Torfamm

9 hours ago, pms4104 said:

Didn't Princess indicate Crew Appreciation pool includes entertainers and those in the onboard revenue areas?

 

Tho they were coy about who might be part of that group.

 

Fortuna Luck, perhaps?

Casino staff are not in the gratuity pool

12 hours ago, MissP22 said:

So Princess introduces a character on all their cruise ships that does nothing except walk around and be a hostess by talking to all the passengers. (presumably to entice them to gamble ?)

Obviously they have to pay them a salary which only adds to the cost or doing business.

 

At the same time they eliminate pens, paper, chocolates each night in order to save a few dollars since their still hurting from being shut down from the pandemic.

😂😄

They’ve always had casino hosts and someone to host bingo. They just have one person in a costume now. I don’t think it’s added any staff hours

We sail primarily with Celebrity and Princess and find them to be more alike than different. On Princess we like the availability of savory food in the international cafe, formal nights, ordering  with the medallion app and self-service laundry, especially on longer trips. Celebrity has significantly better food in the MDR in our opinion and we appreciate that there is no smoking anywhere indoors. If you like Celebrity, it is well worth trying Princess

We have an annual policy with GeoBlue and evacuation coverage with MedJet for medical emergencies. We also get some coverage from our credit card for delays, lost luggage etc. Much cheaper than insuring by the trip for us

23 minutes ago, qqwer123 said:

Ok so to start off fortuna and the pirate queen are the same gal….dif costume..ALL the fortuna luck girls have the same wig and costume. If people don’t like this character (s) can you just not worry about it and enjoy the fact you are on a cruise? The (fortuna) gals I’ve talked to on our cruises are really nice people with just a job to do. Our last cruise I didn’t do bingo and saw the character perhaps once in passing on the ship. Just sayin….

I am pretty sure I saw Fortuna Luck at the scratch-off card table in the casino at the same time the pirate was doing the poker game. I’m not sure that the same person always plays both characters 

7 hours ago, OKCruiseMan said:

I'm reading that Canada has not approved the rail excursions into Canada. Obviously some rail excursions don't enter Canada and should be OK. Some on the list still appear to go into Canada but transfer to a bus.

Is it safe to assume any listed excursions are still possible with the restriction on border crossing via rail???

I don't want to book something that is later canceled!

 

In general it is the train excursions that mention “passport required” that are being cancelled. Some private tour companies are doing the Yukon excursions using busses

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

The passport book is the only form of identification that can be used for air travel back into the US.  In the event of an emergency, an incident where the cruise is cut short and the only way back home is by air travel, you're stuck and then need to deal with the State Department at an embassy which may or may not be located on the island where you are stuck.  Better safe than sorry IMHO.

Yes, I agree. I don’t suppose it’s much different than people who don’t make sure that they medical insurance for travel. It’s not a risk I would take, but it’s a gamble that people choose to take every day. 

1 hour ago, lheske said:

The 7:00pm on the slide was London time (which is 2pm EST)

It would have been helpful if the showed the time zone

My confirmation was for 2:00 EDT. The webinar started promptly with a slide showing it would start at 7:00pm.UGH

19 hours ago, satxdiver said:

It never ceases to amaze me as to how many ways our fellow citizens go to keep from getting a passport.  It is not that expensive as it is good for 10 years and is the ONLY identification recognized by all nations on the earth.  It is recognized by the two countries on our border (Canada and Mexico).  Other countries do not have this problem nor should we.  

 

Two weeks past debarked from a Caribbean cruise at Galveston.  Walked off the ship, past a very long slow-moving line without passports, went to the passport line and was out of the terminal in less than 10 minutes.  Really fast now that they use facial recognition instead of having to present a passport.  

I think the cost is an obstacle since the are not "needed" for so many of the locations that Americans commonly visit.  At $130 for adults and $100 for children with $35 acceptance fees for each application and the cost of photos, it could easily be over $850 added to the cost of a family's trip. For people who don't travel often or who don't travel beyond North America, Mexico and the Caribbean, they may just have other priorities. If we weren't able to travel without a passport it might be different.

I love the things that I don't see often at restaurants or make at home - soufflés, carpaccio and the vitello tonnato at lunch in the MDR are things that make me happy.  I do think the pizza is really good too.  I was surprised at how much we enjoyed it by the pool on the Emerald earlier this year.

4 hours ago, t&atravel said:

What you have is called a “real id” DL.  It is different from an “enhanced DL” which is only issued in some states (Canadian border states? Others?). 

We have them in Michigan as well.

I am so sorry that you are both Covid positive but very glad to know that you are in such a lovely spot. Hope that you continue to have minimal symptoms!

I've been asked on my post cruise surveys what I thought about the character.  I'd be curious to know what sort of response they are getting.

