berlingo

Do the prices vary according the cruise?

 

I ask because I have just received a promotional flyer from Princess for next year where it quotes 10 US Dollars for half a day.

 

I would be interested at that price:)

Thanks for posting.

 

Now must remember to set box to record!

Just wondering what is meant by "refundable" on board credit?

I know that this will not be of benefit to the OP but for UK bookings Princess offers regular promotions where the 3rd and 4th passengers cost £99 each. Therefore if this applies it is well worth waiting for these to come along.

 

By the way UK passengers are also currently eligible for post booking price reductions.

In my experience a cruise from Southampton in August is full of British families. This includes many travelling with adult single children in their twenties and their younger siblings. Often these twenty somethings are broke uni students such as our own daughter! They are unlikely to be interested in touring the ports but will definitely be looking to party with others of a similar age.

 

The difficulty for them is finding their peers on board. We have not known Princess to organise any suitable meetings for young adults on these cruises. Therefore my advice to the OP would be to be proactive on board! Approach others of your own age and suggest an informal evening get together. Approach the Cruise Director yourself and if Princess are not holding a meeting offer to organise one yourself. In our experience they will gladly sort out a venue and publicise it in the Patter.

 

I am sure you will find many other twenty somethings who will be eternally grateful that you took the innovative and your own enjoyment of the Cruise will be even greater. But be prepared for some late nights. Our are twenty year old last year hung out with her new friends at Skywalkers until they closed and then onto the International Cafe until the early hours!On the last night she rolled in at 6am just two hours before we had to vacate the cabin. Needless to say she had a fantastic cruise!

 

PS the minimum drinking age on these cruises is 18 years old.

Having cruised on only P&O and Princess on your can only help a little but for what it is worth we find them similar in many ways.

 

- P&O passenger profile the vast majority are British and the ship's are geared to British tastes. Demographics are dependent on the factors of length of cruise, destination and time of year. P&O offer two types of ship designated as family friendly or adults only.

 

- Prices very similar although Princess offer better. 3rd and 4th passenger deals in school holidays.

 

- Ships very similar although P&O have fewer they operate two Grand class ships and next year are launching a ship very similar to Princesses Royal/Regal.

 

- Quality of service much the same although P&O service is more reserved and lower profile which is geared to the taste of the mainly British passengers.

 

- Food quality and delivery very similar with P&O offering 2 extra cost dining venues.Again food and timings of meals very geared to British tastes. For example later traditional meal times and dishes more complex in their flavours and preparation but smaller portions. P&O all have in cabin hot drink making facilities.

 

- Again entertainment geared to British tastes with more solo acts, comedians and tribute acts. Less going on but more quieter spaces to relax and few announcements on P&O.

 

- Dress codes enforced and adhered to by 90% plus P&O passengers on the cruises we have sailed. Generally much less casual dressing. Formal nights with majority in tuxs/dinner suits and lots of long gowns. On other nights majority are still dressed up.

 

We happen to love both lines for their similarities and differences.

Just to clarify you can leave your children on the ship whilst you go a shore but you have to check them in to Kids Club. If you are away all day the youth workers will take them to lunch with the parents permission.

 

As far as knowing if the children have been left on board security would know whether the missing passengers were travelling with children and if those children had swiped off the ship. A phone call to the Kids Club would then confirm if they had signed in.

 

As far as medical treatment goes when you register for the Kids Club you sign giving your permission for any medical treatment in your absence.

Very best wishes for your daughters speedy recovery and well done to Princess.

 

I have just had to cancel our family cruise in July after being diagnosed with cancer of the ovaries myself a few weeks ago. We too had booked with an agent and have forfeited just over a thousand pounds which is about 20% of the Cruise fare. So well done to your agent for suggesting you contact Princess.

 

We hope to be able to cruise next year. All the best Juliax

Travelling with a family on Princess is never a cheap option.

However one of the attractions is knowing that once the considerable cost is paid that there are relatively few extra expenses on top. This makes for a more special and less stressful holiday. For once we do not have to ration ourselves and the children to keep our costs reasonable.

