New to Princess, 12 Day Scotland Cruise

[TinyG]

Hello,

We are new to Princess, but not to cruising. I will be on my 50th cruise next month on X Edge. We've sailed 6 cruise brands some are Carnival, Holland America all the way up to Paul Gauguin. This will be our first Princess cruise, and I have a few questions. I was able to research many topics and post..Thanks everyone! We are Carnival Stockholders, so I am loyal to the brand. 

 

The cruise ~12 day British Isles, the cabin booking today E407 on Regal Princess. This will be nice as we are going to 6 new places!

 

I've wanted to go to Scotland for sometime now. I've looked at so many cruise brands trying to focus on Scotland. We have already sailed a 14 day Ireland & Iceland out of Southampton. 

Questions:

 

We usually sail with an all included packages, so I've looked at the Plus and the Premier. I think I will do Premier. We have booked this thru a place that's great when needed a tow, or getting your keys from the car....MY DH works for the same company. It would be nice to save the 15% off the entire cruise that would include either package.

How is the water, juice counted? Towards the 15 total? I've done the math as best I could except the internet (used $24.99 per day, as I did not have the princess decoder ring showing anything else). Seems more inclusive adding much more than other cruise brands. Drinks, dining, and the unlimited room service.

 

Airfare/Hotel- I am pretty good on this part, but I'd love to know if the airfare with Princess (the TA says they are) is good (price vs connections). I think I can find nice flights on miles. I've been looking at the cruise this year for the same itinerary. The flights were very high. My sister sails with Princess and she says I can change my flight 45 days before..Stayed at the Holiday Inn next to the cruise port last time. Used Smith's for the LHR transfer. Both were great. That same hotel now is almost triple in price no thanks to the pandemic I am sure.

 

How are upgrades? We usually select cabins higher with decks on both sides, but trying to leave room for business class for flights. Seen a few pictures and this seems like an okay place to stay. I know to stay away from Crooners! I see they have a bid up as well, sounds possible or stay put.

 

Price adjustments. Found many a discounts posted on the CC boards, and continuous checking on my on with mock booking. Can you just call and re-price?

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

 

 

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, TinyG said:

How is the water, juice counted? Towards the 15 total?

nope ... neither is soda or coffee - just alcoholic drinks count to the 15 per Princess day - which is 6am to 6am - no rollover at midnight...

 

livin' the dream

[Mark_K]

Is Smith back in business?  I think they ceased operations during Covid.

 

When choosing a hotel keep in mind that Regal Princess uses two different terminals, and sometimes leaves from one and comes back to the other.

[TinyG]

Thank you for the terminal info, did not know that. The TA has me waitlisted for a hotel, I can see some hotels but maybe just too soon for July 2025.

 

We can always do the ship transfer as I had not even looked into Smith's yet, since I just booked today. They were nice, I guess while they lasted.

 

Hoping the room is nice, still looking for those. I did see some videos.

 

 

[reedprincess]

Only alcoholic drinks count towards the 15 a day 

Yes, Premier and Plus Cruise Packages include a lot more than All In on Celebrity, etc. 

 

Casual dining on Regal will be Alfredo's, Vines, Ocean Terrace Seafood. With premier, unlimited casual dining in those venues.. the Vines charcuterie is fab with a nice wine...

 

Specialty Dining will be Crown Grill, steakhouse, or Sabatini's, Italian style.  Both good to very good, not as fancy or upscale or as expensive as Celebrity specialty dining.. 

 

Personally, no way I'd book my airfare through Princess EZ Air unless it was a major discount..  I prefer keeping my air under my control..

 

I VRBO in Southampton, more space, less $$$. And, if my family can't take me to Southampton, I use BlackBerry Cars - especially now with Smith's out of business (they were my go to for LGW - Southampton transfers).  Meet and greet and door to door are the name of the game for me! There's bus or train to Southampton also though, both reliable and much more inexpensive..

 

 

Have a great time - Regal is my favorite ship with Princess.. you're in for a treat!! 

