TravelFiend

Hi all, First time cruising Princess and trying to decide if we want to upgrade to Plus. But I am traveling with our two daughters, 14 and 10, and wondering how upgrading works with them? Does the upgrade only cover the two adults? Or do they kids get upgraded as well? If so, is it to the full package, or just to something like the soda package? I totally understand how this works for the first two guests, but getting conflicting info for the kids. Nothing available online, and then customer service chat is overwhelmed (and let's be real, a lot of those folks are new and trying their best, but they don't have the institutional knowledge some of you do). Anyone have info on how Plus works for guests 3 and 4? Any help is much appreciated!

I usually just book online when I see a price I am OK with. That's what I did for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise. I like having control of my own booking and I actually enjoy the details like figuring out where on the ship I want to be, etc. I really enjoy the research portion and always have my own plan of what I'd like to do. However, I do use a friend who is a TA every now and then — if I am trying to plan a large family vacation. For example, right now we are trying to book a trip to Alaska that my parents are paying for. It's a cruise tour, so has both land and sea sections. We'll have 10 people total, need multiple cabins, etc. When there are so many moving pieces, it is so nice to turn it over to her and have her take care of it. I usually have some basic info of "must haves" like ship, deck, cabin type, dates, etc. and then she is awesome about taking care of the details and making sure we are all close together, etc.

Good point caribill! We've always been able to participate in these events even if we hadn't brought outfits. It's just fun to be prepared, especially for the kiddos!

Is there a good way to track prices? Other than just doing a whole bunch of mock bookings? We are comfortable with the price we paid, but always happy to pay less! I'm new to Princess and I know some of the other lines have fare viewer tools, anything like that here?

Agreed! We usually use it as a chance to pull out that cocktail dress we had to buy for some past event (this year it will be the suit and bridesmaid/flower girl dresses we had to buy for my sister-in-law's wedding), but it has definitely become less of an event than it was when we first started cruising. I have noticed a bit of a difference based on where I'm cruising from, I don't know if that is just me? It seems like cruises from California/West Coast have become VERY casual, where Caribbean/East Coast are a little dressier? But that may just be my personal perception or the randomness of our fellow passengers!

Awesome, thanks for the replies all! Always nice to be able to pack less!

Hey all! First time Princess cruiser here. Thank you all so much for all the awesome info so far! We're booked on the 10 day Panama Canal on the Ruby, and I'm wondering if there are any events that require special clothing or costumes? I know we have two formal nights, but I'm wondering more things like White Night or 80s Night on Carnival, or Pirate Night on Disney. Is there anything like this that we should plan for? It sounds like Camp Discovery has a few things like PJ parties, etc? We'll have our two DDs with us, 10 and 14, and just want to make sure we are prepared so we can all participate in any fun activities that happen! Thank you all so much for your help!

Thanks for sharing your lists everyone! This was so fun to read and super helpful. We’ve cruised several times but never on Princess, so it was great to hear about what to expect! And I’m so glad to hear the MDR is open for lunch! My main embarkation day tradition is to try and avoid the buffet! (Nothing wrong with it, there is just better food and fewer people in other locations!)

Hi all! First timer on Princess and trying to learn everything! We are booked for a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on the Ruby over Thanksgiving. We’ll have our two daughters, 10 and14, with us. I’m a little nervous about keeping them occupied on such a long trip with multiple sea days. We’ve only cruised on lines that really market to families with lots of “stuff” - think rock wall, sky ride/coaster, ropes course, etc. I’m sure my kids will be fine, but just wondering if I need to bring some games and really plan some activities for them, or if there are good offerings in the kids/teen clubs? And do there tend to even BE any kids on these long voyages? Just want to set realistic expectations before we cruise. I’m sure we will have an amazing time! Excited to try Princess and open to any and all advice for newbies on this line!

Following! My DD14 will be going to the teen club a bit during our Panama Canal cruise on Ruby this Thanksgiving. We’ve always done lines with more “stuff” - ropes course, sky ride, rock wall, etc.- so I’m a bit nervous about her staying occupied! Do there tend to be a fair number of teens on these longer cruises?