Roatanfans

On 10/25/2019 at 1:35 PM, Peckishpixie said:

I have never tried it! I dont generally like souffles. That however er looks amazing!!

I tend to think of it as more of a fondue for one- amazing with the bread!

when my 12 year old doesn't want to go to kids club he like lectures, movies and craft activities 

I was wondering also- not sure if this is a holiday cruise thing or a regular cruise thing?  If so, it was not offered to us last year on our holiday cruise

We have some friends we are trying to introduce to cruising and I thought a BVE would be a great way to show them around.  I too had heard that the program had been cancelled so I called to confirm it a few weeks ago.  Yes, I was told that it was cancelled but was also told that if enough people wrote letters and requested it that they might reinstate it.

Yep- it's the home airport code- sometimes you can get it to work, but if not go ahead and call they can correct it for you in just a couple of minutes!

MSC is a different experience- beautiful spaces, good deal once you figure out the pricing structure and great coffee and gelato!  The food was okay- very small portions and not quite as fancy (and yes, heavy on the fish choices- also only a few choices each night).  The buffet was huge and that creates it's own issues- by the time you go through it, most of your food is cold.  They do have some great drink packages, room deals and they will even give you a loyalty status match which is really nice.  Overall there are reasons we love Princess, but we would go on MSC again if the price and itinerary were right!

So when I say "we try to take as many pictures as we can" I'm talking about the photo opportunities on the boat.  There are usually 4-6 casual posed photos with the backdrops available every evening.  We get dressed for dinner and go take these before dinner.  Then we always make sure to take pictures whenever there is an opportunity- getting off the ship in every port they usually have picture taking, formal nights they take pictures at your table, and then there are sometimes things like pictures with Stanly the Bear, or champagne pour with the captain etc.  Look in the patters everyday and talk to the photo department (you will get to know them all if you do this!) They will tell you what is going on that day.  My other advise is get your pictures everyday, and the downloads everyday- it's to easy to miss pictures as they pile up if you don't pull them out!

We travel with our 3 kids so for us it's a fantastic value- we do try and take as many pictures as we can- last Christmas we were on a 15 day Asian holiday cruise and I think we came home with 250-300 pictures with the digital images.  Many were really good and I think it was well worth it for us!

I usually order melon and prosciutto- yummy and goes great with the mimosas!

I don't think it would fit- we had problems with a regular wheelchair being a little wider then the door.  if you really need a stroller I would look at umbrella strollers- I've even seen clips that can put them together as needed for a double.  Another option is a collapsible wagon- we use one to help corral all the carry on stuff and it folds up and fits under the bed- great for in port at the beach!

Last year for our cruise they were still adding excursions 75 days out.  We booked some fantastic private tours in Vietnam and Thailand!

On our Christmas cruise last year the kids took santa pictures, and pictures with Stanley the bear in a santa hat

For the 50th year celebration there were prizes in the balloon drop- they were coupons for things like a bottle of champagne, a free drink, $50 off a purchase at the art auction etc- the same type of prizes they give away for the scavenger hunt.  My kids will miss the balloon drop, but not overly much- if for some reason this becomes a huge issue for Princess maybe they can switch to a beach ball drop- put numbers on the beach balls and have people turn them in to see if they have won a prize- then the beach balls can be reused without the waste

2 hours ago, restasured said:

We are doing basically the same cruise, or close, in April 2020 and are going to do the 144 hour visa, also.  Can you tell me if you did anything, paperwork wise, prior to leaving the US or did you do everything at the pier after docking in Shanghai.  I have found a website by the Chinese government that appears you can fill out some paperwork prior to leaving from the US.  I haven't gone through the process of doing it, and won't if it is somewhat painless to do what is needed at the Shanghai pier.  We will have our return to the US airline tickets, hotel reservations and passports, so that meets the requirements to get the 144 hour visa.  Just wondering if we need or should do anything prior to leaving here.

We did not do any paperwork ahead of time for this- Just on disembarkation and it wasn't really much at all!

Super Shuttle has been around for years and is the shuttle service the airlines use to move people around the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose areas so they are reliable and reasonably priced

In December we did Tours with Xuan and had no problems (his tour was great by the way!)  Just like above Princess took care of it and charged our stateroom!

I believe (but please double check as it has been a while) that you do not need to do anything- unless otherwise directed Princess gets Visas for everyone and bills your shipboard account.

2 hours ago, casofilia said:

@Roatanfans

 

No Chinese problems as you only visited one Chinese port.   

Nice to read that you were able to go to South Korea as well as China; that must have eased.

We really enjoyed Busan- had probably the best crab meal of our life at the wetmarket, just took the free shuttle and walked around- it is a great place to try lots of new foods!

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

I  will be doing the Grand Asia cruise next year.  Did you need to get your own Vietnam visa or Princess did a landing visa for all passengers for a fee?  Thank you. 

We did the Visa through Princess- there is so much conflicting information on what exactly is needed for Vietnam (as well as the price) plus it sounds like it changes constantly.  I thought it was worth the peace of mind to let Princess handle it, even if it cost more money!

We did the Grand Asia cruise on Sapphire Princess this last Christmas- our stops were Singapore (embark), Ko Samui, Thailand. Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand. Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Keelung (Taipei,) Taiwan, Busan, South Korea, Nagasaki, Japan and Shanghai, China.  We stayed for an additional 4 nights in Shanghai.  The only Visa we needed was for Vietnam.  As US passport holders we took advantage of the 144 hour rule and did not get a Chinese passport.  We did not have any problems at all- it was an amazing cruise!

Also if you have chosen anytime dinning you can go to the dinning room and let them know your group size and what time you would like your table for- they can reserve it for you!

It can be a long hot walk (easy, but long, and pavement may be uneven in places) there is usually a $3 bus that takes you from the port to the main shopping area- well worth it especially if you have mobility issues

Ensenada is all about fish tacos- there is a famous taco cart La Guerrerense (they now have a restaurant Sabina) really good and not the typical "Senior Frogs" experience

We are also doing this excursion on our Holiday cruise.  Double check to see if the tour is offered on your day- I saw something in a video claiming that cruise ship excursions were the only way to do this from a ship- so check with the tour operator before booking!

Driving in Paris is horrible, but the rest of France is easy.  Bayeux is a great place to stay and explore if you can spare more then one day!