skynight

In 2019 we cleared US immigration at the first US port, which at that time was Portland, Maine. No immigration upon arrival in Brooklyn, but Customs is there in case they wish to inspect luggage. Expect it is the same today where you will clear immigration at the first US port. Don't know how a turn around will be handled in Brooklyn. Expect there will be no legal requirements, but the ship may have some procedures.

Which port? If you are speaking about most US ports then b2b passengers meet in a designated location on the ship at the instructed time. Passengers are then walked off the ship, through immigration and back onto the ship. The walk and process varies a little by port and terminal, but that is the basic way it is handled. You will be instructed to bring your passport, medallion with you. At times in the past immigration boarded the ship, but this probably is not happing now. No b2b passenger is allowed to stay on board. All must go through the immigration process. No exceptions. If even one passenger is missing all passengers have to wait until that passenger is located. Leave all your stuff in your cabin. When you reboard you can go back to your cabin. Pre-covid b2b passengers were permitted to disembark at any time after the disembarkation process began. They had to bring passport, medallion, and intransit card with them. They could then re-board once general boarding began. If you are speaking about a non US port there there is no process. Treated as a normal port day. If your are speaking about Whittier Alaska, RT Vancouver, then there is no process. Passengers go through US immigration when boarding in Vancouver.

Have seen both. Norway gets the nod. There are more fjords to visit and towns on the fjords. The NZ fjord area is indeed spectacular, but it is a one day scenic visit, not like a Norway fjord cruise where you visit a different one and port mostly every day. NZ is more like the fjords in Chile, a visit and you are then gone. Book the cruise because you want to visit all the ports, not just the scenic fjords. When we were there there was an overnight land tour which began with a tender in one of the fjords. It was supposed to go to our next port, Dunedin, but we skipped that port due to storms. Passengers that booked the tour wound up staying a few extra overnights and re-boarded the ship in Auckland. Reports were it was a great diversion.

In the past they have had different flavors of Twinnings, Bigalow, Lipton, some herb teas for no charge in the buffet and DRs. Half dozen or so Mighty Leaf selections at the IC. Today they could have all or some of these selections. If you are particular about your brand of tea suggest you carry a supply just in case.

Starbucks has the dark more burnt flavor coffee which some like and some dislike. Princess does not have this kind of roast. It is a more mild roast enjoyable to a wide population of passengers and crew. My suggestion is really the same as Lucky TGo. Just ask at the International Cafe if they can prepare something you enjoy.

Stock is going down for many reasons. Inflation will make fares higher, disposable income lower are just two reasons. Stock prices reflect the longer term ability to make profits. The disturbing level of Princess' customer will not help that Carnival brand. It was a grave error to invest in a poorly designed app for booking during a period of time when the company had no income. To make a turn around Princess needs to vastly improve its customer service.

No indoor pool on the Crown Princess. Never was. You must be thinking about a different ship or different cruise line. There are 5 pools and all of them are outdoor. Heated, maybe somewhat, but certainly not super warm. Rectangular pools which you can do some swimming in are the Lotus Spa Pool, deck 16 forward, Neptune's Reef and Calypso Reef pools on deck 15 mid ship. The other two pools are for dipping, Terrace Pool, deck 14 aft and Chill Out Pool, deck17 aft.

Standard wine serving from what I understand should be 6 ounces. If Princess is pouring 3 to 4 ounces they are not being honest with their customers.

I don't believe there is a single answer. Past passengers receive a discount from the published fares, which used to be $100, for early bookings made maybe a year or so in advance. Launch fare discounts disappear as the sailing gets closer. So yes, it implies new bookings. But, if you cancel and rebook you may receive the discount.

Never was a concierge on the Diamond Princess or any other Grand Class ships. This service was added to the six newer Royal Class ships. If you are looking to book dining or room service you can just call those lines and you should receive good service. As a full suite passenger you can order MDR selections for room service from the full menu. The full suite breakfast, location will be advised once on the ship, is something very special for full suite passengers only. It is one of the better benefits.

