Sandy R

DH is a pescatarian as well. We did the Chef's Table several years ago, when it was first offered. We didn't say anything about his not eating meat. DH was fine. There was so much food he definitely didn't leave hungry! And, at that time the menu had more fish than meat. Not sure of the menu these day but if you do a search, I bet you can find it.

We just used the Princess Insurance (we're upgraded to Platinum as we're Elite). DH had surgery 3 weeks before we were to sail on March 7. Called TA and cancelled the cruise 2 days after his surgery. Then called the Princess Insurance phone # and started a claim. Sent in all the necessary papers, along with a letter from the surgeon. Within 3 weeks, we received all money paid for the cruise, less the cost of the travel insurance. Nice part is, if we didn't have a covered reason for canceling, we would have had that amount in a Princess credit. BTW, DH is better than ever and we rescheduled for mid-April... using Princess Insurance again. When we take a cruise that involves flying, we get insurance to cover the flights.

In L.A. Times today, there was an article in the Travel section "Hauling local catch aboard". Below is an excerpt from the article...

"Dishes from the popular Alaska Fish House in Ketchikan, Tracy's King Crab Shack in Juneau (crab cakes) and Skagway Fish Company (mermaid burgers), will now be served aboard Princess ships visiting Alaska. Besides offering local restaurant fare, Princess is partnering with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to feature a variety of Alaskan foods, including crab, salmon and halibut in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. Princess chefs have been trained by Alaska seafood chefs to capture the flavors of the state".

Oops... I was wrong on the tier levels. Below is the correct info from the Princess website:

Onboard credit per household after completion of 20 credits +:

$25 for 20-30 cruise credits

$50 for 30-40 cruise credits

$75 for 41-50 cruise credits

$100 for 51+ cruise credits

If you're talking about the "Loyalty" credit given after so many cruises. Princess doesn't just give it "sometimes". It's tiered and begins with the 32nd cruise ($50), 42nd cruise ($75) and 52nd cruise ($100). We're at the $75 level now and are looking forward in a few more cruises to go up to the next and so far last level.

Tried to pull up the new benefit form on the Princess site but it still says the old date. Is it just not there yet?

We rented a car a few years ago and did the drive to Carcross and then drove the short distance to Emerald Lake, after which we turned around and drove back to Skagway. The scenery was amazing. Best part, we stopped whenever we wanted. We used Murray Lundberg's milepost guide. I'm fairly certain it's still on the net but now you have to buy it. Well worth it! He describes the best places to stop by using mile-marker numbers. We're doing a cruise to Alaska this August and we've already booked a rental car and will be using Murray's guide again. We're renting from Avis in Skagway. If you decide to rent a car, do it soon, they usually run out of cars during the summer months.

We'll be using new terminal in August. Researching on the CC boards this is what I found:

Being Elite won’t get you ahead of line. All passengers are in one line until they pass thru Security/X-Ray. On very sunny or rainy days, standing outside to get into Terminal can be chaos. Terminal opens when Captain gives the all clear… usually about 11:30pm.

There is no waiting room or restrooms on ground level, just a lobby where your ID is checked. After going up escalator or elevator, you immediately enter into security lines. Once cleared thru Security & Alcohol inspection, you enter check-in area, fill out health forms & get in proper check-in lines… Preferred, Suites, Elite, platinum or regular check-in.

After getting your keycard you’ll be directed to seating/waiting areas. Boarding usually begins about 11:45pm or 12 noon. Elites/suites first, then Preferred, then regular boarding (designated by numbers given out as you exit check-in lines).

Ships don't dock in Cabo. There isn't a dock large enough to accommodate a cruise ship. Ships anchor off shore... about a 10 minute tender ride each way. Last tender for the night back to the ship is usually 10pm. Next morning you can take the tender ashore again. Most ships have excursions to Todos Santos. We did such an excursion maybe 6 years ago. It's about an hour's drive from Cabo. It's a small town, easily seen in a few hours. Lunch was provided.

