New Princess "Secrets"??

[vinoblanco]

In the UK we don't have the option to pre order bathrobes on the cruise personaliser.

 

Do you think there are enough to go round everyone or should I pack our own?

[sunneesmile]

Have just read through the whole brilliant thread on a rainy Sunday afternoon in the UK. Thank you to all the contributors.

 

Looking forward to our first Princess Cruise on the Emerald at New Year. Am going to keep trying different cruise lines till I find the perfect one!

 

Was a bit put off though, that Princess don't supply bath robes as standard.

 

This is only our 5th cruise, so we aren't experienced at all, but all the other cruise ships had bath robes as standard waiting in our stateroom, and this kind of worries me a bit as there is no option on my personaliser to pre request. I can't imagine not having a bathrobe.

 

Should I pack our own, therefore less shoes, or will there be enough to go round?

 

No need to pack a robe, just request once you get to your cabin. You will need plenty of room for the SHOES!

[chris2597]

We didn't have a bathroom outlet on the Emerald, except for European voltage I think.

 

The $2.99 cocktails are from 4:00-7:00, and include Pina Colada, Long Island Iced tea, Singapore Sling and a few beers.

 

I asked our cabin steward if he could get me the menus and he said that was for suite people only!

 

He also told us he could bring us an extension cord if it was for medical reasons.

 

 

Are these cocktails advertised or do you have to ask for them?

[JenT412]

Are these cocktails advertised or do you have to ask for them?

 

I've seen photos on the boards where they are advertised.

[maps70]

Thank you, thank you everyone for all of your tips. Read some wonderful suggestions and certainly will put them to good use!

Bon Voyage!

[lv2cruiseanywhere]

I haven't read all of the pages, but have read most of them. A couple of "secrets" that I learned on this site and have used many times:

 

All of the walls in the cabin are metal, so magnets will adhere anywhere. My husband likes to see our whole itinerary posted on the wall of the cabin showing our excursions, formal nights, Captain's party, etc. He also likes to hang his lanyard (with Cruise Card on it) on a hook on the wall. Sometimes I also post the daily Patter, or an invitation to Wine Tasting, etc. Works well for us. We use magnetic hooks or clips.

 

You can exchange all of the free Mini-Bar set up for wine. For those of us that receive the free Mini-Bar you can exchange it all for one bottle of wine. We don't drink the alcohol provided, so the bottle of wine is great. Also since it is Princess-provided wine, when we take it to the dining room there is no corkage fee.

 

Future Cruise Credits. I don't understand why everyone doesn't buy FFC's. It's a win-win situation with free On Board Credit. We enjoy the extra $200 for a 14-day cruise.

 

Shareholder's Benefit. This is something I learned on CC a few years ago. Own just 100 shares of CCL and you get On Board Credit. Such a deal! We get $250 for a 14-day cruise.

 

I know there are many other "secrets" but these work well for us.

 

Mary

Princess Elite

[Holey]

Go to your cruise personalizer. Under where your name is, click on Cruise Preference. Right under the title Onboard Preferences, you have the option of choosing to have a robe in your cabin. We always get one.

 

Hi ya ive been to my cruise personizer but cannot find about ordering one a bit confused!!!!!

[jefa]

Hi Holey :) I think those of us in Europe/UK see something different on our screens! Rather than enter robes etc via the Cruise Personaliser, I have to sign into My Princess (from the Home Page under Customer Care). On the right hand side of my screen is my Profile, Onboard Preferences and Vacation Preferences.

 

Click on Onboard Preferences, scroll down and you will see Robe in your Cabin as one of the options.

 

HTH :D

[corolla48]

Hi Holey :) I think those of us in Europe/UK see something different on our screens! Rather than enter robes etc via the Cruise Personaliser, I have to sign into My Princess (from the Home Page under Customer Care). On the right hand side of my screen is my Profile, Onboard Preferences and Vacation Preferences.

 

Click on Onboard Preferences, scroll down and you will see Robe in your Cabin as one of the options.

 

HTH :D

 

Hi there, I tried doing exactly what you advised but my only option was My Profile - there was no options for Onboard Preferences or Vacation Preferences. I guess we will have to wait till we get onboard

Jackie

[zahav1]

Hi there, I tried doing exactly what you advised but my only option was My Profile - there was no options for Onboard Preferences or Vacation Preferences. I guess we will have to wait till we get onboard

Jackie

 

 

Your best bet as with everything else, just call Princess, give them your booking number and they'll be more than happy to help you.

[Holey]

Hi there, I tried doing exactly what you advised but my only option was My Profile - there was no options for Onboard Preferences or Vacation Preferences. I guess we will have to wait till we get onboard

Jackie

 

Hello we have tried also no go. Cant see anything.:confused:

[aussie57]

I believe that if you are in the UK or Australia, you can't pre-order in the same way as people in the US can. One suggestion may be to call Princess reps in the UK. I'm just going to ask my cabin steward for a robe when on board.

