mellon1

17 hours ago, Mara4166 said:

i am very curious about this also.  It is the main reason I might not test if I am not feeling well.  We are in a full suite and I would not want to be moved.  I would not mind isolating in my cabin if needed.

Us too.  

Stupid questions BUT is there still a quarantine section then?  And what happens if you do get covid?  Can you stay in your room?  What about back to backs?  Are those protocols no longer either?

On 10/1/2022 at 2:31 PM, LACruiser88 said:

Yes, Generoso retired during the shut down and is now living in Northern Italy with his wife.  He also spends a good part of the year in Thailand.

Thanks for verifying.  We will miss him, as I am sure others will too.

On 9/17/2022 at 2:54 PM, satxdiver said:

We were on the CB last month for a 16 day cruise staying in an outside cabin deck 9 just in front of the aft elevators.  The only problem we had was sometimes the toilet would not flush.  We pushed the button several times and nothing.  We would wait maybe an hour or so then go back and it flushed like normal.  We will be on the CB next month for a 14 day cruise in the same cabin and reading this makes me a bit alarmed.  We will see how it plays out.  Thanks to the OP for bringing the subject to the forefront.  The CB is old and looking tired.

On 9/17/2022 at 2:54 PM, satxdiver said:

We were on the CB last month for a 16 day cruise staying in an outside cabin deck 9 just in front of the aft elevators.  The only problem we had was sometimes the toilet would not flush.  We pushed the button several times and nothing.  We would wait maybe an hour or so then go back and it flushed like normal.  We will be on the CB next month for a 14 day cruise in the same cabin and reading this makes me a bit alarmed.  We will see how it plays out.  Thanks to the OP for bringing the subject to the forefront.  The CB is old and looking tired.

Would you mind reporting if there is still smoking by the staff on aft deck 7.  Wondering if there is smoke smell on the aft balconies.  Thanks.

I thought I read somewhere on CC that Generoso retired?  

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The new cruisers they are seeking will mainly be younger ones with families.

 

That will help fill up the ship during summer and school vacation times, but they still need the older repeat passengers to fill up the ships the other times of the year and on longer cruises.

Yes I agree.  You know that old saying in business...DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU and DON'T BURN BRIDGES,, especially in this climate the cruise lines are dealing with now.  Maybe the people making these decisions at Princess are so young they have not heard of that saying.  

People are already stressed from covid and all that has been going on, time to tread lightly instead of trying to make people upset.  I realize the prices of everything has gone up, including food and gas which are two of the main things which cruise lines rely on.  Personally, we always felt they gave too much food.  I think smaller portions is good and allows for less waste.  You can always ask for extra if needed.  

1 minute ago, Kay S said:

Princess doesn't think so, apparently.  They have a new business plan, and there's no changing it.  I feel foolish for being sucked in in the first place, believing I was valuable to them because they gave me some perks.  The loyalty thing is a trap.  I have money to cruise, and I'm going to spend it elsewhere (right after I use up all the FCC and cruise on Princess' dime.)  Chasing loyalty for the sake of a few perks is now a thing of the past for me.  🙂

With CCL stock where it is, personally, I think they need to reach out to their dedicated cruisers and offer deals to fill the ship.  Everyone makes mistakes.  I think they doing way too much all at once and it came back to bite them.  

We like the Grand class ships and the staff on Princess is great.  Got to know many through the years.  Those ships feel like home to us; however, now they have the new ships and the suites have narrow balconies and smaller rooms.  We like the fact there are not many kids on the ships.  We are at the highest level with RCCL and cruised with them for years; however, we no longer are in that category I guess.  We think CCL has covered everything, HAL for the most seasoned cruisers, Carnaval for the young partiers, Seaborn for the people who want elite and Princess for that medium.  Personally, I think they need to focus on advertising the niche in each of these ships and what they offer.

On 9/27/2022 at 5:05 PM, cruzsnooze said:

But we seniors have more money and time to travel and do so in higher end cabins then young families. Working people take one vacation a year usually - but as a senior I take as many as I want and usually cruise 4-

YES.  You are right.  Whoever is making these on Princess is wrong.  They need those dedicated cruisers, they are the ones they can count on.  

Just my opinion, but Business 101...it is easier to keep existing customers than to find new ones.   Especially those that do B2B2Bs.  It is easier on the room steward too.  Maybe what they need to do is like RCCL and give a $100 pp for B2Bs, giving incentive to book again and have a full ship, rather than having to give deep discounts at the end. That way they are showing appreciation for repeat business.  A happy customer means free positive advertising.  A dissatisfied customer will talk more and tell more people about their unhappy experience.  Personally, I  think Princess made a huge mistake giving kids cruising with parents points toward elite without having to pay full price.  Again, this is just my opinion.  

On 9/18/2022 at 12:50 PM, satxdiver said:

The CB was last in drydock in April this year so I would not expect it to happen in the next few years unless something happens to cause it.  What we have now is what we get.  I don't believe drydock would solve the problem of thoughtless pax flushing contraband down their toilets ever.

thanks for that info.  

