BassettMom

On 8/23/2023 at 6:17 AM, CynCyn said:

I’ve had a free ocean view offer that didn’t apply to ships with no ocean view.  I could take an interior or upgrade to a balcony.  I don’t see it as a bait and switch as much as I see it as a lack of understanding of the inventory on different ships.  Princess casino department can and should do better, but they probably won’t since they aren’t having many refuse their offers.  I know I don’t.  $200 is better than thousands.

I think the difference is that this specific offer was for the Sun Princess and not to other ships.  As it was a targeted offer for the Sun's inaugural season, the cabin categories offered should be the ones available. 

I do agree with you that is it likely a lack of understanding the different ships (but if I was this clueless at my job, I wouldn't have a job...just saying).

I've done the UST on almost all the ships I've been on and have enjoyed it (so I keep doing it over and over).  I've even done it on the same ship and learned something new every time.  Even though I've done it twice on the Sapphire, I tried to sign up again in March, but they hadn't started the UST up again.  I'm really hoping they do start them back up again.  (I suspect the price will go up if/when they restart as it's been the same price for the 10 years I've been going.)

On 2/16/2023 at 9:00 AM, SantaFeFan said:

 

I have always heard that phrase in the context of a mild insult, so I took it that way. Perhaps different people have different meanings for it?

I have heard the phrase as more of an insult as well.  Even if an insult is not meant, it can still be taken that way (I read one post a couple of months ago where someone got upset after being told "you do you" and replied they didn't need anyone's permission).

1 hour ago, txjim09 said:

Doing this in January, can you share your transfer company?  Thanks!

I booked through Tripadvisor.

We plan on doing this port on our own.  Here are the notes I have listed on our itinerary (with backup information printed out in my trip book) (I'm "old school" with a formal printed itinerary and trip book complete with tabs).  Not sure if we'll see/do all of these, but gives us a good start on things to do (we've also been known to just find a nice sidewalk cafe to eat or drink and people watch).

On 3/7/2023 at 3:07 AM, Reina del Mar said:

We are in the Green Lane in boarding group A. Please can anyone remember what time boarding starts in San Antonio.?

 

Travel agent just phoned to ask if we had everything we needed, so I asked her what time our (non Princess) transfer would pick us up.  She said she’ll speak to transport company. Then she said that boarding does not start till 12.-1300. It’s confused me as we’ve usually arrived at port early and been onboard by 11am …mainly Fort Lauderdale but also Sydney. Last time we were in San Antonio we used Princess transfers and didn’t have a choice of transfer time…so can’t really remember.

 

Hope someone’s memory is better than mine.

 

Many thanks.

 

 

I'm also in Group Boarding A (Green lane), and we plan to arrive at the port by around 10:30am (give or take depending on traffic).  We have private transfer picking us up at the hotel in Santiago at 9:00.

On 2/22/2023 at 12:09 PM, youngcruiserj said:

Sailed on Princess back in 2019 and the ship provided a shuttle to Miraflores.  I can’t recall for sure, but I think it was free.  Taxis were not recommended for pick up or drop off at this port. 

I'm booked on a cruise stopping in Lima and we've been told that a shuttle will take everyone to Miraflores where we can meet up with tour guides, etc., as no one would be allowed at the port.  Not having been there, I can't say what would happen if you took a taxi or Uber to the port.  I would imagine for embarkation the "rules" may be different than for a port stop.

On 9/25/2022 at 12:06 PM, skynight said:

The roll away goes between the desk and the fridge with the head or foot by the balcony door. In the day time it is folded up and probably placed in the closet or if you are lucky the steward will remove it from the cabin. Not the best situation.

Thanks--I'm really surprised it will fit long ways between the balcony door and the nearest bed.  

Sounds like we won't be able to use the balcony while the bed is out and will have to wait till the cabin steward puts it away, and I don't think there will be room for it in the closet with all of our clothes and  luggage storage (since 4 large suitcases probably won't fit under the two beds), and we were going to use the "closet" area as a "dressing" room and putting the small table in there as well. 

I think if we had known it would be a rollaway bed and not the two bunks from the ceiling we probably would have declined the upgrade and kept the oceanview rooms.  

