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I have not tried it with a Beverage Package. My understanding is the picking up the phone is the trigger for the $5. In your case, you didn’t call, the concierge made the arrangements. Tea service for suite and elite charge for picking up the phone is waived. For me, it’s the principle of the ridiculous $5 charge for suite passengers, regardless if you have a package or not. The ultimate nickel and dime con game.

I took this question to the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager to get clarification regarding ordering MDR meals while in a suite. After much consultations (with his F & B senior), the $5 fee when using the phone to place an order....was a "delivery charge". I thanked him for the information but did argue that it should be waived since it is a Suite Perk. It doesn't matter if you have a Beverage Package or not...It's the phone line that is the culprit.

Some clarifications on my take with EZ Air. Where do I begin. There may be no linear thinking to my comments. Sorry for my brand of thinking. EZ Air has no control over an airline cancelling a flight. They will get you to your destination. You REALLY need to be proactive and check both Princess AND airline websites. Some airlines will allow you to select seats ahead of time. Other airlines will not allow you until actually payment is made AND Princess tickets flight. Sometimes you actually have to request flights to be ticketed at 90 day final payment. This is a airline/company policy. Bottom line: As far as the airlines are concerned, unless you are paid and ticketed, you are "not" really booked. Some airlines allow "courtesy" holds for EZ Air reservations. Dealing with code shared airlines is another nightmare. As one agent told me...be sure to "check with the airline that owns the aluminum tube". EZ Air contracts x number of seats on each flight. When they are sold out, the flight is either removed from offer or price increases. If you are booked on K flight and that becomes sold out, and you need to make modifications, you may have to pay for M flight increase. The true benefit of EZ Air is that you don't have to purchase a ticket a year in advance. You can pay for it 90 days out and still make changes up to 45 days out. Example: I purchased a ticket on Delta with EZ Air. LAX to ATL to YUL. Paid in full 90 days out. Found a direct booking with Delta for a few dollars less. Cancelled EZ Air, refunded to cc, and dealt directly with Delta. Another example: I found a Black Friday ticket to FLL from LAX for a trip 8 months out. Cheaper than on anything EZ Air had to offer. But...had to pay in full. Refundable would only be in travel voucher. It was worth the difference. During those 8 months, JetBlue modified my flight several times. It WAS the perfect flight that turned into arriving 3 hours later than i had wanted. Still another: Air Canada (Rogue) cancelled all of my return flights after a cruise. EZ Air scrambled and worked with me to get me home. Ended up with a really, really, really short connection. I did make it only because I had a strategy. I have booked and am watching another reservation. Already, the fare has gone up $2000 (for business class). You bet I'm watching fares AND checking the airline. I would use EZ Air for international flights. I'm pretty good getting fares for domestic departures that I know I am locked in to the dates. It comes down to your tolerance and risk level.

I have taken the Coral from LA to Vancouver to Whittier and back to Vancouver. I love the Coral Princess. She has some of the most open observation decks (Promenade/aft/forward). She is one of the smallest ship in the fleet. Lots of public spaces AND "On the Bayou" production show created just for her and the Island. I would not hesitate to do another Alaskan cruise on her...especially if she includes Glacier Bay. Love bookend cruises. May and September are marvelous times to see Alaska.

Be sure to document everything. One sister's request went through with no problems. I just resolved an outstanding (lost) referral for another sister. I had all the emails, screen shots, etc. They did finally credit both of us with Good Will OBC.

Now that the OP has abandoned this thread, I will update all of my interactions with Princess regarding a refund. First....My apologies to Princess. I have been looking for a refund on the WRONG credit card. After 2 calls today (both good representatives), I found out what happened. Can't say that I truly understand...but. Refunds were applied in a timely manner. Cancelled online on January 16. Passenger 2 received immediate credit. It took a few extra days for me since I also used OBC. Credit applied on January 22. Now, the confusion. Charged $44.90 to credit card. Refunded cc for $40.90. The other $4 was returned to OBC. Huh ?????. The explanation was that you can only use x amount of OBC for an excursion (not full amount). I was reassured over and over again, that my OBC reflects the lost $4. In the past, have I used all my OBC? Can't remember. I knew there was a "new" refund policy when OBC was involved. Still really don't understand it. I have all the documentation and will be looking for that $4 credit to OBC when I board the ship. One more mystery case solve. Thank you to the last agent (Joyce) who really tried to help me "get it". Even sent me a new excursion invoice with the $4.

