cougaraz

We were under weight on each bag, but we did not pack lightly. 

And we're off!

It is finally departure day!

Yesterday was a crushing 12+ hour workday, but it was insanely productive and mentally stimulating.  I have a half day of work to knock out and should wrap up around noon. Then, home and off to the airport. Once the journey starts, I will try to include some photos.

1 minute ago, MamaFej said:

I'd LOVE to see those added on cruise ships. They are so convenient, and are becoming increasingly popular in CA, especially at schools. 

You and me both!

I see you have 132 days booked to sail, is that a large number of short cruises or a small number of long cruises?

42 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

That would be a positive improvement. I prefer water bottles only because it's easier to grab one from any bar on the ship than have to go to the lido deck and fill my own bottle at the buffet. That's also the reason that I will buy at the very least a non alcoholic beverage package.

Precisely.

What I find funny is that my local airport, and my place of work, both have bottle fillers with filtered water and I would not consider either effort to be especially environmentally focused, so much as directed at ease of use and common sense. They are touchless and the fill point is recessed which means there is no contact between the mouth of my bottle and the dispenser. 

35 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Wait, Skywalkers is for suites only???

 

Princess really must not want new-to-them cruisers to come on board. No second chairs in steerage, no place to have a drink with a view...

 

Eventually their Elites and suite-stayers will stop cruising and the line will be playing 'catch-up', and that is not a good place to be.

There really is no need to be so dramatic.

Princess has been offering a by invitation cocktail and hors d'oeuvres party before dinner for Platinum and above Captain's Circle guests for at least the last decade on every ship and every departure.  On many ships the location is Skywalkers.  It usually lasts for a couple of hours.  Rest assured that Skywalkers is available for anyone to use and enjoy the other 22 or so hours of the day.

It is early Sunday afternoon and I would say that we are 98% complete with our packing.  Just a little tweaking in my carry on bag, which is a backpack still to be done.  I also need to charge all my electronics and download some media onto my tablet.  Things were slowed down this morning by not one, but two encounters with the police.  First, I witnessed a hit and run car accident (no injuries, just some property damage) and then our neighbor's two year old managed to get himself locked in the car with the keys in hand.  He was able to hear us and it is very mild here today so he wasn't getting hot very quickly, but the only button he would push on the key fob was the lock!  The same police officer I had talked to just a few minutes earlier and the local firefighters were able to get him out within minutes of their arrival and he was not really upset about it.  They let him sit in the firetruck and honk the horn and turn the siren on, so he was happy!

We have a total of four bags, two big rollers which are almost all clothing, a small roller which is almost all shoes and a toiletry bag which is pretty self explanatory.  We will each also take a backpack.  I weighed the bags and we should be good on the weight limit, but I still think we over-packed a bit.  Our roller bags are very nice because they slide easily under the bed onboard.

Tomorrow is a full working day for both of us, in fact I have to be in early and expect to put in a heavy-lifting day to square everything away for my time away.  Tuesday, I have a major meeting in the morning, but should wrap up around lunch time.

After all the anticipation, hard to believe that in 72 hours we will be onboard!

I genuinely don't understand how anyone can think that reducing the cruise ship environmental footprint is anything but good. Of course, I have noticed an emerging trend on this board of toxic posting, people posting just to be contrarian, rude, mean or self-important.

Where I think Princess could REALLY make hay is in widely available stations to refill personal water bottles. I am not a water snob and have no problem drinking from the tap, but it would be really nice to have a place to fill my Nalgene or HydroFlask when I am getting ready to go ashore. It is 2019, surely the technology to do this in a sanitary manner exists.

15 hours ago, h-sar said:

I have been to Victoria multiple times, but never did get into the Empress for tea. For those who have had the privilege and have also done the MDR tea on Princess, how would you compare the two? Food/tea/overall experience. Are they completely worlds apart (as I suspect they might be) or not too far off?  At the very least, I assume that the quality and variety of teas at the hotel would be vastly superior. Me, I’m absolutely happy with what I get on Princess 😀.

Having been the Empress for tea both as a cruise ship passenger and as a land tourist, I would say this is a difficult comparison to make.  The physical structure, architecture and location of the Empress Hotel is absolutely phenomenal.  The food and tea service is very nicely delivered with tasty selections offered.  However, especially during cruise ship season the place is quite the madhouse with lots of people trying to enjoy the experience in a compressed period of time.  The result is that it can feel quite crowded and a little rushed.  I do think that you will find the tea offerings at the hotel to be broader and deeper, but for me, I think that the food is very similar, if not leaning toward Princess in terms of variety and tastiness.  Again though, food is very subjective and I doubt this post will be up long before someone accuses me of enjoying a cattle trough because I think the food on Princess remains delicious and enticing.  I don't really pay them any mind.

My advice would be that if you've never done tea at the Empress it is well worth it for the experience at least once in a lifetime.  If you are just looking for a nice, tasty and relaxed tea, the shipboard offering in the dining room is a pleasant and thoroughly civilized way to spend part of an afternoon.

8 hours ago, LindaMG said:

We are on the Golden in 4 weeks.  Do they have the daily afternoon tea on this one and do you need to make a reservation?

