karatemom2

Anyone ?

My daughter is getting married at the end of the month and she and her newly minted hubby will be honeymooning on Enchanted. My dear husband was so kind as to introduce this nice young man to Craps on our family cruises and now he has developed an affinity for tossing the dice. He is looking forward to trying his luck on their cruise but being young and newly married they aren’t exactly working with my husband’s bankroll. I’m hoping that the limit for table games including Craps is still $5 as we have usually found on our other Princess cruises although I hear that may be going up on some ships. Any one recently off the Enchanted who might have some info? I’d love to get an update.

The Inside Passage is a long route that runs from Washington all the way up to Alaska, so almost all AK cruises will cover parts of that route. That is why virtually every AK cruise advertises as an Inside Passage cruise. The portion of the Inside Passage being referenced here relating to the Vancouver to Anchorage itinerary is the portion between Vancouver and Alaska. Ships doing a true Inside Passage route on this itinerary will stay within the Hecate Strait traveling between the coast of BC and the islands off the coast. It is exceptionally scenic and teaming with wildlife. But many ships now, particularly the newer larger ships, bypass this by going outside of the islands into the open Pacific and rejoin the Inside Passage in Alaskan waters. The only way to know for sure is to ask the cruise line and look at the actual map of their cruise path. And to answer a couple of your questions, the photo of the glaciers above has nothing to do with the Inside Passage discussion. And the Royal Princess definitely does not go the inside route out of Vancouver - it is too large. It always goes outside on the open Pacific route. Sapphire Princess is a smaller ship and could travel the inside route, but you would need to confirm if that is the way it will go with Princess as just because a ship is able to take that route doesn’t mean they always do. It should not necessarily be a deal breaker in your choice of ships or itineraries but if you can find a ship that sticks to that Inside Passage route all the way up from Vancouver, that would be the most scenic option. It is just something you can factor into your final decision that might give an edge to a ship that sticks to the inside travel.

I would assume this is in reference to the Royal Tea which is something different. It is a special upcharged activity that is offered on certain ships a couple of times per cruise and it has limited seating and an extra fee so I would imagine it might book up. Afternoon tea in the dining room is always free and does not require reservations. It is strictly walk in. So you will still be able to go to that tea.

Thanks for the updates. I can live with sea days only - makes total sense, I can't imagine many people are going on port days. It's a tradition I hope Princess never eliminates.

I just read through another thread that said they weren't offering afternoon tea in the dining room anymore? It didn't seem to appear on the Patter the poster shared. I'm just wondering for those who have cruised recently if this is an actual new change that has been implemented, or are you all still finding that tea is offered at 3:30 every day, or at least every sea day? I will be disappointed if Princess drops this tradition as it is one of the things I really enjoy. I am assuming as an Elite passenger, i can still order it to my stateroom, but I like going and having it in the dining room with the waiters poring and bringing around the different selections and warm scones. I hope this isn't another victim of cost cutting - so please tell me I will still find it on our upcoming Sky Princess cruise in September!

I hate lanyards - I'm on vacation not at work so I won't wear them. I did invest in the gold bracelet which is too expensive in my opinion, but I liked it and it looked nice at least. Used it for two cruises and really loved it up until it broke near the end of the second trip. I took it to the shop and they couldn't repair it, and would have replaced it with another bracelet, but unfortunately they were out so they gave me the gold necklace instead. Better looking than a lanyard, but I really hate having to bend over to put it on the sensor getting on and off the ship. It's a stupid design for that use because it is so short - maybe on a longer chain it would make sense, but I won't use it again. I'm going to shell out the money for another bracelet for our upcoming cruise and hope it lasts this time!