Just to clear up some information. On the Discovery, as well as other Royal Class ships Churchills is on deck 6 forward, port side. Grand class ships have a cigar lounges in different locations. Policy is that pipe and cigar smoking is only permitted in the cigar lounge and not in other locations indoors or out. Cigarette smoking is normally allowed at some casino slots while playing. It isn't supposed to be used as a lounge. There are a few other outdoor locations on all Princess ships where cigarette smoking is permitted. Cigarette smoking is permitted in the cigar lounges.

Never saw an elite lunch on any of the 40+ Princess cruises we have been on. We were invited to the top 40 most travelled lunch or cocktail party quite a few times. There is never more than one of these. Only the top 40 most travelled are invited. Cut offs were normally in excess of 400 days. These days with ships at less than capacity guessing that the cut offs would be lower.

If you have never been to the South Pacific you will enjoy it. I would not worry about the ports blending, they are different enough to be interesting. Have been to many South Pacific ports I noticed that they are not as commercial and tourist developed as those in the Caribbean. Some, example Moorea are indeed very limited in what they offer, but we were glad we visited.

Elite/Platinum/Full Suite cocktail hour still operational from what I have read. This is between 5pm and 7pm most evenings and includes some appys. With so many having plus fares it isn't such a big deal. There is no and never was an elite lunch. There was and still is the top 40 most travelled passenger lunch or cocktail party based on days on board a Princess ship. Formal night canapes are ordered, not automatic as you have to select which one you want. In my opinion they are not so great. Instructions in your cabin. You can also order many food items at anytime and any day using the Ocean Now app. Not certain if the wine tasting and the afternoon tea is operational right now. But you can order specialty teas and coffees using the Ocean Now app for delivery to you any where on the ship.

We frequently had to request the robes pre-covid. Sometimes a robe was in the closet. Many times it wasn't. Robes, of course, are not an elite benefit, available to all. The special bathroom amenities have been on the decline ever since the shower soap was changed to the in-shower pumps. Today many ships are short of the inventories.

Time to dump DMW. If it does not work with 50/60% capacity it seems to be a disaster at full capacity.

What ship? My understanding is that on Princess ships regular menus are available.

US$

Caribbean Princess returns to Ft. Lauderdale on November 3rd to begin its winter season. It sails from Quebec City on Oct 20.

Different each evening. Guest entertainers may do a few different shows.

No Princess ships in the Caribbean at that time, plus it is the heart of hurricane season. Some return in October.

Have done this cruise with Bora Bora instead of three days in Tahiti. Unfortunately Bora Bora now allows only small ships to anchor there. We loved the cruise because we enjoy sea days. There are 19 of them, 8 straight at the end. Unless the Crown Princess gets their propulsion issues resolved the itinerary may be modified. For that reason I would select March to give Princess additional time to correct the issues. There are only two stops in Samoa, American Samoa and Samoa. Both of these ports are interesting, but limited tours and activities. Note that if you take the March trip you will go to sleep on Friday March 31 and wake up the next morning on Friday March 31. Two ports in French Polynesia, not 4. You will have 3 days, 2 overnights in Papeete. There are tours and other activities there. Not much on Moorea. Just one small store near the pier and one small general store up the street. Believe there is a hotel that gives day passes. There are also some tours. If you book recommend you become active in the roll call. Port/Starboard, no difference. You are heading basically north & south.

Princess decided to correct a dining system that was not broken so it could use the medallion app. The previous system only required some adjustments.

Not the ones you mention. You can easily spot cabins with extended balconies by referring to the deck plans. Most of the deluxe balcony cabins with larger balconies are on deck 9. Some are aft on various decks. https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=EX

Nice. You might also look at the pricing and additional benefits for Princess Premier Fare. Additional notes: OBC is available for military vets and for those that own shares of Carnival Corp. stock. Look up Princess Military Benefit Program as well as Carnival Corp. Shareholder Benefit on line.