Expat Cruise

As of last month, they still have not started doing the behind the scenes ship tours.  Was told they are hoping to bring them back.  As for crab, there is a major shortage of crab with the closing of most of the Alaskan crab commercial fishing for the last three years. You will not see a lot of crab on the cruise ships this season in Alaska. 

Your plan is fine, it is almost what we did in January. I would point out that while you reserve the tickets, they also have a standby line. We had noon tickets but were at Pearl Harbor early, so we walk over for the 10am time slot. Waited five minutes and did the 10am which gave us much more time after to explore, Pearl Harbor.

From the ship to Pearl Harbor, the Uber was about $45.

Have done several cruises to Hawaii from the US West Coast, also did one cruise on the Pride Of America. NCL Pride is the only major line cruise ship that can do an all US cruise. The others must go to a foreign port to meet the requirements of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886. Many think it is the Jones Act of 1920 which regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports, but that act is really about cargo. Even some cruise lines confuse the two acts.

Any ways, we would not do another NCL Pride Cruise for several reasons. First because it is a US Flagged ship the costs of a 7-day cruise on Pride is the same or more than a 14 to 16-day cruise from the other lines, leaving from the West Coast.   Also, the US Flagged ship is under US Labor laws, most of the service crew must be US Citizens or Green Card Holders. The level of service provided is not great. The level of food is also below other lines in our opinion. The Pride is also a much smaller ship than the other mainstream lines use. At 80,000 tons carrying 2500 passengers, vs a ship like the Emerald Princess which is 40% larger 113,000 tons and is only carrying 3100 passengers. Much more space per passenger with the Emerald Princess, so the ship feels less crowded.

NCL does give you an extra port and the ability to tour before or after the cruise in Hawaii. But the other lines give you a Mexico or Canada Stop and many great sea days. Our Choice would be Princess or Holland America, Carnival Cruises is an option but very limited offerings to Hawaii. 

Maybe his happened because they used a travel agent vs. booking direct?  We're never been a fan of using TA for Cruising. Cruising for over 55 years and the last 40 years have not used them. Maybe the TA didn't supply complete information to the cruise line. 

That said, once the cruise line accepted the booking, they became responsible for supplying these two ladies with the cruise they paid for. From a public relations standpoint, this is the worst outcome. I do not know the laws in place in the United Kingdom, but in the US, PO would have major legal issues here.  

In my opinion, the Captain and Hotel Director have a lot of explaining to do to corporate, if they even still have jobs in the end.  It would have been easy to fix this issue, if it really was a safety issue assign crew members to be available to escort them around the ship. It would have cost P&O nothing really and saved them thousands in bad PR. If a legal claim is filed, it could cost them far more

Wow, you must be a very important person with Princess Cruises. I wonder if everyone is treated this well. 😄

Another idea they will not be crowded is on port days ask around the port about local tours. Dog sledding tours in Alaska include a kennel tour and time to play with the cutest, little puppies. Even if the port does not have a sled tour, many breeders who are happy to allow people to visit their dogs.

I talked to one breeder who was selling many of his puppies to the lower 48 states to be family pets. Because of referrals from cruise ship passengers that he offered free tours too. 

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Chain of command:

 

Report to Room Steward

Request to speak to the Housekeeping Supervisor

Crew Chat

Customer Service Desk to request to speak to General Hotel Manager

I have never really cared about the chain of command. I give Princess Cruises one chance to fix an issue. And if they don't, I skip all the middle steps and go straight to the Hotel Director, who is the officer everyone on the Hotel side reports to. Would never allow an issue to go on for four days, that just doesn't work.

But I'm very proactive and do not take no for an answer, so I find it easy to get to the Hotel Director.  Once he had no idea about the problem because the lower level staff did not want to tell him. But they must have been surprised that he had an email from me detailing the issue. 

On 6/5/2023 at 4:17 AM, mattnday said:

1)What are the chances of any type of sale on this upgrade between now and sailing. Thinking July 4, Labor Day.....

2)current rate is $600 total for 15 days but there is a note that concerns us.  The note says package upgrade could impact your overall cruise fare.  We do not want to increase our cruise fare to get this package. How do we find out what will happen to our fare without having to book and cancel the upgrade?

 

TIA

MattnTricia

A sale is not going to happen because no reason for Princess Cruises to do so. They already have your business if they do offer a sale on the packages, it most likely be for new bookings only. 

But it is very possible they will have another price increase before you cruise on the packages. Princess Cruises wants to get everyone using these packages because they make more money with them.

