Rubynic

You just need to fax proof of ownership to Princess in Southampton - the contact numbers are on the Carnival Shareholder Benefit schedule. I think there is an e-mail address as well so you can scan the documents & e-mail them but you would have to confirm this with them. I was told they only update these twice a week so it can take some time to show up on your account. And unlike P&O you don't get an e-mail to confirm that your OBC has been added to your booking - strange considering the 2 companies are in the same building !!

Last year we took the local tram to Blankenberg then train into Bruges - took around an hour & cost 10 euros each. About a mile walk into the centre of Bruges from the train station - this is mainly a pedestrian area anyway so whichever form of transport you would have to walk. Oslo we docked right in the centre - could arrange your own fjord boat ride or walk to the palace through the gardens. In Copenhagen we took the Princess shuttle into the city centre - $8 each way - then made our own way round town. There was also a Hop on Hop Off bus. Never made it to Helsingborg - too rough to tender.

Enjoy your cruise.

We boarded Star Princess at Vancouver on 14th May - 3 ships in port. We were already advised that embarkation was delayed due to the noro virus on the ship & the additional cleaning which was taking place. Arrived at the port at 2.15 and waited upstairs for our group number to be called - then downstairs to go through the security then wait for US immigration. US & Canadian passengers went in one queue which did move - all international passengers spent about an hour stood in line in a corridor before being allowed into another room where we were seated in rows for another hour. Only when all US/Canadian passengers were processed did they start dealing with overseas passengers. Overall the whole process took well over 4 hours - by the time we reached the Princess check-in desk we were sorted straightaway and then onto the ship around 6.30pm with muster delayed to 7pm.

As others have said our worst boarding experience ever - we will never sail from there again.

My parents recently booked a cruise for June 17 direct with Princess in the UK. They were told that if the price dropped then they could refer but would have to pay a £50 per person change fee & also if there was a waiting list for their category of cabin then they would not necessarily be able to keep the same one as booked previously. Is this correct ? Has anyone else experienced this ?

We are currently on board Star Princess in Alaska and there is an Alaskan salmon dish on the always available section in the main dining room & a choice of halibut, copper river salmon & one other (sorry can't remember) on the Crown Grill menu with a choice of cooking preparations - the pan-fried copper river salmon was delicious.

I sailed on Emerald Princess from Southampton 2 weeks ago and enjoyed great food from all of the restaurants & other venues. Lots of choice & good quality. And service overall was excellent - sometimes a wait for bar service but I think this was due to a significant number of passengers with the AIBP. As others have said the buffet layout is not the best but the range of food was very good - quite congested at breakfast time but there are still other options with the restaurants, room service & the 24 hour International Cafe.

Hi everyone, our first ever cruise is fast approaching , yay! We are on the Emerald out of Southampton on 28th May. As this is our first cruise we have no idea how long it takes to leave the ship. I am about to book trains back to Scotland and it would help if I had a rough idea what time we could reasonably get to Southampton Central. Thanks for any help

We board the Emerald Princess tomorrow - can't wait - have already travelled to Southampton. Base on a couple of previous cruises if you can do self-disembarkation (carry your own luggage) you will be off the ship first - usually around 8am. We have booked an open return ticket but have reservations on the 9.15 train back to Blackpool. Barring any delays this should be OK.

Enjoy your cruise - Emerald Princrss is a beautiful ship & the fjords are spectacular.

I had some refundable OBC left on a Caribbean cruise which ended 7 weeks ago. Passenger services would not refund this on board in cash. (Only $60). I am still waiting for this money to be refunded to me. Have contacted Princess in the UK and they have investigated & arranged to send me a cheque but after 2 more weeks I am still to receive anything.

Interested to read how others have received refunds on board - just another example of inconsistencies across the fleet.

We docked at Le Verdon a couple of years ago. It is a small commercial port - no facilities at all. Trips were available to Bordeaux but Princess also put on shuttle transfers to Soulac-sur-Mer about 20 mins away. This was a nice small seaside resort with some shops/restaurants and a local market selling wines & cheeses. You could also go to the beach or walk along the seafront.

We were on Emerald Princess in January & the Concerts at Sea group were on board. As described in other posts our entertainment venues were severely restricted with Club Fusion being out of bounds for us for most of the week. We did know about the group in advance but since we already had flights booked & paid for we did not have any choice. We would try & avoid this cruise in future if possible.

There is an email address for customer services which I have used. I did have to chase them up but I did get a resolution in the end. It is pcuk.customerrelations@princesscruises.co.uk or you can click on a link on the website.

