ZeroSeven

Another plus 1 for a lanyard:cool:

I always bring my themed lanyard (star wars for our upcoming trip) and my wife can always see me from a distance just by spotting my lanyard

I have done both, for just my wife and I, I did all the research / legwork and made all my travel arrangements online without any hiccup

When we travel with other family / relatives living in different states or cities, we always use my local travel agent to book most of our travel reservations. She deals directly with the cruise company and can find non advertised discounts such as additional on board credits (OBC) for active and retired military personnel. She makes sure that our staterooms are close together. Your travel agent can arrange airport to cruise transfers and vice versa, She can compare travel insurance plans (which I strongly recommend) and can give you group discount for party of 10 or more. She can also purchase discounted airfare and take care of logistics. The beauty of it is it doesn't cost you anything because most travel agents works on percentage based commissions.

Like what others have said... Book early:)

Most infirmaries on cruise ships are well equipped for basic emergencies. It's like an urgent care on sea, they'll have the basic diagnostic equipment such as x-ray, ekg / ecg, IV pump, etc.

But as far as your decision of going, you're the only one who can make that decision at this point. You may want to seriously consider in seeking an orthopedic specialist advise to evaluate what your treatment options will be. Alaskan ports and excursions can be physically demanding and will require a moderate amount of walking and having constant back pain will hinder your enjoyment throughout the entire time. It's almost better to cancel and re plan your visit once you're all well and in good health:)

Good luck:)

General rule is after NOON for stress-free debarkation and travel to the airport.

This. Also consider the distance you need to travel from the port to the airport and take note of traffic / road closures. A prearranged transfer might give peace of mind. Most ports will have shuttles / taxis but they will be in high demand considering the number of people disembarking the ship. Have fun on your upcoming cruise:)

Nice review... Great pictures:)

Glad you folks had a great time... We're looking forward to our first Royal Princess voyage in June:)

Since it'll be your disembarkation port... My suggestion is to take one of those hop on & hop off buses that goes around the city that makes multiple stops at different districts / neighborhoods. You can't miss it. Most of them are red double decker buses. It's a good and quick easy way to see the City of San Francisco and you can always stop at the places that picks your interest. They start around 10 AM on weekends and you can pretty much cover the whole city in less than a day.

I'm not sure if some of the companies will stow away your luggage for free or with a nominal fee. If you have hotel reservations you can always drop it off first at the concierge service desk.

Best of luck:)

Same thing happened to me... I reserved and confirmed traditional dining for 8:15 PM back in March but when i checked my cruise personalizer last week it's now showing a wait list #23 and a few days ago it got bumped down to #43:confused:

Not sure of the wait list # reflects on where you'll be if you decide to change your dining reservation or if more people were bumped up:confused:

I guess it'll be more accurate closer to the date of the cruise

Another thumbs for CC:)

This is your one stop shop for anything cruise related and then some... A valuable resource for new cruisers and for the experienced traveler alike:cool:

I think the problem here is that when you go to the pulldown menu for reservation times, it shows what the waitlist *would be* if you joined it at that moment, including the time you are already confirmed for!

 

See screenshot. Bad user experience online, but nothing more than that in our case.

I just made a thread a few days ago regarding this matter... I believe your assessment is correct, It actually shows what the current wait list number is and not what you confirmed originally. I noticed too that the wait list number goes up as the day of sailing approaches which makes sense because more people are trying to make reservations using the personalizer.

Priceless images:)

Kudos for the people involved in returning back your camera!!!

Tables for 6 are very popular and sometimes that waitlist happens in the early stages of the cruise preparations. It makes for a good mix provided the other 4 people aren't best friends travelling together. But I would ask do you really want to eat at 8.15pm every night? In reality after seating and ordering you'll be enjoying your appetizer about 9pm, main 9.30pm, finally out of the dining room about 10.15pm.

Hmmm... you made some good points. Now I'm debating if I should make the switch to anytime dining:rolleyes:

You will probably get what you requested. But, if you do not you may wish to switch to Anytime Dining(ATD). You can do this pre-cruise on the cruise personlizer, or even wait until you are on board by speaking with the head waiter. At 7:30 and later the two midship DR's, Concerto & Symphony, are assigned to ATD. There is plenty of seating after 7:30 and you will be flexible to dine at any time, especially in Europe when the itinerary is port intensive. ATD has the same menu and same dress codes as traditional dining.

 

For information after a long day of touring you may what to have a quicker meal. Alfredo's, a no charge, walk in, waiter served restaurant serving individual pizza, calzones, appetizers, salads, and desserts is open each day from 11am to 11pm. Also, the Royal Princess has an excellent, extensive buffet open all the time to 11pm or midnight.

 

You may also wish to consider, The Crown Grill, Sabatini's, Crab Shack or Fondues. These have a reasonable surcharge. Reservations are required and only made once on board by calling the DINE line or visiting the restaurant. Crab Shack & Fondues casual dining is held in a closed off buffet seating area. They are offered only on some evenings

 

Of course, the Trident Gill and Prego Pizza by the Lido pool is open every day until 11pm should you be tired and want a quick meal or something to take back to your cabin. There is no charge.

Thank you for the time in writing up this informative post... Highly appreciated:)

Hello folks,

It's our first time cruising with Princess. We had sailed with RCCL, NCL and Celebrity in the past and are very excited to experience Royal Princess for a W. Med itinerary in June:)

My TA booked us in March and have assigned us for the 8:15 traditional dining (6 guests for a table of 6). When we first registered with Princess it showed on my Princess personalizer that our request has been confirmed. I logged back in today and it's now showing a waitlist #45:confused:

Do they prioritize other passengers once they request dining times???

Cheers:)