fellswoop

Just was on Jan 14th to Hawaii and got back Jan 31st. We are vaxed and triple boosted. My husband tested positive on Tues Jan 24th day 11 of cruise. We went on the cruise with an open mind knowing the possibilities. We've been on over 30 cruises. I am a nurse and decided to decrease our risks by masking in elevators,hallways theater, and crowded venues. We masked in our two excursion vans too and in 2 Ubers we took in ports. I'd say fewer then 4% were masking. We followed protocol and notified Guest Services that we had a positive self test. They then notified Medical and they called us. They accepted his positive self test but because mine was negative (and no symptoms) I was told to report 9a next day to Medical for another test. This started the isolation protocols and our room stewart or anyone could no longer enter our room. They sent expanded menus which were ok. ( I mean eggs benny for breakfast)The next day and on one additional day they sent liter water bottles. Guest Services called daily to check on us and see if we needed anything like linen, towels, trash pickup. I tested negative again next morning. I called Guest Services and asked if there was another room I could move to but they said they don't do that anymore. Ok so I'm expecting to test positive any day but I ended up with 5 negative tests. How? I dunno. But I wore a mask in room (not at night), washed my hands a lot, and because I was NOT in isolation I could still leave the room. Bummer for him but luckily he only had a cough for 4 days and fever l01.9 at worst and he was feeling good by day 5 of 6 day isolation. I asked Medical about paxlovid on his day 2 and it would be $750 plus $90 to see MD. We decided against it cuz he wasn't that bad and paxlovid isn't without problems. So I had to test 2 days in a row in Medical then every other day. Plus I tested with tests I brought just to double check. Luckily (and I highly recommend this to everyone) I brought 8 test kits plus mucinex, dayquil and niquil, advil and cough medicine for "just in case" and it was all needed. On day 6 which was our last full day at sea (and arriving in Ensenada at 3p) the nurse came to the room in the morning and he tested negative. We were glad cuz if he was positive we were going to cancel our flight next day and rent a car to drive 5 hrs home from San Diego. Also we avoided all the protocols in place to disembark. Overall we made the the best of it. I wish room service would have picked our trays up more timely. We were required to but them in hallway and our room attendants were not allowed to touch them. Once we had breakfast lunch and dinner trays in hall all day and we had made 6 calls for pickup over the course of the day including reporting to Guest Services but they just did not have enough help. Oh...on day 2 he got a letter saying fcc for days in isolation would be put in his account. We'll follow up on that Made it home and he started with sinus issues and we tested again and he is positive and back in isolation. I saw the test the nurse took and it was clearly negative but I can't speculate. Anyway our prevention measures were in place but things happen. Doing a transatlantic in April and we will still do the same masking. Any questions?

On-board right now. This week the daily program of activities featured beginner then intermediate lessons, and today featured a pickleball tournament!

Will not bring beach bag if so. Thanks.

Also on Hawaii Jan 14th cruise. When I just now checked the health protocol tools link and enter my booking number etc, it still says "Enhanced Protocols" and testing required. This is Checking 1/5/23 @ 12:30p pacific time. Go figure. 🤷‍♀️

Also on same Koningsdam voyage next week. Don't know why they also advise to download to Verifly when previous cruisers say no one asked about verifly. Also would never had even known about testing if in an email promotion about my cruise it hadn't said to "click here to learn about health and safety on your cruise". I have a feeling a lot of people will be arriving at Port of San Diego having to scramble to go buy a test.

Leaving for Hawaii soon on Koningsdam and have HIA. Husband wants to upgrade our drink package to Elite because he wants to try some better wines. Our TA called HAL today and was told that because HIA is a "promotion", to upgrade to Elite alcohol package we would have to buy it outright. What???? As TAs do, she called back 2 more times to see if she would get same answer... and it was confirmed. Not sure why HAL would not take more money when given the chance cuz doubtful anyone who already has a package would put out another $2000 for upgrade on a 17 day cruise. When we board we will check with guest services before getting our first drink. Anyone have success upgrading once on board with HIA?

La Paz and Loreto are my favorite Mexican Riviera ports! Have so much fun.

Haven't been on HAL since restart. Going next month. Did not know cabin attendant only came in 1x a day now. Can you specify morning or evening?

