1AL

Going on a cruise 07/07 with four total adults in one cabin on Carnival Elation. Worried this is going to be incredibly small. Anyone know that could put my mind at ease or just prepare me? :)

Hopefully you'll all still be on speaking terms by the end of the cruise! :D;)

Good luck! :p

You can always sell the mini-bar contents to someone on your roll-call, that's what I am doing with ours.

About time that Princess addressed this "trick" that everyone posts on here for all to see, Princess included!

I was also able to do that. However, both my cruises are not yet within final payment.

Who are these idiots who sign (yes, you must sign a form to purchase these certificates and at the bottom the terms of purchase/use are very clearly printed) without reading WHAT THEY ARE SIGNING for? Stupidity knows no bounds!

Absolutely agree. Do not use sushi on a cruise ship as her introduction to this item. Nothing I have had on Princess comes close to what even my neighborhood Sushi house offers, and no where like what I can get at an upscale sushi house.

So in EIGHT YEARS, that's right 8 years, since this thread was originally started, the sushi in the buffet is still inedible?

I am glad I sold all 9 of mine starting in the beginning of 2018, I sold my last one 3 weeks ago, just in the nick of time. :):):)

I am glad I sold all 9 of mine starting in the beginning of 2018, I sold my last one 3 weeks ago, just in the nick of time. :D:D:D

It's evident that the OP's only intention is to see what OP can take Princess for by way of financial compensation.

Cruiselines should put an end to this nonsense of allowing themselves open to such scams, they are running a business

afterall not a charity.

smh

If you're telling the truth, I have to give you a high five on that one! That's hilarious!!! We are a family of four. We are always early risers, even on weekends. We are always up by 6 on cruises. We normally grab out stuff and backpacks and head to the pool deck. We claim 2 chairs, none for the kids. We put our stuff down and walk into lido for breakfast. Usually takes about 30 minutes to eat and then go back to our chairs before 70% of the ship is even up. It's one thing to do it out way, which I feel many do, then there is the other. Going on pool deck and claiming 10 chairs for 10 people that aren't there and don't plan on being there for three hours. I'd just move the towels if I saw the loungers unused for an hour max.

Honest truth!

If Carnival followed their own policy posted inside the cabins that "missing" beach/pool towels are charged

$22 each to the passenger's shipboard account, that day Carnival "sold" 8 towels to that idiot passenger netting

Carnival $176.00

One of Princess's best itineraries......about 6-7 years or so ago these LA to Hawaii cruises were dirt cheap...at that time they were 14-day trips as Ensenada was not a full-day stop but just a 4-hour stop or so. Numerous times we only paid $399 (plus port charges) and up until Nov 2016 we paid $699 (plus port charges). Now we find it hard to justify paying $1300 (plus port charges).

That LA/Hawaii/South Pacific sailing is also a fantastic itinerary....we managed to nab a balcony on Lido Deck in Oct 2016 for

$1800 (plus port charges).

The days for last-minute cheap cruises on most cruiselines (but more so on Princess) seem to have gone the way of the Dodo

bird lately. :-( :-(

Do you order this as a cold coffee drink, like a frappe? Sounds delish. I will be asking for a banoffee on my next princess cruise, Alaska June 2019.

Yes, it's blended with ice............it is so YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

Ask them for a whole banana, extra caramel syrup and extra whipped cream......you'll think you

died and went straight to Heaven!

:D:p:);)

What are the "rules" for selling CruiseNext certificates to strangers? There is no one we know who wants or needs them and we have 2 of the $250 ones we won't be able to use. They expire in October 2019. Any advice? I'm not sure how to get the word out!

 

Thanks!

Just be careful of the lowballers on here.........everyone knows how much you'd have paid for them and they will try to lowball you. Do not leave it till the 11th hour to try to sell them, I had 4 that expire in 2020 that I sold on here a couple of months ago for $175 each so it was a win/win situation. Good luck.