[jefa]

Hi there, I tried doing exactly what you advised but my only option was My Profile - there was no options for Onboard Preferences or Vacation Preferences. I guess we will have to wait till we get onboard

Jackie

 

Hello we have tried also no go. Cant see anything.:confused:

 

Sorry that was no help to you :(

[corolla48]

Sorry that was no help to you :(

 

Never mind, thanks for taking the time :)

[Orangefan]

I buy the clear sweater bags at the Dollar Store. They come 2 to a $ 1 pack and each have a zipper. I pack like things together. Example shorts,bathing suits,pants dresses etc. I have about 10 bags I bring with me each time. If they search my luggage, they just pull out the sweater bags and don't make a mess of my suitcase. Also when I unpack, I just empty the suitcase of these bags and unpack them individually later on. I also found these very large plastic clothespins at the Dollar Store. I think there were 6 in a package. The clothespins are round in the middle an I plan on trying to attach the 2 clothespins to the top of the lounge chair to keep the beach towel from falling down. On my April Cruise I saw a lady with fancy, colorful animals on top of these clothespins. She found them in a port for $6 each. They were adorable but I didn't want to worry about losing them. So I am going to try this on my cruise in a few weeks.

Sali

[suzyed]

My 1st cruise EVER is in Nov so I'm obsessed with this site! I read everything I can, I come on here at least once a day to see if I missed anything....It's kinda sad, I know ;)

Next April on the Grand will be our 20th cruise and I am obsessed too! I am right here with you every day! ;):D

[suzyed]

A night light in the bathroom will not do much good if the door is closed!! We plug in a night light behind the TV.

I have an alarm clock, that has a night light in the base and it also can be used as a flash light when it's picked up and carried.

 

Also, if you are doing an east bound TA, you lose an hour each night of the TA, so this is where the alarm clock comes in really handy!!

 

Also, on Princess, the walls along side of the bed (at least in the mini), are metal. So I brought small magnets, to hang notes, pages from the Patter and our schedule of event with our CC Roll Call group, etc! It was a great way to keep everything organized!

 

I bring two hi-liters, 1 blue, 1 yellow to hi light activities we don't want to miss. So when we return to our cabin at night I mark what I want to do the next day in yellow, DH marks in blue and then things we want to do together get a mixture of yellow and blue--- green!

 

They use "dabbers" in Bingo. They sell them,(don't remember how much, $2?), but if you plan on playing, you can bring one from home bought from the dollar store.

 

I plan on bringing a "flameless" candle to use in our cabin (Romantic!);) and out on our balcony in the evening! :)

Edited October 13, 2011 by suzyed

[suzyed]

Also consider bringing a 6 or 9 ft. extension cord and a multi outlet power surge protector to use to charge your phone, camera, etc.

 

Thanks Maraprince regarding the extention cord/power outlet idea. Both DH and I need CPAP machines. We're booked on the Island in a mini-suite and I was wondering how many outlets would be available. It might help alleviate some issues if I brought my own ext. cord.

DH uses a CPAP and this is our first cruise where he will use it. Fortunately there is an outlet at the desk right next to the bed in the minis (at least on the Ruby,which we were on last year), so he won't need the extension cord, but one would be handy if you are both using the machines.

I am now wondering it the Grand(our next cruise) has the same set up?? Looks the same in photos...but maybe someone that has sailed on the Grand can attest to this???

[suzyed]

We like to bring along clothes pins and Boca Clips. The clothes pins come in handy to dry out your bathing suit on your balcony when in port - we clip them to the chair and bring them in before we set sail. We find that they never completely dry in the bathroom. The Boca Clips are great to clip your towel to your chair on the pool deck. It is always windy and you can guarantee your towel will stay in place.

 

Another item we always bring is candied ginger. Helps settle your stomach after a rich meal or when you feel a little seasick. :)

Great idea on the candied ginger! They even serve it with dinner each night on the Queen Mary 2!

[suzyed]

I bring the mesh shoe holder. But I also bring two of those 3M sticky hooks. (the kind with the double sided tape that removes easily by stretching it). I hand the shoes holder on the wall near the mini bar and use it for things like chargers, cords, batteries, etc. All the things that we will need often. Works great

I got a shoe bag from the dollar store that just had a hanger type holder and just hung it in the closet...worked great!

[Orangefan]

I also find ginger a stomach settler. An easy way to travel with ginger is Altoids. The little mints in the small tin come in a ginger flavor .

Sali

[suzyed]

I also find ginger a stomach settler. An easy way to travel with ginger is Altoids. The little mints in the small tin come in a ginger flavor .

Sali

Yes, I have heard that...but I have never seen that flavor in the stores. I wonder if I can get them online?

I get candied ginger at World Market or sometimes I have even found it at Marshalls or TJMaxx.

[Orangefan]

Yes, I have heard that...but I have never seen that flavor in the stores. I wonder if I can get them online?

I get candied ginger at World Market or sometimes I have even found it at Marshalls or TJMaxx.

 

I have bought the ginger Altoids at Rite-Aid and Walgreens. Both are drug stores. I would google ginger Altoids and maybe the company to give you an idea of stores near you that carry them.

Sali

[suzyed]

Your best bet as with everything else, just call Princess, give them your booking number and they'll be more than happy to help you.

Unless you booked with a travel agent....:p

[suzyed]

I have bought the ginger Altoids at Rite-Aid and Walgreens. Both are drug stores. I would google ginger Altoids and maybe the company to give you an idea of stores near you that carry them.

Sali

I will check out Walgreens the next time I am in there....which is weekly! :rolleyes: