Molliem

We have also booked tour with Sydney & Cape Breton Taxi Tours for early October.  Simon has been very responsive to any communication/questions.  Really looking forward to our tour.

We did a B2B on Marina in June.  Had a fabulous time in Northern Europe and UK.  Marina was lovely, we were in a concierge cabin, room attendant was wonderful and prompt - no request was too small.  Food was very good and selection was amazing; food service staff very helpful with regard to food allergy.  

We prefer the O ships which provide more dining variety and space to wander - especially on sea days!

We have sailed on Marina several times and enjoyed this trip as much as previous.  No complaints.

How are the lineups in Vancouver to embark?  US Customs was a challenge apparently at the beginning of cruise season resulting in massive lineups.

Thanks for your information.  I will pack ours for sure.

Are we allowed to use our own insulated coffee mugs onboard?

And request has to be made prior to final payment.  Although we submitter proof that we had requested this transfer prior to final payment, Princess declined because they had been so far behind they didn't get to our request until after final payment.

We requested a transfer to our TA after deposit made but long before final payment.  Guess Princess was so far behind that they didn't address our request until we had to make final payment.  Of course transfer was denied at that time!  Even though we had emails to prove our request for transfer prior to final payment, request was refused!!

Very disappointed to learn Oceania is not doing a cruise from North America to Iceland. Only from Europe to Iceland in 2018.

We are Canadian. Our cruise was booked in US dollars and we were provided Canadian Discount on cost of cruise which seems to be 15%. We pay in US

DOLLARS. We use a credit card which converts automatically to Can $ when processed. And there are NO bank fees or mark up on exchange rate. They provide the figures on your statement which is payable in Can $. Some credit cards have No annual fees and NO foreign exchange bank fees and some also provide cash back on your statement. We have used our card all over the world and check each item on return. No surprises. Comments from Retired Canadian banker. Elwin

Maybe when you pay 25-30 cents on each dollar they will to keep your business :D

 

Or better still come to Canada for your next vacation & save $$ ;)

Unfortunately, not free. SBCs are factored in cruise fares across the board.

Excursions already arranged for remainder of cruise.

Do not drink.

Very leery of using any spa treatment given Acute gastrointestinal situation onboard.

Guess that leaves paying exorbitant prices for the over priced jewellery.

Onboard Marina, long time cruisers with Oceania. Like other guests onboard, we have substantial shipboard credit and are required to spend this credit onboard. This credit cannot be used toward deposit for future cruise.

Three small shops onboard have very limited stock, (mostly jewellery, handbags and high end clothing) and are very over priced. Most guests are seniors and there is not any selection for grandchildren's gifts, beyond the little stuffed bear! They are out of stock of such basic items as toothpaste!

Given the onboard shop stiuation, Oceania should review and make exceptions by allowing ship board credit to be used as deposit for future cruises.

Elwin Mowry

In 2012 we stayed at the Best Western Dover Marina Hotel. By waterfront. Would stay there again.

We just returned from Princess cruise taking their tour of Belize since this was tender port. The tour included wildlife and lunch, which was terrible. We also did private tour of Roatan which included tour of island and mangrove tour by boat. This was about 5 hours and excellent. If you would like referral, please feel free to contact us directly at mowryltd@gmail.com for further information.

Elwin

Deciding Lamanai Mayan Ruins, Mangrove River Cruise & Lunch vs Altun Ha Mayan Ruins, Scenic River Cruise & Lunch.

 

Any suggestions please. We are on the Caribbean Princess January 18 and making our excursion plans. Any help would be appreciated.

For booking an open cruise while on board, we were provided with 2 year guarantee which included a schedule of ship board credits, depending on length of cruise. If not transferred to a specific cruise and date, then the full deposit, $200.00 is returned, no strings attached.

However, for taking advantage of low deposit for future cruise, we were provided with $100.00 ship board credit to use now while on the existing cruise. That's a bonus.

Today we booked a future cruise from this deposit and received a ship board credit as well for $100.00 on new booking with our deposit of $200.00 being applied to our cost of cruise. We'll look for this deal on future Princess cruises.

Elwin

Elwin (or anyone else knowledgeable on this)....

 

We were considering putting down a deposit on a future cruise, while onboard our Panama trip over Christmas. As someone who has never done this before but have read many threads on CC about it.... we were looking forward to the additional OBC (future cruise credit) on the future cruise. However, from your post....you state that you also received an OBC for the cruise you were on??? This is the first time I've seen this mentioned. maybe I missed it in all the other threads referencing the onboard booking? Can someone elaborate and/or confirm this, please.....

We have completed our first Princess cruise on Island Princess, to Alaska and return from Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Our review and comments are as follows:

" Embarkation:

Very well organized and went smoothly. Onboard cards were provided with ease. Cabins were available shortly after boarding.

Disembarkation:

Very well organized system without any lineups. Their scanning of boarding cards provided a very quick exit. By scanning cards while held in our hands, this avoided unnecessary delays. Excellent.

Cabin:

Very clean and spacious. Well laid out and quiet.

Cabin Attendant:

Courteous and polite, followed through on all requests. Always smiling and making us feel welcome.

Room Service/Housekeeping:

Very efficient and timely response. Any problem solved quickly.