Have spent a lot of time in Japan. The Japanese people are very proud, they believe if they take a job that they work that job and give their best.  If a local tips, it is done as an insult to the honor of the server. If an American tourist tips, they feel sorry for you and mad because you do not honor their ways. 

You're already paying for a good service, so there is no need to pay extra by tipping. Japan offers truly spectacular service without any strings attached.

Addressing the costs of these packages. Does anyone think that the level of alcoholic drinks being offered in the packages is far too much? Every guest is free to drink whatever they want. But, with the daily drink number set so high that they are just encouraging excess alcohol drinking. Which for many reasons including passenger safety could be an issue. 

The NIH sets these levels as excessive drinking. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 8 drinks per week. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 15 drinks per week. Clearly, the packages reach the level that are excessive, 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume most people will be nowhere near the daily limit. So why set package limits so high for the number of alcohol drinks?  Why not cut the drink numbers and offer a package that would appeal a better mass appeal? They could then offer a discount on the prices for those who have the packages and wanted to drink more package number, using the savings from the lower package prices. 

8 hours ago, Jaymuxman said:

Could you provide the name of the tour company you are using?

As others and I have already said, you really do not need a tour company if you just want to go to the beach. As you walk out of the port, 150 meters from the tender to the gate, you will find many taxis, just outside the gate. 

But when we have done tours here, we always have used  https://phamtours.com/  

Have done many tours with them and never had any issues.

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Have you been reading the thread? HE DID NOT USE A TRAVEL AGENT, HE BOOKED DIRECTLY WITH PRINCESS!

Yes, I can read thank you, but no reason to shout in all caps. If anyone takes the time to read what I posted. It does not say he used a travel agent. It clearly says we never want any third party between us and the cruise line. Sorry, do not trust Travel Agents, to be able to handle anything to do with bookings. If others do use an agent, that is their choice. As our choice is never us an agent. 

58 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

This thread is EXACTLY why you want to have a good travel agent involved.  Re-read my post about my method of booking with Princess - or any cruise line for that matter - and pay special attention to this statement:

 

"I transfer the booking to my warehouse club travel department and if any needs arise, such as a price drop, I'll call my TA and they can arm wrestle with Princess."

 

I don't waste six hours with so-called "customer service" reps.  If my TA can't resolve it right away, they get it fixed and call me back when everything is resolved.

 

 

Sorry but do not need to re-read, again never want anything to do with a travel agent do not ever want a third party between us and the cruise line. Legal claims are already made hard enough by the cruise lines would never add another layer of problems. 

Like this cruise travel agent who has had almost 800 formal complaints filed against them in about two years. And now all cruises through the Summer are on hold. Because these customers used a Travel Agent, they have no standing with the cruise lines to settle this nightmare caused by another Travel Agent who is just looking for their commissions  

If others want to use Travel Agents that is their choice, for us, it will never happen. 

https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/embattled-boston-based-cruise-company-vantage-postpones-all-summer-trips/FQGJ2NEVDRDMTLGFDJ4XCGOSZM/

Happy you got this taken care of, very sad Princess made you waste six hours plus of your time. That seems to be the new norm with many cruise lines, make it so hard to correct many will just give up. This thread is one of the reasons we would never have a Travel Agent involved in any cruise booking. Errors, mistakes, and lying does happen and when it is time to fix issues having a third party between the guests and Princess Cruises is just going to cause problems. 

8 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

So why are you giving advice on CC that will only serve to mislead people?  Shame on them for misinterpreting and believing your technically correct but misleading guidance?

No misleading of anyone here. If it is a true close loop cruise, from the United States, no passport is required. It is that simple. 

12 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And that's a very technical point that 99% of cruisers (who consider a closed loop cruise to be any cruise that returns to the same port it left from) are going to miss.  So that's why posting a universal statement like "a close lop cruise does not require a passport for US Citizens" is not helpful and is even misleading to most people.

 

So yay for you showing off how smart you are but in the process you misled people who are going to misinterpret your statement based on a technicality and possibly miss their cruise.

All guests should know the requirements for travel. Princess Cruises makes it very clear they will assume no responsibility for these travel documents. 

Directly from Princess Cruises:

"It is the Guest's sole responsibility to obtain and have available when necessary the appropriate valid travel documents. All Guests are advised to check with their travel advisor or the appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents. You will be refused boarding or disembarked without recourse or liability for refund, payment, compensation, or credit of any kind if You do not have proper documentation, and You will be subject to any fine or other costs incurred by Carrier which result from improper documentation or noncompliance."