Therefore the more extra costs Princess enforce the less attractive a Princess cruise becomes.

We a planning a big family get together cruise next summer. On this side of the pond P&O or Princess would be the lines we would consider giving our business to. With this change Princess is no longer a contender. Even if they did not introduce the changes before we SAIL how could we trust them not to change things during our cruise?

Just wanted to say thank you for the information about discounting for UK passengers.

 

The final payment was due today for our cruise on Emerald in July. Having read the boards I asked my agent to check the current price with Princess. What do you know it had dropped by 85 pounds which was promptly taken off our balance.

 

Don't you just love Princess!

 

But I would never have known about it without these boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Another vote for Princess. Our daughters now 16 and 19 years also love Princess. They have a fantastic time and love dressing up every evening for dinner. They are confirmed "cruise kids" and always find lots of friends. If a meet and mingle is not arranged by Princess the youngsters can always contact the Cruise Director and offer to host on themselves. My eldest did this last year and had a great time meeting her peers.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

From my experience floor space is limited in these cabins anyway especially with up to four of you getting ready. Often our daughters would jump onto their to read or listen to music during the day to have a bit of space to themselves.

 

IMHO having the bottom bunks made into a double would make the cabin very difficult to use.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Just wanted to mention that uk cruisers also appear to get better deals on 3rd and 4th passenger prices. For our past three Princess cruises we have enjoyed great fares for our two daughters ranging from 99 to 299 pounds each.

 

You may also want to give P&O cruises a try if you do move. We find them very similar to Princess in many ways and they are our joint favourites with Princess. Currently you cannot use your loyalty status from Princess on P&O but any P&O cruises do count towards your Princess status.

 

PS thanks for the heads up about uk passengers now being able to claim any price reductions. I have just emailed my agent so fingers crossed!

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

We love the aft mini suites and have never had a problem with noise on either port or starboard. Although this maybe because we are out until after 11pm most nights! Indeed we find them very quiet cabins with little footfall and no noise from balconies above due to it being covered. The most noisy mini suite we have had was forward on dolphin deck which creaked so loudly that it kept us awake in rough seas.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Thank you for this very useful thread.

 

I was wondering why I had been unsuccessful last year on the Crown when trying to reserve a table with our favourites waiters. So it was probably just that particular Head Waiters preference. I shall therefore ask the same question this time on the Emerald and see how I get on.

 

By the way as it was on the Crown I called the dine line daily to make a dinner reservation. This worked fine but you had to call very early. The tables went very quickly.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Does anyone know whether they do a Flash Mob on Emerald? I heard something about this last year and would love to give it a try.

 

Having loved the Crown last year we are off around the Med on Emerald in July.

 

PS By the way we are not really following you two but will look forward to another of your excellent reviews. Have a great time on the Emerald.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

In my experience cruises are a fantastic holiday for children My own have been cruising since 8 years old and they are now true cruise addicts. There is always something going on so never any complaints about being bored and

all in such a safe environment. As for us parents you can enjoy quality family time but also quality couple time.

 

My tip would be to ensure your daughter goes along to the Kids Club meet up which is usually on the first afternoon. If you miss this friendship groups could already have formed which can make things more difficult. Details of the first meet up will be in your cabin when you board.

We have only cruised twice with Princess so far but I was never aware of these age limitations.

 

We do not play Bingo and would not consider gambling ok for our daughters. However our two have always participated fully in other events such as MUTS, demos, shows as appropriate to their ages. Indeed the last night crew show on the Crown began with a balloon party which the youngsters loved. The only area we saw being enforced as adult only was the Skywalkers Nightclub, adult pools and the Wine Tasting event was of course over 18 only.

 

However I can understand Princess wishing to enforce more general age restrictions if they felt it appropriate in certain situations. I for one would certainly not wish for my teens to spoil the enjoyment of other passengers.

 

I agree that there are lots of child friendly facilities and activities on board which in our experience are a lot more attractive to the youngsters than the adult focused ones. To be honest we find ourselves insisting that our teens spend family times with us as there always seems to be something far more exciting going on!

