NavyVeteran

I disagree completely. Princess publishes hours that the MDR is open. These are the hours when you can arrive and be seated - not the hours when they chase you out. If Princess did not want you to arrive during that last half hour, then they should publish a closing time a half hour earlier. Anyone who arrives during the posted open hours should have the same service. It should not be the passenger's responsibility to know how much earlier than the posted time to arrive.

That's why there's not one answer for all of us. Each person needs to look at the details of coverage of their other insurance and at the details of coverage of Princess Vacation Protection and any other insurance they are considering. The right answer for me is not necessarily the right answer for you. No one policy is best for everyone.

I have Medicare and Tricare for Life. Since Tricare provides coverage outside the US, I believe the Princes insurance provides adequate coverage. If you don't have any other insurance coverage outside the US, then your case may be different. I look carefully at the 60-day lookback period. As soon as DW and I both have 60 days with no changes in diagnosis or medications, we purchase and pay for the insurance immediately - we don't wait until final payment. There is no risk since the insurance is completely refundable until final payment. We don't wait until final payment because we may have a change within 60 pays prior to then. We still get the FCC refund even if the cancellation is because of a pre-existing condition, so we're not that worried. Princess Vacation Protection is more of a bargain the older you are, since it is not age rated like most other travel insurance.

With the new policy, you don't need to make reservations. If you don't choose traditional fixed dining and you don't make reservations, there will be one MDR available for walk-in only. This should provide better service to those without reservations than the current system.

I did not think Princess offered a standalone transfer from the airport to the hotel. If you purchase a pre-cruise hotel through Princess, then the transfer from the airport to the hotel and the transfer from the hotel to the ship are included in the price quoted for the hotel. That is why Princess hotels charge one price for one night and a lower per-night price for additional nights. Do you actually have a separate Princess transfer from the airport to a hotel that you booked independently?

It doesn't take effect until voyages departing September 14, 2024. However, it could happen in the middle of a cruise. If you booked a 14-day cruise that is also available as two 7-day cruises with the second leg starting September 14 or later, then it probably would be in effect for the second half of your cruise - even if you booked it as a single cruise. I doubt Princess would treat people on the second half of a 14-day cruise differently than people on the same ship at the same time on a 7-day cruise starting September 14 or later.

Booking an interior room across the hall is a great idea. However, there are a few problems you will need to handle. Look at the Princess FAQ on Cruising with Family & Kids. Under "Preparing for Your Cruise", it lists minimum ages. The minimum age for them to book them in their own cabin would be 16, so you would have to book one parent and one teen in each cabin. This isn't a big problem, since you can have your medallions programmed at Guest Services to open both cabins, and they don't care where you sleep - just where you're booked. If you want to purchase Plus or Premier for the two adults but not for the two teens, you could have a problem, since the two people in each cabin (one parent and one teen) would have to have the same package. If you book all four in one cabin, then only the first two have to have the package. Even though they won't be drinking any alcohol, you may want to consider the Plus fare for the teens if they will be using Internet and drinking sodas and mocktails as well as paying the gratuities. There are several threads covering the costs and benefits of Plus.

The link above also shows Hennessy Black at $20. Remy Martin XO is also $20 (shown on the OceanNow menu under the above link). When we sailed with Plus, we drank Courvoisier VSOP (which is what we normally drink at home). When we sailed with Premier, we drank Remy Martin XO. If you're planning on drinking a $16 drink, you're probably better off getting Plus and paying the difference. However, if you drink Hennessy Black or Remy Martin XO, then you may be better off with Premier.

Some of the mains will probably be OK for you also. With dietary restrictions, ask to speak with the dining room manager (aka head waiter) on your first night in the MDR. They are trained in handling dietary restrictions. Each evening, you will place your dinner order for the next day (and your lunch order if it's a sea day) with the dining room manager - not with your waiter. He will have some options you don't see on the menu. With the one-day advance notice, they will be able to modify some of the selections to meet your constraints. For example, they may remove sauce from a main to make it gluten-free. I recommend you eat in the same MDR every evening so you are dealing with the same dining room manager (although it's not actually required). Also tell your dining room manager when you plan to eat in a specalty restaurant, and he can help modify their menu to meet your restrictions.

I don't have any specific wines to recommend. I generally just go with the most expensive one under $15 or under $20 depending on which package I have on that cruise. If you find a wine you really like available only by the bottle (with the 25% off), you can have them keep it for you in the dining room to drink at your next meal (even if it's at a different dining room). So I don't think it would be a problem for one person to finish a bottle in a few meals.

The reason the invoice doesn't show a breakdown is that the Plus or Premier fare is a different fare booking code. The cost of Plus or Premier is considered part of the cruise fare - not an add-on like a beverage package or an excursion. This means it is subject to the same cancellation penalties as the rest of the cruise fare, unlike packages that are fully refundable prior to the cruise; and, therefore, its cost is included in cruise insurance. People generally point out the negative that the insurance cost is increased to include the additional fare, but sometimes that can be a positive. DW and I were isolated for COVID for three days on a twelve-day cruise last year (one fourth of the cruise). We received a cash refund of one fourth of the cruise fare (including the cost of Premier) from the insurance for the days in isolation, even though I was ordering alcoholic drinks through OceanNow to my cabin while isolated.

