msk1

I know there have been a myriad of posts on this topic. I'm asking for the most current information CC'ers may have.

We are doing a short, 3 day cruise in December, R/T LA, only port Ensenada. We do not even get off the ship in Ensenada. We are doing this to complete our quest for Elite status.

We will be going with $250.00 in OBC: Stockholder, TA, Princess generated. We do not plan to use Specialty Dining or Spa services. Is there any way to cash out this OBC? It used to be possible through the casino. Is this still the case? If so, please give specifics on how this is accomplished. We will use a small portion for gratuities ($38pp). We drink neither alcohol nor coffee so the coffee/beverage option is moot.

Thanks SO much for any insights!

msk1

We've done it 5 times and it works like a champ. We also bring a blackout drape (Target special) and a spring loaded rod which we hang at the hallway opening. This allows TV or lights on during nap/sleep times. The bathroom light need not be a concern. Either use it for a nightlight or alternatively take a flashlight into the bathroom when necessary.

Enjoy!!

msk1

Last year a dear soul was able to secure the list from their travel agent and then post it here on the board. I'm hoping it happens again this year. We are meeting family in San Diego in March and would love to have them see the Grand before they cruise in June.

Thanks for any help!

msk1

Does anyone have the Bon Voyage Experience list for 2016? Hoping to plan a visit!

msk1

Here is a link to a wonderful site.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/

Thanks so much for this helpful information. It's great to have this wonderful resource~

MSK1

I may have missed something here. Is there actually a website/link for the Obstructed View cabins with Princess? We have done both and prefer the Obstructed Ocean View. Two new (to us) ships are on our agenda and we would really like to have a "preview" if available. We've viewed deck plans but the "real deal" is always the best!

Thanks in advance!

msk1

If he rents a shower chair and finds the shower to be too small, he could try the showers in the spa area. They are bigger than the cabin showers and the spa personnel MIGHT let him store it close by, so he wouldn't have to haul it around.

Another thought...it is possible if he has what is commonly called a "rollator" (walker with seat and wheels), he could use it to get to the spa showers and lock the wheels and sit on it during his shower.

We are just returned from Golden Princess to Alaska. I had occasion to speak with the Lotus spa manager asking if there were HC showers in the Lotus spa changing area and was told there were none. On another post I was reminded with the Bermuda registration there are no Federal access rules for this situation. I'm not sure which ship the poster is sailing on but hope this helps.

msk1

Can you post comments about your shore excursions?

We used Princess excursions this year. In Juneau we did #330A which was a 3 part adventure. We started at the salmon hatchery, then to Glacier Gardens, then to Mendenhall Glacier. This began @245PM and went until 700PM. The weather was great and the tour guide very informative and fun! Good value for a decent price. In Victoria we also used Princess because the alternate company which we had researched (for siginificantly less $) could/would not guarantee we'd be back in time for the ship's departure ("It'll be close" we were told). This is a short visit in Victoria. That said we did #330 which was the Butchart Gardens and the Butterfly Garden. We weren't too sure about the Butterfly Garden initially but it turned out to be very enjoyable. This was also a good value. There was not enough time for this stop but it was well used. A family from our bus did not heed the driver's admonition to return in a timely manner and was left to find their own way back to the ship!

On a past trip we rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. The roadway follows the route of the train and one is able to stop at leisure. Avis also has carseats available with reservation. This was a very doable and enjoyable excursion on our own. Don't forget your passport as you pass across to the Yukon.

msk1

We are sailing on the Golden at the end of the month. Can you tell me what time you disembarked? I need to make a reservation for private car service to SFO and not sure what time I should tell them. We are not in a rush to disembark but I am not sure how late Princess will allow you to stay onboard. Can anyone advise me?

We departed the ship at 0845. The disembarking was very organized. We were in line with a couple waiting for their private car service which was scheduled for 0930. Their driver called to confirm as he was in the wait lot.

msk1

Did you have the new tv system in the cabin like Regal and Royal? The "on demand" system?

No sign of an "improved" system. Many glitches in reception as well.

msk1

My wife and I booked this cruise as our 25th wedding anniversary present to ourselves. We also threw in two birthdays as well. LOL ...

 

We could not wait. I expected the check in to be horrible, but it really was not as bad as expected. Traffic though YUCK!

