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cdn_tbird

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Everything posted by cdn_tbird

  1. Thank you everyone for your responses. Yes, the exchange rate does play a part in my decision, but given that the consensus seems to be that it will be available on day 1 of the cruise, I'll just be making a smaller purchase.
  2. We have our first Princess cruise lined up for next year and am considering purchasing some OBC. If I do purchase it online, will it be available on my account right away or is it applied to my account after we board like it is on X? TIA
  3. They've outsourced the processing of requests to Stockperks. Just download their app and follow the instructions. We got our benefit approved in a couple of days. If anything for me it seems a better process than RCL/X.
  4. Thank you everyone for your comments.
  5. I fully appreciate that each line has their own strengths (and weaknesses) and evaluate each cruise on it's own and am quite sure we will enjoy this cruise as much as the others because it was chosen for the itinerary (bucket list for my DW) and the fact that we have been wanting to explore other lines. That said, comparisons are inevitable. LOL. Just kidding but have you met the rabid defenders of the Celebrity brand over there?
  6. Recently booked our first Princess Cruise in a Reserve Collection mini-suite on the Regal Princess. DW & I are fairly seasoned cruisers at this point, but almost exclusively on X. This will be the second time we’ve booked an entry level suite and as best as I can tell, opting for the Reserve Collection is the closest experience on Princess compared to a Retreat Sky Suite on X. I’m hoping that some of the veteran Princess cruisers can enlighten me on the nuances of the suite experience on Princess. We enjoy the evening performances on X and plan on taking them in on Princess. If there are guest speakers, we may take those in as well depending on the topic. I guess at the end of the day, what I’m hoping for is not for “this is what you should do” responses (although ideas are always welcome) but more along the lines of “these are the things you should know that aren’t in the glitzy marketing material” type responses. For example, do the Reserve Collection mini-suites have a butler? While the marketing material doesn’t mention one, there are some things they state are “upon request” so would it be the stateroom attendant that handles those? TIA.
  7. One of the benefits of dealing with the big box TA is the fact that their agent's aren't commissioned, so anyone you speak with is just as invested and will take as much time as needed to get things straightened out for you as the one that took the original booking. I've dealt with other TAs over the years and I shudder at having to deal with an agent's backup because I've found that the best I ever got was the bare minimum since they weren't getting anything for their efforts. Plus, I once had one TA tell me that she wasn't interested in getting me the best bang for my buck because it would reduce her commission. That was the last time I dealt with her or that agency. No, they haven't gone belly up but I vote with my money and between business and personal travel I've spent well over $500k over the decade since that call.
  8. We flew out of YYZ to MIA on Nov. 3rd and that certainly wasn't our experience. Everything stayed in the bags. Leave it to govt bureaucrats to be consistently inconsistent. 😂
  9. Well they're losing money with me. 😁 We had $1500 USD OBC-N for our next cruise and had used almost all of it up. We were down to about $100 USD but through the couple of sales they've already had we're back up to $550 USD. I'm running out of ideas on what to spend it on.
  10. Hoping the best for your parents and that the British embassy can help so they don't miss their cruise. A friend of ours is in Greece right now for a family wedding and had her passport stolen. The Canadian embassy can provide her a replacement, it cost her $435 CAD which is nearly 3x what a 10 yr passport normally costs.
  11. Thank you everyone for the helpful information. I have no concerns about the more "risque" entertainment, and it is refreshing to see a cruise line that takes a more flexible approach to the age limit when it comes to drinking. Nice to hear that there are some 18 - 20 yr olds on the ships. Little disappointed to hear that the pool is small, but if that's the biggest negative, then I'm ok. Thanks again.
  12. Thinking of looking at VV for a cruise over Christmas in 2024 (if they ever release their itineraries 😜) and was wondering if VV would be suitable for an 18 year old. My kids have always enjoyed our cruises on X, and quite happy in the pool and half court on X. Hoping some of the more seasoned VV sailors here could chime in especially if you've done a cruise with them over Christmas. TIA.
  13. Went to the Service Canada location in Newmarket back on Aug 21. Got there just before opening and only a handful of people in front of me. Got in and out in under 30 min. Was told that it would take 25 days to process and if I needed it quicker I'd have to go up to Barrie. Passport just showed up today and was left in my mailbox. No signature required. I got the old version so no worries about the cover curling up. I had planned on using a clear passport cover to try and control the curling without trapping moisture.
  14. There are a few nice sales on excursions, I saved $156 Canadian on a couple that I had already booked. Not sure what they're think with the bev packages. At least on the Canadian side it's like they just shy of doubled the "regular" price.
  15. duplicate response.
  16. Mine just said I get to steer the boat on my next cruise..... Great just what I need... To pay for a working vacation. 🤣
  17. Thank you. Agree that a good agent is invaluable. Unfortunately the agents up here in Canada don't really offer much in the way of "extras", the best you can hope for is maybe $50 in OBC. The big box store TA is the exception, where you get 8%-9% in a cash card plus if you have their Exec membership you get an additional %2 cash back, but they don't deal with Virgin. If you care to share, I have a link in my signature for email.
  18. Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we have done one on MSC and are interested in looking at what they offer out of NA ports since they seem to go to islands not typically visited by the other lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA or Caribbean port meaning Caribbean, Panama, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does MSC typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world). TIA.
  19. Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we are interested in looking at other comparable lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA port meaning Caribbean, Panama, or West Coast itineraries, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does Virgin typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world). TIA.
  20. Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we are interested in looking at other comparable lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA port meaning Caribbean, Panama, or West Coast itineraries, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does Princess typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world). TIA.
  21. I'd be willing to trade you for my really cool Bonneville Salt Flats Igloo NFT. Of course I'll miss watching the metaverse land speed trials from it. 😂
  22. Don't knock it. It may be very popular with those looking for a change in their upper body workout routine. 😂
  23. Following this thread as we're interested in this itinerary too but in '25
  24. Ah yes, the self imposed "honeymoon quarantine" every afternoon. Back in '02 some friends we made onboard called it "honeymooner nap time". 😛


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