More On Board Credit

Want more on board credit (OBC) to use during the World Cruise?  There is an easy way to get those dollars you can spend for shore excursions or other purchases on the ship.  One of the best ways I would recommend is by getting a Princess Cruises Rewards Visa card.  You earn 1 point for each US dollar you charge to the card or two (2) Princess Points for every one U.S. dollar ($1.00) of Net Purchases from Princess Cruise Lines including purchase of the cruise itself and onboard purchases.

As far as how much you can get in OBC depends on how much you spend.  But, for example, say you purchased the World Cruise using your card.  An example would be, if the cost of the Princess cruise is $20,000 US dollars, this would equal 40,000 Princess Points which can be redeemed for $500 OBC.  It can also be redeemed for other things (See the program details). 

Our goal is to accumulate as many Princess Points as possible prior to the World Cruise, so our shore excursions will be covered.

More information can be found at the link below.

FAQ Princess Cruises Rewards Visa

UNESCO World Heritage List

Here is the link to all the UNESCO World Heritage sites around the World.  This might be helpful to determine which of these sites you may want to visit on the World Cruise.

Link To World Heritage Sites

Less Than A Year

We are now under the 1-year mark for sail away from Los Angeles on this round-the-world adventure.  Time is marking on and before we know it, we will be boarding the Pacific Princess.  It's still too early to begin submitting our requests for VISAs.  Probably won't be doing that until after this summer.  With only 363 days remaining before we leave, I'm sure time will pass along very quickly.  Looking forward to seeing everyone on board.

Cruise Critic Recommendations

Several friends on the Cruise Critic World Cruise thread have recommended additional items to bring along.  The Cruise Maniac (David and Linda) suggest that you bring along a flashlight; small screw driver kit; stapler/staples; luggage scale--to weigh at end of cruise; clock with light; single dollar bills for tips; power converter kit, and extension cord.  We use our IPad with Dream Clock app to have a clock and night light at night.  It also serves as an alarm clock.

Another Cruise Critic member, ssbeagle suggests that you bring a laundry bag from the Dollar Store.

All of these are great ideas.  You just have to remember to not overpack and keep things as small and light as possible.

Happy Holidays

Why Magnets?

Many years ago we learned about the benefit of using magnets on our cruises.  They are a great way to make the most of  the limited space in your ship's stateroom.  We use them to hold maps on the wall; keep the Princess Patter available; hold clothes on hangers; hold excursion tickets, etc., etc....The walls of the stateroom are steel that are covered with a thin wall covering.  The magnets stick to these walls without any problem.  Here are some of the magnets we use when  traveling.

(To enlarge, CLICK on the photo)

The "Tiny Mighties" shown on the metal plate are some of the best we have ever found.  The measure only 0.125 inches in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser), but they are super strong.  You can purchase these in a 16 pack for around $10 on Amazon.  The larger magnets with the hooks are great for holding a jacket, lanyard, or something like a small camera.  They are about two inches in diameter and available on Amazon for about $4.95 for two.  Be sure that you get the ones described by users as strong or very strong.

On previous World Cruises we tried using the metal baskets held to the wall by magnets, but found them to be lacking in magnetic strength and not a good choice.

Two warning about magnets.  First, keep them away from your credit cards and sensitive electronic equipment.  This includes your Princess Cruise Card.  Also, be prepared to have TSA inspect your luggage or carry on bags that contain the magnets.  We have never lost any during inspection and TSA has always left a note in the luggage saying the bags had been inspected.

Surge Protection

One of the most important things we have learned over the years is you really need to protect items connected to the electrical system on a cruise ship.  Items such as camera chargers, laptops, tablets, readers, ipads/ipods, MP3 players, portable hard drives etc., need to be protected from high voltage power surges. We lost a laptop on our first World Cruise because of this and we were on another cruise when the Internet Cafe lost all of their PCs because of a massive power surge.  An easy and inexpensive way to protect your sensitive high tech items is by using a state-of-the-art surge protector.  When traveling, we always have our Belkin Mini Surge Protector with us.

(CLICK on photo to enlarge)

There are two models of this surge protector.  One rated at 5 watts and one at 10 watts.  Each unit has two USB charging outlets and three 120V outlets for charging.  Both are rated at 918 joules to help handle voltage fluctuations, energy spikes, and surges.  Its prong power rotates 360 degrees so it can fit into almost any location.  The best part is that one model is $10 and the other is $19.  Each are available locally or through companies like Amazon.