This referral benefit is not payable to UK passengers !! I did check with Southampton but was told no such system exists - lucky us !!

I book direct with Princess and they have all my shareholding details, so I don't have to send the form. It's much easier this way. I just make a booking and ask them to add it on.:D

Hansi - how did you do this ? I am also from the UK and have asked Princess to add my shareholder details to my account but I still have to fax proof to Southampton for each cruise. It usually takes many days for the OBC to show in my personaliser. Interestingly P&O are often quicker and they are in the same building !! Fax machines probably sit next to each other !

We have done self disembark and are usually off the ship by 8am.

We fly out to join the Emerald Princess in 2 weeks - reading your blog will make me feel that we are there already. Thank you for your hard work & maybe meet you again onboard.

Nicola

We have found Princess to be less formal than P&O but since there will be probably be a lot of British people onboard then you won't be the only ones dressed formally. Enjoy Emerald Princess - a lovely ship. We sail in her in a couple of weeks in the Caribbean - an escape from the rain here !!

We are going on a B2B from Ft Lauderdale in January which was booked as 2 separate cruises. Will our shipboard account continue and be settled at the end when we disembark or will this be done at the end of the first leg ?

We have quite a lot of OBC on each cruise but plan to use most of this on the 2nd leg when we have some excursions booked - will this be OK ?

Has anyone purchased recently in GB £s ? We are thinking of doing this but wondered what the current exchange rate is.

We disembarked at Red Hook last month (early as we were on Express walk-off) and there were plenty of limos & taxis. The limos to JFK had a flat fee of $70 & taxis were on a meter. As it was early we opted for a taxi and paid $60 including tip. Later in the day when the roads are busier the limo would probably be a better proposition.

Hi. I've checked with new maitre d' Oscar and there are no immediate plans to bring the Curtis Stone offerings to the Pacific Princess. They are offering something new, small, half bottles of merlot and Chardonnay (a California wine...the vintner escapes me right now) for $7.99 a bottle and that price includes the tip. I like them both, and have been enjoying these every night. It's a great deal for waiters and passengers, too.

 

Are these the Robert Mondavi half bottles ? These were offered on Regal Princess on the New England sailing for $5 plus tip - only in the Horizon Court though. The waitress said it was for our voyage only.

We sailed on Regal Princess last month and the rooms were not ready when we boarded (12 noon). Access to them was closed until either 1pm or 2pm - can't quite remember which. This is the first time we have experienced this delay.

If we purchase a FCD then this is for £75 each (approx $120). Not sure how it works if you book a cruise while on board but when booking direct with Princess via the website or by phone we are charged in GBP so there is no conversion required.

We did once try to purchase the FCD in $US when the exchange rate was favourable but were not permitted. Worth a try though !!

Any recommendations for places to stay in Kenai and Denali if we plan our land tour on our own?

We stayed in Soldotna when touring on the Kenai peninsula last year - Best Western Silver Salmon motel was reasonably priced & we got a voucher for the restaurant next door where we had a nice dinner.

If you want to experience our favourite thing in Alaska try flying out to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge from Soldotna - either for the day or as an overnight guest. While this is not a cheap option it was just so special. We saw so many bears - Moms & Cubs & the lodge is so friendly with excellent accommodations & food.

Hello from down the road in sunny Blackpool !!

If you click on the port/excursions tab on the cruise page you have linked to, you will be able to see the excursions & prices available in each of the ports. What you spend really depends on what you like to do - we generally just go to the beach and this can be done quite reasonably. And there are independent tours available - we make a choice depending on how long we have in port & the logistics involved in the trip. From Cozumel we visited the ruins at Tulum - I would only go through Princess for this as there is a ferry ride & a bus transfer required - too many opportunities for things to go wrong to risk it.

Hope this helps. And a winter cruise on the Caribbean is a great alternative to the cold & rain in the UK.

Reading all the CC posts it seems that in the USA you get different sales & promotions all the time - even if these are not always beneficial. Maybe you could send some of these to the UK so at least we get a choice. We generally get one promotion at a time for specific cruises (currently Alaska & Christmas). These last for 3 months and then we get new deals for different destinations. If we are lucky there may be one price drop and /or some OBC - have never been offered free specialty restaurants, beverage packages, gratuities on any of our cruises so far. I have tried to book via a TA in the USA but have been told that this is not possible. Bookings in the UK are generally done direct with Princess so no additional benefits there either. Oh well - back to work tomorrow to earn my own OBC !!