Life Boat Drill:

Very efficient and moved along quickly. Scanning of cabin cards aided in ensuring all guests reported for the drill and no long lines. Life floatation vests were not put on until coordinator requested it and were taken off before returning to cabins. Excellent.

Bringing Liquor, spirits on board:

This policy needs attention. Guests were limited to one bottle of wine each for cabin use. Any liquor/other spirits were confiscated. Understand Holland America permits liquor/spirits brought on board and purchases from onboard stores for consumption in cabin. Policy should be similar to all “family” of Princess ships. Needs some attention.

Drink Packages on board:

In view of charging for most sodas, water, coffee, this policy was somewhat restrictive as is money earned for Princess. Water and pop could be brought on board and checked directly to our cabin. We attached a copy of our boarding ticket to a case of water and it was delivered with our luggage to the cabin.

As for coffee, Princess has a coffee card package well worth the small price. This allows the holder to 15 specialty coffees on our cruise and the card is punched for each use. There is no limit on regular drip coffee which is available with the card. We both like good coffee and enjoyed this with our one card each time. This coffee is much better than restaurant coffee onboard. Well worth the little extra cost, i.e. in our case, for 14 day cruise, $30.00 US. Best to purchase by phone or online prior to cruise as it will then be in your cabin on arrival and you avoid lines for purchasing on board. On the reverse of our card, advises that at end of cruise with specialty coffees yet to be used, the card can be used on your next Princess cruise. A bonus!

Cleanliness:

Overall, the ship was in excellent condition throughout. Very clean and always had staff working to ensure this was the case.

Lecturers and evening shows:

We attended a few presentations which were very well done. There was sufficient room in the Princess Theater for seating. Evening shows were acceptable and a treat to attend. Lectures were held in the Universal Lounge, which was acceptable.

Dress Code:

Basically casual dress was acceptable. On formal nights, some had evening dresses and tuxedos although it was acceptable to have dress slacks and dress shirt for men without suits and ties. This was a treat and good policy. The introduction of Country club casual dress code would clear up any concerns about dress code. Travelling with extra clothes for formal evenings is somewhat onerous with restrictions imposed by airlines and soaring costs for additional luggage.

Service in Restaurants and Self Serve:

We went to the Horizon Court for breakfast and lunches. The food there was fully acceptable and service was wonderful. Staff were attentive and willing to help at any time.

For evening Dinner, we went to the Bordeaux Dining Room and were very pleased with the attention by the Head Waiter and servicing staff. They went out of their way to ensure my spouse was well looked after in view of a severe food allergy. This was a very professional experience. The food was excellent.

Specialty Restaurants:

We did not visit the specialty restaurants. The food served in Bordeaux was excellent so no need to spend extra money in these restaurants. Would be nice if Princess could include one or more specialty restaurant seatings in the cruise price as there are some cruise lines which do this. Having to pay extra for this service and sodas and wine etc. becomes a sore point - like airlines.

TV Reception:

Like most cruises, TV reception was poor. This was on Alaska cruise and satellite positioning for TV was not great. Believe however, it would have been nice to have the Patter expanded to include some news items from around the world including US and Canada. Some cruise lines provide a review in their paper distribution which is very well received. Princess may wish to look at this option.

On Board Laundry:

Many floors have full self serve laundry service. Sufficient machines were there for self service laundry at a cost of $2.00 per load. Laundry rooms are located at the stern of the ship; providing some seating in the laundry room would be a benefit, especially since a TV is provided.

Ship Tours at Ports:

We joined a couple of ship’s tours and enjoyed them very well. Boarding of buses and trains was very well organized. Tours were pricy however, we were provided with value for the cost. Sometimes it is worth participating in ship’s tours due to port locations and departure times.

Price of Cruise:

While this is our first Princess cruise, we found the pricing was very reasonable.

On Board Bookings for Future Cruises:

Process went well although difficult to reach the booking agent on board. There was only one agent and she had to service a passenger load of 1900+. No real price reduction was offered however had favourable terms for deposit and two years to decide on a cruise. The deposit was $100.00 per person, fully refundable. Also onboard booking came with a ship board credit now and on future cruise. We did a booking under these terms.

While we have maintained our loyalty to another cruise line having taken 13 cruises with them, this experience has certainly opened our minds to exploring the world with other options. We would consider Princess in all of our future planning."

Elwin

Marina and Riviera have more restaurants to choose from.What is reason behind limiting us to only one booking in each restaurant when consierge can book up to three in each on Nautica etc.on cruises of 25 days. Thanks Elwin

Reservation Rules (from Oceania)

When to make your reservations:

· Your booking must be paid in full.

· The online dining reservation system closes 7 days prior to your sailing's embarkation date.

· Owner's, Vista and Oceania Suites can make reservations 90 days until 7 days prior to embarkation.

· Penthouse Suites can make reservations 75 days until 7 days prior to embarkation.

· Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms can make reservations 60 days until 7 days prior to embarkation.

· Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Staterooms can make reservations 45 days until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Number of reservations (Regatta, Insignia, Nautica):

· Owner's Suite, Vista Suite, Penthouse Suite and Concierge Level Veranda

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

10-17 Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 3 reservations at each restaurant

· Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Stateroom

0-17 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

Number of reservations (Marina and Riviera):

· Owner's Suite, Vista Suite, Oceania Suite

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservation at each restaurant

8+ Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

· All other suites and staterooms

All Sailings: 1 reservation at each restaurant