SouthAltaCruisingFamily

I have the same challenge!

I am good with picking it up at the port. It is one less thing that I do not have to stress about whether or not it is in my carry on bag.

We were on the Diamond January 6-22. That sailing to Hawaii was at or near capacity. We had reservations almost every night (except specialty dining evenings) in the Sante Fe Restaurant. One half was reservations and the other half was Club Class Dining. 2 Maitre D's and 2 Hostess. Service in the Sante Fe was friendly, quick, and efficient. There were people that did not have the same experience in the other dining rooms(Savoy, International, Pacific Moon, & Vivaldi). If your ship is sailing fuller, dining reservations may save you some grief.

Sorry the $270 deposit is per couple NOT per person. sorry for any confusion this might have caused.

I have but am questioning my sanity. It is looks eerily similar to the current 35% off fare. Example: 15 Night Panama Canal Cruise in January 2024 on the Emerald. Category MD Mini Suite with premium pkg. Princess 35% off Sale has it for $10674.44. 35% off launch fare on a space available basis. Includes: $150 OBC credit per person and reduced deposit of $100/person. Canadian Resident Rate: $10674. Reduced deposit of $270CDN per person (which is a 35% exchange rate on $100USD). The fare is based on a lead in fare on a space available basis. It does not mention it via our TA's online website, but we did receive $150USD OBC per guest through this promo code. We did book this promo but will keep checking for any other sales or price reduction to occur.

Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. For bookings made in lead categories by meta, deposits of $100 USD per guest are non-refundable and in guarantee status only, staterooms may not be selected and will be assigned close to departure date. Fares for other categories may vary. Fares are per guest, non-air, cruise- or cruisetour-only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. Guests will be able to pay the same amount in Canadian dollars as the public US dollar rate. Please refer to princess.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings. Offer expires on February 28, 2023. Reference Promo Codes: RLW/RJW/RKW. Any advertised offer may be changed or revoked at any time. ©2023, Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. Princess®, MedallionClass®, and the Princess logo are trademarks of Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Ships of Bermudan and British registry.

Perhaps I can shed some light on some of his troubles although I too am perplexed. This cruise had the Sterling Steakhouse out of commission for the whole cruise. There was many rumors and speculation as to why but a common theme was that the kitchen had maintenance issues with their grill. As a result, all all of sterling steakhouse reservations were moved to Sabitini's (as you can see in the photo I am attaching). But I believe staffing was a huge issue as evident on which days the restaurant was open, they had a waitress from Kai Sushi delivering bar drinks, and when we there at 12:30pm for a steak lunch plus 6:30 for an Italian supper...the restaurant was only at half capacity...with 4 waiters (not sure if this is normal). However I am perplexed as to what @Oakman58 did to try to resolve it.

Just under 2500 pax on this sailing from every walk of life, multiple nationalities, & various age groups. There were over 800 newbies on this cruise as well as the most traveled passenger having 2400 days. Every single one of us(almost 2500 people) experienced the embarkation fiasco! Many of us were inconvenienced by the steakhouse being out of commission in its normal location, all of us had delays in disembarking the ship, many had issues with dining, a lot of people had 10am airport transfers being a gong show, lots of passengers also were affected by the tendering, and other issues that were front and center. However, you fail to acknowledge that Princess was handing out water while waiting in line in San Diego. In Lahaina, they were monitoring the lines and very quick to respond to medical issues (when a girl tripped on her shoes). Or the fact that they were assisting the handicapped or those that were struggling. And they were handing out cold clothes. The captain went 250 miles around to avoid the storms which were impacting California (and other states severely). Fifty plus foot waves in Oahu and sloppy ocean conditions led to the cancellation of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational which is one reason we arrived in Hilo early. They tried to create a solution by when the Sterling Steakhouse was not available. Combining both the steakhouse and Italian restaurant in one venue while offering both menus at different times was the best solution they could offer. Princess may have been at fault for some of the issues but you cannot blame them 100%. Supply issues were still evident, port construction, shore excursion vendors canceling or modifying excursions, weather conditions, covid repercussions. Was it a perfect cruise? Nope. But I can assure you that you are in the minority. A lot of people took it with a grain of salt. I heard a lot of people commend the staff on doing an amazing job despite the circumstances. I also heard many comments about how this would not impact future cruising.

We are in Santa Fe dining. 1/2 regular and 1/2 club class (window side). 2 Maître D’

Our teens hung out with friends or just hung out with each other. they were not big teen club fans by the age of sixteen but were quick to figure out what to do without being a pain or a nuisance to other guests. They often watched movies under the stars (with popcorn included for free), played trivia and other games, ping pong, star gazing, sports court playing basketball, events in the theatre, and sometimes just chilled with a movie in their room after a very busy port day (and brought in pizza, burgers, and desserts to their cabin).

We had zero issues with vibration. It was a perfect location and awesome balcony cabin. Our only complaint was when there was significant wind(gale force), there was a whistling in the cabin from the balcony door. But I won’t hesitate in booking this cabin again. In fact, we have booked this cabin location for a few future cruises.

This site, from the government, shows the best current information on what is mandatory, what is optional, and which airports are currently participating. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/border-tech-frontiere/declare-before-avant-eng.html

It was suppose to be only temporary. Recently Toronto and Vancouver airports have added customs declarations to the app. I suspect it’s here to stay despite pleas from the travel industry to get rid of it, passengers often not impressed with it, and delays at airports as people struggle with it.