rnr4thatsme

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20 hours ago, jeffregpuck said:

I'm curious...is it 100% automatic now?  Or do you still have the option to decline the upgrade?  I'm considering bidding, but I'm afraid the new cabin will be under the buffet or the pool.  According to  the customer service reps, you can still decline the upgrade, but I just don't trust them!  I'd rather stay in my deluxe balcony than get a mini suite or even suite under the buffet!

You can no longer decline the upgrade...  that changed at the start of the month.  So before you bid, be sure you are ok with ANY room of that category.

So with Princess FCD, you get immediate OBC?   What happens if you don’t use the FCD and it gets refunded?

If I’m in club class, will I have the same waiter night?  I’d like to tip a bit extra if I get good service (which I anticipate I will) but I would be better off to tip each night then?  If I was to leave $10 a night like a restaurant on land?  Under a glass like I do on land?

Got my upgrade today!  33 days out on Discovery Princess 4 day repo - paid $175 cdn (each) for upgrade from BB balcony to club class mini suite.  Think that’s fair as I was going to pay that to move to deluxe balcony but decided to chance it instead with this bid.  Was automatically charged as I made the bid after March 1.  To note, per the barometer on the bidding site, my offer was on the high side of “weak” as bidding started at $150.  Full price to upgrade would have been around $400.  I know some have gotten free upgrades on our sailing, but I’m a bit fussy about location and M1 was the only category I was interested in - more midship.

10 hours ago, DUCHESSRN said:

Depends which ship you are on , we were just on Discovery and shops not great . Ruby Princess had much better shopping and sales.

What sorts of products did they have on Discovery?

17 hours ago, Solara said:

I checked.  Ours was changed too. Also, every time I tried to book entire voyage at the same time, and I went to confirm afterwards it confirmed but then changed it back to shared table so I had to do each day individually.  Sounds like a disaster. 

The same happened to me, though booking each day individually seemed to have worked... for now....   I'm a new Princess cruiser and am shocked at how glitchy the website is for such a large company.

1 minute ago, david63 said:

I suspect, and hope never to find out, that an emergency on any ship/cruise line would be total chaos not only with the passengers but with the crew not knowing what to do. It is all well and good having a physical muster drill but there are so many variables in a real situation that everything will be forgotten, or just not be practical.

 

This is all compounded by the size of the newer ships where it could take you anything up to 10 minutes, in normal conditions, to get to your cabin to retrieve whatever you are supposed to take with you.

Agreed, many people in a real emergency, panic and I doubt one in person drill would change that.

1 hour ago, wannagonow123 said:

I am probably the only person on this site that wishes they would bring the old way back. (Not where you stand outside sweltering, but in the meeting lounges). This new way does absolutely nothing to prepare you for an emergency. I understand it is a pain. However, if there was an emergency, I really do not want to be hindered , and create to the chaos because I am behind someone that was unpacking instead of watching an evacuation video. Yes, I watch the video every time because ech ship is different, and I want to know my responsibilities. 

 

Maybe require someone brand new to a cruise line be required to go to an in person muster. Each cruise line does things differently. Do I go to my stateroom and wait for directions like HAL, do I bring flotation devise from my room on RCI big ship vs small ship? Or is my muster station on my door really where I am supposed to go? (On my last Carnival Cruise, they changed where our station was for our room and failed to update the door instructions).

 

Call me a worrywart, but I believe in Better Safe than Sorry.

 

 

My only concern with the in-person drill is we were crammed into an indoor space, and it was sweltering, not enough chairs.  I felt like I would pass out.  Not to mention, I'm not super germ-wary but any airborne virus would have had a heyday in there.  I agree it's important to prepare everyone, but I wish there was some better method than in the person drill where you are either on deck, sweating, or crammed like sardines into a lounge, also standing and sweating.

7 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Thank you for the clarification.

 

Window Suites are nice but there are several issues:

 

1.  They are usually sold out as soon as the voyage opens.

2.  If you can still see availability, usually F301 (smallest/but still better than nothing).

3.  Window Suites costs about the same as a Club Class Mini without a balcony.

4.  If they book a WS, they will receive Suite perks, including Club Class dining.  If you want to dine with them, then you would also need to be in a CC mini or a Full Suite.

5.  Window Suites and Family Suites almost always have to be called in to "see" which cabins are available.  I don't understand why they have lumped WS into this grouping.  

 

Option:  Look into a Family Suite.

Disadvantages:

1.  Forward on ship

2.  One queen bed balcony room/1 interior room with twins and pullmans/1 sofa sleeper.  (sleeps 8). 

 

Advantages:

1.  Less than a full suite fare for all

2.  Everyone gets suite perks (specialty breakfast/CC dining)

 

If cost is a factor, then I would go with a mini for the family and for you:  interior/balcony

I don't know much about connecting cabins.

