PurpleTraveller

On Royal Princess last December the reserved seating for Production Shows for Premier packages was next to the aisles on both levels of the theatre. The lower level on deck 6 is accessible for wheelchairs and scooters which has spaces for them. Maybe you could ask for one of these spaces to be reserved or possibly one of the spaces at the top of level 7. You can see the reserved and wheelchair seats/spaces on the lower level in this photo.

I was in C535 on my cruise in December which is in a similar position but on the Starboard side. We thought the cabin was in a great location. It was very quiet and we enjoyed being in the middle of the ship (five floors down to the Piazza and five floors up to the Lido deck) and were able to use the stairs to go down to the Theatre or Piazza and up to the Lido deck. We were also able to easily use the mid or aft elevators or stairs. Being mid aft we felt no movement of the ship. The guest laundry was nearby which was convenient. I thought that the ship was in great condition and did not notice any disrepair or worn areas.

Thank you! I'm really pleased that my review is helping with your planning. We find that it is best to bring layers as the temps can range from quite cool to warm in November. It can be very cool at sea and in the Sounds so a wind proof jacket is handy but the rest of the time short sleeves with a fleecy is usually sufficient. We only did one excursion in Dunedin and the procedure was the same as we have experienced on other Princess cruises. We met at the theatre at the time on our excursion ticket, waited in the theatre in the section for our excursion, were called by our excursion group and walked off the ship to our bus which had a sign on it with the excursion number. There was someone collecting our tickets at the door to the bus. At working ports where there were shuttles to take independent travellers into town the excursion buses were at the dock so the excursion participants only had to leave the ship and walk to their excursion bus. I hope you have a great visit to Australia and New Zealand and have a wonderful cruise! 🛳️

I haven't done The Malta Experience. I personally would prefer to spend my time exploring Malta which has so much to see and do (we spent five days there and still didn't see everything we wanted to), rather than spend time in a theatre, particularly if there is good weather. However, if you want to learn about Malta's history you may enjoy it. No matter what you choose I hope you have a great visit to Malta and a wonderful cruise. 🛳️

If you want to go to the Blue Grotto I echo Zana711 about not using public transport. (We got the public bus which broke down half way there leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. We had to walk for quite a distance until we managed to wave down another public bus which kindly took us to the closest point to the Blue Grotto on his route and then we had to walk from there. A 30 minutes bus trip turned into a 90 minute bus/walk/bus/walk trip. Fortunately we weren't on a cruise day but staying in Valletta for five days.) I would also recommend getting a taxi there and possibly getting them to wait then getting them to take you to Marsaxlokk and then returning to Valletta. That would maximise your time and allow you to visit the places you want to see and also have time to explore Valletta and maybe also fit in a ferry ride across the harbour.

I just checked my paperwork for my cruise last June and it was a 4.30pm departure with an all aboard time of 3.15pm. Your check in window may be later than my 10.30am check in, if you have a 6.00pm departure and it will also depend at what time the ship is due to arrive.

Last June I arrived at 10.15am for a 10.30am check in time (there are no longer check in times just a boarding window eg. 11.00am to 3.00pm). There were two ships in port and it was a disorganised terminal with long lines. Even with priority boarding I boarded the ship just before midday. Hopefully the terminal will be better organised this year but if you want to be on early you will need to arrive early for check in and leave exploring Vancouver for another time.

My next cruise is in September 2025 and when I checked my dining reservations after receiving the email all of my reservations had already been cancelled.

The cruise terminal in Barcelona where Princess ships dock is the Adossat Quay Cruise Terminal where there are five terminals - A, B, C, D and E. The Adossat Quay Terminal is about 2km from the end of Las Ramblas. There is a port shuttle for a cost that goes from near the end of Las Ramblas to the terminals at Adossat or you can get a taxi there. Either check which terminal your ship is leaving from or you will be able to see the ships once you get to the Quay and you can tell your taxi driver that you want to stop at the Princess ship. The World Trade Centre Terminal at the foot of Las Ramblas is only for small ships and Princess ships are too large to dock there.

There are a number of trains each day from Venice to Ravenna. You will need to change trains at either Ferrara or Bologna. Check the Trenitalia website https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html I don't know about NCL but check to see if they have transfers from Venice to Ravenna on embarkation day. Celebrity have stand alone transfers without hotel packages from Venice Airport, Venice City, Bologna Airport and Ravenna Train Station on embarkation day so possibly NCL have something similar. Another option is to get a private transfer but it would cost a lot more than a ship transfer or the train. You could spend a couple of nights in Venice then get a train to Bologna to spend a night then train to Ravenna on embarkation day or possibly spend the night in Ravenna before embarking.

Thank you for doing this "Live". I will be onboard in June and look forward to seeing your review of the ship and ports. Hope you enjoy Rome which is one of my favourite cities and that you have a wonderful cruise! 🛳️

I went on the 11 day roundtrip from Vancouver Alaska cruise on Crown Princess in June 2023. I did a review of the cruise and the Princess Patters are on page 9, Posts # 216 and 217.

I have only seen 2 public restrooms on my two previous visits to Oia and Fira. The one at the local bus stop at Oia mentioned by bonsai3s, is a western restroom and was clean when I used it. The other was just outside the bus station in Fira and was dirty with a hole in the floor (admittedly a few years ago and may have been upgraded since then). Your best bet may be in a bar or restaurant or possibly a museum. I will be there again in June and would be interested if anyone else has any extra public restrooms to add to these as I won't be going to Oia.

Thank you for your wonderful review. I do enjoy reading about your travels. I look forward to your next review as I will be on Infinity in June for the Greek Isles cruise followed by Italy and Croatia on Constellation. Tanks again and happy future sailing. 🛳️

Your plan seems feasible. You will need to get a tender from the ship to the Old Port where you can get the boat to Ammoudi Bay. You may have to wait a while as they wait until the boat is full before leaving. Once at Ammoudi Bay there is a bus that takes you up to Oia which was included in the boat price. Once you have finished in Oia you can get their bus back to Fira which also was included in the boat price. Make sure you get instructions of how to use their buses and the timings when you buy your boat tickets. If you decide to use a local bus to go somewhere they only accept Euros in cash and they like you to have the exact or close to the exact change. They will for example not be happy with a €20 note and may not accept it. The views from Oia are wonderful though it will probably be very crowded. We had some fantastic gelato there a few years ago but I can't remember the name of the shop and there are some lovely shops and bars and restaurants. Once back in Fira there are lovely views if you walk along the cliff path, plenty of shops and also many bars and restaurants. Sorry, I don't have any recommendations as I can't remember where we have stopped previously. I have walked down the stairs twice with no issues at all. It can be very hot so wear a hat, have water with you and you need to watch out for donkeys coming up the path. When the donkeys come just move to the side of the path so that they can get past you. The steps can be slippery so wear decent shoes and watch your step. The views are great as you go down the path and you can go as fast or slow as you like. It takes us about 30 to 40 minutes but we like to stop to take photos. We find it better than waiting in a long line to get the cable car. Hope you have a great cruise! 🛳️