caribill

From the Princess rules on the bidding: • Most guests will receive an invitation email after all eligibility requirements have been met • Guests can also access the bidding site via a link on Princess.com or the Cruise Personalizer with the guests last name and booking number Helpful Information The main reason guests do not receive an email invitation is because they have Opted-Out of Princess Marketing emails • Upgrades do not include any additional perks • Stateroom location and amenities depend on availability, we cannot guarantee a specific stateroom location within the upgrade category • We can’t guarantee that all (or any) reservations traveling together will be upgraded. And even if all reservations are upgraded, we can’t promise that all the upgraded staterooms will be close together.

If someone cancels, the a bid might be used to reassign that cabin.

Answers to some of your questions in red above

OP's problem is that the TA was not available over a weekend while a Princess rep might be. I once wanted to be on a totally sold out cruise when on a Saturday evening I found a cabin was available on the Princess web site, but it was after Princess had closed for the day. My TA was open until 10 PM on Saturdays, so a call to him resulted in my booking that cabin. So the availability of a Princess rep or a TA on a weekend can vary. Whether you booked directly with Princess or with a TA, reaching them on a weekend may be difficult.

We have found that the veggie burger in the dining room is quite different from the one at the Lido Deck hamburger place

Must be the world's best tacos and world's best beer if that is the reason to book a cruise.

It makes sense in that if there are cancellations, bids could be accepted.

If I remember correctly, the rules basically say if your bid is accepted, you cannot switch cabins to another location in that category. Even if you could, chances are they accepted a bunch of bids and there will be no other cabins available in your new category.

In most cases, the obstructed balcony cabins are not shown in the Balcony section on the pricing. For the Grand you should see the obstructed Balcony pricing when you look at the Oceanview Category. For the Majestic, you should see the obstructed Balcony pricing when you look at the Inside category. If you do not see the Obstructed Balcony listed when you check those places, then the category is sold out. Example when looking at Majestic Inside category pricing:

I have never been there. Is it large enough so that a ship with 3000+ passengers does not overwhelm the experience?

The Lobster Roll at the Salty Dog Grill has a cost for it.

We know now that such transmission is extremely rare, but early on that was not known. (That is why for a while many people were wiping down groceries they purchased.) Thus, even after the restart, having different people touch things was discouraged. That is why the evening chocolates were discontinued. That is why the pen and paper were taken out of the cabin. That is why the buffet did not have self-service anymore. (Helps to prevent spread of noro, but not Covid.) Well, the self-service in the buffet is returning, but so far the evening chocolates, the pen, and the paper have not returned.

What many people are not cutting back on is travel. A friend on several Caribbean Princess cruises this summer said they were all sold out. He is on a RCI cruise this month which was sold out weeks ago.

Princess (and hotels) may push the environmental benefit, but the real reason for the switch to large bottles vs small containers is cost. Not only do the contents on a per ounce basis cost less with the large bottles, they do not have to throw out unused contents as when opened small bottles were disposed of at the end of a cruise.

Also a Covid thing.

Sphera: plural of Sphere. Radia: The name Radia is primarily a female name of Arabic origin that means Happy, Bright. The name Radia could be derived from the Slavic element rad meaning "happy, willing" or the word root of "radiant" which means shining and bright.

You need to bring them if you want them.

Definitely more variety at the buffet than in the dining room. But the dining room is a much more relaxed and calm experience compared to the often crowded experience at the embarkation day buffet filled with passengers unfamiliar with the buffet layout and what it offers. After possibly coping with crowds at airports and on a plane and with the lines at cruise check-in, embarkation day lunch in the dining room is a great way to be pampered as you switch into vacation mode.

They also have gluten free pizza if you ask for it. Sometimes you may need to ask in advance while on the ship..

On the other hand, the ones given at the port might be even older than the one mailed to you. It's not like they put in a fresh battery at the port.

Correct. And if all you want to use it for is getting on/off the ship, into your cabin and as a charge "card" anytime you make an on board purchase, then that is all you need to do with it. No need to learn about how it can be used for other purposes unless you want to.

You need to pour out any water before going through the TSA checkpoint. Solid ice = OK. Any water = not OK.

Yes, should be confirmed each meal even with the same server. But with different servers would have to explain the entire allergy problem each time there is a new server. With the same server, he/she can be proactive each evening without a new need for an explanation every time.

Forecast for the next Majestic cruise: https://cruiseoutlook.com/trip-summary/princess_majestic-princess_10_nights_2022-09-10

Here are the rules: https://www.princess.com/plan/princess-cruise-room-upgrade/terms-and-conditions/ A quick glance does not find it being limited to NA guests (but I could have missed that), but it does say that not all guests on a cruise will be invited to bid and not all eligible to bid will receive an invitation. Here is part of the information: The Program provides select booked guests with an opportunity to submit an offer to PCL to upgrade from their originally purchased stateroom category to a higher stateroom category for select PCL cruises. Program is not open to general public and is only open to guests that PCL has selected to participate. Eligibility: The Program is only available to PCL guests ("Eligible Program Guest" or "Guest"), which guests will be determined by PCL in its sole discretion. Guests who are determined by PCL to be eligible for the Program can confirm their eligibility by visiting the Site as set out in the paragraph below. Some Guests will also receive a Program email invitation from PCL. Invitation and eligibility as a Guest may not be transferred or shared. Selection of Guests will be in PCL's sole discretion, but all Guests must be at least 21 years of age or older, must have booked a PCL Cruise (as defined below), and provided final payment on such Cruise. Individuals deemed Eligible Program Guests for one cruise does not guarantee that such guests will also be Eligible Program Guests for future PCL cruises, if any. In addition to the official Program email, guests can check to see if they are Eligible Program Guests by accessing the Program landing page website (the "site") via links on princess.com or via the Cruise Personalizer on princess.com to see if they are able to submit a bid. If the Program does not show as available on such page or the guest is not able to submit a Bid (as defined below), then such guest is not eligible for this Program.