SKCruiser007

I have been booking through Shore Excursions Group since they formed the company. They are very quick to respond whenever I have a question about an excursion, and during the COVID shutdown, they issued refunds fast while their main competitor left everyone hanging.

Definitely ask your TA about the transfers.

To each his own, right? I checked a confirmation that shows the boarding time as up to 7:00 pm, So, technically, yes, if the tour returns around 6:30 pm, there is enough time to walk next door to check in. I.would.never.cut.it.that.close.for.check-in.without.a.guarantee.of.my.making.it.onto.the.ship. Maybe that's just me, but I have experienced enough boat engine breakdowns, delays in boarding tours because someone showed up late, and what-not to cause us to come back late for a tour. While this tour operator writes that they routinely have cruise ship passengers on this tour, do they guarantee a return back to the ship on time, and if the ship is missed, will they get the guest to the next port? That's great that you've enjoyed this tour, and it sounds like many, many people have. I wouldn't enjoy worrying about making it back to the ship on time.

You can send out laundry every single day if you are Elite or Suite.

To the OP, check your cruise confirmation to see what the boarding times are for Whittier. I see 12:30 to 7:00 pm for an 8:30 pm sailaway. That said, I would never cut it that close. Personally, I would be worried the entire time if I was going to make it back on time.

I wonder if the OP was searching for an answer and posted a new topic by mistake.

My guess is that you are going to have a wonderful time on Enchanted Princess. I do hope all these comments, including my own, don't detract from the fun and anticipation of preparing for a cruise for you and others. On the ship, the cruise will be what you and others make of it. Despite the common issues we encountered on Sky Princess earlier this month, we still had a great time...different from what we've encountered on other Princess sailings, but it was still better than being home. I'm the kind of girl who upon seeing a pile of manure gets excited because I figure there must be a pony nearby. I bet most everybody here can make their own happiness given a boat, some sun, and the sound of gentle waves around them.

I dunno. I don't think it's necessary to denigrate the OP or his generation. He gave his views, and was pretty spot on if the comments that follow can be believed (including mine.) All of us who have travelled a lot know that with every trip, there are going to be bumps in the road. You take them, and give yourself a little shake, move on, and enjoy whatever you enjoy in cruising. Ports, dining, sitting on a balcony when there is three feet of snow in your front yard - the list goes on and on about what makes cruising great. I LOVE Princess. I love sailing on their ships. I love sending my clients (I'm very part time - we're farmers full time) on their ships. I even love the automatic night lights that so many people complain about. 🙂 Even my husband was complaining about the service on Sky Princess, and he is about the most laid-back person you can imagine. We literally had to laugh out loud when the waitress who mocked me with "Oh, Madame wants a Coca Cola!" ended up being our server that night. That phrase is now our little joke to each other. In my view, the problems we and others have encountered are not fleet wide. There is something amiss with that ship. And I hope that the OP gives Princess another try so he can see the same things that so many of us appreciate about this line. I also hope that specific feedback given onboard or in post-cruise surveys will be taken to heart. BTW - I DID enjoy my vacation on Sky Princess. It was surely better than being at home in what has turned to be a very brown December in Minnesota.

On my last cruise, early this month on Sky Princess, there was one (maybe two) service dogs onboard.

As TK76RCA suggests, you could just give your TA a quick Yay or Nay on the day you get off the Dec. 2024 cruise. You should have phone service then, and could reach your TA. Just be sure she/he is well aware and is waiting for your call. It's very tight, but do-able. BTW, I hope you enjoy your cruise on Caribbean Princess...and will decide even early on during the cruise that the March one is a go. It will give your TA a little breathing room to do final payment if you could reach her/him earlier than the very last day that final payment is due.

Oh, boy. I am definitely what you might consider a Princess cheerleader. Rah! Rah! My fourth cruise on Princess this year was earlier this month on Sky. The OP's description of his experiences are pretty similar to mine. I'm not, in any way, thinking of giving up on Princess, but look at our cruise on Sky Princess as an anomaly. There were definitely some training issues and lack of staff, especially in the bars, except for Vines, where we hung out every evening. The Guest Services person at the Elite/Suite line was downright surly and had the attitude that anything that was wrong was my fault. One of the female waiters on Princess Cays loudly mocked me when I mentioned to another waiter that I had been waiting an hour for a Coke: "Oh, Madame wants a Coca Cola!" in a dramatic voice. I can laugh about it now, but it wasn't funny at the moment. These things were mentioned in the post-cruise survey, along with my observations of specific instances of where it seemed that the staff lacked training. We usually sail on the older Princess ships, preferring the smaller size and the walk-around promenade. However, we did like the décor of Sky Princess, and the buffet was great in terms of layout and extensive selection of foods. We were grateful that there was an Enclave, and used it every day. I agree with the OP that staff seemed indifferent to inoperable equipment. I'm still a Princess fan and am looking forward to eighteen days on Majestic Princess next fall and who-knows-what might be booked between now and then. For me, Princess has great pricing, especially with the AARP certificates, and a usually consistent level of service. If I end up on Sky in the future, I do hope that whatever is happening on that ship right now smoothes out.

