Princess Patches
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Posts posted by Princess Patches
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They had them when we sailed on the Emerald last year.
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I understand your dilemma. Princess has adjusted their time to local time in almost every port of call to which I have sailed. The only port in recent years I remember where they did not adjust to local time was Puerto Vallarta. They changed to mountain time in Cabo but they did not change to central time in PV. Ship's time was off local time by an hour in PV.
The last few times I was in St. Thomas they did change to local time, but I have not been there in 3-4 years. Maybe someone who has been to St. Thomas recently will respond to confirm that they still do change to local time.
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You can also get change at the passenger services desk if you do not have quarters with you.
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Since the time we've made Platinum in the Captain's Circle we've had an auto upgrade to the Princess Vacation Protection Platinum insurance, so my answer is per the upgraded version.
We have had several instances where one or both of us have seen the ship's Doctor, and between our regular insurance and the Princess cruise insurance we've been compensated for every penny spent onboard during Doctor visits.
Since retirement, Medicare (administered via supplemental insurance) covers part of the medical bills but none of the pharmaceuticals provided onboard as they are dispensed and consumed while out of the USA. Once we've submitted the claims and gotten the EOB's back, then we submit to Princess Travel Care (see procedure in the booklet), and all the balance has been paid.
The extra insurance is well worth it, in our opinion.
This is my experience as well and heartily agree the Princess Platinum insurance is a must for every cruise. We also get the medical helicopter insurance in addition to the Princess insurance.
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Sigh!
What about keeping the information that gratuities are deductible from OBCs top secret? If we let the others know, Princess may change that policy! What about that shore excursions are deductible from OBCs? Again, if the others find out, the policy could change. This website is about passing on available information to other posters. The fact that casino charges are deductible from OBCs is readily available information and a long time Princess policy. I am happy when others pass on information to me and it is why I come to these boards.
If Princess stops deducting gratuities, shore excursions, soda cards or anything else from OBCs, we will all learn to use it on something else and move on. There is nothing wrong, illegal, loopholed, etc. with having a casino account to use your OBCs. Any suggestion to the contrary defies logic.
You seem to be backtracking now and stated that it is okay by you to use your OBCs to set up your casino account, but only if you lose it all prior to leaving the ship and only if we don't tell anyone on these boards about it. If Princess had a must lose policy like that, it would be illegal.
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Not MY policy. What part of Non Refundable do you not understand? BTW you missed my original point and that is I am sure Princess will eventually figure out by reading your screed what needs to be done. I did not say your creative methodology for thwarting their non refundable policy was an issue. I simply said that informing them was.
Princess created the policy. It is not a secret. It has been in effect for many years. They have no requirement that when you charge your casino account and it is deducted from OBCs that you must lose all your OBCs when playing and walk away with nothing. That is absurd. Call Princess and ask if casino charges are deductible from your OBCs. I am positive they will tell you that is top secret info only.
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We also got off the Crown today. I will be writing a review about our cruise shortly, but this was my 6th Princess cruise and I would probably rate it our lowest for a few reasons (which I will detail shortly in my review). The Crown had some nice features, but it also was problematic in a few areas that I hadn't seen before on my previous Princess cruises. Nothing too bad, other than a very disappointing interaction with the spa manager, but the ship did seem more crowded than my previous cruises (the Crown has an additional passenger deck compared to some of of the earlier Grand Class ships). Also, the ship seemed more worn and in need of repair in some minor areas too. Sounds like it will be in a dry dock next year, and I am sure that will help.
My kids and Mother in Law had a mini suite and they are decent rooms. I was surprised that the balcony wasn't as big as the mini suite balconies on the Sapphire Princess (or the Extended balcony rooms one deck above). But I like the larger bathroom in the mini suite and I like the additional sitting area. For me it would depend on the price of the room compared to an extended balcony room. If you want a bathtub and larger bathroom, the mini suite is the way to go.
I like Princess better than Carnival personally, but it's definitely an older crowd than most Carnival cruises and not quite as "party" atmosphere as Carnival (which we like). This is certainly not new information :)
Also just got off the Crown today and generally agree with these comments. The cruise was excellent overall but more crowded than other Princess ships due to the extra deck of cabins. The overcrowding was felt mostly at the Horizon Court (buffet area) and the first performance of the show in the Princess Theater. We avoided the buffet and attended the late show.
We had a mini suite on Dolphin deck and enjoyed it. It seems to be about twice as big as a standard balcony cabin. You get a larger bathroom with a tub, which makes showering much more comfortable. You also get a sitting area with a full size couch so you do not always have to sit on the bed to read, talk, or watch tv. You get two tvs. One in the sitting room and one in the bedroom area. No suite perks other than embarkation day glass of champagne. My general rule of thumb is that I will pay no more than $200 per person per week to upgrade from a balcony to a mini suite. We got this mini for only $100 per person per week more. Definitely worth it.
