Daniel A

Have you tried dating web sites? 😂 😍

Here is a previous thread from October with posters saying a 3-week turnaround with and without expedited handling. FYI: recent passport renewal turnaround with expedited processing - Princess Cruises - Cruise Critic Community

Thank you @Nodakboiler and @Sea42 . I was able to pre-purchase the Unlimited Laundry Pkg for $6.00/Day. It is now showing up on my Day 1 itinerary. 👕🧦🥼🥻👗🩱🩳

Does it cost the same as a pre-onboard purchase?

Apparently, when HAL changed ships for the cruise, they treated the original cruise as if it was cancelled. The must have cleared everything as they considered that the cruise no longer existed. They then moved us over to the bigger ship with a new booking number, and nothing else booked. I'm just glad to see they didn't raise the price of anything I purchased under the previous booking number.

Thank you. I don't see either, but I do see the upgraded WiFi package. Do you know if I can purchase the laundry package once onboard using OBC? I just sent a second request for the distilled water.

When I first booked an upcoming sailing in 2021, I purchased the laundry package and ordered distilled water. Subsequently, HAL changed the ship for our sailing, and I have an e-mail from HAL saying they have refunded the laundry package purchase because of the change. It's been so long since I booked this cruise, I don't remember if I re-ordered the Laundry Package or the Distilled Water for the sailing on the replacement vessel. I tried to look it up on my booking on the website and I don't see anywhere where I can see a list of pre-purchased items. How can I check on this? I don't want to get doubled billed by ordering them again if I already have them on the booking. Thanks in advance.

I never heard of this local CBS reporter before. Why would people from Ohio and Chicago be "texting, calling and e-mailing" this particular reporter? Something's rotten in Denmark....

Did you find your cruise on the list?

The US Passport is the "Gold Standard" for identification of US citizens both within and outside the borders of the US. Don't leave home without it.

Go to Booking or Voyage Lookup (hollandamerica.com and in the second line from the top, the last sentence reads "Don't have a booking yet and want to know protocols, click here." Click on the last word here, and it will take you to this page which will list the protocols for each individual scheduled cruise - no booking number needed! Booking or Voyage Lookup (hollandamerica.com) The column all the way to the right side of the chart will have a clickable link for the protocols for each cruise.

If you're returning to the U.S. by air, a passport is required by the United States.

It sounds to me that somebody at CCL listened when told "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."

According to the US state Department's Cruise Ship Travel Tips, "Always bring your passport in case of an emergency, even if your cruise says you won’t need it" Here is that list: Cruise Ship Rack Card_2018.pdf (state.gov)

My first thought when I heard that statement was that the reporter didn't go through Princess' Media Relations Department. The reporter probably just called the generic 800 number and requested a callback. If the reporter didn't identify herself as a member of the press, then she probably just got a callback from any telephone representative. The information given to the reporter was correct. It has always been stressed that it is the responsibility of the traveler to know what travel documents are required. This is just another case of the media piling on and making more out of something than it is.

The people in the news story may have been given the correct answer. They may have been asking the wrong question. "If I'm going on a Caribbean cruise, do I need to have a passport?" I seriously doubt they asked if they would need a passport for a cruise stopping in South America and Panama. They probably called the 800 number and got somebody who was thinking they were asking a general question prior to actually making a booking. Yes, you can take any number of Caribbean cruises without needing a passport. This reminds me of the concept that I know all of the answers, it's just up to you to ask me the right questions... 🤷‍♂️😄

According to the US State Department of State, the following countries require US citizens to have a passport for entry: Panama, Columbia and Costa Rica. The CB sailing is stopping at all three, thus the requirement for a passport to board that sailing. 🤧

I wonder what happens to their luggage. Usually, you do the luggage drop at curbside before entering the terminal.

I still don't see any evidence that "hundreds" of cruise passengers were denied boarding... It went from hundreds to 'several families' Once again, don't accept what the 'news' reports as being true. They're selling advertising, not good information.

The link is for the TSA (Airports), not the Customs and Border Protection. The Closed loop passport exemption is different than just using the "Real ID" licenses. A closed loop cruise, requires a government issued birth certificate AND government issued photo ID (ie: a Real ID license), unless using a passport, passport card, enhanced driver license (EDL), Global Entry, Nexus, etc. Even for closed loop cruises one should make sure they will have an up-to-date passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity. My neighbor booked a round trip out of NYC to Bermuda on another 'boutique' line and they required a passport for boarding. Two weeks before sailing, she realized she couldn't find her passport and tried to use closed loop cruise documents (Certified birth certificate and photo driver license) and she was told she would be refused boarding as the cruise line required a valid passport and would not accept anything else. She was able to get an expedited replacement passport, but it cost her a lot of time and money. Moral of the story: Make sure you know where your passport is and how much time is left on it at the time you make any cruise booking.

I don't believe you can get them using a beverage package. Hint: If you get one at the pool bar, make sure they put some ice in the bucket. Usually, my buckets only had the 16oz metal bottles - no ice...

No, but I think the man in the car behind you with the flashing lights wants to come in and freshen up the car and restock the mini bar. (Depending, of course, on the color of your medallion...)

The main problem with that car is that each time you get in, you need to watch a 15-minute video outlining the safety features of the car and where to go in the event of an emergency. All passengers also need to have a special medallion to ride in the car and a cell phone app to open the windows. 😉

Several years ago, DW & I booked a Caribbean cruise on Regal not realizing it was smack dab in the middle of Spring Break season. We were very concerned about the quality of that cruise. However, once aboard, we didn't see much difference compared to our previous Regal sailings. When we had a port call at Grand Turk there was already a Carnival ship there. That was the only fly in the ointment, the college kids from the Carnival ship were out of control in Grand Turk, and we returned very quickly to the Regal for a nice, quiet respite. YMMV.

If there even was a 'rich dude' to begin with............🤑