I am beginning to "see the light" or I think maybe. The $1100 keeps popping up. Could this be what happened? OP booked Princess excursions for $1100. Some were booked with OBC ($400) and others with a credit card. This is why the cancelled excursion will be returned as (probably non-refundable OBC). That's the best I can come up with. I booked an excursion with OBC ($95.05) and credit card ($44.90). I am still waiting for the credit card refund. I understand that $95.05 will be returned to my OBC and my credit card will see $44.90. Blaming Princess for the change in the excursion by the vendor is common. OP has the right to cancel before getting on the ship. Cancelling a risky port for an independent vendor is something I would not do. Missing lunch...ok. Missing stops....would need to rethink.

Agree. You are months out. According to the terms of cancellation (read your fine print), they should refund payment to credit card. Now…it gets more complicated if…you have other outstanding excursions. I have been fighting with Princess for a cancelled excursion this summer. After getting different answers from different agents over 2 weeks, the last one said she would escalate refund to supervisor. It will take ANOTHER 10 to 14 business days to see the refund. Still waiting and checking my credit card every day, it is very clear that you will get your monies back if cancelled before getting on the ship. Once on the ship, it becomes OBC. I am not clear what spending $1100 on excursions has to do with $400 credit card refund.

The sushi doesn’t look like it is made with sushi grade rice. How was it?

Wow...what a little bit of clicking will find you. @drpclarke must be a new travel agent or is not very familiar with Princess cruises. S(He) posted this on another thread. It would be nice if OPs would return to their thread to update or even acknowledge others who have tried to assist. 208 December 30, 2000 Charlotte NC USA #1 Posted Friday at 04:12 PM (Guessing January 26, 2024) Please?? 😁 I am a travel agent and I have booked a group on Royal Princess. Unfortunately, I haven't been on this ship, so I'm at a disadvantage in answering their questions! One of the clients has many questions, and I'm hoping you all can answer: 1. This is an Alaskan sailing going Seattle RT. He thinks the port side is the best side because he'll have views of the glaciers, etc. more often than he would should his cabin was on the other side of ship. Thoughts? 2. He wants to do Penthouse suite. They are available on decks 12, 14, and 15. However, he has heard that on deck 14 and 15 that those on penthouse balconies can look up and see people above them looking down. Anyone have thoughts on that? 3. In addition, he has heard that soot is a problem on the ship, so the upper deck (especially in the back of the ship) can get a light coat of soot and it can be problematic. This was the first I've heard! Anyone know anything? If you have any opinions on where best location of penthouse suite would be, please let me know. Thanks!! Rachel

Just be prepared to pay the child rate on the spot if not charged for infant. As other's have said, the vendor makes the rules. Princess is just the go between.

You can also get Lipton decaf in the MDR. Anything from the IC comes with a cost. There is no decaf tea at the IC, but they will have one low caffeinated.

By "client" are you saying you are a TA representing them? Have you ever been on a Princess ship? Much depends on the above. But also the stateroom they pick. If they want a balcony or above, the Caribbean P has much better balconies. If they want a suite, the Royal Class ships have a concierge's lounge. If in an interior or ocean view, they may enjoy the Caribbean Promenade much better. Are the itineraries the same? Do they plan on getting off the ship? Are they buffet people (I am not)? Will they have a Beverage Package? So much more goes into picking a cruise than date, ship and itinerary.

I didn't see your post when I hit submit. Thank you for the clarification.

I understand that the new Sun Class ships may have this option. Current Grand/GEM and Royal Class ships do not offer a separate restaurant for suite guests, except for Sabatinis or, sometimes, the Crown Grill for breakfast. OP was inquiring about Princess ships.

Often “seminars” (aka SPA options) are in the Wheelhouse. Doc acupuncture, weight loss, fix your arthritis, etc. They used to have solos meet there, but moved it to Vines where you compete with Piazza noise. Sometimes Knitters and Knatter gather there. Veterans and other groups?

