voljeep

7 minutes ago, c-boy said:

well that sucks ! curious as to how the staff will handle this.

well, time to pull out the "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM" card ...

3 minutes ago, MissiCruzs said:

This morning was our Slot Pull. 50 of us participated and we used one of the new machines. We did 5 spins on a $4 bet. After everyone finished we were a little short each of our original bet of $20.  One of the group suggested we just play it out so our highest winner was elected to do the job. We would have stopped if he'd hit a big jackpot and cashed out but it wasn't in the cards... or slots so to speak... Everyone said they had a great time and that's the point... to have fun. 

50 people - wow - how long did that process take place from spin to payout?

if you have medallion in hand, green lane - can you get on board any quicker - even a minute or so ( how many passengers does that put you ahead of ) in order to get to the sanctuary, or to get to a specialty dining venue to secure reservations (with OBC)

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Ah yes. The memories coming rushing back, especially when driving around in sub-zero temperatures waiting for the air-cooled engine to start producing warm air through the heat vents! 🤣

defroster??? stick up your hand and wipe ...  good times! - NO a/c, but we had plenty of tunes with the 8-track

20 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

driving by in my VW minivan. Ah yes, Alaska can definitely leave some lasting impressions,

in a minivan in the 70's - yeah, I bet you've got some memories ... heck, I've even got memories from my vw bug in the 70's😈

have a great trip - Alaska was our 'first' in 2007 on Diamond P ... and you never forget your first🥂

what didn't you like about the CB? - 

3 minutes ago, Drew B 58 said:

It is definitely relative.

 

I prefaced my statement by saying once gratuities and WiFi are factored in.  That presupposes that those are charges you would otherwise pay for.  If not, then that changes the calculus completely.  However, with that caveat in place, Plus is <$20/day more and Premier is <$40-day more.  While I’m not saying that is nothing, from my perspective it IS “only a little bit more” in the bigger picture…

Princess 'values' wifi at $750 pp per month (for reference) 30days x $25 pd

I value it at $0 on the ship ... but will grant P about $3 per day 'per cabin' when factoring in the package on board value.

For us - the drink portion of PLUS is $40 pp pd ... disregarding the 'fluff' 

5 minutes ago, vwlmember said:

I just received the notification and am not a casino player. Guess I will go back to Royal since they seem to have their act together.

 

Good call - if anything you have learned from the SUN P and now STAR P about booking

cruises when they first start sailing...

30 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

thank you for that suggestion, I will ask for her. 

following along and hope to join you someday (SUN P)?  Got cleared by the surgeon yesterday - all healed good, see you in 6 months - EXCELLENT.

2 minutes ago, TinyG said:

How is the water, juice counted? Towards the 15 total?

nope ... neither is soda or coffee - just alcoholic drinks count to the 15 per Princess day - which is 6am to 6am - no rollover at midnight...

livin' the dream

1 minute ago, chrysalis said:

We got one last week....Princess was mentioned in the return area on the envelope, and in the documentation inside.

THANKS !!

2 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

The hypotheticals about not being able to book recruiters and thus owed a refund are a bit silly.

not a single thing "hypothetical"  ... wait - what is able to book "recruiters"? - we tried to book a table in a ... nevermind, of course it didn't happen, sorry

3 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

it comes in a plain white envelope from Bottomline Technologies that looks like junk mail.  

when was the last time you received a check?

and there was NO reference as to Princess Cruises in the return address?

your move over offer will be more if you have previously purchased PLUS or Premier as it is included in the cruise fare for future refundable OBC

14 minutes ago, memoak said:

I don’t understand why a casino cruise or suites have anything to do with judging walking into Sabatini’s at 8:00 and being seated. They don’t know our cabin assignment until we are asked to pay

walkin v reservation?

"do you know who I am?"

thanks for your honest responses. Unique situations for different people.  I just know 'exactly' what happened to us ... and want to post that for reference, as you do yours

all good - have a great cruise!!

9 minutes ago, memoak said:

On the Ruby now. Walked past Crown Grille at 7:45 and it was nearly empty

Casino cruise?

Suite?

Length of cruise?

