davy jones

21 hours ago, DCDragonfly said:

I've been to HMC with HAL and Carnival and didn't notice any differences.  Where to eat lunch depends on how much beach time you want, and whether you prefer the picnic atmosphere on the island or the calmer and more diverse options on the ship.

That could be one of the rare times that the Lido lunch is the calmer option.

You can pick up a cheap water bottle at the local dollar (now $1.25) store with a mouth that will work much better than the empty bottle with a bottle cap.

We love HMC, but have only been there on HAL.  What are the differences between HAL stops and Carnival stops?  How is the lunch served on the island?  Is it better to eat on the island or relax and have a late lunch upon return to the ship>

Use the search function to search for the ship you want to see.  You will get a list of videos.  Some are useful, others are purely click bait.  There are great differences in Vlogger quality and agendas, but you can find useful stuff.

There are some TAs who post videos that are more video tours and less opinion pieces.

On 5/1/2024 at 2:30 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

For those interested there are 2700 guests and 1100 crew onboard this 8-day cruise. With a double-occupancy capacity of 2600 guests, I’d say the Grand is a pretty full ship! 😂

 

Does the ship feel crowded?

12 hours ago, arizonaperson said:

@davy jones here’s the current Princess website information-whether they’ve updated it or not ??

if you’re really interested in fresh or frozen maybe see if someone has the menus posted from the current Alaska sailing. Since the Alaska cruises have just begun. I am assuming the cook my catch is a very expensive experience. 

Thank you for this info.  Mrs. Jones is interested in fresh seafood but not catching or cleaning it herself, so that is out.  However, she will be interested in the Alaskan themed dinners in MDR and specialty restaurants.

19 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

An Executive Chef on one of the ships said in an enrichment talk that health regulations required all fish brought on board to be frozen.  No fresh fish could be served.  This may or not be true, but it's what I remember being told.

That may very well be the case, the ships were not in US ports when the chefs went to the fish markets.  They were also smaller ships

Even in Portland, the lobster may have been caught the day before and frozen overnight.

I am not a fan of most cruise ship lobster.  However, I was on a cruise that docked in Portland ME on lobster night. It was better than any lobster that I ever seen on a cruise ship (the tails were still small, but delicious)   I believe that they purchased lobster tails that day in port.

I have seen this happen on cruise ship documentaries on luxury cruise ships.  In these episodes, the chef goes to the local fish market or docks to purchase fresh local catch.

Does a similar thing happen in Alaska ports during salmon season?

Our NYC check in time is 12:00.  Our bus is scheduled to arrive at 11:30.  Will we have to wait until noon to go through security and the check in process?

It's not just Carnival.  In my experience, all cruise ship shops are overpriced.  

The possible exceptions are liquor and smokes (and I do not smoke)

On 4/26/2024 at 12:25 AM, coopco said:

Not sure if this is still the case but when we were on our cruise to Alaska, you couldn’t do laundry when in Alaskan waters. It was a long time ago but you might want to research current policies if planning your laundry on an Alaskan cruise. It took me off guard and I had to delay laundry for a couple days.

 

I would like to find out about the Alaska laundry restriction.  We are on a 14 day with a day in Whittier to debark and embark land tour passengers.  Our plan is to do laundry early on that day.

17 hours ago, disgirl said:

Ive cruised from Vancouver multiple times.  I like to check in early.  Their busiest time when multiple ships are in port is 12 - 2pm.  With only 1 ship in, it shouldn't be too bad.  

How crowded is it with 2 ships.

37 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

As you go to the Princess website for your booked cruise, there will be two boxes for downloading the App, Android or Apple. Below that it will say try our web version. Click that.

What I have found is to log in using your booking number, so scroll all the way to the bottom. 

Some still have trouble with this, but we have found it is smoother than the app. It is however very slow to respond. I have a new Android, so very recent software and plenty of ram. Good luck.

Thanks for the info.  I was using Chrome on a PC.  I will download the app to a chrome book and give it a go.  DW will take the chrome book on the cruise anyway.

13 minutes ago, alwalaska said:

Someone complaining on another cruise lines forum said that with the Princess app, you could see the menus for the whole voyage so that you could pick which nights you would prefer to do specialty dining or the buffet, etc.  Is this true or an exaggeration?

Many cruise line apps let you see the menus when onboard on your device or the stateroom TV.  I don't know how far in advance of sailing that they can bee seen on the app.

On 4/13/2024 at 1:22 PM, mtnesterz said:

The biggest change for you, since 2017, will be the Princess App which you may use to select the dining times you mention. We find the App pretty useless other than inputting all those things related to preboarding. Actually, we use the web based version and don't even download the App. Y

Web based version??  When I try the web, it tells me to use the app to check in.

Please tell more!

On 4/13/2024 at 1:14 PM, doghog said:

The casino is a seperate venue, no doors. Poor ventilation system. Fleetwide. 

That seems to be an issue on most large cruise lines.

I fully agree with the logic that the OP uses, with one small addition or caveat.

The lingering question is "How much am I willing to pay to feel spoiled?"  Again, that comes down to personal habits and preferences. Some are willing to pay a large amount for suite accommodations with limited access areas, etc.  On the other hand, on OV cabin is fine and we will "splurge" on a balcony depending on the itinerary and cost.

For us, the Plus package is marginal at best from a cost standpoint.  Obviously, tips are required and we usually get an internet package to communicate with home.  That covers a little over half the cost of Plus.  After that, we can "splurge" on an extra drink, fancy coffee, or fancy dessert. 

On 3/26/2024 at 5:22 PM, cruisinsince75 said:

I have been trying to purchase a $500 gift card to apply towards our cruise since last week.  Princess gift card has disappeared from the rewards listings, but do show up when I search by name.  I have only purchased a $100 gift card previously, just to test it and that was over a month ago.  When I try to purchase the $500 one, it takes me to the payment screen and I get an error message.  It has happened on over 10 try's since last week.  I talked to our cruise mates and they were able to do theirs over a week ago.  

Happened to me too (on work computer).  I called AARP.  It might have something to do with pop up blockers.  I went onto home computer and it worked fine.

They stand next to each order and each orders a drink.  If you don't hand over the medallion, how are you sure at the time that the correct medallion is charged?

Doesn't the Skyway Bridge limit the size of the ships sailing from Tampa?

3 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

totally waterproof....

 

not reusable...you get a new one each cruise

Thanks.  I was thinking about getting a waterproof air tag holder, but it probably isn't necessary.

1.  Is the Princess medallion waterproof?  (If I put it in a zippered pocket in my swim trunks, will it survive a dip in the ocean?)

2.  Is the Princess medallion reusable?  (Can it be reused on your next Princess cruise?)

On 4/6/2024 at 10:59 AM, ontheweb said:

Would it be safe to assume when you write "the non-updated equipment that Carnival uses" that this breakdown happens often? That is how I read it. Other lines sail out of Seattle including Princess and HAL that are part of the same corporation as Carnival. do they have better more up to date equipment?

There is some truth to that.  Princess is using the medallion system to expedite check ins.

We are sailing Grand in both directions this summer and considering excursion options.  Could you share your excursion decisions?  Since there will be two stops at each port, we will do an excursion day and an explore the port day.

I was able to book an excursion using the Princess OBC.  I also have OBC from TA that is not accessible at this time.