rheathslc

7 minutes ago, MJC said:

We flew to Nebraska for it and were just lucky enough for the clouds to clear for totality. So exciting. 

 

We are one cruise shy of elite so I hope ya'll don't take all the cabins before I get one! 😀 

I won't be elite until next Feb. I even booked a 5-day solo to get there before any of our big cruises we want to do over the next two years. Haha! So my TA will be booking it for us on the 10th too. 🙂 

2 minutes ago, Thrak said:

On August 9th (elite booking day) I will be booking this cruise:

=================================================

April 3, 2024
10 Day Mexico with Full Eclipse
Discovery Princess

I won't be elite until next February but I'm gonna email my TA right now to book this for us on the 10th! I didn't even look at this on the list she posted yesterday. I was looking at the Panama Canal cruises. SO excited for this one now!

On 2/28/2022 at 3:41 PM, Coolmama_1 said:

We had the eclipse of 2017 pass through our neck of the woods. A cruise view would be awesome!

I traveled to my favorite lakeside forest service campground that just happened to be in the path of totality. It's usually only half full even on holiday weekends and I got there 4 days early but it was already packed. I had to find a spot outside the campground and thought the dispersed area was full at that point but over the next few days more and more people poured in. Normally I would have been really annoyed by someone camping RIGHT next to me but figured this was a once in a lifetime thing. By the day of the eclipse this remote, normally nearly empty place was packed. And it was the absolute most awe inspiring thing I've even seen. And sharing it with all those strangers actually made it even better. Coolest experience of my life. I would LOVE to do an eclipse cruise.

9 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Vines tends to have a more extensive by the glass offerings. While some wines are only available by the bottle in MDR or other bars, vines might have them by the glass. 
 

Nikiara is very good. 

I'm really bummed that the Diamond doesn't have Vines. That's the ship we're on for the two 5-day B2B cruises that I upgraded to Premier. I like to grab my favorite glass of wine from Vines on my way to dinner since I know I can't get it in the MDR. Also no International Cafe. 😞

2 hours ago, cococruiser said:

Can we upgrade to premier onboard, or do we need to upgrade before boarding?

You can purchase the stand alone beverage package up to four days prior to the cruise or on day 1 onboard. You can also sign up for Princess Prizes separately onboard according to what I read. And you can also upgrade to the multi-device wifi once onboard. But I'm pretty certain if you want the whole Princess Premier package at the $75pp/day (or $25pp/day extra if you already booked Plus) which includes the Premier drinks package, photos, dining credits, multi-device wifi, and Prizes) you have to upgrade to Premier in advance (most likely prior to 3 days in advance - similar to spa bookings). I can't find it in the T&C but I swear I read it somewhere. 

This is regarding the stand-alone drink package as referenced above:

2 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

The whites might be the same as when we cruised in May as I never looked at them, but the reds are not the same price.  I know that the Belle Glow Pinot Noir and Gaza Ca'Promis were not more than a dollar or two above the $12 limit.  I am surprised, but glad to see the Nikiara because on another ship's menu posted online (below) it was only available by the bottle.  Also the menu below shows  the Chocolate Block at 16 not 13 and the Zinfandel at 16 not 15.  This menu was posted shortly after the Premier package started.  I wonder if prices have settled down? I've posted that menu below so you all can compare and see all the differences which is weird. Hope we get some others on ships currently post their Vines menus.   We have chosen Premier package  because we only like their more expensive wine and mostly only drink wine, always get pictures, eat at specialty restaurants, and would like to try the different wifi package like Mattnday.

Fair point. I don't pay as much attention to the reds. 🙂 Unless I'm at Crown Grill.

2 hours ago, mattnday said:

We did the upgrade to Premier on our upcoming Thanksgiving Cruise on the Discovery. 

 

It came out to about $20 a day ($290 for 2) for the upgrade. 

 

For us it was a no brainer. I drink mostly Cab at dinner and the upgrade to the Napa Cabs they have listed are a no brainer. We also plan to do 2-3 Specialty dinners anyway and purchase some pictures as my wife loves the opportunity to pick and choose without feeling gouged to buy them 1 at a time. 

