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You have no choice but to accept the Medallion presented to you by the port agents at check-in. The port agents have no access to the software/machine that will program cruise cards. The Medallions already come pre-personalized and pre-programmed; all the port agents job is to confirm that you have presented the correct documentation and activate the Medallion by pressing a box on their tablet. When you get on board, you can go to Guest Services and request that your Medallion be deactivated and swapped out for a cruise card. TBH, it's a toss up if GS will swap out your Medallion. They refused my cruise card request on the Enchanted in November 2023 and Emerald Princess in January 2024, citing that they were out of blank cruise cards. Up until then, I was able to do the swap with no problems. Not sure why the change because the crew still use crew cards to exit/enter the ship and open their cabins. Don't know what will happen if you say that you have a pacemaker because it's stated that the magnet in the Medallion can interfere with pacemakers. YMMV.

I think people should also remember, just because you bid, doesn't mean your bid will be accepted. Have some expectation of disappoint in the event that your bid isn't accepted and you remain in your original cabin.

Princess provides electric water kettles by default on cruises ex Southampton. Regal and Sky have them and provide them. Something about the Brits and their afternoon tea. They are put in storage once the ships reach the Caribbean. Some cruise lines have Nespresso machines in their cabins--same difference, heating element that causes water to boil.

Again, given Princess' older demographic, much of this stuff isn't intuitive. Not sure why the App developers though it would be a good idea to bury many of the functions of the App in menus. Even while on the ship and connected to MedallionNet, the Ocean Front is slammed with passengers needing a tutorial on the new app. Pretty much. In SF and LA, I've seen people not sailing seeing their relatives off make it past security and check-in to the boarding lounges in the past. The only credential needed is a passport which passengers just flash to the port agents manning the entrance.

No idea the open viewing decks of Coral during PC transit, but I did just complete a northbound full transit on the Emerald. The drought has caused cruise ship transits to be less timed in the sense that the ship will begin transiting as soon as they they the go signal from the lock master so that container ships without reservations can be accommodated if possible. Our itinerary had 6:00 am as the published start of transit. We were in the first lock at 5:30 am and many were disappointed in missing the Bridge of the Americas as we had passed under at around 4:45 am. At the same time they wouldn't have seen much because it was still dark out. Hopefully, the drought will have improved by the time of your cruise.

The BBB is an antiquated organization that younger generations don't care about. It mattered more when there were mom and pop businesses, but now that most businesses are large corporations, the organization has lost clout and relevance. It also mattered more before Yelp and TripAdvisor and social media. People can write as many bad reviews as they want about a business to the BBB, but at the end of the day member businesses aren't bound to mediate a resolution nor is the resolution binding since the BBB isn't a government mandated regulating body.

The last paragraph of the press release is is concerning. Is there so much competition in Alaska that the Princess has to drop weeklong fares to $399? How much of a profit is Princess raking in on these sailings?

All the more reason to work with a reputable CVP when booking directly with Princess. On 02/02, I refared my EZAir which resulted in an overpayment of around $800 on my booking . I contacted my CVP to initiate a refund for the overpayment the same day and got an e-mail response from her confirming that the refund was initiated. Being proactive, I logged into my credit card's online banking and the refund had posted on my account, today 02/06. Unfortunately with Princess, it matters who you work with.

Except cruise ships aren't lightly used cars, such as in your example. My example likens an 18 year old cruise ships to a highly used car. Thousands of passengers have cycled through the ship and it has traversed thousands of miles, with the ship and it's mechanisms only really getting a break during dry dock. Everything on the ship is constantly in use, everyday that that it's in service. It's subject to have heavy wear and tear. Not to mention the entire thing is exposed and submerged in a corrosive liquid--salt water. Remember the Crown lost propulsion in Alaska in 2022. The Grand has lost electrical power in the past and according to an active post, has lost partial AC. The Sapphire recently lost thrust and bobbed around in the Antarctic for a short period of time. The older the ship the more likely it will encounter problems.

The Crown Princess is an 18 year old ship. The ship is functional, but dated. I would liken it to owning and driving an 18 year old car. Things are more likely to go wrong because of it's age, and cosmetically, it won't look as contemporary, but it will still take you to where you want to go, fingers crossed.

