marden1970

We did this itinerary once and really enjoyed it.  In La Paz, I took an independent tour to snorkel with whale sharks; best excursion ever! (La Paz VIP tours)  I really like Loreto, I didn't take an excursion, just walked around the town, which is very nice, interesting and safe.  I would do that itinerary again if possible.

We've boarded at Pier 27 many times and find it easy, even though my husband needs wheelchair assistance for boarding.  If boarding hasn't started by the time you're through check in there is an Elite/Suite waiting area with refreshments.

1 minute ago, MsTabbyKats said:

As a pizza authority....Princess had good pizza....but nothing compared to MSC.  However, I'm an old pizza purist.  Just gimme cheese, tomato sauce and mushrooms, pepperoni....   Just the thought of "fig pizza" makes me gag.

(Sad commentary....come home from a cruise on Friday only to find my local pizza guy closed shop).

I agree, just skip the mushrooms.  We watch some shows that highlight different places.  Some put a salad, mac & cheese or a fried egg on top. Yuck!

I'll take a New York slice over a celebrity pizza any day.

On 6/28/2024 at 11:27 PM, Feels Goodman said:

 

Thanks

 

Any that leave from California.

We have cruised out of San Francisco many times on Princess  They are very good with wheelchair assistance both in the terminal and getting on the ship.  And the reverse when you are disembarking.  Just ask when you get to the terminal.

17 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

I'm not aware of any, but the Holiday Inn Express near Fisherman's Wharf is safe, clean, and reasonable.  It's a $15 ride to the port by taxi.  So much of SF is disgusting, dirty, and smells of cheap weed and urine, but we were pleasantly surprised by the HIE.

We stay there as well.  I like that I can get something easy to eat in the morning (included buffet) without having to go out to a regular restaurant.  There are a lot of good restaurants nearby for dinner the night before.

My husband also uses oxygen 24/7.  He has an Inogen POC for around the ship and rents a room concentrator for in the room.  We use Special Needs at Sea, and like Scootaround, they deliver to your room and pick it up on return.  I just reserved for our B2B2B for Nov/Dec, 32 days, and the cost was $474.  They require a letter from your doctor saying how much oxygen is needed ie: 3 liters during the day and 5 at night.  We've only flown Delta and they required a form and approval in advance and a checkin at their counter before flight. You might want to check with your cruise line for their requirements.  Happy Cruising!!!

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I always order mimosas without OJ. 

I prefer the cranmosa, cranberry juice instead of orange.

31 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

The Excel Class ships on Carnival have a non smoking section in their casinos, but it still doesn't prevent some smoke from drifting over.  On the Oasis Class ships of RCI, the Jazz on 4 club has been converted into a small non smoking casino.

In my opinion they should have made the small casino smoking and the main one non-smoking.  There are more non-smokers than smokers.

I would also recommend the Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 area.  There are a lot of chain hotels around and not too far from the cruise terminals.  I've not seen any of the city hotels that have shuttles so taxi/Uber to terminal.  

If you are on Princess, you'll probably be at the Pier 27 terminal.  It's very nice but the only separate waiting section is for Elite and full suite passengers.  (maybe also Platinum but I'm not sure).  If you are on Carnival you may be using Pier 35 but since I've never boarded from there I can't speak to their waiting areas.  Happy sailing!

Are all the courses unlimited?  Thanks.

4 hours ago, lx200gps said:

I actually started a post about one TA who we use quire often, but had to delete it when I realized that, as a TA, he can't be named. His videos cover many cruise lines including Princess, and his comprehensive ship walkthroughs and particularly his cabin reviews are quite valuable.

I think I know who you mean, I too enjoy his walk throughs.  

I just go to You Tube and put in the name of the ship.  there are usually a lot of videos for that particular ship by everyday cruisers.  I don't watch anything produced by the cruise line.  You can put in the name of the port and get good videos that way as well.  Happy cruising!

13 hours ago, milogurd said:

@Nattyg1723 @Ken the cruiser Have you tried out the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell University for Apple and Android phones? Lots of Pigeons too! 

https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org

 

Thank you for mentioning this, I was unaware.  I just downloaded it as well. 

@RGEDad What time did you arrive?  Perhaps that was the reason?  We've cruised many times from Pier 27 and never had that problem.  We usually arrive before 11AM. since we need to checkout of the hotel by then. Maybe it's less busy then. I wonder if the previous cruise was a little late getting in? We usually do the latest disembark since we don't need to get anywhere right away so it's usually pretty cleared out by then and easy to get a cab.  I'm sorry you did not have a better start to your cruise.  Sometimes something  like that will put a damper on your whole day.

1 hour ago, wonderpig said:

Ok, cross the octopus farm off the wannado list....they're permanently closed........but interested in the sea horse farm.....

Did the sea horse farm several years ago, definitely worth it.  Very interesting.

10 minutes ago, jwattle said:

Yes, I am 🙂

I love to watch your videos on cruise news, short and to the point. Maybe we'll see you on board some day.

@jwattle - Hi, are Travel Scouts?

Just now received an email with an itinerary change.  We are on the Ruby in December for the r/t S.F. to Hawaii.  The Lahaina stop has been changed to Kona.

It's nice to eat on your balcony but you can do it in your stateroom as well.  They will provide the table and chairs.

We did this for our 50th anniversary last year, had to move it inside because of the wind.  We got all of the above plus a chocolate cake, which was larger than the ones in the dining room for special occasions.  We had a delicious meal and will do it again.

My husband needs wheelchair assistance for boarding.  At Pier 27 in S.F., when you arrive look by the wall of the building for wheelchair assistance.  They will take you up into the terminal, thru security and then thru check in.  They will the leave you in an area with others needing assistance.  A Princess employee will then push the wheelchair up the gangway and onto the ship.  They will usually take you to wherever you choose to wait for the rooms to be ready (buffet, lounge etc).  A tip is always appreciated.  There is a separate check in line for those needing assistance, no need to worry about the blue/green lanes.  I don't know if they will take your whole group of 15 so you may need to split up and set a place to meet on board. Happy cruising!

We don't rent a scooter but an oxygen concentrator from Special Needs at Sea.  It's always been delivered.

There is a beach that is a short walk from the ship in Kauai.  You could also take the shuttle to Anchor Cove and walk over to it.