Princess Cruises is very clear they take no liability for as they say guests 'noncompliance'.  Guest really need to stop trying to blame others for their lack of finding the correct information. 

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I was not posting "false or half true information".  I was speaking from my experience.  It happened to us.  It was in real time.  I was not about to hold up a bunch of passengers to argue a mute point (she had her passport after I made her drive home to get it).  I had just asked the agent what would have happened if she didn't have her passport but a Real ID.  That was the information he told me.  

 

Others have had different agents and different outcomes.  I even knew about a passenger that lost her Driver's License on the way to the ship AND didn't have a birth certificate.  She was let on with her photo ID from a membership store.  But that was also a long time ago.  

 

You may speak for yourself.  You MAY NOT speak for what happened to me.  I do not appreciate being called a liar.  

Sorry, but I never called you a liar, I said the information was wrong for a close loop cruise from California. I was not speaking for myself, I was speaking for what a true close loop cruise is and what is required by Princess Cruises and the US State Department. If you do not like the truth as per their requirements, I'm sorry, but maybe you should be addressing them. Myself, I always travel on one of my passports, so never need to rely on other identification. 

1 hour ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

That's not universally true.  For example a partial Panama Canal transit closed loop cruise (like Princess does out of Ft. Lauderdale) requires a passport for US Citizens.

 

People need to stop posting false or half true information.

A Partial Panama Canal cruise is NOT a close loop cruise. Yes, it does return to the same port, but it does not meet the other requirements for a close loop. 

Again, if guests would just take the time to look on the website and at the terms it is very clear, as Cruise Raider did and posted the reason why it is not a close loop tour.

By just using returning to the same port, as the definition of a Closed Loop Cruise, Princess World Cruises from LA and FL would be closed loop cruises, and they clearly are not.  

On 5/31/2023 at 9:55 AM, cr8tiv1 said:

I can not answer for a closed loop cruise from FLL.  I can only give you my experience last week.

 

My cabin mate was also under the impression that her real ID would be good enough to do a closed loop for a Los Angeles Coastal that stopped in Ensenada.  I made her go home and get her passport.  

 

She questioned the agent about needing a passport.  He said (and I was there) that she would not have been allowed to board the ship without her passport because they were stopping in Mexico.

 

I realize that FLL is a different state, itinerary is different, and agents are different.  I reminded her to bring her passport the night before.  Good luck with your friend's decision not to get a passport.

Really, I was on a closed loop cruise from San Diego, Hawaii, to Ensenada, Mexico in January. Many passengers travelled without a passport. People need to stop posting false or half true information. 

It is very simple, a close lop cruise does not require a passport for US Citizens. 

20 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

But it is still easy to do the math.  Just plug in what you plan to tip to see if buying Plus and using its tip amount makes more sense to you.  For example, let's say that the suggested gratuity is $16 for your level of cabin.  You don't plan to tip that amount, and instead plan to tip $20 per day.  It would still make sense to get the Package and then add in $4 per day to get to your planned tip amount.  And let's say that you were planning to tip only $12 a day. It would still make sense to get the Package with its $16 gratuity if the rest of the package was going to save you $4 or more per day in drinks and coffee. The same holds true for WiFi discounts.  Here's he math:

• I get WiFi for $7.50 per day with my discount.
• I plan to tip $12 per day
• I am going to consume $8 in coffee drinks per day
• I am going to have 2 glasses of wine at $15 per day and one cocktail for $9 each day.

 

My daily total is going to come to $66.50.  Eschewing the Plus Package so that I can monetize my Wi-Fi discount that I spent thousands of dollars earning, and shaving down the gratuity amount because...well...I won't go there, is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.  Better to get the Plus Package even if you won't sleep well at night knowing that you over-tipped.   

 

Those are your numbers, mine are completely different. From me and many others, the packages do not work. And those that the packages don't work, it is their choice not to take them. 

10 minutes ago, gah_cruise said:

Curious.......do you not pay crew appreciation?

If you're asking about my personal choice, I follow the terms of the contract of passage and stay within that contract. But I also have relationships with many crew members outside of Princess cruises.

50% of the service crew on Princess Cruises is from the Philippines. Having lived in the Philippines for almost 25 years (duel residency Philippines & United States)  I have many more options than most guests. Also know much more than any guest every should know in the eyes of the cruise line.  Which controls how I handle my own affairs, dealing with the crew. 

