Torfamm

No, they charge everyone the same price even if you split meals or skip courses.
 

I think the portions are huge too. I usually quit eating before I am halfway through the main course.

On 8/3/2024 at 1:17 PM, amajaa said:

It varies by ship in our experience.

 

We have been Elite for the last 5 or 6 cruises and never been to the Lounge. What is the benefit?  We looked in once and it just seemed to be finger snacks. We always eat early but even if we didn't it would be spoiling our meal if we started tucking into snacks.  You don't get discounted drinks or anything do you? 

 

Btw had to Google TANSTAAFD 😂😂

There are discounted drinks available.  Only cocktails though, not beer or wine as I recall.

On some ships it is held in an appealing space.  I like Skywalkers and One5. I agree that it isn't interesting to sit in the Vista Lounge and I definitely can't see an advantage to a special space in the buffet.

We often have brunch rather than eating lunch and never have dinner before seven so a small snack around 5 is very welcome. If they are offering nice bites like sushi or steak tartare, it makes my day! If it's cheese and crackers that you could grab in the buffet, I wouldn't bother.

On 8/5/2024 at 1:14 PM, strobellayjam said:

It varies from ship to ship but presently on the Sun, the lounge is from 3:30-5:00 pm in the Eatery ( a portion of the buffet ). No true lounge nor live music as we tend to have on the other ships. 

Wow, that is unbelievably early. It also doesn't sound like an appealing venue at all either.  Does anyone attend?

I would pick the southbound cruise. The land tour is busy with packing nightly and touring all day so having the cruise afterwards is a nice way to end on a more relaxing note. We started our six night land tour in Fairbanks and it was definitely better for me to get the longer, more difficult, flight out of the way at the start of the trip. For most people, returning from Vancouver is a much shorter flight than returning from Alaska.

We spent 32 days on the Grand in Australia and New Zealand October and November and experienced both very hot and very cold weather. We had no problems with heat or air conditioning or in fact any issues at all.  We also sailed in Alaska on the Grand in 2022 and I would absolutely do it again. It's a great ship for that itinerary.  If you go, I hope you have a wonderful time.

1 hour ago, bucky0926 said:

Fort Lauderdale

The terminal usually opens there at about 10:00 and boarding can begin as early as 10:30. People will be lining up outside by 9:00

9 minutes ago, bucky0926 said:

I guess since I don't really need wifi (but nice to have) I didn't consider the cost of that plus tips leaves 19.00/day for drinks.  We don't drink coffee or soda but bottled water is nice.  I'm hoping TA can do something about the price like she did on Celebrity.  This is a true 14 day circle cruise without going back to the home port (which I find crazy) so I guess 3 formal nights. Since there are no assigned times on Princess to board, how do you avoid the lines?  I'm assuming that everyone is getting to the port early to start their vacations?  Thanks

Generally speaking, people arrive early.  Boarding late in the day usually means no waiting. What port do you sail from?

There are three options for dining, but you can only see the two  options for reservations when you look at the app. Traditional or making reservations one night at a time. Walk in seating is available in another dining room onboard for those who don’t have a reservation.

The Plus package includes wi-fi as well as gratuities which total $41 per day. That leaves $19 for beverages, about $16 per day when you factor in the 18% service charge on beverages. A glass of wine will be at least $10 and up with $15 being pretty typical. Coffee about $5, soft drinks $3, beer about $8.  If you get water, cappuccino, soft drinks or a second glass of wine, you would be ahead. The waived charge for shipping of medallions, Ocean Now delivery, desserts, exercise classes and casual dining twice are hard to value. I believe Majestic has casual dining at Vines and Alfredo’s.

You can bring 1 bottle of wine per person with no corkage fee if they are drunk in your cabin (or a glass poured in your cabin to drink elsewhere). The corkage fee for additional bottles is $20 US/$30 AUD.

There are 3 formal nights on a true 14 day itinerary. If it is also sold as two separate 7 day itineraries, there will be 4, two for each. Lobster is usually served once per cruise. Formal nights are never on the first or last night and most often on sea days. You can see which nights are scheduled as formal nights in the ship’s schedule under “Journey” in the app. Every evening will show either “casual” or “formal” portraits. I’ve seen it populate as much as a couple of months before a cruise.

Captain’s Circle info is here

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/membershipBenefits.page

Check in is done in the app and hours for the port are shown there pre-cruise. There are no assigned boarding times on Princess. 

15 hours ago, Csardas said:

Thanks for that. So if we like Celebrity, we should like Princess?

