reiddg

6 minutes ago, AryMay said:

Guest services didn’t receive the tags until late evening on the night before disembarkation. When I checked at 9 pm, they had just gotten them and were getting ready to distribute the tags. 

Got it, thanks.  I'll definitely be checking with them that evening.

2 minutes ago, AryMay said:

Just back from an Alaska cruise on the Eurodam last week and wanted to share our experience with Port Valet. 
 

I had preregistered for Port Valet and had an email confirmation prior to our cruise. Early in the week we received a form in our stateroom for the program and I checked at guest services to make sure I didn’t need to fill it out since I already had registered. Was told no other forms were needed and we were good to go.
 

The onboard info said it could be as late as 9 pm on the last night before luggage tags were delivered but we did not receive ours. Checked at GS and was told they hadn’t received any for us. Luckily we were still able to fill out the form right then and they were able to get us the tags by 10:00 pm or so. I was glad we had planned to stay onboard at Victoria otherwise we wouldn’t have discovered the problem until it was too late. 
 

I just mention this because waiting to sign up for the program while on the ship might be a better option…

Very good point.  Sorry that happened to you but glad it worked out and thank you for the warning.  I've already signed up for Port Valet for our 8/28 cruise but I will definitely check in with GS the day before disembarkation to make sure our tags were received.

I just registered and submitted my order on Port Valet.  It was easy to do and painless.  We're all set for our disembarkation on 9/4/22.

Thanks everyone for the advice.  Safe and Happy Cruising!

1 hour ago, geckobabe said:

We used Port Valet October 2021 and it was great. Luggage tags and our boarding passes were left in our cabin the last day. We put our bags outside our cabin that night and the next time we saw them was at baggage claim in Philly. We had a full day of sightseeing without our bags. Remember it also saves you from having to check your bags in at the airport, so that saves time. When arrived at the airport, we went right to the TSA security line. This year we have a 12:30 pm return flight and plan to use Port Valet again.

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much!  Our flight is @ 11:54 so, we'll use Port Valet and then grab an Uber to the airport. I think will try the SEA Spot Saver too and see how that works.  It could be helpful if there's a backup in the PreCheck line.  This will be the day before Labor Day so who knows what the lines will be like.

Thanks again!

26 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

The Luggage Valet program has been around for about 4 or 5 years (not counting Covid years) and it has been a great success. It only operates during the cruising season, so you can only read old data...no choice. Not sure what newer info you are expecting, given the definitions of the program.

 

Keep in mind, certain airlines and very early flights are not included in the Luggage Valet.

 

The Spot Saver is a much newer service.

Thank you for the info, CruiserBruce.  I read everything on the Port Valet page and Delta is included. The newer info I was looking for was feedback on whether Port Valet was still a reliable way to get luggage from port to airport or not.  The only info I found on the CC boards regarding the service was from 2011 and as we all know, things can change, and if it's no longer reliable, I wouldn't want to use it.  Unfortunately, as we all know, the pandemic has caused severe worker shortages that wreak havoc on a business.  Anyway, from what you've said, it sounds like it's still the way to go.

We're disembarking from an Alaskan cruise on the Sunday before Labor Day and we've got a Noon flight out of SEATAC so I want to make sure our departure is as expeditious as possible.  I've read some very old posts advising the use of Port Valet to get our luggage to the airport and SEA Spot Saver to get through security quickly.

I was wondering if Port Valet is still a reliable way to get your luggage to SEATAC vs just taking early departure off the ship and taking the luggage ourselves.  I realize there's a convenience aspect of using Port Valet but I'm more interested in the reliability.  Also, we both have Pre-Check so I'm wondering if/how SEA Spot Saver would help expedite through TSA.  Spot Saver appears to save time if there is a backup in the Pre-Check line (seen that before at other airports) but would like to hear any thoughts on that from travelers that have used it before.

Any advise would be most appreciated.

Safe Travels!

On 9/28/2019 at 11:07 AM, scottca075 said:

 

On a Wednesday, no way I'd book at 11:30AM. The odds are good you wouldn't miss the flight, but 8AM puts you in the middle of prime time traffic and it will be stressful.

Too bad but thanks much for the advice.  We'll have to look at a later flight.

Thanks!

How about an 11:30 am flight out of LAX on a Wednesday?  We'll be coming off a Princess cruise and the itinerary says a 6:15 docking time.  We can leave the ship anytime we want and I had planned on reserving an Uber for about 7:45 - 8:00 am.   I really want to make the 11:30 flight, if possible.  Any later flight would get us into Tampa well after midnight and I'm getting to old for that... 😉  

Any advice would be much appreciated.

