*source*

I have to admit that I'm getting a little worried about all this. I will definitely be attending the M&G. I always do. I don't like the idea that I paid for something and I may not get what I paid for. Now I know a lot of us here on CC say that about a lot of things NCL. We book under certain terms and things change. But not being able to use various venues is a bit troublesome.

 

I will wait and see what happens. I've cruised the Pearl many times. It's a fabulous ship. I will have fun no matter what. But I will be vocal if there are negative impacts.

I guess that's how I feel too... We are considering the M&G and signing up to the roll call although it is something we have never done before. We like to go away *together*and have had a tough year so this is supposed to be our down time as a family. We have 2 cabins booked and I am trying not to fret about the wasted money! My DH is determined to have a great time and is not bothered by all this but I feel concerned and the more I hear or read the more concerned I feel. I hope we are worrying unnecessarily! :cool:

Thanks to all who have replied. My TA has spoken to NCL and they have confirmed that one of the main dining rooms will be used by this party. They have also confirmed 2 of the venues (I don't know which ones) will be closed for them also. This suggests to me a large number of people, plus significant disruption - if there will be enough people to close one of the dining rooms.

I suppose forewarned is forearmed and there is nothing we can do for now. I guess it is a lesson learned and something we now know to look out for!

Good luck. Been there, done that. Never again.

Nightmare... I am going to call NCL and ask exactly what is going on I think. We have never heard of this group but have 2 cabins booked and with the flights from the UK the cost for us as a family is significant and the Panama Canal has been on our list for a while... :cool:

My advice? Mortgage the house and upgrade to the Haven NOW if there are any spots left. Then stay up there.

 

 

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:D:eek::D:eek::D:eek:

Cruisers from the UK... Only our second NCL cruise but cruised other lines too... looking for advice!

We have never even heard of partial charters, but just discovered tonight our long awaited trip of the year is a partial charter.

Can anyone let me know how I find out (if indeed this is possible) how many are in the partial charter and how greatly this will affect us.

I can see by the roll call that people have actually changed their mind about going on the cruise for one reason or another, but as we have booked flights from Scotland we can't change this.

Are there experiences people can share, or am I worrying unnecessarily? :confused:

I am just back from the Baltics on our first Princess cruise. I can confirm what others have said - although the pizza didn't have to be ordered the day before - they had a stock of them right there.

We went to Sabatini's for pizza twice at lunchtime. The first time they had run out of GF pizza (so better to check as the lines were l-o-n-g) and the second time they had some, but in my opinion it was nicer on the deck than at Sabatinis!

If in the MDR it is correct - they let you choose from the menu the night before - but Anytime Dining made it tricky for them to have bread for you (they had no rolls at all on the cruise we were on - just GF bread) as you didn't know where you would be seated each night and as I have LOTS of allergies, I found it a very poor selection in the MDR.

We went to the buffet most nights and each morning a lovely chef made me GF pancakes and French Toast which was fantastic. At night they would plain fry some beef or chicken. I am allergic to mustard and I found out through the Maitre-D that they rub their beef in mustard before cooking.

The food wasn't that great for someone like me but the staff were lovely. My husband who has no allergies really enjoyed both the buffet and the MDR but preferred the greater selection of veg in the buffet.

The International Cafe has a selection of GF items - sometimes not on display - so just ask if you don't see any!

I was on the Aug 1 Baltic Caribbean Princess cruise and am working on a longer review. My short version is that while I did have some problems (most notably a bad cabin location), I really did enjoy the cruise far more than I expected to. As to the common concerns I've read in reviews of this ship:

 

• The ship looks "shabby" or "tired": The ship didn't look shiny to me, but it didn't look shabby or tired either. I thought it was in pretty good condition. I couldn't point to anything really worn out about it.
  
• Sewage smells: I never found any.
  
• Toilets not working: The toilet in our cabin stopped working once. We called guest services, and about 15 minutes later there was a flushing sound from the bathroom. Problem solved. The toilets are vacuum toilets (like on an airplane), and if somebody in a room near you puts something down it that they shouldn't they will block it for themselves and everybody around them. I don't see this as a problem with the ship.
  
• Great food or bad food: The food in the buffet was mediocre Las Vegas buffet food. It wasn't the fantastic food that everybody talks about when on a cruise, but it also wasn't bad, and I could always find something I liked. The food in the main dining room was a step up from the buffet. I don't think there is any danger of them getting a Michelin star, but honestly it was pretty good. I didn't think the specialty restaurants were worth the up charge.
  