Psssttt.....chair hog, ever wonder what happened to your towel/s? lmao

On our cruise last month, one day at around 5:30am this woman shows up by the pool and reserves an entire row of 10 deck chairs with towels. A few minutes after she left, I took as much of her towels as I could carry (8 of them)....I ended up putting them on Ebay when we returned home. The funny part was that when I got back to my cabin, I could see her arguing with a person who seemed like a deck supervisor all dressed in white on the Pool Deck camera TV channel. This was on the Carnival Splendor. Carnival charges you $22 for "lost" towels.

Perhaps NCL, Princess, HAL etc......should start doing the same, charging you for the beach towels if you do not return them.

Easy solution to this dilemma:

CRUISELINES SHOULD START CHARGING FOR RENTING CHAIRS/LOUNGERS.....much like you pay at the beach.

That would take care of the problem...............

They typically punch once for small drinks, twice for large. Sometimes you'll get a nice barista who punches once for a large drink especially if it's something simple (e.g. a cappucino with nothing added). But "nice barista" and "International Cafe" is an exceedingly rare combination.

 

I was pretty happy when I saw the remodel of the ice cream place on the Grand - they now have espresso drinks up there as well. Nice to not have to go all the way down to IC before grabbing food at HC if you are inclined to combine the two.

 

The coffee cards have been a staple for me and DW, but the difference between the new program and the old is not really a big deal. I do prefer the brewed coffee slightly, so I'll probably still get the coffee package, but I have consumed quite a lot of the free coffee and the free iced tea in our four cruises. I'm not particularly picky.

 

A general note on this thread. It seems like Princess continues to move towards nickeling and diming. I started cruising in 2015 so I never got to experience the heyday. But the reality is that you're there to relax and a cruise is still among the more economical ways to travel overall. It's really not worth worrying about this, especially for those who are taking their first cruise; just go and enjoy yourself.

That information is outright incorrect...........With nearly 260 sea days on Princess, we have NEVER been charged 2 punches for any kind of LARGE specialty coffee....their Blended Banoffee (Banana Coffee) is to die for.

A large one with a WHOLE banana (usually it's half a banana) plus extra whipped cream and caramel syrup

has NEVER cost us more than one punch.

I also beg to differ about your comment that a nice barista and International Cafe is an exceedingly rare combination. We have NEVER come across a barista who was not "nice" as you put it. Actually they have always been nice and very accommodating of our requests.

And just to be clear, we are NOT Princess cheerleaders NOR do we cruise exclusively with just Princess.

So you would recommend flying into Long Beach and not LAX?

Too many airports.....we only have one in Atlanta. A big one, yes, but easy to navigate!

There is just absolutely NO comparison in size between Hartsfield-Jackson and Long Beach.

LGB is miniscule but always a delight to fly in to/out of. And the terminal has an old-world

charm and feel to it although a few years ago they did add on to it.

If you can find decently priced flights to LGB, yes, fly to LGB. My experience has been

though that nowadays the least expensive fares seem to be to LAX. After Atlanta, it is

the 2nd busiest airport in the USA and the 5th busiest in the world! Although insanely

busy, it does an excellent job at moving the crowds and you can walk from Terminal

1 to Terminal 7 (terminals are laid out in a U fashion) in about 30 minutes although

there are free shuttles.

You can take Super Shuttle right from LAX on cruise days to Long Beach and/or San Pedro

for about $17 per person.

Nearest airport is LGB (Long Beach).

Long Beach Transit in conjunction with LADOT can get you

from the airport to the cruiseship terminal in San Pedro for $3 per person!!!

Easy to do and the bus stops right next to the parking lot in San Pedro.

if you are a senior, it's even cheaper!

Plenty of hotels in the area and most offer a free shuttle to the terminal.

Your British????that explains everything:D;p

I met a few cosmonauts in Moscow, but Gene Cernan I am sure was very interesting.....

No, it doesn't.......lol....lol....;p;p;p I did serve in the British military but I am NOT a Brit.

I sure hope we can cross paths on a cruise one day, I am sure we can spend countless

hours exchanging life stories and experiences. I come from a family of fliers, all kinds

of engineers, seafaring captains and marine engineers.

Regards,

AL

like 2 'free' coffee packages !!!:rolleyes:

free laundry, up to 500 minutes free internet...priority this and priority that...the good stuff.

