Expat Cruise

1 hour ago, Roberto256 said:

You completely missed the point.

Probably intentionally.

"Loss Leader!!!"

 

BTW, the link was to a definition of 'loss leader', not an example.

 

Missed nothing if you want to change the subject and attack the Princess Cruises President, then maybe you should start your own thread, not take a reply that was directly on point and change to fit your needs. 

7 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Changing the input into their TV certainly wouldn't affect it. If the TV was bad, that's another story altogether. 

If there so concerned about electronic devices causing the problem  then they should ban people from bringing on board ANY devices.  

If they banned all devices, they would not have enough guests to cruise. I'm not going to give them any weapons to try to blame us for anything that goes wrong on the cruise. Besides, bring this back to the original question. It is best just to have Princess take care of the light issue so not questions can be raised if any problems. 

7 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I believe the reason for Princess's lack of enforcement is based upon profits. They want to compete with all the other cruise lines & still make money selling themselves as an upscale cruise line by not enforcing any specific dress code. 

You're right, it is based upon profit. But when they make a contract and rules, they need to follow it. Princess Cruises or the guests can not and should not believe they can just change the terms of use or the contract of passage because they don't like what it says. It is a legal agreement. 

Many will post back here it is a cruise relax, just have fun. But once you start down this slippery slope, where does it end? If guests or the cruise line can break one rule, they can break any rule. 

I'm not stupid, I know one person cannot make change, but if one person does not start to make change, or if others do not follow that change, it never happens. 

On 5/29/2023 at 11:54 PM, MissP22 said:

Princess has the same enforcement on European cruises as they do elsewhere.  It's just that more people chose to dress up on those trips. 

The problem with Princess is they do have the same enforcement fleet-wide. It depends upon the ship, the crew and the location. They need to have the same standards across the whole fleet. 

As for more being dressed up on European cruises, maybe it is not just personal choice. But that unlike many Americans who seem to think we can make and follow our own rules, many European follow the rules. 

3 minutes ago, gah_cruise said:

you are quite correct that it is within contract law....but keep spouting on about it in a public forum does make you sound like a tight fisted grump

 

Or a very smart businessman who knows how to maximize profit and ROI. It is the business of the cruise lines to get as much profit as they can. A smart businessman gets the best deal they can. The system is broken, the only way to fix it is to speak up and take actions to make the cruise lines change.  I'm happy with my choices.

1 hour ago, PMGS247 said:

 

Your outlook is just overly idealistic and regardless of how you slice up the terminology comes off as an excuse for you to spend less at the expense of the crew, not the cruise line.

 

In theory I don't disagree with your outlook but it's not the reality in which we live.  If someone can influence change on this, I'm on board...show me where to sign. Until then, to be flippant about disregarding/removing those charges, will not have a good look.

 

Savings in this context is anything that you would have spent anyway.  For the overwhelming majority of cruises, these charges fit that description and thus are 100% factored into this calculation.

You're entitled to your point of view and if it works for you, that is great.  Just as I'm entitled to my point of view. As I have stated many times, I follow the contract of passage. This is what works best for us, and is 100% within contract law. 

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

I believe they determined the problem to come from a deflective TV. 

If that is true, how many threads have we seen about using the input ports on the TV Sets? As I said, I would not want to do anything that could give them a reason to point a finger at me.  This thread is about turning off the auto light outside the Bathroom in the cabin, and while taping is a quick easy fix, I will call the cabin steward, to correct so no way we could be blamed for anything.

20 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Many people have commented that they do not like the "new" motion sensor lights on the nightstand and in the "hallway" outside the bathroom.  It can be quite annoying for the person still in bed if the other gets up in the middle of the night.  Take a short length of blue painters tape wrapped on a pen or any other type of item that packs easily.  Tear off about 3-4 inches for each motion sensor.  Blue tape removes very easily and will not harm the sensor at all.  I carry this wrapped on a popsicle stick and carry it in my little "emergency" toolkit (a very small plastic pouch with things like ty-wraps, tiny/medium screwdrivers & anything I can think of that might get you out of a bind.)

 

 

Every housekeeping department on every Princess Cruise has tape and will tape over the sensor. They know about this issue and your cabin steward will take care of it for you. We do not fix or change anything in our cabin, we do not want the responsibility or the liability for what is done. 

You may have heard about a cruise ship cabin fire and the balcony in flames a few days ago. It has been reported they are investigating the guests. Never give the cruise lines or any business a way to blame the customer for a problem. 

54 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

Perhaps you're thinking of 'loss leader'.