 

We should break even or get real close to it without even mentioning the benefit on not having to do the wifi dance as we will both have 2 items connected.  

 

In the end the opportunity to get our pictures, prepay for our specialty restauraunts and get the upgraded wine I want should make it worthwhile. 

One big benefit of upgrading to Premier (for me) is that the dining credits are available to be used in the app to reserve specialty dining in advance. That is NOT the case with OBC. If you want to book specialty dining in advance you have to pay out of pocket even if you have OBC. If you want to use OBC for specialty dining, you can't book until you're onboard. And with so many people booking in advance, availability was pretty limited even on day 1. And with the Premier credits you can cancel and rebook if your plans shift without having to worry about when you'll get the refund for the cancelled booking.

46 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

These are the wine menus from Vines on the current Crown Alaska sailing. 

That looks very similar if not pretty much the exact same Vines menu (including prices) from when I was on the Crown in late May, before the Premier roll out. They ran out of the Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc by day 3 of 7 which was a bummer.

8 minutes ago, rheathslc said:

14 minutes ago, caribill said:

Cruise lines, Princess included, love it when passengers pay for everything they can up front.

 

Turns out that people who have done that psychologically feel free to spend more once on board so that the cruise lines get more total income than if much of it had not been prepaid.

• Sure. I get that many if not most people do that. I have to budget very carefully in advance and know EXACTLY what we can spend onboard and am very careful not to overspend. I even book any spa treatments in advance. We don't gamble so the casino isn't a draw for us. Basically the only thing I spend onboard is the Sanctuary if we can get it. I even use elaborate excel spreadsheets to plan and track every dollar. Haha! But I realize I'm the odd one

I lied. I also do stock up on a few of the Elemis products we like. They're essentially the same cost on board as anywhere else and SOMETIMES they discount them or give you a buy one get one kind of deal. But I do budget for that as well. 🙂 

1 minute ago, caribill said:

Cruise lines, Princess included, love it when passengers pay for everything they can up front.

 

Turns out that people who have done that psychologically feel free to spend more once on board so that the cruise lines get more total income than if much of it had not been prepaid.

• Sure. I get that many if not most people do that. I have to budget very carefully in advance and know EXACTLY what we can spend onboard and am very careful not to overspend. I even book any spa treatments in advance. We don't gamble so the casino isn't a draw for us. Basically the only thing I spend onboard is the Sanctuary if we can get it. I even use elaborate excel spreadsheets to plan and track every dollar. Haha! But I realize I'm the odd one. 

1 minute ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I’m sorry I asked  the wrong poster. 
I was wondering about this post. 
 

 

 

   5 hours ago,  omynameistaken said: 

I changed all three of our upcoming cruises to princess premiere yesterday but I didn't change our September 1st Cruise and I'm really sad LOL. We just have so much onboard credit to spend 😆

 

We're definitely going to have to have a celebratory drink for your birthday!!🎉 

You asked the right poster. I jumped in and answered a question that wasn't asked to me directly. Sorry! 🙂 

31 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

If you didn’t have all that OBC, would you be spending the same way? So many people are just cruising to use up FCC, etc. I wonder what is going to happen when everyone actually has to start putting in real cash again. 

I didn't have any OBC or FCC as I tend to go in spurts and stops and cycle through my different vacation preferences (camping, Oregon Coast, and cruising) and hadn't cruised since 2016 before the restart. I still upgraded to Premier out of pocket. Only for our two short 5-day cruises. And just to try it out. We have 5 more booked over the next two years and stuck with Plus for all of them. Honestly, probably will only ever do Premier on cruises 6 days or shorter based on the math, if then. I predict that seasoned cruisers who know how to look for value probably won't choose Premier in droves. But they may get the first timers or people who are really splurging here and there. I do like that it's a option though. Even if I don't use it often.

7 hours ago, omynameistaken said:

I saw this yesterday on a FB post.... I'm such a sucker for this kind of stuff 🎉 

Princess premier here we come 😃

Okay, it took me a while to realize this said EDward Petrie and NOT COward Petrie. I thought that was a really strange and unfortunate name. 🤣 Time to get my eyes checked.

