remydiva

4 minutes ago, jeromep said:

A drink order through the app, if it were your first action on board, would be the trigger for the $14.99 one time charge.  Basically the first time you use the OceanNow service will trigger the fee.  And that is on a per user basis, so if your traveling companion logs in on their credentials and orders, that would be a 14.99 fee to them.  It would be possible with three passengers to have 3 $14.99 charges in the cabin.  If one of the passengers is a youth, there are things you can do to limit this for them.  My daughter does not have any of her own devices, so on board she doesn't have any access to OceanNow.  And if she orders through the TV, she is on my account or my wife's.  Either way, there are ways to be smart with these changes so you aren't taken to the cleaners.

Good helpful advice …thank you! 

16 minutes ago, memoak said:

You realize that was a year ago. Life goes on and things change

Thank you 🙄 for explaining how the Gregorian calendar works.

Have a nice day. 🙃

8 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I believe it changed late last summer. Princess raised prices and started to charge for everything unless you fork out the extra ($60 per day?) for the plus package.  I’m still holding firm on not buying extra packages but have pretty much been relegated to steerage because I don’t.

Thank you Wolfie11 and Redtop101for your replies and info. I too ‘refuse’ to pay an extra $60/day/person on top of mini suite price for three. The perks for Elite have disappeared pretty much ( I never use the laundry) but I can eat the ‘$14.99 one time charge’ ( first I heard of this so thank you) to keep granddaughter fed at odd hours if need be.

Are drinks still delivered around the ship for free when ordered on the medallion? 

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Breakfast door hanger service is still free. Phoning room service is a charge unless you have a package. Where have you been ?  This is not that new 

Well my last cruise was a TA April 2023 and didn’t get charged then on a standard fare. 

On 3/29/2024 at 5:20 PM, jeromep said:

You will be very busy and likley exhausted by the end of your cruise.  That is fine.  And since you have already put in 2 weeks in Alaska on your own, you may be disappointed at the port stops.  the time in port can be very limited and you may be getting back on the ship at the end of the port day thinking, "if I just had one more hour."  That is the biggest complaint I hear about cruising Alaska... or just cruising in general.

 

 

We sailed on the Ruby many years ago when she was home ported in Ft. Lauderdale.  It was my favorite of the Grand class ships, although I have a warm spot in my heart for Golden and Star Princess with their shopping cart handle location of the Skywalkers lounge (since transferred to P&O Australia and having water slides grafted onto their top decks).  That said, you do have Skywalkers on board.  It is not up in the shopping cart handle, but down behind the stack.  It is by far the best observation platform on board.  This may be the best place for you to be on Glacier Bay day.  You have nearly 360 degree views and it is all warm and cozy and they are usually running the bar, too.  Some folks really like being up in the Sanctuary for Glacier bay, but bookings for Sanctuary for Glacier bay book up fast on embarkation day.

 

The Sanctuary is semi-open air, so it will not necessarily be very warm, but it is fairly secluded and on the Grand class ships, the location is excellent.  It also has access to the Lotus Spa pool, which is generally a very subdued place nestled down on the first level of the spa.  The

Sanctuary is just a relax and hang out space with some Sanctuary only dining options, snack-like, and they have their own stewards to wait on you.  It has never been a draw for me, but we've done more cooler weather cruising than warm weather cruising, so that impacts how much I want to lay around outside.

 

Live music is all over the ship at night, and in many places during the day.  Check the daily schedule to see where different groups are playing and what their music type is like.  Ruby has a Crooners Lounge, think piano bar.  The piano singers are generally very good.

 

Production shows are also generally very good.  Some folks think they need to be Broadway caliber, however, this is a cruise ship, there are physical limitations on what you can do on a cruise ship stage, and the shows are meant to be glitzy, and sparkly.  Sometimes there is a good story line behind the show, sometimes there is no story line behind the show and it is just a series of song/dance/acrobatic routines.  But they are worth going and seeing, and if you don't like one, well, you didn't pay extra for it.

 

Generally 2 per evening.  I don't recall the exact times.  Ideally, you could go to the early show and eat late, or eat early and go to the later show.  Sometimes a show is a comedian or musician or soloist.  You'll want to be looking at the daily schedule for specifics.

 

 

I covered that above, but you could hang on your balcony, I think that is the best possible place.  After that I recommend Skywalkers as it is enclosed and warm.  The top deck will have a lot of people hanging out on the railing, and of course if you pay for time in the Sanctuary, there is good viewing from there.  Some folks will camp out on the railing on the promenade deck.  You will get good views anyplace because in Glacier bay the ship swings around about halfway through the time it is at the the glacier face, before returning to the mouth of the bay and sailing on.  The NPS puts Rangers aboard for the day and they do many presentations and interpretation, so look for their presentations on the schedule.  Also, they will do narration when they are at the glacier face, that will be broadcast on the bridge cam channel on TV.