As someone who has cruised in Alaska numerous times and on four different lines, I will offer my thoughts on your questions. -What's the best way to go about choosing a cruise to Alaska for June, July or August 2024? Princess seems to be one of few who go to Glacier Bay National Park. Is this a strong recommend to have included if going for the first time? I would never consider a cruise that did not include Glacier Bay as a first time Alaska cruiser. We have done itineraries that did not include Glacier Bay, but only because we have been there many times now. If this was my first Alaska experience Glacier Bay would be a must. -Is June vs July vs August a better time to go? They have different advantages. We have been in each of those months and also May. May and June tend to have less rain, more snow still on the mountains, but you are there before the salmon run. Late July into August trips when the salmon are running offer you an opportunity to experience that phenomenon and also increases your opportunity to see bears. -If we were to go with Princess - any preference on ship (all have the same Northbound/Southbound itineraries): Sapphire Princess vs Royal Princess (Majestic and Ruby only do roundtrip) We have done both roundtrip and Northbound/Southbound. Both are great, but the one ways do offer you a chance to spend some extra time in Anchorage if you want to do a land portion. We have also done back to back Northbound/Southbound which in essence gives you a two week round trip which I loved. Yes, you visit the same ports, but there is so much to do and see have extra days in those ports is well worth it. Both the Royal and Sapphire are wonderful ships - Royal is the new class which some people prefer, but honestly I love the older designs and the Sapphire is especially unique with its 4 special dining rooms. Sapphire and Diamond are two of our favorite Princess ships. Also they hold less passengers, which I prefer as I'm not big on crowds. Another advantage, and this is a maybe, is that the Sapphire is likely small enough to do the real inside passage from Vancouver, while the Royal definitely is not and always goes around. Now, that doesn't mean they do that route with Sapphire, but at least it is possible on that ship and if that is the case, it is definitely a superior route. -For first timers, is it better to do a one-way trip rather than round trip? Either are great if it offers good itinerary, long port times and Glacier Bay. Advantage with one ways is extra glacier day and option to do a land tour. -For first-timers to Alaska, is a pre or post tour cruise with Princes a must? Are their tours and lodges unique and is this what makes Princess so great for Alaska? I wouldn't say it's a must. We have done dozens of Alaska cruise and never done a Princess pre or post tour. But we aren't as invested in doing a land tour. In addition to Princess we have cruise with NCL, RCL and Holland in Alaska, and for us, Princess wins hands down in providing the best Alaska itineraries and experiences.

Thanks for all of the great feedback. We have decided to hold off and take a later cruise. We were only interested in the first sailing if there was something truly special about it. Time wise it works better for us to wait a for a few weeks and go the following month. Appreciate the comments!

We also did the Royal Tea on the Royal Princess a couple of years ago. You were seated in the upper circular section of the Piazza near the International cafe where they had reserved tables for the service. You were provided a choice of the loose specialty teas displayed in the unit near the coffee counter. It also came with a glass of champagne and assortment of tea sandwiches, scones and sweets including a meringue trifle dessert. Honestly, I was not impressed and would never pay to do it again. The loose teas were fine, champagne was the cheap version, the food was subpar compared to other nice teas I have enjoyed elsewhere, and scones appeared the same as the ones at free tea. The trifle was an overly sweet mess. I much prefer the regular free afternoon tea in the dining room with the nice setting and lovely piano music playing. While you can’t get a specialty tea, you can order a separate pot of hot water with any of their standard teabag selections so you do have choices. And while the sandwiches can be a bit boring overall the selection of goodies is much better and you can pick what you want and the scones are served warm. This opposed to predetermined selections just sitting on a tiered server brought to your table in a noisy public venue is much nicer in my estimation.

Loved every second of our British Isles cruise last year capped off by our last day in Le Havre touring Normandy. We also used Overlord Tours and I can’t say enough great things about them. Our guide was amazing. He had a true passion for WWII history and was a wealth of knowledge. It was an experience I will always remember and somewhere I hope to return one day.

We are considering taking the inaugural cruise on the Sun Princess next February. We have never done a maiden voyage and are wondering about the experience. For those who have done inaugural cruises with Princess, can you share your thoughts? Was it extra special and memorable? Were there extra perks or activities? Would you do it again? What are the pros and cons based on your experience?

Thanks everyone - I spoke to a Princess representative today and she confirmed that it is definitely something they can do. She made a note and then told me to have them notify Guest Services when they board so it’s logged and planned for so they can account for them leaving a day early. She said it’s likely they won’t be the only ones. They are so thrilled to get to spend the night in Florence!!

My daughter and her fiance, soon to be husband, are going to be honeymooning on the Enchanted Princess. Their cruise ends in Rome, with the last port day being Livorno for Florence/Pisa. Because their time is so limited their, they are wondering if they could perhaps disembark at that port, stay the night in Florence and then proceed to Rome via train the next day where they will be spending a few more nights before flying home. I remember on our British Isles cruise last year a number of passenger disembarking on our last port day in Le Havre to proceed on to Paris instead of going back to Southampton so this would be a similar situation. Has anyone done this and if so, how do you make arrangements with Princess? Thanks for any advice!

