beckntom

Princess recommends 12:30 for the earliest flight. That's EXACTLY what we have, so I hope they're right. :)

You've all twisted my arm, I think I may book it.

Do it! We have a great Roll Call going. I'm so enthused about this cruise--especially Loreto and La Paz--that I may book it for fall of 2018 when it becomes available for booking. Love the two sea days at the end: One for relaxing and enjoying the ship, and the other for packing with a little relaxing and enjoying thrown in!

Yes, if it has that N A Z I in the word, the censors will get it. I've seen it happen numerous times.

Good for you! You will love Caribe deck.

They are already considered premium balconies and are more than the upper decks. Check the prices..

Really? I was on the CB in January when Caribe BD cabins were the same price as other decks. I am on the Ruby this next January where Caribe BD cabins are the same price as other decks. They have been the same for as long as I've been booking them, which is quite some time now. It appears to me that a BD is a BD is a BD and priced accordingly, no matter which deck it is on.

Not here to argue with you, but I do hate for someone to dismiss booking on Caribe based on faulty information.

I would most definitely opt for the Caribe deck balcony cabin! BD cabins on Caribe are our favorites for location and price. The price will be the same as the BD cabins on any other deck, so that shouldn't be an issue for you. My fear is that Princess will soon reclassify these cabins on Caribe to make them more expensive!

Go for it! And enjoy your cruise with that nice, large balcony!

Small world! We enjoyed sailing with them nearly 5 years ago from Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale on the Ruby's sister ship the Crown. :) Brian & I still email regularly & we have fun bantering with each other having a similar outlook on things & a sense of humor. :D

 

They generously invited us to join them on a Quebec horse buggy tour, a bus tour around the Quebec area and even on their aft facing balcony to enjoy some vino. A couple of years ago we picked them up during their day in port at Santa Barbara (we live midway between SB & San Pedro) and we went wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country that's well known for Pinot Noir.

 

We've attempted to cruise together again but due to health issues neither of us can easily tolerate longer flights.

 

We're sailing to Hawaii on the Wine Wednesday before you sail & based on this schedule the Ruby will be at the larger pier 93 and the smaller Oceania Regatta is at the smaller pier 92. Both ships depart & return on the same day so it shouldn't be too crowded like on the rare days when there are 4 ships in port & 2 ships are berthed at the overflow piers further away.

 

https://www.portsamerica.com/cruise/los-angeles-terminal.html

I've heard about the buggy tour in Quebec, and that's the one thing Brian insisted Tommy and I do when we were on a similar cruise in 2014. Also, we were with them on the cruise when they ditched us to spend the day with you in Santa Barbara. Thanks a lot, Frank. :)

We get together with them as often as we two couples can manage it. It often involves wine, not surprisingly. Or beer here at our favorite "dive" here in Lockhart. Yep, "wine Wednesday" . . love it!

After reading Bruin Steve's info, I'd do the same thing if I was in your situation. He's very knowledgeable about San Pedro & Long Beach options and now I'm better informed about SP wine purchasing options...thanks Bruin Steve.

 

What ship are you sailing? We sail Princess from the larger pier 93 (the pier on the Love Boat series) and have arrived as early as 10:00 to drop off our luggage. Check-in begins about 10:30 and priority boarding begins by noon.

 

Since you're arriving so early, have you considered touring the battleship USS Iowa which is within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal. In this webcam you can see the Iowa & cruise ships berth behind it at the left side of the Vincent Thomas bridge (cruise ships begin arriving again on 9/22/16).

 

http://www.lawaterfront.org/multimedia.php

Great suggestions. We will check out the USS Iowa. We are sailing on Ruby Princess; 10-day Mexican Riviera/Sea of Cortez. It's not until January, but I like to begin worrying early. :D I believe we have mutual friends: Brian and his wife Sue from the San Antonio area. We tried to talk them into joining us, but they were emphatically disinterested in a MR cruise. We will just have to have a great time without them. :D

Thanks again for your help.

I think we have our answer--take an inexpensive shuttle to the port, check in our luggage, and then strike out for wine at one of the stores mentioned--either by foot or taxi. We have plenty of time to do that, so it works.

Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions. You made it so simple when I was overcomplicating things. And worrying too much. :)

Thanks for the store names. Also thanks for the Uber recommendation. Any other transport recommendations that would make a short stop for us?

I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseam . . . but I can't find it. How are we going to get from LAX to the port (day of embarkation) and make a stop at a liquor/wine store to buy 8-10 bottles of wine to take onboard?

We arrive REALLY early morning (like 8:00), and if it weren't for the wine, we'd just take SuperShuttle. Execucar wanted to charge $212.50 for a "charter" rate for the extra stop. No thanks, Execucar.

What are our best options? Thanks for any help.

Gosh, it saddens me that many of you have had bad TA experiences . . and that we can't pass on the names of excellent TAs. I totally understand the control thing, but a good TA is worth his or her weight in gold. I know mine is. My TA responds to me within an hour usually--actually, normally just minutes--so that helps the control thing. My husband and I laugh that she has her laptop glued to her hip. We get amazing discounts and some OBC, in addition to what all of you get by booking direct.

The money we save by going through this TA IS worth giving up the control, because she knows her business and does her job well. THAT'S the kind of TA you have to find.

Yes, you can't always converse with everyone at a table for 8, at least on the same night. However switching positions around the table each night, so you are sitting next to different people each night, means that you are able to have some great conversations with those different people each night.

