J-D

7 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

I'm sorry your excursion did not go well. It sounds horrible to be stuck beside the road in a bus.

 

We were also on the excursion today that was supposed to go to Baddeck and the A. G. Bell Museum.  Though the bus breakdown and cancellation were disappointing, most passengers took the situation well and patiently, and gave credit (and a few tips) to the guide and driver for the way they handled the situation.  A local RCMP officer also spent hours with us, helping to keep traffic away from the disabled bus and (later) shuttling some pax back to Sydney in his cruiser. -- J-D

What about AZ/Covishield?  Has anyone seen any recent information as to whether Princess is accepting the Covishield (Indian-manufactured) version of AstraZenica as being equivalent to AstraZenica manufactured in Europe or the U.S.?   Like numerous other Canadians, one of us was given the Covishield version of AZ when our authorities were saying "get the first vaccine offered".   We realize that, whether or not Princess eventually  accepts Covishield, some countries do not presently accept it.

On 6/16/2021 at 12:07 PM, sattva said:

...Did Pacific Princess have a history of mechanical problems? ...

We were on the Pacific Princess for her Christmas-New Year 2019-20 cruise, just before she departed on a Panama Canal transit and WC that was terminated by Covid.  She was in good shape as far as we could tell.  We were very much looking forward to several future booked cruises on the Pacific Princess when Covid struck and then the ship was sold.  However, we are now looking forward to re-boarding her under Azamara auspices.

8 hours ago, Dr H said:

...There is also a big problem apparently with Astra Zeneca vaccine produced in India. India, not the EU or USA.  Definitely holds true with entry into the EU entries, at least at this time. ...

Also an issue for some here in Canada, where many of the doses of AstraZeneca administered in spring 2021 were the Covishield variety of AZ manufactured in India.  Quite a few people in Canada got AZ/Covishield for their first dose and then European- or US-manufactured AZ for their 2nd.  And now Canadians who got some variant of AZ for their first dose are being advised to get Pfizer or Moderna for their 2nd, if they haven't already received their 2nd dose. 

Hope that full approval for all these combinations will be forthcoming from all relevant authorities, and that that Azamara will accept them as constituting full vaccinations.

Likewise, we predominantly sail on Princess, but without "full" vaccination of crew and pax, we would not sail with Princess in the foreseeable future.  After having so many bookings cancelled over the past 15 months, it would be distressing to cancel more.  However, to us it would seem indefensible to get aboard a ship with many unvaccinated people when the risk could be easily minimized by a vaccination mandate. 

We hope Princess commits to at least the 95/98% approach, and demonstrates that they can operate safely before we have to make a decision about any of our current bookings.

On 4/29/2021 at 12:13 AM, satxdiver said:

...

This is for all cruise lines owned by CCL Corporation.  So for Princess:

PRINCESS CRUISES* Booking Support 24303 Town Center Drive, Suite 200 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 Tel 800 872 6779 ext. 30317 Fax 661 753 0180 Email: sbpcl@princesscruises.com

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/50351a91-4dc0-4f6b-bfec-684647e6129f

The version of the form at the above link says it is good for cruises up to July 2022.  Has anyone tried to get Shareholder Credit for later cruises, and if so, was it approved?  We have cruises booked for Aug. 2022 and July 2023, and it would be nice to have the credits now to cover some Shorex bookings.

It has been over a year since I last checked PVP provisions.  However, in the past, PVP provided some coverage for a total of 4 days before and/or after the cruise itself, e.g. from 3 d before embarking to 1 d after disembarking, or from 1 d before embarking to 3 d after disembarking.  Depending how long before the first cruise you left home, and how long after the 2nd cruise you were travelling before returning home, there might be coverage for some (but very likely not all) days between cruises. 

However, it might be difficult to get an unequivocal advance determination about the coverage.  In the past, the PVP policy was vague about the 4-extra-days provisions, and in my  experience, repeated calls to the insurance provider often resulted in variable answers about those provisions.  Also, consider the limited coverage under PVP compared to what is often available through 3rd party policies. 

6 minutes ago, mreasier said:

Princess continues to push us away.  They continue to sell the ships we love and build ships we hate (Royal Class).

Indeed.  With the departure of Pacific Princess, this is three more cancelled Princess cruises for us:  in the Med on 2 Oct. 2021, out of Tahiti on 8 Feb. 2022, and then Tahiti to Sydney  18 Feb. 2022.   Sadly, we will no longer be able to look to Princess for most of our cruises when cruising finally resumes.

7 hours ago, TTEllis said:

Princess has the Sun class ships, every ship Princess has that's not Grand Class or Royal Class needs to be turned into an artificial reef somewhere on the bottom of ocean.

To each his or her own, but of the 5 Princess cruises we have booked for 2021-22, four are to be on the Pacific Princess.  If she leaves the fleet, we'll be looking to other lines for many of our future cruises--especially if the Coral and Island are also gone.