[insidecabin]

Hotel prices in Southampton are very variable through the summer weekend rates can be quite high.

Especially boat show week.

 

There are some adiquate more basic central options, good for a single night, that can have good rates.

Ibis, Premier inn, Travelodge(we use this when cheap as near pubs and restaurants)

 

Princess mainly use 3 terminals at Southampton and occasionally they have to use one of the other two.

 

A couple are walkable from some hotel options, taxi/Uber from most hotels <£10.

 

To check which terminal your cruise will use  the following, sometimes they change so check closer to travel date.

(Our Regal soon is out from QE2 back to Ocean)

 

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

 

When using LHR we like the National Express bus as our budget option.

 

 

 

 

 

[TinyG]

13 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Only alcoholic drinks count towards the 15 a day 

Yes, Premier and Plus Cruise Packages include a lot more than All In on Celebrity, etc. 

 

Casual dining on Regal will be Alfredo's, Vines, Ocean Terrace Seafood. With premier, unlimited casual dining in those venues.. the Vines charcuterie is fab with a nice wine...

 

Specialty Dining will be Crown Grill, steakhouse, or Sabatini's, Italian style.  Both good to very good, not as fancy or upscale or as expensive as Celebrity specialty dining.. 

 

Personally, no way I'd book my airfare through Princess EZ Air unless it was a major discount..  I prefer keeping my air under my control..

 

I VRBO in Southampton, more space, less $$$. And, if my family can't take me to Southampton, I use BlackBerry Cars - especially now with Smith's out of business (they were my go to for LGW - Southampton transfers).  Meet and greet and door to door are the name of the game for me! There's bus or train to Southampton also though, both reliable and much more inexpensive..

 

 

Have a great time - Regal is my favorite ship with Princess.. you're in for a treat!! 

Thank you so much, very helpful!

 

I'd rather do a private car than a bus for the start. After a long flight and all the bizness of travel it was nice just to have the quite time to enjoy the view. 

I will look at BlackBerry Cars.

 

The lists you made for dining are great, I've been looking both here and on the website, but I am still getting my sea legs on this ship.

 

I have a good feeling I will not want them doing the air, it was hard enough to hand the booking over to a TA, I will also look at the hotel part. We were fine rolling our bags over from the Holiday inn, the very bumpy parking lot over to the terminal. We were lucky not to have gone that far. Now, as few years later I'd be ok being dropped off. Hubby liked it, me not so much.

 

Keep those tips coming!

[TinyG]

12 hours ago, insidecabin said:

Hotel prices in Southampton are very variable through the summer weekend rates can be quite high.

Especially boat show week.

 

There are some adiquate more basic central options, good for a single night, that can have good rates.

Ibis, Premier inn, Travelodge(we use this when cheap as near pubs and restaurants)

 

Princess mainly use 3 terminals at Southampton and occasionally they have to use one of the other two.

 

A couple are walkable from some hotel options, taxi/Uber from most hotels <£10.

 

To check which terminal your cruise will use  the following, sometimes they change so check closer to travel date.

(Our Regal soon is out from QE2 back to Ocean)

 

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

 

When using LHR we like the National Express bus as our budget option.

 

 

 

 

 

This is great, thank you. Adding this to my notes as well. I will continue to check the schedule.

 

The boat show was two weeks after our cruise return, but we saw so many boats were already on barges stacked all over the place. Our cruise this time will be 2 months prior. 

 

As the transfer I will also keep NE on the list, as an option.

 

Can anyone comment on the shows. I usually won't go as I find them way too loud, even with earplugs. I would be will to try with my fancy dancy reserved seating....

 

[dreaminofcruisin]

49 minutes ago, TinyG said:

 

I have a good feeling I will not want them doing the air, it was hard enough to hand the booking over to a TA, I will also look at the hotel part. We were fine rolling our bags over from the Holiday inn, the very bumpy parking lot over to the terminal. We were lucky not to have gone that far. Now, as few years later I'd be ok being dropped off. Hubby liked it, me not so much.