 

The danger with requesting a table for 6 is that you may end up with only one other couple at your table. That can still happen with a table for 8 but you have a better chance of getting at least six people at your table.

My thoughts exactly. Same goes for a table for 10, as far as conversing. On our last cruise, we were disappointed to find ourselves at a 10-top instead of an 8-top, but it turned out to be the best group ever. We just made a point of changing positions at the table every evening. We had soo much fun.

ams cruiser, love your thread title. Very clever. :D

I second (actually third) Cruise Raider's and Paul's suggestion of an Obstructed Oceanview cabin. I personally find I am unable to tolerate an inside cabin, but an ObstOV suits us fine! The price is usually right, too--much better than a balcony. As Cruise Raider said, all ObstOVs are not created the same, so do check the Renmar site (just Google "Renmar Obstructed" and you will find the link) to find the best one available. This is one cabin category that I wouldn't book as a GTY--I would want to choose my own cabin.

Have fun! I do like the way you make decisions! :D It was a much more interesting thought process and question than simply, "Should we do inside or balcony for Alaska?" :D

Unless the area where you are docking has weird laws about selling alcohol in the morning and/or on Sundays and/or only selling alcohol that was purchased in their state. I'm lookin' at you Texas!

Well, you don't have to worry about Texas anymore. Princess is gone. :(:(:(

We are definitely Princess cheerleaders:D, but we HAVE done one Carnival cruise and enjoyed it for the most part. I can't help but think that some of the things mentioned in this great review--the extremely young demographic, the excess alcohol, the loud music, the vulgar language, the vomiting--can be chalked up to this being such a short cruise. Short cruises on Carnival just seem to bring out the "party" in people.

I wouldn't judge all Carnival cruises by this one.

Re: lanyards. Is it crass of me to wear my newbie cruise card on a rhinestone lanyard? Struck me as 1) the best way to keep track of said card and 2) have "jewelry" too. Never occurred to me to think of it any other way.

Maybe it is. If so, I am crass, too. It never occurs to me to look at people's lanyards to see what loyalty level they are. It DOES occur to me that people who wouldn't wear a lanyard because it advertises their elite status are probably way too hung up on their status and that of others. In other words, they are peeking. :D

A lanyard is for convenience; pure and simple.

Why so many clamshells now? I'm surprised that no one has mentioned what immediately came to mind for me: We finally woke up to the effects of the sun on our skin. I'd take that breezeless, view-blocking clamshell over skin cancer any day.

I loved the good ol' days of mindlessly happily sunbathing for hours but finally was enlightened . . whether I wanted to be or not. :)

Gosh, I guess it's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, not exactly "beauty" but fun! We had such a great time a couple of years ago on a CA Coastal during our stop in Ensenada. Admittedly, we DO like alcohol, so we visited Hussong's Cantina, reportedly where the margarita was born, and yes, had a margarita. We sat outdoors at a restaurant nearby and ate chips and guacamole while people watching. We walked around and bought a couple of things for Halloween (silly little hats) from the street vendors (who were not pushy in the least--I enjoy the interaction). Then we found a fantastic, rather large restaurant for lunch where they took our chicken off the rotisserie turning in the window. We were with a group of four or five couples, so I'm sure that added to the fun. Still, "fun" is where you find it. And, yes, I guess you can find it with a day at the ship's pool, but I really didn't want everyone to just write off Ensenada. It's not Puerto Vallarta, but you CAN enjoy your time there!

First day lunch on board also much abreviated. Only two items to chose from on main course. The wonderful avocado and shrimp appetizer no longer on the menu either. No salad.

 

Oh, no! I may cancel our next Princess cruise! LOVE that avocado and shrimp appetizer! Just kidding about cancelling, but I do hate to read this news.

Does Anyone know if we have to follow the boarding time guides??? Got an email with times for every deck, our friends are two hours after us!! Is that just suggestions or are they strict???

Strictly a suggestion/request only. We always ignore and board as early as possible. :)

It was absolutely no problem swapping the breakfast out for OBC. I then called my DD and acted totally surprised. I told her we swapped it out so we could have a dinner instead. She was thrilled and said she had tried to purchase a dinner in a specialty restaurant and was told it had to be done on board. So all's well that ends well....

Good for you! So glad it worked out. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi Everyone,

 

Thanks for your alerts. The member with the rude posts, wont be posting again.

Hallelujah! And may he never sneak his way among us again.

We were also on the January 24th sailing. Upon asking, we were immediately directed to the Coral dining room on Deck 6. (We did drop off our carry-ons in our cabin first.) What a great way to begin the cruise! I highly recommend the bay shrimp and avocado appetizer! We even ordered an extra to share. :)

We, too, had a fabulous cruise with no weather-related issues out of or into Houston.

My daughters (in their early 50s) and I did this very thing in December on the CB. It worked out just fine! One daughter preferred to shower at night, so that helped. It honestly was never a problem at all! We did take a power strip and an extra hair dryer and had both dryers going several times.

We divided up the drawer and shelf space as we were unpacking, and didn't "mix" our things. Was that a bit tight? Yes, because somehow, someway, you seem to accumulate stuff . . or maybe it just expands as you get less neat/organized. It worked though.

It was a wonderful experience, and I am so glad we didn't try to "divide and conquer" into two separate cabins.