whitecap

Has anyone else noticed that the person pictured next to Carmen Roig is Marsha Patrick, Director of Sales, Western US and Canada?  Western US?  Canada?  Could we be talking about some type of deal with an airline or possibly Amtrak to get people from the western US and Canada to Ft. Lauderdale/Tampa and Port Canaveral?  Guess we'll all find out in a few hours.  

Just now, cruisinfamily7609 said:

thanks! We are cruising from Fort Lauderdale this time so your experience is relatable. Thanks a bunch - now I have an idea of what to expect for sure. 🙂

You're welcome!

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

4-5-4 also works ... 14 day turnaround E-W-E ... W-E-W

Many years ago the 4-5-4 was done and a lot of people took advantage of the "number of cruises" to get to Elite.  I can remember that it was a very sore subject on CC as those that had worked hard doing longer cruises, and only getting credit for 1 or 2, were upset with someone being able to do a 4-5-4, and getting 3 credits.  It was something that Princess offered but the people that booked these trips were thrashed pretty hard.  

15 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

 Is that confirmed, or just speculation? PC would not be as good as New York (which we would prefer over Brooklyn), but if the Sky is sailing to Bermuda, we're all over that one.

Yes, Sky is sailing from Port Canaveral in 2025.  We are booked for November 30, 2025.

2 hours ago, cruisinfamily7609 said:

Our cruise in June is this way - we booked it as a 14-day and then realized it was really two 7-day cruises. I’ve always wanted to try a B2B... 

 

I have a question though - because for us this is a 14 day, does anyone with experience doing this know how that disembarkation day will go?

Having never sailed from the West Coast I can only relate how it works in Florida.  When the cruise returns following the first 7 days (known as turn around day) all current passengers who are also booked on the next 7 day segment are mustered in a venue aboard ship.  After all other passengers are disembarked, the group staying onboard are taken as a group to US Customs where they are checked and then ushered right back aboard the ship.  The procedure doesn't take very long.  

1 minute ago, Ombud said:

My upcoming cruise is sold as a 2 day + 19 day but I booked as a 21 day. Do I get 1 or 2 minibars?? 

🤔  Never booked a 2 day back to back with another segment but I would assume, 2, no different than two 7 days back to back.

1 minute ago, memoak said:

If you are elite I can tell you that you will get a 2nd mini bar regardless of how you book

That is correct; whether booked as two 7's or a 14, you get two mini-bars.

4 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Have you completed the 14 day cruise that you are referencing?  If yes, did you have one of the packages?

 

Thanks

No and no.  We booked a Feb 2025 and a Nov 2025.  We always book Standard.

Just now, Steelers36 said:

Unless there is a real price difference (and I have yet to personally be impacted by anything negative in that sense), I always book the separate voyages.  Other non-obvious advantages to this are being able to re-fare for a price drop on individual segments and independent to/from flights in EzAir which allows for changing one-direction flight independently in situation of a price drop while preserving the other direction.

A number of things should be considered when trying to decide which way to go.  Recently, I wanted to book a 14 day but the cabin I wanted was not showing as available however, it was showing available for two 7 day cruises.  I looked at the price for the two 7 day cruises  versus booking the 14 day cruise and the price difference was just over $300.  Paying $300 more and losing $50 shareholder and $50 military made it an easy choice.  Research, research, research.  

3 hours ago, Veinless said:

What are the pros/cons of booking this as a 14 day cruise vs two 7 day B2Bs?

 

Does Princess treat it any differently? Examples: Plus package, shareholder perks, etc?

We have found that the cruise fare for two 7 day cruises is usually higher than booking a 14 day cruise.  Also, on a 7 day, the military benefit is $100 and the shareholder benefit is $100.  By booking a 14 day cruise the military benefit is $250 and the shareholder benefit is $250.  So you may pay more for the two 7 day cruises and lose $50 military and $50 shareholder benefits.  

Just now, memoak said:

Most non Royal or Sphere class ships only have a couple of casual venues and some of them may be pop ups. Vines has only one available 3 course meal no choices

Thanks!!