 

https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-loss-leader-pricing#:~:text=Loss leader pricing is a,attempting to increase market share.

 

"Lost Leader" refers to a situation like John Padgett and the Princess Medallion (class) App...

 

A better example than Shopify would be Costco. Costco loses an estimated $30 to $40 million a year by keeping rotisserie chickens at $4.99 each. The company has stated they would rather keep members happy and increase the foot traffic. They believe it brings members in for extra trips just to pick up a chicken. But members leave after spending over a $100 on average because they see other things. 

As for John Padgett, based upon the App alone, which was his project, he should have been terminated, not made President. 

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Do you also remove the gratuities? (Those of us who book with Princess Plus obviously pay them.)

There is no gratuity, within the packages. This is another one of the games Princess and other cruise lines play. They call it a gratuity for accounting and tax reasons, but it is a service fee. They will not make it mandatory, because that changes the accounting and how it would be taxed.

So they play this con game saying it is a gratuity. A gratuity by definition is optional and freely given to one person to another for services provided.  Therefore, it is not a gratuity.

This is why it is only a suggested amount in the terms of use, it is not a real require fee. It has not more meaning than just being a suggestion. It really is not a savings, that should be factored into this, because should not be part of any cruise line package.

Maybe I'm just old school and some would say behind the times. But I still believe a gratuity is between the guest and the crew member they want to reward. It should not involve the cruise line in any way. 

22 minutes ago, memoak said:

The balconies on the midship suites are way too narrow. Aft suites have much larger balconies 

It depends upon the Deck, mid-ship, has a much better, location, ride, less noise, no engine issues. We will stay mid-ship, but you're free to take the aft cabins if you believe better for you. We rejected a suite upgrade to an aft cabin last year, it was a no added costs upgrade, but we did not want it.

1 hour ago, antsp said:

Some cruises are really cheap at the moment, completely disagree with you 

The basic cruise fares are a lost leader to hook you in. It is all the extras that make cruising much more costly now.

We do not book the packages, do not see the value in them. If others do see value, that is great book them. As for pricing, if you want the package, book it now, it will lock in your price. Because I believe, since this is a profit center for the cruise line, they will do at least another price increase. If you book and a sale, you can always cancel the package and rebook. Nothing is going down with cruise pricing, only up.

We do not like the aft cabins of the ship. It is just too long a walk on these new, larger ships. Do not like the long, narrow hallways. With ore and more guest blocking them, mini scooters, etc. Plus the added noise and the vibration, makes for cabins and suites we would not select. Many others love them, but for us, the middle of the ship near the mid-ship elevators is the prefect location on the ship. 

9 hours ago, icat2000 said:

Avoid peak buffet times or get up really early when first opens (just not on port day). Go later on. Same with dining don't go the 6 pm - 7pm time. Try later after 7.30 pm. Order room service breakfast.

We have found that the MDR is much better and has few guests for Breakfast & Lunch. We always go to the MDR after dropping our carry on bags on the first day, and most of the time only a handful of tables has guests. At diner, the MDR seems to be slower when it first opens, it seems many do not want to eat at 5pm. 

8 hours ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

To be honest my experience is that Europe cruises are not quieter. even outside of school holidays large ships in Europe are sailing at full capacity.

 

every cruise I’ve sailed has been on largeish ships between 2000-5000 capacity, south to The Med, and north to Belgium, Germany & Netherlands. all but our 1st one were full. My cruise to Norway In August on Sky Princess I expect will sell out too.

 

cant comment on the smaller ships in Europe though.

 

Re. Party routes. Perhaps avoid those in Europe too. routes on short cruises, Southampton to places like Le Harve, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, can sometimes be party routes. Especially, by personal experience & friends experience, on RCCL & MSC. On the short trip I did on the independence of the seas I was pleased they were refusing to do drinks packages. Or it would have turned into what’s known as a “Booze Cruise” 😂 

 

The shortest Europe cruise we have done was 14 days, and not 2 seven day back to back. If you do longer cruises, and repositioning cruises, you will find it less crowded.  

Crowds are one of the reasons we do not like the newer, larger ships. We loved the Sun Class and would book them whenever we could. The Pacific Princess with it's 690 guests never seemed crowded. 

Do your sailing in the South Pacific, Australia, Europe, that is how to avoid crowds. Do longer sailings with extra sea days, sail on the smaller or the older ships, and stay away from the party ship cruise routes. 

If you sail on a new big ship in the Caribbean, sailing during holidays or breaks, and or do short cruises, you will be with the crowds.  

