BDevilCruiser

Update Monday morning (EST in the US) I tried to do an online chat, the AI or actual person (not sure which) told me I needed to call the Princess phone number. After making it through quite a few menu options, I was quickly connected to an actual person. After taking my info, and putting me on hold to check with somebody else, she told me that it was a glitch, and I needed to log out and refresh the web page, and if that didn't work, check back in 24 hours to give the technical team time to work on the glitch. So, no actual resolution of the issue, and I'm not sure she understood the actual problem. I'll check in again tomorrow. (Summarizing what we've found previously, the problem is on my PC and iPad using desktop browsers (my main one is Chrome, and Safari on the iPad, but I've tried Edge and DuckDuckGo as well.) Using the mobile version of Safari on my iPhone, I do see the "option" pull-down. On the PC, the options were always at the bottom of the initial search page, or towards the top of the results page (see previous messages for screen captures.) This appears to be a US-Only issue, as our friends from Canada and Australia have been able to see the "number of guests" option pull-down.)

Well, started by programming an HP 2000 mainframe in high school in 1977. Although, much different experience than programming web pages in the 21st Century. Or, more specifically, using them i can’t tell but does the web page for those in Canada (and the New Zealand person who responded earlier) show prices in your native currency? If so (and I’m assuming that’s the case) then there must be a country code built in the code. (It’s certainly the way I’d program it.). Doesn’t explain why this option wouldn’t be shown in the US, though. one thing I haven’t done yet is contact Princess to ask why this is happening. I’ll do that later when their customer service is open.

That’s it! I’m moving to Canada! 😁

Was that today? That’s the pull-down option that’s missing from my search. (I just checked on my iPad, it’s still missing on my screen.) may I ask which Victoria you are from? It could be that there’s a glitch or something when doing the search from the US, but not other countries.

Post 21.

Thank you for understanding at what point in the search I was. I do not see an "options" choice after the initial search (one which lists the results.) I am using Chrome on a PC or on my iPad using Safari in desktop mode. (I've also tested other browsers on my PC.) (I did see that number of guests is an filter on my iPhone using safari. But I'm not comfortable using my phone for such searches on the small screen along with my fat fingers, when my PC is right here with it's large screen.) Here's what I see, as I mentioned earlier, the "Number of Guests" option used to be to the left of the "stateroom" pull-down filter. Could you tell me where you are seeing "options"? (I cut the screen capture after the first cruise in the search results (only filter is destination=Alaska), however there's nothing other than the other 22 cruises shown.)

Go back a couple of pages (using the <) back to "search results", that's the page I'm talking about. You are on what I would call a booking page, where you are starting a booking. Not the "search cruises" page. Let's see If I can do a screen capture correctly...(looks correct on my preview post screen) The Red arrow points to the space where "Number of Guests" pull-down filter was until the past day or so. To do a solo cost search without that filter, one would have to go into each cruise individually to select number of guests. Not very efficient, not enticing to a solo cruiser to have to do that.

I am saying exactly that. In the white space below the top line of the search page, below where "Destination" "Date & Length" etc, are (in black on my web screen - again on my computer, not phone), there were four pull-down filters, listing "number of guests" "Stateroom" "Sort" and "Regions". Now there are only the last three. It defaulted to "two guests", so you may have never changed it. But it was there.

First, thanks for your quick responses, and checking on your phone (frankly, I wouldn't have thought about that!) Other cruise lines, specifically Royal and Celebrity (same owner) removed the "solo search" option a year or so ago. Meaning that to compare cruise costs, a user would have to go into each individual cruise to select one cruiser. That's tedious. And, about the same time, the costs for solos started being more that 200% on a fairly regular basis. On the glitch side, there was a period about a month or so ago when the "number of guests" option didn't change from two, even if you clicked on the pull-down menu. So, hoping this is a glitch.

I typically search using my computer rather than phone (I can view things easier!) Using Google Chrome, the option is not there on the web site. Likewise Edge and DuckDuckGo. However, using Safari on my phone, the "number of guests" option is still there. (As you showed.) So, website glitch, or "feature" that they'll remove overall once they change the code for a mobile device?

