Kenswing

3 minutes ago, Arwen said:

Indeed.  I would like to order an SUV or even a limo.  Hubby doesn't want to do that.....Sigh..But I am always the one that has to have the luggage "all over me"...Ha!  

You can order an UberXL instead of the standard UberX.

6 minutes ago, Arwen said:

Can you give me a general description of where the designated Uber pick up area is?  And is there a way to order an Uber that can handle that much luggage?  We have ordered used Uber before but often the person that shows up has a small vehicle and I get squished by my own luggage...;-))  I know at Sea-Tac has an area for ubers and they line up and you have to wait...and wait....but my big concern is getting a vehicle that can handle all of our stuff (49 day South America cruise here we come!)

From Uber's website..  https://www.uber.com/airports/fll/

As far as luggage, especially at SeaTac where you're almost guaranteed to get a Prius leaving the airport.  We've actually had to stack some of our luggage in the front seat.

Both times we've used Uber at FLL we got Toyota Corollas and had no issue. 

Uber is the way to go.  On our last cruise it was around $12 from the airport to Embassy Suites.  We also used Uber to the port. It was $6 total vs. $9 per person using Embassy Suite's shuttle. 

And just in case you didn't know...  If you have Flexible air booked you won't be able to see Restricted prices from your personalizer.  You have to look for them outside of your personalizer.  And if you do want to switch to a Restricted fare you will need to cancel your Flexible reservation before you can rebook.  You will also have to pay the full fare price and wait for the refund of your original fare.  I re-fared our current flights to Australia 3 times.  Twice were staying with Flexible fares the last change to restricted.  Each time I had to call Princess to have the refund issued to my credit card. 

It's called the Ultimate Ship Tour.  Last time we did it was $150 per person.  No advance reservations.  Sign up at Passenger Service Desk as soon as you board for the best chance at getting a spot. 

32 minutes ago, tempus137 said:

When we booked with our TA, she did not ask us about this. Is there anywhere on the website that shows this?

The confirmation we get from our TA has the "No Upgrade" box checked.  Nowhere on the Princess website to show this. 

Here's a video of one of the suites.  Warning:  You might want to hit the mute button.

The "upgrade" was bad enough but this reliability issue is really something that shouldn't be happening in this day and age.. They need to find a solution whether it be different servers or different programmers. 

On ‎1‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 7:32 AM, EllieinNJ said:

Can you call directly or do you have to go through your travel agent?

I called directly even though I have a travel agent.  

I'm not sure if it's intentional but they said "Oops, you have a refund coming but nobody actually coded it to post back to your card".  You would think that would be automatic.  

25 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

I sure hope you don’t need them, but you’ve got both numbers now.

Thank you both.

We were in Ireland a couple of years ago and witnessed an elderly lady fall and strike her head on the ground.  All we could do was call out for help and knock on doors until someone called an ambulance.  Ever since that trip I make sure I know how to get help. 

18 minutes ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

 

In NZ its 111 for Police, Fire and Ambulance .

Awesome.  Thank you.

Does Australia and New Zealand have the equivalent of our 911 system?

Any advice on who to call, what to do if you should need emergency services.  Whether it's medical, fire or police?

Thanks. 

2 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

 

Thanks Kenswing . Tai thinks it’s because we both like pizza so much.

Please have a slice.

Tony

 

Don't mind if I do.  But I'll be able to get it fresh in just 58 more days.. 😎

16 hours ago, Lucky TGO said:

I’m sorry I don’t know how my post came up three times.???? 😳 🤔

Tony

I don't know, but it looked good all three times..  lol

1 hour ago, canadarose said:

How do you go about purchasing the case of water? I can’t seem to find that option on the princess site. Thanks

If it's an Australian cruise the cases of water aren't available. 

1 hour ago, jdechter said:

I had a similar situation and waited patiently with no results. I called them and they offered to give me ship board credit or cc refund and thanked me for reminding them. So best to Call them.

Thank you.  I guess I'll be giving them a call. 

I re-fared our airfare last week (after final payment) saving almost $400.  Where does that refund go?  It hasn't shown up as OBC and hasn't been credited back to my credit card.  Do I need to be patient or should I start trying to track it down?

I am so loving this trip report.  Thank you for taking the time in providing so much detail. 

Awesome.  We're doing this cruise in March.  Can't wait to read more.

7 hours ago, FSU Girl said:

Thanks everyone! I wasn't sure you were allowed to book the transfer picking up at a hotel you weren't staying at. It does sound like doing either a train or private transfer is the way to go. For the train is it direct from London to Southampton? 

The train we took from Waterloo Station had a few stops but we didn't have to transfer.

We stayed at a hotel near the Eye then took the train from Waterloo Station to Southampton.  Very easy. 

The roll calls for the Circle Caribbean and British Isles cruises we went on were very busy.  Lots of private tours coordinated.  Lots of gatherings attended.

The roll call for our upcoming Australia/New Zealand cruise is all but a ghost town.. 

5 minutes ago, Seadog & Sea Hag said:

So unfair to exclude paying passengers from an area so that others can utilise it for private use. Absolutely rediculous.

It happens all the time all over the ship..  Not just for Cruise Critic groups.  

15 hours ago, Mrs. Kitty said:

To Kenswing's question about the Hollywood Conservatory on the Majestic...we just got back from the cruise around New Zealand and 3 ports in Australia (Oct 23 - Nov.5  2018). I thought I had read that there was a fee to use the cabanas around the Hollywood Pool and the adjoining Conservatory BUT on sea days of our cruise I just went fairly early (before 8am ) and chose an empty cabana and made myself at home with my stuff (kind of like being a squatter really) and no one ever asked me for a payment of any kind. There is a policy in the Hollywood Pool area that if you leave a towel on a chair for more than 30 minutes unattended, the towel will be removed and your space is lost. So in order to keep a cabana until we were ready to vacate for the day, either my husband or I stayed in the cabana. We took turns going to get food, etc. and brought it to the cabana with no one objecting...better to ask for forgiveness than permission. This policy may change in the future but we did not have a balcony room so having this opportunity for a free unobstructed view of the ocean was lovely for us. 

Thanks for the information.. 

We haven't seen a towel animal since a 2007 Alaska cruise.