 

 

We always use EZ Air for International Business class flights. You can often save a bunch over booking them directly. We usually book them as soon as they are available (about 300 days out) at the Flexible fare. You can then keep watching the prices/miles and as you get closer to your date, you can always cancel/change the flights if the price decreases or there are better options. Even if you are going through a TA, you can control the flights yourself online in your Princess cruise personalizer. If you want to see what it looks like, without logging on, go pick a similar cruise for this year, pick the "Flight Quotes" tab and you can see what your current options would be. However, likely at this point it will be more expensive than if you booked at 300 days out.

 

It definitely depends on where the ship docks in Southampton. If it's at the Queen Elizabeth terminal, that is a really LONG walk, so you would definitely want a cab then.

 

Yes, usually if the price of your cruise drops, you can call and ask for a re-fare...though if you have a TA, they would be the one doing that at your request. Know that often you might lose some benefits that came with it when you booked (sales that included OBC or something) and end up with whatever the current benefit is. Always ask.  If you do book EZ Air, be sure and ask whether or not you will be able to keep the flights you have booked (I think usually you can if you re-fare), just in case that would be a pricing difference you would want to be aware of.

 

Welcome to Princess! I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

 

[Crown Vic]

21 hours ago, TinyG said:

The cruise ~12 day British Isles, the cabin booking today E407 on Regal Princess.

I think I will do Premier.
Used Smith's for the LHR transfer. 

- Did the U.K. cruise on Regal Princess in 2023.

- Have a look at the Royal Leonardo hotel. 
- Smiths has closed. Look at aquacars.co.uk. Heathrow-Southampton was £140.

👍 👍 to them all. Cheers…

[TinyG]

Will do!

 

How was your cabin? Took a while to figure the color coded 

34 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

We always use EZ Air for International Business class flights. You can often save a bunch over booking them directly. We usually book them as soon as they are available (about 300 days out) at the Flexible fare. You can then keep watching the prices/miles and as you get closer to your date, you can always cancel/change the flights if the price decreases or there are better options. Even if you are going through a TA, you can control the flights yourself online in your Princess cruise personalizer. If you want to see what it looks like, without logging on, go pick a similar cruise for this year, pick the "Flight Quotes" tab and you can see what your current options would be. However, likely at this point it will be more expensive than if you booked at 300 days out.

 

It definitely depends on where the ship docks in Southampton. If it's at the Queen Elizabeth terminal, that is a really LONG walk, so you would definitely want a cab then.

 

Yes, usually if the price of your cruise drops, you can call and ask for a re-fare...though if you have a TA, they would be the one doing that at your request. Know that often you might lose some benefits that came with it when you booked (sales that included OBC or something) and end up with whatever the current benefit is. Always ask.  If you do book EZ Air, be sure and ask whether or not you will be able to keep the flights you have booked (I think usually you can if you re-fare), just in case that would be a pricing difference you would want to be aware of.

 

Welcome to Princess! I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Thank you so much!!! Especially the EZ tips.The cruise terminal does not show 2025 yet. Will keep an eye on that.

 

The airfares been trying to see booking on miles, and I've done a few looks on the EZ tab, that scared me yikes.

 

For the hotel will look and find one that is refundable, maybe book to have something for now and see what Princess also has. Reprice along the way.

[skynight]

You can easily check airfares on the Princess website by accessing your booking, or just go into the Princess web site find your cruise and then look at the air flights and fares. You book EZ Air yourself. Flexible fares, where you pay at the same time as you pay for your cruise, are normally lower than non-flexible ones, where you pay when the flights are booked. Some airlines allow you to select your seats when booked, some will not allow it until they receive payment from EZ Air which is around 45 days prior to the flight. It depends on the airline. EZ Air has some good business class fares for international flights when related to direct airline fares. 

[TinyG]

This I am the most excited for is the closet, so open and accessible. Tired of little cabin doors to side, you can never see what's in there.

