cruzsnooze

Just ask the steward and they will accommodate whatever you want. The first day they usually come to meet you and ask if there's anything you want them to do or know.

Is it first or business class? Those two classes get to pick seats before when using ezair no matter how far out the flight is.

Per the Princess web site gratuity is shared ACROSS the entire fleet. So all tips are pooled. It is assumed we are supplementing the non tipping countries like Australia since the policy went to FLEET WIDE and your tipping does not stay on the ship you gave the tip. There is no gty that it goes to the dept you want it to. It is used for compensation, bonus and other ways Princess desires and a fee if taken off the top for charges and administration. The “Crew Appreciation” is a daily amount for each guest that will be automatically added to your onboard account for your convenience, to recognize the efforts of a wide variety of crewmembers who contribute to the experiences of all our guests. The crewmembers eligible to receive these funds work in various departments, many of whom rotate among different ships, throughout our fleet of ships. The amount of the Crew Appreciation will be based on stateroom category, as set out below: All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.

If the steward forgets ask for your two bottles of water every day. Collect them for port days they come in handy. Also you should get the dinner menu in your suite which you can order dinner from, as a suite perk you can order room service from the full MDR menu.

Absolutely wrong information. Mini suites be it club class or regular mini suite do NOT yield suite perks. Elite perks are for every elite tier no matter what category cabin you sail in.

It was too many cruises to do a mock booking. Princess should put these specials under the DEALS banner they have at the top of the home page

Where is this listed on the Princess web site to see what cruises qualify?

That's because the gratuity is shared across the ENTIRE fleet so those that choose to leave their gratuity intact particularly in the US are supplementing the cruises that don't require gratuity.

So what I hear you saying is that if I can afford filet mignon I shouldn't order a hamburger? Value is what I measure , not how much I can afford. Most people don't don't walk into a car dealship and pay the sticker price, they negotiate when possible, that's because smart people don't like getting ripped off. The gratuity onboard as suggested is a rip off IMHO. The number of people in the pool include some areas I feel are unwarranted like entertainers and revenue staff which would be cruise directors (think Bingo and game shows for a fee like deal or no deal). Everyone is entitled their opinion and free to express it so let's agree to disagree on some issues.

It's in the FAQ's under the far left "booked guests"

A lot has changed. Now they state the entertainment dept is is the tip pool too. What is a Crew Appreciation? The crew appreciation is a daily (adjustable) amount added to your onboard account and pooled in order to recognize the many crew members in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas and entertainment areas throughout our fleet who contribute to the guest experience. The daily amount of the Crew Appreciation is based on stateroom category: $14.50 per guests in Interior, Oceanview and Balcony, $15.50 per guest in Mini-Suite and Club Class, $16.50 per guests in Suites.

I don't remove them but I adjust them to what I feel is right for me. At guest services you can designate any amount you want. Some where between $10 - $14 PP PD is where I fall. According to the contract pre covid, all cash extra you give goes into the pool which is fleet wide, not just the ship you sailed on regardless of leaving the auto gratuity intact. Princess takes an administration fee from these auto gratuities so all your money is not going to the crew. I believe the money left in the cabin for your steward probably went into their pocket.

I don't use the laundry because they use such hot water stains get set and clothes shrink. But for you do some math and see if 5 cruises are worth more then the perks you want. In your place I would put that money into club class for your trip and skip doing the shorter cruises. Princess elite and/or suite perks are not very good anyway.

I'm tired of reading this sentiment. They have a job to do and get paid well for it considering the value of their earnings to their home country. They should do their job well, this is a service industry and if they can't or won't do their job efficiently they they need to leave their job to someone who will do it conscientiously. Their whole system is customer service - to take care of us paying passengers. Don't confuse my post as being rude to the attendants. I'm actually quite nice and engaging, but I expect the amenities and services I paid for and what's promised in the Princess advertisements and web pages.

Save yourself the frustration and don't use it, I don't. There is a place on the Princess site to do everything online without the app, use it.

They do it to hold a place for you while you make a decision and protect the price and cabin.

We checked in at the pier without having used the app. They handed us the medallion which we used for unlocking our cabin door and checking out in ports. We didn't use the medallion for anything else. There is no free WiFi it's a daily charge which I prepaid for my laptop.

Nope, it's already covered in the auto gratuity and I am not about to carry a wallet or anything else on me during the cruise.

I didn't use the APP, I did everything on the computer pre cruise. When I boarded and got the medallion I used it to unlock the door, nothing else. I had a wonderful stress free cruise.

It sounds to me like a mass market cruise line will disappoint you. I suggest you try a more inclusive higher level cruise Seabourn or Azamara.

That was a blessing in disguise. We thought Sur Le Mar was substandard and the atmosphere not very inviting. I sent my dinner back 2 times to get it cooked to "cooked", it came under cooked both times.

What does OBC have to do with cash the OP asked about?

In addition it's probably written for the US market. I wonder if the contract is any different in the UK for comparison.

And you want compensation also! I doubt Princess values customers who don't have the proper documentation to board their ships. I doubt you'll get a refund. Because you put in a dispute with your credit card company over something the cruise line will probably win they may ban you from the cruises in the future. It's unfortunate you relied on a phone call to get the information. If I were in your situation I would assume half the responsibility for this problem. I would approach customer relations calmly telling them it was their issue not to know the correct documentation for a foreign birth certificate assuming you told them that. I would ask for a 50% future cruise credit for compensation which is easier for a company to issue then what you're asking for and doing with a credit card dispute.