Northumberland

Anyone know how the medical questionnaire that is now required is obtained. I sent Princess an email and the response was that they couldn't help me, but gave me a toll free number to call. After calling the number, I was told they couldn't help me. So, they gave me another toll free number to call. I called that number and was put on hold for almost an hour, only to find out that they couldn't help me, but they had another toll free number to try. So, after trying that number and being put on hold again for another 1/2 hour I hung up. How hard would it be for Princess to just post the form on their website for people to print off like they do with luggage tags.

I've booked rental cars for Hawaii in April.

Here's what Alamo told me recently.

Thank you for choosing Alamo for your car rental needs! My name is Karen. I will be happy to help you today.

Be advised that the Alamo locations at Hilo and Lihue provide transportation to and from the cruise port.  The Alamo location at Honolulu does not provide shuttle service to or from the port.  

Hope that helps you.

5 hours ago, louand47 said:

Hi all,

 

I am hosting a Meet and Greet for our cruise on Ruby in March.

 

I just wondered if anybody had hosted any of them before and had any best practise ideas or possible pitfalls.

 

Really appreciate any help.

 

 

 

I'm also hosting a M&G in March on the Emerald Princess. (my second as host)

I maintain an ongoing list of attendees and post updates for those attending as more people get added to the list. 

On the last one, we also had a voluntary gift exchange and a slot pull to add a little more interest.

Those were suggested by others and they also ran those events. The gift exchange during the M&G. The slot pull immediately after.

Otherwise, it's just a chance for people to meet, share experiences and some even plan to do things together during the cruise.

Good luck.

 We've booked a 15 day cruise on the Emerald Princess out of San Pedro coming up soon. We've heard great things and now we're going to find out.

I guess it depends on your budget. We are sailing from the same port near the end of March and chose to stay at the Best Western in San Pedro. The have a full breakfast and offer long term parking and a free shuttle to the port.  They are also 4 blocks from what Trip advisor rate as the #1 italian restaurant in LA.

If you feel strong enough to travel and your doctor gave you permission, GO!!!

My best friend was a type 1 diabetic and last year in early February developed a heart problem that put him in the hospital about a month before we were scheduled to sail. Originally our plan was to make a 4 day drive to Fort Lauderdale and go on an 12 day cruise.

As we were driving rather than flying, his doctor gave him permission to go. We went and had a fantastic time on his last cruise. Sadly, he passed away in September at the age of 59. Had he chosen not to go, he and we would have missed out on a great trip together. He is gone, but we have some wonderful memories.

7 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Well said!

 

I do not starve in Europe, but I am never thrilled with the on-land restaurant selections.  Very much a North American palate. (Except for that Tim Hortons thing that our northern neighbors love!)

 

HaHa...  I am a northern neighbour and I love Tim Hortons. 😀

3 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

I have been interested in MSC, but heard terrible things about the non-Yacht Club experience, specifically the food and over-crowding.  

 

I have also heard that MSC brought in trainers for its Caribbean cruises, to teach the staff how Americans expect things to be done (as opposed to Europeans), based on numerous complaints by N. American cruisers about staff attitudes.  I have experienced how terribly some employees in Europe treat customers -- but I have also experienced some incredible service from warm and caring personnel in Italy and Spain, so I don't know!

 

Any comments on this, from the eyes of a Princess-lover?

 

We tried the MSC Divina on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago. The ship is about the size of the Royal or Regal Princess and was very beautiful. We found the crew very pleasant and ship itself was great. We think they have the best pizza of any cruise ship we've ever sailed. However, we were very disappointed in the MDR dinner meals. The cuisine is geared towards European tastes and we have a North American palate. My daughter and her family tried the MSC Seaside a year ago and found the ship way overcrowded. According to her,  the ship is rated for 5600 passengers and it was announced that there were 7000 on their cruise.

16 minutes ago, Sersee said:

The Western wasn’t overly enticing to me. I would like to do it at some point. We didn’t want to go in an Eastern again although it was great. We want to see as many places as we can. 
 

