NavyVeteran

I have never been able to refare in a sold-out category.

I recommend you set up wi-fi calling to work all the time - even when you're in the US. Don't wait until you're on a cruise. When I have both cell and wi-fi available, it chooses the best connection. My neighborhood does not have good cell coverage, so many of my neighbors complain that their phones don't work very well at home. Mine never has a problem, since it automatically uses wi-fi when the cell signal is not adequate. When you get on the ship, it is best to put your phone into airplane mode. Then turn on wifi. Don't turn airplane mode off unless you are in a port covered by your plan. Personally, I leave airplane mode on unless I'm in a US port, since my cell plan covers US only. Wi-fi works fine in airplane mode. You do need to turn wi-fi back on after turning airplane mode on.

I have made calls over WiFi with AT&T on an iPhone. You do have to go to settings on the iPhone to set up WiFi calling. I can't speak to any phone other than iPhone or to any carrier other than AT&T. If you haven't set up WiFi calling yet, I recommend you set it up and test it at home to resolve any problems before getting on the ship.

I have run into the same problem. When cancelling an excursion, they refund the OBC portion first. Princess does not actually charge the OBC precruise. In the past (pre-pandemic), the prepaid excursions (whether paid by credit card or OBC) were all listed as charges on my onboard folio and the credit card excursion payments were all listed as refundable OBC on my folio. So I would get any refund due in the refundable OBC check after the cruise. I haven't cruised with Princess yet since the pandemic, so I don't have any recent knowledge if anything has changed.

When you mentioned the itinerary in your first post, you listed the ports but not the glaciers. All glaciers are not created equal. Several people have mentioned Glacier Bay National Park as the best glaciers to see. In addition to the glaciers themselves, Glacier Bay has National Park rangers who come onboard and give narration. They usually have a ranger working directly with the kids. Check which glaciers each of your possible cruises visit, because that does make a difference - with Glacier Bay generally considered the best choice.

Not completely true. American Queen Voyages uses US flagged ships for their Mississippi River cruises, since these are domestic US cruises. However, they use foreign flagged ships for their Alaska cruises and their Great Lakes cruises, and these cruises have the same PVSA restrictions.