LMADAMS91

Our daughter still hasn't had the money returned to the account. She emailed the contact email to find out why her attempts to make a purchase were rejected and when the money would be returned.  The response she received is below.  Might be helpful for someone, of course that probably depends on whomever you reach when you call.

Good Day Ken,  (KEN?? Definitely not her name)

We apologize for any inconvenience you are experiencing.  We have several checks in place to insure all orders are processed correctly and error free.  These checks are in place to make sure that the entire process, from accepting the order to its delivery, occurs flawlessly.  Should any of these checks fail we notify you that your order was not able to be completed and refund your credit card charge for that order.

If you continue to experience this issue, please contact Princess Gift Card Support at 1-855-426-0168. Option 1.  This should resolve any issues you may be having with your order being voided by purchasing over the phone.

Once purchased please email us back with both your voided confirmation numbers and your approved confirmation numbers. We will than build you a bonus card for $50 for every 1k you had purchased even though your approved confirmation was after the promo had ended.

Once more I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Kind Regards,

Melinda On Behalf of
Princess Cruises, Gift Card Support

Question for those of you who were denied.......our daughter attempted to get one of the gift cards/bonus card combos. She used her debit/credit card. Princess denied the purchase but took the cash out of her account.  On every other denial we (husband & I) received, the money was immediately returned-her account still shows a $1K payment to Princess 36 hours after the attempt with no refund. How long did it take to get the money returned? 

On 5/7/2019 at 6:51 PM, osofish2 said:

Thanks to your information, I called and got Porsche in about 4 minutes.  She was great, and we have our 2 emailed cards.  She said the gift cards would come in 24 hours, so we will see.  I told her she was on Cruise Critic, as a great representative, and she was tickled.

Did you specifically ask for Porsche?  Is she in support or sales? I called the number listed, was transferred 5 times (once to Groups?!) was told I could only purchase one card and wouldn't get the bonus card for a week (in the mail.)  I finally gave up. j

I've used Shore Trips for numerous excursions, both in AK and the Caribbean. They are a very reputable broker. We've never had a problem with any excursion we booked through them.  

We also did Herbert and it was amazing. We were the only people there. Beautiful flight in and around the area. Definitely a highlight. 

We spent a couple of days in Sitka before our cruise in May of last year.  Many of the highlights have already been mentioned. Within walking distance of downtown, we visited the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Science Center (or aquarium), the totem poles, and in general, wandered around the waterfront.  Depending on the day of the week you are there, you can take the local bus from downtown, out to the Raptor Center or the Fortress of the Bear. 

Riding on the local bus (not really meant for tourists but for locals to get around) was a fantastic introduction to the town.  The driver of the bus gave us the highlights of the town. He stopped at every stop along the route, announcing every stop (there were four of us on the bus at the time, all tourists going to specific places.) He gave us tips of things to see, a history of the town and the area.  Any time a local boarded the bus, he greeted them by first name, they asked about each other's families, etc. The locals gave us tips of things to see/do. It was an experience in and of itself.  It only runs during the week; no weekend route. 

Sitka was a great introduction to Alaska and our cruise. Have fun.

We did a one hour (at most) glacier trek out of Juneau last June. We flew over Mendenhall but landed on the Herbert Glacier for our trek.  We were the only people there. We were able to walk around and peer down into the crevasses, sample glacier water and  take some amazing photos. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring.....and more than enough time for us.  I'm not sure what we would have done for two hours on the glacier.
 

For our late May/early June cruise in Alaska, we stocked up on Heat 32 items (they are a light weight, moisture wicking layer that doesn't add bulk but were great for additional heat.) We also packed waterproof (as opposed to water resistant) everything-pants, jackets, hats, shoes and gloves. We took long sleeved tshirts, sweatshirts and wool sweaters as well as wool socks (full disclosure-hubby and I are pretty cold-natured.  We get cold if it's below 70 outside.)  Layering is an art form that took us a while to master.  

We were in Alaska last year in late May/early June (on Uncruise, so not many real ports.  We were in different areas among the islands between Sitka and Juneau, with a visit to Glacier Bay.)  It has been my only visit to Alaska.  Weather was cool (40s to 50s) and fairly wet.  The first few days of our cruise, it rained frequently.  The last few, the sun was out and it was beautiful (but still cool.)  From what we were told, the climate in this area of Alaska is unpredictable-more so than other areas of AK.  Part of the climate will be dependent what ports the cruise visits. (Sitka is in a temperate rain forest. Rainfall amounts are higher than in other areas.)  We saw several bears and in general, a lot of wildlife. 

