marjack

Thanks for all your good wishes,  We leave in 12 hours for our flight to Ft Lauderdale, and then our cruise leaves on Sunday for 14 wonderful nights.  This will be our first time on the Regal, so very excited (but of course we would be excited even if this was our 10th time).  Passing the time watching holiday movies and waiting until tomorrow morning comes.  Hope to see everyone on a cruise soon!!

Well, it looks like we will not be sleeping in the boiler room.  We received our stateroom assignment today.  No upgrade, unfortunately.  But DH is happy to know where we will be laying our weary heads.

Everybody, thanks for all your comments, good thoughts and wishes for the upgrade fairy.  We love to cruise and I know all will work out alright.  Of course my husband is saying we can have a meet and greet in the boiler room (aka our room).  Of course he is just kidding.  As soon as we get on board I need to buy some more cruise credits and book additional cruises for the current "3 for free" promo, as I think it expires on December 3rd.

Thanks for your comments.  I have been checking the personalizer a million times a day (at least), and it does not show my room.  I had read some other comments about printing the luggage tags, etc, and it would magically appear.  I guess that magic is not with me today.  It is good to know that the porters will have a list.  We can print up a new set of tags at hotel if it goes that far.   Also,  karion, thank you for your good wishes.  I also hope we get a good stateroom.  Our guarantee is for a premium balcony, so I believe your stateroom has to be at least that category.

This is the first time we have booked a guaranteed cabin.  Our cruise leaves in 4 days, and we still have not been assigned a stateroom.  We did call Princess, and they said it was possible we may not know until we get to the port.  This is quite nerve-racking.  We booked this quite a few months ago, and one would think by now we would have an assignment.  I was wondering if others had experienced the same and what they did when they got to the port (regarding luggage).  Thanks in advance for the info.

Has anyone been able to swap this suite perk to another night? The reason I ask is that the first night they usually have prime rib in the MDR and I love that.

Unfortunately, you can not switch it for another night. We have tried on several occasions, but have never been successful. But you can ask, cause you never know, and they may say "yes".

You are right -- they always have prime rib in the MDR. However, you can go do the Crown Grill and get Prime Rib there (I believe, if my memory serves me, which is sometimes doubtful).

Good luck and if you get a chance, report back as to what happened.

Just got our 2018 SA Andes & Cape Horn (30 day) redone, so it included the Sip & Sail. The price stayed exactly the same, which we were glad about. Our TA said the Princess rep told her that for this promo, they do not have to rebook it, just add the promo.

I then went into my Princess Personalizer and it shows the package added.

Rum punches, here we come!! Only 617 days to go (but who is counting!!)

We had our interview in DFW a month ago and were asked NO questions. We were fingerprinted and out in less than 15 minutes. We had back to back appointments and he let us come in together. Cannot believe it is so different from airport to airport. Friend just got pre-approval and first appointment at DFW was August!

Gwen we also had our "interview" at DFW (we live in far North Dallas), and DH was asked one question, and I was asked no questions -- just fingerprinted and picture taken. Very quick. You are right; it sounds like different airports have different procedures. So glad we did this about 2 months ago, as now the rush is on.

We just finished an Alaskan cruise out of SEATAC. The regular TSA line had hundreds of people in it, while the precheck line only had 10 or less. I felt as if it paid for itself just on that one trip.

Hi Bob & Holli,

Thanks for the wonderful travelogue. Wishing you a safe trip home. We look forward to meeting you next year.

Marcie

Here's what the CB looks like in Akureyri to the rest of the world

 

 

 

 

a blurry post card ! :) :D

Bob,

Iceland is truly a magical place. We were there a few years ago, doing the all-day Golden Circle Tour out of Reykavik. We were there in the fall (late September), and the colors were changing. It was incredible. The terrain is unlike anything we had ever seen. Glad you are having such a wonderful time. Looking forward to joining you next year. Also, wish we could have some of the 55 degree weather here in Texas.

I know we are all enjoying your wonderful travelogue.

Dear Bob,

Wishing you and your DW a wonderful cruise. We will be joining you next year on the same cruise (you have us included in your wonderful spreadsheet for M&G and other festivities).

Next year, we also plan on going in about a week early to have fun in London. We have been there before and love the city. If you are a fan of theatre, you will be in heaven going to the West End and enjoying all it has to offer.

I am sure you have done your "homework" and have many fun things planned. I would say our two favorite sights were Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London (you've got to see those jewels!!). A nice day trip is taking the train to Greenwich.