On 4/29/2022 at 2:43 PM, skynight said:

Always best to carry your passport. No guessing then

I think it's a useful form of ID and I use it as my required "government issued identification" when I am off the ship. I prefer to leave my actual passport in the safe in my cabin.

I am getting concerned about the risk of having trips shortened and interrupted. We are doing a land tour before an Alaska cruise. The time spent in trains and busses seems like a real risk for ending up unable to board the cruise. 
 

We’ve cruised quite a bit since the restart but not starting or ending in foreign ports, especially on B2B itineraries. Our 2023 Southeast Asia B2B were just cancelled for us so we didn’t have to make a decision.

6 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Quite easy for you to say. You must not be addicted.

You make an interesting point. Maybe smokers should consider the risk of being quarantined more seriously than non-smokers when booking a cruise. The same should probably be true for those with claustrophobia or any other condition that would make quarantine a struggle.

4 hours ago, PhotoFlo said:

We have not used the medallion either and will on our August cruise.  I thought that the actual medallion was what we used to order drinks, etc throughout the ship and not an app on our phone?

The medallion is a coin sized device used to charge drinks to your shipboard account in the same way that you might use a key card when ordering at a bar or from a waiter. If you want to place an order for food or drinks to be delivered to you, you need to use the app or tv screen,

55 minutes ago, Juno1956 said:

Thanks for the info. Is this just with Celebrity or other cruise lines as well?

I know that Princess and Royal Caribbean have also cancelled some Asia cruises.

2 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

Same actress also plays the pirate queen.

Tons of actresses  auditioned for the role, since it’s a 7 month gig with room & board.

Each ship is supposed to have one. 

 

We had one on the Emerald in January and February.  We still look at each other occasionally, wave our hands and say "Luck, luck, luck, luck, luck" when we are on the golf course.  It does not help.

In January I watched a man become irate when a passenger turned to his wife and said "you forgot your mask"  when she sat down in the middle machine in a bank of three slot tables in the casino during the period when masks were required at all times.  He started screaming, name calling, and cursing and yelling that people what wanted others to wear masks should leave. He threatened to shove the passenger's mask up her a**  before his wife was able to drag him away.

It took about a minute for a manager to appear and call for a technician to pull the man's contact information from the slot machine. The manager later returned and reported that they'd found the couple and that the problem was taken care of. I never saw them in the casino again or anywhere on the ship for that matter.  There were about 1100 passengers on the Emerald for that sailing.

4 hours ago, TeeRick said:

No we will not cancel.  The Covid concern will be with us for many years to come.  You are either comfortable cruising with it around or not.  Next year will not make a difference.  It will be around.  Ships will have cases.  There is no waiting for pre-pandemic normalcy.  Just keep Up To Date with vaccines or don't cruise if you are concerned.  All we can do.

I do think that protocols may change by next year.  The risk of not being able to fly home is significant to me as long as the US requires testing to enter the country

5 hours ago, florence11 said:

Hi,

Thanks for the info, so basically I can book private trips in any port except the ones listed at the moment. I know things do change but what happens if I book a trip privately and suddenly the rules change?

If you are going to the Caribbean from North America, that is true as if today.  If you book privately and the country rules change for your port of call, you will have to work it out with the tour provider.  I'd ask questions about their cancellation policy before I booked.  It's always been important to ask what their policy is if the ship doesn't dock or the itinerary changes for any other reason.

15 minutes ago, florence11 said:

Hi,

We are group going on Emerald Princess (yeah 1st cruise in 3 years) in March 2023. We do like to do our thing and book things privately are we allowed to do this now or do we have to book tours with ship?

 

 

Thanks😎

You can see information for cruises from various countries at https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/

Current details for cruises from North America to the Caribbean are in the screenshot but it can change frequently 

19 hours ago, mikewomb said:

I would really enjoy reading some positive posts how most of you went on a cruise, and DID NOT get covid. It is getting depressing.

 

We have not cruised since Jan 2020. We did go to Hawaii for a week in November. Had a great time, they had very strong requirements on covid, and felt safe, and enjoyed ourselves. 
 

Now we are going on the Solstice Seattle to Seattle, and would love to hear how other cruisers have managed their cruise experience, and stayed safe. We are vaxed and double boosted, plan to wear masks. Fortunately our move up offer for a Celebrity suite was accepted, so spending more time in a cabin will mean more space and great views. 
 

‘’feedback is appreciated. 

There is no magic formula to keep from getting COVID-19 on a cruise. We all know that the best strategies are social distancing, masks, avoiding crowded spaces, staying outdoors when possible etc. We are pretty careful, but even with all precautions, it can still happen.
 

On a positive note though - many more do not get it than do. We’ve cruised 5 times since the restart and have not gotten COVID. Hopefully our luck will hold but it is a risk for everyone who cruises