Also recommend the Fortress of the Bears in Sitka. Great opportunity to see and learn about black and brown bears, plus amazing photo opportunities for bears and eagles (although, from what we were told, the eagles are dependent on the time you are there.)  

If I were to return to AK (which is highly unlikely-it's beautiful but too cool for me) I'd plan on having cool, wet weather regardless of the time of year. Hopefully, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Our first cruise, we flew in the day of departure.  Our flight out was delayed a couple of hours (we had booked through the cruise line.)  We arrived at the airport to find no reps to help us get to the port (had booked transfers through the cruise line) and had to call to get transfers.  When we checked in at the cruise port, it was virtually deserted.  We arrived on board right before the muster drill with 3 hungry kids; we had to go directly to the muster drill.  Finally got them (and us) some food after muster.

Needless to say, we always fly in at least a day in advance.  Too much stress.  

Haven't done a cruise from London, but we were there four years ago on a self booked land tour.  We used Green Tomatoes for destinations that were too far for us to walk (airport to hotel plus a few others.)  I think they are along the same lines as Uber.  They were very reliable and we could book everything online, in advance.   

When I was researching London, I found a site through the London tourism site that gave time/cost estimates for traveling between two sites.  I don't remember the site, but had to have found it with a general google search......it led us to decide to walk to most places because taking a cab or the tube would have taken as long or longer.  We did a LOT of walking in London, but thoroughly enjoyed it as we saw much more that way.  The times we used Green Tomatoes were great for the long distances but we spent a lot of time stuck in traffic.

1 hour ago, Karen Lynn said:

Is there a contact for Georges Taxi? I searched the first 3 pages and can't seem to see and also searched the forum. Odd ..

 

My thanks 

 EMAIL:  info@taxigreece.com

https://www.taxigreece.com/

We'll be in Athens in August '19 and will be using George's Taxi for transfers and a tour.  They have great reviews on here so hoping it will work out.    Part of our group has to leave the day we arrive in Athens-they are providing the transfer to the airport for the 3 leaving and continuing the tour with transfer to our hotel afterward for the rest of us.  We're actually using them for several tours during the rest of our stay.

We had a specialty dining promo with our July 2018 cruise on the CB.  No voucher in our room and it wasn't on any of our accounts (4 rooms/8 people.)  I had to go to guest services to have the charge removed from all 8 of our accounts.  Not sure why it was missed but was handled without a problem once the error was pointed out. 

Unsure if OP has sailed yet but thought I'd add our experience.  We did a 7 day cruise this summer (late July/early summer) on Princess and did ruins in two different ports, back to back.  Our group consisted of my husband and me, his mother (90 years old but very active) our three adult kids (early 20s) and future son in law (also early 20s. )  We did ruins in Belize and Cozumel and both through the ship's excursions.  This trip was part of a gift to my mother in law so the excursions we chose were based on her requests of what she wanted to see.  I did a fair amount of research before we went to ensure there wasn't an inordinate amount of walking or climbing up large hills before we went. 

In Belize, we did the Altun Ha ruins (after switching from the Lamanai ruins because the tour provider decreased the time on the river.)  We thoroughly enjoyed both the river cruise and the ruins, but it was a very long and hot day.  The river cruise part of the excursion is in a partially covered boat.  Only about 1/3 of the passengers can get in the shaded area of the boat and even my 90 year old mother in law wasn't offered a seat in the shade. 

Pros of this excursion:  the river ride allowed us to see quite a bit of the natural environment, including wildlife, which was a request of my MIL.  We saw brief glimpses of manatees, a crocodile, howler monkeys, (creepy) fruit? bats,  (sorry...I have an issue with bats) various birds, one carrying a snake it its mouth.  We went equipped with hats, sunscreen and lots of water, so the cruise portion of the trip was tolerable as long as we kept moving.  However, when the guides stopped the boat to explain something or point something out, it was oppressively hot and humid (expected, but still uncomfortable.)  Fortunately, they kept these stops to a minimum.  We stopped at a restaurant along the river for lunch, then boarded a gloriously air-conditioned bus for the trip to the ruins and then back to the ship.  

The ruins themselves were mostly in the sun and involved a lot of walking. Most of it was over flat terrain and there were areas where you could find shade but it wasn't always convenient if you also wanted to hear what the guide was saying.  There were a couple of options where we could climb on the ruins.  I stayed with my mother-in-law (in the shade) while the rest of the crew climbed.  These ruins are "more developed" and are obviously visited by many visitors but weren't crowded by any means.