There is a daily afternoon tea offered (almost) everyday in the one of the dining rooms.  The timing will be specified in the patter and there is no need to make a reservation, nor do I think that is even an option that is made available.

It has been a busy Saturday here getting some final errands run and making sure that we are ready to go.  We slept in this morning (which in our family while at home means 7AM), walked the dog, dropped the dog off at the groomers, got the car washed (thanks to an accurately delivered sea gull bomb), hit the ATM, picked up dry cleaning, filled the car with gas, knocked out our commissary and exchange shopping, picked the dog up from the groomers and folded laundry.

The suitcases are up from the basement and we have been using the guest bedroom as a staging area for everything we know we are going to take on the trip.  The plan is to get the checked luggage to a 90% solution today and then get electronics charged, updated, media downloaded and get the carry-on luggage taken care of tomorrow.  Monday is a full work day, Tuesday will be a working morning and then knocking off mid-afternoon to head to the airport.

6 hours ago, The Mikado said:

And we with you.

 

I am incredibly blessed to have spent most of my life doing exactly what I wanted to. I retired from an airline career (Boeing 767 Captain) about 10 years ago and started an investment management business that gives me the freedom to earn without being tied to any particular daily routine.

 

Really, really looking forward to being on the ship again. Are you in on the "informal" M&G? 15th at 09:30 in OneFive if I recall correctly.

Yes indeed, we are planning to go to the Meet and Greet.

There is still a fair amount of work to be done to get us ready, but we are seasoned enough that once packing starts it will be over in very short order.

39 minutes ago, The Mikado said:

Coug, my wife and I will be along with you. 

 

This will be my 8th AK cruise and my 20th-ish overall. It will be my wife's maiden voyage, poor girl. I spent the past 10 years on the sidelines (no cruising) for one reason or another but now intend to complete one cruise per quarter from here on out.

 

Thank you for taking this project on. I just want to do nothing in particular on no time schedule.

Looking forward to sailing with you.

I would love to be on the quarterly cruise schedule, but I don't think that is going to fit particularly well with our work schedules just yet.  Still, work is the primary impediment to us sailing more often.  We love cruising and the freedom to make the trip what we want it to be.

Greetings everyone!

We are less than a week from departure and so it is time to get this "Live" up and running.

I will be traveling with my wife and this is an anniversary cruise of sorts.  We embarked on our first cruise together, 12 years ago this summer.  That trip was also a 10 day roundtrip from San Francisco on the old Dawn Princess in the summer of 2007.  Most importantly, we got engaged the night before we departed on that trip.  After I proposed, and she said yes, we had dinner at John's Grill in San Francisco.

We are both experienced cruisers and world travelers, with 14 cruises as a couple completed to date.  Generally, we are very relaxed when we sail, taking advantage of sea days for naps, walks on deck, reading and of course, eating.  In port, we are planning on a mix of excursions and some on our own exploration.  We have sailed to Alaska many times before, including a rather memorable pair of 7 days trips from Seattle separated by just a week.  

Our plan is to fly from Southern California to San Francisco the night before departure, have a celebratory dinner at John's Grill and then embark the next morning.

Subject to internet speeds and the behavior of Tapatalk, the intention is to update daily and post pictures as possible.

On 8/5/2019 at 5:28 PM, satxdiver said:

The "original" BC can be an official copy with the state stamp on it which usually is a colored stamp.  If your children have changed their last name (female marriage), they will need a document which usually is a marriage certificate but from what I have read on CC they very seldom ask for it.  

 

Interesting that the feds are going to require a Real ID sometime after October 2020.  I doubt most states will make the deadline.  As far as I know TX has not started issuing them with perhaps 15 million or more DL's issued.  All will have to be changed. We will see about the "deadline". 

Texas started issuing Real IDs in October of 2016.

Even their own state website says that you will have to have a Real ID compliant form of identification to travel starting in October of 2020.

https://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/federalRealIdAct.htm

5 hours ago, Griller said:

Of course if you give a Power of Attorney to anyone they can do what they want not necessarily what you wanted and there is not a thing you can do about it afterwards legally.

Absolute power can corrupt absolutely...………...

That is only partially true.  A general Power of Attorney can allow for this, but writing a limited POA with strict limits in place only allows your agent to do what you want and or tell them to do.  Many lawyers, including military JAGs, will no longer draft a general Power of Attorney for this very reason.

For the OP, if you will be cruising to a US State, you can make arrangements with a local when you pull into port.  A lot of places there are even notaries who will come to you, for a fee, of course.  If your travel plans are international, recommend contacting the local US embassy or consulate prior to sailing to see if they can help you.

Food is perhaps the most subjective part of a cruise, but even understanding that, I think it is fair to say that if cruise lines truly were as bad as the worst reviews they would all be out of business.  There is a certain segment of people that just like to complain, about pretty much anything and the amplification of emotion that the anonymity of the internet permits just makes it worse.

However, some don't even wait to get home.  I have been in line at the future cruise desk and had a conversation with a woman who was absolutely RAGING about how bad the cruise, the entertainment, the clientele and the food on board were.....while she was paying her deposit to cruise the same ship again.

