jimmieg

5 hours ago, capriccio said:

Looks to me (when I logged in without my ID) like they are only taking guarantees.  That means that all of the premium aft balconies are reserved but there will be, no doubt, cancellations in the next year and a half.   If you choose 'allow Princess to assign before departure' you can't chose your deck but you will get at least that cabin category if not higher.

Be aware that not all premium aft balconies are rear-facing on the stern. There are balconies designated premium on the side, too.  

6 hours ago, akb5k said:

Just got my email canceling Independence of the Seas- and I had such a great deal because I booked early on Black Friday 😞 Wish they would honor your original booking sale/deal. We were booked to Norway, not sure why they suggested Anthem to Spain as a replacement?

Any opinions on Jewel to the Arctic Circle? What's a good price? Right now the price is crazy (to me) and it's a smaller older ship, definitely not my first choice, but I really want to see Norway! The other option is jumping ship (haha) to Crown Princess which is still more for 7 nights than my original 9 night trip on Indy, but cheaper than Jewel.

If you can catch a break on one of the two Princess 14-day Norway cruises each summer out of Southampton, grab it.  One of the best cruises in 40+ and plan to do it again.

At the B2B meeting for continuing passengers on the Solstice, 3 meals for next cruise (all one or any combo) was $99 and they threw in "Lunch with the Greeks" - a Greek themed meal with Captain and Officers in Tuscan on last sea day.  That meal was probably the best of the cruise- whole broiled Mediterranean Sea Bass was one of the choices.  So effectively, 4 specialty meals for $99/pp

On 5/1/2019 at 4:04 PM, Hlitner said:

So my message to the OP is get out of your tiny niche and expand your horizons in terms of dealing with multiple cruise agencies and multiple cruise lines.  Princess is a fine line (they are one of the 16 upon which we have cruised) but so are their competition.   When you make a "choice" to limit your options you get exactly what you seek.....LIMITED OPTIONS.

 

Hank

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Hank.  But...

1. I have cruised 5 lines, though narrowed to Princess and Celebrity as they offer the experience we prefer when things are operating well. 

2. I deal with multiple agencies.  My remark about loyal was just to indicate my status did not open any doors, as it did when I had high status with an airline.

3. Choices for 14 days in Alaska in August are limited.  Seaborne is another choice, but not necessary for me at their price point. That's a personal choice. The Princess price was right, but not under the buffet or over the theatre.

4. Only went directly to Princess to see if I could accomplish what the agent couldn't. Nope.

5. I've never made a certain cruise a must have.  If I get it fine, if not I see another one I like some other time.

6. They're betting they will sell their better rooms 7 days at a time, I'm betting they won't. They have software on their side. I have patience on mine.

I often treat the hunt as a challenge, but I don't win every time.  It's a cheap hobby.

7. You've got 3x more days at sea than me, but I'm trying to catch up.😉

Thanks again!

17 hours ago, Thrak said:

Food can change even on one ship. We had a cruise that started out with "meh" food. Half way through the cruise the food got vastly better. Wait staff told us the "regular" head chef had rejoined the ship. There is no way to tell how the food will be.

I agree!  My experience is the chef in charge does make a big difference. If recipes are standardized, not sure why.  But was ready to give up on MDR, and next Chef (don't recall name, he was Filipino) had his kitchen turning out fantastic meals.

But you can't predict staff. You will only know it was good in hindsight.

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I would never expect a PVP to be able to do anything for me. At least no more than a Princess regular phone rep could.

My TA quite a few times has been able to get a cabin for me pulled for a b2b that was only available on 1 segment and showing sold out for the other.

Did you try entering a 3rd and/or 4th person in the cabin selection when it asks you how many passengers just to see if additional cabins show up for you?

I am finding that on almost every cruise I research more cabin choices show up with the 3rd and 4th.

I have booked for 3 then drop the 3rd after snagging the cabin. There are a few work arounds. I would strongly suggest you get a really good TA.

Are there not any GTY's available for you to book rather than picking a specific cabin?

 

Good idea on trying for 3/4 people. However, just shows all cabins sold out (they're not). 

