sirclean

"I imagine they’ll be packed, but I guess we will find out. " it always depends! Port days will be less crowded while in port, and depending on the Movie under the Stars, it may be busier. If there are 2 people you dont yet know, wade on in! (I dont know how many people is the limit for capacity or comfort in a hot tub! You can test that too!)

When you say "and might average 2 drinks each day for each of us ", remember that what YOU think is a Drink and Princes Thinks is a drink may not be the same! I hardly drink at all, usually. However, I do have a taste for Bailey's Irish Cream. Ask for Baileys on the rocks and they fill a short glass with ice and measure One Ounce of Baileys, dump it over the ice (which is less than about 1/4 of the glass height. ) Ask for a double, and they measure 2 one ounce shots and it the glass is about 1/2 full, but THAT is 2 drinks! As there is a 15 drink a day limit (a fact, not a challenge!), if you want to try something new or different, then go ahead! You may find an activity on board that explains different kinds of martini drinks that are available (from chocolate, to lemon drop, to the full gamut). IF you would like to sample one, better to have the package. My Bride discovered a drink on the dinner menu that is available everyday. It is a Chocolate Almond. It is essentially hot chocolate with a shot of amaretto. You owe it to yourself to try a Dirty Banana! SO if it is a matter of being close in price, I think that I would go the extra mile and get it. On the other hand! I am leaving on a 16 day cruise in 2 weeks. We opted Not to do the Plus package. IT is $60 a day for the plus package, so that is quite a bit for 16 days! Also, while I really LIKE Baileys, I dont need the calories for 2 (or more) Double Baileys for SIXTEEN DAYS! I have sufficient cabin credit to pay the tips for the trip, dont need the wifi package for both of us, so the break even was more than 3 drinks a day, and as I said, my Bulk Tonnage will definitely increase if I drink enough to make it worth while! Anyway, for THIS trip we dont have it. For the one week trip we recently took, we did have it and enjoyed the options to explore new Adult Beverages!

I dont know about the pool, but there are hot tubs available on the decks.

I was told that the new ship passengers for the first year get white medallions (but I probably was told that here in Cruise Critic!) We were on Discovery over Thanksgiving week 2022 and got white medallions.

" have no idea what that person is on about glass obstructing you. I assume they just picked a lousy spot and stayed there. Even on higher decks, such as the area near the Outrigger Bar, there are no obstructions, just more people. We had a balcony and found we were moving between deck 7 and our cabin quite frequently. Photo of deck 7 location and view from there. (What obstruction?)" Well, you found a space a missed! I walked all over Deck 7 and there were no chairs anywhere on the deck. Where did you find it? On Discovery, In many places deck 7 was not wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side. And even then all of the view was blocked by the life boats. Perhaps I was looking for something that isnt on Discovery, a place like the Grand where there is a large open deck above the Bridge. But clearly, you found a place that had a good view and was uncrowded. When you traveled, where were most of the passengers during the Glacier Bay portion of the trip?

that is the preorder price. It may be $10 a day if you wait to board to order it. In the Good Ole Days, a certain amount was free. Then we got a discount. SO far I have always had a package (either purchased or as part of the fare 'deal' when I booked). This is the first time Im not using a package, so I dont remember where I got the $10 a day number, unless I am mixing the single and the multi device plans, but I remember $10 a day from somewhere! Still, my current, prepaid booking of internet is $7.50 per day for one device (prepaid).

"How do we request to have it brought to our cabin? Or is it only included if we go out and about on the ship? " IF you want it delivered to your room, go to your booking. Find Onboard Services. Then Beverage packages. It will be near the bottom. IF you have a package, walk up to any bar and ask. They will ask your cabin number. IF you Do NOT have a package, they will still ask, but charge you something for each bottle. You are likely better off to buy a 12 pack or 2 for about $7.08 each than buy one at a time at a bar. Also, remember that the water from the sink is drinkable ! You can ask for ice for your room. You can also get a big glass of ice from most bars and take it back to your room. Personally, I have been bringing my own tea bags (because I drink decaf tea, and I dont like the decaf tea the ship has). Ask for a large glass in the Horizon Court, or get one from a bar, then get a cup of hot water from Horizon Court (or ask for one), put in the tea bag, wait a bit and pour it over your ice! Anyway, lots of water if available for free or cheap. You can reuse the bottles too.

Actually, it may be $7.50 for one device. I am being billed $120 for one device on a 16 day trip.

I think it is $10 a day for one device and $20 a day for 4 devices for Elite Status guests.

Have a great trip!! We got off the Ruby just Sunday! It was pretty crowded as it was still Spring Break around the US. Lots of kids and college students able to drink at 18! It was a good trip, though! As for the internet speed, I posted the speed most every day on the ship. It was BAD (slow). Download speeds were often .3 to .1 MBS. It may be better if there are fewer people, but dont bring big expectations for timely, instant updates! Instead, enjoy the cruise, but plan to do the update either early in the morning or late in the evening.

Isnt the ship noting that you can not take food off? I was on the Ruby last week, and we were warned at essentially every port not to take anything off the ship. Perhaps a call to Guest Services will let THEM tell her that she risks jail or fines! (I dont know if that is a possibility, but it may be enough to make her not risk it! Promise her a good meal early in the morning and as soon as you get off the ship or to the airport.

