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What did you like about the other cruise lines? Besides the pricing, what makes you want to consider Princess again? What are your expectations? I have tried some of the other lines. I like the Princess brand for the balance between fares and excellent service. I will not take a cruise on the Royal or Sphere class ships. Just personal preference. My cruise days are numbered since I am aging, my ships are disappearing, and I don’t care to travel far distances. Princess is comfortable. The service is above the norm. I can always find something to eat. Princess has changed: some for the better, some they did not think through, and some they should have left alone. The only way you will know if Princess is a good fit for you is to pick a destination and book a cruise. “Critics” will always ring louder than those of us who are happy with Princess.

On the Grand/Caribbean Princess ships, there is a table near the exit door that will have water and canned soda. If you have a medallion, they will scan it. If you have Plus or Premier, it won't cost you anything and doesn't count against your 15 alcoholic drinks. Often the water is chilled. For the sake of convenience, I find it easier to grab a bottle from the bar the night before. Then when I am preparing for the day, I include the water in my carry off bag. Otherwise, you are struggling with your medallion, crowds of people, and no hands free.

IF...she was able to independently get on and off the tender in the Caribbean, it should be the same. IF... she is able to navigate the unsteadiness of the loading platform by herself, she should be fine. (They will assist but not "carry" her onboard.) IF...the wheelchair can collapse, they will load it on/off to the tender. There is an elevator from deck 4 to the loading platform.

As wonderful as the view is in Skywalkers....it is sooooo far and out of the way before dinner. Limited elevator service (2). They will hold it in one of the Grand/GEM/Crown ship public venues on Deck 7 if there are too many people. I forgot the cut off number (not an important piece of information to keep in my cluttered files/memory). Haven't been to one in ages. They are the only ones to have pretzel rolls.

I agree. I held on to gift cards for too long. Many went under during the pandemic. Never give Princess money early (unless you know something is going up). BTW....Princess will apply reimbursement debit cards to your account or cash them out. I've had several $10 settlement cards and took them to customer service desk. One agent didn't know how to do it (said no). Person standing next to her showed her how to do it.

Princess must have made some arrangement with the credit/debit/gift card company. You are able to have funds applied back to the card. BE AWARE....you have to have the card number and pin! Do not discard paper work or physical cards. Now, doing so is not as simple as purchasing them.

@phabric Keep checking your sister's excursion. It may drop back to original after the sale. Too bad she didn't have a screen shot or other "proof".

BOGO = Buy One Get One Need to get with the times. No where does it say FREE. BOGOFree

Unless this is a helicopter tour, you might be able to do better with an independent/on your own tour. Which tour is this? Maybe @Astro Flyercan chime in here. IF...it's to Haleakala or Road to Hana, I would definitely use a ship's tour. Too much can happen that you may not make it back to the ship (especially if it is the last port).

I had a really tight connection after Air Canada cancelled my flights and EZ Air rebooked me. I bit the bullet and reserved my seat on the first flight so I could get off the plane almost immediately. Sage advice from fellow cruise critic members. There are some direct flights from Miami to LHR. Don't know where you have to go for your port. I avoid connecting flights if I can.

Google is your friend. 1. Check prices on your favorite carrier directly. 2. Pull up your cruise but do not sign in. There is a “Quote” tab on the bottom right. Click on it and look up flight information. I have found that if you book EZ Air early (330 days from date it return), International fares are generally cheaper. Plus flexible. You have up to 45 days from cruise date to continue to refare for a lower fare without any penalties or payment. Well, it is due at final payment time, but can be changed or cancelled up to 45 days for a refund. It can be more work than booking directly (reserve and done). I check to see if I can refare a couple of times a week. This time, the fare never dropped lower than what I had reserved. For me, the possible changes by the airlines, is a nuisance. But EZ Air has always come through. Read the fine print for all the benefits.

@ZildjianCat Sure would like to hear if your daughter went on the cruise. For others who have this question: An expired passport can be renewed within 5 years of expiration without having to start the process all over again.

I, on the other hand, have been watching my EZAir business class fare since I booked it 330 days out (when first available). My fare NEVER dropped. It is currently almost $1500 more with less than 45 days out. Direct fare each way was the cost I paid for EZ Air round trip. Same with the fare I got for Japan. It was more expensive for me to fly from Honolulu to Japan than from LAX to Japan. And EZ Air was cheaper than direct booking. I know that EZ Air has its issues. Been through a few mishaps. But for the savings, flexibility, and convenience, I'll use EZ Air for international travel. As far as the "bucket" theory, yes, even airlines have this policy. x number of cheap seats. I have rarely seen any fire sales lately. Last minute fares can really dig into the pocket book.

Which ship is important. With a Balcony cabin, you will have many more choices of locations.

I won’t be on an Alaskan cruise.

I hope your luck rubs off on me. Was pretty sure that it was going to be too light in the summer to see the Northern Lights. Keep sending success vibes, please.

I agree. Rare...but not 100% guaranteed that they will assign you a cabin. My next cruise is still taking reservations/guarantees for every category. But only Interiors and suites are showing availability. 2 months ago, the ship was 50% capacity. I was crossing my fingers that the ship would remain below full. People are cruising. Good luck to everyone waiting on an assignment. I couldn't do it.

Yup, just cancelled that card. Raised membership fee, offers less (for me). I look every time I get a notice from AMEX to see if there is an "offer" for me. None in all the years I've had the cards.

I don't know if this is the video I watched (not my normal YouTuber). Skip to 3 minutes in. I've never heard of this happening either, but this was a Carnival ship. The passengers had a guarantee stateroom...and even was allowed to board.

Way long ago...there would be snippets of events that would populate My Journey. Cruise is a short distance out and still NOTHING. I have come to believe that every time Princess "fixes/updates" their app, they make it worse. Missing: My Journey events Port/Guide maps Ability to make complimentary specialty dining reservations Port Arrival Times are listed, but not departure times

Bring your patience with you when you do a transfer from LAX. It is true, the sequence is: bus leaves San Pedro, drops off passengers, circles around terminal, and picks up embarking passengers. It is the drive around the LAX to get back to Terminal 1 that is the hang up. It may take up to 45 minutes to do a loop around LAX. I know that it takes me longer to get from the beginning of LAX to exit than it takes for me to drive from my home 20 miles away. I absolutely hate driving to pickup/drop off friends from LAX.

Were you offered the same for Princess? I check my offers frequently. Never saw any.

I've never received an AMEX offer. Generally you have to have a high end card. My sister did open a new credit card that offered $150 each OBC...plus extra points. Don't know the specifics. Had to spend an obscene amount.

Tossing this link in for good measure. Worked better on Chrome than Safari. Surface Wind, Surface Pressure, Wave Height. https://www.passageweather.com/

This is a switch. Recently, there have been many threads about not booking EZ Air. I don't think we will ever know the history behind this change. Blame it on JP ???????