dawnprincess

Hi! Hope someone can answer my question.  We are doing a Princess Norway cruise in June leaving from Southampton.  We would like to fly in a day early and stay at one of the hotels located inside Gatwick Airport in either the North or South terminals.  We purchased Princess transfers from the cruiseline. Their info says to meet your transfer representative  "In Gatwick airport-South Terminal - Arrival Area in front of the WHSmith Newsagent".  My question is if we are staying inside the airport in one of the hotels onsite, can we easily go to South Terminal (I know there is an inter-terminal shuttle train) -- but would security restrictions prevent us from meeting our transfer in this area -- since we won't have a ticket flying out that day.  Hope I'm being clear, but I like to know any issues prior to arriving.

Someone posted elsewhere who was on the September 26th cruise that Mamma Mia was not performed?  Have you heard anything?

For those who like water in your cabin, Carnival has the cheapest water package on any cruise line we’ve sailed. Twelve 16 oz bottles of water for $4.95 delivered to your cabin. Order on your cruise personalizer. Other lines cost almost 3 times that. So worth the convenience of not having to pack in your carryon luggage. 

I know this is a Princess board and that is one of my two preferred cruise lines. And I agree we all need hope. I think I enjoy researching a cruise a year or more before almost as much as the cruise itself. So in the “hope” category, NCL (not a favorite line) has cruise itineraries up until 2023. So I find it fun just looking at the ports and excursions even if those cruises never happen or I have no intention of cruising with NCL. Also with Smart TVs you can have YouTube on your tv and there are lots of ship tours, shore excursion reviews, etc. that are fun to watch while we wait for the virus to be defeated. Just a suggestion— this is what works for me! 

We personally used this to switch from a Thanksgiving 2020 cruise on Apex to Thanksgiving 2021 on Apex. I believe as long as the cruise date is within 3 weeks of the old cruise date it applies. When we booked we got a $200 onboard credit plus had chosen the free internet perk which was carried over to the new reservation. My sister-in-law has booked a Sunset Balcony. The price for 2021 was $900 more per person than what she paid so this was a great deal. Plus she got a much better cabin location. Also my husband and I had booked under a $50 reduced deposit promotion and didn’t have to pay more. Our reservation numbers remained the same too. Good deal for us!

Thanks so much for this VERY helpful information!

Good evening!  I have a client who uses a motorized scooter.  She will be traveling with her own scooter.  Does anyone know of transfer service (bus with a lift) from the airport to Port Everglades.  I got a list of taxi serices that have wheelchair accessible vans but haven't been able to reach a knowledgable person on those call lines.  Not sure the Princess transfer would have a lift (or can we request one?) or whether an independent company offers this service.  Any help would be much appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

Thanks so much for all this help. I plan to print out the advice to keep in my planning folder. 

We definitely have to postpone our cruise until 2021 because all the 2020 dates conflict with a preplanned family vacation with the grandkids. But this gives me more time to plan. We will book quickly after reviewing our options when all the 2021 itineraries become available. 

So keep that advice coming and and thanks again!

I’m looking over various itineraries available on Princess, NCL and Royal Caribbean for 2020 and 2021 (not available yet). For those who have done this cruise which ports are don’t-miss and which were less interesting. Stavanger, Tromso, Alesund, Flamm, Gerainger, Bergen, Trondheim, Bergen, Lofoten Islands, Spitsbergen, Hammerfest. The itineraries are a mix and match of these ports so with some advice I may be able to narrow it down. Thanks in advance!

Thanks so much!

I am curious how long the process is disembarking in Havana. Trying to figure out time needed before meeting our guide. So is there a bag inspection, I guess they check your Visa, etc. is money changing place close by. Are lines long to exchange money into CUCs?  Thanks in advance for your help. Sailing on NCL Sun at end of April. 

Yes it does!  Thanks so much!

We are sailing on Nieuw Amsterdam in a few weeks (December 16, 2018) -- can any recent cruisers tell me what kinds of shows (names, etc.) were on the Main Stage?  Thanks!

We did this tour in 1997 on our very first cruise. The hotels in the Canadian Rockies are remarkable and the scenery is something you will never forget. This cruise tour got us hooked on cruising and traveling and we now have gone on nearly 50 cruises. But that first cruise still stands out as the most outstanding!!

Maybe this will be helpful to others interested in the Parisien Cabaret. Just got email response from the hotel. VISA and MasterCard accepted:

Dear:

Is a pleasure to communicate with you. You can book through our website: www.hotelnacional-decuba.com and by the same way can make the payment.

Best Regards,

Since this is a large well-respected hotel they DO accept credit cards via their website etc. I’m aware that st most other places you can’t use credit cards. My question is specific to Hotel Nacional. See post below found on another travel website from hotel:

Antonio M

Property representativeHavana, Cuba

Welcome to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Through the hotel website you can use the Visa and MasterCard cards, possibly the American Express. Here at the hotel you can also use them. Best Regards, Antonio Martinez Rodriguez General Director Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Planning on going to this show. Keep reading you are packed in tightly. Since show plus waiting time means at least 2 hours at the show, is it possible/reasonable to use the restroom once the show has started? Has anyone had experience with this?

Did you purchase tickets online? Or make reservations online and pick up tickets the day of the show? Can you use your credit card or do you need CUC? Thanks in advance if you can help!

I suspect it was the same here. But DH had several conversations with Cruise Director and she was the one who said we should take a taxi. I suspect this will be our last HAL cruise for various reasons although we loved their specialty restaurants. We always feel well cared for on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

That sounds like a HAL failure, not a Port Everglades one.

Oh Definitely!! HAL dropped the ball. They chose NOT to make announcements so they could do nothing and to keep complaints to a minimum. As my husband said, if they were having a diamond sale the announcements would flow like wine.

No, no shuttle offered and in fact my husband suggested to the Cruise Director Christina that an announcement should be made. An hour later she said they were "working on it ". She claimed the Captain made an announcement the previous day, so there was plenty of time to set up shuttle arrangements as a courtesy.

Just off the Koningsdam in Ft Lauderdale. Have taken many cruises but this was a first for us. When we boarded the ship a week ago it was from Terminal 26 (and so we parked in that parking garage). We returned to Terminal 4! The ship made no announcements about this and we then had to pay $10 for a cab ride to our car. Does this happen often? Only at Port Everglades?

Was told they sometimes don't empty that mail bin until the next cruise or even later. I try to mail myself either during cruise or at home. Overseas I've had tour conductors volunteer to mail for me.

My husband said the caddies were excellent and to follow their directions. He did return pretty close to sail time. the first time he went they were really close to sailaway. the next time we did have some time to shop but not a lot. I think he is a bit upset that he is not golfing this time but I wanted us to spend a beach day this time.

Hi, I have friends who are planning on this excursion in February. Can you tell me what you would think the gratuity to the caddy should be? Thanks!

My friend who is not comfortable using the computer is booked on Crown Princess in an Accessible Cabin - Riviera Deck #302. Her travel agent checked with Princess and they said that there would be bars on the left hand side of the toilet (as you are seated) because her left is her stronger side. I would like to see if someone who stayed in this cabin might be able to confirm this or perhaps have a photo they took of the room set up. Thanks in advance! (Her Alaskan cruise is in early July.)

Thanks for your quick response. This seems more logical. I was skeptical when I read that.