I suspect there is some legalize that allows for corrections of obvious fare errors.  

We shall see.  I put a deposit down as well, but do not think this will end up being the great deal that it appears.

Ya - I am seeing this anomaly as well, only for that one particular sailing.  Can't really sail then, but will maybe put a hold on it to see what happens, but I strongly suspect they will remedy this and refare any who have booked.

4 hours ago, Ombud said:

At some point we must all decide, individually and for ourselves, if this line is worth it for us. I ass-u-me it will continue to be worth it for those who drink alcohol & buy packages, but personally I'm glad I'm out of FCD. Almost every perk that meant something for me (wifi, coffee, loyalty OBC) is being eroded. Am I left with just free laundry? At what point do I acknowledge that the bean counters have won?? 

 

50 cruises on Princess, am I done?

I am going to let the dust settle on this issue and see if what we have heard bears out to be the truth.  The website does sound like a new coffee package is coming out, but it may well turn out to be true that you can no longer trade in the mini-bar for it and it will likely cost more than the previous package (it sounds like it will vary in price based upon cruise length, so we will have to compare apples with apples).

But I agree that the erosion of loyalty benefits does indeed factor into our loyalty.  We are not likely to bolt to another cruise line as likely most in our price range are doing similar things to turn a profit after such staggering loses, but we are considering alternative forms of vacation travel.  I am less and less tied to cruising.  Interested to see where things fall out.

5 hours ago, ldtr said:

Do not agree with your interpretation on exclusion item number 2.

 

The exclusion #2 simply says that it cannot be used for minibar or room service items (as in paying for one of those items), it says nothing about being able to swap the minibar for it under elite benefits..

I certainly hope you are correct.  I found that line confusing so I may well be wrong.

It will be based upon journey length (as indicated in the terms.  If it is more than $10 per day, I am most certainly out (and probably $7 per day will be iffy.  I buy it only for the specialty coffees, as I don't drink regular coffee.  And I usually drink one specialty drink per day (ok, on sea days it is sometimes 2).  So, I will make the decision based upon the cost.

It is also depressing that we are on the doorstep of reaching the elite captain's circle level and was looking forward to the coffee card substitution for the mini-bar, and now it looks like it will disappear just before we can taste it!

Under the old system, on a 14 day cruise the package worked well and cost somewhere in the $40 range.  Now, if it is say $10 per day, that would be $140 for a 14 day journey, and would be a hard pass for me.

This is most certainly a "New" New grounds coffee package - I am certain it will come with a "New" price!  I just hope it is not too much of a surprise that it turns me off from the package.

3 hours ago, ldtr said:

At this point you may be getting ahead of things.  As of this point no one has reported the inability of buying them on board or of Elites trading in their minibar for coffee cards.  At this point we do not know either the reason or the outcome of them being removed from pre-purchase options.  It could be as serious as them being removed entirely or it could be that they remain as an onboard option.

It seems some may have missed PacnGoNow's post (#48) and the link supplied. 

There is a "New"  New Grounds Coffee package being rolled out in the next few days or weeks.  Price has not been released, but it will vary depending upon journey length.  And it does say in the details that Mini-bar cannot be subbed for this package (at least that is how I read it).

See Exclusion #2 below:

Definitely allowed and possible.  Done it and it was a decent walk, but nothing overpowering.  And two other couples walked it as well as us (that we saw).

We did this.  From pier 21 to pier 2.  We walked it with our luggage, only to find out after the fact that there was a shuttle that goes from pier 21 to the parking garage beside pier 2.  There was no issue walking if you are able to port all your bags.  We pack light so it worked out fine.

Maybe tone it down a bit for a better response, or maybe at least change your online identity.  This comes on too strong to likely get the action or correction you are hoping for.

We are booked on the Royal for the Fall crossing this year, more because price was better than any particular ship choice.  We prefer the Royal but either would be acceptable.  We have never felt like the "floating mall" idea fit any Princess ship.  The buffet on Royal class ships far outstrips the equivalent on the Grand.  Both have Alfredos pizza (included) and similar dining choices.  The Atrium (Piazza) is a little bigger on Royal and we enjoy that aspect.  The Grand has a couple outdoor pools and an indoor one, whereas the Royal has fewer pools and all are outdoors, but that does not sound like an important consideration for you.

However, only the Grand has a wrap around walkable outside Promenade, so that might be more of a factor to you.  You can walk the top sports deck on Royal, but the track is shorter and uncovered, so hot during the direct sun of the afternoon.