Again, have a wonderful time. I know we all look forward to hearing about your adventures and seeing your marvelous pictures.

Safe travels.

We just booked the TA Southampton/NY on CB for September 5th, which is also DH's 74th birthday. This will also be my "pre-retirement" cruise, as I will be leaving work by the end of 2016 (finally!!). We are very excited as we were able to get a Window Suite. We really enjoy the CB and have had a WS on numerous other cruises. For about the same price of a mini-suite, you get all the wonder suite benefits (my favorite being breakfast at Sabatini's).

Just an FYI, we booked through Costco travel and received a very generous OBC.

And less than 18 months to go!!!!

The best part of Sabatini's - mimosas, fresh squeezed OJ, espresso drinks, and here are your waffles. Eggs were all cooked to order.

 

To our surprise, we ordered room service for the two days that we had early shorex, and they came with table cloth, and the same cooked to order eggs (I thought we might get the pre-made ones from HC). You can also order full room service on debarkation morning.

 

Yes, you get all kinds of bath goodies, including tubes of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. There are also bath salts in a container near the tub, and a container of Q-tips and cotton balls, in addition to all the stuff shown in this picture.

 

Enjoy, we sure felt pampered in our PH suite.

Cheryl,

Thanks for those great pix.

We have been fortunate enough to be able to get a suite on a couple of cruises, and have thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful perks.

However, I was wondering what kind of drinks are those tri-colored ones? They look delicious. I always order espressos and cappuccinos when we are fortunate enough to have a suite. I have never seen those drinks, but they sure look yummy.

My hubby loves all the wonderful pastries -- and the mimosas with fresh squeezed orange juice. One feels so pampered by the wait staff in Sabatini's. It is a great place to start your morning.

We are doing a b2b this coming October out of San Francisco (California Coastal and Hawaii) and are so excited about getting a window suite. This is the cruise that will give us our elite status.

I will definitely have to look into the PRESTO laundry service. This was such an informative thread. Thanks for all the good info.

Jackie.

We look forward to reading your review. So glad to hear you had a great time. We will be boarding her next Saturday, 4/26. I am sure it was also be a fabulous cruise for us.

Have a safe trip home.

Another vote for Dial 7 and yes their number is 201-777-7777. We used them from Red Hook to NJ and we're booked with them again later this month for LaGuardia to NJ. Both trips are considerably longer than Red Hook to LGA and the price was very reasonable.

 

http://www.dial7.com/

We also used Dial 7 this last October. He picked us up at our hotel near Times Square and drove us directly to pier in Brooklyn. He was very efficient, knew all the shortcuts, and even avoided any toll roads (rider is responsible for toll charges). I would not hesitate to use them again.

Norris,

We are loving your travelog. When we were on CB in Oct/Nov for repo from NY to Houston, we also had the pleasure of hearing Hector on two separate occasions in the dining room.

I was wondering what type of camera you are using to take your stills? Enjoying it all, and just waiting for our cruise end of April.

Frommers should be jealous of this wonderful diary.

Dear Bimmer,

Really enjoying your diary of events from arriving in Houston, to your first days at sea. DH and I were on the CB when it first arrived at Bayport beginning of November 2013, repositioning from Brooklyn. Getting off the ship was a breeze. I have read about all the dealays in Bayport, due to the fog and Norovirus, but remembering you are still on vacation, you make it a fun adventure and meet your other shipmates. I love your upbeat writing. We were in a Suite also, and LOVED Sabatinis, the laundry and free bar setup. It is a wonderful splurge. We will be taking the Caribbean cruise end of April and reading your log just makes it all the more exciting for us. The photos are great, and we look forward to your continuing updates on the cruise. We can all cruise vicariously through your reports until we actually cruise.

What a great review. I know you will have a wonderful time on your cruise. We are taking this same cruise end of April. We were on the Caribbean Princess when it came into Houston for the first time from NYC back in November. Getting off the ship was the fastest I had ever experienced. We walked off with our luggage at around 8, and customs did not even check our passports.

DH and I look forward to hearing your continuing reports on your cruise and wish everyone a grand time.

We did Machu Picchu in January of 2012 as a part of our Princess cruise. Whether you do it with Princess or alone or with a tour guide, I can only recommend that you DO IT!!!! My husband and I have traveled the world, and MP will always remain a favorite of ours. The site is breath-taking. FYI, we are in our mid-sixties.

