LynnMW3

Hi, everyone. We've never been to Europe on a cruise, and are looking forward to our first TA in April.

We were wondering what is the best way to get local currency (Euros and pounds) once we've crossed the pond. Do most people exchange currency before sailing to have on hand, or use an ATM once you're in the ports you visit? Can the purser's desk exchange currency, and is there an extra charge? We'll be in Azores, Portugal, Spain, France and debarking in Southampton.

We'll definitely need money for taxis on our port days...are there ATM's at the ports?

Sorry if these are stupid questions...we just want to be ready. All advice is greatly appreciated!

Do you mean flat $500 rather than $500 per person ?

Yes, they wanted $500 pp; I countered with a flat $500. They put me on hold for a minute, then came back and said okay, $500 total.

That's the only upsell/upgrade we've ever been offered (and the only time we ever sailed in a suite)...so glad it worked out for us!

Years ago, I read on these boards (for a different cruise line), that sometimes you can negotiate with an agent making an upsell offer. This worked for us, when we were offered an upgrade from an oceanview to a suite for $500 pp; I countered with $500 for the cabin, and they agreed!

As I said, this was on a different line, and about 10 years ago. Has anyone recently had a similar experience on Princess? Will they negotiate, or is it usually a take it or leave it offer?

That is strange I'm looking at the deck plans and it shows two cabins aft which are D734 & D 735

D734 and D735 are premium balconies, not minis...

If you're looking for aft minis, as others have said, Dolphin deck minis are uncovered...the few aft minis on Emerald deck are fully covered...if that's important to you.

Also, the last mini on each side of both the Dolphin and Emerald decks (D732 and D733, and E730 and E731) have oversized balconies, but are usually the first to go!

We're on the Crown in April, in our first mini...can't wait!

Happy sailing!

We actually treated them, but I assume they would charge each room seperately too. I dont remember how we got the extra chairs...they must have brought them in for us.

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Yes, we did the UBD for us and another couple when we had a Caribe deck (oversized) balcony and it was wonderful!

Each couple got the flowers and a bottle of wine, etc.

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Thanks, all! Looks like if we decide to do it, it'll be during the first couple of days...

We'll be on the Crown in April in an Emerald deck (covered) mini for an eastbound TA...my first inclination would be to do UBD on a port night after the crossing, but that will be towards the end of the cruise...I'd like to enjoy the dinner and have the flowers for more than a few days, if it's reasonable.

My questions: (1) how is the wind during the crossing? Would it interfere with enjoyment of a balcony dinner? (2) might it be too chilly to enjoy an al fresco dinner in early to mid-April?

What has been your experience with UBD during a crossing, or what is your opinion as to having the dinner early in the cruise during the crossing or waiting until we hit the ports during the second half of the cruise?

Thanks all!

Great for everyone...nice deals!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for our TA in April...we're currently in an Emerald deck (covered) mini...hoping for a suite offer!

Hi, everyone. I know no one can predict what the weather will be at any given time, but I was wondering if someone could tell me what the average temperatures usually are on an April eastbound TA (FLL to Southampton)...

Just wondering if swimming on the ship will be an option, and if we should bring more warm weather clothes, like shorts, or more cool weather clothes, like long pants/long sleeve tops.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I must be missing something...We're on the Crown on April 8, and I thought we were doing a transatlantic...do I need to revise my packing list...[emoji33][emoji33][emoji33]

I think the itinerary would have some effect on the demographics...[emoji6]

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At the port there were taxis waiting, and they all offered that rate. Just be sure to ask beforehand. In Honfleur the first taxi we stopped offered the special rate, too.

We will be visiting LeHavre in April and are planning to do exactly this...we're in port from 7 am to 8 pm, and would like to enjoy a leisurely day in Honfleur. About how long is the cab ride from the port to LeHavre? Were there enough taxis available to be confident we'll be able to get one to get us back to the ship?

I'm so glad I found this thread...it's exactly what I was looking for...THANK YOU!:D:D

No one has posted about Honfleur in a long time. Does anyone have any current experience? We're thinking of visiting in April.