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As enlightening as your reply was I still suggest since the point of the OBC is to spend it ON BOARD that cashing it out in the casino is a loophole.
So if I charge $200 to my casino account and win $100 and walk away with $300, then this is a "loophole" because I not only cashed out my $200 OBCs but I made a $100 profit. According to you, the OBCs were not spent ONBOARD the ship because I walked away with $300 of "Princess money" in cash.
Since I charged $250 to my casino account but only lost $30 on the last evening of the cruise, that is a loophole in your book. if I had lost $50 would that still be a loophole? What about if I lost $100 of my $250? Is that still a loophole or is that legitimate policy? Since according to your policy, you cannot walk away with any of your onboard credits as cash or it is a loophole.
Why do they even let people cash out at the casino at all on the last night of the cruise? There was a line out the door of people cashing out the last night of the cruise. I did not see any staff member telling them they could not receive cash if they did not spend all their OBC credits elsewhere first. What you suggest is plain silly and strictly in conflict with Princess Policy. Princess requires that you charge any casino play to your onboard account (you cannot use cash in the casino) and then they automatically deduct that charge from any OBCs on your account. You cannot do it any other way. That is their policy, not mine.
I only had an hour to lose $250 and I failed. Next time I will try to do better and lose all of it so I do not run afoul of your loophole policy.
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Assuming Princess reads these boards would suggest cashing out in the casino will end soon too. I am sure Princess thanks you for exposing the loophole. Sigh!
The ability to cash out at the casino has been mentioned many, many times on these boards and even multiple times on this thread alone. Posters come here for information, not secrecy.
Princess created the policy to allow casino charges to be deducted from the OBCs in the first place. Anyone who has ever played at the casino and had OBCs has seen that casino charges are always deducted from their OBCs. This is not a loophole or top secret info. It is something Princess has chosen to do and certainly does not have to do. They could change the policy, as they have changed many other favorable policies in the past, with a simple computer adjustment whenever they like. I imagine the reasoning behind the policy is to get you gambling any way they can. As long as the casino continues to turn a profit, the policy will probably remain in place.
If they do change the policy, I will still sail Princess and will come up with some way to spend $800 OBC (per cabin) on a one week cruise. We had loyalty credit, FCC credit, TA credit, Princess promotional credit and shareholder credit. It adds up fast and difficult to use all on a one week cruise.
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Just got off the Crown today. I was unaware of the OBC policy change and went to the Passenger Services desk on the last evening of the cruise to cash out about $500 in unused OBCs. I was told by the person at the desk and the manager that the policy changed in August and no OBCs are refundable except military credits. The military credits are only refundable to your credit card and you cannot get cash for them. No other credits are refundable.
I then went to the casino and charged the amount of my unused credits to my casino account which is deducted from any and all OBCs. I played slots briefly (it was already late evening at this point) and then cashed out the casino account. The casino charge appeared immediately on my account and was deducted from all the remaining OBCs on the account. If you are not going to use all of your OBCs, cashing out at the casino is the only way I know to get cash for any unused credits.
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Self-Walk-Off-Disembarkation (or whatever it's called)...
Express walk off
Wireless cell phone service (2008)
Zumba classes
Book club
Roundtrip sailings from Vancouver
Ship based in Houston
Ships based in Japan and Australia
Return of summer sailings in the Caribbean
Princess Facebook page
Need we go on? The improvements are endless.
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Amen, brother.
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Smoking policy
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Captain Circle Elite Level and perks like 10% off boutiques, priority tender boarding, priority embarkation, canapes on formal nights, in room tea, laundry service
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Refurbishment of atria on most ships
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Vines
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International Cafe
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WiFi in cabins
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Addition of Sanctuary
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Bon Voyage Experience
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Improved Horizon Court layout
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Grand Princess - removal of Skywalkers and the One5 replacement
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Grand Princess - debut of Alfredos
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Expansion of Crown Grill
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Sensible changes to Sabatini menu
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Pub Lunch
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Greater breadth of itineraries
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San Francisco based ship
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MUTS, popcorn and blankets (even though I'm not into that kind of thing)
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Staff and crew and focus on "personal" service
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Upgrades to gym facilities
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Chef's Table
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Happy Hour Drink Prices
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Suite and Elite cocktail lounge
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"Silent" Disembarkation
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Platinum and Elite Disembarkation lounge
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Reduced daily announcements
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Reduced "junk" mail delivered to stateroom
...I'm sure I've left something out...