Received an email yesterday regarding our Koningsdam Hawaii 17 day next month. It said to check the Health Protocol link given for updates so I did. It asked for name and booking number. It says we have to test within 3 days before (can do home self test) and then advised uploading all info (I assume vaccine and covid test info) to Verifly. At bottom of protocol page it said last updated November 29th, 2022. People here have said San Diego isn't using Verifly and I didn't think we were still testing. Is this new in the last 2 weeke?

So if I purchase some OriginalLine pods will they fit in that machine?

On a previous post complaining about cutbacks in service, it was mentioned that regarding the nespresso coffee maker in the room, they are only providing espresso pods and not regular coffee pods. Is this true? Are all versions of nespresso machines able to fit the same size pod? If true I'd bring my own. Thanks for any input.

My question is, if you have the drink package can you order lattes and cappuccinos to the room? We were recently on Princess and this was available to order thru Princess Medalllion app and cost covered by drink package.

So having just read this full thread I am so confused as to how to handle potential Covid. Our 2 cruises last year we masked indoors except for eating and drinking. (Retired RN who takes reducing transmission risks seriously) We are still Novids. So if we were to test pos with our own tests and chose not to report to Medical and just isolate in our room, what does one tell the room steward? Our next cruise we splurged on a Neptune....We wouldn't want to be pulled from that to isolate elsewhere. Also if you didn't report it to Medical then not sure if you could still file a travel insurance claim should added hotel stay needed or flight changes...or could you??? I certainly have no shame or embarrassment about wearing a mask to reduce risks...and to the person who said they don't want to see anyone wearing masks...well you do you and I'll do me. I know I would never get in a packed elevator without a mask but wearing it is worth it to us to keep cruising.

Thank you so much.

Ummm thx. I was specifically looking for post restart and could not find that in search. Apparently I wasn't naming it correctly...

Was thinking of upgrading our signature beverage package to elite for better wines. But maybe we just want a wine package. I cannot find it as an offering on web site. Is it no longer available??

Off ship easily but first had breakfast at Club Class. We always try to end our cruise with a peaceful breakfast at the MDR. Often last morning in the buffet can be too frantic. I just don't know why more people don't take advantage of it. We had a Princess airport bus transfer (yes we ordered it on the Chat) then within 5 min to arriving at our meeting place (WheelHouse) we were walking off the ship Of course there was LA traffic but it was as efficient as could be expected. Customs now had facial recognition so the line was fast getting thru customs or whatever it is called. Some final observations... First off crew was amazing and after more than 30 cruises I might even call them the best we have experienced. Of course I know everyone has a different experience...but we liked their enthusiasm, ready smiles, and friendliness. Our room had some problems ( brown water, door not closing) but we even got flowers sent from the housekeeping supervisor for the water problem. Mini suite...whether you are Club Class or not, be aware of that tub/shower combo. I am 5' 6". The top of the tub you have to step over is 3 inches higher than my knee. It is a BIG climb over step and if you have any knee or hip problems it will be a challenge. Also the tub bottom is about 6 inches higher than the floor so you are stepping lower than the foot planted in the tub when you are getting out. The handicapped rooms have a walk in shower so consider that if you think it might be a challenge for you with minisuite tubs. Club Class...the bed and bedding was wonderful but they put a very heavy comforter in the duvet. We asked our room steward if she could lighten it up and it was 100% better. The Club Class dining was excellent in that the service was perfect, fast, efficient, with personable wait staff (we had same waiters each night for table of 2) who provided great bar service and food fast and always hot. The daily evening "extras" prepared right there were not extraordinary. Three nights in a row was a salad with grilled shrimps with a different dressing each night. One night there was a salad with steak. On one night they already had a sirloin offering on the menu and they offered a ribeye instead if you wanted. Additional extra offering was a red snapper and the best food I ate was lobster neuberg stuffed with lobster, scallops, and crab broiled with a cream sauce as an alternative addition to the menu. Club Class breakfast was provided daily and lunch on sea days plus also on the day of 1pm Cabo arrival. Premium Package ...the premium wines were great and the only place they weren't available was at Alfredos Pizza if Vines next door wasn't open. (Opens 4p) So my husband got around that by ordering the premium glass of wine off the app and it was delivered to him there within 10 min. Alfredos pizza. Controversial statement ahead....the BEST pizza we have had on the sea. Pepperoni and extra cheese. We ate there three times! Also, can't remember if I previously mentioned it but even tho not listed on the menu, you can order salads there too!!! The Princess Prizes...as I already mentioned, we won $25 four times from opening our door. That was nonrefundable OBC. The money won on the last day drawing was cash...1 winner of $5000 and 6 winners of $25 or $50 I think. I am not sure if the winners were pulled from all who had Princess Prizes OR you got an entry for each time you opened your door while participating in Princess Prizes. 🤷‍♀️ A person could individually buy Princess Prizes entry for the day for $20 right on the door panel. But let's face it. Of course it is a form of gambling run by the on board casino and we know the house ALWAYS has the edge. 🙂 We did not eat in the buffet at all but we did walk thru and it seemed like Princess standard. Covid...did not hear of any isolations or problems but did hear a bit more "cold like symptoms" toward the end. Now that we are home we will test day 5 just to be sure. We wore our masks on elevators, tenders that had no airflow, and in crowds, but not seated in bars or restaurants. I'd say at any time maybe 5-10% wore masks. We will do the same on our next cruise in January. Was on Discovery in August and can say without equivocation that the Princess Theater seats on the older ships (Sapphire) are wider! Liked the idea that we checked the boxes on the app and got no auction or jewelry store advertisements in our room. For all you people complaining about the paper straws...my drinks were gone long before those straws got soggy. 😉 To paraphrase something @travelin.sisters said on her wonderful "live" when Sapphire first returned to service in Sept, a Mexican Riviera cruise is sometimes done for the ports, or sometimes done multiple times just to be on a relaxing cruise. We will no doubt do it again sometime in the future.