Celebrity and Princess are very similar. If you like Celebrity, you are very unlikely to regret trying Princess, especially if you are choosing based on itinerary.

3 hours ago, yolotraveler said:

I will be at sea. Thank you all so much for your replies! 

Will you have a wi-fi package?

Here you are.

On 8/1/2024 at 1:30 PM, yancycruiser said:

My passport is expiring prior to next cruise in January.   From what I have read, we can get passport cards for $30 and it is accepted by all Caribbean countries.   Does anyone know if Princess accepts passport cards?  Thank you.

 

It will depend on your itinerary and other factors. Passports are required for cruises visiting Martinique or Guadeloupe for example. Also, if you are the only adult traveling with one or more minors, Princess requires everyone on the party to have a passport.

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

said:

Oct 14 is when Sanctuary Collection kicks in, this is the the keystrokes to recategorize

While it can be reasonable to risk the cost of a trip since the money is already spent, travelling without medical coverage is a huge risk. The cost of an evacuation can run well over the amount available from Princess.

Squaremouth.com and insuremytrip.com are good resources for finding coverage. We travel often and have an annual policy with GeoBlue as well as a MedJet membership to assist with getting back to the US in case of a medical problem while traveling.

18 hours ago, DCThunder said:

If it's your first Princess cruise, then spring for the Plus package.  You can then determine if what you get is worth it to you based on your actual consumption of the items you mentioned.

 

But as is also mentioned upthread, OBC can cover a lot of those incidental expenses, depending on how much OBC you might have.

OBC can also cover the cost of the Plus package if you add it onboard.

11 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

other cruise lines have a built-in soft night light in the bathroom. 

I will never understand why they put those bright lights in the cabin rather than simply putting a night light in the bathroom.

So sorry you had to cancel and hoping you’ll be fully recovered soon!

I wrap painters tape around an old gift card. Another option is to put two magnetic hooks on the ceiling on either side of the light and use a mask to block the sensor during the night

We’ve booked diving privately many times. It’s rarely offered as a cruise ship excursion. Do you want suggestions for specific ports?

17 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

We’ve won a cruise and &25 OBC a couple of times.  
It’s probably better than the casino.  

Here are the details on the odds of winning a prize. The free cruise is 1 in 100,000

https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/princess-prizes-terms-and-conditions

8 hours ago, crawford said:

Princess Prizes? Anyone have experiences with this one?

Got the free cruise on a 4 night leg of a long trip out of Melbourne in the fall. Definitely got the $80 worth over Plus on that one.

On 7/20/2024 at 4:22 AM, bobk57 said:

Is it worth it to upgrade from the plus package to the premier package?  Are the alcohol upgrade worth it?  How about wine choices? Overall is it worth the extra $20 per day.

One thing to consider is the length of the cruise. On a 4 night, it’s a clear value just for the two specify dinners. On longer cruises, it varies. I personally don’t see the value for alcohol because I drink few cocktails. If I am going to order three glasses of wine a day that cost $20 because the Plus Package wine isn’t appealing, it’s also an obvious savings over paying the upcharge by the glass.

On 7/19/2024 at 6:53 AM, sixpackeddie said:

I called into Blue Chip Club yesterday for more clarification regarding the new policy.

All perks will remain in effect on future bookings that have been confirmed until sailings for cruises being completed prior to July 31st 2025 including free play and drink packages according to the various levels. It sounds like the drink packages from sapphire players and above will terminate commencing August 01/2025. 

The photo benefit will not remain in effect after July 31, 2024 according to what they told me but freeplay, pre-paid gratuities, and beverage package benefits will be in effect until July 31, 2025 for sailings before August 2025 booked and paid in full by the end of this month. There are extended deadlines for Elite and up.

On 7/14/2024 at 11:24 AM, WisCruiser2 said:

@AZaTaz what are the temperatures like? Seriously looking at booking this for next August!

My notes tell me that the average expected high in Nuuk was 46 and 54 in Nanortalik and Qaqortoq when we were there in late August. It can be very cold on the water, especially on a fast-moving boat, but it was pretty pleasant walking around town, especially when the sun was shining.

We both had Northface 3 in 1 Triclimate jackets along with fleeces, gloves and hats. It was still cold enough with all of that to move inside the boat on the way back to the port when we did the Wildlife Safari in Nuuk. The RIB boat tour in Quaqortoq with Greenland Sagalands included survival suits to wear so it was easy to stay warm.