Mike&Nancy

7 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I think you will enjoy Serenade.  Although many years back, she was the ship that provided one of our most memorable cruises.  And we have been on 50+.  She may not be one of the newest, but she is still a good ship.  Enjoy!

 Serenade will always hold a special place in our hearts as well.  We did a B2B on her in January 2010, just a few weeks after the Haiti earthquake.  They held an auction (proceeds towards Haiti), and as a result I got to blow the ships horn leaving port one day, and we got a tour of the engine room.  Both are unforgettable experiences, and I doubt either will ever happen again.  She's special for sure.  

Nancy

4 hours ago, damiross said:

We are taking the San Diego Harbor Cruise. According to Princess, it is a 15 minute walk to Hornblower.  Looking at the map, it appears the Hornblower office is located right next to the cruise dock.  Am I looking at the right Hornblower?

 

Also, anybody taken the SD Harbor Cruise?  What did you think of it?

 

I found out "fer shure" that Princess uses OBC for excursions.  Is there any way around that?  I wanted to pay for it and keep the OBC for other stuff.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

We did this in October of '22.  It was quite a walk to get there, and 15 minutes sounds close.  I remember commenting to my DH that this trek could've been deceiving to some people, and I hoped they were adaquatly warned.  It must depend on where exactly Hornblower docks.  🤷‍♀️

Unfortunately, we had a cool, foggy day, and they ended up cutting our tour short, but offered the next one for free (different direction, so no fog.)  I'd give it another try, but I was not impressed that day, lol. 

4 hours ago, trigger said:

We’re planning for our 5 night cruise and was wondering how many formal nights?

We sailed her 2/4, and there was only 1 "formal" night which they called something else.  Dress to Impress maybe?  We saw little to no "formal" attire. 

9 hours ago, JoRoy218 said:

Hey gang, looking for feedback. We’re doing a cruise out of SanPedro, am looking at various flights. There is a good flight out of LAX but leaves at 1015. Wondering if it’s too risky to reserve that? Ship itinerary says they arrive at 0615.  We’d like to walk off ship ourselves w luggage and grab a cab or Uber. It’s Saturday so fortunately no rush hour traffic. 

Thoughts? Thanks! 

We did this cruise in October, and also got back on a Saturday.  It was a long way from the ship to the airport, and we had a cab driver who was very aggressive.  Maybe too much!  🤣  Anyhow, I'm all for pushing the envelope when it comes to great flights, but I would have to pass on this one.  We were one of the first off the ship (not self assist), and I think we got to the airport around 9:00-ish for an 11:00-ish flight.  We also have TSA-Pre, so that's another deciding factor for you. 

You made the right decision, but sorry you lost that flight.  Did you check flights out of Long Beach?  Much closer to the port. 

45 minutes ago, suzyed said:

agree

They did it last year without a hitch...wonder what is happening now?

It would be nice if they would at least send out an email acknowledging the trouble/difficulty/screw up whatever they want to call it.  If they aren't going to honor it, maybe they could replace it with something else, a FCC or OBC or at the very least an extension till they figure their **** out.  I'm disappointed to say the least, but I also don't look for a single thing to come from Princess.  ☹️

6 hours ago, sunsetme said:

any hope of receiving this email?

I've given up any hope. 

How hard can it be to write a few words, include a link and hit send?  🤷‍♀️

I haven't received mine either.  I got verified on 11-22.  Waiting is hard. 

I couldn't get verified even though I qualified last time.  ☹️

If you order off the app, please please please watch for the server.  We watched one poor server walk back and forth a few times trying to deliver the order.  He checked his device several times (I assume trying to confirm the picture on the order), stood around for at least 5 minutes, all the while the guy who ordered sat less than 2 feet away from him and couldn't be bothered to shut his mouth long enough to watch for his order.  I feel for those servers, they waste an awful amount of time trying to find people.  I imagine that's going to get old fast.  On the positive side, we ordered off the app twice, watched for them, and had our drinks quickly.  Much sooner than if we had gone to the bar to order. 

1 hour ago, iamaqt2 said:

I really miss the good old days when we all had to fill out the Noro questionnaire at the cruise terminal before checking in. 

 

I commented on this to my DH while we were waiting in the terminal a couple of weeks ago.  They no longer care about our GI issues.  🤣

Thank you to everyone who took time to explain.  Now I know how a guarantee works.  🙂

We are past final payment for those who asked.  We also called today to see if we could possibly switch cabins more towards the aft, but there aren't any available.  She was able to offer us a cabin on Aloha, but still forward. 