Concur that departing (or arriving) Sydney Harbour is spectacular whether it is daytime, nighttime, or twilight.

12 hours ago, skynight said:

 ... The Sea was also transferred to P&O where some modifications were made. After a few years there it returned to Princess which I think was for the 2005/06 winter season. In 2006 we sailed a 14 day Caribbean itinerary with embarkation/disembarkation in both Ft. Lauderdale and Barbados. The embarkation/disembarkation option in Barbados was appreciated by Princess' UK customers. I think this was the only season this itinerary was offered...

We were on one of Sea Princess's 14-day circle Caribbean cruises out of Barbados in February 2008.

John

12 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Fantastic, wish I could get my husband on a longer cruise as your cruise looks wonderful.  As for transferring deposits, will that mean that you don't get the extra 100% bonus on your October 2020 FCD?  I left our's as is because we had an unused FCD and didn't want to lose the bonus so we left that alone.  It's not a lot of money but I'll take every little bit that they are offering.

We each needed to provide 2 deposits for Feb.'22 as we booked the new trip as two b2b cruises rather than a single combined cruise; the intent was to maximize flexibility. 

If I've understood correctly, our deposits for one of the new cruises are to be covered by transferring the FCDs that we had used for the deposits on the first of the Oct'20 cruises (no FCC). 

Our deposits for the 2nd new cruise will be covered by a pair of previously-unused FCDs rather than a transfer from the 2nd cancelled cruise, for which we had paid the deposits directly, not via FCDs.  For the deposits on the 2nd cancelled cruise, we are supposed to (eventually) receive double FCC.  

J-D

2 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

We are booked!  The itineraries were out there earlier than they had indicated and our wonderful TA grabbed our desired cabin for us.  Now to wait 19+ months for this cruise.

Likewise, our diligent TA was able to get us booked for the combined 8 Feb. '22 RT Tahiti cruise + 18 Feb. '22 Tahiti-Sydney cruise a few minutes before the announced release time.  That included arranging for Princess to transfer an existing deposit on one of our cancelled Oct.'20 Tahiti bookings to the new booking.  We hope that the long wait will provide enough time for COVID to fade away and/or for an effective vaccine to become widely available and used. 

J-D

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The Caribbean Princes is a super sized Grand class ship (one extra deck than the Ruby, Emerald, Crown). ... Princess hasn't learned yet that when they add additional decks, they need to do something about increasing the size of the Princess Theater...either more shows or something.  

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

This seems oddly stated as all of those ships have the Riviera Deck added. I've sailed all 4 and had no issues at all with overcrowding.

We have also been aboard the Caribbean and each of the other three enlarged Grand-class ships having the added Riviera deck.  We've also been on all the original Grand class ships plus the Diamond (with her broader beam).  We certainly have experienced additional crowding aboard the ships with the Riviera deck, several hundred more pax, and lower space-ratios. 

For us, the main issue aboard the Caribbean and the other 3 enlarged Grand-class ships is the frequent extra delay in getting seats in Anytime Dining; the insufficient space in the Princess Theatre is also a concern.  However, we still prefer any of those ships to the even-larger Royal-class ships.

Another long-time reader of your blog here.  Glad to see the confirmation that your recent "silence" was just attributable to the bad internet connection from Majestic.  Looking forward to seeing the accumulated backlog of posts when you can upload them.  Safe travels home when you disembark.

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I was beginning to think I was given incorrect information about the Med Center entrance.  But one other poster has recalled it being on the Port side.  I was told by someone who has been on this ship many times that the entrance is on the Port side, so I had considered a Starboard cabin (we booked an Inside on Deck 7 for now).

 

Glad that the prevailing opinion in recent posts is that the Med Center entrance is on the port side (near even-numbered cabins), as I recalled from visits a few weeks ago.  After seeing the comments about proximity to odd-numbered cabins, I was starting to doubt my sense of direction...

John

Based on a couple of recent visits to the Medical Center on "Pacific Princess", I'd say that it is in a fairly quiet area with relatively little foot traffic.  Also, my strong recollection is that the entrance (or at least the main entrance) is from the port-side passageway, with even-numbered cabins such as 4026 -- not from the starboard passageway and its odd-numbered cabins.  Perhaps there is another entrance from the starboard passageway (I didn't look), but if so, that would not be the main entrance used by passengers. 

John

1 hour ago, Yehootu said:

...The airline doesn't need to know if you are carrying one, only if you plan on using it.

