Most of our cruises are on Princess and leave from the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. San Pedro is about a 30 minute drive from our house. Whenever possible, we try to find a friend or friends to drive us to the port. We “bribe” them by offering to pay for a Bon Voyage Experience.

Princess offers BVE on quite a few itineraries. Basically, for $39 bucks per person, our friends can board the ship with us. They get a photo, an optional tour of the ship and lunch. (The package says Main Dining Room, but Horizon Court is fine.) This is all great but the best part? Early boarding!

Yes. As soon as the ship is cleared by the officials, In-Transit passengers board first, then BVE guests. For a 4:00 PM sail time, we usually board between 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

Whether BVE is available or not, we’ll try to arrive to the ship by about 10:00 AM (for a 4:00 sailing). We are currently at the Platinum level, so get expedited check-in.

There have been a couple of times where our room has been ready so we can drop off carry-on’s. Then… Horizon Court!

Ah yes. sail away day, or should I say SALE away day. I get that all cruise lines want to maximize sales, and as a shareholder so do I, but it is a bit much if you are a first time cruiser on a line. We have never felt pressured and usually a simple “no thanks” sends them to the next table. Many will recognize us on the next pass and move on with a smile.

Muster drill… Your cabin location designates where your Muster Station is. When we are in Lido 214, our favorite, it’s almost always in the Princess Theater. Plenty of seating. Crown Grill or the Casino, not so much. If not in Princess Theater, best to be really early if you want a seat.

Sail away time. Suzi enjoys the hubbub of the sail away party on the open decks. Me? I’ll be on the balcony watching the world start to go by and look forward to all that Princess has to offer.

As we get further and further out, or cell phone service diminishes. We set our phones on Airplane mode. You never want you phone to say “Cellular At Sea”. Unless you check with your carrier and purchase a “Cruise Plan”, watch out for a shock when you get your phone bill.

Once in Airplane Mode, connect to the Princess WiFi. Once connected, open up a browser, like Chrome and go to ship_name.princess.com, like ruby.princess.com.

After creating an account, you’re in! You will see your own personal Princess Patter.

The Main Page will show excursions booked through Princess along with anything you wish to schedule, be it Specialty Dining, Bingo, Dance class, etc. To add an event, just click the plus sign in the calendar icon.

You can get detailed information about all locations on the ship.

You can even instant message other passengers. All of this portion of the site is free. You can access the paid internet from here.

Now it’s time to unpack and begin the journey to Come Back New!