MustangGT

35 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

And "don't blow the whistle".🤣

There’s always one…..  

We have already sent in the request for a cruise in 2024 and it was added to our OBC in less than 24 hours even though the reply email said it could take 21 days.

FYI - if you refare, you will need to resubmit as it seems to drop off.  Our PVP was able to fix that glitch for our 2023 B2B.

7 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

Can shareholder credit be used in addition to military or other obc credit attached to a reservation.

Yes!  Princess allows “stacking” OBC. I have heard other lines do not.

9 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

My wife bought a large plastic bottle at Costco that had salted dark chocolate squares with caramel inside. They were evil...🥰

OMG!!  You are right!  Friends of ours introduced us to those on a trip earlier this year.

It takes such willpower to resist them whenever we go to Costco.  I swear I could single-handedly finish the container in 2 days!  They are soooo yummy!!

And, now I am contemplating a trip to Costco!  Thanks! 😋

Please accept my sincere apology!  We reached Elite on the second cruise of our B2B in January.  Apparently, that was just two too many Elites to sustain the promised benefits.

Mea Culpa! 😊

9 hours ago, Esprit said:

Our experience on Regal last month seems at odds with yours. We got our table in the Allegro restaurant every time at 8 pm and with the same waiter. Winston the restaurant manager was an absolute star.

Sun beds on sea days were not an issue either but you had to search free ones out. We never try for ones by the pools but everywhere else they could be found. Ones in the shade were obviously harder to find.

 

I agree about Sabatini's. it was not so good the second time we went and the Crown Grill service was painfully slow on the last evening of our cruise.

 

We were however happy with the Pinot, S/Blanc and Merlot wines and therefore pleased with the drinks package.

 

My only gripe was the ubiquitous TV film crew. What an effing pain they became!

 

Winston is a rock star!  Our dining experience was awesome on our B2B in January!

If you are into snorkeling, Bonaire can’t be beat between these 2 options.  I also agree that 2 sea days at the end would be ideal!

Your tickets will be in your cabin when you embark.  They will show the meeting time and place.  Typically in a tender port, all excursions will meet in groups in a theater and go to the tenders together.

1 hour ago, Joanne G. said:

We took a Princess excursion that went to Windsor Castle and then Heathrow.   Like Thrak's excursion above, the one we did probably won't work for the OP with a 3:00 flight.  But others who haven't yet made their flight arrangements might consider these options.   We enjoyed the excursion, like an extra day of vacation.  We stayed at one of the airport hotels and took a morning flight home the next day.  

 

Even without an excursion, I would pick the Princess bus over any other option, due to the convenience.   The bus is waiting when you get off the ship, and if the ship comes in late or there is a delay in disembarkation, the bus will still be there waiting.                               

Can I ask why hotel you stayed at?  We will be finishing a B2B next year and want to do the same - stay at a hotel airport and fly home the next day.  Thanks!

1 minute ago, CineGraphic said:

If you can't walk to the Uber?Lyft pick-up point at the airport, hop into a cab.

 

When disembarking the ship, I opt for a cab since they are already there instead of waiting for an Uber that's probably stuck in traffic to show up.

Same for us!  Lots of taxis waiting and the cost is low compared to the Princess transfer.

6 minutes ago, Cruising Jedi said:

Why try to hang around?  In the words of Ferris Bueller, "Why are you still here?  It's over.  Go home"  LOL  😄

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here! 🤣😂

Emailed our shareholder requests for B2B cruises in June 2023 on June 30th.

Got updated Booking Summaries on July 6th showing OBC.  Six days - not a bad turnaround.  Only Princess knows why some are quick and others are like pulling teeth!

14 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Well thank God. Eliminating the testing eliminates the virus, right? Wouldn’t want to have to wonder if the person in the next coach seat on a 12 hour flight has COVID. 

This virus is still a mystery in so many ways.  By posting this news, I did not want to infer that I was shouting, “Yipee!!”  However, our last cruise was a river cruise on Viking.  We had to test before our flight to Amsterdam.  We had to test before getting on the ship 2 days later.  We had to do the spit Covid test every day on the ship.  We had to test negative 1 day prior to our flight home.  All negative.  On the plane coming home, I started with a little dry cough.  Next day at home, tested negative.  Following day tested positive.  Luckily, my symptoms were mild - a sore throat that was gone the day after I was positive and never had a fever.

I just wish the tests were more accurate.  I hate that I was possibly positive on our flights home, but I did all I could with testing to protect myself and others.

No more testing coming to U.S. from International travel effective Sunday!
 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/us-to-drop-covid-testing-for-incoming-international-air-travelers/ar-AAYjbA5?li=BBnb7Kz

eta - sorry there was another thread started.

Tracie, you and Jon have been on my mind.  Hoping you are both improving!  So glad you made it home to recover!

So glad you made it home!  So much better to recuperate in comfort!  Praying you both recover quickly and completely!

Tracie - so sorry your husband tested positive.  Hope his symptoms will remain mild and you avoid it!  Let us know how ship quarantine is handled and how it affects your disembarkation and travel back home.

It’s such a bummer that travel now comes with so many challenges.  We were lucky that I didn’t test positive until we got home from our recent river cruise.  My husband thought he was in the clear but tested positive 4 days after me.  After 50 years together it was bound to happen.

Take care! 🥰🥰

24 minutes ago, KKB said:

Could you remind me the cost of the week in Sanctuary? 

Though thinking just booking afternoons most days should be good. 

Doing B2B in July & may jump at the 2nd week since I will be solo that week.

Do you happen to know what day we would go to book the next week--assuming the day before disembaraktion...

