Mud_Shark

For me, to be honest, the difference is all about Movies Under the Stars. Oh, we love the destinations and the dining and the shows, but the difference is MUTS.

Lying out under the Caribbean evening sky with it's lingering warmth, but still tucked under a blanket or two if preferred. Watching either a movie, or for me, even better, Monday, Thursday or Sunday night Football. You are never more than about 40 meters from the pizza stand, burger and dog stand, or ice cream stand. Plus popcorn is being handed out. It is just a great way to cap off a wonderful day. You can also head into the hot tubs if you care to and keep watching the movie.

Oh - and International Café, with all their goodies - is another fantastic plus. I usually have a pistachio pudding and a custard fruit cup to cap off the night.

And then I get home and have to lose 10 pounds.

Don

So it sounds like there is no Alfredos at all on the Caribbean Princess? That's our next ship and if so, we will miss it. We enjoyed it on our first two cruises, in fact we had embarkation lunch at Alfredos both times. The first time, we were the only ones there while the Horizon Court was all lined up out the doors. We wondered if they were even open, but they jumped to serve us.

Don

Don't know about any recent changes, but we brought a 24 pack of Gatorade on to our first cruise in 2014. It was packed in a suitcase along with a case of Ginger Ale. No Problem

And in September of 215 we brought several 6 packs of Gatorade on at various stops along the way on our cruise - never a question.

Don

Here's my take, for what it's worth:

As people age, their focus for cruising changes. We are 53 and really still cruise for the destinations (but we are fairly new to cruising). A few at sea days on either end is fine, and we do enjoy the shows, entertainers, promenade deck, dining, and MUTS, but the real thrill are the days in various new and exciting destinations. Oh, and did I mention I love all the goodies at the International Café.

It seems as people age, maybe the destinations hold less appeal and the relaxing nature of ship life (combined with pampering and good food) becomes the main draw.

Our first cruise was the 15 day to Hawaii simply because there was no need to fly to the ship. We loved the 4 days in Hawaii. The 5 days out were fine, but on the 6 days back we started getting a little restless.

We prefer the Caribbean now because there are more port days per length of cruise. One day, we may transition to appreciate the at sea days more and then gravitate back to a Hawaii cruise.

Don

keep on grumping!

Although we are married and enjoy cruising as a couple, we still see this practice against single cruisers as completely unfair.

Grump grump grump on!

Don and Allison

This is a little different, but we too are budget travellers and just choked at the price of Fort Lauderdale hotels. Might not be what you are after, but maybe think outside the box.

We wanted to fly in a few days early for our Fall cruise and maybe enjoy the beach or some local touristy things.

When I looked at booking a beachside hotel for a few nights - it was totally beyond my budget plans - so here is what we did instead.

We booked a one way airfare into Orlando instead of Fort Lauderdale, and a return flight out of Fort Lauderdale for the end of our cruise. We then booked 4 nights in Orlando on I Drive at a reasonably comfortable hotel we have stayed at and enjoyed in the past (close to $50 per night). We also booked the 5 event explorer pass (choose 5 local attractions for $95 - and includes the I drive trolley for 3 days) and length of stay Wet And Wild tickets ($47 each after tax). We then booked a shuttle to pick us up from our hotel in Orlando on the day of the cruise and drop us off right at the cruise port. the cost is $65 per person (and you arrive by 10:30am or 11:30 am - your choice). You could rent a car and drive yourself for a little less, but this way we don't have to worry about driving.

All of this comes in far cheaper than 3 nights in even a "reasonable" beachfront Fort Lauderdale hotel. In fact we are paying about $600 for the motel, entertainment, and shuttle to the port and that's for four nights.

As far as the two One way fares - Vancouver to Orlando and then Ft Lauderdale to Vancouver - it came in cheaper than a round trip Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale ($152 US one way to Orlando. $193 US One way from Ft Lauderdale to home in Vancouver. Round trip to Ft Lauderdale is $397 US for the flights that work for us. It's about $50 per ticket cheaper our way - but hey - it matters to me :o.)

I am very happy with our plans. A little Orlando fun and then a 14 day Caribbean cruise, and still on budget.

Don

As frugal travellers, we are inside people, but I would take the window over a bit of extra space. Some obscured oceanviews actually provide quite a nice view.

Don

2 Canucks -- Good idea. I will see if I can draw it out in cash as we go along. $200 a day for a few days.

Steelers - I got nothing in writing. At least the paperwork on the original e gift card says it never expires, so if I do get snookered trying to take it out, as you mentioned, I could always make a booking in USD some future time.

With the Oil prices tanking however, exchange rates may make it unappealing to take a cruise for a while. We will do this November cruise we will probably stay in Canada in 2017. Lots of local places we need to revisit, and some fish are calling for me to catch them.

Don

Don't wish to rebook. We are locked in at 1.35 for exchange rate, but the current actual exchange rate is 1.42 - so we would have to pay the balance of the cruise fare at a higher exchange - and that would cost me an extra $350.