12 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Actually, no.  The are a loss leader to get people to choose Princess over the competition.  Yes, in a way they are a profit center, but only because the sunk cost of the component parts is less than the price of the package, but that would be true even if they offered the Package at $30 per day.  The wholesale price of coffee beans and the per-once cost of liquor would make these plans profitable at half the current cost.  But Princess would make more money per passenger if each passenger paid out-of-pocket for all that they get in the package.  See my post above.  $66.50 is more than $60.  Princess "loses" $6.50 per day on the hypothetical customer I described above. And I don't think that the assumptions that I built in for that hypothetical are extreme.  People who aren't going to consume much if any alcohol simply aren't going to buy the packages.  But if one is a drinker at virtually any level, Princess is not "making a profit" on selling Plus in comparison to out-of-pocket spending.  It is only making a profit based on the wholesale sunk cost of the items offered.  Yes, Princess is making money on Plus.  But just not as much as it would if guests paid out of pocket. The value to Princess is that it is selling Plus at quite a bit below the cost set by other cruise lines in the hopes that Princess can capture more market share. 

That is one opinion, it just does not happen to be the correct one. CCL and Princess Cruises under CCL are a publicly traded stock. Therefore, buried in the hundreds of pages of accounting is the truth. Mainstream cruise lines do make their money on the basic cruise fare, it is made on the upselling of products and services like these packages. 

Sorry, some may not like this, but we do not let Princess herd us like cattle. Have always shown up when we want. It is not about making things easier for the cruise line. It is about what time works best for us, the guests.

Princess Cruises made a contract with us, if we cruised with them and become Captain Circle Platinum or Elite we would have priority boarding, and since we made these levels, they need to honor the deal they made. 

When we walk up to the airline ticket counter, it does not matter if the economy line is an hour long and no one is in the Business Class line. We just go to that line, because We have earned priority, by status or by paying for it.  So if we want to show up when boarding opens or if we want to pick a time, the same should happen, we get Priority Boarding.

21 hours ago, MissP22 said:

That change really ticked me off since those minutes were plenty for me. 

Now I have to buy the package in order just check email. 😡 Forget about it.

There's nothing so important that can't wait until I get to the next port to check. 

I wish we, too, didn't need the internet access. But the way our businesses are set up, without internet access, we could not be halfway around the World cruising, away from them. 

On 6/2/2023 at 10:08 AM, cr8tiv1 said:

I could be all wrong, but I sense the general consensus (disappointment) is that Padgett is here to stay.  

It does seem that way. But it is also clear he is a total failure in his role from the guests side. The Medallion App was his project, it was put into use well before it was tested and ready for guests use. I believe he is also behind these 'new and improved' packages, which really overall only take more money from the average guests, and put more profit in the company's pockets. All the while providing less customer service to the guests. 

Under Padgett, Princess may make more money in the short term, but he will be a major factor in the downfall of Princess Cruises long term. CCL should send him back to Disney.... but Disney would not take him. 

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

All else being even (wifi and crew appreciation), it comes down to how many cocktails will you have a day.  3 is breakeven point.  After that, all the non-alcoholic drinks, coffees, desserts, cake, gym classes....are FREE.

But it is really not this simple. Wi-Fi & Crew appreciation are not even for all. For example, We need the 4 device Wi-Fi plan, which would mean upgrading to the higher price package. We also have a 50% discount on Wi-Fi because of our Captain's Circle level. We paid thousands of dollars in cruise fares to earn this, and Princess gives us no credit in these packages. Therefore, for many, the Wi-Fi is not fair or even. 

The Crew Appreciation is not a set or required fee, it is only a suggestion, as per the terms of the contract with Princess. The contract they made and want guests to follow. So this amount also is not settled. Then throw in some people do not drink alcoholic drinks for many reasons. 

And if you look at all sides, Princess Cruises is not offering these packages because they lose money on them. They are a profit center for them. Which means for some people the packages do not work. For others, they may work, and those guests should select them. For us, they don't work. 

Already another active thread about this subject, you should review it. Here is what I posted in that thread.

Seems to be a lot of confusion about e-visa here. I live in Asia and have for the last 25 years. Have done several cruises, and maybe two dozen other trips to Vietnam. Here is what I have learned to be true.

1) If you type e-visa or visa in a web search for Vietnam, you will find many sites claiming to be official. Some even use government logos, they're all travel agencies unless the web address is dot gov.vn. Only use a dot gov.vn site.  Here is the link to apply  

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/

2) If the cruise has multiple port calls in Vietnam, you only need a single entry visa as long as all port calls are in a row. If you visit another country after doing a Vietnam port call and then return for another Vietnam Port Call, then you would need a multi entry visa. 