 

Today excursions opened up to book. Are these refundable?, I would guess yes. I wish they had tours for the RMS Britannia, I guess we will venture on own for most of these ports. We are very good at rail lines, busses and HoHo busses. Does Princess have shuttles into Edinburg? With it being 45 mins away, I think I would have buy the excursion to be on my own.

 

Will they let me know about hotel & airfare, like you can book. Or do I wait for the 330 days?

[cr8tiv1]

Not in any particular order (I'm not known for being sequential).

 

The ship transfer is only good for day of cruise.  If you are planning on coming in a day or two earlier...and making your way to Southampton, then you will need to arrange for your own transportation.  We have hired a car service.  For 2 passengers, it seemed like the most reasonable way at the end of a long flight.

 

I am booked at the Moxy (a Marriott).  Many of the hotels are transit hotels...small and not much to offer.  I just cancelled:  the Holiday Inn and the DoubleTree (outside the port area).  I am not sure how far in advance you can book a hotel.  Just keep checking.  I am an overplanner.

 

I also booked my flight with EZ Air 330 days out (or was it 300?).  The fare never dropped.  Granted, I am flying in Business Class from California.  I've tracked it at least least once a week.  Again, this is something you can cancel 90/45 days out.  I also check with airline direct (more expensive to International).  

 

On 4/18/2024 at 5:30 PM, TinyG said:

Thank you for the terminal info, did not know that. The TA has me waitlisted for a hotel, I can see some hotels but maybe just too soon for July 2025.

 

We can always do the ship transfer as I had not even looked into Smith's yet, since I just booked today. They were nice, I guess while they lasted.

 

Hoping the room is nice, still looking for those. I did see some videos.

 

[NavyVeteran]

3 hours ago, TinyG said:

This I am the most excited for is the closet, so open and accessible. Tired of little cabin doors to side, you can never see what's in there.

 

Today excursions opened up to book. Are these refundable?, I would guess yes. I wish they had tours for the RMS Britannia, I guess we will venture on own for most of these ports. We are very good at rail lines, busses and HoHo busses. Does Princess have shuttles into Edinburg? With it being 45 mins away, I think I would have buy the excursion to be on my own.

 

Will they let me know about hotel & airfare, like you can book. Or do I wait for the 330 days?

With a few exceptions (involving things like flights, hotels, and private cars), Princess excursions are completely refundable until two days before the excursion. If you cancel five or more days before the cruise, you can receive a credit card return. If you cancel the last few days before the cruise or onboard, you will receive refundable OBC (that will be refunded if not spent). Note that the refundable OBC goes to the passenger who is booked on the excursion - not to whoever paid for the excursion. The specific details are provided in Pre-Cruise FAQ: Shore Excursions and in Excursion Terms & Conditions.

 

Princess does not offer a shuttle from South Queensferry to Edinburg. They offer an "Edinburgh On Your Own" excursion. Note that they also offer an "Edinburgh on Your Own" excursion from Greenock. Surprisingly, on my currently booked August 2025 cruise, the excursion from Greenock is ten dollars cheaper than the one from South Queensferry. Look at the excursion listings for your cruise for details.

 

Airfare information will not be available until flights are available to book. Note that flights are generally not available to book on EZAir until 330 days before the end of the cruise. You can get an idea by looking at an earlier cruise with the same embarkation and disembarkation ports and selecting "Flight Quotes".

 

Hotel information for Princess hotels in London is available in "Europe Hotels by City" under Cruise Ports & Hotels. They list three hotels in London. Note that the prices listed are per person double occupancy for two nights. Additional nights are less expensive because the listed price for two nights includes transfer from the airport to the hotel and transfer from the hotel to the ship. Princess does not offer any hotels in Southampton.

[insidecabin]

6 hours ago, TinyG said:

This I am the most excited for is the closet, so open and accessible. Tired of little cabin doors to side, you can never see what's in there.