The following day, we were in Cozumel and opted for the ruins of Coba.  Most of the family had been to these before and these are, by far, our favorite ruins (of the sites we've visited. ) Coba is in a jungle, so there was a lot of shade available to get out of the summer heat. It was a great site with a lot to see; some of the ruins have been excavated and restored but many more are still buried in the jungle, which made these more authentic? than some of the other ruins we've visited.    

The terrain is fairly flat, but the paths are over uneven ground.  (We had four young adults who were ready and willing to help their grandmother any time she needed a stabilizing hand or assist over the terrain.) The site is also very large and requires a lot of walking or use of the the bike carriages (which were provided as part of our excursion.)  There was one pyramid that visitors were allowed to climb. I sat this one out with my MIL again, while the family climbed.  I had climbed this pyramid a few years ago, and frankly,  climbing back down was not something I wanted to do again.  It's a great view from the top and I'm glad I did it once...but feel no need to ever be terrified of the climb back down (even scooting down like a toddler while holding on to the rope. ) My biggest con with this trip was the time spent trying to get there and the lack of time on site.  (Between getting off the ship, the ferry ride to the mainland, finding and loading up the buses, we spent at least 2-3 hours trying to get there. ) 

Again, this was another long day but not as hot as the previous day in Belize.  Coba is much less commercial than some of the other ruins we've visited in Mexico (Tulum in particular.)  There were a few small shops outside the entrance to Coba, selling what appeared to be (hoping, at least) authentic items that weren't mass produced. 

Another bonus of this trip was that our guide had grown up in this area and knew families who lived close.  We stopped at a home on our way back to the ship where we could go inside the home, see tortillas being made and even sample the goods (young 20 year old adults were especially grateful for the food!).  They saw the general layout of the home, met the family who lived there as well as the pets (various dogs and  parrots.)  For those who didn't want to go in, the bus was outside waiting with the air conditioner running.

One of the reasons we did two ruins back to back was because of the river cruise and the opportunity to see wildlife.  We truly enjoyed both sites, but in general, we tend to gravitate toward historical attractions.  We were exhausted after the two days and very ready for our final day at sea. 

For general info, the other sites we visited in Mexico include Tulum (3 or 4 times?) over a span of 30+ years.  I have no desire to return, not because it isn't beautiful and has something to offer, but because it so commercialized.  

Chichen Itza-it's been over 20 years since we visited these and I remember them being worth the trip when we were staying in 

Cancun.  I would never attempt a visit from a cruise ship due to the distance from the port.

Dzibilchaltun ruins from Costa Maya.  We enjoyed these ruins as well; not as commercial as Tulum; many still being excavated.  Lots of shade and an easy walk around the site.  There were at least two pyramids that visitors could climb. 

We also visited some ruins on the island of Cozumel that were not commercialized (I think they were on Cozumel as  I don't remember taking the ferry, but it's been a few years.) None of the ruins had been restored-everything was mostly covered by jungle.  I don't remember the name of the ruins, but remember being eaten by mosquitoes. 

Take these for what they're worth.  Hopefully they will help someone make a more informed decision on what ruins they visit.  My 90 year old MIL did great on the trip and loved it.  

Our group of eight all had one complimentary specialty dining as part of our booking promotion. It was on the personalizer pre-cruise and I assumed, pre-loaded on our cards. We were all charged on our accounts when we used it. There was nothing in the card nor was there a voucher of any kind. I went to guest services and the charges were immediately removed.

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Here s a question regarding the "ship time". Does the ship stay on Eastern time thru out the voyage or do they change the ship time based on the local time in the port? We ll be doing the Western Caribbean in the next week. We re scheduled to be in Honduras at 12 noon, and have an excursion that says meeting time is 10:30 local time.

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We were on the same cruise and I agree with just about everything you mentioned. The muster drill was painfully slow...IT seems to be very lacking on Princess. We are several years older (mid 50s) and our kids are too old for kids' club which was part of the reason we went with Princess instead of our usual RCI. They are now more interested in the bars (all young adults.) They are pretty tame when it comes to late night parties, but they even said it was a little too quiet. We've sailed one other Princess cruise on Regal-it was still pretty sedate but the food was better. Our young adults all said they'd sail on Princess again, but a few years ago they would have been bored. If you are looking for mellow, Princess works. With younger kids, RCI will give you many more options.

Just completed the Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel trip on Caribbean Princess. Of the two options, this would always be my choice. Not a fan of Jamaica or Princess Cays.

