cruzin4us

22 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

Princess allows at home test kits?  Who supervises the testing?

You download an app and then you basically do a ZOOM meeting with EMED.  They verify your identity (drivers license, passport, etc)., they watch you take the test and you must leave the camera on the test packet for 15 min and then they come back and verify either positive or negative.  They send you an email as well as a barcode that you can store on your phone.

49 minutes ago, mellon1 said:

Thanks for posting.  Did they say when new ones would be made which would go into 2022 like March?

This is the email that was sent to me after my inquiry of exactly what you are asking:   Regarding your inquiry about the expiration date of the test kits, most of the test kit were manufactured during the first quarter of 2021, being said it is possible that expiration of test kit will be around October with the three (3) months extension that will be valid until January of 2022 and at the moment there is no newer batch of test kit available yet in the market.

Just now, Crystabel said:

Send an email to the president of the company or the CEO stating your case, and ask for a refund or replacement kits with a later expiration date. I’ve had great success recently by emailing the top dog of a couple of companies, when I had an issue that customer service couldn’t or wouldn’t resolve to my satisfaction. Good luck. 

I will try that as well....However, the woman I spoke with told me they have only got the one test thus far, all have been manufactured in January 2021.  They do not have any new tests as of yesterday. 😞

If you are opting to purchase the Abbott’s BinaxNOW™ Home Testing Kit for your upcoming cruise(s) please beware of a couple of things:

I have 3 cruises booked:  October 2021, April 2022 and November 2022.  I thought "Cool", I can use these for all 3 cruises....NOPE.    The company is very vague when it comes to telling you how long the tests are good for.  In their FAQ's, they have a letter from the FDA stating the kits have been approved for a 12 month shelf life from the date of manufacture.  WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU is the kits were manufactured in January 2021.  Meaning any cruise planned for after January 5, 2022 the kits won't work.

I purchased my 6 kits on Sept. 2nd, and the kits arrived a few days later.  Upon opening the kits I saw the expiration date was Oct. 5, 2021 so I called EMED and was told that all their kits were made in the first part of 2021 and all the kits are expiring January 5, 2022.  So, if you are planning a trip anytime after that date, the current supply of the Abbott’s BinaxNOW™ Home Testing Kit won't be valid.  Of course if you are cruising before that date, then you are all good.

The 2nd thing:  They only allow you to put 3 names down to use the kits.  There are 4 of us cruising (not all are going every cruise).  So, I just put my name down thinking I could add the other people when we took the test.... That's a big fat NO.   So, don't assume you can buy 6 of the kits and use them willy nilly, or for whomever you want, whenever you want.   They were VERY unclear about this when you order.    Again, I called about this and was told that if I didn't sign everyone up when I purchased, then no one else could use them but me.

Let me add too:   I tried calling BEFORE I purchased the kits because I had questions but I was put on hold for 45 minutes so I hung up.   So, I'll take ownership on this part.

Just be informed before you buy.

Save yourself a lot of grief and just do the home test.  Watch the video posted earlier in this thread, it explains it well and will help curb any fears on how to do it.   Trying to schedule an appt at any location you are potentially setting yourself up for disappointment.   They could run out of tests, cancel your appt or any other numerous things could happen.   Unfortunately, we just have to add this to our cruise budget and just suck it up buttercup.   The tests are good for up to a year.    I for one am not driving an hour each way to get a test.    I was going to do a test locally, but the change from 3 days to 2 makes it not worth trying to schedule and all the anxiety that goes along with it.   Home test it is.

thank you for sharing that link.   I'll be watching that like a hawk 🙂

I get casino offers all the time.  HAL doesn't seem to be as generous as Princess.   I've got 3 free balcony cruises booked at the current time.   HAL is a 10 day Sea of Cortez, free balcony, free drinks in the casino.   Princess however is more generous.   The 2 booked thus far are:  7 day Mexican Riviera, free drink pkg, free gratuities, free WIFI and $1,000 free play.   The other one is a 15 day San Diego to Hawaii roundtrip.  This one offered free balcony, $500 free play, free beverage pkg, free gratuities and free WIFI.   All we are responsible for is port fees and taxes.   I gamble almost every night, I'm not a high roller, but I spend a good amount of time playing the slots.   Sometimes I play tables.   

I'm not sure if I got all these offers because they were trying to get people to start cruising again, or if it was based on my play.   Either way, I'm not passing up a free cruise 😃

I'm specifically looking for a balcony stateroom on the Island Princess.   I love an aft facing or a larger than normal size balcony.  Some ships have those hidden gems and those which to avoid at all costs.  (I know not near elevators, above the theater, etc).  

