GloriaF

We used the standard lanyard that is provided free with the medallion. I noticed most pax used this also. In the future I'll probably use a rhinestone lanyard I already have instead of the one Princess provides. Just a personal choice ~ I like a little glitz!

In Gibraltar, take a taxi to the top of the rock - monkeys are interesting/fun, and your elders will most likely enjoy seeing the war bunkers. Marseilles, we walked (long walk) but a bus or taxi is available to the Notre Dame de la Marseilles(?) (I've forgotten the official name). It is a beautiful Romanesque cathedral and well worth visiting. We could see the spire from the ship in port. Barcelona, visit the Segrada de Familia. There is a small park across the street for the elders to have a rest and refreshment while they view it from the outside. Tours inside are available. I would definitely do a visit to Florence and Pisa. There is a lot of walking for a tour in Florence, but with some planning you can hit the highlights without as much walking. Or opt for wheelchairs for the elders. It would be a shame in my opinion not to visit these world famous places. Definitely check out the Ports of Call boards on CruiseCritic.

If you want it at home, it's available at Aldi's. My husband buys it there.

A reality dating show? How cheesy and unlike the Princess I know!

And our week (6/11-6/18/22) was cold, windy and wet the entire time. Seattle was partly sunny and 70, so I was second-guessing my packing but weather turned cold, wet, windy and I was glad for all the cold weather gear I had packed. You never kn ow what weather will be like!

I guess that explains the confusion onboard Crown Princess concerning Port Valet since Princess is part of CCL. That is a shame. It is a good service for pax. Must have been more work for CCL staff.

I purchased the internet package onboard, from the Princess rep in the Internet Cafe, and reeceived 50% off automatically for being elite. It was paid out of OBC.

I don't think the issue is with Port Valet, but with Crown Princess.

yes, baggage fees. The Port Valet pick up service is free

Glad to hear it worked out in the end, and that everyone is happy with the results. You trued valiantly to reach Princess without using social media to no avail, and you should not feel bad that it took a fb message to get results.

We did not prebook Port Valet, bc I read a report on cruise critic that one person had precooked but he was not on the PV list the ship had, so I thought doing it onboard. would be best. But when we didn't receive the form in our room to book with Port Valet we checked with Guest Services. We were told only those already booked were being honored, but I went direct to Internet Cafe and booked, then took printed confirmation back to Guest Services. It was a bit of a confused mess on the Crown and we didn't know until Friday when PV tags and instructions were brought to our cabin. I really don't know what to advise, but wish you luck! Except for the confusion onboard with Princess, the Port Valet service was excellent.

We used PV on Crown, disembarking June 18. We did not get forms in our cabin, and GS first said that Crown was no longer participating in PV except for those that had preregistered. We had heard conflicting stories on if it was better to pre-register or onboard, but finally decided to wait unto we were onboard. When GS said only preregistered was being honored, I went to Internet Cafe, filled out form and printed it. Back to GS with no definite answers. We had booked Seattle Express to the airport, so we were covered with or without bags. Friday afternoon we received PV tags and info, so we walked off with only our carry-ons. My husband was able to track our bags, saw they had been checking in at the airport, so all was good. Cancelled flight. Second leg of our flight home was cancelled, and we wondered where our bags were. Delta Help desk assured us they were in airport awaiting instructions for our next flight and would be put on that flight. When we were unable to get on the flight, our bags were sent to final destination anyway. Delta Help said once we reached final destination to check with the Baggage Office. We did and our bags were waiting for us the next day. Delta gave us hotel voucher for the night. Good luck to all travelers, with cancelled flights it is frustrating!

I have never heard of carrying over OBC on Princess. There are 2 kinds of OBC - refundable and non-refundable. Charges to your account use non-refundable first. Any non-refundable OBC left when cruise ends is lost unless spend onboard (spa, dining, bar, retail). Any refundable OBC left at the end of the cruise is eventually refunded.

They are one size fits all, but on Crown last week we noticed all linens, including. robes, had been upgraded. Robes seemed heavier and bigger bc they are new and haven't shrunk due to so many hot water washings. Yet The towels, etc were nice and thick, too, seemed nearly new as well. The last towels we had on a previous cruise were worn and these feel especially luxurious in comparison. Same for bed linens ~ fluffy and newer looking and it felt like laying in clouds and being rocked to sleep by the motion of the ship.

On the Crown 6/11-18I think both Sabatini's and Crown Grill were open but the Salty Dog Gastropub was not. In fact I never saw where the Salty Dog Gastropub was located. This is not to be confused with the Salty Dog Grill on open deck 15. 2 of the 3 MDR were open (Botticelli closed). The ship was less than 50% capacity - 1600 pax with 1200 being new to Princess.

