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zookepr
Guest
Still looking to see who else might br goinng with us. I know we can not be alone.
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Tkt2cruz
Guest
I am now on this cruise! I can't wait!
Deb
Deb
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woodta63
Guest
We (my husband, son, and myself) are on that cruise. I can hardly wait. My first cruise!
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woodta63
Guest
Where are you all from? I would like to meet up with some people while on the ship.. I like to meet new people.
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zookepr
Guest
HI Woodta63 my husband and I are from Ohio, this will be our third cruise you'll love it. Yhe room follows you around. Such a great way to travel very different from our everyday lives. There is a group of us talking on cruise critic check under princess roll call for my name set up pretty much the same as here, also read the Alaska post here you will gaing alot of great information. I'll check both sites to try and keep track of you.
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woodta63
Guest
Hey Zookepr- Wow you are comming a long way to go on this cruise. We actually live right here in the Seattle area so we just have to drive to the terminal. I am so stoked about this cruise. I have always wanted to cruise and thought this would be a good first. I have heard good and bad about Princess so I am hoping the good is the way it goes. I can hardly wait. Thanks for the reply.
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zookepr
Guest
Woodta63, sitting here today wondering what happened to my spring weather. Last weekend it was 70 degrees today 32-34 and a good 4 inches of snow! We loved our experience with Princess but like anything else I suppose that can vary with the trip. We did have a rough trip with RC not bad enough though to stop us from cruising. If I lived driving distance from any terminal I'd never be home on dry land. Toledo has a great deal of cargo ships in and out, just not your passenger type. Have you signed up for any tours? How old is your son traveling with you?
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woodta63
Guest
Hi Zookepr- We were going to sign up for some excursions but decided to wait and see what the weather would be like. We plan on doing things on shore though. I want to see alot. I hope to be cruising more often. My son will actually be turning 20 while we are on the boat. I hope they do something nice for him. This was kinda a birthday present for all of us as we all have May B-days. Husband is 5th, son the 25th and mine the 31st. I thought it would be a good present for all! Wow! snow huh... just the usual rain here but hope it is nice when we leave. Is it just you and your husband going?
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nelsencec
Guest
My wife and are on the May 21 Diamond to Alaska... driving to Seattle from Portland, OR. We are in L200. We love Princess... Cruised Thailand to Italy last March on the Star, South America in January this year on the Royal, and are already signed up for Hawaii in January on the Island. Crusing gets in your blood! Any Trivia players out there, my favorite shipboard passtime?
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zookepr
Guest
Welcome nelsencec, glad to see your on board would love to do the trips you've done. We are tied into the 7 days cruise untill my husband retires in a couple of years. We have really enjoyed Princess. Have you signed up for any tours or do you like to wait and see?
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woodta63
Guest
Hey Nelsencec- Welcome and so happy to hear that you are travelling on the diamond princess. The more the Merrier... We are going to be in cabin c405 I believe. We are in an inside cabin. I am told that we should have gotten the outside with a deck but we thought that we would not be in there much anyhow this time. Hope to meet up onboard. I can hardly wait- I am so excited. This is our fisrt cruise. Hope you have a safe drive. What time do people check in at the Terminal?
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nelsencec
Guest
Thanks for the greetings....
As to land tours, we have tried both ways in the past--- Princess-sponsored tours and those we arrange ourselves via Internet.
Pros for Princess are easy bookings: Cons are they are usually more expensive, ALWAYS more crowded, and you have to wait around the ship until your group is called.
Pros for Do It Yourself: You can leave the ship when you want, there are small groups (sometimes just the two of us), very personalized service, and you can always hear what guide says: Cons are that it is more time-consuming to compare options/prices for each venue on the itinerary.
At this time I am checking out day tours for Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. We have been to all of them a few years ago in (early September)and there really isn't much to do except wander around (and shop) if you don't have some sort of organized program.
Tip: We have met a lot of people who just leave the ship and look for a local taxi or minibus offering guide service. Pros: gives you more flexibility and its high personalized. Cons: There is no quality assurance.
We haven't done this and probably won't although the "risk" factor in small Alaskan towns shouldn't be too extreme, either in terms of safety or reliability. Everyone knows everyone in town and news of a rip-off would spread quickly among locals reliant on tourist goodwill.