It really depends on the captain. There are some captains that think the published arrival times are exclusive of docking/clearance formalities. Won't name names, but was on multiple segments with a particular captain at the helm and the all clear announcement didn't happen until an 1 hour after the published times; the shore excursions team were not pleased. The majority of captains think the published arrival times are inclusive of docking/clearance formalities and the all clear announcement should be made exactly or a little after the published arrival time. You also have to remember that you are at the mercy of the security crew members. They have set schedules to work. Even if you pull into port hours before the published arrival time, if the security crew isn't scheduled to work yet, you won't be getting off the ship. All aboard is 1/2 hour before published departure times for when the ship is berthed. All aboard is usually increased to 1 hour at tender ports so the crew can put away the tenders.

Maybe the person was referencing Stanley Park? There are lots of gardens there and there's the famous totem poles. It's quite a walk from the Canada Place and even if you got there, the park is quite large with the attractions spread apart. Recommend renting a car or a bike to get around. As has been mentioned before, Gastown, which has the famous steam clock, is next door to the Canada Place. Robson Street and the surrounding area is the main shopping/eating throughfare and is a few blocks (depending on how deep you go in) from the Canada Place. The Vancouver Art Gallery is in the Robson Street Area and houses pop, modern, native, and, depending on what's on loan, classical art. Wouldn't recommend straying too far from these areas.

Once you check-in for your cruise, you’re prohibited from leaving the terminal. This is because you will clear US Immigration in the terminal and once you’ve cleared those formalities, you’re considered to be on American soil. I think dropping off bags at 9:30 am and heading to North Vancouver is cutting it very close. You also have to worry about traffic crossing the Lion’s Gate Bridge. In reality, all aboard will be between 2:00 and 2:30 pm. If I were you, I would check out of my hotel later and check in late for the cruise , like 1:00 pm because the lines start to die down during this time, or drop off bags at 9:30am and stick to walking around downtown Vancouver, maybe grabbing lunch. Honestly, those shuttles to Capilano are for passengers that are calling in Vancouver and have a later departure time like 8:00 pm or are disembarking with late flights. If you’re set on going to Capilano, there’s an alternative. Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is free and opens at 7:00 am. The experience is nearly identical as Capilano, but is further away by 20 minutes. Rent a car from the airport and return it to a downtown location near the Canada Place. If you’re on the road by 6:30 am, you’ll have no problems experiencing Lynn Canyon and making it to your cruise check-in on time. This would entail you bringing all your luggage in your car. If you do this, make sure to drop off your party at the Canada Place with the luggage and the person returning the car can walk back.

It's because of Princess's affinity for open concept spaces on their ships. They don't want to build walls and put up doors. They want all the venues to blend into each other so people can eavesdrop on all the activities. To me Take Five is one of the best music/dance venues. Not to loud when you're inside and the place has 4 walls and doors that will block the sounds from going out of the venue.

Huatulco reminds me of Grand Turk--a beach with some shops around. The area is still being built up. There are a lot of hotels and condos going up at the moment. There's only one hotel at the opposite end of the beach with a pool if you want a beach club vibe. The chairs and umbrellas are rented from the locals on the beach. If you will be eating/buying drinks, use your credit card and pay in pesos. The forex rate for paying in any other currency other than MXP is a rip off. There is another beach on the that is walkable and less crowded because it's surrounded by hotels, despite being a public beach, called Bahia Chahue. There is the "tourist corridor" which is a path between two mountains that will take you into the more cultural downtown area, where there's a small church, a town square and more restaurants. The walk one way is about 20 minutes.

Branch out to other cruise lines. Princess is the only mass market cruise line that gives out your cruise ID during check-in. Other cruise lines have them waiting for passengers in a slot by the cabin number or all the cabin doors are propped open during embarkation and the cruise ID is in the cabin. Passengers can give their cabin numbers to order drinks if cabins aren’t ready yet. No one at check-in is fumbling around bins trying to find cruise IDs, which saves time. The QR code, which is useless on Princess’ boarding pass, becomes your ticket to board the ship for the first time. Saves money and time. RCCL can board their 6000 plus passenger ships with minimals lines using this method. It’s worth noting, Carnival and Holland America, which are also under CCL, don’t give out cruise cards during check-in; they are collected in the cabin upon first visit. Not sure why the Ivory Tower at Princess thinks mailing Medallions is cost effective (they have to maintain a fulfillment facility in Asia, $10 hardly, if at all, covers shipping coming that far, and the packaging costs money) and why giving them out at check-in is time effective (port agents fumble around bins trying to find a needle in a haystack wasting time, which is time they could be using to check someone else in).