Thanks!

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Got ours yesterday :D

After our last cruise, we also had a few hours to kill, so we booked a ship excursion to the Everglades. It was a perfect solution...we had a great time, they stowed our bags in the bus, rode the airboat, saw some gators, and then were dropped off at the airport in time to check in and catch our flight...I'd do that again anytime!

Yep that surprised us as well, they are for 22 April 2017 Med cruise, 06 May 2007 Spain/France and 17th June 2017 North cape. All from Southampton UK. Must be that us Brits are thinner in the wallet due to a hit on the exchange rates. Happy cruising.Blessings abound.:)

Someone from our rollcall was also already offered an upsell for next year. We're doing a TA out of FLL in April of 2017. They were in an HC balcony, and were offered either an HC mini for 49 GBP pp or a suite for quite a bit more. They took the mini. I was also surprised at the offer so far out, and assume it was because someone needed an HC balcony stateroom.

If its a suite upsell then yes.

 

The thread is about move-over offers not upsells.

Apologies - I didn't mean to hijack the thread...upsells were brought up, and the question occurred to me, that's all... :o

Does anyone know if upsell offers come more frequently to minisuites? It seems like a lot of the upsell offers I read about are sent to minis...we're in a covered mini for the first time on our upcoming TA, and I'd love to get an upsell (I know, wouldn't everyone?)...just wondering if the odds are better if you're in a mini...

Thanks all!

I've done 3 Eastbounds in April' date=' never a West. I'd guess that it would depend where you are departing from and where you are going. We left Florida for Barcelona, so a southern route. It was plenty warm enough to swim and the seas were calm and amazing.[/quote']

 

After reading your comment, I went back and actually looked at the map...we're going eastbound...I'm an idiot :(

 

We're heading to Western Europe from Lauderdale, stopping at Azores, Lisbon, Spain, France and Britain...

 

Sorry for the misleading title...

We're taking our first TA next April, and were wondering what the weather will most likely be like...will it be warm enough to use the pools? Will it be warm enough to use the balcony? Or will it be cool and windy, and make it more likely we'll be spending a lot of time inside?

Thanks to all for your input!

Can anyone give an idea of what kind of weather we can expect on an eastbound Transatlantic in April? Will the balcony/pools be usable, or will it become too cool?

Thanks to all!

Thank you all! We did book under the Sip and Sail, so that aspect is taken care of ;)

I tend to be kind of driven, and sitting back and just chilling is kind of difficult for me...I always feel that I should be doing something, so I expect the first day or two may be kind of difficult...but, to be honest, I'm looking forward to the "enforced relaxation," to really get me into vacation mode...we'll have lots to do the second week of the cruise, so I hope to learn how to relax and make the most of the down time the first week... sleep in and not feel like I'm "missing something" or "wasting time on the cruise!"...I can't think of the last time I actually took a nap...ah...something to look forward to! :)

We're taking our first TA next spring, and are eagerly looking forward to a solid week of sea days, with a few extra thrown in in the following week...Since we're new to this, we were wondering how you seasoned cruisers spend all those sea days...how you keep from getting bored, or how you maximize the relaxation benefit!

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

We had a very strange experience. We had an appointment for mid-August; as of last week, no appointment were available until mid-October, but I kept checking...for whatever reason, I checked last Saturday (July 2), and all of a sudden, July and August were WIDE OPEN! I quickly grabbed two appointments for Sunday morning at 11 and 11:15 (only one other appointment was showing for that day). We got to the airport early, were taken before 10:30 (together), and even with computer problems, were both out a little after 11:00. We had our approval emails before we even left the airport.

Oddly, the agent who interviewed us told us that they were solidly booked for the whole day...I have no idea why the calendar I looked at, and booked through, showed every day as having availability, but I'm not complaining...someone was watching out for us last weekend! :D

I miss typed - I meant 2 bar setups only if elite in a full suite sorry. We have 2 different last names and same address - we get 2 loyalty credits

What is a loyalty credit? I don't think I've ever heard of that...

Thanks!