• Price of the drinks: this was probably the biggest surprise to me. They were very reasonably priced (for a captive audience). They were about the same price as any bar downtown. I understand that drinks on other cruise lines are considerably higher.
  
• Laundry not working: One of the dryers in the mini-laundromat on our floor was not working (somebody jammed the coin mechanism). The rest of the machines were fine.
  

I have my opinions about a number of other things mostly related to how Princess operates, but I think the ship is fine.

I was also on this cruise and can agree 100% with what has been said above. There were staff always working on the ship - early morning and throughout the day.

The Laundry wasn't working one night but it was resolved.

We didn't have a problem with the toilets, but my brother (on a different deck) did have. It was resolved promptly.

I didn't enjoy the food - I thought it was the worst experience of dining on a cruise ship I have had. (5th or 6th cruise) - with the exception of the International Cafe which I LOVED and it had a good selection of sugar free and gluten free items also.

The staff were friendly - our cabin was not very clean and neither was my parent's (they were on the same deck as us and my mum had to speak to the Stateroom Attendant to have him vacuum as the dust was piled up behind the door. Ours hadn't been vacuumed when we boarded but our Stateroom Attendant was very very nice!

All cabins have some noise . I get used to noise and aren't bothered by it after a few days. Only had one cabin where noise started near the end of the cruise. Princess dealt with the issue after the fact.

Yup!

My brother and his family were on this same cruise and are not in any way researchers. They booked a mini-suite and it turned out it was just below Fusion. So - each night they were putting their kids to bed, the music and the bass were VERY loud. This was lowered after 10pm, but there was nothing that could be done before that.

The Front Desk staff did admit that others had complained and it should be listed as 'noisy' by TA's.

It was his first time with Princess. Not his only reason he wouldn't return, but Royal Caribbean still his preference. Like you say - it can happen in any category!

We cruised out of Southampton last September. We took on 6 bottles of wine very blatantly in a wine tote bag, a bit like this one http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Wine-Bottle-Tote-Bags/dp/B00R3QM2E6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437217524&sr=8-3&keywords=wine+bag

 

We asked when we checked in where we should pay for the 4 bottles, the agent had no idea. We asked as we went through security, no idea. We asked when we got on the ship, no idea. We took them to the cabin and met our steward and asked him - no idea but he did get us some wine glasses and a proper ice bucket that fits a bottle of wine.

 

We enjoyed the wine in our cabin and would sometimes take a glass of wine out of the cabin and up to the HC with us to have with lunch, or take a glass to the Piazza to have a drink before dinner. We never took a bottle out of the room so I don't know if we'd have been charged corkage at that point. We also bought the Gold 12 bottle wine package and found that having 18 bottles of wine between the 2 of us for 14 nights was the right amount.

Thanks very much for this information - and the link to the tote. I had been thinking of packaging my wine in something more substantial, but maybe this would be a good plan too - just easy and can carry on - thanks:)

Thanks to you all for your replies. Now tell me how best to package it. I know they stipulate carry on baggage but I only have a handbag to carry on!!??!!

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When booking through a tour company, do you have a choice of what theatre/ballet you will be seeing?

Yes - you have complete freedom of choice for each part of your itinerary [emoji4]

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What have been your experiences with taking wine onboard? How have you packaged it and how strict are Princess in Southampton? I have read copious amounts of threads on the subject and each says something different so I would like to see people's experiences in Southampton!

Thanks :D

We are going with the same company we are doing our day trips with (K-JOY) and our blanket visas cover us.

.

Thanks for all the info about the theatre itself. The Ballet is really not my thing but I'm going along for a friend and I'm actually quite looking forward to it now!!

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We are going to the Alexandrinsky Theatre to see Swan Lake. I didn't want to be underdressed - or overdressed for that matter!!

Hi,

 

Been reading this thread with interest. We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess Norwegian Fijords cruise tomorrow from Southampton.

 

We've been on several cruises with Princess and found them to be uniformly excellent and good value for money. I was starting to seriously worry about this one but then positive reviews started to be posted and I became assured that standards hadn't slipped. Then more negative reviews.... hhhmmm

 

So I will be approaching this trip with an open mind and do as I normally do - enjoy, enjoy enjoy! Unless something is seriously amiss lol.

 

However it goes, I'll be posting a review.