Thanks! I discovered that if I spelled it right, it helped the search engine bring it up! It is also on bottom of the Promotions page https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/ it is in the "Give $25, Get $25" portion of the page which is near the bottom.

Stay Healthy!

"That is absolute rubbish. I did Alaska on Royal Princess and I had no issues seeing everything from many different venues. I don't know what glass obstructed you, assuming you are able to stand. I've been on Majestic as well and the enclosed pool area would also be great for Alaska. " The point is Who ants to see glaciers THROUGH TINTED GLASS? That was the obstruction! Not that there was no view, but that the view was spoiled by looking at it thorough Green or Blue Tinted Glass! IS the Glacier Blue or Is the GLASS you are looking through making it look like It is Blue? THAT was the point! Perhaps a better term would be Obscured, not obstructed. You might as well watch them on TV if your view is going to be changed looking through green or blue glass! Get on the Sapphire or Grand and be able to see them With Your Own Eyes, without anything changing the splendor you paid handsomely to see!

In the past, I was able to 'turn in a friend' (make a referral) and if that friend then booked a cruise within 2 years I think, We each got $25 in cabin credit. Today, i have searched the Princess site, and do not seem to be able to find the link to make the referrals. Any thoughts or suggestions?

It is true. However, this topic was pretty recently discussed. Im not sure if you will get a lot of replies or if you might find a lot of Great Suggestions by searching the topic again! (But to answer again- Dirty Banana is really good!)

"Lots of different opinions here, many negative to the Royal class ships that sail Alaska. I suppose the question is, are you headed to Alaska for the port experiences, or are you headed to Alaska to vacation on a ship?" That is the BIG question! Do you want to be inside the ship, or have outside, unobstructed views? If you want a bigger, newer, great SHIP experience, then the Royal Class is superior to the Grand Class ships. They are NICE ships! However, your view in Glacier Bay will be, for the great majority of the ship, through colored glass. For me, Glacier Bay IS the reason I take this itinerary, and I dont want anything changing my view. Remember, (in case you didnt know), that while IN Glacier Bay National Park, as part of the deal, there are no shipboard services. You can eat, but there will be no shows, no shops, no casino, or (if I recall) bars open. The day is devoted to the National Park and the exhibits brought aboard by the National Park Rangers.

For Glacier Bay, you really want to see the glaciers. IF you have a balcony cabin on the Port SIde, great! IF you are on the Starboard side OR an inside Cabin part of the time you will want to be outside on deck. Look at the ship diagram for The Grand. Look on Deck 14 at the front. There is a walk area at the front of the ship on top of the bridge. This gives the best view of the glaciers! https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=AP (It looks like the Crown and Grand are of a similar class, unless I misread something, they hold the same number of passengers) https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=KP Deck 14 is also available on the Sapphire: https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=SA So any of these will be fine, and meet your needs!

NOT the Majestic! The Royal Class ships have no real place to view the outside that is not obstructed by colored glass. I was on Discover in November and specifically looked for a place to see the glaciers. There is only a small section on the stern of the ship that is open to view. One is a smoking section over looking the infinity pool and the other is that same infinity pool area (which has a bar). Otherwise, nothing! Deck 7 has a 'walking area' but the view is blocked by lifeboats and it is not wide enough for 2 people side by side. It is not like the other ships mentioned with a wide enough deck to have lounger chairs. Otherwise, the ships you mentioned would be fine. My personal favorite was The Star, but she is gone now. When we sailed on the Star in Glacier Bay we would often see The Grand either in the park or we were passing each other as we went to the ports. I hope that this helps! (NOT the Majestic!!)

As long as the black card holder (medallion) member signs the form, and puts their name on the top, the laundry will not charge you. My Bride (not elite member yet) put her name on the papework and I had to have customer service reverse it, so I always fill out the forms now and have them ready for use. Whatever is in the bag will come back in one bag. (Even 'unmentionables'). And for what it is worth, the form does mention every category! so nothing going to the laundry is 'unmentionable' and it is cheaper to get it done there than using your vacation time doing laundry! My advice, then, is to add your travel mate's laundry mates laundry to the bag!

"Three chairs would be tight, but my question to you is where would you get the third chair? Caribe balconies are awesome and worth every penny. " That was my thought as well! 3 chairs should fit, IF only you had 3 chairs!

sbpcl@princesscruises.com

I booked yesterday for a last minute cruise. I uploaded my information last night, and awoke to an email updating my travel documents to include my stockholder's benefit credit! Email Baby!!

I was on the Ruby last week. I did see a guy turned away for wearing shorts on a formal night. However, that was about the extent of the restrictions. I had heard that you also needed a collard shirt, but I didnt look too much. I wore dockers type pants, a long sleeve shirt and a tie, but ties were rare. On non formal nights, I htink that people wearing shorts are seated and served. d

I just booked a cruise that leaves in 2 weeks! Ive been busy trying to resolve all sorts of other problems that have popped up that I didnt expect! The most recent is that we are in the Blue Lane. I ve called and they called back. The ap does not have a check for the required documents, but the rep assures me that I have completed everything and 'there is a glitch'. That is not encouraging! But he assured us that as long as we have the QR code all will be well. (We will see!) However, the cruise is long and not at all full! so Im hopeful the lines will be manageable. Once I get my Elite status medallion, I hope that they will usher us in for the lobster (mentioned above)!