Torfamm

8 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Wow. It usually goes pretty smooth. 

We were there and saw two big issues. First, medallions were delayed so everyone had to pick them up at the port. That made check in very slow. An agent told me that they had only arrived at the port that morning. Second, the escalator wasn’t working and many people had more bags than they could carry up the stairs. That left a huge crowd waiting for elevators 

1 hour ago, sirclean said:

 

More unfortunate, but perhaps a result of the very crowded ship, was that the service of the staff, even when the same every day, and at the same time of day, the service was not what i had been.  For instance, in the past, certainly after the second day, IF i ordered the same drink (sprite) every day, then by the third day, the Sprite was waiting for me.  This time, it was not, and it was as if the staff didnt remember it the entire trip.  

For me, staff trying to anticipate my order is a big negative. The fact that I order white wine the first three nights of a cruise doesn’t mean that I won’t want beef for dinner and red wine on night 4. I hate being presented with unordered food or drinks that just go to waste. It makes me as well as the server feel bad. 

4 hours ago, Millygirl said:

I didn't intend on starting a smoking debate. I was mainly curious to know, from other smokers who have cruised on Sky Princess, where available areas are particularly on embarkation and debarkation days. But, thank you all for your input.

You are right. The discussion veered far away from the answer to your question.  I am sorry to have been a part of that.

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I don't mind smelling it (except for cigars - those are nasty).   I just don't want my close to smell like cigarette smoke.   I think some smokers fail to realize what their clothes smell like.   

The smell is one problem, but the health risks associated with exposure to second hand smoke ( and third hand smoke too) is much more concerning to me

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I got the message that smokers are more important to Princess than non-smokers. They care more about their profits than the comfort and health of those that wish to utilize the casino (or the crew that has to be there) thought out the day. 

I'm going to return to the Enchanted shortly, but will definitely stay clear of the casino for sure. They obviously don't want my contribution. 

If they valued smokers they could allow smoking everywhere in the ships. 

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

It seems that the Enchanted Princess casino has a similar ventilation problem, just like the Sky. No matter what time of day we went there it was so bad we had to leave. 

The message I get is that casino players are Princess’s least valued guests. The choice to make the casino a smoking area speaks volumes 

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Once we had "our table" arranged, there was no need to wait in line as it was ready and allocated to us.  So, we could just walk in, acknowledge and say "HI" to door staff and walk to the table.  This is the way it should work if you have arranged same table and waiters for full voyage.

 

I was told that they like to scan medallions to keep track of dining room usage. While I’ve never waited in that situation, I’ve still been asked to scan occasionally 

5 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

RC doesn't sail there.

Good point, it was a bad example. It’s still possible though that a cruise could end up going to a port that has, or adds,  a vaccination requirement. 

8 hours ago, Ravensfan1973 said:

The jab isn't required so why would you need it?  

Vaccination may not be required to cruise but can still be required to disembark by ports. I wouldn’t want to be unable to get off the ship. Itinerary or vaccination requirement changes are always a possibility 

On 11/24/2022 at 4:30 PM, Scoobydobe7 said:

It is required still in Haiti , Honduras and Columbia...We were asked if we had them last week on Odessey (stopped in Labadee) but did mot have to show them.

Turks and Caicos requires proof of vaccination

I would bring it. Even if the ports you are visiting don’t require proof of vaccination, there could always be an itinerary change. It would be a shame to miss a port because you didn’t pack your proof of vaccination 

2 hours ago, PixiTrix said:

I don't see much description on the spa services. Can anyone give some details on the pedicures? Some say "shellac" and some just say pedicure. Is the shellac referring specifically to the gel variety?

 

What is the difference between the fire and ice and the Elemis? 

Shellac does refer to the gel that cures under lights. A plain pedicure uses regular nail polish

No, you will not be reserving the same table each night. You have to make that request onboard in the MDR.  They can usually accommodate that request.

There is no way to request that the same people be seated with you each night unless you know them and can list them as travel companions in the app. If you meet people onboard who also want to dine with you you can arrange it then

28 minutes ago, tipofthehook said:

Hate the discrimination against Canadians, UK, NZ, Australia and any other nationality than US residents. ‘Line up and get yer damn device at the dock’ as a lowlife after paying thousands of dollars. Princess should go back to the key cards and be all inclusive treating everyone with equal terms and conditions again or send the medallions out to EVERYONE regardless of nationality, race or creed. 
 