I did check and I have two sea days so that sounds ideal. 
 

Im assuming lots of people fly out to PR to go in this itinerary. We were in PR for our Eastern and loved it. We felt safe. My kids get nervous with sketchy. They were nervous when we went to Jamaica.  I was told Belize can be a little freaky with all the armed guards but I have never been so take what others say with a grain of salt.

 

I was nervous about The Freedom since it wasn’t the new Symphony or Harmony. I don’t want a rundown ship. But compared to the Breeze they seem to be similar in size which I think I will like. It looks like it’s amped to which will be great. 
 

Does this ship have movies under the stars?  We enjoyed that in the Breeze.

 

Is there  a big difference between Carnival and Royal? I mean with boarding procedures, meals and beverage package?  On the Breeze we had Guys burgers which was awesome . The buffet wasn’t  laid out well and always had  a long line. We definitely chose the alcohol package and had a great time with that! We loved the trivia and dance parties. There was an 80’s one and stuff like 90’s music and Friends trivia. The entertainment lacked in Carnival.

We've never done Carnival, but have done Royal and Princess. We loved both cruise lines. Haven't been on Freedom, but have been on Navigator which is very similar except about 20,000 tons smaller. That was our favourite of all the ships we've been on including Oasis. I'd suggest when checking itineraries, you check how much time you get in each port. 

2 hours ago, Sersee said:

Unfortunately we don’t scuba and have ne er snorkeled. I could learn I’m sure!  I’m assuming Bonaire is pretty safe. 

We don't scuba either, but it is something you can do while touring the island. Bonaire Cruisers will provide a map and show the best beaches and other sites to see. The best part is that you do it at your own pace and it's cheaper than ship excursions. We also found the locals very friendly and felt safe in our travels around the island.

A few years ago we were sitting at breakfast with 2 other couples and struck up a conversation with them. We are from Canada and they lived in the South eastern US. 1 of the couples recognized our accents and asked if we were from Canada to which we responded yes and told them where we lived. To our surprise, we discovered that they came from a community about 5 miles from where we lived and had moved to the US about 20 years before.  We then discovered that the wife and a woman that my wife had worked with years before were best friends. As you said, small world.

51 minutes ago, Sersee said:

I went in my first cruise last year. We went on Carnival Breeze on Eastern Itinerary. We loved the ship. It was very fun and had a lot to do. We actually enjoyed all the trivia’s lol. I have three kids 22,17 and 15.

 

We enjoyed San Juan and St Thomas. Did not like Grand Turk or Amber Cove. 
 

So we were  leaning toward the Western on The Vista. But I just saw Freedom if the Seas is getting fully refurbished and the itinerary out of San Juan looks amazing.  I believe it is St Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao all

of which I have never been too. 
 

What do you guys think of these ports? What about the ship with teens?

 

 The Western  Ports are Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Cozumel and Belize... which I’m kind of meh on . But Carnival s Great with my sons allergies.

We've done the southern routes 3 times and in particular, Bonaire & Curacao twice in the last 2 years. They are our favourite islands along with Aruba.  We also loved Barbados.  In Bonaire, we rented golf carts in order to tour the island ourselves. And if your into snorkelling or scuba, I don't think you could find a better place than Bonaire. 

We went in September once. It was hot, sunny and very humid.

43 minutes ago, dapperon said:

Can the Crown Princess close public spaces for private functions?????

Who do I complain to if this happens????

Ron L

Not sure what type of function you're referring too.  If it's a cruise critic Meet & Greet, they usually take place on the first sailing day in the morning between 10:00 AM & 11:00 AM.  Best thing would be to sign up for it and join in the festivities. Great way to meet your fellow cruisers.

I know you read a lot of novels, but have you ever thought of writing one?  Great review, although you have me a little concerned about Rene, given we are going on Emerald at the end of March. If we get him, we might be eating at the buffet more...😆

9 hours ago, farmermark said:

That sounds easy.  Now my wife can make everyone snicker when we show up with the wine she likes. The sweet Barefoot Moscato.  

