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bubbaed

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Everything posted by bubbaed

  1. It is absolutely possible. Type logout.com or login.com on the device's browser when connected to ship's Wifi to access the associated login/logout pages. Once you enter your credentials (DOB and stateroom number) you will have the option to connect the new device to the Internet, and the previous one will go offline. You can switch back and forth as often as you need to over the duration of the cruise. It's also worth noting that you can still use the Princess app to order drinks, check the schedule, find your travel companions, etc. even if a device is not connected to the Internet - it only needs to be connected to ship's WiFi for the on-ship functions to work. This is handy if you want to use a laptop to check email, browse the Internet, stream shows, etc. but still want to use your phone to order cocktails.
  2. Maybe not "rocket science" because true, the math is simple to calculate (once you understand the policy) but according to your own recent post on another thread in this forum, you're the first to admit that O's policies can be "quite confusing." Exactly my point. I'm bringing this up as a PSA to those navigating the particulars of O's pricing. This is not a knock on the actual cruise experience (seeing as I've not cruised O yet...) but many of us who are growing exasperated with the "mainstream" lines and looking toward the "premium" lines need to learn the ins and outs of pricing policies, particularly due to the premium pricing. When stepping up from mainstream lines, it's even more important to clearly understand how much it's going to cost, and what options we have. I hope the "new" O Life options we're hearing rumors about makes things easier to compare packages, inclusions, etc. It will only help O gain more cheerleaders. Happy cruising!
  3. Thank you, everyone, for your very insightful posts. I'm learning a lot! 😀 For comparison: In addition to trying O for the first time later this year, I also booked (my first) Viking Ocean cruise this year and I originally opted out of the "free airfare & transfer" promo since I usually prefer to book these my own. However, I subsequently realized that V does not give an "airfare credit" if you decline the promotion so I cancelled and re-booked the cruise with r/t air & transfers included - for the exact same price. To this day, the cabin category I booked is still the same price, but they now charge extra for airfare on new bookings. In this instance, I truly believe this qualifies as "free" airfare. So kudos to Viking for that. Having gone through the process to book both O and V for the first time this year, I find V's pricing to be much more straightforward. I guess that's the Scandinavian model. The score 0-1 to V on this one 😉 For some background: the pricing model I'm used to is Princess. The cruise fare is the cruise fare, and the port taxes/fees are clearly disclosed so that's easy to figure out. Some fares include OBC, or other perks based on the "sale" du jour, but it's bundled into the advertised fare. Then I do the math and based on how much we drink, the gratuities, and the WiFi - the Princess Plus package ($60/day) makes sense for us. If I (rarely) book airfare using Princess EasyAir, it's a separate charge, clearly displayed when booking flights via Princess' site, and I get to choose my preferred dates, airline, flights, etc. The cost varies based on my selection, just like booking on any other travel site, but Princess handles the logistics in the event of delays/cancellation, etc. I can also book transfers through Princess even if I book flights on my own. When it makes sense, this is a very convenient system. As many on this thread have pointed out, all cruise lines have their "system" - I just prefer ones that are clear to understand and give me choice in how, and what, to pay for. Happy cruising!
