terry&mike

You can, but this would not be a good use of your funds or time. To do this, you would purchase your airport to ship transfer from Princess, which is not cheap. You will need to give them some flight info, just pick a flight arriving that day and use that info. Then make your way back to the airport around the time of the flight info you provided, and meet the Princess rep.

It will be cheaper and quicker for you to take a shared transfer from Tokyo out to Yokohama, and much cheaper and quicker to take the train option, but you'll have your luggage to contend with, so I'd go with the shared transfer. 

Scoot is a discount airline, flying to several cities in Asia. Their safety record is similar to their competitors, but they do have a few more issues with cancelling flights and late arrivals than their competitors. Also, walk yourself through the booking process and you'll see that the price goes up a good amount by the time you get through seats and bags. If they have a similar flight available, Air Asia has a better record when it comes to not cancelling flights and on time arrivals.

Anyone know if there is a way to watch this in the U.S.?

The reason they said "my agent" is because this company has storefront travel agencies also, with travel agents who work with clients. The exact details of the inclusions of the sale as to perks, sailing dates included, actual sailings included will be announced on April 24, and the sale will run June 6-8 as mentioned above.

Yes, you will be responsible to pay the current fare for the flights that you wish to change to. Run the numbers on Princess, and compare them with the open market and see if you can have a better outcome.

I recently had a client make a similar error in reverse. They were not noticing that the Princess system is set for the departure flight as "date of arrival" and made the assumption that they needed to put in the date they wanted to fly out of their home city. As they are flying to Singapore, that is a big difference. They put in January 2nd, which had them selecting flights that leave from their home city on Dec. 31. I get an auto email each time someone books EZ Air, and as I had just booked their hotel in Singapore, and am also on this cruise, I called them to question it. As it was booked with Flexible Air, and we are a long way out, it was no problem to change it to have them departing on January 2nd, and arriving in Singapore on January 4th, as they had wanted. The fare increased a bit with the change in flights to the correct date, about $80 pp, so not as painful as yours. But had this error been noticed way in the future, they either would have been spending a few extra days in Singapore (not too bad a downside!) or probably paying a much higher fee for the new air dates.

6 minutes ago, mafig said:

I have not sailed with Princess for many years.  When I did they weren't doing Sip and Sail.  I believe I looked into it last year, but if I remember correctly, the promotion was only for sailings way into the future.  Do I remember this correctly?  For instance, if I am looking at a sailing in December of this year, would Sip and Sail be available for it?

No, that date was included in the Sip and Sail promo from this past June.

18 hours ago, martincath said:

 

 

NB: none of that will happen to you, because there's just one ship in port - yours! You could literally WALK to the airport from downtown, at average person pace, in 3 hours so if you walk off the ship with the first batch of self-disembarkers you could actually manage to just make your flight on foot! Any transportation method whatsoever you WILL make it in time unless there is a truly catastrophic, 'nobody is getting to the airport this morning' kind of issue (your ship loses power for a day+, is attacked and sunk by vengeful whales, your captain is Francesco Schettino, there's an alien invasion, all of Vancouver is in a blackout, your limo driver is really Lex Luthor and he kidnaps you, civil war erupts - that sort of stuff).

 

But to play it safe - self-disembark, see if there's a wait for cabs, and if there is not get in one. Pay the meter rate with credit card ($32-35 outbound on a Monday morning if there's no construction or traffic accident en route as you are going against all the commuters) and tip as you would at home. Check in, drop bags, go through Security then US preclearance and arrive at your gate two hours early. If the cab queue is already long, do what Steve said and walk to SkyTrain: then check in, drop bags, go through Security and US preclearance and arrive at your gate two hours early.

 

Assuming you want to stick to the private car - which I really think is an utter waste of money and time on a 1 ship day, but maybe you actually want to splurge on a super-comfy limo and feel like a rock star - CAD$150 is about right for a large SUV/Limo with an extra Meet & Greet/1 hour wait fee. If it's US$150, you are paying too much - limo pricing is set by law here, within minimum and maximum price ranges for the size of vehicle. If it's any company except Aerocar, they have to charge you for a full hour (this is at least $75). Aerocar however are allowed to charge for less than an hour IF they are going to & from the airport - they have the exclusive airport franchise. So they are always the cheapest limo firm as they can off a fixed rate fare that nobody else is allowed to - that starts at $64+tax for a towncar (up to 4 people, but comfier with 3) and goes up to roughly double that for a stretch limo. Meet & Greet fee is standard fixed $50 on top regardless of car size.