 

When we got to our room... we found some one else's pills in our bed along with one of those sleeping blindfolds. My wife immediately went on the hunt for germs and found hairs in our bed!... I was trying to keep her feeling secure, but how do you do that. We called our room stuart who apologized and gave us clean linens.

 

The next issue which was minor was our ice chest... got it 5 hours later... but it arrived all fluids in tact.

 

We went to eat at the buffet and found it to be very sub par food. May be I am just used to the awesome food at the all inclusive resorts. I figured this was maybe just because of the first day.... however, the food never changed. It was always the same stuff, maybe wrapped a little different. Never felt fresh.

 

We had anytime dining... learned fast - call early morning or eat at 9pm. Never a relaxing moment. You could pay extra $25 per person per night for good food... ***. $5000 for a cruise and I still have to pay extra? oh and did I mention they were still trying to get you to buy cards for extra promotions at the start of the cruise? Sigh... Nickel here Dime there... everywhere we looked...

 

The food in anytime dining was decent.. but our table locations were always horrible! 3 times we were seated right behind the damn waiter area. dishes clanking and never any privacy, not to mention the view, and hearing waiters complain! AWSOME! Not really

 

We found the adult pool. Now this was nice. No kids... Wait people brought their kids in this pool. they snuck them in and no one provided any security over it. SIGH again. Luckily this only occurred one night. I was disappointed you could not order a drink here. It is the ADULT pool? But nope... go get your own drink at the adult pool. Even with the darn waiters above at the $40 a day private spa area (that was always empty) watching over us. they would stand on balcony and look over.. LOL uh how about a drink.

 

Needless to say that once it starts bad it was hard to adjust... We made the best of it and stayed as positive as possible. Neither one of us complained during our trip. We did not want to ruin it for the other.

 

Advice if you go to Alaska.... Rent a car in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria. it will be cheaper than any excursion and you will have way more fun. Do the excursions in Skagway... No car rentals. I heard the train ride was awesome and the ferry ride to the excursions in haines is good. our excursion was ok here. Not great but ok.

 

I could type more but I can just add as we go along or if you need explanation.

 

Wayne

 

Hope this helps someone plan better or learn to complain!

 

trips:

 

All inclusives

4 times Mexico

2 times Jamaica

 

1 cruise to Mexico

**********************************************************

We were on this cruise also (see "Just off the Golden to Alaska w Glacier Bay 070115). We do this cruise each summer as we travel with a young one (now 2 1/2) and it is close by and flightless. It's now 5 trips and all have been different. Of course the cleanliness issue is a no-brainer and obviously not to be tolerated. Aside from this our experience could not have been more different. Sure there are circumstances that arise that can be aggravating. We had our share but chose to make the best of most of them. We were pleasantly surprised NOT to be hounded with offers for beverage cards, wine tastings, etc. With the exception of a traveling cart offering water for excursions while in the buffet we were left alone (why don't more people bring a case of water, slap on a luggage tag and have it delivered to their cabin????). The initial boarding offers were quite appropriate for those interested. Excursions are a very individual choice--hence the wide variety available. We have rented a car in Skagway in the past (car seats available by reservation in advance) and traveled up to Emerald Lake. We made this a full day excursion of our own planning and it was great! This year we used a Princess excursion for Juneau and highly recommend #330A which included the salmon hatchery, Glacier Gardens, and the Mendenhall Glacier. A very reasonable cost and a FABULOUS day!

I had to laugh at the comment about the adult pool. I took a wrong turn while walking with my granddaughter and received glaring looks from the two attendants guarding the entrance! Not quite the experience of the other poster.

Regarding Anytime Dining--over the past several months experienced CC posters have mentioned the opportunity to have a standing reservation for AD. I met with the maître d' the first hour after boarding ship. Requiring a high chair and an early dining time slot I was given a sticker for my cruise card which allowed us entry and direct access to our same table and waitstaff for the entire cruise. This, along with the already mentioned new mattresses, was the highlight of our "top 5" of the trip.

We are a three generational cruise family and find that flexibility and a good sense of humor to be our saving grace.