I've noticed lately in looking at cruises with Princess that booking a guarantee is becoming the new norm, even for cruises that are far out. It's frustrating to me, as we prefer aft, and I like to know what I'm getting when I book.  Oh well, we were at their mercy this time to get that FCC used up.  I can live with it, and honestly we'll just be happy to be back onboard.

Thank you again, everyone.  You were all so helpful.

Nancy

Hi everyone,

We had a FCC that had to be used by the end of this year.  We selected a cruise, chose aft, and on deck 15 (Discovery Princess.)  We weren't allowed to choose a cabin, just a guarantee, but definitely those 2 factors.   My naivety led me to believe we'd be assigned a cabin on deck 15 aft.  Wrong.  We're forward on the Baja deck.  Is that how this works?  They just assign you a cabin anywhere?  What's the point of selecting a location then?  Wouldn't it make more sense to pick a category, and then they put you anywhere?  This is the first (and last, lol) time we've booked a guarantee and I fully admit I obviously didn't understand this was a possibility.  I guess I just don't get why they have you choose a deck and location to only put you wherever.  Just wanting to understand the logistics behind it. 

Thanks!

We got the email on Tuesday, and received them on Thursday via FedEx.  They were mailed from Singapore.  Our cruise is 10/15. 

On 9/20/2022 at 4:28 PM, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

We have a fcc that is a goodwill credit expiring 12/31/22.  We have a cruise booked leaving on 1/7/23.  I just spoke with a Princess customer service representative and asked for an extension of the fcc to use for payment of the January 7th cruise.  She said they never extend goodwill fcc.  Any success getting this type of fcc extended?  Very frustrating.  

We tried to do the same with a cruise that left on 1/8/23.  They would not budge.  Very disappointing.

Have heard that GC has or is thinking about shutting down.  Anyone been there lately??

Thanks

Mike

2 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

If you do send it again…put URGENT final payment due……….(date)

 

Because they too work by travel date.

If you have a CVP  or TA they may be able to help.

 

I’ve not had much success with them unless it’s an urgent travel date.

 

Good luck to you.

Thank you!  That's so helpful to know, and we'll definitely try that.

Nancy

4 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Email whom?  customerrelations@princesscruises.com

 

That's the one.

We have a FCC that expires the end of this year.  We had a cruise booked that left on 12-27 for 10 days.  However, after Southwest recently released their flights for that time period, cruising over the holidays just isn't going to work for us.  We called and the rep told us that Princess is extending the expiration date on FCC's for 3 months, but we needed to send an email requesting that.  It's been 10 days so far, and haven't received any reply.  We haven't cancelled the 12-27 cruise yet, we have booked a cruise for 1-8, but final payment will be approaching soon for the December cruise.  I'm not sure what we'll do if the FCC isn't extended.  I hate to lose it, but not as much as I'd hate those flights we'd have to take, lol. 

Well, I was able to talk her into it.  We booked a NYE cruise for this year ending.  We just decided not to put so much Christmas up and maybe not decorate the tree quite as heavily as we normally do.  Thanks for all the replys and the urging us to go.  It worked.

Mike

Thanks guys for all the responses.  I would really like to go but it's so close to after Christmas and my better half likes to get all the Christmas stuff cleared up and out and she's not sure we can get it all done so we don't have to worry about it coming home.  So we're gonna work on it and see what happens.  Again, thanks for all the help.

Mike

Can anyone tell me what it's like to celebrate NYE on board in the middle of the ocean??  We're debating booking a cruise that we will be onboard that nite.  

Thanks

Mike

I have 2.  Maybe 3.

Our very first cruise.  On Grand.  I wanted to cancel, as final was due shortly after 9-11.  Princess made us an offer to sweet to pass up.  Had the pleasure of Graham Seymour as our CD.  Haven't had one as great since then.

Our first 14 nighter on Princess (Grand again) we had a corner aft.  We spent many an afternoon drinking back there with the best neighbors.  One of our best cruises.

Royal.  Loved the ship.

Highway Dude & Mom 33,

Thanks so much for the responses. And sorry about the "Windjammer" remark. I'm used to RCCL, even tho we've done a few with Princess and that's the reason we're coming back. RCCL has just gotten too big for it's britches, as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, it looks like I'll be releasing that cabin and looking for a mini. I'm just not comfortable with an open view.

Again, thanks all.

Mike

Hey Highway Dude,

We're booked in aft cabin 725 and it appears that it is right below the Windjammer and also that the deck is NOT covered. Which would mean if someone were standing at the edge they would be able to see into/onto our deck. Can you verify this for me in some way?? We love to sail aft but not comfortable with someone looking at me in the morning when I'm having my coffee, if you know what I mean, LOL. If I have to give this up, and I will if there's no cover, I'll go for a mini. Thanks in advance.