 

Today excursions opened up to book. Are these refundable?, I would guess yes. I wish they had tours for the RMS Britannia, I guess we will venture on own for most of these ports. We are very good at rail lines, busses and HoHo busses. Does Princess have shuttles into Edinburg? With it being 45 mins away, I think I would have buy the excursion to be on my own.

 

Will they let me know about hotel & airfare, like you can book. Or do I wait for the 330 days?

Edinburgh.

 

Look up x99 cruise bus(30min depending on traffic).

£12(2024) and includes an all day transportation ticket.

(Princes on your own $100)

 

Once in the city take the tram to Royal Yacht area.

[sandancer]

On 4/18/2024 at 11:28 PM, Mark_K said:

Is Smith back in business?  I think they ceased operations during Covid.

 

When choosing a hotel keep in mind that Regal Princess uses two different terminals, and sometimes leaves from one and comes back to the other.

Smiths have ceased trading. We have used them many times and would be so glad to see them back in business. 

[Cloudyrain]

The hotels in Southampton have very variable prices and are no different now to pre-Covid, it just depends on what is on at the time you are travelling (boat show etc).

 

It doesn’t really matter where you stay in comparison with the terminal your ship is leaving from as a taxi from hotel to port isn’t expensive and can be arranged by the hotel. I wouldn’t let terminal affect your decision.

 

Personally the Leonardo was a complete omnishambles - although I understand it has improved. There is a Novotel a 5 minute walk from the shopping centre and a 5 minute taxi ride to the Oceana/Mayflower terminal (the most commonly used Princess terminals). But honestly, there are lots of options from £35 per room 2* Ibis and upwards: but I would book early as soon as the rooms are released. I have seen £35 rooms being sold at £120 later to date when there is higher demand and less availability!

[Fortunate 2 travel]

On 4/18/2024 at 3:53 PM, TinyG said:

Hello,

We are new to Princess, but not to cruising. I will be on my 50th cruise next month on X Edge. We've sailed 6 cruise brands some are Carnival, Holland America all the way up to Paul Gauguin. This will be our first Princess cruise, and I have a few questions. I was able to research many topics and post..Thanks everyone! We are Carnival Stockholders, so I am loyal to the brand. 

 

The cruise ~12 day British Isles, the cabin booking today E407 on Regal Princess. This will be nice as we are going to 6 new places!

 

I've wanted to go to Scotland for sometime now. I've looked at so many cruise brands trying to focus on Scotland. We have already sailed a 14 day Ireland & Iceland out of Southampton. 

Questions:

 

We usually sail with an all included packages, so I've looked at the Plus and the Premier. I think I will do Premier. We have booked this thru a place that's great when needed a tow, or getting your keys from the car....MY DH works for the same company. It would be nice to save the 15% off the entire cruise that would include either package.

How is the water, juice counted? Towards the 15 total? I've done the math as best I could except the internet (used $24.99 per day, as I did not have the princess decoder ring showing anything else). Seems more inclusive adding much more than other cruise brands. Drinks, dining, and the unlimited room service.

 

Airfare/Hotel- I am pretty good on this part, but I'd love to know if the airfare with Princess (the TA says they are) is good (price vs connections). I think I can find nice flights on miles. I've been looking at the cruise this year for the same itinerary. The flights were very high. My sister sails with Princess and she says I can change my flight 45 days before..Stayed at the Holiday Inn next to the cruise port last time. Used Smith's for the LHR transfer. Both were great. That same hotel now is almost triple in price no thanks to the pandemic I am sure.

 

How are upgrades? We usually select cabins higher with decks on both sides, but trying to leave room for business class for flights. Seen a few pictures and this seems like an okay place to stay. I know to stay away from Crooners! I see they have a bid up as well, sounds possible or stay put.

 

Price adjustments. Found many a discounts posted on the CC boards, and continuous checking on my on with mock booking. Can you just call and re-price?

