azbirdmom

Have a great cruise. We've done Alaska from Seattle the last two years and are skipping this year so I'm really looking forward to following your journey.

There was a lot of coughing and sneezing on the tour busses and around the ship during our June 25th Regal cruise too. And I succumbed to Covid with my first symptoms happening on the flight on the way home. Took me 16 days to test negative after that and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Take care of yourself and I sure hope that your flight takes off soon (if it hasn't already).

I see the same dates as in the screenshot on the in the US T&C too: https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/princess-prizes-terms-and-conditions/ I'm wondering if they change the prizes every so often and there will be new dates shown soon? It's still on the list of perks with Princess Premier here in the USA.

Welcome back! 1) Reserve mini suites are mini suites that are in prime locations (generally mid-ship but on Royal class ships there are 4 forward that have massive balconies). They include access to a special part of the dining room where you can go whenever you want when the DR is open and at dinner there will be a special dish offered that is only served in that portion of the dining. It also includes extra amenities such as two splits of wine. Not sure about Celebrity comparison since I haven't sailed on them. 2) If you are in Reserve class you can go whenever you want. If you book a normal mini suite (or below) there is no more traditional dining. You can just show up and possibly wait, or you can reserve dining times in the app. 3) Officially there are still formal nights but one or more may be labeled Dress to Impress, the latter of which remains undefined on the Princess website. The formal night definition is still the same as it has been for years. However in reality you will find a mix of attire on formal nights, some dressed to the nines, others in smart casual wear especially in Alaska. Feel free to ask any other questions.

Three hours to get to Omaha Beach? Wow. We went with Overlord earlier this month. We left the port at 8:20 (due to a bus problem and they had to move us around) and got to Omaha Beach at 10:40. With the commentary it didn't even seem that long. After that we went to the American Cemetery, then got to spend time at Bayeux and Honfleur respectively. We were back to the ship around 5:30. Wonder if the accessible tour that you took does things a little differently?

We also had quite an incline where we were docked. And I do recall that there were cobblestones and uneven pavement in places as well along our walk so I do imagine that this may prove problematic for those with mobility challenges.

From where we docked it was about a mile or so. We mostly took the gray route, there was a concert that they were setting up for and we weren't allowed to do the short way. But from what the OP said it sounds like they docked closer to Albert Dock? And you did need to walk downstairs to get to The Beatle's Story. Not sure if there is an elevator, maybe check their website?

I had to giggle when I saw this on the Princess website a few minutes ago. Maybe there is a new package for "Princes"?

We did the Beatles Story and the Magical Mystery Tour on our own. Absolutely loved it but we are all Beatles fans. We pre-booked the 11 AM Magical Mystery Tour. We left the ship at 8:15 and walked over to Albert Dock. We got to The Beatles Story and bought our tickets there. We beat the crowds from the Princess excursion bus so we had the place pretty much to ourselves for a while. The Magical Mystery Tour ticket office and bus stop is pretty much next door to The Beatles Story so this makes it a nice combo if you get off the ship early enough. The bus tour was fun too. Lots of interesting tidbits provided by the tour guide with stops at some of the more interesting places like Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, and Paul's boyhood home which is now a museum. At the end we were dropped off about a block from the Cavern Club. Since they actually run the Magical Mystery Tour your bus ticket gets you admission into the Cavern Club. Really interesting place, it could be a museum! We listened to music and had a pint before walking back to the ship.

Correct. But have you read or heard that they are expanding the current menu on ships like the Sapphire? When we were on her pre-Covid we were told that it would be difficult to add the equipment to enable them to match the Alfredo's on other ships. Guess they have now figured that out?

Pizza is $12 ala carte per the menu that has been shared.