I had an oceanview cabin for 4 people, and was upgraded to a balcony, B607.  The updated cruise confirmation from Princess had a comment:  "Pax 4 Rollaway Bed."  Has anyone had a rollaway bed on the Island Princess' balcony cabins?  Where the heck do they put a rollaway bed?  I thought all the beds came down from the ceiling (or from the sides of the walls).  It sounds like only one comes down from the ceiling, but again--where does the rollaway bed go.  I don't think there is room for it anywhere.  Does it get folded up and taken out of the cabin during the day?  Even folded up, it would take up a lot of room in the cabin.  (A bit concerned that this may not have been the upgrade we thought it was...nice that we have a balcony, but won't do any good if we can't get to it and have to climb over beds to get to the desk area, etc.  And now there are no oceanview cabins, or any other cabins that hold 4 people.)

I'm booked on a South American cruise from Santiago, Chile to Los Angeles, California and it is showing up on my Medallion app with the correct dates, the correct ship and the correct disembarkation port of Los Angeles, but the app shows I'm embarking at the port of Saguenay River which is in Canada (and not the port of San Antonio, Chile).  I would have thought the app and website would be "linked" so that the information is the same, but apparently that isn't the case.  So do I select an arrival group for a port that I'm not embarking from?  This is so screwed up.

(My SIL who is embarking on a cruise next month is having so many issues, but was finally able to order Medallions and they arrived--hers was correct, but instead of her daughter's, she got someone else's medallion.  So someone else must have received her daughter's medallion, and Princess says they will need to bring all of them and exchange them at the port for the correct one...so much for the faster boarding time.  Hopefully once "fixed" the medallions will actually open the right door and have the right charges posted.)

5 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Typing was the most useful skill I learned in high school. At work it was an invaluable skill. I can't type very well if I have to look at the keyboard. It normally just flows out of the fingers.

 

  

 

I never got to that sort of speed but, when it comes to typing on a phone screen, I bet you have smaller thumbs than I have.

Agree--I have no idea where the letters are; my fingers just move as I think.  Thumbs don't matter in my case; I hold the phone with my left hand, and hit letters with my right index finger (or a stylus).  Yeah, I'm old (lol).

1 hour ago, joepeka said:

I'm in that same crowd as you regarding the tiny screen and keyboard. I learned touch typing (I guess it's called "keyboarding" in recent years) in high school and that's what I use to this day. My smart phone is for texting, phone calls, quick answers to emails and some apps (bank app, etc.), otherwise, my PC is where I do the important stuff. That said, a week or so ago someone on this board mentioned a Windows 10 feature called "Your Phone" that allows you to connect your PC to your supported phone and receive notifications, phone calls, text messages and also access apps on the phone. Unfortunately, my smart phone is old enough that it supports all the Your Phone features except the apps function but if yours does support it, you might want to try it. Others on this board have used it successfully.

 

Here's a link to Microsoft's Your Phone setup page:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/your-phone-app-requirements-and-set-up-cd2a1ee7-75a7-66a6-9d4e-bf22e735f9e3

The point is that before, I just went to the website and added everything all in one place.  Now, I have to use a website AND an app AND set up something new on my computer to give my computer access to my phone so I can check in.  I'm not convinced that giving my computer access to my phone or my phone access to my computer is something I really want to do, or if it is even safe in terms of hacking (and I'm not smart enough to know). 

In any case, thanks for letting me know--it's worth taking a look at.

1 hour ago, phabric said:

I have the same problem trying to type on my phone.  I bought a stick with a rubber end at the Dollar Store, it makes easy to use now.

Except that I can type 120+ words a minute on a keyboard compared to hunting and pecking and hitting one letter at a time with my finger or a stylus pen--not just waaaaay tooo slow but extremely frustrating and stressful.

7 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Sorry if I confused you.  When you log into your Princess account and click manage booking;  you can still fill out all the required info there.  I just logged into my account and I have guest check in where I input all my info.  Once I fill that out I can also select my bed preference, input my passport info etc.  It does say coming soon the ocean medallion app which you can download onto your smart device.  Apologize for any confusion

I can't put anything into my Princess account on my computer--there is a message that says to go to the Ocean Medallion app on all my future cruises.    

I really, really hate typing on my phone using a really tiny screen with fat fingers, and as a touch-typist, I generally do everything on the computer and not on my phone (I might read emails on my phone, but unless it requires an immediate, and short, reply, I'll wait till I get on a computer to type a response).  Does anyone know if the app can be downloaded and used on my computer and not on my phone? 

This whole thing seems so stupid--we now need to do some things on the website (booking airfare, excursions, etc.), and other things on the app (checking in, dining reservations, etc.), all while it isn't even working correctly (can't access it, phones aren't compatible, etc.).  And no, I don't think I should have to buy new phones or a tablet in order to check in.

