rheathslc

Hooray! When are you sailing?

Just due to timing I've only ever added it onboard once I had a folio balance that exceeded my gift card amount so I don't know from personal experience if it can be added as OBC or just as payment toward a balance. I do think my TA told me they should be able to add it as obc. Maybe someone else can confirm for sure. But I just had a screen grab of the gc info on my phone for them to add it to my folio. You don't actually get an email with the gift card number and pin. Just an email notification that you redeemed the points. Then you have to login to your Barclay's account and go to your redemption history and click on the record to open the gift card info. There is a little warning when you redeem the points for a digital gc specifically that the information won't be emailed. A little convoluted if you ask me especially for a digital gift card. But I just save that screen as a pdf and also make sure to get a screen grab. You can also use those gift cards to make payment toward your balance due which I have done several times. If you booked directly through Princess you can enter the gc info in Cruise Personalizer. If you booked through a TA they can also use it to make payment toward your balance. I just. I've done both. Those cannot be used to pay for spa reservations or any other extras that you would add through Cruise Personalizer though which is a bummer.

Was going to say the same thing. I use my points for the digital gift cards which I feel gives me a bit more direct control. @roomba920 I hope you get this sorted without too big of a headache. Always frustrating when the two parties don't agree on the process and/or the service reps don't have all the knowledge and training they need which I suspect is more likely the case here.

Hooray! Enjoy!

Others have probably already addressed this but I wanted to share my experience. I placed an upgrade bid last Monday for a 3-day cruise on the Discovery leaving March 31st. We were booked in a Standard Balcony cabin. I bid on 3 categories: $80pp on Mini-Suite (mid range bid) $115pp on Forward facing Club Class Mini-suite (highest bid allowed) $125pp on mid ship Club Class Mini-suite (highest bid allowed) I kept checking online to see what cabins were still available to gauge the likelihood I would win a bid (even though I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything) and noticed that the prices seemed such that the cost difference to actually book a Mini-suite was about the same as my mid-range bid so last Friday I had our TA change our cabin for us. Total ended up being only $138 ($69pp) and I got to choose the cabin I wanted from the ones that showed available. I wasn't sure if I needed to cancel my bid myself or if it would automatically cancel. I got the confirmation on the new cabin and my original bids still appeared active so I changed them. I wasn't willing to pay the same bid that I would from a balcony to a club class mini as I would for a standard mini to a club class mini since I already paid to get the mini so I decreased my bid to $55pp for both Club Class Mini suite types which was roughly the difference between my original bid and the price we paid for the mini. The next morning (Saturday) I got an email notification that my booking information had changed so my bids had been canceled. No problem and question answered. I went in a put new bids in. The system was still showing the same cabin types to bid on as before we moved to our new cabin. I bid the $55pp again for Forward Club Class Mini and regular Club Class Mini. The next morning (Sunday) I received yet another email notification that my bids had been canceled again. This time when I went back in to place a bid the cabin types available to bid on had updated. I am now able to bid on Club Class Mini suites all the way up to the Sky Suite (for a minimum bid of $1175pp for 3 days 🤯) I placed new bids on the following: $55pp for Forward Facing Club Class Mini-suite (mid high range) $55pp for mid ship Club Class Mini-suite (mid high range) $200pp for Vista Suite (just slightly over minimum of $175pp) I'm not holding my breath that I'll get either of these but figured it was worth a try anyway. And now I know what the process is if you change cabins after having already placed a bid. 🙂 - Rachel

Mine wouldn't update to my new level on booking summaries or when ordering my medallion through the app when I moved to a new level after already having several other cruises booked. A little frustrating especially as it meant I would get the wrong color medallion but there are bigger problems in the world so I just dealt with it. I needed help with something else entirely so I got on chat and the rep thanked me for my loyalty and referenced my old level. I mentioned that I'm Elite now, not Platinum which I'm excited about because my upcoming cruise is my first at Platinum and the rep apologized and then fixed it for me. My new level updated on all my booking summaries AND when I went to order my medallion for my next cruise. It did take about an hour of waiting for chat though. And you have to respond every 5 minutes to tell them you're still waiting. It was a little annoying but I got my original issue fixed an the loyalty level too. Worth it. 🙂