We would enjoy either, hope you do too.

Don

another vote for anything - at least that is what our pvp said.

We sailed 3 times in 2021 and twice in 2022 and got rock bottom pricing (of course because COVID was keeping demand down) - best we have ever seen for deals.  Yes, it came with some travel risk, but great pricing for the consumer as the cruise industry was trying to show itself safe and viable to regain consumer confidence.  We also made our 2023 cruise reservations right away (3 cruises), and got decent pricing for which we are fully satisfied, (but not in the same bargain classification as the previous ones.)

But looking at 2024, the deals are over!  The cruise lines are out to recoup losses, and don't appear too motivated to offer cabins at bargain prices.  I can understand, but we loved those bargains!  Cost of travel is up all over - airlines, hotels, restaurants, admission tickets, ground transport... so options are all costly.

Bottom line is, that at this point, I don't really see anything that attracts us for 2024 cruises, so we will not book anything at this point.  Not ruling it out, but just not desperate to travel enough to pay the current asking price.  We'll watch the state of the economy over the next year and the state of the household finances before making plans.

I prefer the Royal class, but do not travel in mini-suites or suites so have no comment there.  The one thing that is a bit of a drawback to the Royal class is that on Lido deck, where everyone likes to look out as we approach and depart ports or do scenic cruising, most of the observation space is covered by glass, making it not a 100% clear view.  There are a few spaces where you can see out without a high glass barrier, like over top the sea walk and up on the walking track above, but they can get crowded.

Been there, done that.  There was a day when EZ air was a great way to book and hold your reservations without locking them in until 45 days prior.  But when a similar thing happened to me, I decided to go back to buying my air upfront from an online 3rd party.  That way, last year, when my flights were cancelled several times over the course of a few months, the airline simply moved us over to other acceptable flights at no charge.  Worked out fine.

Turbulent times for travel industry.  

1 hour ago, crimsonbird said:

As elite plus we won't be sailing princess again for a long time.  We relaxed, enjoyed being on the ocean...but we can do that on other lines.  Oh...and then we got Covid.  Not good.  

What is elite plus?  Is there a tier above elite?

Yes, enough time, and you don't have to pre-pass customs in SEA, as you will do so in Vancouver, so no delay there.

They say - canned - not plastic bottles, and max is supposed to be 12 per person (a case of soda or similar), and it has to be in your carryon or in your hand (so to speak).  We brought on 2 12 packs in Nov at Pt Everglades, we just carried them in our hands, and had no problem.

Good review.  Thx.

Yes.  2018.  Not a problem then.  But no fishing from the ship.

The title of the BSE sale says:

BSE does not include 2024 cruises, so nothing here for me.

I had similar experience as OP last year, lost $70.  Didn't fight it.  This our latest cruise last month, we had 2 excursions cancelled near the end of the cruise and didn't spend the OBC that had been earmarked for them and credited back.  According to the summary, hopeful to get $350 back (balance was $351), but only my account ever has the refundable OBC ($350 max) and DW's side only has non-refundable OBC on it, so I hope we don't lose out again.  The summary "appears" to indicate we will receive $350 back.  Will see when it arrives.

Don

Yes we did and it was a great day.  They do give you maps and draw your route on it for you before you take off, and highlight places you may wish to stop at.  We still made one wrong turn but the island is small and most roads get you back to where you need to be so we eventually got back on track.  We did the south route in the morning, stopped several times to snorkel, stopped at the slave huts, the flamingoes in the salt flats, the salt mine (which by the way,  If you like to snorkel, we snorkeled with turtles right beside the large pier for the salt mine.  No cost for that and beautiful water, no crowds.)  We finished with a few quick stops along the rugged coast of the windward side. 

We parked near the cruise port and went back on board for some lunch and a quick refresh and then did the north loop in the afternoon.  They will tell you there is a place to turn around before you hit the 1 way road if you don't want to do the entire loop, but we went all the way around.  Stopped a few times (1000 steps is a beautiful beach area we would like to return to).  We even went off the designated road up to a lookout that was very scenic.  Made it back in plenty of time to return the cart and get back on board about an hour before all aboard.

Overall, I highly recommend this activity.  And they definitely sell out so reserve early.

Oh - and they do have some 4 person carts but we rented a 2 person cart.  There were no extra costs.

Don

You might find they convert your gift cards at a proper exchange rate.  I have no knowledge there, but as I recall, there were a few exceptions to the 1 for 1 transfers.  Yours sounds like it might be one of them.