Tip 2: It was cold in Juneau and my wife bought a beautiful parka-type jacket with Eskimo designs all over it. She still gets compliments when she wears it and, of course, it is still keeping her warm. Since Juneau is the first stop, it might be clever to avoid packing a heavier jacket and look for a good one there.
Tip 3: I went on a 2-hour salmon fishing trip in Ketchikan harbor and caught several nice fish. The crew traded my "catch" for tins of smoked salmon caught by a previous fisherman. We had these cans mailed home and they were very popular gifts for family and friends.
Cheers...
As to land tours, we have tried both ways in the past--- Princess-sponsored tours and those we arrange ourselves via Internet.
Pros for Princess are easy bookings: Cons are they are usually more expensive, ALWAYS more crowded, and you have to wait around the ship until your group is called.
Pros for Do It Yourself: You can leave the ship when you want, there are small groups (sometimes just the two of us), very personalized service, and you can always hear what guide says: Cons are that it is more time-consuming to compare options/prices for each venue on the itinerary.
At this time I am checking out day tours for Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. We have been to all of them a few years ago in (early September)and there really isn't much to do except wander around (and shop) if you don't have some sort of organized program.
Tip: We have met a lot of people who just leave the ship and look for a local taxi or minibus offering guide service. Pros: gives you more flexibility and its high personalized. Cons: There is no quality assurance.
We haven't done this and probably won't although the "risk" factor in small Alaskan towns shouldn't be too extreme, either in terms of safety or reliability. Everyone knows everyone in town and news of a rip-off would spread quickly among locals reliant on tourist goodwill.
Tip 2: It was cold in Juneau and my wife bought a beautiful parka-type jacket with Eskimo designs all over it. She still gets compliments when she wears it and, of course, it is still keeping her warm. Since Juneau is the first stop, it might be clever to avoid packing a heavier jacket and look for a good one there.
Tip 3: I went on a 2-hour salmon fishing trip in Ketchikan harbor and caught several nice fish. The crew traded my "catch" for tins of smoked salmon caught by a previous fisherman. We had these cans mailed home and they were very popular gifts for family and friends.
Cheers...
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nelsencec
Guest
The ship is scheduled to leave at 4:00 PM on the 21st so we want to be in the terminal by at least 1:30-2:00. That gives you a cushion and provides time to explore part of the huge ship before sailing. The buffet linch area should be open, too. We haven't decide whether to drive the 3.5 hours from Portland that morning or to get to Seattle the previous day and spend the night.
Even with an inside cabin you'll have plenty of opportunities to take in the coastal scenery since the ship has plenty of public viewing areas. Even if it is wet and chilly (a good bet), you shouldn't have any trouble "seeing the sights" as we cruise along.
If you want to compare cabins for future reference, you can probably find some friendly persons who will let you check out an outside view, a minisuite, or even a private suite.
I'm sure you'll have a great "inaugeral cruise" and will take advantage of the Princess future cruise Early Booking Discount program by making a $100 deposit on board. This deposit is good for four years and is, in my opinion, a terrific deal.
Cheers...
Even with an inside cabin you'll have plenty of opportunities to take in the coastal scenery since the ship has plenty of public viewing areas. Even if it is wet and chilly (a good bet), you shouldn't have any trouble "seeing the sights" as we cruise along.
If you want to compare cabins for future reference, you can probably find some friendly persons who will let you check out an outside view, a minisuite, or even a private suite.
I'm sure you'll have a great "inaugeral cruise" and will take advantage of the Princess future cruise Early Booking Discount program by making a $100 deposit on board. This deposit is good for four years and is, in my opinion, a terrific deal.
Cheers...
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woodta63
Guest
Hey Nelsencec- wow, sounds like you know alot about the cruising thing. I am very new to this but am looking forward to being a "pro" at it. I plan on doing more cruising in the future. The Prebooking thing sounds good too. I was told that we had to be at the terminal about 10:30-11:00 am. That seems awful early compared to what you say. So they will already have lunch going too. That is kinda cool. I called the TA to try and get upgraded to a balcony room but all sold out. bummer. I guess I will have to wait till next time. It is neat being able to talk to people that will be on the same boat. As far as the shore excursions- we are going to just wait and see what the weather is like and what we want to do when we get there. We were going to prebook but decided not to. I have been told that there is lots to do on the boat. Looking forward to exploring......
