ninka26

On 6/7/2024 at 2:10 PM, _rusty_shackleford said:

A couple of other general notes and observations:

 

-Starlink has been nothing short of excellent. Enough bandwidth to stream Netflix/other apps. Occasional spotty ~10 second lags/buffers but very strong service in places where other satellite has struggled in the past like Skagway and Glacier Bay. I'd be happy to provide up/down/latency numbers if anyone is interested in more detail.

 

-This may surprise a lot of you (tongue, meet cheek) but the app has shortcomings onboard that aren't apparent on land. It does not display opening or closing times of bars or restaurants, and does not display any menus beyond the main dining room and specialty restaurants. I'd highly recommend taking a picture of the Patter every day for reference or bringing it with you. It's a minor inconvenience but would be a major quality of life improvement.

 

Thank you for this suggestion. I'll be on the southbound Whittier to Vancouver on the July 20th sailing and really appreciate your insights.

14 hours ago, Mark_K said:

This is what I have, I’m not positive if it’s comprehensive.

 

 

Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for!!!!!!

Does anyone have the Suite Experience PDF they could post? Due to a quirk with Chrome and the html language on the princess site, clicking PDF link just takes you back to the same webpage. TIA

1 hour ago, Mark_K said:

Who did you talk to to book the embarkation night dinner?

I was able to reserve on the app

8 minutes ago, suekel said:

They haven't done flowers since Covid.  

I was in a Penthouse Suite on the Ruby last summer. Rec'd flowers, a sampling of canapes and two flutes of champagne on embarkation day. Booked the Crown Grill for the complimentary embarkation dinner and enjoyed breakfast at Sabatini's. Opted not to use the thermal suite so can't talk to that. Our steward was fantastic, very attentive and thoughtful. 

13 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I am amazed by the level of details and richness of information of this thread. Glad that I followed it and I learned so much for the cruise in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much!

 

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

You could purchase roll up compression bags for bulky items. I tried them last summer and they worked pretty good. Just search on Amazon for roll up compression bags. They really saved me a lot of space.  This is just a sample image. I used them for sweaters and jackets.

Thank you, thank you! I love all of your posts and the wonderful information you have shared. DH and I will be headed to Anchorage 7/14 before our cruise on 7/20. Thought we might check out the Tony Knowles trail and will probably rent bikes from Pablo's now! I had read reviews about the International House of Hotdogs but wasn't sure, think we'll give it a try too! Your posts have really gotten us both super excited for our upcoming adventure. Thank you again for sharing your experience! 

10 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Our Orca Quest cruise with Major Marine Tours was epic!! We saw everything we could have hoped for. It was cold and drizzly and I was very glad to have my layers, gloves, hat and hand warmers. We're really satisfied with just doing the 4-hour cruise. 

Thank you so much for sharing everything here. DH and I will be headed to Alaska in July. 5 days on land and then cruising out of Whittier on the 20th. Your photos and experiences help make the wait easier!

1 hour ago, jagoffee said:

A Kiosh where you can print a copy of you bill in real time.  

Would that be located near guest services? Thank you for the tip!!!

57 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Just get a printout from the machine...

Machine?? Sorry ... 1st time cruiser and 1st time on Princess.

On 3/31/2024 at 8:38 PM, Thrak said:

 

One should keep track of their account while onboard. It's extremely easy to do with the app. I check every day and it takes almost no time at all. Getting an erroneous charge fixed while onboard is simple. Doing it once one has disembarked could be problematic.

If one can't view the folio after disembarking, just to be cautious, I will probably screen shot the folio in app before I leave. Hopefully I won't have any issues but at least this way I'll have documentation.

16 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

They ran this "Sale" last month for our Alaska cruise (after jacking up the prices first, then lowering them for the sale) and I booked ours. Now they are doing this second Alaska Shore Excursion Sale again and the prices are even less for the ones I booked. I tried to cancel and rebook for the lower prices to save some money but their shore excursion payment system conveniently wasn't working. It appears to be fixed now but I don't know if I want to mess with them again honestly, it was stressful. I have been sailing with Princess for years and this is a new thing. While I appreciate a "sale" it really isn't if they raise the prices first, then lower them during the sale, and then raise them again. Yes I know, the beauty of marketing LOL. 

Would you be able to purchase at the lower rate and then cancel the original?