I've been on a Medallion cruise and it was great, but I was able to use the cruise personalizer to check in and do just about everything I needed to do to check in.  Once on board, I did use the app for a few things (ordered a drink, kept track of my friend I was cruising with), but if was quicker to refer to the paper copy of the Princess Patter than try to read the events on my phone...scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, enlarge, scroll, scroll, enlarge, scroll...versus open page glance at open page, and done). 

I used to be able to help my elderly parents, and other relatives who have never cruised before, check in since we could talk on the phone while logged in on the computer together (we don't live near each other so it's usually..."look over to  where it says xxx, click xxx").  I have no idea how to do this myself (since nothing is working correctly), let alone try to figure out how to help others going with me.  While my 85 year old dad has a cell phone, he only uses it to make calls and read emails; my mother doesn't even have a cell phone, so not sure how she is supposed to check in at all.

I guess with this "upgrade" Princess has decided to get rid of their older passengers and only focus on the younger crowd as this is <almost> enough to get me to quit cruising with them...<heavy sigh>.

On 6/7/2021 at 5:54 PM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Are you working with a Princess planner or a TA?  Can anyone help you with this? I try not to let things bother me anymore but that would definitely be upsetting.  Good luck!

Our entire group have already made airline reservations, but it was at a higher price than when we first looked.  When we went to book the tickets just a few hours later, we couldn't log on, and by the time we finally could, the price had gone up several hundred dollars.  We kept thinking that it would be fixed within a day or so, then when I called Princess, I was told a week...that turned into 3 weeks before we could log on and by that time, the prices had already gone up.  Not much we could do at that point other than just to book at the higher price. ☹️

I am so frustrated with Princess.  We have a group of people going on a cruise and have been trying to coordinate all of our different flights (we all live in different towns and trying to meet at a connecting airport to fly overseas together).  Unfortunately, some of our group can't get on to look at flights, and a few of us who finally got our accounts fixed a couple of days ago, now also can't get into the actual booked cruises to access the flights.  So our group has missed out on less expensive flights while prices have gone up several hundred dollars over the past 2 weeks.  Some of us went ahead and booked a couple of days ago when we finally could access, but are paying a lot more than we would have if the website was actually working.  While frustrating for some people, for others, it is costing us money!  Sure wish they would get their act together.

Still can't log it <sigh>.

Going on three weeks now!  

I didn't see one come out this past spring.  Did anyone else get one?  

Was on the phone with Princess yesterday afternoon.  When I told her I still could not log in since May 12, she asked if I had been on a Medallion cruise and if so, I could log it through that app.  But when I did that, you have to add your booked cruise to see it.  That still does NOT get you to your actual log in account, or saved cruises, etc.  She did take down my Captains Circle number and said she would submit it as another person having issues.  I then asked her how long it would take, and she said they are working on it and I would be added to the list of accounts needing fixed.  When I asked how long it has been taking, she didn't answer, so I said will it be a day, a week, or months, and she said to try logging in after a week!  Makes me thing they aren't anticipating any fixes anytime soon...so after 3 weeks, it MIGHT be working.

10 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

I understand, in the terms it states that reduced rate bookings do not qualify for the share holder OBC but doesn’t go into specifics of which exact rates those are.

 

Thanks for the note about free cruises because I have a few booked. 

I've gotten the Shareholders' OBC for casino reduced rate, but never for a comp'd cruise--I've tried and always gotten an email saying it isn't authorized with a comp' cruise.  

I was able to access my booking through the manage booking link, and checked the flights for my SIL since I booked mine, and passed her the rate via email.  She couldn't log in all weekend, and now when I check the rate it is $400 more.  Her account shows no cruises and she is elite...ugh.  This has now cost her several hundred dollars and she still can't access her bookings.  😖 

I can't log in either, but at least I haven't lost anything (and it hasn't cost me any extra money either...yet).

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

But will it work if Princess has already cancelled all my upcoming  cruises?

Probably not since I could only get to my booked cruises; can't get to any of my other information.  

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

I just get a continuous 'log in' loop - can't get to anything in my account

8 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Mine says I'm successfully logged in but I can't get to anything like Saved or Upcoming Cruises.

I've found a "workaround."  When you are in the "log-in loop" that says you're logged in, don't click on your account; instead, click on "Booked Guests" then click on "Manage Booking" and your upcoming cruises should come up.  Can't get to any of my "saved" cruises, but at least I could look at the ones I have booked, so maybe I'm "half logged in."  Hope that helps.

1 minute ago, Mud_Shark said:

Last night there was a note on the Princess.com home page that portions of the website would be offline on May 15th (today).

 

Don

Except today is actually the 13th (although in other parts of the world it is the 14th, but not yet the 15th).