We've done scuba and snuba in Grand Cayman and this last trip, did the island tour that included visiting Hell, the turtle farm, Stingray city and snorkeling. This was the best Grand Cayman excursion we have done. The tour was fun (as we hadn't seen any of the island before.) Turtle farm was very touristy but interesting. Stingrays were fun for the family and the snorkeling was great with beautiful, clear water and lots of fish/other sea critters.

Roatan is a family favorite due to Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout but would also love to dive there at some point.

Belize has a lot to offer-we opted for a river cruise where we saw a lot of wildlife, then visited one of the Mayan ruins.

Cozumel is our least favorite port but we opted to visit another Mayan ruin site-Coba. It is in the jungle, so lots of shade as well as a nice, less touristy site to visit. Unfortunately, we spent a lot of time just getting there. It is still our favorite ruins site.

Have fun with whatever you choose-there are lots of options at these ports.

Pictures available at this link for any interested.

http://alaska2018uncruisecc.shutterfly.com/

Really, this has been a true pleasure to read.

Barb

Thank you! I'm just not a cold weather (below 80°) person. I loved seeing the animals; the scenery was beautiful and the cruise and people aboard were great. I'm glad we went, but not really looking at a return trip to Alaska. Our next Uncruise trip will be a WARM weather destination, which I think I will love.

Pictures below, hopefully

Saturday, June 2,2018.

We awoke to find ourselves docked in Juneau. Due to flight times, we planned to spend a night in Juneau, then fly out early the following morning. We were up and dressed early. Our bags were packed up and set outside our door before we went down to breakfast. The staff picked up our luggage and transported it to a hospitality suite in the convention center in Juneau until time for transfers to the airport or in our case, transferred it directly to our hotel, which was right across from the convention center and pier. After breakfast, we filed off the ship, saying our goodbyes to the crew, who were lined up outside to see us on our way. We later checked into the hotel and received a note that Uncruise would be sending transportation to transport us from our hotel to the airport in the morning.

In summary, my DH, brother and SIL loved the cruise and Alaska. I did not love Alaska; it was pretty and the animals were cool to see. I’m glad I went but have no desire to ever set foot in the state again. I did not enjoy our room, but other than that, was very pleased with the cruise. There are some things I think Uncruise can improve, ie, the information provided about their cruises claims there are informational talks given every evening about the destinations. We had virtually none of that, other than basic information of where we would be and what activities would be available. We had a “storyteller” aboard who gave us some information a couple of nights on Alaska in general and we had the Park Ranger who spoke briefly on Glacier Bay. Other than those and the talent show, the evenings were pretty empty and I think Uncruise dropped the ball.

The Expedition Staff, however, was impressive in their knowledge. We were impressed with all the staff onboard. I’d read that, since the staff is mostly people from the US, they don’t really feel the need to go out of their way to provide a great experience. We didn’t see that. We had a group that worked hard and truly seemed to want to make our experience something to remember. They knew their stuff, and they seemed to have fun doing their jobs.

Another “issue” that came up was the Uncruise “open bridge”policy. Their training information claims passengers have access to the bridge 24/7 unless the ship is dropping anchor or there are rough waters, etc. Our cabin was right next to the bridge and there was almost always a chain across the entry to the bridge area (just past our door) denying entry to the area. We personally didn’t have a burning desire to see the bridge, but some aboard did and were upset that they weren’t allowed the opportunity. There were apparently a couple of times during the cruise when passengers were allowed up, but we only saw the chain down once.

I consider both of these as pretty minor issues. We were very happy with the Uncruise experience and had we been in any other area, I think I would have loved it. As it was, I know I don’t want to go to Alaska again. We did, however, put a deposit down on a future Uncruise cruise, location to be determined.

In closing, we returned home on 6/3 (to lovely 80+ degree weather and sunshine!!) . On 6/4, I had my leg X-rayed, followed a few days later with a CT. My souvenir from Alaska is a compressed fracture of the tibia. I’m now supposed to be non-weightbearing and on crutches for the next 4-6 weeks. Did I mention I don’t plan to return to Alaska?

Friday, June 1,2018

We awoke to another beautiful, calm and sunny morning in Funter Bay. We would be staying here for the entire day. Everyone would have the option of doing a skiff tour and one other excursion. Options for other excursions included kayaking tours, paddle boarding, bushwhacking and a bushwhacking “light” option that they called a meander. Our group of two couples did our skiff tour together in the morning with Wilson as our guide. For the afternoon excursion, DH and I would do the meander with Wilson while my brother and SIL did another bushwhack.