Just now, PMGS247 said:

Just to add a little additional info to the menus that were posted, Planks and Steamers are open on alternate nights, dinner only, and reservations are highly recommended but cannot be made in advance of the cruise (call the dining line or find someone at the host stand at the restaurant).

 

Vines is a charcuterie board (no reservations) but a very plentiful one, plenty of food to call it a meal for 2 people.

Thanks so much for the info.

Just now, Arizona Wildcat said:

Definitely suggest going to the Princess website where you can see every venue on your ship from restaurants to shops to pools along with deck plans.

Thank you.  Did that but didn't see the names of several places that have recently been made available on other ships.  Was wondering if I was missing something.  Thanks for the reply.

4 minutes ago, dides said:

I believe you will have Vines, Planks and Steamers  

 

Here are the menus:

Vines.pdf 818.09 kB · 3 downloads

Planks.pdf 284.97 kB · 0 downloads

Steamers.pdf 459.82 kB · 0 downloads

 

 

Thank you!!

Can anyone tell me what if any Casual Dining venues there are on the Caribbean Princess?

Thanks!

9 hours ago, D. B. said:

My TA told me I should take my DD-214 along in case they ever ask for proof.

 So far, they never have. I guess I Look like what a 20 something thinks an old Veteran should look like?

  Also be aware that IF you do a MoveUp bid from an Inside or Ocean View cabin to anything better you will probably Not receive the $100 discount on the new cabin.

 No OBC for Military.

 Thank you for your Service and Welcome Home.

 

Thanks for your service as well and for the good advice.

5 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Military flyer 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/CEL_Military_FLyer.pdf

Thanks!  Saw this discount on mock booking.

Just now, Banjo said:

 

Concerning laundry:

 

1 bag each if you are Elite & 2 bags each if you are Elite+. Sometimes on board they do have sales on laundry.

Thank you!!

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

1. I am not aware of a Military OBC on Celebrity.

2. You are allowed one bottle of wine per person on embarkation day.  I've read some people put a bottle in their checked luggage and also carry one on.

 

Sorry, not sure about your other questions.

 

Welcome back!

Thank you!!

DW and I haven't been on Celebrity in several years and have a few questions if some experienced Celebrity cruisers could help us out.

We are looking at a back to back to back on the Equinox out of Port Canaveral in February 2025.

1.  I know there is a "military" discount on the cruise fare, but is there also "military OBC" offered and if so, a form to fill out?

2.  Procedure for bringing wine onboard; carry on only and how many bottles?

3.  Can you bring soft drinks, i.e. 12 pack of coke and must it be carried on?

4.  Our status provides for a discounted bag of laundry.  What is the discount?

Thanks so much.

Whitecap

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I see this simply as a sales tactic to accelerate future bookings.  Sure, if the ships get fuller, they will raise prices.  But if there are cabins to fill later on, prices are going to drop.  Same old, same old IMO.

I do agree with Steelers36.  I can't imagine any scenario where Princess would not drop prices to fill a ship.  A ship sailing with empty cabins would make no sense. 

4 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Those of you who believe only Princess is changing, must not cruise other cruise lines.

 

They all are doing the same thing!

 

Charging for an extra entree, lobster, raisings tips, etc.

 

All cruise lines are sailing at capacity. So  you have choices to cruise on any one.

Happy Cruising! 

I can agree concerning RCCL.  Just returned from 14 days on the Adventure of the Seas and there were charges for just about everything.  And if I crewmember/staff/cruise director staff made the comment, "if you are getting good service don't forget to tip a little extra", one more time, I was gonna puke.  At the beginning of every show, at the end of every show, even on a loudspeaker in the buffet.  Changes can be good, but sometimes they are simply horrible, annoying and just plain a pain in the A--!

22 hours ago, tml1230 said:

Every day here I read  posts  from folks who proclaim that Princess customer service is non existent  (on a good day!). On a bad day?...its as useless as a case of ex-lax to a person suffering from food poisoning!

