GloriaF

I had an email from Princess saying something BIG is coming, and quickly looked to see it was the new Sun Princess they were talking about.  I did not look any further ~ feeling sad Princess is falling into the bigger is better trap!  I prefer the smaller, more intimate vessels.   Coral Princess is my favorite ship!  (my favorite was the old Regal).

I shared a table with a large woman who was sleeping on the sofa bed in a mini suite, and she said it was comfortable.

I have often wondered about this for cruises with the girls.

We have always found that any excursion could be cancelled once onboard.  There is a time limit for cancellations, 24 hours or maybe more like 48 hours prior to excursion time.  We cancel asap so the space is available for someone possibly on the waitlist for same excursion.

We stayed at the Fairmont pre-cruise in October (I forget the year) ~  and to make it even more fantastic, Quebec City had their first snowfall!  For Floridians it was just magical.  The Fairmont is generally referred to in town as the castle, and it lives up to it's name.

Princess automatically uses non-refundable OBC first.  Between excursions, specialty dining, and spa it is quickly used up.  

With $1500 OBC it may be cost-effective to skip booking the Plus or Premiere package, and pay out of the OBC, depending on your preferences. That is what I would do since we would never get our money's worth in bar drinks.

The room stewards are super busy on turn around days, and may not have time to help with your move.  But if you need help moving your belongings you can always speak with Guest Services ahead of time to make arrangements.

MUTS is fun but my advice is to pack warm clothing, a pair of socks and gloves for MUTS.  It can be quite cool sitting still at night on a moving ship on deck.  If you don't need the extra layers then all the better but it's best to be prepared.  The blankets for MUTS are the size of lap throws.

One thing to consider is how long you have in port and to make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time before sail away.  In general, private tours usually offer better value, either in smaller group, covering more territory, or longer time spent on tour.  The downside is that Princess generally doesn't wait for late return of private tours, so if something  unexpected happens to slow the tour down you could possibly miss the ship.  This is a consideration for all cruises, but Alaska port times are usually generous enough to cover any setbacks on a private tour.  Another consideration is if your travel insurance covers mishaps on private tours, and I don't know the answer.

Thanks for the link to the early ticketing form.  Who knew?  Not me, but I saved it.

14 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Although one might say that X took it a bit further with a "stick-out" section that can move up and down like an elevator. 

Lots of gimmicks on different ships!  We took one RC Oasis of the Seas cruise, and it's full of such gimmicks from a robot mixing drinks at one bar, the floor moves 2-3 stories in another so you may start out on one deck and come out on another, the zipline across the pool area, the many slides, and the main public area feeling like a circus.  We were celebrating our son's birthday and he chose the ship.  I would not do it again except for him.

20 hours ago, Coral said:

They don't have the cards anymore.

True, no "you made aa difference" cards, but we did receive a page asking for our opinions of the cruise and I took this opportunity to give kudos to the excellent job our room steward, Vinton, did.

11 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

There is a HVAC vent in the bathroom. Just make sure it is fully open, and the door open and clothes hung on the line in the shower stall dry very quickly.

I assume you are referring to the round vent usually over the sink.  After all our cruises on Princess, I never realized (or even tried) that the bathroom vents were adjustable.  Are they operated like the air vents on an airplane? 

14 hours ago, geoherb said:

You can order tea for one for the two of you to split. Or let them know you'd like just scones with jam and cream to go with your tea.

 

 

Is afternoon tea served in the cabin, or simply delivered, same as room service?  I'm aware that afternoon tea in the cabin is available for elite, but have never ordered it.

Remember, the port for Rome is Civitavecchia and it is a good distance into Rome.  My suggestion is to disembark at a normal time and proceed to the train station for transport into Rome.  Between boarding the train in Civitavecchia, travel, and negotiating the crazy Rome train station, at least two hours (and most likely three) will be taken care of.  Then to Rome hotel to check if your room is ready for early check in.

12 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Minor note: Not all cabins have this layout arrangement...but your tips are appreciated.  We *generally* just spring to send ours out and get it back the next day.