 

We started doing afternoons only a few years ago.  By the time we get going, have breakfast and do some deck walking, we were never in the Sanctuary much in the mornings.

If I remember correctly:

Full day - $40 pp

Half day - $20 pp

Full day full cruise - $30 pp

9 minutes ago, TracieABD said:

Pretty much the lounger is the deal. If you book the whole cruise, it is $30 a day.  The real advantage is that it is outbid the fray. It is quieter (most times). The stewards bring food and drink ($3 delivery in some cases). But my most favorite part is afternoon tea! It is such a treat!

Yippee!!  I get to cruise with Tracie again!! (from my couch!) 🤣

You hit the nail on the head about the Sanctuary!  We love the afternoon tea brought to our lounger.  And the “where can we find a lounger” game was never a favorite cruise pastime!  Love knowing where we will be every day.

Happy Sailing!! 🚢⚓️🛟

4 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Thank you for that … I was just reading that yesterday.  I’m still testing positive so at least another few days of quarantine.  I’m coping unite well and will be on the lookout for rebound.  

I asked my local health department about testing after finishing my quarantine and was told they don’t recommend retesting because you can test positive for up to 3 months even though you are no longer contagious.  Of course, this is assuming your symptoms have subsided. I think this is why cruise lines will accept a letter of recovery from your doctor if you test positive prior to a cruise.

39 minutes ago, Cruisin Kay D said:

The embarkation lunch menu in MDR is one of our Princess favorites.  Always order the baby shrimp louis avocado appetizer, a salmon entree and the orange souffle dessert, together with a glass of wine -- soooo relaxing!   

My choices exactly!!  I’m not officially on a cruise until we are having lunch in the MDR 😁

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

Because the same poster has posted this question on other forums (and has received the same answer from numerous posters, I am also going to copy a post a made on another forum that will clear up some of the misconceptions about the use of Paxlovid.

 

And if anyone was prescribed a "just in case" prescription of Paxlovid for a cruise, then they obviously have a personal physician who knows the patient well and can prescribe the drug without worrying about the potential problems associated with the drug.

 

The post is as follows:

 

There are many misconceptions about the use of Paxlovid.  My comments only apply to use in the USA as I have no knowledge of use in other countries.

 

Paxlovid for developed and tested against the original strains of covid and the Delta variant. At the time of the US FDA granting an EUA (not an approval, just limited use in an emergency), there was no data about effectiveness against the omicron variant or any other variants.

 

The use was only for those who had a positive Covid test AND was at risk for developing a severe case because of comorbidity that would lead to hospitalization and possibly death.

 

Here is the actual Paxolvid labeling as approved by the US FDA: 

 

https://www.fda.gov/media/155050/download

 

The labeling also includes some information about other antivirals  and links for information on those products.

 

 Notice all the  contraindications for use and the known drug interactions with other drugs. There is a reason why patients need to contact their personal physicians  who know their medical history before deciding that the patient fits under the indications for use.

 

Again, the drug is not an "approved" drug for marketing. It is available under a EUA with the restriction as in the labeling.

 

This leads to  reasons as to why the drug is not available on cruise ships and should not be expected to be available:

 

1. Fitness for travel.  All cruise lines have this caveat in there cruise contract. If a passenger is at risk for the development of severe disease that might lead to hospitalization or death, they should not be cruising and should not expect  a cruise line to be responsible for the intense care they may require.

 

2. The required familiarity with the patient's medical history that the use of Paxlovid requires before use. While the highly qualified medical personnel on board ship can take a history before prescribing any drug, there is the problem of accurate information being given by someone who is determined to obtain Paxlovid.  Again, read the indications for use and the contraindications in the labeling.

 

3. Cost. While the drug might be "free" in the US. It is not free as the US government has negotiated a price of $590 for each five day course of treatment that the US government pays for those available treatments in the US.  This may not be the price available to cruise lines (probably much higher) which means the ship would need to have in stock a very expensive drug that neither the crew or passengers should be qualified to use under the prescribing restrictions (see my first point on "Fitness to Travel).  Even if it was available for use on board, it would not be "free." The cost would be paid by the passenger.

 

4. To repeat again, Paxlovid is not an approved drug for general marketing in the US. It is only available for use under the conditions of the Emergency Use Authorization . For those arguing that "approved" drugs should be carried on board ship , Paxlovid is not an approved drug.  (I hope the horse is dead and no longer needs to be beaten). There is also the need, as explained in previous posts, for the ships to comply with the restrictions of their home country.

 

I ended up with Covid after our recent River cruise and although my symptoms were very mild ( no fever, cough or runny nose), I was prescribed Paxlovid.  Since the NP had access to all of my medical records, she noted that my EGFR was too low for the full doses and adjusted them accordingly.  My husband tested positive shortly after me and was advised of his drug interaction possibilities with Paxlovid.  He would have to go off of his diabetes, cholesterol and allergy meds.  Since his symptoms were as mild as mine, he decided to skip the Paxlovid.  We both had symptom improvement within 3-4 days on diagnosis and are now past all isolation and masking requirements.

Bottom line - I think there would be a great risk to having anyone prescribe Paxlovid without access to your full medical records.  Just my opinion.  I am not a medical professional nor do I play one on TV 🙂

You log in when you are ready to test and someone will come online to proctor the test.  You might have to wait a couple of minutes but no appointment is needed.  Worked well for us!

1 hour ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

On the Grand. And on the Discovery.  

I am confused.  You were positive for Covid and quarantined on 2 ships?

4 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Just because it didn’t happen to me doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. 
 

Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. 

Amen!