Thought I'd check on some possible future cruises. I'm a solo cruiser. Went to look, and the pull-down option for "number of guests" has been removed. The format of the pull-down menu (remaining are "stateroom" "sort" and "region") has changed to space the three options out, where there were four before. Is Princess telling us solo cruisers that they don't want us, and (like Royal and Celebrity) pushing us to NCL as the only mainsteam line that seems to welcome solo cruisers?

Maryland already has approval to start design on a new Bay Bridge crossing. One article from 2022 indicated that they would raise the clearance 50 feet. So I would expect design of the new Key Bridge to consider what height is optimal. I doubt that they’ll be able to use all of the approach spans so a steeper approach is possible (they are ~50 years old and a reasonable decision would be to replace them as well; one to accommodate a new design and two to accommodate 50 years of design/safety improvements.). This bridge is going to cost ~$3-5 billion (or more) it would be foolish to build it “as it was” and not make improvements. ’ the new Key Bridge no doubt will be completed first, so a higher bridge won’t be of help immediately, but will be eventually.

I believe Maryland DOT has a bridge removal company dismantling the old Nice Bridge, which carried US 301 over the Potomac at the MD/VA border. While it’s mostly a standard span bridge, it does/did have a steel truss section (nowhere near as large/long) so they may have equipment there that could be repurposed for this emergency relatively quickly. (Seems you have resources that can check on this possibility.)

I haven't been able to change any of the "pull-down" options, such as number of guests and stateroom type for a couple of days. I haven't tried to actually book a cruise, but am able to get to the passenger info page correctly (for me, 1 guest and balcony.) Glad (sort of!) that I'm not alone here about this.

I’m sailing from Vancouver to Whittier on Princess in May. I had the choice of a transfer to either the airport or downtown Anchorage. Cost is $59.

I'm pulling up suggested travel times now, at 7:30PM on a Friday, supposedly after rush hour, not that rush hour ever ends in NYC. You would be arriving in the morning, leaving the ship in the AM rush hour, or slightly after. Certainly a Saturday or Sunday would be better. The cruise terminal is in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UzDsjCPxJhx6ZKGFA (since you posted in the Princess group, I'm assuming you're sailing with them. They almost always use Brooklyn instead of mid-town Manhattan.) Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) is 18-22 miles away: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XwEkU3pqGyrL3tuV6 43 minutes on the best route (through Staten Island, which is 22 miles. It's 55 minutes on the shortest route.) LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is 13 miles away: https://maps.app.goo.gl/L8tvme5BdwspE7Pm6 35 minutes. JFK Airport is 18-24 miles, depending on the freeway chosen to travel: https://maps.app.goo.gl/H6go24sSQ9DeNJfP8 Current best travel time is 40 minutes for the 24 mile route (55 minutes for the 18 mile one) Public transportation is in the 1.5+ hour range, partly because the terminal is not very close to any subway station. When I last sailed out of Red Hook, it was a Saturday dis-embarkment, and I was fairly lucky with traffic once I got to the Interstate (heading south through Staten Island, which would be the likely route to Newark.) I would check Uber/Lyft, and definitely transfers offered by Princess, for pricing (you can do a "dummy" trip check on Uber or Lyft. NYC Taxis are also available, but not sure how to check costs. Those would be more likely to be stable, rather than demand-pricing on Uber/Lyft. And private car services, such as the one linked in the post above, are viable as well. I also wouldn't reserve a flight until the afternoon, because there's no assurance that traffic will behave. (Note, I was born about two miles from Red Hook, although I no longer live in the area.)

It's not just Celebrity or Royal these days. I just did a check on the Sun Princess for the Caribbean for Fall/Winter 2024/25, and I'm finding solo prices from about 260% to over 300%.

I was on the Regal in April 2023. I did not find any water bottle filling stations. I filled my bottle in the buffet, using a buffet glass to get ice and water. (I thought i had explored the entire ship, but might have missed one, perhaps in the gym?)