Very clear and detailed advice, thank you. If there are 2 ships in port, and our ship docks 30 minutes later than the Holland America ship, any thoughts on this? Going to have my Mom with me, so I have to eliminate the Skytrain option, as she cannot do the walk, but will be doing self disembark on the early side.

8 minutes ago, Coral said:

Sometimes if you have the bookings linked with someone who does have late dining, they will clear. I have friends who have booked late and were up there in the hundreds and they magically cleared and shared a table with me. Otherwise, just see the Matride on the first day.

Thank you. Yes, all the reservations are linked, and my Princess rep has worked on it and put in a request, so we're at a wait and see. I have a couple of other tricks up my sleeve I can pull in if needed. 

It actually is a bit of an odd fish, with some confusing results. 

When the Sapphire and the Diamond sail in Japan, they only offer Traditional Dining, not Anytime Dining.

Here is an interesting twist: I currently have 27 people sailing with me on the Singapore to Tokyo, Jan. 6, 2020, Diamond. Most of us booked a long time ago and are confirmed for 2nd Traditional at 7:15pm. Given that there will be some late days in ports with lots to do, this works out well. There are a couple of people who have booked more recently and are Waitlisted for the 2nd seating (at #30, and at #260). Here is where it gets interesting, the current Waitlist position on this sailing for 7:15p is 410, and the current Waitlist position for 5:00p is #178. Given that Anytime is not an option, I keep waiting for Princess to figure this out, as it seems that something will have to give as you cannot expect all these people to eat in the buffet for every meal of a 2 week cruise. I have spoken with my Princess rep and she doesn't know how they will figure it out, but that "I'm sure they'll do something". I have called Princess and spoken to phone reps and most are completely unaware that there is no Anytime and give you some verbiage about if they don't clear for 7:15p they'll be assigned Anytime, you point out there is no Anytime, they say there is Anytime on all ships, you point out this specific unusual circumstance for Diamond and they place you on hold for a long time, and then come back and say, "Oh yes, you are correct, there is no Anytime Dining on that sailing", but then they don't know how it will be handled. 

I have no doubt the #30 position will clear the Waitlist, as we are far enough out, but I doubt the #260 person will. I'm thinking Princess will just open up a flood of new dining spaces in both seatings, as they obviously have the room for it, but there has been chatter that they may shuffle all the dining to 3 set times at 4pm, 6:15p and 8:30p, which I think will cause a stampede of disgruntled travelers. 

Looks like he said its a Transatlantic, so one flight over is international, and the small leg home is domestic. You will be charged a baggage fee for the domestic flight.

Is there a reason does not cancel the air ticket and take a credit from the airline for a flight within the next year? They should be able to do this and not lose all of their money, just lose a fee for the cancellation.

You cannot change the name on the ticket. During boarding, if your friend is a no show, they have the right to assign the seat to another passenger, for example a Waitlist passenger. Most likely, if the flight is not oversold or has no waitlist, the seat will remain empty.

Yes, to get the air discount you will need to "refare" your booking. Run your numbers first, as you'll lose perks from your current booking to gain perks from the refared booking. Many times this is just moving money around, and not always a better deal. 

2 hours ago, messej01 said:

Is all alcohol included for free or was there a cost for cocktails and drinks outside of meal times?

On our booking, cocktails outside of meal times were included at no additional charge. They do have different inclusions based on the country you are from though, so may be different for Australia.

10 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

Because of all the good advice on here I was able to find that little button that allowed me to book really good Economy Comfort seats for my flight on EZAir.   😁

Awesome. It is often overlooked, so I'm glad I could help. Happy travels!

Yes, the option is offered at the start of the EZ Air booking process. There are drop down boxes in the area above the city/dates areas that you can change, one of those is Class of Service, it is pre-selected to Economy, you can drop it down and select a different class of service.

As you are booked Flexible, you can now go in to your reservation and click the Change/Modify flights button and change the class to Prem Econ, and then to Business, and compare rates. If you find something you like, go through the process and change your current flights to the new flights.

And yes, you can call Princess and pay for your air and have them ticket your current Economy holding in Flexible Air, this then becomes Restricted Air and is fully ticketed. 

10 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

The "less than ten days" does not apply to all third-party insurance.

 

As with ALL of the terms of insurance, it is critical that one reads all about whatever policy one eventually purchases. 