I know it's out there, and I've used it before, but for the life of me I can't find the website that is similar to the Seat Guru for Airplanes.

I've searched the web and get all kinds of deck plans, but none that tells the pros/cons of each individual stateroom.    Someone posted on CC a website that I used recently to book a cruise 3 months ago, but I can't find the website now (I know, I should have bookmarked it).   

Any help would be appreciated.

I've sailed on both Norwegian and Princess quite a bit.   I absolutely hated the Bliss (too many people for my liking, and don't get me started on the elevator situation). I enjoyed the Norwegian Jewel.

Princess in my opinion is a step up from Norwegian.  Everything from, dining to service.  Just a little classier if I can find a word for it.  Not stuffy, and there is a good age variation unlike HAL which tends to cater to the older crowd (I'm older and I like HAL 😁).  I've currently got 3 Princess cruises booked.   

With all that being said, if I was given a chance to cruise on either cruise line I would jump on it.   

I just checked the HAL website to how much my gratuities were going to be for a 10 day cruise (April 2022) and it shows the $14.50/day.  The total comes to $145, which equates to the $14.50/day.   

In So. Cal, the Indian Reservations (the ones close by me anyway) don't have plexiglass on the table games.  Some machines have plexiglass or they turn off every other machine.   There are many less from 6' apart.   When they reopened after the initial lockdown, they used to wipe down the machines constantly.....now I never see them doing it.  They do a temp check at the door, but the 3 friends I knew that had COVID, none of them ran even the slightest temp.

Since ya can't drive until you are 16, ya can't gamble until your 21, just maybe ya can't cruise until you are 16 and vaccinated.  Just sayin'

No one knows how long the vaccinations will be good for.   As soon as the antibodies start declining or new variants pop up and everyone needs a booster, then we will be back to square one.   

Spoke with a HAL representative this morning regarding the vaccination requirements (or lack of).  The reason they are saying (at this point) that they aren't requiring every passenger to be vaccinated is because the vaccines aren't available for those under 16.   This pertains to the US ports as other countries can require all passengers to be vaccinated.   

Why would any port want cruise ships to dock in their City if passengers can't go to their stores, support their vendors and bring money into their town?   It seems to me it wouldn't be worth the hassle for them to even allow a cruise ship to dock.   What am I missing here?

I dunno the answer to this question, but I'd get on a cruise and just sail around the ocean without even a port of call if that would allow me to cruise again 🙂

What perplexes me about HAL is they aren't requiring vaccinations prior to cruising while almost every other cruise line is.  HAL has a typical older crowd, so you'd think they'd be first on board to require everyone be vaccinated.   I'm shaking my head at this.

yeah, mine shows I'm on Regal Princess when I sail today on Royal 🙂

doesn't help when I leave tomorrow 🙂

I should know the answer to this but I don't.....and try as I might, I can't figure out how to use the search function on this board.  So, quick question:   I want to bring on my free bottle of wine, but I'd rather pack it in my suitcase....is this ok, or do I need to carry it on?

Thanks!!!

I've done the alcohol pkgs, and I have found that after the first couple of days you don't tend to drink enough to make it worth the price.  Especially when you have a port days.   What I have found to be a better value is to buy the Premier Coffee & Soda Package and then buy your favorite liquor to have in your room.   Mocktails are included in this package so I just tote some of my rum around and add it to my mocktail.  If I don't drink all my liquor, I just tote it home.  

Just wanted to update this post after our cruise......

1.  I would DEFINITELY purchase the Quench beverage package again.   The mocktails and coffee drinks were perfect.   We got a large bottle of rum for our room and tho it was slightly inconvenient to run down to my room to add a bit of rum to my mocktail, it saved me a bunch of money in the long run.   Sometimes I just drank the mocktail and found it refreshing by the pool.   No way would have bought a mocktail without this pkg.

2.  I'm not a soda drinker so I didn't use that portion.

3.  I would also pour a bit of bailey's in a cup before I went and got my specialty coffee. 

4.  I only purchased 2 alcoholic drinks the entire cruise.

5.  We brought a bottle of wine on board for each night....paid the corkage on 5 of them.  This was still cheaper than buying the wine they offered of any quality.

6.  Sometimes I would order a Red Bull....they were $5.25 each if I chose to purchase.   I had one of these a day.

My parents just got off Eurodam yesterday. Here are a few pics of some items at the Pinnacle Grill. 

Salmon Pastrami - mom said super good

Delmonico Steak - med rare - very good 

short ribs 

Thank you both for your quick responses.   My GF just about had a heart attack when I told her she may not be able to take her flat iron.   We leave here in 3 hours and you truly made her day