4 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Can you report back on how the photo piece works out? I loved when they had the option to buy the "All Inclusive" photos and always purchased it and had TONS of photos! That's no longer offered but would almost make the upgrade to premier worth it if they still had as many photo opportunities. I just sailed Princess in April (first time post Covid) and really don't recall seeing any of the usual stations set up around the ship. Now, that could have been because I wasn't intending on getting pictures done so didn't look...lol. We did get a picture taken at sailaway but when we went to the digital picture place to find it, no one could locate it. I'm just interested to hear if there is ample opportunity to get a bunch of nice pictures.

 

I hope you enjoy the upgraded package - honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that I always sail with a kid as pax 2 I would probably do it just because I hate the thought of having a "bill" to pay at the end. I can't justify paying the extra for a kid who gets nothing extra with the upgrade...

Absolutely! I have already agreed to report on the condition of the ship, changes to the special features that they had for Japanese market (bidets, electric kettles w tea, etc.) and the Izumi bath area. I'll provide a full report. 🙂

1 hour ago, memoak said:

This is so much a come on. Most all mixed drinks the average person drinks are included in Plus. I haven’t wanted an photos in over 10 years and I will use my casino free play to gamble rather than open and close my door all day. Over a 29 day cruise you are talking tons of extra money. If you don’t win a prize are you going to cry or sue ?

Both the ones we upgraded are only 5 days each. It LEAVES in 29 days. Anything longer than 6 days or so then it really loses value. But we do want the photos (it's a special celebration cruise) and the specialty dining and the multi-device internet package. Even with the Platinum discount on internet packages, at 5 or 6 days it's worth the extra cost for how WE cruise. I get that it's not a value for everyone.

I did the math without factoring the prizes into it at all. That's just a potential little bonus IF we happen to win anything.

But thanks for trying to, what? shame me? for my choice that doesn't affect you in any way.

2 hours ago, caribill said:

Princess will come out ahead with those who upgrade to Premier as the extra cost to Princess of the alcohol used, the specialty restaurant meals, the digital photos and the prizes for unlocking your door will be far less than the extra $$ paid to Princess for the upgrade.

They come out ahead on everything they sell. It's a business. I'm under no illusions on that point. So the real question is whether someone saves money by getting the package or finds value in the peace of mind of paying for everything up front, or any other aspect of it. There are a lot of reasons people buy what they do. That the business makes a profit on it isn't really relevant since that's the point of business. 

Are there people who will pay for this without considering the true cost and value? Sure. But, you know, buyer beware and all that.

I did the math, and for what we would pay for anyway, on a 5-day cruise, it IS a value and overall cost savings to us. 🙂 

23 minutes ago, omynameistaken said:

I saw this yesterday on a FB post.... I'm such a sucker for this kind of stuff 🎉 

Princess premier here we come 😃

I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff too. 🙂 I'm really looking forward to experiencing all the parts of Princess Premier on the Diamond next month (29 days!) Most people have been fixating on the drinks but it includes other things that WE find valuable so I upgraded us. I think it'll be fun.

I also upgraded our flights to first class since this is for my big 40th B-day celebration. See, I really AM a sucker. Haha!

18 minutes ago, JoRoy218 said:

Yes! We’re on the Sept. 1 cruise, shortest cruise we’ve ever done.

Wanted to continue on for the Sept. 6 as well but pet sitting issues

limiting us.  Oh well…trying to use up “pandemic credits” before end of year.  Another planned in Dec. 

30 days! We're so excited! Are you on the roll call? I have a hard time keeping track of everyone on there. 🙂

16 minutes ago, jeno said:

We are also thinking it is going to be a little hard getting NZ Sauvignon Blancs.  We’re on the 111 day world cruise and hope the Plus Package works out better than it sounds like right now. 

I upgraded us to Premier for our two little 5-day B2Bs on the Diamond to try it out. I hope it doesn't spoil Plus for me. 🙂 

1 hour ago, lvjbird said:

Thanks so much for all the info!  I'm going to get on this right away.  Just now seeing the post and starting to get excited about this cruise!

