muggo11

Agreed. . . I’m getting ready to go on a comped cruise with the Plus Package but I booked it last September. I have another 4 cruises booked but NONE have the Plus package. I’m hoping my play on the next cruise gets me back into PLUS status. I’m not a big drinker and it’s still a good deal for me but sad to see PLUS eliminated from casino comps.

The booking page is super-glitchy. . . Prices changing. Weird. I booked one but didn’t check carefully enough. It is for 2023, not 2025 and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to cancel the booking online. . . Do I have to call? Argh. . . .

Update—when I called to book my comped NCL cruise, I inquired again about the $800. They WERE able to apply to an already booked cruise, citing the fact that I had booked the cruise within 30 days of the Sirena sailing. It has already been applied to my booking. Given my level of play, however, this discount pales in comparison to comps I’ve been offered on Cunard and Princess. I did like that neither the NCL comp or the cash discount had an expiration date, though.

Thanks so much. . . Our 2024 WC on Coral is less than a year away. It has been so fun to follow your journey.

This thread is making me laugh. I cannot remember the last time I was “hit on”. I can’t imagine I would be insulted and report the masher (p.s. dated reference to make my peers laugh and you youngsters google it).

I finally called! The discount is only $800 but it must be used on a newly booked cruise BUT there is no expiration date on using it. AND I could also use it on Regent Seven Seas. More importantly, I learned I have a standing offer for a comped balcony from my play on an NCL cruise (also with no expiration) which no one ever told me about!

Thanks. . . I’ll keep checking. The cruise is about 6 weeks away.

This sounds so promising. I’m going to call the regular Princess line and see if they can correct my next comped cruise. The confirmation clearly states Princess Plus but the cruise personalizer shows it as Standard. I guess I could wait to get it fixed on board but it makes me nervous to wait until then!

Not yet. . . But I will and will post what I learn!

Oh, my. . . We disembark tomorrow and I haven’t heard a word about any cases (nor have I seen any “quarantine” cabins. All best wishes for a full and speedy recovery!

I enjoyed reading your live report, Joe. And Nick and I are so grateful for your excursion planning prowess. All the best to you and Jeff. I hope our paths cross again.

I am on my first Oceania cruise and was given a bounce-back offer with an unspecified discount. Does anyone have experience with this and know what I might expect? (I will, of course, call the number they gave me when I get home). Just curious about others’ experiences.

When people ask how we can travel full-time, we say it’s simple. Our parents have passed, and we have no real estate, pets or grandkids!

What a lovely thread started by a gracious Virginian (my home state). We leave in a week on our first Oceania cruise (Sirena from Aruba to Barcelona). We have cruised 42 times (Carnival, Princess, Cunard, NCL, Disney, MSC). The itinerary drew us in and we have heard so many good things, we have two more trans-oceanic Oceania cruises booked. I appreciate well-phrased candor but NOT snark, etc. The Oceania threads have been GREAT sources of info. We travel full-time and are committed to cruising across oceans to visit other continents rather than fly. We splurged on a concierge verandah but will be more frugal in the future if the Oceania experience is “for us”. I am laughing as I write this because we studied the brochure pix and have a nice preppy wardrobe. I bought a new white cotton shirt yesterday and though I haven’t owned a dress for years, bought a simple summer one to wear rather than live in my sweats. And DH is shopping for some nicer looking shorts today. He went to Duke so he has an internal preppie mindset and the requisite khaki long pants, polo and button-down shirts. We will try to look casually richer than we are, haha. And we are so happy not pack his tux, just one navy blue blazer. We can talk to anyone about anything and try to avoid braggarts and people who are rude. From what I hear, we can expect good conversations about history, culture and travel. And excellent food. We can’t wait to experience Oceania for the first time.

generally, the port fees are refunded. . . At least that’s what I’ve seen on other cruises. If so, you’ll see a small credit on your bill.