We'd like to be able to walk to the car rental agency if possible. We prefer Hertz or Budget but if another car rental agency is closer will opt for that. Thanks

Persistance paid off - TA called Princess again today and after pointing out the advert on the Website they have added $55 extra dollars to my OBC - yaaay

Should be $50. Did your TA add an extra $5?

Read the post again about fog leaving & returning to Galveston. Might Houston Bayport Cruise Terminal mid-March be different than Galveston?

Thanks for all the info. Already coming in 2 days prior to embarkation. First day we'll arrive around 3pm - we're in L.A. so there will be a time change. We'll be visiting Johnson Space Center on 2nd day. Have to decide whether to book disembarkation flight late in the day/early evening or stay over a night. I'm thinking a late in the day or early evening flight will work better for us.

We'll be cruising out of Bayport mid-March. Do we have to be concerned about fog at Hobby or Bush airports and sailing in and out of Bayport?

Also want to spend a day at Johnson Space Center. Is there a nice hotel that is mid-way between Bayport and the Space Center? Is that even do-able? If we stay near Bayport, how far is the Space Center?

Thanks for any answers.

We also received the email promo. We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in March. We already have a March booking to the Mexican Riviera. I called Princess yesterday and requested the $50 promo. The agent put me on hold and then came back on the line and told me that the $50 had been added to our OBS. She also wished us a wonderful 50th anniversary.

DH and I sailed the Crown Princess to Mexico 12/13/14. First day aboard we entered the mini-suite on Dolphin deck and found the cabin stifling hot. I immediately called the Purser’s Office and told them we had a problem. They said they would call engineering. By the time we came back to the cabin that evening, after dinner and after seeing a show, the cabin felt cool again… even though engineering never came. In the morning, I cancelled the engineer. Two days later, after returning from Puerto Vallarta, the air/heat/fan system in the mini stopped completely. Thank goodness we had a balcony door to open!

I called the Purser’s Desk again and they said they would contact the engineer dept. as an emergency. Five minutes later, 2 engineers were inside our cabin. Try as they might, in 2 hours, back and forth from our cabin to somewhere inside the ship, they couldn’t find the problem. They did open a section of the ceiling in the sitting area to give us some air. They were very apologetic that they couldn’t find the problem. They said they would return the following day, while we were out and about in Mazatlan. Meanwhile, I talked to Purser’s Desk manager, Alexa, who was sympathetic to our plight but told us no other cabin was available for us to move to. The cruise was full, over 3000 passengers, so when Alexa said there were no available cabins, I wasn’t surprised.

After seeing Mazatlan, we returned to the ship. I prayed our mini-suite would be cool again. Mazatlan was not only very warm but also very humid. Opening the balcony door wasn’t going to be a great option. We opened the cabin door to see the drapes drawn and the opening in the ceiling still open. I returned to the Purser’s Desk and Alexa. I was ready to cry. In 47 Princess cruises, we honestly never had a problem with any mini-suite we’ve booked.

Alexa came out with a smile on her face. A couple had missed the ship in San Pedro and were supposed to board the ship in Mazatlan. Alexa had been informed by Princess that morning, they would not be coming, so their Dolphin aft suite was now available to us. Alexa arranged for a steward to help us move and gave us our new cruise cards.

We have had an aft suite before so we knew how nice it was. And, the air-conditioning worked perfectly. And, because we were now in a suite, we could have breakfast at Sabatini’s… yum. We had made reservations at the Crown Grill when we boarded that ship, for after our day in Mazatlan. Princess reversed the charge that night because we were now in a suite.

We were very, very lucky everything worked out so well. It’s always nice when there’s a good outcome! We are grateful to the Princess staff and crew and to the two engineers. BTW, our original steward caught us in the hall a few nights later, letting us know after 2 full days of working inside the cabin, the problem in the mini-suite was finally fixed.

We are looking forward to boarding the Crown again in March, for our anniversary... in a Dolphin mini down the hall from the mini we had this December.