We're officially 30 days out as of today for our next cruise and I can't wait! We're sailing on the Diamond so in addition to the standard thermal suite they have the Izumi Japanese Bath and I'm really excited to try that. From what I understand (unless they have changed it since the shut-down) you can by a multi visit pass vs. having to choose to pay only for a day or two or the whole cruise. I kind of wish they did that with the Thermal Suite too.

4 hours ago, JoRoy218 said:

Funny you should bring that up! We’re on the Diamond in Sept. and we too enjoy the International Cafe daily.  I asked that question this morning and someone kindly answered. There is a “Lobby Bar” on deck 5 that supposedly serves specialty coffees. Yay ☕️ 

We're on the Sept 1st and Sept 6th sailings back to back and will provide as much info on condition of the ship and amenities as we can. Are you on either of those or the later September ones?

3 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Agreed that all wines are subject to change from week to week. By not naming them on the menu for plus they can pour whatever is handy. I’ve got a couple of sailings soon both with and without plus. It’ll be interesting. 
I’m a white wine drinker.  I noticed a drastic decline in choices for me (non chards) since January.  I’ll be bringing some favorites on and picking some up in ports. 

I'm a white wine drinker too but really don't like chardonnay at all. I prefer Sauv Blanc (preferably  from New Zealand) so may have to do the same. We sail in 30 days on the Diamond's first two cruises back and I'm mentally preparing for it to be a little rough as the crew get back in the swing of things. 

8 minutes ago, martinitime1 said:

Challenge accepted!!

🤣

I actually can't do 15 glasses of wine. But I can do a few mimosas with breakfast, a few stawberry margaritas with an extra shot during the day, a cocktail and few glasses of wine with dinner and get close. If I start at 7am and don't fall asleep before making it to dinner that is. But the next day or two would likely be almost no alcohol, if any. Haha!

7 hours ago, Ronnieslady said:

A few years ago & before Covid on the Ruby & the Crown the 5 beds  were always taken at about 2:30 & around 3:00 .  We were in a full suite, but the passengers that paid for the pass were upset when they were full.  Also no place to sit & wait in that particular room.  This was a Panama & Hawaii cruises.  
I even asked the girls @ the desk if anyone could just use the beds. And they said no.  But all the passengers that get massages  are entitled to use the beds also.  Passengers would leave their towels on the beds & sometimes we didn’t know if they had gone to the rest room & were coming back or in the sauna & coming back.  Some would stay for hours & sleep. 

   IMO both of those ships seem to overbook those passes.  Even though they say they only have a limited number to sell.  The $ comes 1st. 

Oh if there isn't a person actually on the bed I just put the towels in the bin and take it. That's rude to take up a bed you aren't actually using. 

When I was on the Crown in May there was a man who had the door to the small steam room stuck shut some how and when I tried to open it he said "occupied" and kept me out like it was totally normal and okay to prevent other people from using the space too. I was flabbergasted. I'd never had that happen before. I meant to ask at the desk if that was allowed in case maybe I was misunderstanding something but forgot at the time.

1 hour ago, VaCruzers said:

Years ago I was able to purchase a one day, or maybe even a half day pass for the thermal suite on Ruby. For an upcoming cruise on the Caribbean Princess, I only see an option for the length of voyage in my personalizer. Does anyone know if a day or half day can be purchased onboard? The length of voyage is more than I am willing to spend.  Thank you!

You can purchase a day pass on board. Not sure about a half day though. And a day pass WAS on Cruise Personalizer as recently as just a few months ago. I'm bummed they took that away.

4 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Stop using the name of the package and instead refer to it as the features that you got, and say it out loud and see if you think you are being cheated or "bait and switched."  It would sound something like this:

 

"I think that I am being cheated.  A year ago I bought the Package that includes all drinks $12 and under, specialty coffees, brewed coffee and water, and also included prepaid wifi and crew appreciation.  Now, when I look at my booking, I see that I have a package that includes all drinks $12 and under, specialty coffees, brewed coffee and water, and also provides prepaid wifi and crew appreciation.  How dare they!  I am trying to contact someone at Princess who can help me and no one seems to be able to do anything for me!"

 

When viewed like this, you will see that you aren't being cheated at all.  (At least, I hope that you can see this.)

 

 

Exactly! Much more concise and clear than I was. Haha!