 

 

Generally 2 formal nights, usually sea days.  It is supposed to be fancy dress, suit and tie, black tie, but that is relaxed quite a bit over the years.  Princess calls the casual nights Resort Casual, but business casual is an ok interpretation.  You'll find it much more casual than that on most sailings.  What you wear to fine dining at home will be just fine on all nights, to be honest.  If you haven't read more of the boards, you'll find that "dress code" is a hot button issue.

 

 

Buffet is open for all meals.  The MDR is open for Breakfast all days and lunch on sea days.  If you happen to be aboard for lunch on port days, you'll be limited to the buffet, along with the grill and pizza on the Lido deck (which is always a good choice), food from the International Cafe (also a good choice).  But you aren't really limited even on port days.  You will never starve on board and you never need to visit the buffet for any meal, even on port days, since there are other options.  If you have Plus or Premier you can also order room service at no extra charge.  I'm not a big buffet fan, however there are times they do put up some things that look good and taste just as good.  You'll find MDR menu selections in the buffet most nights, although the buffet also has theme nights for dinner.  In all our cruises we have only had dinner in the buffet once, and that was after a long port day and we were just exhausted.  We had no desire to get even slightly dressed up for a long dinner in the MDR, so we put on casual stuff, and had a fast meal in the buffet, and then went back to the cabin to chill.

 

All of your questions are very good.  You are going to get a million different opinions... on everything.

Wait what?! You have to pay for room service now if standard fare? Since when? Including breakfast? 

Travelling with daughter who is not drinking alcohol now.
Are the non-alcoholic cocktails priced lower than the ones with alcohol?

There are so many great choices available but I’m curious if the ‘bar bill’ is the same regardless. 

I just found out as a BC resident I cannot get PP for my summer Alaska cruise . it’s because BC law and others have issue with the ‘cancel for any reason’ not being insurance .
 

A second phone call to my CP I found out about EZ Waiver ( like EZ Air I guess for marketing) 

cost is about 10% of cruise fare but does give you a full refund in case of cancellation vs PP ( if we could even get it) only gives full refund on COVERED reasons .
 

If NOT covered ( ie your dog gets sick) then you only 75% in credit towards a future cruise.

My ask is —-

Allianz quote was more than 10% of cruise.

AAA online seems a bit less.

what options have other Canadians in BC or Quebec or NY state, Puerto Rico or Mexico residents ( who also cannot get PP anymore after Oct 2023) found as a good alternative for  trip cancellation insurance?  

On 6/10/2023 at 12:09 PM, snoozecrooze said:

If you have the time, I would encourage you to take a look in the following thread about Princess Plus - lots of insights and discussion: 

 

 

Wifi packages are not allocated by minutes or memory anymore. They are mainly allocated by devices, although you can buy a 1-day wifi package if needed once onboard (not that you can't also buy a cruise-long wifi package onboard either).

 

In my opinion, your TA should be your main resource for everything, to be honest. They should be sharing with you any resources they have to help you get a flow of what Princess offers.

As the OP in this post I just want to reiterate that for us, the big deterrent was that BOTH of us HAD to buy the Plus.

Only I drink; hubby pretty much a teetotaller.

We did not want/ need TWO free wifis. I only bought one End of Cruise package to check in for return flights.

So the ONLY part of $60 USD / day Plus hubby would use is the $16 USD/ day gratuities. 
 

When both in the cabin MUST upsize it’s not worth it when only one will use.

As the OP I just want to reiterate that for us, the big deterrent was that BOTH of us HAD to buy the Plus.

Only I drink; hubby pretty much a teetotaller.

We did not want/ need TWO free wifis. I only bought one End of Cruise package to check in for return flights.

So the ONLY part of $60 USD / day Plus hubby would use is the $16 USD/ day gratuities. 
 

When both in the cabin MUST upsize it’s not worth it when only one will use.

6 hours ago, loge23 said:

We bring individual packets of Via instant coffee from Starbucks (or your preference) to add to the room service coffee urn - one or two to the pot usually does the trick. Without the additive, it can be quite tasteless. The top of the urn just twists off easily. 

Us too!

7 hours ago, marden1970 said:

We were on the Crown in March/April for 28 days, our mattress was fine for us but everyone has their own preferences.

The Regal mattresses also great and new ( to me) all white linens and comforters were great. I used to ask for extra foam topper; no need anymore. 

10 hours ago, damiross said:

After 6 cruises, many airplane flights, hotel stays, etc., I have remained healthy.  I do admit one time I got on a plane with a stuffed head.  Not recommended!  I swear the pilot took his sweet time going from cruise to landing just to maker my ears hurt more.

 

On a serious note, I find this posting to be quite condescending.  I thought of a quote from Planet of the Apes when I read this post.  It was the first words spoken to the apes by a human:  "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" 

Your last paragraph re finding my comments condescending is interesting.

I in no way am being critical or disparaging of the room steward. I like our stewards. But as I mentioned before one sure conduit of Norwalk at least or an GI infection ( read ‘poop) is staff/ supplies moving from cabin to cabin,

I also liked my medical lab coworkers yet was required to wipe down with industrial grade disinfectant any surface anyone had touched. It’s just being precautionary not condescending. 