On a side note: our noisy neighbors and their children were reported to Passenger Services. A Supervisor was dispatched straight away. We did this twice (once too many please) and finally had some improvement. Folks need to be aware of slamming doors--THANK YOU!!! ;-)

As has been said numerous times cruising isn't for everyone. We enjoy it and encourage others to give it a go!

msk1

Thanks for the post. You said the mattresses were very good. Harder or softer? I prefer very soft. We're on the Golden 8/10, Alaska.

Thanks in advance,

Mark.

Hi Mark,

As the mattresses used to be brick-like I'd have to say softer ;-). They really were a "dream."

msk1

We just returned from a great sailing on Golden Princess from SF to Alaska through Glacier Bay. A few observations:

Traffic personnel directing vehicles need to keep traffic moving as does airport security. The bottlenecks at both drop off and pick up could have been easily avoided if inconsiderate drivers did not "park" at curbside. Drop off means exactly that.

Porters were excellent, friendly and helpful. A few kind words does wonders!

Very efficient check in. We were in our cabin by 1230PM. Bags were delivered shortly thereafter.

A HUGE improvement with Golden Princess is the new mattresses! This is impossible to overstate and hopefully will be replicated fleetwide.

Modifications to the Horizon Court, notably separating the dessert areas from the food lines--similar to the Star--really creates a more efficient traffic pattern.

Overall excellent service throughout our voyage. Particular kudos to one of the service men in the gym area who turned in my Samsung tablet left on an ellipse (distracted by trying to hurry back to cabin to catch Serena and Wimbledon) to the Lost and Found. He was appropriately compensated!

The Future Cruise Consultant was well prepared and most helpful. She was able to secure our next three bookings most efficiently.

A few items which will be directed to the Customer Relations office tomorrow:

This particular trip was booked with the 3-2-1 special which afforded an OBC of $50 for Specialty Dining. Our TA also provided us with an additional $50 OBC to be used at our discretion. Princess misapplied the credit giving us two Specialty Dining credits and initially refused to make the adjustment. A call to our TA who called Customer Relations the next morning did the trick.

When we did use the Princess-created reservation for our Specialty Dining on the final night of the trip we were told-- after dinner-- that the voucher must be presented for the credit to be applied. Just prior to leaving for dinner we had packed and tidied up our cabin, placing a volume of collected papers in the trash. Yes, the voucher had found its way to the silver cylinder! Well, our ever efficient cabin steward had cleaned ALL of the rooms in our section during the 90 minutes we dined. So, out came the rubber gloves as we all dug through the large brown trash bags to find the errant voucher. Voila! Back to passenger services with voucher in hand (sans gloves) to meet the previously NEVER required policy of voucher for credit applied. We were told it would be "taken care of." When we checked our summary the next morning at 0600 it had not been done. Back to Passenger Services! One HOUR to resolve this.

These two examples of Princess' unyielding efforts towards accommodation did not earn points. The Passenger Services personnel were stellar in their efforts but attempting to hold the Company line didn't sit well with us and many others we observed during wait times.

I had occasion to ask the Lotus Spa manager if there was a handicapped access/wheelchair shower available. I was shocked to be told that there was not. Is this not a Federal regulation or is this a moot point because of the Bermuda registry?

Princess is our line of choice. As Carnival shareholders we are looking forward to our next adventure. Another great holiday with family and friends!

msk1

Thanks to all who offered genuinely helpful advice. I'll save the 2016 link for our later booked adventures!

msk1

Thank you ColoCruiser! i did the same search on prior postings and found the same link which would not open. Another computer and I'm now in business! Thanks for your assistance.

msk1

We've used the Carnival shareholder OBC numerous times. On visiting the CCL shareholders benefit page the request form is no longer linked. Has anyone the link for the form? Thanks in advance!

msk1

I was just getting ready to begin a new thread on this very topic when I found this one~ Not a fan of the new look and it is clear Princess isn't interested in our "shopping" for the better deals ;-).

msk1

We too were on this cruise. We were really looking forward to being on the Ruby once again. We agree with many of the points mentioned. Service this cruise was not up to par. Our issues began in the cruise terminal when the woman monitoring the health forms was shrieking/yelling at guests. Her demeanor was a negative Princess needs to correct. Our biggest concern was the condition of the Lotus spa shower area. My daughter showers with her two year old daughter (inside cabin=small shower) in the spa shower with the fold down seat. The water service was sketchy all 7 days. Hot and cold water would flow intermittently, scalding one moment, freezing another. Clumps of hair were accumulated in the stalls as well as filthy tiles. This was brought to the attention of spa personnel and nothing was corrected the entire week. When asked again and again my daughter was told, "we have no way of knowing if it has been fixed."?????????? The crowning touch of the week was the white-suited officer who was verbally offensive during disembarkation. Many, including ourselves, spoke up and were reprimanded for doing so.