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Yes, as long as you can handle all of your luggage by yourself, you can be the "first" to walk off. 

We always use self disembarkation, so we have total control. And yes, Princess Cruises says you must be able to handle your own luggage, but the truth is this slows down getting off the ship itself, onto the ramp. So they always have extra crew available to help speed up the disembarkation. Good roller bags make it easy to walk off with luggage. 

If you're booking an inside cabin, and you want quiet, book on Deck 10 or 11. Both Deck 10 & 11 have cabins above and below. Do not book Deck 5 forward or deck 12 both will have noise. Also, Deck 8& 9 are not good for inside cabins. The pool area will have lots of kids around it, but the adult areas like the small pool stern deck 14 will be more normal. Also, you can book Sanctuary, which will not be crowded as it is controlled 

Was on the Diamond Princess in January, Hawaii and March, Japan. Our biggest negative about the Diamond Princess is no International Cafe. The crew in January was very new to the ship and majority it seems it was their first contract. By the time we did the March trip, the crew had be updated, and overall was much better. 

Japan is a great place to cruise and do tours, we have done several cruises here, and have always enjoyed them. 

1 hour ago, phoenixxx said:

What happens to the second persons deposit in this instance?

If you book a cabin for one guest, you pay two fares plus one port fee. If you book two for guests, you pay two fares and two port fees. Then when the second guests cancel or doesn't show up they forfeit the fare the port fee is returned. It is the same.   

15 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Yes it has an effect on the renter if the week before they leave, they are told the unit has been shut down because it was illegal. They now have round trip airfare, car reservations, reservations for the USS Arizona, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, tours and now they have no place to stay. They might be able to find something else to stay in last minute.... or not, but it is likely to be more expensive at the last minute.

 

Does Airbnb find you a new unit? They can't find, what isn't available. Oh sure they will give you a refund, but that does nothing for the other expenses incurred and the wasted reservations.

Under the current policy, the renter is 100% protected.  But you seem to not want to understand this simple fact. If the CEO of Airbnb, himself said "100% a legal unit and guests are 100% protected ".  I believe you would still find fault. Cannot ever please some people. 

17 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Very true. I am sure the helicoptor ride and landing on the glacier would be amazing! My daughter was interested in this, and I looked into it but truly it was outside of our budget.  So, our compromise was the mushers camp, which she really did enjoy. 

It was the must costly tour we have ever done. I had plan to do a fixed wing airplane fly over but, they gave us a deal on this tour. It is very costly, we did not book through the cruise line, so the cost was much lower. 

On 5/24/2023 at 9:27 PM, scottca075 said:

 

This is just further evidence that you know nothing about the transit vacation unit laws in Hawaii in general, and Oahu specifically. None of the "license numbers" you list are relevant to a unit outside the Tourist Zone. The TA number is merely a Transient Accommodation Registration Identification Number and they don't show a GET number to let you know they are paying the legal taxes. That alone is a red flag. If the unit isn't in a Tourist Zone building then it also needs an NUC number.

 

Most visitors do not have any idea of the local STR laws in Hawaii. They are trusting that Airbnb or Vrbo is vetting that and that trust is misplaced. If someone is operating an illegal unit it most certainly effects the renter if the unit is shut down before they arrive, or worse, while they are in the unit.

 

The third leg of why locals agencies are better than a national platform are the rules of the condo building itself. A unit could be in a Tourist Zone building and therefore legal to rent for less than 30 days by the laws of Oahu, but the condo association might have their own rules prohibiting short term rentals and Airbnb et al have no way of knowing that when someone creates a listing on their site. No one from Airbnb is checking with the building management if that is allowed.

 

But I suspect this will all fall on deaf ears.

You seem to be missing the second point, Airbnb as of March 2022 guarantees the units, and if a rental is in the non-allowed areas it has no effect on the renter, only the owner. The unit shown with these licenses is in the tourist zone, we will agree on one thing someone here does not care about the truth, and wants to supply misinformation. I know what I have posted is true. 

5 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Or a less expensive option is to visit a musher camp that requires only a bus ride an not a helicoptor. We did this with a Princess excursion in Juneau and my daughter loved it. We were able to pet and take pictures with the older dogs and hold week-old puppies. 

Yes, you're right, and your way you would get a better experience with the puppies, and not as cold as standing on a glazier. But Lyn wanted to have a helicopter ride to see Alaska, and want to see and stand on a glazier. So this was the better option for us. As you know, Alaska is a wonderful place, you can say many things about it. But you cannot say Alaska is cheap, so combining things makes sense.