Reading in detail about other policies is also helpful, in deciding which to purchase.

 

The policies we buy require starting the insurance coverage within 20 days of the initial payment/deposit so that pre-existing conditions aren't excluded. 

 

I understand that "less than ten days" does not apply to all insurance, most are within 14 days, and some are farther out as you noted. I use less than 10 days as a guideline when discussing the purchase of insurance as many people forget, or tend to put it off the further out it is. If you are going to buy it, best to buy it as soon as possible, once you've done your research. As a travel professional, I encourage my clients who are going to buy insurance to buy it at the same time as initial deposit or within 24 hours, this way they don't move it to the back burner and forget it. 

Although it is too late in this instance, it is worth noting that when you book a trip and make a deposit of any amount for that trip, that you then purchase travel insurance. Whether you decide to purchase travel insurance through an independent company, or through the cruise line, you want to purchase this insurance in less than 10 days from making the initial deposit. 

In the case of cruises, having a cruise line add insurance as a line item to your reservation does not constitute purchasing insurance. You must say that you would like to pay the deposit for the trip, as well as pay for the insurance. 

Like donaldsc, I have arranged many private tours and I have joined other's private tours. I do this because I prefer small group tours in a mini van or smaller, with a well known and highly rated guide, and like to save money as these tours are cheaper than the cruise lines. My experience is very positive with this, and I feel I get a much better tour.

I am a very thorough researcher, and I like to book the top guides far in advance. For example, I have had Xuan Le in Vietnam booked since July 2018 for our cruise in January 2020 for 2 ports, many of you will know of him if you read the Asia boards. To hold him for our days I had to send him a $400 usd deposit, which I happily did. Most times I don't have to send money to hold a guide, but I'm willing to risk it for the top guide. (I held one of the highest rates guides in Ephesus for over a year in advance with just an email.) I then divide the total cost by number of passengers, and let people on Roll Call know of the tour by posting the tour details including price pp, itinerary, inclusions, and guide information so they can read reviews. I also make participants aware that the cost is based on number of people who go on the tour. 

In the case of the Vietnam tours, I will not be posting them on the Roll Call for that sailing as I am traveling with 27 friends and clients on that trip, and will need all the spaces for my own group. In this case I will handle the money differently, as it is a 2 week cruise from Singapore to Tokyo with lots of details and moving parts. I will collect the funds from each of these people in advance of the cruise via Venmo, Paypal, etc when they commit to the different tours I have throughout the trip. This is to simplify handling so many people and different forms of money in foreign ports, and to ensure that the costs remain the same for all participants. I also need to send the Japanese tour operator a hefty deposit for tours and transfers plus money in advance for Sumo tournament tickets, a few months out.

A couple of times I have been offered a discount or free passage for myself for arranging the tour, from the operator, but that may be due to me being in the business. How I handle this is I ask the operator to provide something extra for our group instead, such as some local wine with lunch, or stop for local treats along the way, or similar, this way we all receive a benefit. 

If someone is earning free passage or getting a discounted tour for making the arrangements on a tour I have joined, I don't mind though. If you post a tour on Roll Call, and I like the tour, and then I read reviews on the guide and I like the guide, and I decide the price for the tour is fair, then I sign up with you. Just this week I joined a posted tour for a port on a cruise next month, as it worked for me in all aspects, but I don't care what the total cost is of the tour, as my share of the cost was reasonable. 

On some cruises I'm very active in this, on some cruises I am not so active, but they are always arranged and filled before the ship sails, and not fly by night type of deals. After more than 30 cruises, I have had only one issue that I can recall. I had organized an island tour in Grenada that focused on food tastings and spices of the island, and we had 8 people total. On the morning of the tour, one couple never showed at the meeting point. We waited for 30 minutes past time and then finally left them. The rest of the group had to absorb their share of the tour cost, which was a bit of a bummer, but guests understood. When I got back to my cabin that evening they had left me a voice mail on the cabin phone (but had not called my cell phone) to say the wife did not feel well so they decided to stay on board the ship. They could have handled this better. 

We sailed to Antarctica (with the Faulkland Islands and South Georgia) in January 2018 on Ponant, as they have luxury expedition ships, and do landings via zodiak rafts. It truly was an amazing journey. Yes, it's expensive, but we both agreed it was worth every dollar.

Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed review. I am taking a group of 27 friends and clients aboard the Diamond Princess this January, sailing Singapore to Tokyo, so it was nice to read your first hand experiences in Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong, as they are on our itinerary.