We will be docking in Livorno on our Princess cruise at 7 am and given that we are just coming from Marseille the day before my guess is that we will have timely arrival and should be able to get off the ship promptly when the all clear is called. We plan to get a taxi to Pisa and then take the train from Pisa to Florence. Will there be taxis waiting at the dock to take passengers as early as 7 am when the ship arrives? I have heard they prefer to take people who are doing longer trips like this to Pisa, so we are hoping we can find an eager driver ready to whisk us away as soon as we disembark.

Glacier Bay Not even close!

Thanks for all helpful replies! I think we will go ahead and take a chance and purchase the train tickets and presume that they will be able to leave the ship plenty early in the morning given the overnight stay.

@BirdTravels yes, that is what we assumed when we booked, but when has called to ask about transfers, the customer service person has indicated otherwise. But I think they just see that the cruises are technically B2B and are making incorrect assumptions. I don't think they really know what they are talking about. But that still leads to my other questions about getting off the ship very early on disembarkation day and the possibility of an NCL transfer to Seattle. Their preference would be to catch the 6:35 a.m. train as the next one isn't until later that evening and gets to Seattle quite late.

So many great ones and great memories, but if I had to narrow it down I would pick our very first ever Christmas/New Years cruise with our kids - it was on the Diamond Princess, a 15 day roundtrip LA to Hawaii. It was the last time Princess did 5 ports in Hawaii and included Kona, so we got a really amazing itinerary and the whole Christmas celebration with all the decorations, entertainment and happy families traveling together was just special and magical. We did again for the next few years on the Golden, and they were all amazing, but that first one on the Diamond was extra special. And, tied would be our 12 day roundtrip Alaska cruise out of Vancouver on the Royal last May. Not only was it a spectacular cruise and itinerary, but we had the awesome forward balcony cabins which provided such beautiful scenic views and wildlife watching, and the icing on the cake was that our daughter and her boyfriend got engaged on the trip and the entertainment crew was so wonderful to them and our whole family. We felt like we were celebrating the entire time and people all around the ship were congratulating them - it was lovely and something they will always remember!

Hoping some here might be able to offer some information since we can't seem to get an answer from NCL. My husband, my son and his friend are traveling on the NCL Bliss that goes from LA to Vancouver on April 9. It overnights in Vancouver from 4/13 to 4/14 and then departs for Seattle where it starts its 7 day Alaska roundtrips on Sat April 15. My husband and crew are booked on that voyage as well - so technically a B2B, but they have this strange one day break between cruises. At first, the NCL rep told him that they would likely be allowed to stay on the ship since they were on the subsequent cruise and thus considered B2B, but she wasn't sure. We still can't get a firm answer - yes or no. So, they have a hotel in Seattle booked for the night before, just in case, but now are trying to establish the best way to get from Vancouver to Seattle if they can't stay on the ship. There is an Amtrak train that departs at 6:35 am that they would like to take if possible - the ship is overnighting in Vancouver so does anyone know if they can walk off the ship in early morning? They are in the port at the dock all night and people should be able to get on and off the ship anytime I would think? Also, if available they would consider booking a transfer through NCL. Has anyone transferred from Vancouver to Seattle using an NCL transfer? It would be great if we could get these answers from customer service at NCL, but unfortunately we can't seem to find anyone who can give us any solid information.

We will be on the five night Discovery cruise to Cabo in February and overnighting in a tender port is a first for us. Do the tenders stop running at some point in the evening on the first night and then pick up again in the morning? I know some people opt to spend the night in town, but we will prefer to return to the ship. I would imagine they suspend tender operations at some point - anyone have any idea how late they are usually taking people back and forth on these overnight stays?

Here's a vendor you might want to check out: https://lacitytours.com/layover-tours/ They offer tours with pick up at San Pedro port and drop off at LAX.

My adult daughter has shared a room with us and used the sofa bed several times. One thing she did to make it more comfortable was ask the Steward for an extra comforter that she put over the mattress. He would actually put the sheet over it for her when he made the bed. She found it very comfy with the little bit of extra padding.

I invested in the nice gold bracelet for mine this last cruise and it was so much nicer then wearing a lanyard around my neck which makes me feel like I'm at work. I figured that as a frequent Princess cruiser it was a worthwhile purchase that I will use again. It held my medallion very well and looked nice and was very convenient!

I wouldn't anticipate at this point they would be adding many more. Most of these ports are very easy to do on your own and a lot of people probably book private excursions or make their own plans for the day, so perhaps they just don't offer as many options on these Coastal cruises as it might be hard to fill them. I would encourage you to take a look at Tripadvisor for each port and you might get some great ideas for more cost effective tours or activities that you can schedule on your own. These are great ports - lots to do that is easily accessible without booking through Princess!