modernmind

31 minutes ago, taznremmy said:

Anyone up for a last minute cruise to Alaska that boards this Friday, I am in a Gty. balcony and the price is right around $800, depending on various discounts (Sr., Location, etc.) Not a casino rate.

I'm interested...more details?

4 minutes ago, Sprigs616 said:

 

You'll probably better off asking this question on the Viking forum or even better, call Viking directly.  Things might be handled differently now due to Covid but I know Viking used to have a group that handled custom air travel arrangements like this for a small extra fee. Also, Viking simply books you on standard flights (no charters).

Thanks, I did call them and the person didn't seem to know anything. He did tell me that for a nominal fee I could make custom arrangements but only after I fully paid the fare in advance. On this particular cruise, Viking charters a plane from Newark to Malta and apparently they fly these charters three times per week. 

Anyone know if Viking ever allows an extended stay in the final arrival port with an air-included cruise? In other words, taking the next Viking chartered plane instead of the one on the day of final port arrival. 

About a half hour drive south from Paihia and the tour was about 30-45 minutes. Very informative and entertaining. I wish I could remember the name of our guide (it was 12/2019) but she sang an traditional song acapella that was incredibly beautiful. Very easy to find and tickets can be easily purchased online. Once the tour ends there is a 15 minute walk back to your car and we spent that time speaking with our guide with additional questions and conversation. 

My vote would be for Kawiti Caves at Waiomio just a little south of Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands area. It's a family owned operation, I believe, and we were so fortunate to have a granddaughter as our guide. It was the highlight of our trip to New Zealand. 

customerrelations@princesscruises...I found success via email for a cruise that disembarked on 27th December 2019 just last week. An email typically takes a few days for a response. It was aggravating to say the least but ultimately resolved. Add your phone number to your email inquiry and you'll probably get a call. Good luck!

10 minutes ago, Russell21 said:

It's taken a week to get our NBN cable fixed after finding they cut our cable while installing a new replacement pit out the front of our place while we were away cruising, so better late than never.

 

Got back a week ago from 14 nights on the Ruby Princess to Fiji, plenty of room on the ship except in the shower which is the smallest we have encountered so far. Staff were great as usual, food in the buffet was pretty good and they managed to get the American Bacon crisp as it should be, English bacon on request but don't bother.

. A reasonable variety of food and they were not shy on offering plenty of smoked salmon for the bagels. Dining room food was good but not quite as good as some we have had, must admit we are talking about fine degrees of "Good"without any complaint at all.

We had a balcony breakfast as part of the deal and it was only the final plate of pastries that stumped us, could hardly walk for the following hour, excellent.

Word about the increased wine prices must have spread as the poor staff at the wine check in table were overwhelmed. Lets face it, two to two and a half times bottle shop prices I will wear, but the cheapest bottle of wine was $43.00 and the cheapest Shiraz at $54.00 for a $17.00 Dan Murphy price is over the top for me. I took a dozen Shiraz that DM sells for $16.00, and I buy for $8.55 due to volume. My petty revenge came in the form of a $72.00 bottle of Barolo compliments of a $73.00 wine voucher that was part of my deal.

 

Julie the Barolo was very nice, but not as heavy as most, it was more like a very good Pinot Noir.

 

4 pools available, with the Spa pool at the pointy end adults only, by the low numbers I think most passengers thought it was part of the Spa complex and they had to pay. The Main Theatre was way too small for the number the ship can carry, you had to be pretty slick to get a seat.

 

Overall a great trip, particularly at the Great Yellow Building in Vila (which is being renovated at the moment) Absolut Vodka 1L for $14.00 !!!!!!!! It's about $60.00 on special here normally.

 

Our second cruise to Fiji, will we go again, YEP!

Thanks for the excellent report. Mind saying which Shiraz you selected from DM for $16.00 ($8.55 to you...and how you'd get that?)...and would you still recommend it after having it 12 times. 

5 minutes ago, cruisegal415 said:

Where does one find that?

That would be under the Onboard Reservations heading...then Beverage Packages...then Show Options. The only listing that shows for me is: Premier Beverage Package.

