Cruzer1001

All during the Covid “lull” in cruise travel I would get autogenerated messages from my assigned CVP. A couple months ago, during the $2 deposit promo we found a cruise we liked, paid our $4 and then I called Mr CVP a few times and then left a message requesting a callback. Never heard back so I called in to Princess since the price dropped about 30%. First person said there was nothing to be done and I needed to pay the original price, but the second rebooked us and saved us about $1,800! Guess who I’ll call next time.

Princess’ online site is a disaster and a real time waster. I changed passwords a few times and signed in at least twenty times. Just wanted to book a Transatlantic going via Iceland but it kept kicking me off and requiring a restart. Tried numerous times over about six hours and it kept getting slightly better until finally it let me book, but the funny thing it it wouldn’t accept my $2.00 deposit so I now have to go back in and pay them my deuce! One of the most annoying stunts was it kept requesting my cell number, forced it into a (000) 000-0000 format and then would reject it because it would only accept numbers!

I have to admit that during my waiting on the Princess site I was looking at both Celebrity and Windstar.

Sorry, but forgot to mention we’re Platinum but no idea if that counted for anything.

Good luck figuring this out. Princess has no idea what its own prices are. Keep contacting them until you get an answer you like. We are finishing 47 days on the Ruby and apparently there was a secret, pre-departure “special” which was good but I was and still am unable to find out what it was. Online there were packages offered indicating percentage discounts but the numbers were all screwed up and made no sense. Each agent at Princess had a different version of what the internet costs. Got on-board in Vancouver and immediately paid $150 for unlimited one device for our 47 day B2B2B cruise. I have no idea why princess insists on making their internet service so mysterious and difficult.

I’m curious about a different but related issue.

Does anyone know why Princess penalizes you for booking long cruises? We ran into this earlier this year when our 49-day South America cruise needed to be broken into two shorter crises but now we have booked, directly with Princess, a 53-day cruise which has been structured to prevent that from being done. If you take the cruise out of Vancouver and get off in Shanghai you get free gratuities, upgrade possibilities on-board credit and can use Future Cruise Credits. Stay on the same ship and get off in Singapore and you get nothing, which means you get to pay $2.5K in gratuities and receive zilch OBC. Is this something cruise lines do to punish customers on long cruises or is it just a Princess thing. While I believe tipping is an archaic practice I participate in the practice because it is a cruising norm in our part of the world. I don’t like the idea that I am singled out because I am a good customer to be excluded from the booking benefits offered to everyone else in their thrice-weekly sales promotions.

Their ads and their website says everyone benefits, just apparently not people who take their long cruises.

Our experience with being in a CC MS was a matter of loving the mini-suite (L107 on the Regal) due to the layout and location. It wraps the front corner of the ship, has a split layout with two "rooms" and a separating curtain and has an oversized balcony area you could put twenty people on. The CC dining was flawless for us in terms of execution. We never waited more than maybe two minutes to be seated, the staff knew us by name and knew our preferences and the food was excellent. The only negative (for us) might be considered a positive by some, but we were never seated with other diners; always at a table for two. We chatted with tables around us but by its nature we weren't seated with the same people because we were anytime diners.

Our last cruise around South America on the Royal we were late MDR diners and had a table for eight which changed twice during the cruise due to people on different legs. We enjoyed the four "pairs" and getting to know some people a little better. Breakfasts and lunches were with different groups every day and that gave us the variety.

Not sure if the CC dining was "worth it" but it came with the MS we wanted and we have no regrets about the bit extra it cost because the room was what we wanted.

We spent 25 days in L107 from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen on the Regal this spring by choice. Our first Princess cruise and our stateroom was one of the best things about our cruise. Spacious with lots of windows and walk-around space. No noise from upstairs (fitness area) and for our travel our balcony was huge and faced the views every time. High up views. Accessible 24/7 and a great ride. We had people from full suites visit during the cabin crawl and they envied the layout. My only issue is a room of this caliber should not have a shower curtain.

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We booked the full 49 days as a B2B (Fort Lauderdale to Santiago and Santiago to Los Angeles). We were going to wait until 2020 but now that the schedules are out we see that Princess is running “lesser” ships than the Royal in the future on longer, much more expensive trips that return to Florida rather than finish in California.

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25 days on the Regal Princess in a Club Class mini suite and we ate three meals per day in the CC dining room (except for two Crown Grill and one Crab Shack nights). Not only did we never get a pager, we never saw anyone get one or even know they existed on board. Never waited more than 90 seconds, enjoyed our “usual” servers and superb attention and service. Never rushed and never too “busy” for us.

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We were Club Class on the Regal for 25 days Transatlantic/Baltic this spring in a mini suite and yes there was a thick drape we could pull across the entrance to the bed area. We had all three meals almost every day in the CC dining room which is a distinct, separate area, and never waited more than 20 seconds to be seated. Two Crown Grill and 1 Crab Shack nights and we enjoyed it all. As a couple we were seated at tables for two every meal but we met many very nice folks seated around us.

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Those of you booked on this are lucky. The Royal has been removed from South America for 2020 and replaced by the Island & Coral Princesses. The around South America trip has been extended to 58 days, deletes California and returns to Florida for a lot more money.