HaHaHa.. I like her taste. We're bringing Beringer Zinfindel.  $3.97 per bottle at a big box store.

17 hours ago, Northumberland said:

There is no charge. Just go into the cruise personalizer and fill out the medical form. Princess will respond within a day or so and confirm that they will supply the distilled water to your stateroom. I have a CPAP machine and have never had a problem.

Sorry, I was going from a bad memory. It's not called a medical form.

This is the form to look for in your personalizer.

Dietary Restrictions

We'll be on Emerald at the end of March for a 15 day cruise. We contemplated buying a wine package and have done so on previous cruises. This time, we are choosing to bring our own and pay the corkage. We don't have a sophisticated palate and are not inclined to pay $45.00 a bottle for wine when we can bring our own for half that price including the corkage charge. Everyone has to do what works for them.

As we live in central Canada, we would be looking at 3-4 hours to fly to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, San Francisco, LA, etc., and then the driving time the next day. However, now that we're retired, we choose driving trips instead of flying, which will take 4-5 days. So, the expense of flying or road trips means we don't cruise as often as we would like.

13 minutes ago, Daisyloo said:

You can request distilled water in the personalizer.  I don't think there is a cost.  I don't know if there is a limit to how much you can request.  

There is no charge. Just go into the cruise personalizer and fill out the medical form. Princess will respond within a day or so and confirm that they will supply the distilled water to your stateroom. I have a CPAP machine and have never had a problem.

When we travel on RCCL, we aren't allowed in our room till 1:00 PM at the earliest and they even have staff at the hallways to guard against you even trying. Our last Princess cruise was 2 years ago on the Royal and we were able to go to our stateroom as soon as we got on board around 11:30 AM. Our next Princess cruise is the end of March on Emerald and we are anticipating a similar experience.

We booked our first cruise 20 years ago through a former co-worker/friend and based todays prices we paid probably twice what we should have. We then started booking directly with the cruise lines. The last 4 cruises we've gone through a big box warehouse club. We've found you pay the same or less than going direct and you get more perks. Also, if you have any issues, you have a toll free number to call in to get things straightened out. Although, we've never needed to call that number. Only issue we ever had was a promised ship board credit that didn't happen. So, they provided us an equivalent value cash card to use after we reported the error to them.

We have no plans to go anywhere else as long as they are providing this type of service.

We love RCCL and sailed on Oasis a few years ago. It's a beautiful ship, but we found it way to crowded for our liking. You have to reserve all the shows in advance or wind up on a waiting list with no guaranty of getting in. Also, we found the MDR way too crowded. Our table of 4 was sandwiched between other tables and we practically needed a shoe horn to squeeze into our chairs. That also affected the service provided by the waiters as it seemed they were overwhelmed by the volume of people they had to look after. We had 6300 passengers on our cruise. I wouldn't go on another Oasis class ship. Navigator OTS is definitely our favourite class of ship.

We and our friends each booked inside staterooms on the Royal a few years ago. We were each upgraded to a joining  balconies a few weeks later which was a big bonus as the balcony was around $1000.00 more had we booked them ourselves. We are on another cruise on Emerald at the end of March and booked a mini suite at the back port side deck 8. It was suggested to us to check no upgrade if we were happy with our choice. Our balcony is oversized and is covered and if we were upgraded, we would likely get a regular size uncovered balcony. So, we chose to say no upgrade. So, if your happy with your choice, why take a chance on an unknown.

39 minutes ago, Firepath said:

See my entry above. Enterprise Kakaako Alamoana has a location right near the port (2-3 blocks away) and had a shuttle the end of October. It would be an easy walk as well. 

Unfortunately, we are arriving on Sunday and that location is closed Sunday's. However, if there are any other car rental locations that are walking distance from the port, I'm all ears. Otherwise, UBER it is.