14 hours ago, Ombud said:

So you were bumped up after your 9th cruise credit? Maybe they're bumping repeat suites early (4 suites @ 2 ea +1). And I've heard suites have preferential laundry turn around times. I just book balconies or OC behind art gallery

Yes, it could be.  From what I've read, there are a number of criteria used to make that determination and I'm guessing it's all based on the dollars spent whether on cabins, cruises, or casino.

1 hour ago, halfapair said:

Does that include mini-suites? Or is it just for people in the larger suites?

No, it's just for suite passengers.  It's an excellent breakfast.

On 2/12/2019 at 11:57 AM, jagoffee said:

$59 for unlimited internet for 7 days is a screaming bargain.  What is the catch?

Perhaps this is a temporary transition price?

 

If $59 is the actually price long term, then I concur it should be the benefit for the Elite internet.  Or at a minimum the unlimited should be offered at a significant discount.  Celebrity offered Elite stautus members a 30% discount for the unlimited (or 90 minutes), Elite plus is a 35 % discount (or around 240 minutes).  But the cost of the unlimited package is 3 or 4 times as much.

 

I suspect Princess is hesitate to start offering unlimited internet to people with Elite status, because of the abuse (sharing) when they previously provided the unlimited internet as a benefit.  At least the laundry benefit is easier to monitor.

 

The bottom line is the current standard  unlimited internet ($59) pricing with no benefit does not make much sense for Elite status cruisers.

Amen!

11 hours ago, Doug R. said:

Yet on the Regal we didn't have a bit of a problem for the entire cruise. We got the $9.99 a day several days into the cruise.

That's good.  It's too bad there's so much inconsistency in guest experiences and the information being disseminated.  

13 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

That sucks and something I would not like to deal with during my cruise.

On the Regal in Nov I had the same issue toward the end of my cruise.

I was really frustrated as it was disconnecting constantly and the lines were similar to what you saw.

I really think they have a ways to go to get MedallionNet to work the way to is supposed to.

I thought they would have had all these issues sorted out by now especially on the CB. 😬

I was in the Regal at the end of November when they were converting floors to medallion.  MedallionNet averaged 2-3 outages a day.  I was talking to one of the IT people brought on board for the conversion.  He was touting the new technology but clammed up when I started asking pointed technical questions about the outages.  Honestly, I think it's a very poor design and they're just overwhelmed and not able to handle the issues.  To make matters worse, Marketing won the battle on communicating medallionNet to the guests and as a result,  there are no clear, consistent, user friendly instructions on how to connect and use it.

29 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Unreliable?? Thats not good to hear that.   When we sailed the CB in September it was lightning fast and better than my internet at home.

FWIW......thats another reason we love the unlimited then I don't have to worry about burning up minutes and keeping track.

Just stayed logged in 24/7.

Another thought... There was something going on with MedallionNet most of our cruise on the Caribbean Princess.  By mid-afternoon of embarkation day, the line for the internet cafe went the entire beam back to the dining room.  I was told a high number of people had their minutes erased.  I wasn't able to connect to Wi-Fi until after we departed.  Most mornings of the cruise, the line averaged 8-10 deep for Tech help whenever I walked by it.  I've never seen it that bad before.

7 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Unreliable?? Thats not good to hear that.   When we sailed the CB in September it was lightning fast and better than my internet at home.

FWIW......thats another reason we love the unlimited then I don't have to worry about burning up minutes and keeping track.

Just stayed logged in 24/7.

Once connected, the performance was acceptable.  However, while on the ship, every time I picked up my phone to look at the ship activities or use one of the ocean apps, my Wi-Fi had disconnected and it usually took 2-3 attempts to get back on MedallionNet.  The IT staff just shrugged and said that was normal...smh.

I agree that unlimited would be great.  My wife and I own our own business and need to be on the internet.  We've yet to burn through our free minutes but have come close.

3 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I'm thinking out loud, here.  My wife and I are both Platinum level and, so, we both get an allocation of internet minutes for every cruise.  Typically, my wife runs out of minutes from her allocation after five or six days.  What she does, then, is to log on as me, and start on my allocation.  This has never happened, but let's, for the sake of discussion. assume that she runs through my allocation. also.  I think there is some option to by internet time by the day.  (I may be wrong, there.)  Can she not, then, buy time by the day, or is there some point on the cruise where buying internet time is not available?