Santos, I am in my 60's and my husband is in his 70's, and we are glad to hear you loved it. We figured we better do it while we are still "young".

Duane,

Thanks for your daily logs. it sounds like you are having an incredible time. I am glad to hear that the guides paced the walking at Machu Picchu. I know this will be the trip of a lifetime for us (only 15 more months to go). Continue to enjoy your wonderful adventure, and if you have the time, keep posting. I know we are all loving your updates..

Yes, I used Princess Air with this cruisetour package. It turned out to be almost half the price versus going through Orbitz or Travelocity or even the respective Airlines websites. The low airfare popped up one day and only lasted at that price for 2 days so I booked it as a Refundable/Flexible which was cheaper than the non-refundable...hence I was incented to lock it in too. But I had to check it every day or every other day and prices really fluctuated. I didn't use a Travel Agent so this is where a TA might be helpful.

 

The Princess Air airline selection was American Airlines from Honolulu to Los Angeles and then connected to a LAN airlines from Los Angeles to Lima. I never flew LAN before but they are part of One World so I asked they book my American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer number when I checkedin. The airline review sites had mixed ratings/comments on LAN but we had very good service from check-in all the way to Lima.

Duane, Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear about the problem regarding the Lima tour. Hope it gets resolved for everyone. Have a safe trip to Cusco. Looking forward to hearing about Machu Picchu.

Duane,

Thanks for the update on your Cruisetour. So glad it is going well. We look forward to ours in 2015. -- only 15 more months to go!! Hope you are able to post more updates on your adventure.

One question -- Did you book your air through Princess?

Duane T

 

We are on the Machu Pichuu Cruisetour on January 12. Princess says the Lima hotel is a new contract and that don't know the name yet. They have also cancelled our Lima city tour before our flight at the end of the to Santiago to start the cruise due to its conflict with our flights. We would like to book a Lima city tour on own own, since we will arrive a day early in Lima, but cannot book until we know where we are staying. Did you have either of these problems? What Lima hotel are you staying in? Thanks in advance for any information you can give us. Reply here or to sally603 at gmail dot com.

Hi Snoopy. Our Cruisetour is not until March 2015, so I imagine that it could change quite a bit until then We are planning on booking it all through Princess, including airfare and will probably just let them plan it all. I guess we are getting lazy in our old age. Your adventure starts soon. I will look forward to your comments/review after the cruise. I had gone on the boards, and the general consensus is that while it is expensive, Princess does a great job.

It is too far out to book our flights, but I believe that we can fly in a day early through Princess to have that extra day cushion and see some of the sights on our own.

And, Snoopy, I notice you live in Grand Blanc, MI. While I live in Dallas, TX now with my hubby (who is a native texan), I am originally from Detroit MI (way back when == grew up in the 50's and 60's).

I am amazed! I am not sure which is more stunning... the cost saving or the fact that you can cruise for 3 to 4 weeks at a wack. I can only dream of this!:)

 

<Nine years to retirement... Nine years to retirement... Nine years to retirement>

 

Congratulations!

Tracie, Ditto. Congrats to the OP who is saving so big. I have 2 years,6 months and 4 days, but who is counting. DH has been retired for the last 4 years (he is 9 years older than me), and keeps telling me to "retire", but need those benefits until I hit 65.

We love to cruise, and are excited about being able to take advantage of these types of last minute deals once I retire. We do have a "bucket list"cruise planned for March 2015 -- 23 day cruise tour going to Machu Picchu and then cruising from Santiago to LA.

Hi Jack and Marsie, Just wondering what you decided re the cruise tour to M.P.?We are in the same age group as you and decided to do the tour through Princess as it was a 6 day, instead of the usual 3 day ones that I had seen offered elsewhere. It is expensive, but at our ages, we'd rather leave the worry and organization to someone else, and others that have done it have seemed to be happy with that tour. Hope to see you there! Dave and Nicole

Dave & Nicole - We are all confirmed with our TA. As others have said, I will continue to check the prices to see if they come down. We will also be booking our air through Princess. In the past, we have always booked our own airfare, but decided to let Princess do it all this time. I know we have to wait a few more months until it opens up for airfare. This is the most expensive vacation we have ever taken, but as DH says "What are we saving it for -- our old age?" I appreciate all the wonderful comments. I know it will be an unforgetable cruise -- only 16 months to go.