SCX22

Not true, if already past final payment. Once, the final payment deadline has passed, as in the OP’s cruise, the rates are locked in and only those making new bookings can take advantage. You are correct. Only Princess knows the true availability. From my experience, since this the cruise in question a short repositioning cruise, there really is still availability. These cruises rarely go full.

Forgot to mention...it might be worth calling Princess or a TA and inquiring about local rates. Sometimes, there will be a local rate available that the public can't see. Sometimes, this local rate will populate if you login to your Captain's Circle account on Princess. There have been times in the past were I've gotten a lower rate and/or OBC for being a local to the SF port and booking last minute.

That's probably as low as it will go. Also worth noting that Princess will halt selling cabins 3-5 days before sail date.

This is the way it should be. Unfortunately, SOME people are too caught up with adhering to dress suggestions and can't help but comment when others aren't in participation.

It's on formal nights. The White & Gold theme is to correspond with the White & Gold Piazza Party which is a new event as of recent on Princess ships.

That's the problem, even the Ocean Navigators don't know the App. The call center is in the Philippines and none of them have ever sailed Princess and have no first hand experience with the App. All they can do is relay what was taught to them, which doesn't reflect some passengers' problems or all that can go wrong with the App. If an App is so convoluted that a person can't self learn how to use it or have it's advertised functions function properly, then the App is a failure. Apps are supposed to make life easier, not harder.

There is a MedallionClass guide video loaded on the the cabin TV programming. There used to be a step by step video guide, but the App has been updated so many times and so frequently as of recent, Princess gave up on having to reshoot the video. Now it's just a general guide. Also there is a paper brochure that is left in the room on embarkation day, which many probably don't bother to read and just toss in the trash.

No App is bulletproof, thus the need for the developers to release updates. Heck even operating systems aren't bulletproof and are constantly being updated. The fact that Princess needs to employ a full time set of dedicated Ocean Navigators whose sole responsibility is to resolve pre-cruise problems in the App (which they themselves can sometimes not resolve) in a call center open 24 hours a day that has more often than not has hold times of over an hour during the day, speaks volumes. It's a waste of what little resources Princess is working with.

Never too late to admit defeat. Even Disney, Padgett's former employer, kind of gave up with the Disney Magic Band. It's no where near as prominent as it was before. Instead of pouring money into the Medallion technology, which isn't necessary as proven by every other cruise line, maybe Princess can make Alfredo's free and unlimited for everyone again.

Your points are valid, but your suggestions cost money, and it's money that Princess doesn't have right now. Princess started the Medallion functionality on the Regal and Royal Princess pre-pandemic. It was a period where it was only supposed to the test the waters. The pandemic came along and because their fleet was sitting idle, someone at Princess thought that it would be a good idea to install the technology fleetwide. The restart came around and the technology was activated fleetwide and the problems hit the fan. The problems were being remedied piecemeal and there was a domino effect in where fixing one problem caused (is still causing) other problems. It's for this reason I'm for Princess ditching the technologies that come with the Medallion and going back to the cruise card and focusing on a Princess Cruises App like the other cruise lines. A simple App where you can make dining/excursion reservations, look at the day's events/your folio, and check-in for your cruise. Princess doesn't have the money to invest in building the sophistication they want and the seamlessness that passengers with the Medallion or the Medallion App at this moment. They can try this again when they have the money to pour into it.

Sort of. The pullman in Deluxe Balconies in cabins that can accommodate 4 is over the loveseat. You will have to duck under the pullman when it's down to get to the balcony. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ The website above has deck plans with a legend. Narrow down the ship by cruise line. For example, on the Royal Princess, D224 and D225 are Deluxe Balconies which can accommodate a 4th.

If you select 3 passengers for the booking the only cabins that will populate for you to choose from are the cabins that can accommodate at least 3.

Most likely, there are too many unbooked Deluxe Balcony cabins on this sailing. Princess will discount cabin categories in this instance. Since you have a 3rd occupant, there are some questions you should ponder. 1) Does your son have a preference over sleeping on a sofa bed or a pullman? 2) Will you require easy access to the balcony at night? When pulled out, the sofa bed in a Deluxe Balcony will block the balcony door. You either have to hobble over the sofa bed or shimmy between a small gap between the sofa bed and desk. The room steward will fold away the sofa bed during the day and pull it out in the evening. 3) Do you mind sleeping with someone above you? If you choose a balcony with a pullman, it'll be like sleeping on a bunkbed for you as well.

