Fisherwoman

5 hours ago, skynight said:

The staff captain told me that the HAL ship had numerous tender ports scheduled on their trip and we had only one. It was decided to give up the Sydney berth to HAL.

I was on the cruise too.  HAL offered some of their tenders to get our passengers to shore quicker!  That's great co-operation!  

4 hours ago, HappyCruiserettu said:

I suspect you wouldn't get laundry, or preference for tendering. Do you get the minibar setup? The value of that might be equal to or greater than the cruise fare. Nor for me, though. We're not drinkers. Just the occasional beer.

I've done four of these.  I got my elite perks.  I had a party in my room and my friends helped me drink the mini bar.  I also got bag of goodies in the bathroom. Not enough time for laundry turn around.   It's on and off.  No tendering and you carry off your luggage.  The only hold up can be Canada Customs and Immigration in Vancouver but on my last cruise it was much better.  I agree with the British Invasion show, it is stale.  I am not doing the Oct 5 Star Princess, but I know someone who is.  I am driving them to Seattle to make it easier to get on the ship.  Last time we used Quick Shuttle from Campbell River store and it was so disorganized!  The driver had no idea who was to be on his bus, we got turned back at the border!  We left at 8 AM and got to Seattle at 2 PM!  Dining room is open for lunch but they don't tell you.  If you go, enjoy and if you book a single room you get 2 cruise credits.  Lots of people do it.

23 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Traded the mini bar for a coffee package?

Yes that's what I did.

23 hours ago, nukesubsailor said:

In your blog photo of the specialty coffee part of the International Café, your caption says that since you are Elite level you got your specialty coffee for free.  Is this some new benefit?  I have been at the Elite level for some years now and I have always been charged for my specialty coffees.

I traded in my mini bar for the coffee card.  I got 15 free coffees although I wasn't that impressed with the coffee.  Starbucks it isn't.

I'm on the CB right now and I've blogged this trip.  If you want to read my blog:

http://linfish69.blogspot.com/

One thing I forgot to post is the crew is awesome! 

On other cruises we've been on you are allowed to carry on one bottle of wine per person.  We are booked on the Queen Elizabeth to Alaska out of Vancouver.  Does Cunard allow us to bring on a bottle each?

Thanks

6 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

For the last two years they were released late April. However there has been some advance publicity about Regal Princess coming down here for that season and that said more details in March. 

 

I expect Regal and Majestic will do quite a few NZ itineraries, with maybe a token Tasmania one each, and another to the South Pacific. 

Thank you!  We booked March 2020 but all the minisuites and balconies are sold out.  Also, the Sun Princess is getting quite old and after being on the Royal, I'm sure we will be disappointed.  Would like to see the Regal or Majesty in 2021.

Does anyone know when Princess will publish Australia cruises for spring 2021.  Celebrity has already announced and I need to make a decision!  

We booked a cruise for Christmas months ago.  Daughter is pregnant and baby is due in August.  We want to take the 4 month old on the cruise but RCCL will NOT allow a baby under 6 months.  They are charging us $100 PP for rebooking for 2020.  It's their rules that are stopping us from cruising.  Travel agent says they will NOT waive the $100 PP fee.  This is ridiculous and very unfair!

Thank you everyone for your replies!

If you purchase a bottle of wine in the dining room, drink half, can you take the rest of the bottle to your room or does Princess have to store it until the next meal?

May want a night cap.

Westjet also flies YVR to LAX and is a cheaper alternative. You can also take Quick Shuttle from Canada Place to Sea-Tac for $59 and catch a much less expensive flight from SEA-LAX. International flights out of YVR has huge taxes and fees.

A friend just got this upsell from Princess. They are booked in a ME mini-suite Royal Princess Aug 5/18

CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING SUITES (rates are in addition to fare already paid): Full Suites (Cat S3) size from: 440 sq ft $999 US per person

And no, they are not taking it! If it gets dropped they may consider it. They are Elite

They opened ours on the Solstice by tipping the room steward. We'll see if that works. Thanks for your help!

Does anyone know if the balconies on the Infinity connect? I know the Solstice class balconies can be opened but wasn't sure of the Infinity. Thanks for your help!

I've done this many times. They take their time, cruising going slow through the Strait of Georgia! I'm, sure they pass the port of Vancouver and turn around in the night. They usually pull into port just after 6:30 AM. It's protected water so it's really nice. The best part about docking in Victoria first, you clear customs in Victoria so in Vancouver you just walk off the ship. If it's busy at Canada Place, it's a huge bonus!