We were looking to book the Royal’s 2020 South America trip but now we are looking at other lines.

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It seems that Princess has decided to put the Island & Coral Princesses on South America, extend the round South America trip, delete California making it return to Fort Lauderdale and explode the pricing.

Guess that will work for some, but not us.

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When we were on the Regal they were only selling Guarantees, so no choice left and we were looking for a particular mini-suite and they were gone. If the Royal is sailing out of San Pedro then it would seem they are discontinuing her South American service.

Too bad; we were interested in that 49-day run. Maybe it was too popular.

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Anyone booked on the Royal for 2020? Is it going back to South America? Last month, onboard the Regal, we wanted to book South America for 2019 but was shown the ship is already booked. They said the 2020 schedule would be out in “a week or so”. South America is there for 2020 but no Royal.

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I don't know how this piece of misinformation keeps coming up regarding the balcony usage. We've been in M108 with the mega balcony and loved it. There is no lock on the door to the balcony and you can go out there any time that you like, regardless of sea day or port day. There are no instructions at all from Princess regarding the balcony usage.

 

On sea days when the vessel is clipping along and/or when there is a wind, it is quite uncomfortable out there and you won't stay out there long. I would only purchase this room again if it were a port intensive cruise.

Here is a picture I took, from the L107 balcony, as the Regal passed under the bridge between 10:30 and 11:00 at night.

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They also have onboard coupon booklets that may have a coupon for B1G1 in a specialty restaurant good only for the first evening.

Princess is quite aware that most people aren’t looking for specialty dining on departure night and those that are will not be able to get a reservation before 8:30 pm (I called at 9:05 am on departure day and the Crown Grill had nothing before 8:30 pm for the entire cruise). It looks like the suite dwellers have all the slots but since it is free to them they just no-show which leaves the place quite empty most nights. Just go in and see if they can accommodate you. We did and got in at 8:00 pm.

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I am trying to book sterling steakhouse on the first cruise night I am going on 21/4/2018 on Sea Princess and I cant find where to do it can any one help?

We are onboard the Regal having cruised from Fort Lauderdale and now departing Copenhagen. Crown Grill has been unavailable for any evening before 8:30 pm and unavailable for any dates beyond the Copenhagen departure until today. We are supposed to have some sort of “priority speciality dining status”, whatever that means. Phoned at about 9:05 am and was told we could not get a reservation before 8:00 pm.

I have heard that departure nights are reserved for suite dwellers. That seems to be true.

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Can you tell me if you can still use your balcony during sea days? Princess is saying you can't and I'm pretty sure that's wrong, right?

 

 

 

OP - Go for L-107, L-108 or M-107 and M-108.

We received zero instructions, warnings or restrictions regarding the use of our L107 balcony. I have gone out to enjoy the late night several times during our cruise and while it can be windy it is what I would expect standing outside on a moving vehicle!

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We are onboard the Regal right now and since departure there have been zero nights where I could make a reservation for a time before 8:30 pm. We have walked in once and were seated at 8:00 pm.

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We are on the Regal right now in L107, a “Club Class” mini suite. We have viewed everything up to Penthouse Suites and have seen nothing we like more. Highest deck, oversized balcony wrapping around and quiet. Best floor plan on the ship. If we come back it will be L107 or L108 depending on itinerary.

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We are aboard the Regal enroute Copenhagen and the Royal’s 2019 South American trip is pretty much gone. At the moment there is hardly anything left whatsoever, but that will probably loosen up once it comes time to pony up some real money. People have three or four cruises “on hold” with $100 refundable deposits keeping their options open and the rest of us’s options closed.

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Brought three cases of Aqua Fina onto the Regal Princess for our Transatlantic. Princess is not as “money grubbing” as Celebrity who feels they are supposed to make $1.00 for each bottle of water.

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We were just on Wind Surf for 14 days and only ate in the main dining room 3 times. They kept asking us if we would like to go to Stella or Candles again, and we did until we worked through the menu.

 

Delicious.

 

 

 

Also of course there were 2 superb deck barbecues with the best lobster I can remember and one under the stars dinner.

You’re making me jealous! We were in the Surf last year on our way to Venice (from Rome) and they had the best Bar-B-Q food we have ever had on land or sea. No issues with multiple dinners at Candles either. Sailing to Europe with Princess this year but plan on more Wind Star next year.

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The dang engineer is coming out in me here. 2 flats at 40 each is only 1.5 bottles per day! LOL:eek:

 

 

 

Water on board the Princess ships is good and we refill bottles to take on tours. Also bring Nalgenes for in the room. I think 24 to 40 to start and 12 later should do it along with the Gatorade.

40 bottles x 2 = 80 bottles

80 bottles / 25 days = 3.2 bottles per day

Sorry, not an engineer.

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To get the water at that price it does need to be done before sailing. I usually throw a hand full of waters into our bag, but for an upcoming 60 night, ordering water ahead and then postponing delivery for a month might be an option.

 

Thanks for the info on Gatorade. Thinking of buying a case when next on sale for this trip. Driving to the port so we can bring an extra suitcase or two with the waters and Gatorade.

Costco & Sam’s have 40-bottle flats of Aquafina and the like. I have a duffle bag holds 2+ flats. Tag it and it goes to my room. 3-4 bottles per day.

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