to goal in march :)

 

Congrats on your outstanding weight loss !!!! We were hooked after our 1st cruise and will be on our 4th in just a couple of weeks on the Ruby.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I have gotten an inexpensive lanyard at Walmart, and attached a plastic sleeve (from an office supply store, but I think Walmart has those in the stationery dept -- the lanyard was in jewelry) so I can just slip in the card (no hole punching necessary).

 

I would ask your TA to get you on a waitlist for traditional dining if you want it (I think this is something that sets cruising apart from a regular vacation, but others may disagree).

 

If you don't bring your passport off the ship with you in the ports, make absolutely sure you're back on the ship long before sailaway. Else, you may have difficulty getting transportation to another port or back home if you miss the ship.

[Cruisin' Chick]

BTW, Princess makes it easy to know which deck you're on (just go by the initial: Aloha, Baja, Caribe, Dolphin, etc.). The Promenade, Lido, Sports and Sun decks will be the exception. The elevators will announce what deck they're stopping at, and there are diagrams on the walls when you are walking around.

[caribill]

If you don't bring your passport off the ship with you in the ports' date=' make absolutely sure you're back on the ship long before sailaway. Else, you may have difficulty getting transportation to another port or back home if you miss the ship.[/quote']

 

Not this itinerary, but on some cruises you have no choice. Princess collects your passports and you do not get them back until you have visted several or even all ports. Thus, you do not have them to take off the ship in the ports visited.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

...I read on these forums that you are supposed to carry a 'cruise card' with you... how do you keep it with you ? In your pocket? Is it 'waterproof' ? (Or can you just leave your stuff on your chair while you go in the pool?) ...

 

Do NOT get your cruise card wet. We have before and it stopped working. We just take it out of our pocket and leave it with our towels when we go to the pool.

 

Not sure if this happened to others but we have forgotten them in our pockets before, went in the pool and they got wet and we couldn't get in our cabins after that. We had to go the pursers desk to get another one.

[FLACRUISER99]

Gah, I just looked at the deck plans on princess' site, and there's a lifeboat in our 'ocean view'! hehe. Ah well, we were going for an inside cabin and our TA said "Oh we got an OV, Bonus!" Maybe that's why... hehe.

You will have a good view of the water, on this class of princess ships you are able to see over the lifeboats.

[nursebubba]

Have not sailed with princess before but on every other line we always take them with us in a fanny pack that I even snorkel with. Have never had a problem with them not working so maybe that was just one instance. Sorry that happened to you sox fan

[crazymrsnancy]

You will have a good view of the water, on this class of princess ships you are able to see over the lifeboats.

 

Thanks!! I would have been perfectly fine with an inside cabin, so any sunlight/view is just the cherry on top! I can't wait!! Come on, March! hehe. :D

[CruzinNoony]

First of all, Crazymrsnancy, congratulations on your fantastic weight loss!! That is wonderful and you and hubby should be very proud of yourselves. Because your cruise is several months away, I would definately call your TA and get on the waitlist for traditional dining. I have been on 38 cruises and we have had traditional for all but one (NCL -no choice) and it is the only way we do it. Like another poster said it is a big part of the cruising experience.

 

We are here for you, so ask away those questions! And keep up the good work. You are an inspiration!!!

[judynorth]

You might be concerned about leaving your cruise card unattended. What if someone picked it up and entered your cabin using your card? Well, they no longer have the cabin number on them so that is no problem. In 2005 the cabin number was there. In 2006 it was not. I think that was a very good move on Princess' part.

 

One problem with putting your cruise card in a plastic sleeve - you have to scan your card any time that you use it and it is also your room key so if it is in a sleeve you have to remove it every time that you use it. Punching it and using a lanyard is much easier. Princess sells lanyards for about $6 and they will punch the card at most shops onboard and at the purser's desk.

 

Cruising is wonderful! Just don't let little glitches spoil things for you. Our first cruise was a disaster but we still loved it. Remember, any cruise is better than being at home!

[seagypsea]

Not this itinerary, but on some cruises you have no choice. Princess collects your passports and you do not get them back until you have visted several or even all ports. Thus, you do not have them to take off the ship in the ports visited.

 

Seriously :eek:???

 

I've never had a cruise line keep my passport. Why on earth would they do that? It's my passport, why would they have the right to collect and keep it? Just curious in case it ever happens to me. Maybe there are some places I don't wanna go!

[Druke I]

Ships sometimes keep passports, as it can speed clearing the ship at foreign ports. Often the Immigration officers will come aboard before arriving in their home country, and clear the paperwork while you are snug and asleep in your cabin.

 

I'm sure if you would prefer to stay up all night in line to clear Immigration some surly immigration officer would be happy to accommodate you.

 

Seriously, it does speed the process when the Purser's Office and the Immigration officials have immediate access to the passport.

 

I'm sure that someday in the future, as we venture further into the electronic age, the need to surrender your passport will cease.

[cruznliz]

There are a number of places that Princess sails to where they collect the passports. It's really not a big deal and they give you a receipt for it. The purpose is for the port officials to individually check the passports rather than have 2000 to 3000 people standing in line. Trust me, standing in line is no picnic. We've done that more than once. I think on the Baltic cruise they collected the passports and kept them for the duration of the cruise. It was fine for the Americans, but for some reason the Brits and others had to have the passports in their possession to get off. I saw some at the Pursers Desk getting their passports back. Again, it's not a big deal.;)

[caribill]

Seriously :eek:???

 

I've never had a cruise line keep my passport. Why on earth would they do that? It's my passport, why would they have the right to collect and keep it? Just curious in case it ever happens to me. Maybe there are some places I don't wanna go!

 

 

The others are correct in why.

 

Some examples:

In some ports, every passport gets stamped. If doing multiple ports in such a country, it is stamped with an exit stamp at the last port.

 

Entering the Amazon River in Brazil (first stop there), immigration made a Xerox copy of some pages in every passport and the Yellow fever certificates.

 

As others have said, you do not want to be in a line with all the other ship passengers doing this for several ports on a cruise.