I think that it does help to limit congestion and wait times if not everyone has to pick up medallions (or cruise cards). We had a cruise where Princess received the medallions too late even to ship within the US. It slowed everything down. I’d rather wait 2 minutes than 20

51 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

 

How would a faraday cage help with a card which has only a magnetic stripe?

 

I am pretty sure that today’s key cards use RFID technology not magnetic stripes. The Medallion also uses it 

You can certainly be seated without a jacket. The only enforcement of the dress code is over shorts at dinner. People have been turned away over that although many have been allowed in. So long as you have long pants you are sure to have no problem.

28 minutes ago, spunks said:

Buyer beware...

We have many casino free cruise offers. We had a Hawaii cruise booked for next year using the Casino offer. Strange thing was we had to pay $200.00 each up front along with tax and port charges, but the 200 would come back to us in the form of on board credit.....strange, but ok. Then we got a notice that if final payment was not received the cruise would be cancelled.( a casino offered free cruise has no final payment) My wife spent  several hours on the phone with the Casino department being assured that this was a mistake and we were in no danger of having the cruise cancelled. The very next day we got a notice saying the cruise was cancelled and the $400.oo was non refundable. My wife again spent several hours on the phone being assured that this was simply a glitch.

 

We could get no explanation or satisfaction...Our only recourse will be to submit a charge to the California Attorney General fraud Division charging Princess with acting in bad faith.

 

In addition to reporting to the AG we will never again book with Princess although we have over 600 days invested with them.. Something is very wrong with Princess.

 

Doug

The $200 per person deposit is the norm for free casino cruises. As for the final payment, that is the amount due to Princess from the casino department. It is normal to see it due. It sounds like there was some error that caused the casino department to fail to make that payment. It can happen but is not common and the casino department should be able to sort it out. Did your wife call the casino department or the general Princess number?  

On 11/14/2022 at 9:11 AM, JamieLogical said:

Do I need reservations for the MDRs? Some people are talking about reservations on my roll call and now I am worried that I won't be able to get a table at dinner?

You will be able to get a table even if you don’t reserve. You might just have to wait a bit, in my experience it’s usually just a few minutes. I wouldn’t worry but one  option if you are concerned is to to go ahead and book for a time that is typical for you. You can always cancel or change it

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

TAs are a little different from a cruise starting and ending in the same port.  Tampa is not Fort Lauderdale.  It isn't stressful if you are organized, have TSA precheck, priority check in on American, have internet access/phone on during the cruise, self disembark, pre schedule your lyft transfer if needed.  Fort Lauderdale has facial recognition which is great with a passport.  I am fine with no one else doing what the OP and I did/do.  

The wild card is how long it takes for the ship to get clearance so passengers can disembark. Even with all of those things on your side, early flights are still a risk. The decision all depends on how stressful missing the flight would be. I’ve sat on the ship waiting at the port in Fort Lauderdale till after 9:00 even when I was in the first group to walk off a ship that docked very early.

If you paid with a credit card there may be some travel coverage there. 

Do shirts come back pressed if they are sent out in the laundry? 

57 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

That's a really good idea.   Didn't think of that.

 

Hiring a guide for the first day in a destination is especially helpful after an overnight flight when I am not at my best. I've had really good luck with it.

In the past I have hired a tour guide privately to pick us up from the airport, sightsee, then drop us at our hotel or cruise port when we arrive really early

If you are flying domestic, have Pre-check, and no bags to check, and are using a taxi or Uber, 11:00 should be a very safe bet. If you are using a transfer from the cruise line, they may not allow it for anyone leaving before 11:30. 

We had a cruise in the spring where the ship's clearance was delayed and disembarkation didn't begin until close to 9:00 for the first walk-off group.  I wouldn't book anything earlier than 11:00 for domestic or 12:00 for international unless I was comfortable with dealing with a missed flight.

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

My WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) is the OP is asking something like “if we get Covid while sailing, will we be kicked off, stranded in another country and forced to book expensive last minute airfare home?”

 

Ive never heard of anyone getting kicked off due to Covid, you quarantine on the ship and in some cases and stay on for another sailing but idk the current rules

It was required by a number of countries in Europe that passengers with COVID be disembarked and quarantine on land if they tested positive for Covid during a cruise. There was a thread on the Royal Caribbean board by one family with young kids disembarked mid-cruise and stuck in a hotel for quite some time. Regulations are changing quickly now.  I'd look into each destination country if I were the OP and had concerns.