I will leave it as is.

Don

Thanks for the reply. Your answer was pretty accurate.

I called back to Princess and got referred up the chain to a customer satisfaction rep, who read carefully the Princess gift card legal terms.

She then said she completely agreed with me - The legal terms say that these gift cards, though in US funds, can be applied to ANY Princess Cruise.

Unfortunately, she then said that she is in place to enforce Princess Policy and Princess Policy is that Canadian Accounts cannot have US gift cards applied to them.

She apologized that their legal terms did not reflect this limitation, but that she could do nothing about it other than investigate if I could get a refund for my original gift card purchase. The bonus card, that expires in February, she kindly turned into immediate OBC and applied to our November Cruise, since we would not be able to use it before the time limit with the restriction against applying it to Canadian accounts.

In the end we decided the best course of action was simply to load the $1000 as OBC when we board, and then cash it out when we finish the cruise if we have not spent it (which we will likely not).

She also said she would inform her supervisors to address the misleading legal policy as it does not reflect their actual policy with respect to gift cards.

Lesson learned. Don't go after the gift card incentive campaigns.

Don

Perhaps there are others in my position.

Back in late November Princess offered an incentive. Purchase $1000 in gift cards and Princess will give you a bonus $50 gift card that must be used by the end of Feb 2016.

Well, I did that, and I was charged the equivalent of $1000 US for the gift card (my credit card was charged $1375.00)

I called today to have the balance of both cards applied to my November booking. I was told, "I'm sorry, you can't apply those cards to this booking. Your booking is in Canadian. These cards are in us funds. You may only use these cards onboard."

Well first- the $50 one will expire before I ever get onboard.

Second - We have plenty of OBC already - I don't want more - I want to pay down a portion of our cruise with this.

has anyone else experienced this? Could you solve it?

The gift cards themselves say that if you booked directly online with Princess.com, you can enter the gift card number in your cruise personalizer. I did book directly online - but I cannot figure out how to apply the gift card numbers anywhere in the cruise personalizer.

Looking for help on what to do.

Thanks

Don

We loved the Royal 10 day Eastern trip we took in October.

But we try to only use stairs. If we were in a situation where we needed to take the elevator, I could see some frustration building at the busy times.

We only had a few scooters on board. I could understand if there were plenty of "new" drivers on board how things could get a little "edgy". We had a lady back home in our church that was a menace on a scooter. She would bump into people in the supermarket and not even acknowledge it. I think she was completely unaware. If you get a few of those types, tensions could rise.

We still had the old MDR menu and enjoyed it. There have been multiple poor reviews of the new Curtiss stone dishes, so that part does scare me a little. But we shall have to see for ourselves. We usually order off the main dishes for the night anyway.

But we just loved the itinerary. All the islands were great - beaches, snorkeling, catamaran trips, zip-lining, stingray city - we had just the most wonderful time. It motivated us to go again in Fall of 2016 (going to different islands this time, but would not hesitate to repeat the same itinerary in a few years)

And we loved the entertainment options.

Oh yeah - and we loved the weather! Just beautiful to be out on deck. Yes, we miss the promenade deck, but we got used to the walking track for our exercise, and there are places on it to move off to the side and just watch life go by. :)

Until we get bored of the Caribbean, that has become our primary zone of interest for cruising. We are not big on bus tours and the like, so the Caribbean is the ideal for us. And Princess does it well - at least so far.

Don

Yes to Key West and Yes to Bermuda too!

Don

Also interested in anyone's opinion who has been on either of these. We are taking the CB in November 2016 and have already eyed these two choices. The picture alone attracted me to the Caye, but would like some thoughts by any who have done them.

Don

We took a September cruise also at the 10% rate.

I had loaded enough OBC by pre-paying at the 10% rate to cover our gratuities, excursions, and some miscellaneous onboard expenses. When one of our port stops was cancelled (tender port) (cancelling our excursion), we ended up with almost $200 in unused OBC remaining. They told me at the desk that it would be refunded to my credit card, but about 3 weeks later we received a check in the mail in US funds. When I took it to our bank - of course their rate of exchange is not very favourable, but I still got 1.31 on the dollar - much better than the 1.10 on the dollar I paid - so I thought it was better than just getting my 1.10 on the dollar refunded to me on my credit card.

Don

We aren't that experienced of cruisers, but this is our general rule:

We found out right away that for sight seeing excursions, avoid the ship excursion. At every stop you spend 5 to 10 minutes on the bus while they do a head count and find one family still missing.

For Catamaran, snorkeling, kayaking, or "thrill" type excursions (like zip lining etc), we tend to stick with the ship excursions. Though they may be a bigger group - there is generally only one stop, and so little waiting. Plus, with a Catamaran or similar boat excursion, you have just a little more security of mind if you encounter contrary weather that slows you down or a breakdown. Finally, If there is an injury on a more "exotic" excursion, at least you can work through the ship if there is any liability issue. These are unlikely scenarios, but if peace of mind is valuable to you, then you may well think along similar lines to us.