I guess, by definition, the illusive "really good TA" would be the illusive one that can work magic where others have failed.  If they fail, then they are not good.

When the board rules change, we can post the list of "the really good TA's" that have a hotline to the back office .;>)

Until then, I'll just wait until the upcoming final pay date and bet that things open after.  I never NEED to have another cruise. And last I checked, there's near gridlock with ships in AK this summer.  

6 hours ago, caribill said:

I have seen Princess let cabins sail empty rather than change the inventory allocation.

 

There was a cruise that could be booked from Houston to Europe with a stop at Fort Lauderdale to pick up additional passengers.

 

So the inventory was allocated with some cabins for Houston to Europe and some for Fort Lauderdale to Europe.

 

When the Houston to Europe cabins were sold out but Fort Lauderdale to Europe was still available, Princess would not allow some of that inventory be available for Houston to Europe.

 

Because it is illegal to sell passage just from Houston to Fort Lauderdale, any cabins sold for Fort Lauderdale to Europe had to remain empty from Houston to Fort Lauderdale.

 

There were some on the roll call who posted they lived in Houston, but had to book for Fort Lauderdale to Europe and then pay to fly to Fort Lauderdale for the cruise.

As a share holder in CCL, I applaud the revenue-enhancing logarithmic software that "usually" has ships sailing at capacity.

As a passenger, I wish someone was empowered in real-time to make adjustments to meet the needs of the customer trying to purchase the product, Caribill. 

7 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

It is exactly what drove me from Princess and I have never been back. One Transatlantic,  a 15 day and an 18 day version.  Every single caribe cabin was being held for the 18 day version.  I fully appreciate having cabins set aside for both, but not a whole freaking deck.  After 11 with Princess we haven’t been back since. 

Sad.

2 hours ago, dstables said:

Just asked to speak to someone in the Inventory Department. But this is a good case example why using a good TA is worth your time. 

😂🤣😂  I assume you're being facetious about speaking to the Inventory Department directly, huh?

But if you get through and pass on the ext # to me, there's a free creme brulee in it for you on your next sailing.

BTW, I only called customer relations directly after agent failed to get inventory opened after an hour of back and forth. 

I really think Princess booking and customer relations folks are trained by Guest Services Desk aboard ship. They are all polite, but no one is given authority to make a decision. 

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

It sounds like you didn't work with a TA but I would hold out hope that the customer service rep can reach the staff with the power to make it happen.

Worked with an agent first. They struck out. Was going make booking myself and xfer back if I could make my case personally.

3 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Sounds like you live near their office. Can you go there in person? That might be fun. 

I actually had to hand deliver an errant shareholder obc form once. Security was tighter in that building than most federal facilities.

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

It sounds like you didn't work with a TA but I would hold out hope that the customer service rep can reach the staff with the power to make it happen.

Actually went to Princess myself only after agent struck out after over an hour on the phone.🙄

First, I'm a Princess loyalist (33 behind me. Two more already booked. Don't be harsh. I'm looking for a 12-step program for my addiction😲). Thought I'd throw in a 14 day Alaska I saw at a decent $ for Island (yeah, yeah- I know) 

in August (it will be 100+ here then)under "Come Back New" promo that came in the mail. Maybe they feed my addiction?

HOWEVER, only a few BF cabins available - 2 under Horizon and about 6 over Princess Theater. I'm not nervous, but I do like quiet.

On checking both legs (it could be booked as two 7 days) lots of inventory was available for same room.

So I called - talked to call center agent who was nice (he had never cruised😉, said I knew more about his ships than he did😂), a senior vacation planner who knew more but was powerless, and a customer care rep (who was sympathetic and said she would ask proper folks ("could take a few days for them to respond") if a BE could be opened for 14 day booking (I'm not greedy and am ok with staying at the end of the hall. It's quiet and I need to walk.)

But, no decision makers can connect with me directly. All 3 contacts tried to sell me B2B at nearly 2x the $. I'm not desperate.

My take aways -

1. "sold out" does not mean "really sold out."