The addition of the Ruby, Crown and Emerald ships to the fleet and the upcoming Royal and Regal.
The addition of numerous roundtrip sailings out of San Pedro and SF to Hawaii, Alaska, and the California Coast that they did not use to have and is very convenient for those of us on the West Coast.
Ultimate ship tour.
Ultimate balcony dining.
EZ air service.
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Smoking policy
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Amen, brother.
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Smoking policy
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Captain Circle Elite Level and perks like 10% off boutiques, priority tender boarding, priority embarkation, canapes on formal nights, in room tea, laundry service
-
Refurbishment of atria on most ships
-
Vines
-
International Cafe
-
WiFi in cabins
-
Addition of Sanctuary
-
Bon Voyage Experience
-
Improved Horizon Court layout
-
Grand Princess - removal of Skywalkers and the One5 replacement
-
Grand Princess - debut of Alfredos
-
Expansion of Crown Grill
-
Sensible changes to Sabatini menu
-
Pub Lunch
-
Greater breadth of itineraries
-
San Francisco based ship
-
MUTS, popcorn and blankets (even though I'm not into that kind of thing)
-
Staff and crew and focus on "personal" service
-
Upgrades to gym facilities
-
Chef's Table
-
Happy Hour Drink Prices
-
Suite and Elite cocktail lounge
-
"Silent" Disembarkation
-
Platinum and Elite Disembarkation lounge
-
Reduced daily announcements
-
Reduced "junk" mail delivered to stateroom
...I'm sure I've left something out...
The addition of the Ruby, Crown and Emerald ships to the fleet and the upcoming Royal and Regal.
The addition of numerous roundtrip sailings out of San Pedro and SF to Hawaii, Alaska, and the California Coast that they did not use to have and is very convenient for those of us on the West Coast.
Ultimate ship tour.
EZ air service.
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Smoking policy
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Wow! Was there any indication that he was not on his normal network?
Yes, on my phone screen it normally shows "Verizon Wireless" in the upper left hand corner on the screen. However, when you are connected through the expensive ship's satellite service it will state either MCP, which means Maritime Communications Partners or it will show "data" or "data roaming" depending on whether you have a GSM or CDMA phone. Any time that it does not show your normal carrier name on the phone screen, you should assume you are in for some hefty charges.
I have been on the coastal cruise twice and we we were always on the ship's satellite service except while docked or getting very close to the dock.
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We will be arriving in Santa Barbara on October 1st; can you tell me how far it is to East Beach (1118 East Cabrillo Blvd) from where the tender will drop off passengers? We are looking for some competative beach volleyball that's easy to find.
Thanks.
Suzi
About a mile and a half. The tender drops you at about the 200 west block of Cabrillo at West Beach. If you do not want to walk the distance, there is an electric open air waterfront shuttle that costs 50 cents and runs along Cabrillo. There is a bus stop on Cabrillo where the tender drops you.
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I agree with SB Ant that the Reagan Library is humanly possible on your port day in SB, but it would be very hectic and would strongly advise against it.
However, there is a Reagan museum called the Reagan Ranch Center at 217 State Street which is a very easy walk from where the tenders let you off. It is free and is open to the public Mondays-Thursdays if you are in town on one of those days. It focuses on his ranch just north of Santa Barbara but also includes exhibits and videos about his presidency. You cannot go and visit his Santa Barbara ranch other than by special invitation.
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We are going to be in Santa Barbara with the Princess Sapphire in late April, I have found a map of the waterfront shuttle. It looks like it runs along the waterfront and up and down State Street. The current cost is listed as .50, when you hop on and hop off the shuttle at various stops are you required to pay .50 each time you get back on or is there a day pass that can be purchased? We are looking at riding the entire route and seeing what might interest us and hop off at those stops on the next round. Any advice or things that we might enjoy would be appreciated.
Thanks, Denise
The 50 cent fare is a one way fare. So you will need to pay 50 cents each way (25 cents for seniors age 62 and those with a Medicare card). However, there are free transfers but you need to ask the driver for a transfer when you board. So if you transfer from the waterfront shuttle to the downtown shuttle that runs up and down State Street, then it is free. I do not know of any all day passes.
I would advise going to the Courthouse (go to the top of the clock tower for a fantastic 360 degree view of the city), the Mission and walking around the downtown area. You should also consider taking the Santa Barbara Trolley (this is different than the Waterfront/Downtown shuttle). The ship offers a tour on the SB Trolley, but you can also do it on your own for less money. It picks up at State and Cabrillo, near the Dolphin Fountain at the entrance to the Wharf. Just a couple of blocks walk from where the tender drops you off. It will take you places you cannot get to on the Waterfront/Downtown shuttle such as the Mission and Montecito. If you want to hop on and off, then do the tour on your own. The ship's tour goes straight through with no hopping on or off.