That view certainly makes sense.  However, airline personnel have told me at least twice that their passengers are required to provide advance notice that they will be bringing a CPAP machine aboard the aircraft, whether or not they wish to use it aboard.  On one occasion when I provided advance notice, I was bumped from my exit row seat  to a standard (too small) seat when boarding.  That reportedly occurred because, as a result of my advance notification, I was listed as needing special accommodation and therefore ineligible for the exit row.  Nowadays I just declare the CPAP machine at security and then bring it aboard; nothing is said about it on boarding. 

On 9/25/2019 at 1:17 PM, Yehootu said:

You must first make sure you have a seat with power available. Call the Airline and advise you are using a CPAP/BIPAP. If you're on the flight manifest not a problem ( at least in the Friendly Skies ). ... 

Be aware that, if you contact your airline in advance about bringing a CPAP machine onboard, they may flag your reservation as being in a "special needs" category that prohibits you from sitting in an exit row (even if you don't need to use the CPAP in flight).  Depends on the airline and probably on chance. 

I no longer advise the airline in advance that I'll be hand carrying a CPAP (which I don't use in flight).  I stopped notifying them in advance about the CPAP after I was bumped out of my reserved exit-row seat because of the (unused) CPAP.  Now I just show up, and have never been challenged about having an extra carry-on (the CPAP) or about having booked an exit row seat.  I do try to keep my "standard" carry-on at or below the official size limits, so that it plus the CPAP case don't take much (if any) more space than what many other people are carrying aboard.

John 

1 hour ago, Alaskanb said:

You order the distilled water on your Personalizer under Accesibility and Dietary Requests.They can provide an extension cord but we take our own. 

Likewise.  However, I have rarely needed to use my extension cord for my CPAP in a Princess cabin -- the standard cord has always(?) been long enough.  On the other hand, an extension cord is sometimes needed for hotels we've stayed in en route to or from the cruise.  

The distilled water ordered in advance via the Personalizer has always been provided by Princess, but usually not until late on embarkation day, after I've spoken to the room steward to make sure it really will be delivered. -- John

Thanks for the interesting review and excellent photos.  Brings back good memories of our time on the Emerald Princess's similar "North Cape & Summer Solstice" cruise in June 2016.   Looking forward to your account of the last part of your cruise.  Hope your half-day in Bergen was a little less wet than ours...

John

16 minutes ago, capriccio said:

...Some itineraries (92 day Circle South America and 21 day Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands from Brisbane) are already sold out!

Just to clarify, the Circle SAm and the PNG/Soloman cruises are--as of this hour--available from other ports of origin.  However, some cabin categories are already said to be sold out or filling up quickly.  We were interested in the 24-day Sydney to Tokyo cruise departing in April 2021, and a substantial # of cabins on that trip are already shown as sold.  We have one of them... 

John

10 hours ago, J-D said:

Has anyone seen anything specific as to when those of us in North America will be able to see the USD and CAD pricing for the Australia-based Pacific Princess cruises in early 2021?  And when those cruises will be available for bookings by Elites and by Others in North America? ...

Well, I can now answer my own question of earlier today.  The cruises in question (at least those scheduled for April 2021) appeared on the Princess website with pricing in CAD sometime around 18:30 EDT today, 10 July.  Allowing for the 14-hr time difference, that was within minutes of the "08:30 AEDT on 11 July" time when Princess Australia had said they would become available (to Elites) in Australia.

John

Has anyone seen anything specific as to when those of us in North America will be able to see the USD and CAD pricing for the Australia-based Pacific Princess cruises in early 2021?  And when those cruises will be available for bookings by Elites and by Others in North America?   

I called Princess this morning and the CSA could not provide any of that information.  Her system apparently showed the existence of Australia-based cruises up to the 30 March 2021 short "Getaway" sailing, but nothing about the sailings to PNG/Solomans, and to Japan, in April 2021.  As I write this on 10 July, the announced release-time for Australians is just a few hours away for "Elites", and a little over a day away for others.

John

3 hours ago, Clampram said:

I am a very frequent business traveller and I do check my CPAP in my large luggage. It is in its' protective case and well padded by my clothes. Have done this many times without problems. I have to carry work data and forms and my laptop so in my case, it's worth it to check the CPAP. This can safely be done

I also was a frequent business traveller for a few decades.  Considering how many times my checked luggage has been "delayed" for anything from a few hours up to 2 weeks, I would never check my CPAP when flying to a cruise -- especially if embarkation is within a day or two of the flight.  (Actually, I would never check a CPAP under any circumstances; besides the "delayed luggage" incidents, my checked bag has been severely damaged more than once, and another time -- en route to a cruise -- was soaked by water.)

Though a CPAP machine is not supposed to be counted (at least on North American airlines) against your carry-on limit, be aware that you are sometimes not allowed to sit in an exit row if you have a CPAP as an "extra" carry-on.  It doesn't matter that you don't need to use the CPAP during the flight -- during boarding you still may be bumped out of your reserved exit row seat to whatever (cramped) seat might still be available at the last minute.

John