3 minutes ago, cruisegal415 said:

Ok, newbie to Princess here, totally confused about this.  My husband drinks "regular" American coffee, black, no frills.  Do we need a coffee card to get him coffee??? Is there a charge for coffee on Princess??  I like specialty drinks, cappuccinos, lattes, frappuccino's, iced coffee.  I usually get it at whatever coffee shop is on board, some lines have Starbucks, some have other brands, Oceania has Baristas which has free speciality coffee, please help me understand coffee on Princess ships.  We are going on the Regal Princess in June.  Do we need a coffee card for hubby to get regular plain black coffee? Is there a charge? I assume there's a charge for specialty coffee, do I need a coffee card or do I purchase it as I consume it? Is there a dedicated place for coffee? Can't hubby get coffee in the cafe or restaurant or buffet in a to-go-cup in the morning? Someone please explain! thanks!

The Coffee Grinds package isn't even offered on the December 13th 2019 Ruby Princess cruise. Check your Personalizer. If it's not there than your questions are moot. Does anyone know if a coffee package can be purchased on the ship if it's not offered prior to sailing?

1 hour ago, familyoutdoors said:

Thanks for reminding me that I can use Google for that, since I am finding CC search near impossible.

I thought the porthole cabins were OE (on the Ruby Princess). Haven't been in one but how do the windows actually differ from the other oceanview cabins?

21 hours ago, In Toronto said:

Thanks for the replies.  Really did want to see a wine menu if anyone has a picture.

Our friends got lovely appetizers - meatballs, etc. and also sushi.  Saw pictures of it and looked lovely little nibbles.  This was on the Caribbean Princess in October.  

Does this help?...https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/Wine-Menu.pdf

I am going to be on the Ruby Princess in a few weeks hitting several ports In New Zealand. Just the other day I saw a photo of the Patter posted by a blogger and in that issue there was a notice in it regarding the prohibited food items that are not to be taken off of the ship in New Zealand. What struck me was the warning to only take "commercially bottled drinking water" off the ship unless permission is given by the MPI Quarantine Officer. This would imply that no water bottles with water inside are to leave the ship without permission. Anyone have any experience with this? 

2 hours ago, rogueriver said:

 

Thank you all for your responses!  It sounded like a great deal but guess we will just have to lug some water on board if we decided to bring some.  I've heard the water on the ship is perfectly fine, so I'll probably just bring a water bottle and fill it as needed.  I've seen warnings not to fill the water bottle directly from the dispenser, so I'll be sure to fill a cup and then pour it into the bottle. Got to watch those nasty germs! 

I am also going to be on the Ruby in a few weeks. Just the other day I saw a photo of the Patter posted by a blogger and in that issue there was a notice in it regarding the prohibited food items that are not to be taken off of the ship in New Zealand. What struck me was the warning to only take "commercially bottled drinking water" off the ship unless permission is given by the MPI Quarantine Officer. This would imply that no water bottles with water inside are to leave the ship. Anyone have any experience with this? 

16 minutes ago, skynight said:

Not correct. Refundable and non-refundable are handled the same way. As you incur on board expenses the accounting system automatically uses the non-refundable amounts first. Once all non-refundable is used up the system then uses the refundable. The casino has no control over the accounting system. The casino just sends the charge to the system as an on board expense, no different than a purchase at a bar or in one of the shops.

Nice to hear an emphatic answer. Up til now I thought I was just going to have to call Princess but your answer makes sense and can't imagine it being any different. 

I'm booked on my first Princess Cruise in December. My embarkation port is Sydney. Let's say my time to show up for boarding is 3:00pm. Can I drop on ticketed luggage off early at lets say 9:00am and come back later at 2:30pm for my actual boarding? I wish to go and get some soda and water and wouldn't have enough arms with the two additional suitcases being dragged around.

Thank you for suggesting those shops (Dan Murphy, BWS). Am wondering if you'd recommend any other wine shops located a bit closer to the cruise ship dock in Sydney?

I think there are only 8 of these OE cabins on Emerald deck. I've not been able to find a photo of the porthole from the inside. Does anyone prefer these over the picture window? Do the portholes open?

5 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Welcome to cruise critic. It will be $15 AUD but am unsure how it is charged, maybe they have both options.

Is Bainbridge Island by Seattle?

Yes, Bainbridge Island is just 35 minutes to Seattle via car ferry.

Just for clarification...is the $15 paid via credit card straight away or is it added to the account? Also, I'm assuming the $15 is AUD, am I right?

Okay, so the corkage fee is $15 a bottle. Would that be USD or AUD for a cruise originating in Sydney. If it's billed to your account to be settled at the end of the cruise then I would assume that would be AUD. Am I correct?