NavyVeteran

A partial transit wouldn't save you any time. It spends about the same amount of time in the locks as a full transit - it just goes through the same locks twice instead of through different locks. When I did a partial transit through the Atlantic locks, I took a small-boat excursion through the Pacific locks. That way, I did a full transit - even though the ship didn't. I would recommend that excursion if you do a partial transit, but probably not if you're doing a full transit. One advantage of staying on the ship on a partial transit is that the ship isn't crowded on the trip back, because so many people get off to do excursions. You won't have any problems getting the best viewing locations without the crowds you had going in.

You will need to talk with a head waiter (or dining room manager they're called today) in the MDR. Each evening he will give you the next day's menu (dinner and if a sea day lunch) for you to order ahead. You are not limited to the items that fit your restrictions, since they will be able to modify other items to fit your restrictions - that's why they take the order a day in advance. It's easier if you eat in the same dining room each evening, since you would be dealing with the same head waiter there. Once he learns your exact restrictions, you won't have to explain them every night. However, the order will be available the next day even if you eat in another MDR. You are not limited to the door hanger room service menu. Since you have the Premier package, you can order using OceanNow or telephone at no charge. You may be able to get some options ordering by phone that aren't listed. Ask your head waiter about the options when you talk with him.

I would definitely recommend the original locks for anyone who hasn't sailed them. The history of building those locks is amazing. I would also recommend anyone going on a Panama Canal cruise read The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It is the definitive history of the building of the original Panama Canal.

Some scooters will fit through the doors and some will not. You will need to verify the dimensions. The person may not be able to take the scooter in and out of the cabin without assistance. If they can walk to the hallway, someone else can take the scooter out, and it will fit through the door, then it would work. My wife does not use a scooter, but has some mobility issues. We book either a full suite, a balcony, or an outside. We never book a mini-suite. The mini-suite has shower in tub. If a shower in tub would not work, make sure you are not upgraded to a mini-suite.

You fill out the same form as everyone else. They used to charge you and then automatically credit the charge. Now, they may not charge you at all. You don't have to do anything special to avoid the charge.

Look under "Laundry Services" in the Onboard Experience FAQ. It says "Full suite guests and Elite Captain’s Circle members also enjoy complimentary laundry and professional cleaning service, except for same day service, which carries a charge." If this sentence is true, it is a reduction in suite benefits. Suites used to have complimentary same-day laundry and cleaning service. There was an extra charge for same day service for Elites. According to this sentence, there is now a charge for same day service for everyone, including suite guests. I haven't verified the current policy on a ship yet, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it interpreted differently on different ships - Princess is not known for consistency in interpreting policies. Also click on "On Board Our Ships" and then on "Ships". Click on "Regal Princess" or any other ship - or you can go directly to this link. Select "SUITE" from the menu bar under "Accommodations", and then click on "SHOW STATEROOM FEATURES". One of the features listed is "Complimentary laundry and professional cleaning services". This listing does not specify whether or not same-day service is complimentary.

It sounds like you've made most of the calculations. You need to add up the cost of the things she will use and compare it to the cost of the package. If she doesn't drink soda or mocktails, I doubt that the package would be beneficial, but you should do the math. Does she really need a wifi package. If the two adults have Plus, you each have one-device wifi. That is one device at a time - you can change devices at any time. Unless all three of you are using a device at the same time, you may not need a third wifi package. Remember that the wifi package is actually misnamed. Wifi on the ship is free, and you use it to log on to the app, to find members of your party, and to do other things shipboard. The package is for access to Internet off the ship.

If you bid and win your bid, then you will keep the same package (Standard, Plus, or Premier) that you had on your old cabin before the bid.

When DW and I are sitting at a bar, I would much rather sit next to a well-behaved kid than to a so-called adult who thinks they should be talking "salty talk" in a public place.

You are not in the United States while on a ship. Bars on Princess are not just for alcohol. They are the only place that kids can get sodas or mocktails other than with meals. They are paying for their drinks the same as the rest of us are. As long as they are well behaved, they should be welcome anywhere as long as there isn't adult only entertainment going on. I've seen adults misbehaving at bars. At least the kids aren't drunk.

The Caribbean Princess and the Grand Princess have completely different layouts. The Cigar Lounge is at the same location on both ships - with doors that are closed most of the time. However, the casinos are in completely different locations. On the Grand Princess, the Casino is on the Fiesta Deck adjacent to the window suites. On the Caribbean Princess, the Grand Casino is on the Promenade Deck one deck higher. The Crown Grill and Shore Excursions Desk are on the Fiesta Deck adjacent to the window suites. On the Caribbean, there are three doors to the window suite hallway - one at each end and one in the middle. On the Grand, there are only two doors - one at each end only - so you don't have the direct connection with the casino. I've sailed several times in window suites on the Grand Princess and never had a problem with smoke from the casino in the suite or in the adjacent hallway. I have three future cruises booked on the Grand, and I'm not worried.