On my Alaska cruise last May it was showing sold out but then I got upgraded from an Inside to a Balcony with a minimum bid. I was shocked but pleased. But I also only booked the cruise like three weeks before sailing which is why I booked an interior in the first place. It was the only cabin type available at all and then by a week after that it showed totally sold out. So who knows. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Good to know. Thanks! Part of my obsession includes repeatedly checking the cabins that appear available to book on the Princess site. Which I was doing last night when I realized that the amount I bid for a standard Mini-Suite (from Standard balcony) was more than the cost to just change our cabin and pay the difference. So this morning I had my TA move us to the Mini-Suite. And this way I got my choice of the available cabins vs. being stuck somewhere we don't like as much if a bid was accepted. I updated my bid for a Club Class mini but I think the odds of us getting one are very small. At this point I'm very happy with the Standard Mini-Suite and since we're going with Princess Premier on this short trip, the club class dining really doesn't matter since we'll have specialty dining for two of the three nights anyway. And the Club Class dining is one of my main reasons for wanting Club Class. The other Club Class perks are less important. Now I need something else to obsess over for the next 65 days. 🙂

Submitted a bid on Monday as soon as I got the email notification. Now I'm obsessively refreshing my email every 3 minutes even though I know it could be weeks before I hear anything, if I do at all. My previous two bids were placed and accepted within a few days but I suspect that's because I booked so close to sailing (less than a month out) Trying, quite unsuccessfully, to be patient. 😀 67 Days to go!

I really love the Club (Reserve) Class mini suites. In addition to the extra space in the main cabin area. The bathroom is bigger and has a full tub. For my 6'1" partner, the tiny showers with the horrible curtains in balcony and inside cabins are near impossible to use so we try to always get a mini suite if we can afford it. And the dedicated dining area is worth that all on it's own in my opinion. The service is stellar and every night there is a special menu item to choose from, sometimes that they even prepare tableside. We also like the mini suites because my partner is an early bird and I'm a night owl so I can read or hang out on the sitting room side with the curtain closed and not bother his sleep. And that price for 7 days is great! I just bid $120pp to upgrade from a balcony to a club class mini for a 3-day.

No. I apologize for being unclear. I've not had a bid that wasnt accepted yet. I just meant, I would consider that money spent unless I were to be notified that my bid failed.

When you place the bid you do give them card information. It doesn't have to be the card you used for final payment. And they will charge your card automatically once any bid is accepted. So make sure that whatever card you use will have enough available balance at all times between when you place the bid and basically one day before the cruise. When I bid, I consider whatever my highest bid amount was as money already spent unless and until I get notified my bids were rejected.

I have bid twice in the past and had both accepted. On the first (Standard Balcony to Club Class Mini) I bid on several categories and entered a low bid for each at first and heard nothing. After about a week, I modified my bid to be more toward the mid to high range for the Club Class mini because I REALLY wanted that one and decreased my other bids. Once I changed it, I got notified that I won the bid within one day. On the second (Interior to Balcony) I didn't get notified until about a week before the cruise and had assumed I just didn't get it. Especially because the cruise appeared very full. It was an Alaska cruise so getting a Balcony was a HUGE win. But both of these were cruises I booked less than a month before sailing so I have not yet experienced what the wait is like if you bid as soon as the bidding window opens. I actually JUST bid this morning for our next cruise. It's a short one (3 days) so bidding opened today, 70 days out. I got the email overnight and bid this morning. I'll let you know how long it takes to hear back. 🙂

In my experience it's rare if ever that it has felt crowded to me. It has been what I would call full at times but usually only for a few minutes as people come and go. And I have low tolerance for crowding overall. I absolutely would leave if it felt crowded but have not reached that point so far. The tile beds are sometimes all taken but there are usually only 3-4 other people max in the pool at the same time and 1-2 other people in the steam/sauna rooms if any. It has usually been far less crowded than a lot of gym steam rooms I've been in. And people are generally respectful of the space and the atmosphere and other people.

I LOVE the Thermal Suites/Enclave. I was a holdout who insisted on only cruising on the older ships that had Thermal Suites and avoided the Royal Class ships. Even with seeing videos and reviews of the Enclave I just clung to the older Thermal Suites. Until I booked a 3-day on the Majestic as my first cruise back after the restart. The Enclave on the Royal Class ships is amazing! I now book it in advance on every cruise. And what it's called on cruise personalizer has gone through several changes over the last few years since the restart. But regardless of what the pass is named, it is good for whichever thermal suite is on your ship - Enclave on Royal Class, Thermal Suite on others. And I think it's called something else on the new Sun Class ships as well. It definitely used to be cheaper to book the full cruise pass in advance through cruise personalizer than if you waited until you were onboard but I think that savings has dwindled or even disappeared entirely. They also used to sell a couples pass in advance that was a significant savings. That is now only available on board if at all. If you're the type of person who likes steam rooms and saunas or hot tubs and want to splurge a bit, it's a must. The thermal pool in the Enclave is actually warm - unlike a lot of the hotubs on the top decks. And the heated tile beds are bliss to lounge on. I also really enjoy the different "experience showers". But if you're unsure if you'll enjoy it you can wait and take the tour on the first day. Again, the savings from buying in advance has mostly gone away. I've also done almost exclusively cool to cold weather cruises which makes the Enclave/Thermal Suite more appealing than if you're cruising in a hot climate. So that's something to keep in mind.