 

Other things to consider:

1.  Is pre-schooler still taking naps?

2.  Small enough to fit on an inflatable travel bed? (My 3 year old granddaughter is still sleeping on her crib size mattress)

 

 

 

Yes, I think for now a mini suite for the family of 3 especially as it includes the tub which might be better for the preschooler, and a balcony for my hubby and me would probably fit the bill the best.  As long as we are sort of close, I think that works - don’t have to necessarily connect.  
 

Thank you so much for your insight on the Window suites.  That’s probably why they are so hard to find on the website!

Sorry - it would be a total of 2 parents and a preschooler in the cabin.  My DH and I will have our own.

I’m thinking mini suite is the way to go… or window suite would work but for some reason the website won’t let me select that to try a mock booking to get a price.

1 minute ago, Potstech said:

The beds can be pushed together to make one large one.  Don't know if they will do that if using a third pull down bed.

Is it possible to get a cot if they do this?  Don’t really want a small child in a pull down bunk.

Hi there, considering bringing my daughter, her husband and their 4 year old on a cruise on the Caribbean Princess, but every room I search seems to have only twin beds as an option?  I understand a bunk drops from the ceiling for these rooms, but I don't think that will work for the 4 year old.  Do I need to search mini-suite or higher for a sofa that converts into a bed or does anyone have a suggestion?

58 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

the first day you are allowed - which I believe was 90 days before sailing

Ah, ok, the rules changed for bids made in February where the card is charged automatically, I believe.

8 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

We had a Balcony BE and the offer was $40pp or $80 total to get a Deluxe Balcony, I also bid for premium and mini suite, but those were not accepted. (my husband wanted a sofa in the room)

 

I received email this morning that the bid for the Deluxe was accepted and then had the great pleasure in dealing with customer service to get the $80 paid - even though the message says that it will automatically be billed to by credit card - NOT

 

Our cruise is 30 days out today.

When did you place the bid though?

I am sailing with my pregnant daughter on Princess this spring.  She will be 19 weeks, so definitely before the 24 week cut-off indicated by Princess, and we will definitely get the required doctor's note, but how does this work?  She is very tall and might not look all that pregnant at 19 weeks if she carries anything like I did, so they may not think to ask.  Will there be a box on some kind of check-in form?  I just booked this online, I don't have a PVP or TA.  I just want to make sure that we do everything we are supposed to.

1 hour ago, runner2013 said:

Personally, 

As long as I don't have to stand on deck with hundreds of other folks watching a crew member put his/her lifejacket on, I'm happy. 

Tv, phone, it's all good. I'll gladly stop by to have my medallion checked with a drink in my hand. 🥂

That's what I'm hoping, too!   On NCL Breakaway in January, we had to do an IN PERSON drill crammed into an indoor venue.  I was NOT happy.

On 3/14/2023 at 1:24 PM, mbglib said:

This is going to sound uninformed and it is.  I have never used oil and vinegar.  Do you just put some of each on your salad or mix it together first?  Thanks for educating me. 🙂

Either/or...  at home, I just add it separately to my salad and then mix it with the salad because I don't want to dirty another bowl, lol...  some people pre-mix it in jars.  Both work fine, I think.

How is Princess doing muster drills these days?   Back to in-person or check in at a station/watch the drill online?   We are sailing on the Discovery Princess at the end of April.  

I am going on the Discovery Princess and bid on M1 Reserve Club Minisuites and they are all midship, I believe.   You would have to go through each category you are interested in and see where the cabins are.  But I agree with the previous poster, I'd rather have a midship anything rather than a far forward or aft room if I was prone to seasickness.  You never know how the seas will be.

I loved the Breakaway, and would definitely choose her for another cruise.  We ate at O'Sheehan's, Moderno, the MDR and the buffet and all were quite good, IMO.  It was crowded around the pool deck, but not unlike other ships I have been on.  There did seem to be a reduction in the amount of staff - the room stewards seem to have more rooms and so I noticed the housekeeping wasn't as good as usual (had to request soap dispensers be refilled - which was done promptly but just something I noticed that if the steward wasn't as busy, he probably would have caught).  But overall, I greatly enjoyed the ship atmosphere and would not hesitate to sail her again.

Affogato though!   If that’s included - yummm

How difficult is the Skytrain to manage with luggage for an average person?

10 hours ago, RosieCanberra said:

We bid around $340 each to go from Balcony to Minisuite, and are unsuccessful. Coral Princess 6 March 2023. Missing out is a good thing because we assumed we could apply some FCC to it. 😀

 

 

Were you notified your bid was unsuccessful?  I’m just wondering how it works?