I wonder if anyone else has had better luck than I am having. I am traveling and phone calls are .25 a minute. I’m at $25.00 and counting. All 4 of my casino comped cruises show on my personalizer as Princess Basic. BUT 3 of the 4 confirmation invoices explicitly say they are Princess Plus and pre-paid gratuities. I spent 45 minutes on call #1 with someone who seemed to be making progress. Then the call got disconnected. I waited and he didn’t call me back. I called again and was put in the queue by the navigator who called me back for the first person I spoke with (she figured who it was by looking at my first booking number) 30 minutes later, I hung up. SO I have now made a 3rd call, starting from scratch to get this fixed. I am at 30 minutes and counting. And we haven’t gotten the first booking number fixed yet. And there are three more to go. At this rate, I’m eating up all my OBC and casino cash! And it doesn’t help that Princess is having another web melt-down that won’t let me into all of my cruises at once so I’m having to look at them one-by-one. I DO love Princess. BUT front line folks need to be empowered to fix things. And to give us return call extensions. OR to be able to resolve by an email with a real person. It would be great if I had a true casino host (like my land-based casino) that I could have a RELATIONSHIP with to book all my casino cruises. Sigh. . .

I am loving this thread. . . We are on the 2024 WC out of Auckland on Coral Princess. Thank you. I know you have opted to dine alone each night—is there a shared table option for folks who want to eat together? Can you just get in line for dinner and ask to sit at a shared table? I think I will miss the fixed-table, same people option. Some of our best friends have come from long cruises with the same dinner partners.

Us, too!

Our first post-Pandemic cruise on Princess will be SKY this June to Norway. I booked our specialty restaurants but there are no options for shared MDR tables past 6:20 pm. Can we just show up at 8 and ask for a shared table? Which MDR do you like and/or is one less crowded than the other 2?

I appreciate your postings. We will be on Sky this June to Norway and will be our first post-pandemic Princess cruise (we are Elite but this will be a gambling comp so different perks—it’s booked at the Standard rate). BUT, we also hope we can swap out our Elite liquor for sodas and/or coffee. . . We are also sad about the loss of fixed, shared tables. Having said that, we easily booked specialty dining on Medallion BUT it looks like there are no shared table options available past 6:20pm. We like late dining AND sitting with others (even if it will be different people each night). Is that an option for us when we’re onboard? Should we just stand in line every night around 8 and ask for a shared table? Also are any of the 3 MDRs less crowded than the others? And then again, who knows. It may change again by June 17!

Thank goodness for this thread. . . Though we are Elite with Princess, Sky Princess to Norway in June is our first post-Covid Princess cruise. I logged into Medallion and got a couple of specialty dining reservations with ease. BUT, there are no shared table options in MDR past 6:20 pm. We like late dining AND we like to eat with others (and like many others sad about the passing of fixed, late dining, shared tables). Should we just take our chances and show up for dinner at 8 and hope for a shared table in one of the 3 MDRs? For those of you who have cruised on Princess recently, how does this play out? Or does it vary by ship? thanks!

When they’re available and I can afford it, I ALWAYS try to get aft-facing balconies. Alaska, the Panama Canal, Norwegian fjords—the unobstructed views are worth their weight in gold. I have never had the soot, vibration or other problematic issues that have been mentioned by others. For our first cruise on Oceania (after dozens on Princess and Carnival), we snagged cabin 7116 on Sirena from Aruba to Barcelona. I am looking forward to seeing my feet and the wake of the ship for long stretches of time. . . TBH, it never occurred to me NOT to grab this cabin.

Opting out of this cruise as we want to spend more time exploring Barcelona. . . Good luck, all.

the puzzle of comped cruises is always changing. Carnival is now offering its Ultimate with only a discount (no more free cruises). I was told about a year ago, I could book ANY cruise (balcony) on Princess up to 19 days for taxes and fees only. We have 4 comped cruises booked but NONE of them come with Princess Plus. . . Not a big deal as we are also Elite and we’re not big drinkers. But, in general, the offers seem to be diminishing in quality.

I apologize if this has been asked and answered. . . What time are the shows. . . Trying to set my dining times. We generally prefer cocktails, the early show followed by later dining and then, for me, the casino! Appreciate any insights.