@seagunthera First formal was day 2 the first sea day. Second formal was day 7 the sea day before Puerto Vallarta.

The Halloween party last night was a great success and many more cruisers participated than in other Halloween cruises we have been on. So much laughter at so many crazy costumes and so many of the crew participated too. Last sea day and it was chilly and breezy. At 5pm temp 64°. Just went to the Princess Prizes drawing. We had the Premium Drink plan which had included the Princess Prizes. Normally we would never pay the extra for that but this particular cruise was booked after we canceled a Celebrity b2b Mexican Riviera on the Millennium with similar dates and I really wanted to go on that ship. Sadly a few months ago Celebrity switched out the Millennium for the NOT updated Solstice and had offered us each $800 OBC not to cancel. They did not lower the price though so we bailed and saved s lot of money booking Sapphire. So we splurged on premium drinks and accompanying Princess Prizes, and Club Class. Yes Princess Prizes is very goofy but we did win a total of $100 from the door panel just from unlocking the door with the Medallion. Twice we hadn't even noticed we had won till we saw it credited to our account. It's non refundable OBC so let's just say I bought a purse in the gift shop that I otherwise would never have bought. 🙂 Always sad to be packing on that last evening but it has been a great cruise on a great ship made even better by a great staff. In the next day or so I'll wrap up with some final thoughts.

First of 2 sea days today as we head back to Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. The morning was a cool 73° and windy so decided it would not even be a good Sanctuary day, so removed all potential drama and cancelled thru Crew Chat. Crew Chat on the app is one of the most useful tools and I encourage everyone to use it any time (24 hours) you have a question or problem that you otherwise would stand in line for at Guest Services. (and also for things you just want to know) I messaged them about 5x thru the cruise and always had an answer back within 15 min or less. Example....my door won't close and lock and I need maintenance....how many people will be on next cruise?...Can I cancel our Sanctuary reservation on this Chat? (Yes!) Is the World Series going to be shown anywhere on the ship? Play with the app when you get on the ship. Watch the safety video on the app when you first get on the ship. Order room service and coffees to your room. Order a bottle of wine. Click on every section. It was days before I finally found where I could find the daily MDR menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can find the nearest bathrooms to wherever you are at. Get the weather temp and current ship heading. And of course you can find your shipmate's location. (I'm told that can be disabled if you choose) If you're one of those people who wait to be on-board before booking your excursions then you can do it on the app easily. Your account and all your charges are available to review on the app. For all the complaints I have read about the Medallion and the app, I believe they are slowly working out the bugs and making improvements. But one thing for sure...if you do not have a Smart Phone then you can do everything the way you always did no worries! Today is Halloween. Looking forward to seeing some creative costumes tonight.