Our skiff tour with Wilson was wonderful. The sun was out for most of the tour, the wind was quiet and the water a deep blue and clear. We saw little fish in the water, sea stars, beds of mussels, harbor seals,spring flowers blooming on the islands and best of all, a whale spout just in front of our skiff. We stopped and waited a few minutes, then witnessed it breach right in front of our skiff. We had a front row view.

After lunch onboard, we set off on our meander with Wilson.We landed on the shore of Admiralty Island, one of the islands with the highest bear populations. We strolled along the beach where we found a multitude of interesting items. Wilson examined them, then explained what they all were. From there, we headed into the forest,wandering around looking for items of interest. It was a nice afternoon in the rare Alaska sunshine.

My brother and his wife enjoyed their bushwhack tour with Ben, wandering up and down the hills of another island. They visited the site of an old cannery, discovering a building that used newspaper circa 1917 as wallpaper.

During the day, we settled our onboard account, which basically meant we paid gratuities to the crew (non officers and non leadership positions. ) Uncruise doesn’t add a specific amount to an onboard account;gratuities are up the passengers. They have a suggested amount and formulas available to make it easy if you want to make adjustments. They also offer a very good onboard booking discount. Not only do returning passengers get a discount that increases with the number of cruises you’ve taken, if you prebook your next cruise while onboard, you get $500 per person off the cost of the cruise fare. That can be combined with the discount for multiple cruises but not with other sale offers. The only catch is that you have to book your next cruise within a year and sail within two. You have 45 days to change your mind; after that, the $750 per person deposit is non-refundable.

After all were again onboard, we set sail for Juneau and disembarkation. We had dinner as usual, then gathered in the forward lounge for a presentation in pictures of our week onboard. All guides take cameras with them while on excursions, taking pictures of the different plants, animals, sites as well as the guests. Those pictures are compiled and put to music for a closing night presentation. After the cruise, the pictures are all made available to all the passengers for download.

Thursday, May 31,2018

We arose early for our arrival at the Marjorie Glacier. We arrived there somewhere around 6am and were able to hang out there for a limited amount of time. We were directly in front of the Marjorie Glacier and the Grand Pacific Glacier. Most of the passengers were on the bow of the ship admiring the glacier, with the blue highlights mixed amongst the white compacted ice. We had it all to ourselves. It was quiet, except for the occasional sound of ice breaking off and crashing down.It sounded like thunder as it rumbled through the valley.

After our time at the Marjorie Glacier, we sailed to the Lamplaugh Glacier, where we dropped anchor for the morning. From here, we were able to either take a skiff tour, kayak tour or a bushwhack tour. All in our group opted for the kayak tour.

When it was our tour time, we set off with Allison toward the glacier. Little ice bergs floated all around us (they have specific names depending on their size, but I don’t remember them.) As we paddled toward the glacier, a whale spouted and breached across the cove from where we were. Another group of kayakers from our ship was right in front of the whale and had a fantastic view!

We stopped in front of the glacier for photos and were able to see ice breaking off into the waters. We paddled back toward our ship through the ice field, listening to the “rice krispies” popping sounds as air trapped in the mini-icebergs was released.

We returned to the ship in time for my DH and my SIL to change and prepare for the Polar Plunge, an Uncruise tradition. Every Alaskan Uncruise Cruise offers guests the opportunity to jump into the icy cold waters.Our cruise would have that opportunity in Glacier Bay, complete with 40° water and mini icebergs floating by. My brother and I dutifully took on the obligation of staying on board to document the procedure for future generations.

Several passengers and a few crew members took part in the Polar Plunge. Some of the passengers went back for a second plunge, but for most, once was enough. The hot tub and hot showers were very popular after the plunge.

After the plunge and lunch, we set sail toward the entrance of Glacier Bay, cruising by a couple of areas known for their nesting grounds for birds. We saw mountain goats with their new baby goats grazing on the hills above us as we cruised. Once we reached South Marble Island, we slowed in order to get a better view of the inhabitants. There were more sea lions, and many birds, most we had seen before. We did see the Tufted Puffin,which was a new one for us.

We eventually made our way to the Glacier Bay Visitor Center at Bartlett Cove. Here, we were able to leave the ship without a guide to take advantage of the well-marked trails and gift shop. Our Expedition Team guides were positioned at strategic points along the trails to insure we didn’t turn the wrong way. The trails were a very easy walk,didn’t require knee high boots and provided a pleasant, though still somewhat painful walk. We ran across a porcupine strolling down one of the trails and saw some new duck-like birds in another area. We returned to the ship as it was getting dark and sailed not long afterward.