When I first sailed with Celebrity in 2019 (after cancelling an Alaskan cruise due to mono - they'd probably be fine with mono now as long as it wasn't coupled with COVID 😉 ) I thought the Summit was comparable to what I remembered of Princess from 2007. Similar in style, amenities and food. I think the availability of food at all hours is better on Princess, and as I mentioned before, I enjoyed the food on Regal more than my other recent cruises (NCL, RCCL, and X. I thought RCCL was the worst of the four. Although to be clear, I didn't starve!) The Edge class ships are a level above, but I now think that was due to 1-it was newer and 2-it was only about 1/3 full. I will want to sail on the newer Princess ships (Sun and soon the Star) to see what amenities have been added. Unfortunately, as a (now retired) solo cruiser, I'm typicallly sailing in steerage, and the Edge (and just about all new ships) have created exclusive areas for higher paying customers that block out areas, and in particular the front of the ship. I liked sitting in the lounge on Summit (Sky Lounge, I think) and watching where we were going. (The Eden on Edge, in the rear of the ship, was fantastic for sitting, watching our wake.) The Regal didn't have that area, as they put cabins in the forward of the Lido deck and the only inside area forward with a view is the Sanctuary. I know the class structure has always been around, but it's now a lot more restrictive.

Thanks for the link. Seems I'm not the only one that has issues with their pricing. In addition, while some mentioned the Edge class solo balconies, there's no easy way to search for those; you have to go cruise by cruise, change the number of guests, and then select balcony, and you might get lucky that there's one available. Same on parent line RCCL. When I sailed them in a solo balcony (last one - obstructed view), I was able to search by 1 guest, but they've since changed that ability.

@SaltyDoggg Thanks for your review. I thought it was fair and balanced, and sorry for the apologists/loyalists who have virtually attacked you for not being a Princess fan. My last two cruises were on the Regal Princess (April 23) and Celebrity Edge (August 21). I enjoyed both very much, but there were some issues with both (nothing's perfect.) Each has its advantages/disadvantages compared to the other. Personal taste will decide. Based on the Regal (a newer Princess ship) I decided I would sail next on Princess. However, comments about some of the older ships make me wary of sailing on them. And, I was completely spoiled by sailing on the Edge, which was just restarting and was about 1/3 full. (Won't see that anytime soon, I'd guess.) That said, my personal taste, with a very picky palate, favored the Regal's food over Celebrity (and definitely better than RCCL, which I sailed in 2018.) It did get repetitive over seven days in the buffet, but I was OK with that. (I ate in the MDR most of the evenings.) I am also a solo cruiser, and would like to ask you how you deal with the Celebrity website. You cannot do a search for 1 guest, and the last cruise I dug into deeper, when I changed from 2 to 1 guest, the price tripled. (While not typically 300%, it's often over 200%, or says it's not available.) I like that Princess (and NCL) allow searches for one guest, and often the cost is not 200%. I know I could use a travel agent, but I like being in control and not having to call somebody to make changes. Any tips?

My father and I did something similar. When The old Pacific Princess went from NYC to Bermuda for a three night stay, each night was in a different port: St. George’s, Hamilton and the Royal Navy Dockyards. We left the morning in Hamilton to go play gold, and returned to the ship at the dockyards. Back in 2000, I don’t remember how the ship kept track of passengers; I presumed they only counted us just before leaving the Dockyards for the return to NYC. I’m pretty sure the daily brochure gave the times the ship was moving. (Too bad the current ships are too big to dock at St. George’s and Hamilton.)

Actually, there's a another change. Plus and Premier now get to eat at other Casual restaurants for no additional charge (two/unlimited times.) But good summary on the "negatives". You pointed out, but has been missed by many, that the information/announcement came from a TA presentation. It appears one of the points they emphasized was that there's now more benefits to getting the Plus/Premier package than booking just the Standard Fare*, and by the way, you as a TA get a bigger commission on the added package than you would if your client books the Standard. So (PCL talking) help us increase our profits, and yours too, by pushing the higher packages. *some of these benefits used to be included for Standard Fare passengers.

I was about to post the same thing, as I noticed it when checking my future TA cruise. Would PCL reprice an entire ship's cruise list at once (going all the way to 2025, including after a three month break in Feb. 2025) or just select cruises?

I've only been to the Bay Area once, and that was ten years ago, so I don't know the area that well. But the Oakland Airport appears to be closer than SFO, and the hotels in downtown Oakland appear to be less expensive as well. I happened to fly into SFO, stayed in downtown Oakland and then flew out of Oakland. My transportation was all on BART, so I didn't need to rely on any surface transportation (other than a bus to the Oakland airport as the train connection wasn't completed then.) Is this viable, safe and reasonable, or has something changed? I'm looking at a SF-Alaska cruise as well, so would like to know local's comments.