We were on the Dec. 13th cruise on the Crown. Had a wonderful time. We had a mid-ship mini and had one of the "new" mattresses... very comfortable. Ship looked good to us. We ate 3 times in specialty restaurants - 2 nights in Crown Grill (always great) and 1 night in Sabatini's (love the new menu). Didn't like the lines in the anytime dining restaurant but got a beeper and waited in the bar/piazza area. Wait was no more than 20 minutes. It was a fairly young cruise (lots of kids on winter break) so we were always able to get a lounger in the shade. Heard some people complain that the pool was cooler than usual. Don't know personally because we didn't swim. We're going on the Crown again in March and looking forward to it.

Called Princess yesterday and spoke to an agent because my email and password was not being recognized when I logged on. Agent said during upgrade to their system, some emails and passwords were deleted... one was mine. She didn't mention how many were deleted but said they had been getting hundreds of calls all morning. Took her seconds to fix and I was on my way.

I never use the duvet... much too hot for me. When we first board I ask the steward for a blanket, and a top sheet over the blanket.

We had the same thing happen when we sailed the Golden the end of Sept. At that time, they had to fix the thrusters. Would love to hear what maintenance problem they're having now. We're sailing on the Golden next August, to Alaska. Sure hope everything is fixed by then!

Kudos to Princess if they continue to return unused Military OBC to our credit cards! If we're given a credit to our credit cards, there's no need to "cash out" in the casino. And, I'm certain Princess already knows about the casino "loop-hole"... that practice has been discussed several times on the CC board.

I have 4 future bookings. When I booked each, I printed off the "Onboard Credits for this Booking" page. Only 1 of my bookings had an asterisk (*), and that was "Shore Ex/Onboard Spending", which I knew about in advance of booking. Now everyone of my booking credits have an asterisk except Military Benefits. Definitely appears to me like this is a policy change!

My DH suggested that instead of changing the status of OBC, Princess should have stated that from a certain date going forward, "no OBC can be used in the casino" and "no check will be cut for OBC that hasn't been used."

But, here's a question to ponder... if someone puts a $20 bill in a slot machine and at some point wins $100 and cashes out, is that money his/hers to keep or is that sum charged against their running tab to be paid by credit card at the end of the cruise?

Just spoke to a very reliable source in Princess Customer Service. I've spoken with her before and she has always provided me with good info. She said "non-refundable" meant no checks would be cut for unspent OBC. She said gratuities can still be paid by non-refundable OBC. She agreed with me when I suggested FCC's and Loyalty should be tagged "refundable" since we paid/earned those OBC's. She also agreed with me when I suggested the new OBC changes be put in writing on the Princess website ASAP, to eliminate rumors spreading She said they were having a meeting next week about the new changes and she would pass on my suggestions.

All the talk about OBC reminds of the time Princess retracted unlimited internet for Elites. Lots of passengers were angry by Princess giving something and then taking it away. Princess eventually softened their decision by offering a "free" internet package. It wasn't perfect but it did help squelch some of the anger.

Princess started OBC to create an incentive to book a their cruises. It worked... maybe too well. The incentive will now come with restrictions, which will again make some people angry. Perhaps the offers Princess has created... "3 for Free" and "National Cruise Vacation Week Sale", will not be as inviting in the future. I'm hoping Princess will soften their decision about OBC, just like they did with internet usage.

Not sure if this has been covered... is "Loyalty" credit non-refundable?

If Military Benefits "are" refundable, can I use that amount when playing the slots in the casino?

Also, are non-refundable credits used for daily gratuities?

We've sailed 46 cruises with Princess and have a lot of OBC. Sometimes we use it all, sometimes not. I liked Princess returning our unused OBC. I wouldn't mind if the unused credit carried over to a future cruise I booked. I'm not happy with the change. That OBC kept me sailing Princess. In the future, I will probably compare other cruise line itineraries.

We use Clorox Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes. (says on container: "Kills bacteria and viruses in 30 seconds") Bought it from Amazon. Container is large & heavy... holds 155 wipes, 6.75" X 5.75". We take them on cruise in zip-lock baggie. On Amazon.com it says it kills Norovirus, Rotavirus, HIV... it's $16.27 on Prime & weighs 1.7 lbs.