I object 2

Thanks for the info, Tracie and Dides. It was very helpful.

Jan

We are interested in any information fellow cruisers may have on the differences between a handicap accessible suite and Premium suite on Royal or Regal Princess.

Jan

Ah....makes sense now. We will be sailing from Sydney. Thanks for your responses.

Jan

I was completing our Guest Check In info for a future cruise and had this message pop-up when I entered credit card information:

"If you are using a credit card to pay for your onboard charges, a surcharge fee of 1.1% will be applied. Debit cards do not incur a surcharge."

Is this something new?

It is honored.

Yay! I was hoping it would be honored. Thanks for your response, Caribill.

Jan

We purchased the Ultimate Beverage Package for our upcoming cruise. Is it honored on Princess Cays or do we pay for our adult beverages ?

Here's the response we just received from Customer Relations regarding the discontinuation of Happy Hour.

Sorry to see it go.

Jan

Dear xxxx and xxxxxxx,

The Customer Relations Departmentis in receipt of your email. Thank you for contacting our office. We appreciatethe opportunity to respond.

As our onboard events and offerings are alwayschanging, Happy Hour is in the process of being phased out acrossthe fleet while we develop new programs and promotions for yourenjoyment.

xxxx and xxxxx, again, thank you forcontacting our office. We look forward to welcoming you onboard in thenear future. Until then we send our kind regards.

Sincerely,

Princess Cruises

Customer Relations

ad

Rather than calling simply send an email to: customerrelations@princesscruises.com

 

They do read all the email that goes to that address.

Thanks for sharing the email address, Thrak. I just fired off an email to customer relations letting them know we're unhappy with this latest decision.

Jan

Wow.... now that's the way to celebrate a birthday....in a suite! Good for you..and Happy Birthday!

Call the Dine line once you're in your suite and let them know which specialty restaurant and time you prefer. Also let them know you're celebrating your birthday that evening. Crown Grill is our favorite. The Black and Blue Onion soup if the best!

Jan

We too are Princess people who had an opportunity to try the Norwegian Dawn last month. Here are some of the things we liked about Norwegian:

1. The photo gallery. There were monitors set up in the gallery for you to view your photos. There's no hunting through racks of photos to find your own. Just swipe your cruise card in the monitor's card reader and bingo....a folder with your photos pops up for your viewing pleasure. You have the option to print what you'd like to purchase or select the option put them back in the folder.
   
2. Numerous selections on the evening dinner menus. We also tried 3 of their specialty restaurants and weren't disappointed.
   
3. Large theater for production shows.
   
4. Larger selection of cocktails. There's nothing like a Pain Killer cocktail by the pool before noon. LOL
   

These are a few things we felt Norwegian missed:

1. Organization at embarkation. It was a disaster. Not enough staff to direct passengers or answer questions. No signs for priority boarding or any indication of an area for handicapped passengers needing assistance. We observed several passengers so frustrated they were in tears.
   
2. The Garden Cafe (the equivalent of Horizon Court) lacked ambiance and reminded me of a high school cafeteria. There's no beverage service in the buffet, it's self-serve: coffee, tea, juice, or water. This wasn't a problem for us, just an observation.
   
3. Lack of a spacious atrium. A Coffee Bar/Bar was almost centered in the atrium leaving very limited seating for people wanting to listen to the entertainment in the evening.
   

I give the nod to Princess in size of staterooms, areas for folks to gather for conversation, reading, etc., self-serve laundry rooms, and the International Cafe. To us, Princess feels like home. Will we cruise Norwegian again? Maybe, if the price and itinerary is right.

We purchased ours through ebags.com. Just purchased more of the medium size last week and they were 20% off. I ordered a set in raspberry for me and a set of blue for DH.

We're looking for recommendations for transportation service from Disney to a Tampa hotel. I realize car rental is probably the best means, but I prefer not to drive. Is there a shuttle or town car service that does this route?

Kskelley40: thanks for writing the review. We sail on the Dawn next month. We've sailed Princess quite a bit, so NCL is a change for us. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

Jan

We'll be in a sailing in suite on Caribbean Princess in a few weeks. Is the club class dining room open for lunch on embarkation day for suite and club class passengers?

Jan

We got our bid accepted today - 32 days out from sailing date.

 

NCL Dawn

Paid for SJ Family Suite originally (has no balcony, but does have floor to ceiling windows)

Bid $315pp to upgrade to SD Family Suite with Balcony (minimum bid was $300pp)

 

We didn't care too much if we got the upgrade because we booked the minimum cabin we wanted. But having the balcony will be nice. The way we looked at it, we are still paying less of a fare than what we originally booked way back in February 2017. Our fare on the original cabin dropped $600pp across all these months, so essentially we are "saving" $570 total and getting the balcony. :cool:

Now that's a "suite" deal. Congrats on your winning bid!

Jan

DH and I are trying to decide whether to book a pool cabana on Harvest Caye for our upcoming cruise on the Dawn. This will be our first visit to Harvest Caye. We'd appreciate the pros and cons. Thanks!

Jan

I looks like you have your answer. As others have said, we usually go to the casino, get some cash for gambling but don't really gamble with it or not much. We might play a few minutes and then cash out. by doing this you can use any OBC. Be prepared, the casino does charge a 3% fee. It is still worth it because you didn't pay for your OBC anyway.

We're Princess cruisers giving NCL a try in March. If I'm understanding correctly, we gamble in the casino using OBCs or charge to our room, NCL will charge a 3% fee. If we use cash only to gamble and are lucky enough to cash out (never in hubby's case...LOL), is a fee charged to cash out?

Jan

Hello fellow cruisers. We'll be cruising out of Tampa (we've never been to Tampa) and would appreciate lodging recommendations. We normally stay at Embassy Suites, Marriotts or Hilton properties. We'll arrive a few days prior to the cruise and don't plan to rent a vehicle, so lodging near restaurants and bars would be great!

Cflutist, thanks for posting your review of Club Class dining. Now I'm hungry! LOL We're in a suite on Caribbean Princess this coming February and are anxious to try CC dining.

Jan

If you get the bid, you still get what you had when you booked, but if you bid on the Haven, for example, you wouldn't get the additional perks the Haven gets.

Thanks for the info.

Jan

If we bid on an upgrade and the offer is accepted, would we lose the ultimate drink package promo we received at booking?

Jan

Thanks or your input, everyone. We've were going to book this excursion!

Jan

Our family is thinking about booking the Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip for our upcoming cruise and would appreciate feedback from any of you who have taken this excursion. Does the tour company provide waterproof gear (jackets, boots, etc.) or do we bring our own? Would the rapids be too scary an experience for a non-swimmer?

Our family is thinking about booking the Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip for our upcoming cruise and would appreciate feedback from any of you who have taken this excursion. Does the tour company provide waterproof gear (jackets, boots, etc.) or do we bring our own? Would the rapids be too scary an experience for a non-swimmer?

We've used On Time car service numerous times from LAX to San Pedro. The driver was very courteous and professional; the vehicle very clean. If you can afford a private car service, go for it. It's a great way to start your vacation.