2 hours ago, SakeDad said:

We are in Singapore for 5 days after our cruise so this will be great, and 3 days in Dubai before our cruise. Did you feel this was the best way to see everything in both cities for the money? We are also looking at the one on Muscat for port-day as well. Thanks for sharing!

Was in Dubai in late November for 6 days and found that buying a pass on their Metro was a very good value and made getting around the city efficient. Dubai is amazingly spread out, and distances by car/cab can take a long time and get pricey. On our first day there, we did a general city tour (small group tour with a guide) to give us an overview, and then went back to things on our own the next several days. 

I think the Hop On/Hop Off bus in Singapore would be a good idea, as the distances are smaller, but in Dubai I think you would spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for the next bus to come by (unless you just wanted to get on it and ride the route in full without getting off). Make sure it is air conditioned, Dubai in late November was seriously hot!

This is called a Embarkation/Disembarkation Deviation. Most cruise lines have a department that you will need to send your request to in written form via email and they will respond. I have done this multiple times, but not with Norwegian, although I think they would be similar to other brands in approach.

My most recent experience was with RCCL, and involved requesting to join a cruise not in Rome at the start, but 2 days later in Valencia, Spain. I put in the request in early February, 2019 for a transatlantic cruise in October, 2020, and received a written reply last week, about a month turn-around; copy of letter below. They are also charging a $65 (per booking, not per person) administrative fee that is non-refundable.

Some things to note, to request the deviation I have often had to book first and then make the deviation request. In the case of RCCL, I did not use their cheaper Non-Refundable Deposit fare, but a slightly higher Refundable Deposit fare, in case it was denied, or we change our plans. 

I also put in a request for a Disembarkation Deviation on a Princess Coastal Cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver in May, 2019, to request to Disembark 2 days early in Seattle, so my Mom could spend some extra time with her sister who lives there before returning home. As I expected, this one was denied as it did not fulfill the PVSA guidelines. No worries, we'll just backtrack to Seattle from Vancouver after disembarking, so in this case not a big deal. 

Your itinerary should work to allow this, but it is up to the cruise line. Note the important line far below: Regulatory Restrictions and Ships Itineraries are Subject to Change. If the ship doesn't make the port where your sister is disembarking (or I am embarking!), the cost/hassle is on the guest to sort it out. 

Good Day,

Please be advised that we have received your request to Embark at an alternate port. After reviewing said request we are happy to advise that currently there are no regulatory restrictions that will prohibit an approval.

There is a $65 USD per booking handling fee to finalize your approval and arrangement. Please contact us at your earliest convenience and provide us with a valid credit card payment. ( Non - Refundable ) 

We can be reached 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at:  Domestic: 1-800-256-6649 (prompt #1) or International: 305-539-4107.
  

Guests must be aware of the following: 
Travel documentation (i.e. passports, visas, immigration paperwork, etc...) may be required for entry into countries or ports outside of the USA.  It is the responsibility of the guest(s)/travel partner to ensure that the required original documentation is provided.  Incorrect documentation can possibly result in denied entry into the requested countries or boarding of the vessel based on the itinerary.

***Important Notice to Guest***
Regulatory Restrictions and Ships Itineraries are subject to change. 
Emergency Travel Team is not responsible for any costs incur as a result of these changes .

Thank you all so much for your thoughts on this.

Spent some time checking routes and metal and Premium Economy reviews.

Ended up "holding" flights on a route I really liked, for a very good rate of $1706 pp with Princess EZAir using their Flexible Air for Premium Economy. On the international legs, I'm flying American Airlines operated by JAL on 2 legs going over in PE, and American Airlines operated by AA on return in PE.

(2 short flights from Baton Rouge to DFW Dallas are in regular Economy, of course.)

This way I can change my mind without penalty, or refare air if a price drop. 

Also, considering similar routing and times with United operated by ANA, which is my preferred as I have status with United, but the rate is currently a good bit higher.

Globaliser, that was a very good read, thank you for directing me to that post. And the links within were great. 

And Hallasm, thank you for your input. No worries about us all vying for PE seats on the same flights - some of us will be on the flight mentioned above in PE, some of us will be coming and going on other dates/times, some of us will be in other cabin classes. I'm just starting with this route and date request, and as Premium Economy is such a slippery fish, I knew I could get some personal experience here. 

We'll all meet up on January 6 in Singapore.