Go on your own adventure, find what you like and have a great time.  Don't let anyone else, especially a keyboard hero on the internet decide if you like or dislike something.

18 hours ago, phil-mcc said:

Hi All 👋

 

My wife and I are just about to pop our cruising cherry at the ripe old age of 45.

 

Rapidly approaching date of departure of 14th Aug for the 10 day RT to Alaska from SF on the Grand.

 

Firstly a thanks to all who contribute on these boards as without them I'd still have hundreds of questions in my head, they've all been answered by reading on here, even loads of questions i didn't know i needed to ask, so Thank you all.

 

I still have one though.........

 

Do I bring my Kilt for the formal nights?

 

I have no issues with luggage allowance so this isn't a concern, my concern is more of a "will I be overdressed ?". From reading posts on here I gather Alaska cruises may be a but more informal than other destinations, is that a fair assumption?

 

To Kilt or not to Kilt.

 

Thanks

Philip.

 

Philip,

I will go you one better than just offering advice, I will ensure that you aren't alone in your endeavor.

I had been on the fence about taking my kilt as it is heavy and we do have some luggage allowance concerns.

From my experience, no issues with your sgian dubh, I have worn mine and since it the blade is under 2 1/2 inches, and not honed, no one has ever even batted an eye.

Perhaps we can have a drink on formal night?

Cheers,

Scott

I did have embarkation day, or almost embarkation day room service once.  We were on a Med cruise leaving from Southampton and after the transatlantic flight and an action packed day, finally collapsed into bed on the ship.  Around 2AM, I woke up hungry and disoriented about what time of day it was.  My wife was in a similar state and so I called room service to get some food.

When they answered they said "Hello, Room Service"

I said "Hello, I would like to order some food"

And they replied "Do you know what time it is?  Are you sure you are awake?"

I confirmed I was aware and awake and a few minutes later was chowing on a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk.

2 hours ago, Globehoppers said:

I have not had any problems with voltage converters which include multiple outlets and USB charging ports.  Needed for international travel and works well on every ship/cruise line we have enjoyed.   

https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Universal-Converter-Charging-Worldwide/dp/B01E140XWA/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=voltage+converter&qid=1564319246&s=gateway&sr=8-4

 

Right up until the day that it starts a major fire on a cruise ship.  Plugging in a device with surge protection on a ship is a dangerous practice and not worth the risk to your own life or the lives of your fellow passengers.

28 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Downgrades are reported here all the time.

Balcony to inside, free cruise + OBC

Mini to balcony (or lower)

If they want your inside, you might be offered a moveover (my dream) or a move UP.

It all depends on what's been sold and what's available.

 

Of course they'll sell your old cabin for more than you paid...that's the whole point. PROFIT

The most common term is a move-over offer, as opposed to downgrade.

For the OP, I am curious whether they offered you a discount on the fare in addition to $300 OBC.  Also, did you make any counter offer?

In general, for those with flexible travel schedules, move-over offers can sometimes be very lucrative.  Basically a free cruise and big money for the next cruise if you can shift one week to the right or left.

The Sasebo NEX is small, but functional.  It is located very near the main entrance to the base.  It has all the normal essentials. 

chengkp75 has provided some very detailed technical explanations in the past, but it comes down to this.  A power-strip or other outlet expansion tool (puck, multiplug or usb device) that has surge protection built in represents a safety threat due to the unique characteristics of shipboard electrical distribution systems.

Also, the Princess website provides some pretty specific guidance:

• Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), Ham radios, transformers, lasers, laser pointers, electric extension cords with surge protectors*.
• *Electrical devices such as small fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, and extension cords without surge protectors are allowed onboard when used with proper caution. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard they will be removed and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark

Of all the functions on Cruise Critic, I find the stand-alone reviews to be of the least value.  I find the banter and discussion on the boards to be great and the ability to set up Meet&Greets to be second.

Here are some truths about cruising and reviews:

1) Everything is subjective, shaded by perspective and experience and shaped by attitude

2) People cruise for very different reasons (some go for the ship, some go for the food, some go for the ports, some go for the booze, some go for family, some go for their own different reasons)

3) The anonymity of the internet encourages hyperbole and exageration

4) Being an experienced cruiser does not make you an expert on ships, ports or maritime operations

5) The guests on a cruise are widely diverse in age, home, gender, travel experience, education, income, health and upbringing'

6) Nothing onboard is more subjective than food

That means that you and I could be in cabins next door to each other on the same cruise, with the same steward, same waiter, go to the same activities and visit the same ports on the same excursions and one of us have a fabulous time and the other hate it.  You read a review and the one that pops up is the one who hated it and the one who loved it doesn't write a review so you never know the whole story.

Cruising is a great adventure, meant to be enjoyed by you, the way you want to enjoy it.  If you decide to go and have a great time, you will.  If you go to be miserable (and apparently there are those who do), you will.

I do not think it would be a reasonable business decision to change prices based on the fluctuations in international currency exchange.  I imagine a large number of passengers would be quite upset, on both sides of the Atlantic, if prices had been raised to account for the strong pound in 2007 and 2008.