toofewcruises

You really should not worry too much about this. The odds of getting a free upgrade (especially in the mini-suite category) are very small. You could possibly be offered an upsell, which is an upgrade for a fee. A true upgrade is considered from category to a higher category, i.e., mini-suite to a full suite. I have seen people having lateral "upgrades," which is from one cabin category to another. Those are considered by Princess to be upgrades as the location is often considered a better location by Princess, but usually not by passengers!

He can be onboard if he has a medical exemption. If not, even if he is allowed to board the ship, he will have to test every day, at his family's expense, and go through many hoops, many of which will be not being able to disembark the ship. It's highly unlikely that he will be allowed off the ship, the only exception being is if he is on a Princess tour, and even that is iffy.

But the Diamond has 5 dining rooms...

But that was the Ruby. The Diamond is a totally different ship...

Since the ship has not had a revenue sailing, there is no way of knowing this information until September 1 at the earliest, if the first set of passengers are kind enough to post that information.

It's likely sold out. I'm on this one and the following one. No need to panic yet. The Diamond is on her way to San Diego from the Far East, so I think we will all be ok and sailing in 42 days.

Get a good travel agent!

This is great to know... I can get good coffee and a pastry from Horizon Court early in the morning and enjoy those in the nice fresh air! Can't wait ... another 42 days to go!

It's called the Izumi Baths, take a look at it on the Princess website. I will definitely try it in September!

Always check your statement the night before disembarking! This should be a golden rule on any cruise line, or hotel, etc... You should wait a couple of days, this charge may very well drop. It may have been some kind of hold. If this charge does not disappear, then file a claim with your credit card.

Yes, you can

I'm sure you were! I wish I had been there!

New updated article: What the CDC Decision Means for Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruisers (msn.com)

Can you try to move your flight to the day before your cruise? It is always iffy to fly in the day of... especially internationally.

I know I prefer being high up aft or forward so that I can feel the ship's motion more. This is one of the reasons, among many, to book either aft or forward.

Should have asked steward. You'll remember next time!

Diamond Princess has not yet returned to service, so no one can tell you. Her first voyage with passengers begins on September 1.

Not an attitude... Just following the rules. If you want to break them, go ahead!

And just like that: CDC's COVID-19 program for cruise ships has ended | seatrade-cruise.com

Has anyone seen the new CDC announcement? The CDC guidelines for cruise ships are no longer required... 1. I hope the vaccination requirement stays in place; 2. Testing will no longer be required, which could be a very good thing for all of us; 3. I wonder how long it will take for Princess to enact this?

Your reasoning here is flawed. Sitting on anyone's balcony is not an earned perk. Priority embarkation is. No, OP should not take the newbies with them to the elite lounge. The right thing to do is to wait with them in the general boarding area. However, the exception to this rule is whether the newbies have their own cabins. If they share a cabin with the elite member, then, yes, they can have priority embarkation. I believe this is the Princess rule.

You can use it as soon as you are on the ship.

For most bookings, Princess has refundable deposits. You just have to look carefully at the cruises you want to book, it will state whether your deposit is refundable or not. Very easy!

It really is not a big deal. Is getting on the ship five minutes before anyone else that important?

Sorry, but this is not comprehensible. The cruise is paid for by FCC... But in order to have FCCs, you must have paid for a cruise, correct? So, in order not to pay the insurance, you are willing to lose the money you originally paid? Yes, there is an expiration date for the FCC and the cancel for no reason works only before you take the cruise. You're not going to know if you like anything until you board the ship and experience the cruise. It appears that you don't want to pay for the insurance. That's fine, and it is a risk you take. As far as the original question, we don't know what is going to happen in August, much less October. We have to wait to see if Princess extends the cruise with confidence policy.