I like the 'new' arrangements ... and really like that if you pre-book early, late traditional, or a specific reserved time ... and you can't make it, that you can still go to the buffet or other non-mdr dining venues ... as to not disturb the others that opted to book the walk-in status

4 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Sometimes the token machine was empty and they gave you tokens.  Other times $3.50 I think.  Water on board is very soft with no minerals.  It is basically desalinated water.  Used detergent sheets or pods just fine

Pro-Tip - get your tokens early if you know you are going to use them

4 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

May I ask what problems you’re having pre-booking a specialty restaurant?  I had issues when I first tried it, too, but I figured out how to do it and without being charged to my credit card.  Maybe I could help?

none ... yet 😉   I was just responding to the OP and others about... well - I had a real life I was there not maybe about trying to book specialty dining once onboard with OBC and it couldn't happen ... I, err she, could still spend the OBC ... could she spend the un "AVAILABLE" dining credits???

11 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

These are holds placed on your method of payment to assure the money is there. At the end of the cruise, a one time charge will occur for the total. The holds will disappear after some time. If you used a debit card, this money will not be available until after the holds clear. This is why it is not recommended to use a debit card for your cruise.

Extreme example ...

I secure my account/folio with a debit card attached to a checking account that has about $2K in it ... that limits my 'immediate' liability to that in case of a medical emergency on board charged to my folio ... 

10 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

FYI - in case you were unclear, there's no refunds for unused specialty or casual dining. 

 

"What if I don’t use the specialty dining or casual dining meals included in my package?

The specialty dining credits are available only for your current voyage, are non-refundable if not used and cannot be redeemed for cash" .

 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages

 

Good luck demanding some type of refund..

 

I want to book the Catch at 6:30 on Tuesday night if the ship's not 'rockin ... what???

1 minute ago, reedprincess said:

Are you going to demand a refund for a reserved seat if they're full or released before you arrive?  And what, exactly, is the value there?

Demand a refund for any unused exercise classes, if you're physically unable to use them?

Demand a refund of premium desserts if you're diabetic? 

What if you want to eat at Sabatini's, but soa e is only available at Crown? Do you demand a refund then? 

Seriously? SMH.. 

Good luck. They don't owe you a refund if a venue is booked up. Particularly given the savings over buying everything separately..

 

It's extremely rare for a specialty restaurant to be completely booked out. Of course, it's a risk, but it's rare. 

if you're attempting reservations for October and not getting through - are you sailing Sun? Those reservations aren't even open yet. And there's 7 specialty restaurants, you'll have options, when they open..

Anyways, let us know, lol..

 

 

I don't "demand" - I'm not irrational.

"any"

j/s

4 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

No you're not entitled to any compensation.

If you don't go to an exercise class you're not compensated for that.  If you don't eat multiple times at a casual venue, you're not compensated.. and so forth.  

 

Yes, I've not been able to use both specialty dinners due to full venues, it didn't even cross my mind to demand compensation for such.  I used all sorts of the other things - and that's a risk you take, particularly buying aboard..  Maybe the venues will be full, maybe You're physically challenged and can't use the exercise classes - should you be compensated for that? 

SMH.  No, there's no refund for unused portions. 

totally disagree, sorry ...  IF I make a pre-cruise attempt to book specialty dining with the Premier Package (which we have in October) and not able to ... then try to book onboard, and can't for "any restaurant at any time, please try to do a walk-up and see if anyone has cancelled"  you better believe I will seek the compensation for being denied, as it was a main reason from booking Premier over PLUS.

24 minutes ago, Coral said:

They could easily have solved their "dining issues" by building larger dining rooms and having more alternative free dining venues that are desirable to pull people away from the dining rooms. Their dining rooms have never been large enough to handle people with reservations. If a table is reserved at 6:15 or 6:30, no one can eat at the table before hand. So it sits empty.

 

Having "dined my way" several times, I have been extremely frustrated with the dining experience.

lack of staff as likely - cooks, waiters, servers 

5 minutes ago, RNRcruisers said:

Yay! I’m so excited to have traditional dining back!

as an option - perfect ...

but for the rest of us ... also perfect