This morning I found a significant reduction in cost on a cruise we had already  booked in 2025 to Australia and the South Pacific. Wanting to cash in on this, At 0900 this morning I told my wife that I was going to use the Princess "chat function", and ...that according to many posters here..... it could be an agonizing and extremely lengthy adventure. So I logged on, clicked on the chat function. I immediately received the message that said "call volume was very significant and the first available agent would be with me on-line as soon as possible". I told my wife of 42 years that we may be celebrating our 43rd anniversary (next MAY) in the chat function Que.

Amazing as it sounds, 30 seconds later....Camelle joined the chat! She took all my information, verified it, and asked that we end the chat while she worked with "support" to honor my request. I thought OH BOY! ....here we go! ...She asked that I check back on Chat this afternoon, as she thought my time was to WAY to valuable to be on hold for an extended period of time.....yea right.....Lost in space episode 125!

To my surprise at noon I went to my account, and the new booking (and associated $3000 reduction) was in place!!

 

Last week I sent an email request for my CCL stock benefit for a cruise in 2 months...... within 3 hours that request was honored and displayed in my account!

 

I am beginning to believe that most passengers don't make the effort to post here unless they have a real (or perceived) negative issue....thats to bad.

 

 

 

Agree.  Yesterday I noticed that a cruise we have booked for Jan 2025 had been reduced in price by $112.00.  Called our TA who verified that she was also seeing the reduction however she could not get into the right Princess system so she would have to call.  She continued to check in with me as I was on hold and at one point, I jokingly stated that Princess should add some OBC to my booking for keeping me waiting.  We both laughed and she continued her conversation with Princess.  Long story short, after an hour on the phone Princess not only reduced the fare by the $112.00 but reduced it another $100.00 because it took so long.  That is the kind of customer service I love from someone I do a lot of business with.  All smiles here!!!!

10 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

My Oasis cruise, this month, 7 days out of Bayonne, I ate almost all of my meals at the Windjammer.

 

The washing of the hands is optional as far as I could tell. Especially for the opening bell at 7am. Some mornings, there were about 100 people waiting in line. When the server removed the fabric divider to allow passengers into the wash area of about 8 sinks, more people just walked through than washed their hands. I spent about 15 seconds waiting for an open sink and another 45 seconds washing my hands and getting the paper towels (some times they pack them in so tightly it is very difficult to pull them out, they just start to tear).

 

I had a good viewpoint and did a quick count to how many people passed by in that 45 seconds (maybe off by three people, they were moving fast).

 

About 25 people went through and I tried to not count those that seemed to make an attempt at the hand sanitizer dispenser.

 

Everyone was worried about claiming a spot near a window that nothing else seemed to matter. Maybe some of them came back to wash their hands after they claimed their tables.

 

There were so many years before the pandemic that I was happy just to see people use the sanitizer.

 

Our biggest fear was noro-virus but that can ruin your trip if you get it.

We completed our 14 days aboard the Adventure of the Seas, this past Saturday (9-16).  I will say this about the "washy washy station";  there were several staff placed at the entrance to the Windjammer and they were very "insistent" on people washing their hands.  One staffer had a rather large (tall, muscular) man attempt to walk past her and she immediately stepped in front of him and advised that he needed to wash his hands.  He insisted that he didn't need to and attempted to step around her; she stepped back in front of him and loudly insisted that he wash his hands; after a short stare down, the gentleman waked over and washed his hands.  

The biggest issues seen were with the passenger's themselves and their hygiene or lack thereof.  Lesson learned on this trip:  if you are going to eat in the Windjammer, be first in line at opening for the meal, first in line to select your food and let all those that follow use the utensils touched by the stand in line eating and finger licking people.  Adjust, adapt, overcome.  

As the OP for this thread, I think what we have learned here are that people have different opinions as to what is or isn't proper hygiene.  I would just suggest this; don't eat from your plate while in a buffet line; don't blow your nose in the table napkin and place it on the table/plate, get up and go to the bathroom; wash your hands often and use sanitizer once at your table.  

With that, as the OP, I would ask that the moderator close this thread.