Someone was kind enough to share the new menu pages ago but here it is again. Agree with you on the fact that it's two with the Plus package regardless of the length of the cruise. What I haven't seen yet is if they plan to upgrade the menus on ships like the Sapphire which have Alfredo's but currently only service pizza. Gigis Pizzeria by Alfredo_EX-XP_2023-7-24.pdf

Thank you for sharing. Frequently my husband and I split a pizza and agnolotti. Looks like that is still doable with this menu. What isn't is getting our own agnolotti and sharing a pizza which we sometimes do if we are really hungry. And actually we have been doing that more often now that they have downsized the agnolotti portion. So in that case it looks like we would still be charged $12 even if we have the package. And I'm guessing they won't give you credit for skipping the appetizers and dessert. Sigh.

As of right now that is still the case but who knows if it will change. This is the latest: https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/au-cruises/ Having recently gotten home from a cruise and testing positive I don't mind the extra precautions they are taking. At least they only require a picture of your negative test along with your government ID.

Yes, I saw that after I responded, I hadn't gone out far enough in the schedule to see it. Enjoy Liverpool, we sure had a fantastic visit there!

Not a stupid question. We either order our drinks directly from a bar or a server. We've cruised 7 times since the restart and not once have we felt it necessary to use Ocean Now.

Did they say if any of that $5 or the $15 Ocean Now activation charge would go to the crew? If not I suspect that the crew will take a hit because people will assume that those charges are going to the crew and won't tip on room service or other deliveries. That would be very, very sad.

Just saw the discussion on the other topic. Hope we all get the clarification we seek!

Wow lots of charges for folks who don't buy the packages. And the language for Alfredo's / Gigi's is murky. Is the Prix Fixe a new option on the menu and everything else is still free? Very confusing. Carmen Roig is having a webinar to explain it at 11 PT. I won't be able to watch it live but will definitely try to catch up later to see if she clarifies any of the ambiguity.

+1 We have also been paying to upgrade a comped casino offer and on most of those we have opted for full suite. Is it like the luxury lines? I doubt it. But for what we are paying it’s pretty darned nice.

That is the way it’s been for us since the restart except for the “upgraded toiletries “. Our last cruise in a suite they weren’t there so we asked. The items were in short supply so they were only giving those out on request. Regarding the wine set up, the only time we have gotten wine since the restart was when the ship didn’t have the small bottles of alcohol. Once those were back in stock they gave out the normal mini bar. The two splits of wine are given to club class / reserve collection mini suites only

Thank you, that is exactly what I needed and it still shows $100. Guess I need to contact Princess. Ugh!

If someone on the ship wouldn't mind I would appreciate seeing a picture of the current FCD form. There should be a supply on the wall outside the Future Cruise Consultant area. I'm asking because I ordered one for my hubby and one for me while on our June cruise on the Regal. I was just looking at my list of FCD on the Princess website and oddly they show as $50 and not $100 which they have always been. If the amount changed on the form that I completed I sure didn't notice it so I'd appreciate seeing what the form actually says. Thanks in advance!

I had to look it up. Looks like the only stop left in Liverpool this year will be on the Island Princess. And Liverpool will be on some of the British Isles itineraries next year. It's a fabulous port that we immensely enjoyed so I'm happy that Princess isn't outright abandoning Liverpool like they have Guernsey. Like you I just shake my head about those who fail to be back onboard on time. Liverpool is such a walkable port stop that you'd have to just not paying attention to miss the ship. I'd be with you with the popcorn. We've toasted people with our wine while on our balcony as the ship has pulled away leaving frantic idiots running and screaming to try to get the ship to come back.

Thank you for the quick response. When they choose the flights for you can you then decide to pay the deviation fee for something more to your liking if you're not crazy about their offering? Or do you need to request the deviation upfront? LIkewise can you request a quote for business and then turn it down if you're not happy with what they offer? Just trying to get a feeling for how this works, and I do hate putting my TA in the middle. She works way too hard already and having her be the person relaying info back and forth sounds like a pain so I want to be well informed ahead of time. Thanks again.