Specialty Restaurants were booked solid the week we cruised 6/11-18. We never did get in!

Our cabin steward, Vinton, offered turn down service each day as the norm. Some days we used the service and others we didn't, just depending on our schedules. The beds on Crown, at least in our cabin, were heavenly with fluffy mattress pad, comforter, and 2 pillows ~ it felt like sinking down into a cloud and being rocked to sleep with the gentle movement of the ship. The towels, hand towels, washcloths, and shower mat were thick and new, none frayed, and the label had Princess Cruises name. Also the robes were heavier, bigger and seemed new. It all added up to make a very nice cabin experience.

He was using an app on his phone. The address was 110-00 Rockaway Blvd, Jamaica, NY. It was a Hyatt Regency 2 miles from JFK, that's why we chose it bc it was close to airport for early check in next day. As we left JFK on what appeared to be an interstate, the driver passed by an exit to Rockaway Blvd, then wound through a lot of residential streets until he exited at 135th and Rockaway Blvd. That's when he said we were at our destination, but the icon on his map was not right on that intersection. We asked him to show us where the hotel was and he couldn't bc it wasn't there. I found an address on a business that said 135, so we asked him to please drive more blocks while we checked numbers, and thankfully we were going in the right direction, the numbers got lower slowly. Finally a multi-story silver and glass building came into view with a large brightly painted parking garage next to it. The hotel also has a casino and is called Hyatt Regency at JFK Resort World or something like that. At that point our driver knew all about it and how to let us out at hotel entrance. I can't explain what he was thinking or trying to do. He was 20, he said, and I told him I was old enough to be his grandmother. He said he knew this and that is why he humored me to keep driving. I told him his grandmother and Mama would be proud of him. At that point, we just wanted to keep him happy so we could get to our hotel! It was just crazy! Then the next morning we met another woman using Lyft that told a very similar story. Guess their app is wrong.

I received emails from Lyft for feedback about the ride and another about the driver. I plan to submit both replies. I am sure they were actual Lyft drivers bc we received confirmation of ordering the ride from Lyft with the name and photo of the driver, and double checked when they arrived for pickup. I am certain that not using paid rides in our normal lives colored my views somewhat - but being told you have arrived when actually 25 blocks away from hotel in the ghetto, and being charged a surcharge just to pick us up were not imagined. Glad you had such good luck getting your property back from Uber!!

Our entire week (June 11-18) was cold, rainy and extremely windy. I was happy I had packed gloves and a stocking cap plus a rainproof jacket w/hood.. We did the 7 day cruise with just a 20" carry-on plus an over-size personal item each. The 20" in the overhead and the personal item under the seat of the aircraft. We don't bother with formal wear anymore, just something to get by/blend in. On our Alaska cruise few people bothered with glitz.

We were also confused on how to complete the ArrCAN form, we had the app and it was mostly complete but would not allow final completion. When we arrived at the pier, we had to show our incomplete ArrCAN app and negative Covid tests letters. We were told that on the ship in the Conference Room there would be help for ArrCAN for anyone needing it. Ours was completed the next day.

To the OP: I would opt to stay at a Sea-Tac hotel since you only need a place to sleep. Check the hotel amenities to find one that offers free airport pickup to hotel, and store the phone number to call for pickup in your phone for easy retrieval when you arrive in Seattle. Arrange for pickup by Seattle Express or taxi/uber/lyft the next morning to the pier.

We used Port Valet last week, and were told the bag fees would be charged to our ship onboard account. I truly didn't check our account to see if baggage fees were there, but assume they were bc we were never asked to pay the fees anywhere else. Our onboard ship account had excess OBC, so baggage fees were paid with OBC as far as I know, although they could have been charged to the credit card on file. There was no final bill delivered to our cabin the night before disembarkation. Bottom line, baggage fees are charged before you disembark and not something else the traveler must be concerned about. Due to the possibility of cancelled flights nowadays, our bags ended up at the final destination before we did. Our bags were stored in the baggage office when not picked up from the carousel, and retrieved easily once we finally arrived.

For what it's worth, when I attended the Captain's Most Traveled Luncheon, someone at our table asked Captain Ruggero about the propulsion problems. Whether truth or Princess propaganda, the Captain said it was ongoing routine maintenance and should be finished by August. Make of this what you will....

This is the most amazing and helpful review! I made notes of some of the tours you took and places you visited so that when my cousin and I go in 2023, we will have an idea of where to start. The only problem I foresee for us is that we will be 76 years and not sure we can do as much walking as you young 61's did. Still, inspirational and motivational as well to work on being able to walk further distances next year! Thank you for a fabulous review!!