Todd320

The good news is that the prices for the sanctuary including the cabanas have not increased yet. We are currently enjoying a beautiful day in the sanctuary cabana on the Regal. No more candy or MP 3 players for the cabanas. The sanctuary manager said corporate made the decision a month ago to cut them out so I assume it probably happen when they changed the AIBP.

I do not miss the MP 3 players but the manager said he has had complaints. I do miss the candy even though the quantity was way more than you could eat. If you had several cabana days you would end up with an impressive stack of snicker bars or M&M’s that you would end up giving away. It is healthier for me that the candy is no longer included but even though minor, it’s another Princess cutback.

Todd

You don't want to walk from the airport anyway, but if you are at a hotel on 17th street near Eisenhower Blvd., you can easily walk to Terminal 2. Unless it is raining..........

 

Pooh

I agree, we have walked many times from the Renaissance on 17th St. As long as your mobile and your luggage is on wheels its not a problem. We don't walk to save money, we walk because we enjoy it, which is enhanced with the anticipation of the cruise.

Thanks Pam.

Is he a very funny guy with interesting funny story of the day he tells at production shows?

I do not know if the Royal has started the entertainment director position yet but I know Ron is not looking forward to the white officer uniform. Things can change but Ron said he would be on the Royal from November through March for our cruises.

You can transfer between TAs as long as it's within the rules (no money on the file/before final payment) but you have to get the original booking TA to okay and instigate the transfer and they likely won't be too happy about it if they've already done the work and won't keep the commission.

so, if they've REALLY done you wrong and you're super unhappy with their work/service/whatever, then you can do it. but it would be easier (and less confrontational with the original agent) to just cancel the booking with them and rebook with a new agency.

We transferred all 8 of our future cruises that had been booked with a TA back to Princess and then transferred them to our new TA. Less controversial than TA to TA and able to keep our existing promtions vs losing them if using the rebooking option. Also we didn't want to take the slight chance of losing our favorite cabin on rebooking since they are two off cabins.

At some airports they use the same line for both Global and Mobil. They do that at JFK and Mobil is faster because you don't have to stop the the kiosk.

Does terminal 2 at Port Everglades have the same line for both or separate?

Did terminal 2 get Global kiosk's, they did not have them last season?

Regardless I need to setup Mobile Password as a back up to my Global Entry but I was looking for incentive here to do so.

We find L101/102 the best value cabins on the Royal and Regal. We mostly book M107/108 and love it but you end up paying a premium for it.

As far the the forward facing cabins go, you either love it or hate it depending on how you relate to the wind issues.

Todd

We find L101/102 the best value cabins on the Royal and Regal. We mostly book M107/108 and love it but you end up paying a premium for it.

As far the the forward facing cabins go, you either love it or hate it depending on how you relate to the wind issues.

Todd

First time cruising. We are on Regal in Port Everglades. The ship is scheduled to arrive at 6. Do you think I can make a 9:45am flight out of FLL? It's a domestic flight.

It all depends on your comfort level and your plan B.

We routinely make 7:30 to 8:00 AM flights on Delta off of the Regal and Royal.

We have the ability to switch to a later flight with no penalty if something goes wrong.

If you get a chance can you tell us who the party band is and the B band. We are on the 26 Oct cruise.

We also are big fans of M107/M108. We have 35 days booked in those cabins this season on the Royal and 44 next season. We had M107 booked for the 26 Oct cruse on the Regal but backed out to save some money and went to L101/102 which we consider the best value on the ship.

Have a great cruise.

Todd

If I can contribute any meaningful information to this board it would be that there are really full service TA's out there who discount 10%. For years I would look, give up, look and then give up trying to find one. People on the board would tout their savings but it was hard to separate fact from fiction.

I started a thread "How to find a good TA" and from that with a little detective work deciphering the cryptic posts I found a good one that many expierenced CC people use.

I sure wish I had thought of this when I was on the Regal. I don't know who these mystery TAs are and don't understand why they are such a mystery. We have been on three cruises, two of which were booked straight with Princess. I love to research, but knowing where to look for this is a secret I haven't figured out how to crack.

Somebody on the roll call was asking about maybe finding a new TA. I thought the following may be useful for some.

I have used both TA’s and Princess directly without meaningful savings. I would always see posts on CC about how much people were saving with their TA but it was hard to quantify fact from fiction. I’m here to tell you that there really are reputable full service TA’s out there that will normally discount 10%. Princess does allow discounting. The trick is to first find one and then determine if it is a good fit.

I put out a thread “ How to find a good TA” months ago and from that with a little detective work I was able to find my current TA that I’m very happy with. If I had her last season I would of saved $4000 (for two) on 80 some days. This season were planning 45 days and the savings is $1950 and that does not include $30 p/p per cruise of OBC that she gives. This TA has many awards in the travel industry and is use by many CC members.

Just so there is no confusion

Saving money from a TA who discounts is just getting an extra 10% of the best price (commission fare). Using the Tax return scenario, it is like filing a return by taking advantage of all the tax laws and codes and then using what ever amount you come up with and then take 10% off.