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

For me Tunis would not be somewhere I would rush to return to.

 

The prospect of visiting North Africa was exciting but the reality was an uncomfortable and intimidating experience for my daughter and myself. By the way I do not consider myself an inexperienced or unconfident traveler. Given that this was on a cruise line excursion so I definitely would not advise travelling around independently.

 

However over ports on the itinerary are very interesting so I too would struggle to choose.

 

Happy cruising.

We love both P&O and Princess. For us travelling with two teenagers Princess just has the edge. This is mainly down to the International cafe and the slightly more lively atmosphere. The food and entertainment is less British so not quite to our tastes but it is still great! For our money we would happily SAIL confidently on either line.

 

Happy sailing!

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

Here's a few of my tips - many probably already known, but perhaps worth a reminder! Happy cruising!

 

I've always slipped the Steward some cash at the start of the cruise (you can also opt out of auto-tips if you prefer). They are very good anyway, but this gesture is usually a good way to show your intentions and have even better service from them during the cruise. (Also useful for wine waiters too).

 

Don't forget Stilton is always available from the cheeseboard at dinner time, you just have to ask for it, it isn't offered automatically anymore.

 

If you like to use the Spa/have treatments, massages etc. These are usually quite well discounted or available in "bundle" deals towards the end of the cruise.

 

Depending on what ship you're on (and if you choose to do your own laundry - personally I just use it for ironing) everyone can seem to be wanting to iron at the same time, esp on formal evenings, men shirts etc. Travel irons and "ironing pads" from Amazon work well just to get rid of any creases in shirts etc.

 

In the unlikely event you have spare hangers, usually worthwhile removing them (or the hanger part) as with movement of the ship they can rattle around a lot at night.

 

Wardrobe, cupboard doors, or drawers, with rough weather, can cause them to open/shut in the night - blu tack is your friend in these cases!

 

Don't rush/bundle down to muster station before drill. It's fine to arrive just before it starts, and furthermore, you'll be at the back/entrance of the muster station in this case, and be able to leave quicker and more easily.

 

In the old days Stewards would ask your preferred time for a wake-up call and bring coffee/orange juice etc in the morning. That is no longer, but the coffee from room service is free and much nicer (real coffee) than the instant stuff in the cabin, and you can just order that instead.

 

When ordering drinks, particularly cocktails etc, there are sometimes small and large sizes, and on some ships, unless you specify (they don't ask), you'll automatically receive, and be charged for, a large.

 

When getting from one end of the ship to the other, on prom deck and the like, during busy times/eve etc, it is usually far quicker to just use the outside deck and walk along the ship and re-enter at the appropriate point.

 

Taking a photo of Horizon (prog/events for the day) in your tablet or smart can be quite handy.

 

 

 

Thanks for these tips but it always worries me when people suggest taking any sort of irons on board. Irons are not allowed and for very good reasons.

 

A fire is the last thing you want on board and the thought of my cabin neighbours using travel irons fills me with horror!

Hughie is terrible. Been on two cruises with him as CD. His Wife is deputy cruise director and she is just as useless. They make sure they are there at the Captains Gala and get interviewed for the TV show but thats about it. THey dont really get involved in the sailaways and leave all the durty work to the rest of the Ents crew. I have yet to come across a decent P&O CD. Joff Eaton (former P&O) on RCI is fantastic.[/quote

 

 

I am afraid that our experience of Hughie has also been very poor on our last two Ventura cruises where he has been CD. On the first trip we were expecting a CD similiar to Neil Oliver who we thought was great and who added so much to our cruise experience. Hughie came as a big disappointment! I am sure he is a nice fellow but his near invisibility, inability to even read his scripted PA jokes competently, awkward Sailaway appearences and avoidence of eye contact with passengers did nothing to endear him to us.

 

It always surprises me that he appears to be considered to be the best CD for Ventura which must be the livilest, youngest ship in the fleet.

 

Perhaps it is reverse psychology- no chance of any fun on Hughies watch therefore no "Butlins at Sea"?