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

 

 

We sailed the Regal last summer. Fantastic cruise. We used Eddie Manning for transportation to and from Heathrow - Southampton.  Stayed at the Roxy which is right next to a big mall with lots of dinning options.  Can to the port took less than 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy your 🚢 

[TinyG]

11 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

With a few exceptions (involving things like flights, hotels, and private cars), Princess excursions are completely refundable until two days before the excursion. If you cancel five or more days before the cruise, you can receive a credit card return. If you cancel the last few days before the cruise or onboard, you will receive refundable OBC (that will be refunded if not spent). Note that the refundable OBC goes to the passenger who is booked on the excursion - not to whoever paid for the excursion. The specific details are provided in Pre-Cruise FAQ: Shore Excursions and in Excursion Terms & Conditions.

 

Princess does not offer a shuttle from South Queensferry to Edinburg. They offer an "Edinburgh On Your Own" excursion. Note that they also offer an "Edinburgh on Your Own" excursion from Greenock. Surprisingly, on my currently booked August 2025 cruise, the excursion from Greenock is ten dollars cheaper than the one from South Queensferry. Look at the excursion listings for your cruise for details.

 

Airfare information will not be available until flights are available to book. Note that flights are generally not available to book on EZAir until 330 days before the end of the cruise. You can get an idea by looking at an earlier cruise with the same embarkation and disembarkation ports and selecting "Flight Quotes".

 

Hotel information for Princess hotels in London is available in "Europe Hotels by City" under Cruise Ports & Hotels. They list three hotels in London. Note that the prices listed are per person double occupancy for two nights. Additional nights are less expensive because the listed price for two nights includes transfer from the airport to the hotel and transfer from the hotel to the ship. Princess does not offer any hotels in Southampton.

Thank you so much for this information. Your details are wonderful!! My notepad is growing! 

[Treasure Hunter]

Not sure when you are going but if there is any chance to see the Military Tattoo In Edinburgh during July or August be sure to book. We did the excursion through Princess from Glasgow. About 45 minutes before bus If I remember correctly. Amazing once in a lifetime experience. Dancers and bagpipes from all over in the castle courtyard

[TinyG]

35 minutes ago, Fortunate 2 travel said:

We sailed the Regal last summer. Fantastic cruise. We used Eddie Manning for transportation to and from Heathrow - Southampton.  Stayed at the Roxy which is right next to a big mall with lots of dinning options.  Can to the port took less than 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy your 🚢 

Thank you for the Transpo name, I will look them up. Do you remember the cost? Last time we stayed at the Hilton Heathrow by Terminal 5. We took a car from the hotel and had a great tour of Windsor. We actually left our luggage at the hotel took the train into London and stayed one night did more exploring before heading back to Heathrow.

 

I've seen the Roxy listed on a travel website, that gnome is so knowledgeable!  We stayed at the Holiday Inn last time in Southampton next to the terminal, but I want a hotel a little farther away from the port. While my DH did not mind the luggage dragging, I did. Those little cobbles everywhere. I have a few more months before I can book the hotel.

 

We did walk from the HInn into town for dinner and exploring, so a closer to town would be better. The lovely taxi to the pier even better! The port schedule has not opened the last time I checked to see what terminal the ship would be at.

[TinyG]

4 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Not sure when you are going but if there is any chance to see the Military Tattoo In Edinburgh during July or August be sure to book. We did the excursion through Princess from Glasgow. About 45 minutes before bus If I remember correctly. Amazing once in a lifetime experience. Dancers and bagpipes from all over in the castle courtyard

We will miss that on our cruise, it would have been wonderful. In 2025 it's on August 5th. As we are going in July, as that worked for our schedule. I've seen some videos online on other travelers that did a Outlander tour, which looks interesting. Princess does not have anything like that.

[TinyG]

Does Princess have Silent Disco? We have enjoyed that in the past. I've not see that on any trip reports yet.

[cr8tiv1]

15 minutes ago, TinyG said:

Does Princess have Silent Disco? We have enjoyed that in the past. I've not see that on any trip reports yet.

I’ve never heard of this term before.