We have included these concerns in our evaluation. Does Princess really follow up or is it a moot effort?

We had a wonderful time with a great steward (employee of the month), excellent Crown Grill dinner, and the most outstanding weather! Looking forward to our return to Alaska this summer.

msk1

Having my info in hand from my TA I booked at 801AM. Yes, the website is not showing specifics but cabins can be booked/reserved by telephone. You can work out the details later???? Bookings can then be moved to one's TA as well.

msk1

We were on the Star to Alaska last month from San Francisco. Last year hot chocolate was complimentary through room service. We called first this year and the policy was "complimentary until 11:30am"; afterwards a charge would be levied. We have found each ship to have it's own policy and even then it changes within the same year. Venue seems not to matter.

I'm not sure why Princess has this inconsistent policy as it is frustrating for customers.

msk1

We are looking at two short cruises from San Francisco and Vancouver in May of 2015. For those who have done these does Princess offer the Specialty Dining in Crown Grill and Sabatini's on these cruises?

Thanks in advance for your help!

msk1

Just off the Star two weeks ago. Movies were Draft Day, Non-Stop, Grand Budapest Hotel, Mr. Banks, Gravity, Jack Reacher (at least 10 times in various venues), Wizard of Oz, Mama Mia (always a hoot). Frozen was done in Princess Theater with a sing along! We hit the new release rotation--it was great!

msk1

We were on this cruise also. All in all a good time, boarding with no problems, great staff, etc.

Traveling with a 20 month old was fun and crew were spectacular in accomodating us in every possible way! Our only big concern will be addressed with Princess by letter. We use the Lotus spa showers for our little one (mom sits on a chair in the shower using the water wand). While assisting my daughter in one stall an elderly woman (80+) in the next stall was "locked" in her shower stall. She was understandably frantic, unable to get the door open. I attempted to get the door open--stuck or such--and she was near collapse once accomplished. This dear soul did not speak English and was traumatized by this several minute episode. I made sure she was ok and reported the incident to the Lotus spa manager. Her less than stellar response will eventuate my communication with Princess. The following day I checked the same shower--no signage, nothing indicating it was still problematic (I asked for signage at the least). I reported this to Passenger Services and was told a "construction crew" would be informed. I asked for signage or similar and until the end of the cruise nothing was in place. This lack of concern I find appalling and the liability for the Company is clear.

The shortage of staff was very apparent. Princess may be doiing some cost-cutting, but at what real cost? The current staff are to be commended--they are fabulous!

msk1

One more vote for Hotel Arlecchino! With the canal view overlooking the canal (open your window and four feet away!!) and a lovely breakfast it's a keeper! The proximity to the cruise terminal is KEY!

msk1

Last summer we took our then 8 month old to Alaska. The above mentioned suggestions are excellent, especially the umbrella stroller. We left our BOB at home--way too big!~

The hotel manager of room service was one of our biggest assets. He arranged for freshly prepared/pureed vegetables, fresh fruit and cereals to be delivered to our cabin daily. This was pre-arranged through guest services and made a huge difference in our trip!

You did not mention your cabin selection. We purposely booked an inside cabin for the room darkening option. We also brought a black-out drape and suspended it over the closet pole and the Pack n' Play crib creating a sleep alcove. This was great for our little one and we could watch TV, read, etc. without keeping her up. The maitre d' in the dining room tutored us on folding napkins to secure toys to the high chair tray. Be sure to being your own Clorox (or similar) cleaning wipes. The dining staff makes a good effort to sterilize the trays in their industrial dishwashers but it's never enough!

Above all, relax and enjoy. Patience is the key! Ship staff will LOVE your little one--it's a little slice of home for them. With your stellar effort to be considerate of your fellow cruisers you'll have a fabulous time~!

msk1