You’re not able to browse the Internet for free on Princess. You have to pay to connect to the MedalionNet Internet Wi-Fi to have Internet access. This is true whether you want to browse on your personal device or through a public computer in the Internet Café. In the past, Elite members got free minutes for Internet browsing, but this is now an obsolete benefit. If you connect to MedallionNet Wi-Fi and don’t pay, all you will have access to is the Medallion App, princess.com, and some Apple iOS communication apps, like iMessage.

Only way to find out is to try Princess and draw your conclusions from there. There's more to it than just service; there's also the vibe that the ship projects.

Whatever you do, please don't have it around your neck while walking around in port. You scream tourist and might end up being a victim. In Mazatlan, there cruisers who kept wearing the Medallion on the lanyard around their neck, who were constantly being harassed by the locals in the port area. Cruisers might look different from the locals, but there's no reason to absolutely make known that you are a tourist.

The one caveat with USCBP Pre-Clearance (PC) is that your flight has to be within operational hours of the PC facility. A while ago, we had a late night departure out of YVR and couldn't be processed by PC because it closed at 19:00 and our flight was delayed 21:00. We ended up leaving out of the international wing, instead of the U.S. departures wing, and had to be processed by USCBP upon arrival into the U.S.A. Dublin, Ireland is another airport with PC.

Congratulations! Inside isn't as bad as it seems. The Diamond Princess has plenty of open deck areas to hang out. Like you said, you could camp out at the Sanctuary all day, provided that you can get reservations. Another thing to consider is to put your refund towards another cruise.

EZAir's guarantee isn't voided, but there's a caveat. EZAir will try to get you to Houston, but not necessarily to the next port. In your case, since you're cruising from Galveston, PSVA applies to you, so EZAir will most likely not try and get you to the next port of call because they will be fined for violating PVSA. If Princess was feeling extra generous, they will eat the fine and get you to the next port, but you're at Princess' mercy. If EZAir can find no alternatives, they'll usually give you a future cruise credit for the entire cruise amount and an EZAir credit for the air portion. Guest Services is there to help. It's your responsibility to file lost luggage claim at the airport and give the airline your cruise itinerary. Once onboard the ship, you give the case number the airline provided you to Guest Services and they will do their best to follow up with the airline and get your luggage to you. Guest Services will provide instructions to the delivery person on who to hand off the luggage to at the next port of call. Once on the ship, Guest Services will either have your sent luggage to your cabin or store it at Guest Services for you to collect.

Initially, you don't volunteer; Princess picks you. Not sure what the criteria is. I suspect, it has something to do with your cruise fare relative to other cruise fares in the category and wanting to bump those who paid lower cruise fares. Once, though, I was given a move over offer and the Princess rep assisting me slipped and told me it was to accommodate a group (probably still paying more than me).

Use a different browser for each function. The "are you still there?" pop-up will still populate after 15 minutes, though. No work around for that.

It took you hours to book 2 excursions? That's not a website problem. If you were on the website, what does that have to do with the app?

Just chiming in... I would say X's target is Gen X and older Millennials. Depending on the time of year and itinerary, it may sway older, but not like Princess. I'm in my mid-30s and love X; I loved X in my 20s. It's hip but still has what someone is looking for in traditional cruising. (If you're at all into flying, X is like Virgin Atlantic and Princess is like British Airways.) Their ships are more contemporary; they have refurbished their old fleet to reflect the times, unlike Princess' Grand Class ships while still in good condition feel dated. I much prefer the performers and shows on X; it's more my genre. Post-pandemic, the front line crew on X that interact with passengers is more put together--or they know how to fake it until they make it. The post-pandemic crew on Princess seem overworked and unsure of what they are doing. Pre-pandemic, their crews were on par with each other. I think X is really deserving of the accolade that they recently received from Forbes. I agree that X's prices post-restart period are becoming outrageous. If you want to go on longer cruises and/or more cruises Princess still takes the cake, but there is a little bit of sacrificing to do. For us, X is now a treat, and Princess is everyday fare. Still recommend X for Galapagos cruises, regardless of price.

You need a Goofy hat to protect your ears. The Goofy ears that protrude protect your ears.

Bring your own detergent and fabric softener. The laundry products dispensed in the guest laundry are all scented. If you have time and depending on your embarkation port, make a pit stop at a store before embarkation, so it doesn’t count against your weight limits if flying. It’s hard to find unscented laundry detergents outside of the US and Canada. I myself don’t like sending my clothes out because they use the same detergent for the towels and linens. It’s too harsh and isn’t good for the fibers of your clothes, but fine for heavy duty cotton of the ship’s wares. It’s $3 for a washer cycle and $3 for a dryer cycle.