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zookepr
Guest
Woodta63, any place on a ship is a good place to be. I belive we are on the same floor we have a balcony toward the front and would be happy to have you take a look. You could get on the ship and never step off for the week and still have plenty to do. I know you'll have a great time all those bithdays.
Our crazy month is August at least one a week sometimes two. But with 8 children and 9 grands some one always has a birthday or anniversary. Hence the name zookepr.
Our crazy month is August at least one a week sometimes two. But with 8 children and 9 grands some one always has a birthday or anniversary. Hence the name zookepr.
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woodta63
Guest
Oh my gosh Zookepr, you do have alot of family. 8 Children? my gosh how did you do that? I have 1 and that is plenty for me. Of course he is only 20 so no grandkids yet. Hopefully not for a bit.
That is awful sweet of you to let us look at your cabin. I would really like to see what the differences are of the two for next sail date. You can come by our cabin and say hello as well, we are in c405. I am so excited. Been shopping for a new dress and all for the formal dinners....
That is awful sweet of you to let us look at your cabin. I would really like to see what the differences are of the two for next sail date. You can come by our cabin and say hello as well, we are in c405. I am so excited. Been shopping for a new dress and all for the formal dinners....
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zookepr
Guest
Woodta63, all the prep for a cruise is half the fun. One of the nicest things about princess is the self serve laundry. You don't need to pack as many casual clothes and I have met some great folks doing laundry. My friends think I'm nuts but it fun to say you've done laundry just about everywhere. The formal nights are fun at least for us girls. Are you doing anytime dining? If so maybe we can share a meal somewhere along the line. There is a nice little group talking on one of the other sites for this sailing.
I'll let you know where we're going to meet. Denise
I'll let you know where we're going to meet. Denise
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woodta63
Guest
Zookepr- yes, we are doing anytime dining. I would love to meet up and share a meal. Yes, I heard that there is laundry on the boat and my husband was saying the he was not going to pack as many clothes and do laundry. Since there are 3 of us sharing a small inside cabin it would be better not to have to many bags to have to store. You are right about getting ready, I have truly enjoyed getting things together for this cruise especially since it is my first. What other site is that group from? I have been looking around for other people going on other sites but must be missing that one. So how formal do you go? I bought a nice black skirt that is like different lenghts on the bottom and a black shirt that is beaded all along the bottom of it with, of course, black strappy shoes. How many cruises have you been on? Have you ever sailed on Princess before? Terri.
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zookepr
Guest
This will be our third cruise second with Princess. My husband wears a dark suit and I wear different formal things nothing over the top your outfit sounds just right. We are not the kind of folks who have formal pictures done unless there is a wedding. So we have enjoyed the photos taken on formal nights
they"ll have 6 or so different stations with different back grounds you can do everyone of the locations , what fun then choose the best or none. A lot of the dresses kind of look like the mother of the bride outfits except for the younger gals. Cruise critic is the other site look under roll calls for our date my name is the same. Do you guys have your photo equipment ready?
they"ll have 6 or so different stations with different back grounds you can do everyone of the locations , what fun then choose the best or none. A lot of the dresses kind of look like the mother of the bride outfits except for the younger gals. Cruise critic is the other site look under roll calls for our date my name is the same. Do you guys have your photo equipment ready?
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woodta63
Guest
Oh good, I am glad to hear that things are ok with the dress. I was afraid that I was not formal enough. My husband will waer a dark blue suit and my son has a dark gray with some black threads in it. They both look real good. I guess I am predudice though huh... Yes, I do have the digital camera ready to go. I am bringing my laptop so that I can take the pictures off the memory card and burn them onto disk while on the ship. That wau I will not lose any of them. My memory card is small but I thought instead of buying another one I would just do that. I will check on Cruise Critic too then and see who else is going... thanks for the info. I am looking forward to meeting... You will have to let me know when and where... Terri