To me, the biggest difference between Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity is the vibe onboard. I call Princess "sophisticated casual." RCCL and Celebrity are edgier, which suits a lot of people fine. You can almost always book with a refundable deposit, but it will cost more. Since it has often happened that a better offer will come along, I like using the refundable fare. I always get the Plus or Premium Package. With the Plus Package, if you have two or three alcoholic drinks a day you'll break even, and it IS convenient to order drinks through the package and not worry about paying $11 for a glass of wine during dinner. For short cruises (7 days,) I like the Premier Package. You get two specialty dinners, extra devices on WiFi, and you can order the premium wines without an up-charge. Crew appreciation is another name for crew gratuities for your room steward, wait staff, and other non-bar staff. Hoping you enjoy your Princess cruise!

I would call back today and insist on speaking to a supervisor. If this goes beyond today and the issue is not resolved, it surely will not be able to be reversed on Tuesday. Good luck!

It's about $20 per person per day. We were happy to hear that it was open on the first evening onboard our cruise this week. Otherwise, you only get six days out of a seven day pass.

It's unlikely that your CVP can apply your OBC to your spouse's excursion online. I know that your travel agent cannot. Perhaps, a call to Princess will be successful.

I love using gift cards, but it makes me a bit nervous to hold them. I like them applied and credited to my cruise asap. If a refund has to be made to a gift card, and this has happened for me, the funds were back in the card within minutes of a call to Princess.

Whenever we're on a ship with the Enclave, we always book it for the entire cruise. It's wonderfully relaxing to spend time in the pool and on the heated loungers. These help circulation. We have a 18-day cruise coming up on Majestic and the Enclave is the thing we are most looking forward to.

We sailed on a 14 day Circle Caribbean on Ruby, November 6 to 20. The ship is in great shape coming out of dry dock and the crew was fine. We encountered no problems.

Just enjoyed a UBD last week. It was the best meal experience of the two-week trip. We also tried Chef's table (good!,) Caymus Winemaker's Dinner (OK,) and Super Tuscan Wine Tasting lunch (excellent!) UBD, for us, was by far the best and was a great value, including flowers, photographer and one printed photo, a bottle of bubbly, and way too much food to eat. We won't do it every cruise, but it's a great way to celebrate a special occasion. 🥂

This week, I had some funds left on a gift card. I simply handed the printed copy of the PDF of the digital card to gift services. The card number and PIN were included. It showed up as a credit against my onboard purchases within an hour. Easy-peasy.

This week on Ruby Princess, we experienced our third Chef'sTable. This one had the standardized menu, it was fine. Although, it's hard to beat that first experience in Lumiere we both agreed the food was best at this one, and the amount of food was not overwhelming.

My bid from balcony to mini suite was accepted tonight with about 29 days to go. The bid was in the "fair" category, and ended up being about one third of the cost to upgrade outright. I didn't get an email that I was outbid and offering a chance to counter-bid. So, I probably bid too much, but I'm happy to get the mini suite

Since the lowest priced floral arrangement is $90, why not just have a Ultimate Balcony Dinner at the beginning of the cruise? It costs $110 for two and comes with flowers.

That's the best surprise! I hope you win the bid! I'm doing the same for DH. I'm figuring (how much per day it's worth to have the extra room) X (days on cruise) + ($10 per day for reserve dining.) Remember your bid is placed per person, then doubled.

Yes, I always get the Plus or Premier package. I think the rep was incorrect. If you want to argue your case with guest services, have at it. To me, it would not be worth the time, trouble or aggravation of the argument. Princess clearly charges for the service charge above the $15 drink cost, and almost certainly charges the service charge for the 75% paid on a bottle of wine. Hopefully, someone who has purchased wine under one of the packages will come along.