Please do - I will be on her when you get back home and would be really interested to know how it was for you :)

Hi there

We are going to the Ballet one night whilst in St Petersburg

I have read that the locals really dress up to go out at night. Can anyone confirm this?

What sort of attire did you wear (female!) if you have been :D

I had actually paid in full - I guess they were gaining more money and selling an extra cabin so it worked well for us both :D

We don't get those deals down under either. :(

 

Bummer!

Yeah - very frustrating to read about but have them out of reach!! I love Australia by the way - we got engaged there ( in Sydney - 18 years ago!)

I think its got a lot to do with the tipping culture in the US and how much customer service is focused on as a nation. The deals are really incredible - the price drops, everything... It kind of blows my mind!!

I have just changed my cabin and can confirm that, sadly, it is the latter. I booked through a TA - not sure about you - but they had to call Princess and see if what I wanted was available and they were given the price to change by Princess.

Is it just yourself and your daughter travelling? I am travelling with my husband and 2 kids and we had booked an Balcony for 4. We then decided it was going to be too small and didn't fancy being in (effectively) twin bunkbeds for 2 weeks so I looked at the sale prices (like you!) and thought - brilliant - I can change to a balcony and an inside for not a lot extra (roughly £300). When I called I was told it was the price I paid on the day and the difference in that price now.

We decided we still needed the extra space so switched to 2 inside cabins and forfeited the Balcony as it was going to be £1400 extra to keep the balcony as it really meant we were just buying an extra cabin. BUT - when I switched to the 2 inside cabins, I realised my whole original booking was cancelled and I had a new booking number etc, which meant I could change my booking again and add a Balcony for only £400 plus I received $300 OBC for my balcony and $150 for my inside.

I probably didn't explain that very well, but if you look at the deals, you may be able to figure something out...

That said - I STILL wish we had the same rules as the US, as they have such great prices and great customer service - totally different to us. I found an even better deal via a US website but have been told by them that they are not allowed to sell the deals unless it is to US or Canadian citizens...

Hope that helps and all the best :D:D

To find a cheaper excursion, you don't need to use a brand new tour company like Tickets and Tours or have special connections like Bollinge.

 

You can also get a cheaper excursion from the established, highly recommended tour companies if you just ask them.

I think you just need to do a little research to get a cheaper cruise. You need to fix a price in your mind that you don't mind paying (on top of a very expensive cruise) and keep looking until you are happy YOURSELF - not caring what anyone else thinks and chalk it up to experience if it isn't as good as you expect. Even the small companies at the bottom of the Trip Advisor list have great reviews - just not as many as the ones you pay top dollar for.

We need to remember it is OUR holiday and we do it OUR way. We don't need to do what everyone else does.

Very well said. and add to that some people who balk at giving their guides and drivers a decent tip, complaining 10% is way too much.

 

Cheers

 

Len

We also need to bear in mind that the US is unusual in it's tipping culture and that it isn't expected as the 'norm' in a lot of Europe. They don't ask for it - they recognise that a lot of travellers are from the US and they are business people at the end of the day - it's totally up to you whether you tip or not - as they all say on their websites.

Probably a good idea.

We all learn by our experiences.

I have learned a lot since starting cruising in 2008, mostly from my mistakes, other cruisers and this site, because that is what it's for!

Sit back and "Carry On Cruising"

I didn't 'sit back'!! I did more research and found the cruise for way less on a US site... I'm back to wondering if I should cancel with my original ta!!! ;)

Where in the UK are you from?

Checking my terms and conditions....It would cost me £825 to cancel.

The cruise is now £500 cheaper than when I originally booked for the same cabin.

I would gain $300 OBC.

I think I may just suck it up, stick with what I've got and chalk it down to experience. Hey - I'm going on a 2 week cruise - I shouldn't let the TA annoy me so much!!! :rolleyes: I'll just NEVER book with them again....

I would also be curious about this as I am having difficulty reaching my TA

Sorry to hear this - maybe you got the same rubbish one as me!! :cool:

I rang Princess and they told me they couldn't transfer the booking over to themselves as my contract is with my TA.

Looks like I would need to cancel with my TA and book again direct with Princess. Lesson learned!

I've read lots of threads about US guests switching from making the booking direct with Princess, over to a TA.

Is it possible to do this the other way around? I am having huge issues getting in touch with my TA (first time I have used this particular one and never again...!!) and would like to change the booking so it is direct with Princess.

Has anybody ever done this or is it not possible?