I LOVE the Club Class minis and think $250 per person is a steal for a 7-day cruise. I would go for it. But it depends on what you value most in cruising. The cabin locations tend to be better (depending on individual preferences of course) and some even have bigger balconies. I really love the Club Class dining. In my experience the difference is that it's a dedicated wait staff and smaller area so it's a lot like traditional dining used to be where the staff gets to know you and what you like versus the mdr where it's not always possible to get the same table let alone section even with the same time reservation each night. I have also found the service to be better in general. For sure it's more consistent. You also get priority embarkation which is a huge plus for me. For me the perks are worth it. 🙂

I just realized my answer was not what you were asking. Sorry! 🙂

Based on the experiences that myself and others have posted it seems to be that you will be offered a chance to bid on UP TO four full cabin categories above your current cabin but that is based on availability as well. And they also separated the forward facing Reserve minis from the mid-ship Reserve minis which gave me a total of 5 categories to bid on the first time I bid. For example, I was booked in a standard balcony and was able to bid on: 1. Deluxe Balcony 2. Premium Deluxe Balcony 3. Mini-Suite 4a. forward facing Reserve (club class) Mini-Suite 4b or 5? Reserve (club class) Mini-Suite On another cruise I originally booked an inside cabin and was able to bid on 4 categories: 1. Standard Obstructed Balcony 2. Deluxe Obstructed Balcony 3. Standard Balcony 4. Deluxe Balcony

Hi! Even though this is off topic I can confirm they had this on the Royal as recently as early May. Someone came around the dining room on the first night to get people to sign up. I think it was $60pp. I signed up but then ended up canceling so I can't speak to the actual experience.

You can also edit your bids right up until the last day or so. So as your trip gets closer if your bid hasn't been either accepted or rejected, you can adjust the amount up or down. I did that on both of the sailings that I've submitted and won upgrade bids for so far. I was in a standard balcony and ended up getting a Reserve (Club Class) mini-suite less than a day after bumping up my mini-suite bid by $20 per person and lowering my premium balcony bid a bit. It might just have been a coincidence. But just keep in mind you CAN make those adjustments.

If you win one bid, your other bids are essentially void. And once you get an upgrade you cannot bid again. I learned that I hard way. If you are bidding on multiple categories and have a preference for one category over another I would recommend making your preferred category bid the strongest bid. In the end it will come down to a combination of availability and Princess maximizing their $$$.

A word of warning: For the 2nd leg of my B2B on the Royal I was going to have to move from a Reserve Class mini-suite (which was an upgrade I bid on from a balcony) to an inside cabin. I put in a minimum bid for an obstructed balcony and obstructed deluxe balcony. Two days later and less than a week before sailing I was notified I got the obstructed balcony. I totally lucked out and got one of the least obstructed views available and it's right by the forward stairs/elevator bank, which since my priorities on this cruise are pampering and relaxation the easy elevator trip to both the spa and the Retreat made the location perfect for me. But if I hadn't been so lucky the other obstructed views could have been much worse. So just keep in mind when you bid that you only bid on the category and get stuck with the cabin they assign. Depending on the cruise your TA or PVP might be able to move you to another available cabin in that category. In my case the cruise was completely sold out and there were no other cabins to move to. I'm shocked I even got the upgrade tbh. I'm super happy with my two upgrade experiences so far but realize I've just gotten really very lucky with both.

That's a good question. So far I've only used a Princess Vacation Planner, not a 3rd party TA. I hope someone else can chime in with an answer.

That's too bad. On all four of the cruises I've booked with credit that is specifically called Shore Excursion Credit when I go the the cruise personalizer and book an excursion it has let me book without a credit card if the total for the excursion was less than the credit I had. Maybe try calling or chatting with support?

I realize this thread went quiet over a month ago so hopefully someone can still help clarify for me. I just booked a 2nd leg on the Royal and based on my reading of the PVSA and what others have said, I THINK I'm okay. If anyone has any insight I would be grateful. I'm currently booked Vancouver to Seattle then Seattle Round Trip (stopping in Victoria for a foreign port). I only booked the 2nd leg yesterday so I'm hoping I'm okay and I'm not going to get a call that I have to cancel.