Sprocket

Did you get the $500 in OBC? You should have IMO, is it too late to dispute it with your CC company. Overnight they had some kind of glitch in their system and mine and many others cruises were cancelled. What a mess! They rebooked it, but with the wrong amount again. No idea what is going on there but they need to fix it and it should not take days and days to do so.

I originally booked an offer through the Princess casino it was a VIP cruise with free balcony, FP and Princess Plus. Today I received an offer in the mail for the same date but with a mini suite and 2X the original free play. So I called today to book the new offer, he had some trouble with the booking but I thought he finally got the first one cancelled and the new one added. Nope, it booked under a totally different one and the one I wanted still shows active. So another call and his Supervisor is supposed to be taking care of it and said it could take a couple of days to sort out. I had issues with the original one not showing as VIP in the Personalizer and was never convinced that is what I had. So was happy to see it says VIP for this one, but wait for it I scroll down and the FP is $500 which is considerably less than it should be and transfers have been added. I have never ever used Princess transfers so not sure where that came from, he assured me I don't have them guess I will have to wait and check my CC statement when it posts. Anyone else currently or recently having issues? Make sure you check your emails right away with the confirmation details and make sure you have what you booked.

Have you received an email offering you a chance to bid for an upgrade? You can check if you’re eligible by logging into the Princess website, access your booking and scroll down to the upgrade option.

Adding cash once you're onboard at the front desk and then charging against it to your room is the only way I know of. Or just charging it to your room and then paying off your credit card gets you miles or cash back depending on what card you have. I've even made payments to my CC while on board.

I was on the Crown August 14-21st and again on the September 22nd sailing. I’ve cruised 66 days on 5 different ships since December 2021 longest cruises being 15-20 days, tested negative after all of them. Not so lucky after a 5 night trip to Vegas fortunately had what I considered a relatively mild case. Hope you are have a mild case and a quick recovery.

Andrew did our last 2 tests, really good to work with cannot recommend them highly enough.

I ordered the balcony breakfast and it shows up in my Summary, is that where you’re looking? If it’s not there call Princess and they can verify and add it.

Last year I received.a Princess ball cap and water bottle that were actually quite useful. This year I’ve already used the packing cubes, great for storing items between cruises.

I chose the Diamond option and we had a whale watching tour and the Chefs Table with a tour of the galley, autographed cookbook 2 photos and a rose. Was very happy with my choice. Guess it depends how many are on your cruise, and I won $150 in free play.

Your time frames are very close to my husbands, we were sooo close to his original interview date when everything went sideways. Difference is he was a first time applicant so had to attend an in person interview. Your wife hopefully will just have to submit her CC info and be auto approved in 2025 my last one or two renewals happened that way. Weird about the dates though. Now for next cruise I have to remove our passport info and enter the Nexus into ArriveCAN they seem to have updated the requirement on their website.

My husbands application also switched to Pre Approved once the centres opened but it didn’t change to Approved until after his interview. He got his card in the mail about a week later. You may want to go back in and check the status of your application if you haven’t already. Not sure how they are processing renewals at this time I still have a couple years left on mine.

Just wanted to add there were only I think 40 of us doing this Prestige cruise as it was a late addition. The one a few weeks before IIRC had well over a hundred maybe 150ish. So that could determine what events are planned. I had a great time met some nice people and all the staff I interacted with were amazing.

I think it was a special event and as this was my first Prestige cruise I have no idea if it is usually offered, would depend on the ship and the Chef I would guess. For those flying in the day before car service back to the airport should be an option, but you can check with the host.

Just disembarked the Crown August 27th Prestige cruise to Alaska. You will get an email asking about your preferences. If driving they will pay your parking, if flying they will arrange pick up at the airport arrival day only I believe. If flying all your emails will say they will pick you up in baggage claim, did not happen for me or others. I had to go looking for him was not happy but hey it was a nice SUV. I chose the Diamond package and we did a whale watching excursion and we had the Chefs Table with galley tour that was just for our group. There was Prosecco with bottle stopper, big bottles of water, 2 bottles of Perrier, and some chocolate covered strawberries delivered to the cabin. There were draws in the casino for those doing the Prestige cruise and a slot tournament, but I think that was dependant on which package you chose. We were given an autographed cookbook and 2 photos at the dinner itself which was incredible. I was given an apron, small charcuterie/cutting board and 3 jars of seafood spices the day before we got off the ship. It was a nice experience and I would do it again.

The issue is the US wants armed agents in the Nexus centres in Canada until they get that sorted I can’t see them opening up.

You’re right next time it will be even easier as a lot of your information stays stored in the ArriveCAN App so it only takes a few minutes to complete. I live in Canada and have been on 6 cruises just since December, coming back into Canada by land, air and ship and it really expedited the process. Don’t be surprised when no one asks to see it if you get off the ship in Canada, it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to.

So you’d rather get off the ship and line up with thousands to clear customs? We really liked being able to just walk off in Vancouver take the elevator up to street level and Uber home.

Testing at the port is not free so if you can test before arriving I Vancouver I highly recommend you do so.

Have you looked at the guidelines on the Princess website for cruises in/out/stopping in Canada? It is all explained there..and in your Cruise Summary You have to be tested BEFORE you board, there is testing available at Vancouver airport and also at Canada Place. Antigen test is 2 days and PCR is 3 days if you do the PCR make sure it is the rapid test. We use an online testing site very easy and rapid antigen results in 30 minutes. They will NOT allow you to board without a negative test. ArriveCAN MUST be filled out and submitted within 72 hours of boarding. We have to show our QR code when boarding and confirmed with our cabin steward. There is a web based app as well as one for your phone or IPad I take a screen shot and print it off just in case. The app is for boarding purposes and since your passport is tied to the app it is unlikely you will have to show it once you are on the ship. It has to be done whether or not you intend to get off the ship in Canada. You will have to be fully vaccinated and show your vaccination cards.

I got the flag also, thought about opening one end and using it for small laundry items. Never got the chair cover.

Recent posts indicate there are only 4 US immigration officers to process all the newly arriving passengers in Vancouver, I doubt they will do it onboard.

They will take you off as part of a group, you will meet up in one of the bars or dining rooms. It can take awhile for everybody to disembark. You will then need to clear Immigration so don't forget your passport. They will give you an In Transit card so when you reboard you can bypass the check in line. They do this all the time so its usually a pretty efficient process.

Love the VIP cruises! Enjoy.