Story Time....last night we ate again at Sterling Steakhouse. Our first visit was comped as part of our Premier Package but we had some OBC to use so went again. The service and waitstaff were wonderful and just like the first time the food was perfection. We were seated nearest the entrance in a window seat. By the end of our dinner there were no guests near us and it was very quiet in there. We were finishing our desserts.The hostess was at the entrance podium and a man carrying what looked like his empty buffet dishes walked unsteadily into the restaurant and was talking a little louder than you would expect. ( the steakhouse on this ship is in the back part of the buffet) Waitstaff immediately take the dishes from him but he continues talking about how he is going to be comped by the casino to come and eat there the next night. My first impressions was he was impaired. After several minutes they were able to seemingly send him on his way. The hostess and maitre d were no longer at the entrance podium and the man came back in and made a bee line to our table closest to the entrance. He was trying to converse with us and leaning into our table talking pretty much nonsensical. We could see no waitstaff, hostess, or maitre d around and then...he did a full uncovered cough into our table...and I am not kidding!!! My husband and I are now looking at each other with eyebrows raised and wide eyes and each holding our napkins over our mouths and noses to try to somewhat buffer the germs from his cough. I then start waving to the other side of the room to a waiter and was able to get his attention. Two people came to escort him away and I did tell them he coughed right on us. We waited a few minutes till we were sure he was gone. We said goodbye to our server who had not seen anything as he was gone to the kitchen to pick up an order. I'm assuming that neither the hostess or maitre d knew it had happened as no one came to our table with an apology. I'm sure if they did know they would have been apologetic and maybe even comped our meal. In hindsight the hostess at first encounter with him with slurred speech and unsteady gait and armful of dishes should have called security to escort him to his room and/or make sure he had no medical emergency. Any thoughts??? Anything similar happen to you? What would you have done?

I would encourage you to become familiar with the Princess app to complete your precruise checklist, and when your cruise becomes close, you will be allowed to pick your boarding times. You need to jump on that as soon as that is available to get your preference. With my most recent cruise in LA, (port of San Pedro) those who came early were allowed to check in but had to be seated until their time was called. I did Discovery Alaska in Aug and check in was a terrible free for all. We waited in line just for security for over an hour and then there was the check in line. I have a feeling they will or should be changing the check in process in Seattle because in LA it was 17 min from getting out of shuttle to boarding the ship.

You are absolutely correct regarding first world problems. No matter the outcome it will have no bearing on this wonderful cruise. We realize the staff is still in a learning process. And @Vexorg I hope your wife is better today. I've overheard 2 other conversations re unacceptable air conditioning and 1 person complaining their room is way too cold inspite of setting to warmest setting. I'm afraid since restart 3 cruises ago (we're on the 4th) there have been problems they are still trying to correct. Sitting with minimal use for 2 1/2 years will likely require a lot of maintenance catch up. Stayed on board today in Puerto Vallarta. Warm and muggy weather and multiple previous visits here enticed up to enjoy the quiet ship sipping adult beverages and catching up on reading and podcasts. Dining at the steakhouse again tonight to use up some onboard credit. Of interest, during specialty restaurant hours you can order on the app foods from Sterling and Sabatini’s for a la cart charges. What is missing that we have noted is one used to be able to order a steak from the steakhouse for an extra charge in the MDR. That no longer is available nor is any steak available on the always available menu.

@capriccio Well tomorrow we are scheduled again for the Sanctuary. I'm afraid to even try to reconfirm the pricing as it appears they did not charge us for that first not so good day in the Sanctuary. Our experience on the ship is that you are immediately charged for any services.(ie we ordered a $4 hummus plate from room service and it was on our "Journey Account " before it arrived to our room) So tomorrow if we don't like our new assigned seating we reluctantly accepted (after they gave away our prime reserved seats)...the cone chairs that may be potentially breezeless and claustrophobic...we will politely leave and make sure we are again not charged.

Mike...I sent a message asking on crew chat...they responded sorry but no.