@Steelers36 You are absolutely correct. All the (4) cruises I took in 2023, the Piazza was used for all events that used to take place elsewhere. It was no longer a place to sit and enjoy your latte or have a nice conversation with a fellow passenger. Even the lovely classical groups were drowned out. Such a shame.

Remaining passenger (1) would NOT be reimbursed for charges. They just won't incur the additional solo supplement. Therefore, their cruise would cost them their initial fare only. Platinum PVP will cover the solo supplement AND reimburse Passenger 2 for the cancellation. In each of my insured cancelled passenger 2, I was able to sail solo. Each of my cancelled passengers received a full refunds. I have been told that if the cancellation did not fall under certain guide lines, Passenger 2 would receive FCC instead. Don't know how true that is since all of my people got checks (minus cost of insurance). People who take out insurance are not out to defraud the cruise line. This only applies to those who don't take insurance and have Passenger 2 as a no show. The logistic are: If you have insurance, PVP will pay the single supplement so you can sail solo AND pay Passenger 2. I know this sounds crazy that Princess will get 3 fares for insured solo cruiser. Those without insurance are trying to game the system so that Princess only gets the fare for Passenger 1 and Passenger 2. I know, not fair either way, but that's how it is set up. At least, that has been my understanding. I could be wrong. Whatever the situation, without insurance Passenger 2 would lose all paid fare. With insurance, Passenger 2 would at least get something back.

What is TSE?

@ldubs I may not have clearly laid out the scenario. I am basing my suggestion on a normal cancellation (not a no show). Passenger 1 books a cruise with Passenger 2. Both buy Platinum PVP (cancel for any reason for full fare refund or FCC). Passenger 2 cancels. Passenger 1 will still be able to go on the cruise without any additional costs since PVP will refund fare to Passenger 2 (minus insurance). PVP will pay Princess the solo supplement. That's why it is important to have insurance. Without it, Passenger 2 would lose entire fare and Passenger 1 would have to pay for a solo supplement. Yes, double jeopardy. I am not describing a scenario where Passenger 2 decides to knowingly be a no show. Ethically, I could never do that. That's just me. What others choose to do is up to them. This did happen to me (Passenger 2 cancelled at the last minute/3 day prior to embarkation). It left me scrambling to rebook and pay a solo supplement since it was the one an only time I did not buy insurance. I have also had my fair share of cabin mates cancel for medical reasons and PVP came through for all of us.

There are so many factors to take into consideration. Caribbean has a full promenade and more public spaces. Enchanted is newer with bells and whistles. I believe the Enchanted will also have more passengers and the Piazza will be noisy and a zoo. But she will have more up to date production shows. I like the Grand/GEM class ships. I have yet to book a Royal Class ship. In fact, I cancelled a cruise because Princess moved me over from the Grand to the Regal to the Sky. You should be looking at itineraries and time of year.

This is a tough call. It varies so much per port. I was able to bring back tangerines from Korea (Diamond P) and strawberries from Japan. If I could have found dried abalone, it would also have beeb okay by customs and border patrol. I have brought back fresh (not pre packaged) local items from every port in Hawaii on Princess cruises. Not the same on an NCL cruise. I have also brought back salami logs and other Chinese bakery items from San Francisco. I brought lobster rolls back to the ship from St. John and Halifax. Your mileage may vary depending who is manning security. I've asked Princess security before getting off the ship.

I forgot to address kids: Cruising in March and April is a tough call. A 10 day cruise is less likely to have kids or college students. But Spring Break is no longer connected to Easter. So school districts will pick a week to close depending on when the school year started or ends.

Interesting that OP was asking for a separate restaurant, ONLY, for suite guests. Yes, for breakfast No, Reserve Collection Dining room is shared by Reserve Collection Mini-suites. Reserve Class, Reserve Collection....call it Club Class....

If you have/will have dined at the Crown Grill and Sabatini's on other Princess ships, then I would forego it on the Grand. Not saying it isn't worth it, but you will also have Alfredo's. Spend your dollars on shore and get some good Alaska meals. You will get salmon (not my favorite), but will not get crab legs.