3) You pay much more for a visa issued on the ship. If the ship charges more than about $25 you're better off applying online.

4) If you have an e-visa, you can overnight in Vietnam with a Single Entry Visa. If you have a ship's visa, you cannot. 

5) Many countries do not require a visa for Vietnam: most of Europe, Asia, are visa free as well as Chile, Panama, and Russia.  But US, CA, AU, all require a visa.

The visa process is really very easy, Vietnam is a great place to visit. As long as guests use the official site, no issues. For Asian Cruises most cruise lines collect and hold guests passports, it just makes clearances in the ports much faster. If you have your own visa, check your ship account, they sometimes charge you for a ship's visa, when you already have an e-visa. My wife uses her Philippines passport which is Visa free, but I have found a visa fee charged to our account a couple of times, so check to avoid overcharging. 

shaycamp21 The way that you copy and pasted your reply, it cannot be quoted. 

But here is some more information based on your reply. 

shaycamp21  We are staying on Sentosa Island (at the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa) for 5 days prior to the cruise so hoping to recover from the jetlag and explore all the wonderful sights in Singapore and eat at the Hawker centres (would love recommendations) . We will definitely take a taxi from the airport (our flight doesn't get in until after midnight) and one to the port on embarkation day.

I would consider changing hotels, no MRT on Sentosa Island, you're really handicapping yourself staying on the Island for 5 days. You can see the Island in one day. A better choice in the same price range would be Marina Bay Sands. This is a great area and has an MRT Stop, also  next to Gardens By the Bay. 

Chinatown is an interesting stop Two Hawkers have earned Michelin Stars,  Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle Stall (Chinatown) & Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle  (Newton Food Centre). The movie Crazy Rich Asiansis features,  Newton Food Centre.

Taxis are available always, but the MRT is a great choice. Singapore is very safe and has no crime issues. The interesting thing is you can spend lots of money on food here or go the cheap route, and both are great. You may also way to look at the Singapore Flyer, great way to see an overview of the city. The Flyer also overlooks the Grandstands, Starting/Finish Line, and Pits for the Grand Prix F1 track.  

shaycamp21  We are big Disney fans so it's more about getting to experience another Disney in a different park of the world than actually going to an amusement park for us (on my bucket list is to be able to do all the Disney's and after this trip--only Shanghai will be left).  The zoo where we live in Canada (Toronto Zoo) hosted a panda exhibit many years ago where cubs were born so we fortunate enough to be able to see the little ones and their parents.

For our second day in Hong Kong we were wondering if doing one of those hop on hop off big bus tours would be a good way to see the city. Also we were hoping to do Dim Sum so if you have any recommendations of where to go that would be helpful.

OK I understand wanting to do Disney here, take the MRT as it is far away from the city center, Disney has their own MRT Line & Stop. You can do Disney in a single day. I would really consider also Ocean Park for a day. Also take the Peak Tram to the top of Hong Kong, for local shopping the Ladies Market and Temple Street Night market are both great. 

shaycamp21 We were thinking of going to the Yehliu Geopark so hoping to take a taxi there from the cruise port. Not sure if it's possible to just hire a driver for the day from the port. We do also have time to go into Taipei as we are in port until 11 pm and hoping to have dinner at the Keelung Night Market.

When you get off the ship, lots of taxi waiting for fares and tours. Do not take the first price, negotiation is always part of the transaction.
 
shaycamp21 The ship only released one excursion to Kyoto which is very pricey-- I did contact Shore Excursions Japan which seems to have better itinerary and am waiting to hear what their pricing is.

Non Ship tour is a much better choice. 
 
shaycamp21  We ended up booking a ship excursion here that  goes to Shizuoka Sengen Shrine, the grounds of the Sumpu Castle, and Miho no Matsubara. It was over $400 (CAD) for the 3 of us so wondering if we could just do better by taking a taxi from the port. This port has the most limited time as we don't arrive until 12:30 pm and are only in port until 7 pm maybe it's best to keep the ship excursion.  

If you do a private tour, you need to set your return time to the ship for 5:30 or 6pm. This really is a very short port call. If it can be done by the cruise line, you can do it with a private tour. 

shaycamp21  We have our hotel in Tokyo booked and are also staying at Disney's Ambassador Hotel for the last few nights of our trip.

Disney Japan is a very interesting Disney, I think you will enjoy it.   Hope these answers help, let me know if any other questions.