Since you asked me I'll answer the question....I would look around and see who it might belong to...and if I was near a store I would hand it in..because maybe it was someone's last hundred and in reality that hundred would not make a big impact on my life..but it might have been everything to the person who lost it. BTW I have found cash before and turned it in more than once.

 

 

But I, like you...want to get the best value possible on any vacation I plan...but I also I know sometimes by giving something that cost me nothing, to a another, whether friend or stranger can make their day.

 

 

I do not know what branch of the military you were in but a few weeks ago I flew in the only flying, B-24 bomber with one of my sons....what a kick... my dad piloted it and the B-17 in WWII.

 

 

Enjoy..

How cool is that!!!

I once befriended an F4 pilot on one of my Princess cruises, Vietnam vet!

My former neighbor's Dad used to fly P51s during WW2. In his 90s, he was

still one heck of a character...a true American hero to/for me! He has since passed.

And once while on a land-based vacation, I had an opportunity of meeting Gene Cernan

...boy was that an interesting conversation...I'll remember that for the rest of my life.

I served in the British military.

For example Employee, Friends and Family, or Interline.

Its on a "need to know" basis for those who are entitled.

Guess you aren't entitled and that's why you won't have seen it.

Fares are low but no OBC. And offered only on certain cruises.

Usually but not always works out cheaper overall, often considerably cheaper on longer cruises, and is usually offered on cruises which don't sell well for some reason, like length, itinerary, repositioning, short notice, or unpopular date like just before Christmas.

Better to fill a cabin at a low price than have it go empty.

2 thumbs up..............I concur! (y)(y)NO OBCs of any kind but the HUGE SAVINGS far outweigh any other kind of obc's combined, and then some! PLUS, you still get ALL the onboard Elite benefits.

Always, have to make a buck, don't u?..sure u don't work for princess?:D;);p

 

There is another option give it away.....

In between the military benefit obc, shareholder benefit obc, future cruise certificate obc, loyalty credit, free internet, free laundry, last-minute/resident rates....every little bit helps. Oh, I forgot to mention that our travel agent usually throws in

a small obc and a bon voyage gift. I have been using the same travel agent since 1979, he treats us well, very well indeed,

although his 2 daughters are now gradually taking over the business!

Give it away? Nah!

On our recent 28-day Tahiti cruise we spent a total of just UNDER $4000 (including port charges/taxes/fees) for the 2 of us in an unobstructed balcony at the very front (actually 2nd from front) of Lido deck.....plus.....In addition to that, Princess kicked in just under $900 between the various obcs...then I sold the 4 new coffee cards I had (2 were from prior cruises) for another $100 ($25 each)...not exactly chump change! Why leave money on the table? I'm pretty sure that if you were out walking and see a $100 bill on the ground that you would leave it there for somebody else to take, wouldn't you? wink, wink.

I've always had the mindset (and it has always worked for me) that in life you win some and you lose some. Cruise benefits

aren't any different. If Princess takes away the coffee card swap-out benefit and now no more physical coffee cards? No worries, time to move on to selling the actual contents of the mini-bar to members of the roll-call.

Easy!

lmao

Over-rated, way over-rated train ride, one heck of a tourist trap.

We did it once and it pales in comparison to many alpine railway rides to be had in other parts of the world for a fraction of

the cost.

I'll keep the booze and bring my own personal Starbuck Colombian instant coffee, it's far superior than that undrinkable stuff they call "fresh brewed."

I will keep the booze and sell it to someone on the roll-call. Easy!

Never heard of this: American Express membership reward Carnival Corporation gift card, sorry.

As stated above: you can use your OBC for anything...any purchase for anything on board (with the exception of Future Cruise Deposits) goes on your cruise card. Take note: Booze by the bottle in a ship shop, AFAIK, bottles are held for you until the end of the cruise. Booze from the room service menu, delivered to you. If your doing a ship "land tour", they might hold the bottle til the end of the tour.

Never heard of this as well.

To OP, if it is a Carnival CRUISE LINES (vs Carnival Corporation) gift card, you CANNOT use it on Princess Cruises, period!. You cannot use it on any other cruiseline other than Carnival Cruises.