I have had several very good omelets on Princess ships. I've had excellent omelets for breakfast in Sabatini's. When I'm not in a suite, I don't order omelets in the MDR. Instead, I search for the made-to-order omelet station in the buffet. The omelets there are very good and contain exactly the ingredients you request. I haven't tried the made-to-order omelet station post-COVID, so someone else needs to say whether or not it's still there.

And Mimosas for breakfast in Sabatini's don't count against the 15-drink limit.🙂

With 4 or 5 couples, it is difficult to coordinate times for dinning every night. With fixed seating, it was easy - we all knew what time to show up. With Club Class, it was easy - we could show up anytime (even different times) and our table was always ready for us.

Another option would be to have lower cost non-alcohol Plus and Premier packages for people not of legal drinking age. I can understand why they require they package for two adults in a cabin to limit sharing, but I agree they should allow some lower cost options for a second passenger who is underage.

I agree. The 15 drink per day limit and the requirement for everyone in a cabin to purchase the package are both for the same reason - to limit sharing. The cost of the few times people drank over 15 per day was so small that it had no impact on the bottom line. In fact, people probably drink more now than they did before the limit, since some people will treat the 15 as a goal they need to meet. The people who violated the rules by sharing hurt the rest of us.

We also shower before dinner after returning from excursions. Also we leave our laundry on the bed when we go to dinner instead of worrying if the steward will pick it up early enough to meet the deadline the next morning.

Yes, many people want the return of the old fixed dining options as options. With three dining rooms, they used to have one with fixed early and late, one with fixed early followed by anytime, and one with anytime. The one with fixed early followed by anytime was similar to what they have now with a lot of reservations when they open, but it was more efficient. They don't even have to have an entire restaurant with fixed dining. I notice they are going back to offering a fixed option on their newest ships. I would not want to travel with a large family group with the current DMW. It was definitely much better with fixed dining. I will be taking a family Alaska cruise this fall with five couples. We will be eating in Reserve Collection, so we should not have a problem eating together whenever we want. Pre-COVID, we did a group with four couples eating in Club Class and it was great. But I don't think the large group experience would be that great anymore if you're not in Reserve Collection.

It was available last October on the Caribbean Princess. The Black Forest Cake was delicious, but I can't imagine eating more than two per day - even with the Premier package.

I think you meant "and don't resemble Full Suites at all."🙂

The following statements are based on a cruise on the Carribean Princess last year with Premier. I only *know* what happened on my cruise - I *think* it would be the same on other cruises on other ships. I *know* that your first statement was correct. I *know* that your second statement was also correct on my cruise. I *know* that there were few cakes in the IC that are included under Plus (2 per person per day)/Premier(unlimited) but would cost extra without the packages. Note that even though we had Premier, there was no way we would eat more than one of these cakes each per day. The serving was very large - large enough for two people. When I took the cake from the IC to a table, no one complained when I shared it with DW.

Any excursion on a Glacier Scenic Cruising day in Alaska, like any excursion in the middle of the Panama Canal would have to be a ship's excursion. The ship does not dock. The excursion would pick up passengers directly from the ship, and only ship's excursions would be able to do that. I am booked on September 2024 B2B cruises with Scenic Cruising days at Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, and Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier; and on the May 2025 Ultimate Alaska cruise with Scenic Cruising days at Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, and College Fjord; and none of the Scenic Cruising days on any of these cruises has any excursions listed. I will keep looking to see if they show up. I wonder if September is too late in the season and May is too early in the season for these excursions.

No fixed answer. It depends. Usually earlier at ports where Princess has a lot of cruises. Keep looking at your Cruise Personalizer to see when they show up.

One suggestion. For safety reasons, you may want to require your two kids to stay together anytime they're not with you, in the cabin, or in the kid's club. With your app and their medallions, you can tell where they are and whether or not they're together. I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

The bathroom is the big issue with a normal cabin unless you are in a full suite. A mini-suite has a shower in tub which would probably be difficult. A balcony, outside, or inside has a very small shower - it has grab bars but wouldn't have room for a seat even if they would provide one. Other than the bathroom, a normal cabin would probably be OK. If he could use a cane instead of a rollator inside the cabin, he would be OK. A folded rollator or even a collapsible wheelchair would fit through a normal door if he can walk to the hallway and he has someone else to roll the folded rollator or wheelchair out the door for him. DW has some mobility issues and we do not book a mini-suite on Princess because of the shower in tub. She doesn't need an accessible cabin, but we will book either an outside, a balcony, or a full suite to get the walk-in shower.