Yes, you can buy unlimited internet by the day.  I just got off the Caribbean Princess on 2/9 and it was offered at $9.99/day if you bought for the entire cruise on the first day.  My wife and I each get 250 minutes (14 day cruise) and I thought I was going to have to buy a day or two toward the end of the cruise but I ended up not needing to.  I believe the daily price was slightly higher than the $9.99 but can't recall the exact price.  As unreliable as MedallionNet is, they should be giving it away.  My Wi-Fi connection was constantly dropping and connecting was a pain in the rear.  40+ years in IT and I've never seen such a shoddy implementation of technology.

And what if the level of the partner is not that which requires a suit and tie? My DW refuses the dress in co tail dresses or evenng goens or anything with sparkles on it. She also does not wear amy jewelry of any kind. But always dresses nicely which is why I never wear a suit coat on a cruise.

Then it means you're dressing to the level of your partner, which was my point and is fine.

Silly question - I noticed it said on the internet picture you posted "unlimited one device" That means one at a time, correct? I have 2 I need to check for work through the week. Thanks!

I would recommend getting clarification from Princess before making a decision to purchase additional internet packages but from my experience, that usually means one specific device and you will most probably have to acquire a package for the second device.

Every device has its own unique address and when you log in, the service will capture that address and prevent you from logging in with a different one unless you have the appropriate internet package(s). Some of the larger hotel chains have been operating like that for some time by limiting your account to a specific number of devices.

Just bought this on Amazon to use on our cruises. It's about the same diameter as a CD and about an inch thick. Very good reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/NTONPOWER-Outlets-Charging-Extension-Business/dp/B0727WZM6R/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1534633063&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=power%2Bstrips%2Bwith%2Busb&th=1:

I love the chance to "play dress up" and see my husband all decked out to the nines. If others do or don't isn't my business, but I do enjoy when the dress code is "respected"; doesn't have to be a tux, just what the dress code states as their definition. Flame away, I have my asbestos suit on, as well as a pretty thick skin.

Also, loaded up on beer and popcorn.:D:D:D:D

I agree with you. I think it's appropriate to dress for the occasion. My personal preference is a tux. It doesn't take up any more room than a suit and based on Princess' suggested dress for formal nights in order to create the right atmosphere, I believe it appropriate. If other men want to wear a suit and tie, that's their choice and they look fine. However, I believe a gentleman should always dress to the level of his partner. I've been on many formal nights where the lady is dressed in an evening dress or formal gown and the man is wearing an open collar shirt, sometimes wrinkled, and slacks. IMHO, it's not very respectful to the lady.

OK I just got off the phone with Princess and after drilling/correcting the agent - he finally said that Elite and Plat will have unlimited Wi-Fi

That makes sense. After reading this thread, I went to Cruise Personalizer and under Internet Packages, the only option shown to me is the in-cabin calling to shore. Nice to have unlimited internet!

Thanks for posting.

Most of the time, the hours offered online work for us. However, calling DINE has been 50/50 for us. Sometimes, I get right through on embarkation day, other times I don't. I did find that if I couldn't get through early on embarkation day that if I call in the early evening, I got through. That doesn't help if you're making reservations for that night but you'll be able to make them for the remainder of the cruise. Good luck. :cool:

Very good, thorough review. Thanks for the insight.

One observation though regarding *****. I too am an IT person who's been in the industry since 1973. In talking to some of the crew on the Coral Princess last January on the Panama Canal transit as well as a very seasoned and well-informed cruise couple we met on that cruise, it sounds like two things went wrong. First, it sounds like Princess IT dropped the ball on testing ***** before rolling it out. I wasn't involved in the project so I can only speculate but based on the some of the specific issues expressed to me, it sounds like there wasn't enough stress testing to ensure it could handle a full load of passengers and crew. Second, I'm also guessing that there were significant design flaws and/or insufficient hardware/bandwidth capacity given that it was rolled out, pulled back and has taken so long to be reintroduced. It's all just speculation on my part but I've seen too many projects with the same issues as a result of poor design and testing.

I agree with you that an application such as ***** has amazing potential and I look forward to seeing it in action when we're on the Caribbean Princess for the two week Circle Caribbean starting 1/26/19. Technology, when well designed and implemented, can make life so much easier and enriching. I've subscribed to Idahospuds thread "Live from the Caribbean Princess" that starts tomorrow because she'll be giving details on *****. Looking forward to it.

Again, great review. Thanks for sharing.

When I was young, the Sears catalog was our Christmas Wish Book. Now the Princess catalog is.

Amen to that! I always loved browsing through that catalog when I was young. Now that I'm older, I get the same thrill from the Princess version. ;)

We've always found Princess to be very accommodating. We swap all liquor for all Courvoisier and all beer/soda for Diet Coke.