The BC Ferry takes 1 hour 40 minutes but it goes from Tsawwassen to north of Victoria. The cruise ship is MUCH nicer.

We were told on a Princess cruise the only place for lunch is the buffet. Being Elite passengers, we went to every dining room and of course one was open! There were only six people in the dining room. It was a nice quiet lunch. Never believe what they tell you!

Thank you everyone for your great information!

I have a friend who is not able to walk long distances. She would like a tour with little or no walking. She's on P & O and they won't help her. Does anyone know of a tour operator that accepts people that can't walk far?

If you carry off your luggage and are the first off, it's doable as long as there are no hold ups in Customs. You can take Skytrain to the airport and get there in 25 minutes. You must be at the airport a minimum of two hours before your flight.

I would take a later flight as you are taking a chance.

We are in our early 70's and have been on more than 40 cruises. We've done everything from Carnival to Crystal. In November we took the family on the Harmony of the Seas in an Aqua Theatre suite. We loved the suite on the Harmony but do not go on one of the mega ships if you don't like children. Even in the suite dining room, lots of kids and school was in session.

I would go Crystal! No extra charges and believe me we are fed up with the upcharges. The food and entertainment on Crystal is fantastic! It's a completely different cruise experience and would be my choice if price didn't matter! Enjoy.

Without a visa, you just need to be with a local tour company. On our Baltic cruise last summer a lot of people used SPB Tours in St. Petersburg. They also get decent reviews on Trip Advisor. You could compare their pricing with your ship excursions. Of note is that the ship shore excursions will get priority getting off the ship there and it takes awhile to get through Russian customs.

We went with SPB tours five years ago. We saved over 50% what the cruise line was charging. Buses were great, groups were small. They arranged the visa and were so professional! I would NEVER use a 54 passenger cruise line bus when a 25 private tour saves so much! We paid on the last day, not BEFORE the cruise!

I live in Vancouver. Take the Skytrain to YVR airport. The Fairmont is the BEST place to stay anytime as it's right in the terminal. If you wanted to venture off shopping you could take the Skytrain back downtown or into Richmond. If the Fairmont doesn't do day rooms, check River Rock Casino Hotel. It's three stations from YVR and has a direct bridge from the train station to the hotel. Both hotels are great! Enjoy our beautiful city.

I live in Vancouver and cruise out of the port frequently. Most cruises start boarding around 11:30. If there is a problem with customs or the ship needs extra cleaning it can be later. Luggage must have a tag showing your ship and room number. The shore workers have tags if you don't bring them, just ask when you drop off your luggage. Sometimes the rooms are ready but other times they won't let you into your room until after 1 pm. One of the dining rooms will be open for lunch. They will direct you to the buffet but if you want a nice quiet lunch, go to all the dining rooms and see which one is open.

DW and I are doing a HOS B2B in March for our 30th anniversary. Sky Loft(1724) first week and Aqua Theater (8330) second week.

 

Looking for thoughts from folks that may have done something like this in Star Class.

 

Will we have the same Genie both weeks?

We are looking forward to in-room dining. Any Tips? Inside or out on balcony?

What don't miss Genie items? (Bridge Tour, Wine Tasting, Daily treats, ...)

Can we get Starbucks delivered to the room each morning? How about Fresh OJ?

What are your favorite snacks to ask for? (cheese plate, cookies, Guacamole, ...)

What beverages are available in-room? Can you get Coke Zero?

Will the genie get you a couple of bottles of wine each day?

With just two of us traveling, what should we tip our Genie?

What do you know now that you wish you would have known before you cruised?

We were in 9330 and our genie was Daniel. We tipped him $100 per person in the room but there were five of us. We had all the soda we requested but we didn't request Coke Zero. We had champagne when we boarded and two bottles of wine we never even touched. We used the beer in the fridge and went to the bars and dining room for wine and other drinks. The Robot bar was great! My granddaughter asked for M & M's and they were brought to her! They left sunscreen, bug repellant and all kinds of goodies. I loved the coffee machine! We never ate in the room but ate at the Coastal Kitchen for breakfast and specialty restaurants for lunch and dinner. They were all FANTASTIC!!!

I didn't realize we skipped the lines upon disembarking. We were off in 10 minutes!!!! That was a nice surprise.