Good point!  I suppose the layout changes according to cabin categories.  We always book a balcony, and the layout is the same fleet wide it would seem.

I understand not bothering with laundry and sending it out, but I can't imagine sending my undies out ! 

We are elite, but did not use the laundry service on the 7 day cruise.  Instead we washed out a few things like undies and base layer nylon shirts in the cabin.  The shower gel provided worked well.  After wringing all possible water out, place item in a towel and twist to get more moisture out.  Hang on wooden hangers above refrigerator and under tv to dry, it is by far the warmest spot.  We found all was dry by morning.

8 hours ago, memoak said:

You can still swap out the mini bar for sodas. What is the question.  ?

No question.  Just stating what I did.

We did have canapés on Crown in June.  Note left in cabin with choices, similar to the breakfast order card.  Canapes delivered as requested.

49 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

With beverage packages so common these days, the minibar is less important.  And I personally have never used the laundry on board -- I don't do long cruises, unfortunately!

We did not book Plus package or buy drink package, but the minibar was convenient for swapping out miscellaneous drinks for Diet Coke.  I didn't need a drinks package with the exchange.

I noticed, and loved, the softer beds personally ~ but for those that suffer from a softer bed, perhaps the mattress pad could be removed.  On the Crown I noticed what felt like a fluffy feather (feel positive it was not feather but down alternative product)  mattress pad under the bottom sheet. If this were removed, it might make a difference, and it would certainly be easy enough for the room steward to do. 

Thank you, JB and Post Captain!  

Your info is what I needed to get a better start planning this trip.  My cousin leaves all the planning and computer work to me, but I run everything past her to be sure we are in agreement.

We do not plan to have a car ~ a car would be a detriment in the city, as you pointed out.

I have heard that London accommodations are quite pricey, and we will be looking to stay in more budget-friendly hotels. Perhaps not the most stylish, but as long as it is safe, good location and comfortable...   I will need to check addresses with you once I have some firm dates to book.

I've made note of your many suggestions and will refer to them often as I plan.

Thank you both very much!

GloriaF

Hi JB,

At the moment, my cousin and I are planning either the Princess British Isles cruise (rt Southhampton) or a CIE Tour 14 day 'English Odyssey' (begins in Windsor/ends in Oxford).  She is leaning toward the land tour.  Tour will cover lots, but only 1 day in London: Kensington Palace, Afternoon Tea & London exploring on our own.  We are older ladies and will travel in May or June, 2023.

After tour or cruise, we will base in London -  I think we will want more Royal experiences like Buckingham palace, changing of the guards, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, etc.  We will have seen England pretty thoroughly with the tour.   It will be my first time staying in England but she was there in 2018 with her sister.  

Her visit at that time involved looking up family ties in Taunton, where our grandparents were born, and general sights between/near Taunton to London like Bath, Cotswolds (drive thru only), London.  I have less interest in family history and more in seeing what I mentioned above.  I'm sure there are distant relatives, but we know of none. 

While in London on our own, we will spend about a week.  I know there are separate tours to some of these sights that we could book, but wondering if there is a better way to go about it than Viator or TripAdvisor.  Any help in steering me in the right direction is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your help and your time! 

GloriaF

Book of Kells, Trinity College would be my choice.  Make reservations ahead.

Highlights, sights not to be missed, where to book tours or buy tickets?

Can anyone recommend a forum for traveling by land and seeing the sights of England?  

5 hours ago, Monica887 said:

Well, I felt confident with my packing decisions after overthinking it all. And now we are here on the ship, without our luggage. Thanks, Air Canada! We may get it on Wednesday or we may not get it at all. I bought socks, underwear and one extra outfit. But none of my cruise gear (lanyards, magnet hooks ...) or binoculars and dry bag, even basic makeup or anything. Will wear clothes twice and use the laundry, and not change for dinner.

 

😂

I feel your pain and sympathize with you.  Kudos to you for making the best of a bad situation!  Enjoy your cruise!!