I agree with your approach. I think the following steps summarize the approach: A : How much would I spend without the Plus package? B : How much would I spend with the Plus package? C : What is the difference (B - A)? D : If C is negative, buy the package (no question). If C is positive, continue. E : What additional benefits would I have with the package (additional drinks, better drinks, etc.) that I would not have purchased without the package? F : Are these additional benefits (E) worth more to me than the additional cost (C)? If yes, buy the package. Do the analysis for the Plus package first before considering the Premier package. If the analysis says buy the Plus package, then do a similar analysis for the difference between Plus and Premier. In my case, I would never save money with Premier over Plus - I would always spend more. But DW would drink a different cognac, I would drink a different single malt, and we would both drink different wines if we had Premier. So the question is whether or not these differences would be worth the additional cost to us. Even though DW doesn't drink much, I've decided to always buy at least the Plus package. Sometimes I buy the Premier and sometimes not - it depends on the specific cruise. I'm more likely to buy Premier on a shorter cruise or one with more sea days.

No, you haven't already paid for those things. You have paid for all the sodas you want to drink. You haven't paid for all the sodas you may want to give away. You may certainly share the suite or Elite mini-bar, since it is a fixed number of drinks; but you may not legally share the drinks from a plan. Just because you probably won't get caught doesn't make it legal or ethical.

The Internet access is one thing you are allowed to share. You each have a 1-device plan with Plus or a 4-device plan with Premier. That is the number of devices that can be logged on at the same time. You are allowed to share. You just can't both be logged on to the same account at the same time if you have the 1-device plan.

They probably sent that notice to all Elites, whether or not in a suite.

I believe this applies only to Elite - not to suites. Suite laundry has priority over Elite laundry, so its turnaround time is not affected much by the number of Elites onboard. When I send laundry out in the evening from a suite, I've nearly every time received it back the next day - even on cruises when Elite laundry was taking several days.

If you share and get caught, your Plus may be cancelled with no refund. If you share and don't get caught, your teen is learning that it's OK to steal as long as you don't get caught.

Unfortunately, Princess has gone downhill in this area. When we first started, they had Courvoisier VSOP. Now they only have Courvoisier VS. A definite step down.

You cannot legally purchase soft drinks on your package and share them with others. Sharing in violation of the rules is the reason Princess puts a log of restrictions on the packages that make it difficult for the rest of us. If Princess catches you sharing drinks from a package with someone else, they have the right to cancel the entire package with no refund. Read the terms and conditions.

I am assuming you are getting two cabins with two passengers in each cabin. If you purchase the Plus fare, you must purchase it for the first two passengers in the cabin. You do not need to purchase it for a third or fourth passenger. The Plus fare is a much better deal than the standalone Plus beverage package. It may be a better deal to purchase the Plus fare for two passengers than to pay recommended gratuities for two passengers, to purchase the standalone Plus beverage package for one passenger, to purchase the standalone nonalcoholic drink package for one passenger, and to purchase Internet for two passengers. You need to do the math and determine which is better for you.

I agree with your first statement. Bars are the only place (other than at meals) that kids can get the sodas or mocktails that they're paying for. The only limitation should be safety. Very small children may not be able to sit safely on a bar stool - they may need a chair with a back. But the same limitation applies to some older people with mobility issues. Anyone who can sit safely on a bar stool and who behaves should be able to do so. Tips at bars are included in the price of every drink or in the price of a drink package. There is no obligation or expectation that you leave any additional tip at a bar, even if you don't do the automatic gratuities. For US based cruises, if you have a package or leave the automatic tips on, there is no obligation or expectation that you tip any food or cabin service people extra. You may if you choose to do so, but you don't have to - and you will continue to receive outstanding service if you don't.

I don't have personal experience with dairy free. My SIL had no problem getting gluten-free pastries. After the first morning, they would bring a tray of gluten-free pastries by the table for her to select from. However this was the suite breakfast in Sabatini's, so I would not expect the same service elsewhere. But they difinitely have gluten-free items on board.

A partial transit wouldn't save you any time. It spends about the same amount of time in the locks as a full transit - it just goes through the same locks twice instead of through different locks. When I did a partial transit through the Atlantic locks, I took a small-boat excursion through the Pacific locks. That way, I did a full transit - even though the ship didn't. I would recommend that excursion if you do a partial transit, but probably not if you're doing a full transit. One advantage of staying on the ship on a partial transit is that the ship isn't crowded on the trip back, because so many people get off to do excursions. You won't have any problems getting the best viewing locations without the crowds you had going in.

You will need to talk with a head waiter (or dining room manager they're called today) in the MDR. Each evening he will give you the next day's menu (dinner and if a sea day lunch) for you to order ahead. You are not limited to the items that fit your restrictions, since they will be able to modify other items to fit your restrictions - that's why they take the order a day in advance. It's easier if you eat in the same dining room each evening, since you would be dealing with the same head waiter there. Once he learns your exact restrictions, you won't have to explain them every night. However, the order will be available the next day even if you eat in another MDR. You are not limited to the door hanger room service menu. Since you have the Premier package, you can order using OceanNow or telephone at no charge. You may be able to get some options ordering by phone that aren't listed. Ask your head waiter about the options when you talk with him.

I would definitely recommend the original locks for anyone who hasn't sailed them. The history of building those locks is amazing. I would also recommend anyone going on a Panama Canal cruise read The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It is the definitive history of the building of the original Panama Canal.