2. Book "any category and get lowest price for that category" sounds nice, but only works if inventory is released. And...

3. People who can make a customer service decision are locked away from paying customers" like they're in a witness protection program.

BTW, my wife is tired of hearing me offer my opinions on this, so just using CC for a little free therapy. Better than divorce.

Guess I won't be coming home new. 

PS I did politely ask the rep if he happened to have a number for Celebrity handy. Should I not have done that?

(I did "date" Celebrity recently. They gave me a 6 category upgrade to Aqua with a private dining room on a 32 night cruise -as a relative newcomer). Maybe Princess and I should start seeing other people?

Befuddled in Santa Clarita.

If you've been following the Antigua story even before this, you'll know the current Prime Minister keeps speaking of a "partnership" with folks in tourism.  He threatened Sandals when they balked at making him a "partner" (wonder what "partner" means?)in their desired expansion. They said they could expand elsewhere.

One wonders if Carnival is calling his bluff for similar reasons.  I like Antigua, and the loss of tourism would hurt many local folks. In the local press you read both about "standing up to corporations" and also his "folly of driving tourists away." (You can Google the Antigua Press) But, other islands may be friendlier if he pushes too hard. There are lots of nice ones.  Passengers want to keep prices low and ships want to fill cabins. 

Maybe the PM is short on change for the reparations he proposes to the Rastafari for previous prohibitions against drugs?

They offered the upgrade from C to P for $5.00+18% on two upcoming cruises last month for a short period. Keep eyes open for such specials.

15 hours ago, Skeets289 said:

We are on the Eclipse as of yesterday. My wife brought a water pick which she would like to plug inthe bathroom. I thought it had a normal plug, two-prongs with one slightly wider than the other. The only plug I've located in the bathroom is on the ceiling above the sink, but the water pick plug will not fit into it. Does anyone know of a possible solution? Thanks

For next time, check out the cordless "oral flossers" on Amazon.  Solved the problem, can be used in the shower if desired, rechargeable via a USB cable, though no not needed on an 11-night cruise. Very reasonably priced and plenty of power.

17 minutes ago, Aesop081 said:

Looking forward to trying the Chateau Petrus, 2010.  At $5288 a bottle, we'll probably only have a couple....

but where else can you get a wine"with wafts of iron ore, pencil lead, unsmoked cigars and crushed rocks." (Parker/Wine Advocate)

😉

We're RCI/Azamara cruisers looking at Equinox for a March 2019 cruise. I'm slightly overwhelmed by all the balcony cabin categories. I checked out the cabins thread but haven't had much luck finding information on cabins open for the 3/2/19 sailing.

 

We don't like being above or below public areas, so I'm assuming decks 7, 8 or 9 would work. Midship or aft near midship is probably our preferred area of the ship, but most midship cabins are taken. We just want to avoid anchor/docking noise (not sure if that's a concern on those decks), and be able to rely more on the stairs than elevators for dining, fitness center and pool access. We also want an unobstructed view.

 

Anyone willing to help out a newbie X cruiser and recommend a deck and some cabins or categories to consider?

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Has your itinerary been effected?

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People in steerage were discussing the "Donner Party Solution." [emoji6]

Actually, almost a non-event. Toilets, wi-fi, AC (other essential services)via backup generator very quickly.

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Have seen plenty of magicians on Princess. Some cards, some memory, some full production. Alexander even conducted a magic workshop.

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The Excellence on Antigua is a full day power cat that circumnavigates the entire island. Stunning scenery, a stop for swim or snorkel and a great lunch. Done it 3x times, going again in September. It's that good! They are on FB.

https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCruisesAntigua/

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Unfortunately the voucher would usually be in the name of the booked passenger. If would be up to AA to have it issued to the surviving spouse.

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IIRC, Princess air is covered by the Princess Cruise waiver. However, airlines may issue a voucher, usually good for one year - do technically you haven't had a loss yet. IF the voucher is not used by one year, then it becomes a loss to you and you could collect. Given the unfortunate circumstances you described, I suspect (and certainly hope)in the end you will be made financially whole (less the cost of the waiver).

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