7 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

If your referring to wiping after the cabin attendant that does make sense on the basis they have cleaned multiple rooms before going to yours and using the same cloths etc. Last year I saw them wearing gloves and masks to clean cabins, that’s probably gone away now. 
 

Maybe I need to take a large pack of Lysol (called Dettol in the UK) with me, I was just going to take a 30 pack!!!

The 30 pack would do for a 14 day cruise; it did for me. The cabin steward usually only came in 2x a day ; morning to do beds and clean then after dinner to freshen up.

7 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

So you wipe after the cabin attendant has been in? That’s a lot of wiping. Maybe I need to up my game!

Yes AFTER they’ve been in. My reasoning is I know where MY hands have been and that I’ve washed/ used sanitizer. Did they? Or did they cough into their hand? 

AND they use the same cloths to wipe and clean every cabin so if any bacteria like coliform, or viruses present in Cabin A, there’s a good chance they may be transferred to Cabin B.

I guess 40+ yrs working in medical labs where we wiped everything down every day makes me extra cautious. 

10 hours ago, KatRangoon said:

So, something I haven't brought before but I'm bringing this time is a cheap bed sheet to tuck around the loveseat in the room. The last time we cruised was in a family suite and the group before us must have had out of control kids because there was jelly or syrup or something all over that couch. Our steward tried to clean it as soon as we brought it to his attention, but we still found sticky spots as we would sit the rest of the trip. We also joked about what other things are probably embedded in those couches and were so grossed out we're going to see if we can use a sheet as a protective cover this time. 

ok I just  went ‘ewww’ and May never get a delux balcony or mini suite again!

On 6/1/2023 at 9:50 AM, Nicole&Pete said:

Maybe I’m not quite as thorough as that! Makes me think though that I should be wiping more areas. Maybe even walls?

I use Lysol wipes and wipe light switches, door knobs in/ out, sliding door handles , TV remote, phone received and buttons, fridge had he, ice bucket top, sink taps and faucet .. anything that the steward may have wiped or touched using a cloth no doubt used in previous cabins.

I do this every time we return to cabin when I can see steward has been in.

After 20 cruises, several with code red Norwalk cases, we have remained healthy ( also do other precautions like don’t use elevator, use arms not hands on hand rails etc) 

4 hours ago, KatRangoon said:

For us, what killed it was that we would BOTH have to have it, and it would be Every Day. If it could just be me, it might be worth it, but my hubby only drinks water and the occasional soda. The other issues is we still have to pay on the days we are off the boat all day at the ports. 

 

If they had a day pass you could purchase on sea days, or some sort of 20 drink pack tied to the medallion, I'd get those in a heartbeat. As it is, they're losing money on us by not offering a lower tier option.

Good point re getting off ship days. Also my hubby non drinker yet he’d have to pay too. I’m a cheap date /light weight so it just didn’t make sense for us. 

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

You do order the water ahead of time via your personizer (located under beverage packages).  It is a 12 bottle case of Crystal Geyser .. 16 Oz bottles  
They are delivered to you in your stateroom.  
You won’t get the same price once you are onboard.  
 

thanks that's good to know 😉

The two shore excursions I wanted on our recent TA happened to be on the cheaper end of the scale. Both were sold out and no waitlists (I phoned) 3 months in advance.

I think perhaps that a lot of independent tour operators might have gone out of business during the two year lapse of no cruises. In the past, whenever something was sold out, they always added another bus on to accommodate, sometimes only the day before notice, but I've never not gotten what I wanted.

now that you mention it...YES. We were on April 16-30 TA and I always wore a sweater. Not drafty but yes cool.

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

As time goes by even the most dedicated passengers who prefer formal clothing come to realize it's so much easier not to pack the extra clothing just for those events, especially when a large majority doesn't bother. 

It would seem so.

We only travel with carry on whether it’s a 7 day, 15.day + or month land tour.

Obviously we are not tuxedo and tiara people but one can get creative and still feel well dressed. 

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

To clarify, the per diem rate for MedallionNet is $15/day for single device as you were charged.  The other rate is a single day rate, which seems to be charged on a 1-off basis and not in the case of several days in a row such as the final three of the voyage.  (I would distinguish between the "per diem" rate and the "single day" rate when discussing MedallionNet fees).

Good catch and better description!

On 5/8/2023 at 3:00 PM, RedIguana said:

I hope they somehow remember to restock. Will be on Crown on the May 23rd sailing.

Vines no longer offer flights and tapas now from 6-8 pm.

Agree that most seats taken up by people playing cards or on their phones or listening to music in piazza. 

On 5/3/2023 at 8:26 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

Ughhhh.... They're back to listing Plus wines by just varietal and not vineyard.

Yes but I asked for vineyard name from somellier and got it.  

8 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

here ya go. 
 

You have a different captain than we did on the TA immediately before.
We had Captain Aldo ‘forget last name’. 

rest of crew looks the same.