If we are simply heading to the beach - we do it ourselves (usually cab, but have done local bus as well.)

Don

We are also new to Royal, after cruising twice on Princess (not unhappy, just exploring new things). In fact we are sailing again on princess in November next year.

But we are considering a 12 day on Anthem of the Seas, and so read this thread with interest. There are several added amusements on Anthem, including the I Fly, bumper cars, and that big crane arm thingy. Do all of these (and maybe other things I am not aware of) come with a price to ride?

Thanks

Don

On the Royal in October (Port Everglades), we had a late afternoon flight home, so we asked for the last disembarkation grouping. We were given a time of 11:10am.

We were out of the room before 8am, ate, and then just hung out by the pool playing cards and reading. Time moved very slowly. Think we will get off sooner next time, even with a later flight.

Don

If you booked after October 3rd, the current rate for all transactions pre-cruise is 1.35 (which is slightly worse than the official exchange rate but about the same as you would get through your bank.

Used to be great exchange, but now, no savings.

Don

When we were on the Royal in September, we had a card in the room when we arrived that said we had the free specialty dining, but it did not specify the venue date or time. We called late in the day on day 2, and they told us - "you pick the venue and the day", so we asked for the crown grill for the next evening and they told us "no problem". Wow - what a good dinner.

Don

We Just did the Eastern and loved it. We are mid fifties, and are more into beaches and snorkeling over bus tours and sightseeing.

Antigua - went to Stingray city and thought it was great.

St Lucia - Did the Tree Top Adventure Zip Line - was good fun. (be in good health for this - sometimes you come in a bit "hot" and have to bounce off trees with your legs to stop)

Barbados - We just headed on our own over to Carlisle Bay, rented a couple chairs, and snorkeled right out to the sea turtles. They are only about 100 yards off shore. Very easy snorkel for an average swimmer. Just loved this beach. Pure white sand, clear blue water. You can see down 50 feet in the water.

St Kitts - Took a taxi to Shipwreck beach bar and loved it (on South Friars beach). Water clarity is not as sharp as Barbados, but you feel like you are on Gilligan's island. No charge for chair and umbrella use. Black volcanic sand, snorkeling is right off the beach with many fish present. Place has a rustic look about it that just feels good. Your chair is literally 1 foot from the water's edge. Saw multiple mongoose and green monkeys as they come down mid-afternoon (the bar leaves some food out for them).

St Thomas - Took a catamaran snorkel trip out to Buck island to see the sea turtles and a shipwreck. Was a good excursion.

Princess Cays - Missed the stop due to the approach of Hurricane Joaquin.

We have not yet done the Southern, but plan to when the Canadian exchange rate improves. Sounds like it should be just as good.

Don and Allison

Hmm... Was looking at a Caribbean cruise for Nov 2016. Yesterday, all the cruise prices listed ended in .70 (indicating a basic 30% difference on the Canadian dollar.)

Today, went back to place a reservation on the cruise, and the price has gone up. I now see the price ending in .65 for all cruises.

Did Princess just up the exchange rate to 35% today? I did not book. I think we are going to stay home and travel within Canada for our vacation next year.

Don

Our 18U Baseball team stayed at the international Palms Cocoa beach for 8 days in March 2015.

The location is fantastic. We would return from ball and be on the beach right after changing. The pool is big, there is a big nice hot tub, plus a kiddie pool. There is a basketball court, volleyball court , tennis court, and various other outside games (equipment can be signed out for no charge).

The motel rooms themselves are mostly outside walkways and stairways, and, for the most part, "Motel 6" type equivalent interiors. If you are looking for a great location for a good value, and don't need plush surroundings, this is a good spot for you. I would return in a heartbeat. In fact, our team is looking to return for spring break 2016.

Don

Adventure Man.

They definitely pegged me right.

Don

I am with the OP on this one. It doesn't matter if they spent $5000 on the cruise, and are only dealing with a $120 issue. We simply do not like to get "taken" by the system when it is not functioning as it should. Things cost enough. No need to throw away money.

It's very easy and tempting to get "heated" when we don't hear the answers we think we should hear. Be persistent, but not aggressive. Don't give up on this, but don't let it wreck the rest of the vacation. Sit back, breathe, relax, and think - eventually this will get resolved, no need to stress over it. It may take a while, but a few well worded and polite letters to Princess will rectify this. There will be peace on this issue, so calm yourself with that confidence.

It's great that you recorded the conversations. With the proliferation of cell phones catching random video clips like crazy these days, it is so easy to now collect such data. Save it. Let Princess know you have it. If they request it, then you can have them seek out the permission for you to forward it to them.

So, keep going to attempt to right this wrong, but stay calm, relaxed, and don't let it eat you up. Understand that eventually you will talk to someone reasonable and rational, that understands and is compassionate towards your situation if you remain disarming and approachable yourself.

All the best with this.

Don