  4. Well, the confusing pricing saga continues... I'm booked on a 17-day (which is essentially a 10+7 B2B) on Vista this December. With the arrival of the 4 category upgrade sale a few days ago, I enquired with my TA about the possibility of upgrading from my standard veranda to a concierge veranda on this trip. I was told it was not offered on this (17-day) sailing. BUT I check O's web site and the individual 10- and 7-day sailings were part of the promotion. So I asked my TA if it made sense to swap the B2B for individual 10- and 7-day sequential bookings rather than the 17-day combo. And it worked! For very little money (under $300 total for both pax) I could, in fact, upgrade both cruises from standard to concierge veranda. The only caveat is that it's GTY and we may need to switch cabins on turn around day. I'm waiting for confirmation on that point, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. I'm sure I'll get used to navigating the world of O pricing. But just like anything new, it takes some getting used to. 😜
  5. Thanks, all, for the clarification. @1985rz1 I fully realize that O Life is not free. But as @AMHuntFerry graciously informed me, the "cruise only" fare is, in fact, available - just not when booking online. This is new, but helpful information. The misleading part (IMHO) is that Oceania promotes the "cruise only" fare online, but then does not let you actually book it online. I can navigate this in the future, it's just not very clear at first (for an O newbie.) FWIW, my next (and first) O cruise is booked via an experienced TA. I will know next time to ask for the "cruise only" fare if I want it. In this case, however, the OBC will certainly be spent so I'm not worried about the price. I did book air on my own, which was less expensive than O's price, so my fare included the air credit (discount) and I can fly my preferred airline at my preferred times/days. So all good! This is why we ask the questions... for (mostly) helpful answers from the CC community. Happy cruising, all!
  6. I'm new to O and wonder if this is standard practice for them. They advertise "teaser" fares that "reflect promotional pricing" but in fact, those prices just reflect any OBC that comes with the real (higher) fare. Example: When viewing a cruise from the "See Pricing & Availability" link a B4 Veranda for a 10-day on Vista shows $2,499 - not a bad deal! However, when you click through and start to actually book: Now the same B4 Veranda shows $2,799. An increase of $300, which is the same amount as the OBC amenity that comes with the fare. I find it misleading to tease a "promotional" fare that is actually the "real" fare minus the included OBC. This basically means that the OBC is not a bonus - we actually just pay for it upfront. 🙄 This is not going to prevent me from booking cruises, but still... this feels a tiny bit shady on O's part. Happy cruising!
  7. Thanks for sharing. That list looks suspiciously like the one on Princess... At least the express shave is more "reasonably" priced at $59. Haha!
  8. We will be on Vista this December when she is sailing out of Miami; this will be our first O cruise! We are elite level on Princess and very much looking forward to the experience on O's newest ship. From what I can see so far, we're in for a treat. If anyone is sailing Vista now, or in the near future, I humbly request your assistance: I would like to see a price list from the spa, including the price of passes to the Aquamar Spa Terrace. Also - is access to the steam/sauna in the spa shown on the deck plan included for all pax, or does one need to pay to access these? I've noticed that ALL cruise ship spa pricing is through the roof lately, and wondering how O compares. I know pricing can fluctuate (sometimes on a weekly basis, it seems) but it would be nice to see a baseline for comparison. On our last Princess cruise (Sapphire in Alaska, May 2023) we were shocked at the spa prices. Example: basic 50-minute massages started at $200, and that's before the 18% automatic gratuity gets added. Basic men's haircut was $60, also before auto 18%. Express men's shave (30-min) was $80 +18%. Naturally, we were not shocked that the spa was virtually empty the entire cruise (seems we're not the only ones who balked at the ridiculous pricing 🙄.) Spa treatments are a luxury, yes, but we don't like being ripped off. Hopefully O can do better. Any insight is appreciated. TIA
  9. I recently discovered the "Chi Chi" which is basically a Pina Colada with vodka instead of rum. To me, this has a lighter taste and while I like the tropical flavors in the Pina Colada, I'm not a rum fan. I did a customization on my last Princess cruise - at the bars that have it, ask the bartender to make a Chi Chi with the Grey Goose White Peach & Rosemary Essence vodka. It adds a subtle, but lovely peach flavor. I call it the "Peachy Chi Chi!" Makes me smile every time I say it. Enjoy!
  10. And for some reason, the media likes to point out the PRINCESS ships that have "outbreaks"... as if the same thing isn't happening on other ships around the world.
  11. Can you verify whether the free sauna & steam are still available in the locker rooms? Guests on the Emerald have confirmed their removal and I'm wondering if this is happening to all ships in this class.
  12. Emerald Princess deck plans on Princess.com currently show steam and sauna in changing rooms. Can your contact verify?