Princess' website currently is offering a limited time up to 20% off sale for excursions. Not all excursions reach that 20% off mark though so be aware.

I had already booked one excursion for $109 and the "sale price" was $104 which is more like 5% off.  

Don't get me wrong, there are some bargains there but the % off is going to vary and not every excursion is discounted.

41 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

If your source for this "supposed" price increase is *only* the app....well, take that with a huge grain of salt!

Hence the question mark LOL. Just found it odd and wanted to see if anyone else experienced the weird pricing.

Was just checking the new Princess app and it looks like the specialty dining prices have increased if you do not have Princess Premier/Plus. Crown Grill is showing as $63 per person and Sabatini's is $55 per person.

6 hours ago, sandancer said:

We have upgraded to Princess Premier which includes 2 speciality restaurants. Is it correct that I will have to pay upfront and then claim a refund onboard? 

I also have Princess Premier and was able to make my reservations without being charged. I used the web based cruise personalizer vs the app and it was easy peasy.

On 1/28/2024 at 10:54 AM, westcoastBC said:

You don't have to wait until you get on board to speak to the concierge you can text via Whats App at 1 661-289-8906. Not sure who the new manager is as the last one left Jan 20th.

I arranged all my dining and requests two weeks prior to sailing.

Is this specific to the ship you are on OR is it for all ships?

PLEASE disregard this query...just saw a prior response that it is specific to Discovery Princess. 

On 1/19/2024 at 6:59 PM, Crown Cruiser said:

My PVP told me to make the reservation I wanted (so that it didn’t book up completely).  She said we would probably be billed (we were) and when we board we should get the credit back ( I will talk to the suite concierge  first thing).  Hopefully this works!  BTW: I have a copy of my credit card bill to show on the ship in case there are any questions..

 

I would also bring a screen shot from the website saying this is a complimentary perk. 

On 1/3/2024 at 9:48 AM, joetop2467 said:

Can we use one of our free casual meals there?

I am actually trying to figure this out myself. If you look at the website under the Casual Dining category, the description does include "pop-ups". The terms and conditions for Plus and Premier doesn't specify though. I've sent in an inquiry to my Princess TA, I'll be sure to share her response.

On 3/28/2023 at 5:21 PM, no1racefan1 said:

After the feedback received I think we've decided to cut Denali out of the itinerary. I'm kind of sad about it but really felt like I'm trying to push it in there just to cross it off a list instead of actually enjoying the time there. Revised itinerary:

Planning a DIY land tour myself for July 2024. Have also decided to omit Denali for a lot of reasons. Decided to fly into Anchorage and use that as a base. Will be taking the train to Whittier a day or two prior to cruise southbound on the Royal Princess.

On 9/25/2023 at 11:05 PM, allesonwonderland said:

For my June 2024 cruise it was $299 at first, but is now $339. Doh!

Yup, my July 20th cruise is $339

Thank you to everyone for your helpful responses. I think my source of confusion was not understanding the definition of terms that Princess uses (Folio to Folio Transfer and Referred to Corporate Finance especially!) Thank you again to everyone for being so helpful! It is much appreciated! I've never cruised before and the members on this board have been wonderfully helpful.

34 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

This is no longer done.  The final folio is emailed after the cruise is completed.  It also shows on the app until you disembark.  It is recommended that you take a screen shot (or get a hard copy) on the final day before you leave the ship as there have been reports of errors and erroneous charges on the last day.

Good to know!

31 minutes ago, hobbyfarmer2 said:

Here is the way we read it, hopefully in simple terms.  The initial account shows all your refundable and non refundable OBC, credits such as prepaid excursions, and any day one applicable charges.  As each day goes on carges appear for items such as gratuities, excursions, wifi, alcohol, spec dining....etc.  These charges drain your non-fefundable OBC first, followed by your refundable OBC next.  The bill never makes sense on day one but it does by the last night when we print it up using the printer at the customer desk.  It is also slid under your door by the steward on last night.

Thank you! This is very helpful.

4 hours ago, ggprincess2004 said:

Referred to corporate finance means they owe you money and are going to send you a check in a little while, like 4 to 8 weeks. The envelope will resemble junk mail, and the return address will have a reference to Princess on the second line.

 

I'm a retired CPA and have to keep reminding myself that the debits and credits they are posting are from their perspective, not the customer perspective. I agree that they could run a single column with additions and subtractions to make it easier to understand quickly. 

Thank you!