Mingus

9 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

We were on the Sapphire in March for 32 days (Buenos Aires to LA) and below is a photo of the hair dryer in our mini-suite.

 

 

 

We've had this useless style of hair dryer in the past and have always been able to get a decent, plug-in one from the room steward.

6 hours ago, JustCruzin77 said:

Has anyone done a Princess CAD at par cruise?
Is it just at par for booking, or is on board spending also at par?

 

Just completed an "at par" cruise. Only the cruise fare was at par, but not the taxes & fees, nor the on-board charges.

47 minutes ago, SleepyBunny said:

Another vote for the Pacific Moon here. Loved many of the waiters we had there.  Ionel (HW) and Riza (welcome desk) both helped run a tight ship!

Francisco, also in Pacific Moon, is an excellent head waiter (restaurant manager).

Just disembarked the Sapphire today.

We had reserved a table for 2 in Pacific Moon. There was only one 2-topper next to the window, with 4 others with a window view. Most of the other 2-toppers were against the inside wall.

We came out through Savoy after a galley tour and it had more 2-toppers with a window view.

On 5/2/2023 at 10:21 PM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I was sent to the crew manned wine table by security in Vancouver 3 days ago when I boarded Sapphire. 

We went through security just before 10 am and there was no table set up.

1 hour ago, new2cruise said:

What time were you allowed to board?

10:30

We wanted to play pickleball on a recent Emerald Princess cruise. The court floor had a plastic "waffle type" overlay, which didn't allow the ball to bounce. People ended up just volleying or using a tennis ball. Asked the CD if they could remove the overlay, but said he wasn't allowed to.

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

Guarantee fares yes. But basic fares where you choose cabins are still refundable. 

The new guarantee fares are what used to be the basic fares, i.e. basic fares have increased to allow for refundable deposits.

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

I am waiting for Princess to follow HAL and make fares that do not include a package non-refundable.

No need to wait.....Princess has already made deposits for the lowest fare (guarantee) non-refundable.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2924089-new-all-guarantee-cabins-non-refundable/

On 3/16/2023 at 1:06 PM, Momperson3 said:

 I would like to know if anyone has been on a Princess cruise after January 1st of this year & if there were cutbacks at dinner

 

We were on the Jan.17, 2023 sailing of the Emerald Princess and had great dinners every night.

There were changes to some "available every day" menu items, e.g. lasagna instead for fettuccini alfredo. Unlike some other cruise lines, there is no extra charge for additional entrees (yet).

On lobster night, our friend asked for 3 lobster tails.....but the waiter brought him 4 instead!!!

I noticed the non-refundable deposits back on March 4th, in my posting.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2921106-non-refundable-deposits/#comment-64946775

At that time, the non-refundable deposit only applied if the customer chose the lowest fare guarantee cabin. Now it seems that has changed to 2 types of fare options....refundable & non-refundable deposits.

53 minutes ago, sirclean said:

I just submitted it.  I got an instant reply that it may take 21 days to process!  Hopefully it will get done faster  (as we leave in 14 days!)

My fault for waiting! 

IF I dont have the credit by Tuesday night I will fax it over and hope it gets done then.

You can try calling Princess booking support on Monday, at 800-872-6779 (press 3).

If you get through (if they're busy, forwards to the general queue), they can find your email and apply the obc while you're on the phone.

My last Princess cruise, just this past January, was still at 1.25 🙂

Booked in May 2022.

I've been looking at cruises for late 2023 and early 2024.....so they're not in the penalty period.

I noticed that in choosing some guaranteed staterooms, the deposit is non-refundable.

Yet, when choosing a guaranteed on another deck or choosing a specific stateroom, the deposit is refundable.

Example:

Royal Princess, Sept. 25, 2023, inside forward cabin.

Deck 16 guaranteed - non-refundable deposit

Deck 14 guaranteed - refundable

Cabin B105 - refundable

Other sailings have similar results.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this something new?

Hopefully it will be completed before May 1st.....we're embarking on April 29th.

Picking up the medallion at the port has been just like picking up the old cruise card.....very fast.

9 hours ago, CaptainPedantic said:

 

And according to the latest Annual Report published yesterday, the benefit has indeed been continued: 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/static-files/ef80ac8c-e40e-42ad-ba8e-62a02fb13d6d

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

No big surprise as they always do that, and there is no reason not to.

A big reason might be their net debt of $30.5B, as of Nov 2022.

The big box travel agency has a very convenient online cancel option. Would be great if Princess offered that as well. 

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There is no Canadian proof of vaccination as proof is issued by the provinces, not by the federal government. For Alberta, the proof can be found at https://covidrecords.alberta.ca/home

Our B.C. proof of vaccination is not valid for international travel.

Looks like it's different for Alberta.

"The following provinces are issuing a separate provincial COVID-19 proof of vaccination that includes a QR (quick response) code:

• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Quebec

These provinces also issue the Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination.

Provincial COVID-19 proof of vaccination can be used within the province. However, you should use the Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination when you travel internationally."

Should get the Canada proof of vaccination QR code.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/vaccines/vaccine-proof.html

Go to Travel Checklist/Personal Information & Documents/Arrivals/Select Property/Arrival Group

1 hour ago, hobbyfarmer2 said:

We want to treat our first time fellow travelers to a Crown Grill meal in mid Nov.  I note that we can purchase OBC using the website for multiples of $125 $CAD but our shipboard account is in $USD.  Does this $125 $CAD equate to $100 $USD or will a conversion be made using the current exchange rate at time of purchase?

Yes, it will be USD on the shipboard account.

You can also purchase C$31.25 (US$25) and C$62.50 (US$50) OBC.

1 hour ago, NWT Cruiser said:

 

We are flying from Yellowknife on Air Canada to New York City.  When we get to Toronto we switch to United Airlines (everything was booked with Air Canada and they are the ones that booked us this way).  Can we check our luggage all the way from Yellowknife to NYC or do we have to get our luggage and re-check in?  Don't have much time to connect.

Yes, your luggage "should" be checked through to NYC. However, on a recent flight (YVR-YYZ-LGA), our luggage was delayed for 2 days (it didn't make the connecting flight). Luckily, we spent 4 days in NY before our cruise.

Be aware you may have a long walk (depending on you arrival gate) to the F gates (Terminal 1) for US departures. Also, you'll have to clear CATSA security and US CBP Preclearance in Toronto. These may have long lineups.

Here are a couple of useful sites:

https://www.torontopearson.com/en/connections

https://www.torontopearson.com/en/departures/us-customs-pearson

2 hours ago, QueenB4ever said:

I'm having the same problem with trying to enter a Canadian postal code.

Same problem as well.....trying to enter my credit card for the shipboard payment method.

I just entered a zip code (98230 is close by to us in Blaine, WA) and goes through ok.

There's no option to choose "country".

Thanks for the link.....flying on AC in August.