Another reason why Princess should stop mailing Medallions pre-cruise. If they left them in the cabins they'd never be lost. Doesn't waste postage (carbon footprint as well since Princess is so concerned about the environment); doesn't waste costs in regards to having to give out another new Medallion; doesn't waste port agents' and passengers' time during check-in trying to retrieve Medallions from bins.

If you have no reason to be on the ship early and are able bodied, drop off you bags at 9:30 am, take the time to walk around downtown Vancouver/have lunch, and come back at 1:00 pm. Check-in opens at 10:00 am and it's a zoo. It's even worse when there's more than one ship in port.

Cruise credits are credited based on the number of segments a particular cruise is. For example most of the long European itineraries are built up by selling B2B (or more) cruises as a single cruise. In the example, below, the cruiser would get 2 cruise credits, even though they only booked a single cruise because the cruise is made up of 2 cruise segments. It would make a difference if the cruiser had 14 cruises and needed one more cruise to be Elite using the number of cruises method. If booked as a single cruise, the person would get 2 credits, but by booking as 2 separate cruises, the cruiser would reach Elite and be entitled to Elite benefits on the 2nd segment. If booking as a single cruise, the person would not be entitled to Elite benefits on the 2nd leg because the cruises are only credited after completion of the entire itinerary booked. Yes, the cruiser could plead a case to the Captain's Circle Host, but YMMV.

You certainly can receive incoming phone calls. If you are on a single device plan, and have to switch between devices, your cell phone has to be the one connected to MedallionNet to receive the call. If you receive a call and are not connected to MedallionNet, the incoming call will sometimes not register to your missed call log.

Just got off the Emerald Princess a week ago. The ship is approaching 20 years in service and it shows. It needs a lot of TLC. While the spaces are functional, they are very dated. Even the cabins are straight from the 1990s and early 2000s because of the use of mirrors in the bedroom area. For the entire 2 weeks I was on it, maintenance could not figure out the water temperature situation. If they turned the water temp controller the slightest bit in the opposite direction, the water would be either too hot or too cold. Many people were complaining that all they could get was scalding hot water out of their showers, which wasn't ideal for a Panama Canal cruise where it was 90 degrees and 90% humidity most days. Cabin toilets were a problem on Baja Deck forward. Elevators were constantly out of service due to maintenance. You had to push the button with all your might to get the floor to register on the port side forward elevator. Too much gold paint caked on the panel is causing the buttons to not function. On the bright side, the buffet has been renovated to the World Fresh Marketplace concept. If you have a package, this ship has Steamers, Planks, and Crab Shack for casual dining, but only for dinner. If Princess wants to keep these older Grand Class ships in service for much longer, they really should invest in a complete overhaul. Celebrity did it on a few of their older ships, most notably the Millennium, and it's made a great difference in the overall enjoyment of the ship, both cosmetically and in terms of ship offerings. I'd take a smaller balcony on the Enchanted Princess in lieu of the full promenade deck on the Grand Class ships. Just as an example, rust has eaten away at the top trim piece of the column in the Neptune Pool but maintenance hasn't taken the initiative to replace it. This didn't happen overnight.

We had a 6:15 pm flight from FLL a few days ago. We took a taxi to FLL and picked up a rental car for a few hours. The Fort Lauderdale beach area is a few miles from the airport and Sawgrass Mills, a large outlet mall, is also a few miles from the airport in the opposite direction.

iPhone you have to go off of airplane mode or you get an error message prompting you to activate cellular network. Samsung, you can keep airplane mode on. Not sure about other device brands.

All you have to do is turn on your Wi-Fi calling on your phone. When you are at sea with no cell signal, connect to MedallionNet and turn off airplane mode. Go to your phone settings to verify that your phone is connected to the Verizon WiFi Celluar Network, and it's just like you are on land at home. The plan you have at home is what will be followed. You can call any US number, landline or cell. You can't make calls to Europe, for example, without incurring the long distance charges because as I stated before, it's your US plan that will be followed. Texts will also go through. To emphasize, make sure that the Cellular on your phone is connected to Verizon WiFi. If not, you will incur roaming charges which are sky high while on a cruise ship.

There's always a few slots left. Make sure to go to GS and purchase the transfers as soon as the disembarkation survey forms go out.