  13. The Lotus pool (forward, by spa) on Ruby, Caribbean, Crown, Sapphire, in my past experience, has always been heated - sometimes so much so that steam rises from the pool in cooler weather. Makes for great swimming in the cool Pacific or Alaska. I've also found that at least one of the mid-ship pools (Calypso or Neptune's Reef) is also heated. UNLESS Princess is getting cheap and saving energy by not heating them anymore. Another deal-breaker for me.
  14. Thanks. Please do update if you can, this would be a deal-breaker for sailing on this particular ship, since the pay-to-use "thermal suites" on the Grand class are abysmal. The complementary steam and sauna are a major perk of this particular class.
  15. Considering both Crown and Emerald for a holiday sailing this year. Both 15-day itineraries: Crown to Hawaii, Emerald through Panama Canal. Hoping to get feedback on the condition of the ships from anyone currently (or recently) aboard. We are less concerned about MDR food/seating issues or Medallion app functionality (some of the recent pain points on Princess) but we DO care about resort amenities being open and functioning such as: Are all pools open and heated (especially the Lotus pool) Steam and sauna in the locker rooms operational Hot tubs working Gym equipment in working condition Outdoor bars open (and stocked) Condition of lounge chairs, decking, etc. If anyone has recent experience with these items on either ship, please let me know. Any other feedback about the condition/operation of the ship(s) would be helpful, too: Air conditioning working Hot & cold water in stateroom Internet (slow is OK, only an issue if not working at all, like recent TA voyages) Thanks!
  16. Great tip! We'll be visiting Belfast in a few short weeks via Enchanted Princess and definitely wanted to see this museum. How did you get to the museum from the ship? Is it walking distance?
  17. Yes - we just left the Island Princess where the show is being done every 2 weeks or so along with Encore and Do You Wanna Dance. It's a very pretty show, visually. Photo is from June 21, 2022.
  18. Cruise lines reassign home ports for ships all the time. As older ships retire or are moved to other regions or sister companies, the lines typically shuffle ships around with the newest vessels deployed from the busiest/most popular ports. In 2023, the new Sphere-class ships are scheduled to debut, and since they are LNG powered, they will need to home port somewhere with (or near) LNG bunkering capabilities. Does this mean LA will get new Sphere-class ship once Discovery is redeployed since LA already has easy access to LNG bunkering (via Ensenada)? Time will tell...
  19. Your phone will automatically connect to available WiFi networks, especially if you've connected to one before (like MedallionNet). However, simply connecting to WiFi does not mean your phone is connected to the Internet. That's why you have to enter your credentials (stateroom, DOB) to access the Internet. To keep it from accessing the Internet (to only access the ship's WiFi and App functions) go to logout.com and "disconnect" from Internet. But as long as your phone stays connected to ship's WiFi (and in airplane mode) you can still use the app since those features are local to the ship, not the Web. A few notes: "Internet" is connecting to the WEB. "Intranet" is connecting only to ship's services. They are different. The Medallion App uses the INTRANET while Safari, email, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc. need INTERNET access. You can continue to use the Medallion app functions while connected to ship's WiFi, but you don't need to connect to the Internet unless you need access to off-ship data. Fun fact: some SMS-based notification services (like WhatsApp, email notifications, and Ring notifications) will still get through for a period of time even though you disconnected from the Internet. This is likely due to delayed deactivation of SMS packets on the ship's WiFi routers. This can be frustrating since you'll see a notification pop up (comes via SMS) but when you go to check, you can't connect since you've disconnected from the internet.
  20. On any device connected to MedallionNet Wifi, you can navigate to logout.com in your browser to get to the Internet connection "home" page. From there, you can switch devices. Note that the Medallion Class app does not need to be connected to the Internet to access the ship-based functions. So, you can leave your laptop connected to the Internet and your smart phone can still be used to order drinks, make reservations, check the schedule, etc. provided it stays connected to ship's WiFi. In this way, you can keep multiple devices connected to ship's Wifi, but choose which device connects to the Internet at any given time.
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