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I forget the name but weve stopped at a farmers market store behind the Fess Parker Doubletree where you can get some wonderful goodies. Varieties of specialty olives, nuts, wines etc. Many local products; dark choc dipped biscotti, almond stuffed olives, smoked pistachio nuts, fresh squeezed orange juice... We always stop here when travelling up the coast.
You are probably referring Tri-County Produce grocery store on Milpas. There is also an actual farmer's market where local farmers sell their goods but that rotates location throughout the week.
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We'll be there in April with the kids, ages 5 and 18 months. Best suggestions for activities? The kids are happy with a park or beaches or really anything where they can run around. I would love to hear more about the zoo, although our itinerary goes to San Diego and we may do the zoo there.
There is an old fashioned carousel just a few blocks walk from where the tender drops you off that I am sure the children would enjoy. It is at the corner of Cabrillo and State. The same park with the carousel also has a nice playground for the kids. Stearns Wharf has the Ty Warner Sea Center which is geared toward younger children with hands on exhibits. The wharf is right across the street from the carousel.
You can take the waterfront shuttle for 50 cents to the zoo. The waterfront shuttle runs along Cabrillo. The zoo is right across the street from the beach with ocean views and a delightful little train that runs around the grounds. it is small and manageable by comparison to the San Diego Zoo, especially for younger children. There is a lot for children to do right along the waterfront.
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yes yes yes ! Just what I've been looking for ! Thanks for contributing to this thread.
I will be visiting Santa Barbara for the first time in April and it sure sounds like I need to see the mission and courthouse. Princess sells a trolley shore tour for $35 which last only 1 & 1/2 hour and visits the mission, courthouse, Presidio, and a large fig tree. Is that enough time ? Sounds as if I might need to do the hop-on/hop-off trolley huh ? I do love to take my time to take photos.
thanks again !!
That Moreton Bay Fig Tree is the largest in the country and a sight to behold. Do not miss it!! If you take the trolley on your own you can save money as well as hop on and off the trolley, which is not allowed on the cruise ship chartered trolley. If you buy two or more tickets online they are just $16.50 each ($19 for one ticket). Such a deal!! Just google Santa Barbara Trolley. Enjoy your visit to our fair city.
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Don't forget Brophy's which is a short walk from Sea Landing and has the best Harbor, mountain and ocean views of any restaurant in town. Be sure to get an outside table for the views.
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I will be doing a Coastal cruise with friends next Sept, driving time I am 200 miles South of you. We will be spending about 9 hours in your beautiful city, until 8 PM.
Well, I certainly hope you enjoy your day in paradise. If you have any questions, please post them and I will try to help. I have done the coastal cruise twice and loved it.
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I have stayed in E721 on several ships. The Emerald deck mini suites are in a quiet location aft and have easy access to the main dining room and the buffet. They have completely covered balconies. The balcony is larger than a standard balcony. There is a sitting area with a full size sofa and a chair. There is no curtain that separates the sitting area from the bedroom area.
The bathroom is larger with a tub/shower combo rather than just a shower. There is no hand held showerhead. The views from the balcony and from inside the cabin are lovely ocean views through plexiglass railing. When at the railing you can look directly down to the water, unlike the standard balconies on other decks which look onto the balconies below. I highly recommend the Emerald deck minis.
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We have never given the maitre d' a gratuity to get our desired dining time. We have never failed to get our desired dining arrangement by the second night of the cruise in more than 20 cruises with Princess.
I think most passengers don't even try to see the maitre d'. Even if they do go see the maitre d', they give up if they can't be switched on the spot. Be sure to tell the maitre d' that you want to stay on the waitlist for your desired dining time and table size and see what happens on day two of the cruise. You might be surprised to find a card in your cabin the following day with your new dining assignment.
On only one occasion did we not get switched by day two of the cruise. So we went to see the maitre d' a second time on night two and he switched us on the spot when we asked a second time. My experience is the maitre d' will do his utmost to accommodate you.
Number of cruises and what you get paid?
in Princess Cruises
Posted
You will get $50 beginning with your 32nd cruise.
Just a quick note. I noticed you stated you were sailing on cruises 31 and 32 in December. Are these back to back cruises? If so, were they booked as one cruise or two? My mother had her 31 and 32 cruises back to back and she booked them as two cruises. When she did not get $50 loyalty credit for the 32 cruise (the second of the two back to back cruises) she asked at the passenger services desk and they corrected it for her by the end of the cruise. They said this happens on a back to back cruise because the system does not have time to update to the new loyalty level if you change loyalty levels on a b2b cruise.