It’s not like your only getting to use the discount because your paying a higher fare that only qualifies for the discount. Using a TA who discounts becomes even more important if your booking a long cruise and/or a full suite.

Obviously there are many different reasons one chooses a TA or a Princess planner. Just because you use a TA who discounts does not mean you automatically lose any other advantages or benefits from a non discount TA or Princess planner.

The reason I initially posted this topic was that I was always frustrated because I couldn’t find a true TA that discounted. For us it is a good fit and I would think for a lot of others also but I understand for many cruisers it may not.

An alarm clock.

 

Yes, but we use it as a clock so as to always know what time it is without any effort. It must be battery powered only (small and light weight) and the digital time must be continually displayed.

Unless they've changed lately it's always been 90 days.

They returned mine because it a month to early one time.

I guess I was lucky. I had seen another post that said they were able to do them well beyond 90 days.

I've done it both with the form and without the form. It makes absolutely no difference. If you don't use the form just make sure your name, voyage number, booking number, etc. are clearly listed on the info you fax to Princess. Sadly (at least in the US) you can't email the info.

 

Make sure your stock holdings are clearly identified as belonging to you and that the info you submit is no more than 90 days old. If you submit it farther out than 90 days before you cruise it won't be accepted.

I submitted last week my Carnival stock to Princess for all my cruises (5) through March 2018 and have received credit for them. The 90 day thing must just be a suggestion.

I don't doubt that some people have good TAs.....However...after trying 3 different ones, I have given up. None of them ever offered better deals than Princess and seemed to be less knowledgeable than I was about everything related to cruising and travel insurance. They also charged cancellation fees. So, congratulations to those who find good ones, but I stick with booking directly through Princess and am happy to do so. :cool:

I was frustrated and had gone back and forth between TA's and Princess. When I would get OBC from a TA it was just a token amount. I started a thread a few months ago relating to how to find a good TA. With the help of CC members and a little detective work I was able to find a TA that discounts 10% and is readily available by phone and email. "Oh, the horror" of how much money I wasted the last two years.

Demand for cruises are predicted higher and that is why future cruises fares are higher. It has nothing to do with Sip n Sail.

It starts with Launch fares.

Sip n Sail comes along and most fares do not increase.

Other promotions come along and most fares drop. Many people refare if it makes economical sense.

It's not rocket science, I guess some people are blaming the Sip n Sail but the bottom line is that cruising is getting more expensive because the economy is better and demand is up.

They can do this now. Even with pay as you go drinks. Seen it many times.

Yes I have too. The bartender cuts the person off and then calls the supervisor. The supervisor then calls all the bars to notify them not to serve this person.

The intoxicated person may end up in what they call a focus file. The focus file is designed for passengers who's behavior needs watching. They post the passengers picture in the crew area's to alert the crew to be on the lookout.

Weird. I did do a mock booking and didn't see it. Sorry guys!!

 

Cheers, Denise

I show it under special offers of free gratuities and OBC 500 pp.

We are booked on the 30 day segment with the sip n sail.

Was your category sold out? My TA told me that she had several that wouldn't re-fare as the category was sold out and she had to call Princess and get a Supervisor to authorize it. Maybe this was your situation and they just switched your categories to something that wasn't sold out as opposed to calling Princess. Purely guessing.

My TA had to do the same thing on 3 of our bookings.

Thanks again Coral for your help earlier. :)

Can you use your AIBP at Princess Cays?

Yes

All of this talk because of a purported copy of a flyer !! My Princess Vacation Planner told me last week that she has never seen a flyer that shows a limit on drinks with AIBP or sip N sail

Well I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Trouble with Princess a lot of time you cannot get accurate or real time information. You can call and get someone who doesn't have a clue whats going on. To a lesser degree that includes some supervisors. Of course sometimes you call and you get a very knowable person.

As Princess keeps building larger ships and sailing them to ports with limited tourist infrastructure (for example a Royal class ship in the Falkland Islands), Many passengers will be disappointed that there are not enough ship and private excursions available to meet the demand, so early advance booking is necessary to take those excursions.

Thats what I'm concerned about. I have not pre paid an excursion before but this cruise may be an exception.

The AIBP includes any drink priced $10 or less. The last time I checked, regular brewed coffee from the International Café cost less than $10 - so it is included.:)

Just as a side note that $10 limit does not include tip. So most of the drinks I get have a total cost of $11 to $11.50 and are cover by the AIBP.

Sometimes we see the VIP gamblers have a $10 limit in the casino but that includes the gratuity which limits their choices.

The forward facing balconies (L101-104) are about 1/4 - 1/2 covered. Plenty of sun, and enough shade.

And the balconies in 101-102 are huge.

The nice thing about the forward facing cabins on the Royal is the privacy. Yes, if you go to the railing they may see the top of your head from the Sanctuary but for all practical purposes it's private.

Yes, for those who have not stayed in the forward facing cabins it can be extremely windy at sea. Some people really avoid those cabins for that reason.

Lately we have upgraded to M107/108 because of the balcony but we have always felt that L101/102 cabins are the best value on the ship.