Does anyone know if smoking is still allowed on AFT, Deck 7  by crew on CB?  And, if you can smell it on deck 9 AFT balconies/rooms.

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

I wouldn't put much faith in the problem being resolved, completely, in a drydock.  To renew these pipes, you have to tear a whole lot of cabin and passageway walls down, and this can be near impossible after the cabins are installed originally.  As I've said in previous threads, I would bet the problem is urine scale closing off the pipes, they could do a serious acid cleaning while in drydock to remove the scale, but this can also lead to leaking pipes (and loss of vacuum) in older ships, as the pipes are very thin steel to begin with.

You sound like you know what you are talking about.  We are booked in 2024 for 42 days and in the aft suite on dolphin.  Years ago we had a problem with it overflowing.  We were lucky my hubby was on the balcony and went to use bathroom and saw it and put towels down and called ASAP.  If we were not in the room it would have been a disaster, ewwww.  We were hoping things would be different by 2024 and not have issues.  

To me, that is unacceptable and  something that should be a priority to Princess to fix.  I don't think we are out of line to expect to have a working toilet.  

On 9/13/2022 at 3:10 PM, Rebels82 said:

As I mentioned originally, I have spoken to Guest Services.

The problems I am aware of are Deck 8 aft and Deck 9 midship. There are flush but I can say we have not flushed anything incorrectly. This ship has had this issue for months. 

Are the very totally aft on Deck 9, D737-D736 affected too?  

Anyone know when drydock is for CB?

5 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

THIS. So much this. And that’s the thing with COVID. When those first symptoms start, you have no idea where/how this is going to end.

Yes, you are right.  I am very proud of you.  I know it was a difficult decision and one thought out and well planned for sure.  

We are there now.  What to do, go or stay home.  Our doctor told us a lot can happen and change very quickly, especially if you get the Delta strain, all which are not good.  

I am glad you are OK now and feeling better.  

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

We were in a Fiesta Suite Deck 6

Thanks.  Not a pleasant experience when the toilet overflows that is for sure.

37 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

we are currently on board - Lido Deck.  First time on this deck and we really like it, we walk 50 ft down the hall and we are outside on the same deck as the pizza, BBQ, buffet and and take pictures coming and going to port.  The room seems smaller than the Discovery and Majestic and Ruby that we were on in Dec 2021 and April 2022 and June 2022,

We have had no problems until last night the toilet would not flush.  I called Guest Services and they said they working on the problems, it sounded like it was "a lot" of cabins.  I asked if it was ship wide, or just our deck, but he was not giving me an answer.  Later, I heard it flush by itself and it is working this morning

 

  

it's been a few years since on her, but even in a suite we had issues of the toilet overflowing and not flushing.  I thought, or I guess assumed, they would have taken care of it by now, especially with all the time no one was cruising.  HMMMMm

Thanks for your input,  It's truly appreciated.

On 8/27/2022 at 4:10 PM, cruzsnooze said:

Unfortunately this has been a less then stellar experience. Our tour in Halifax was cancelled then our tour in Sydney was cancelled and we didn't stop in Nuuk.  The crew has been wonderful. The food is so-so. It's not a very inspiring menu. We're in Club Class and the service couldn't be better. There has been a wait time since CC gets full and they put some overflow tables in the regular area of the dining room with CC servers but it's noisy awkwardly  placed randomly in aisles. Breakfast is in Sabitin's and the service there is also excellent and attentive.

    The bathroom water is either hot or cold and they have tried to fix it several times. It seems it's the a portion of plumbing effecting several cabins on the deck. Many people we met have gotten quarantined with a positive covid test. The captain announced about the covid outbreak and asked everyone to wear masks. I'm looking forward to disembarking Wednesday and getting home. My next cruise in Nov is on the Discovery and I hear good things about that ship.

  The two ports we did get off at were Nanortalik and Qaqortoq and were delightful. The people were friendly. Qaqortoq has a population of 3,000 and so we passengers doubled their population. The weather was cold but tolerable. It's easy to see the towns entirely on the walking tours which were lovely. 

  The entertainment was passable. The best show so far was Bravo which was excellent. If you don't get to the theatre at least a half hour early on most nights you wouldn't find a seat. Since the entertainers couldn't fly home from Nuuk we had a varty show that was put together but the entertainers stuck on board as a varity show. Credit to them for trying to improvise. 

  The Caribbean Princess is showing her age not so much cosmetically but in needed repairs. 

   

I'm told fleet wide......................

As an FYI there is no more upgraded bathroom amenities so bring what you need. Lotion (in a full suite) is in a plastic pump bottle like what's in the showers. No Q Tips or linen spray or nail files, no blue tote bags.

what room are you in on CB?  We are looking at 2024 for 40 days and have it booked, but I am worried about cold showers!  LOL.  Thanks.

So, we are doing 4 ten day cruises B2B on Enchanted.  They are four separate bookings.  We have 2 covid shots and one booster, is that fully vaccinated?  Will we have to be tested?

I have been trying also and decided to look on CC to see what the deal was.  Why would Princess announce something and not follow through for captain circle members?  

Thank you to all of you who are on top of things that I can depend on for answers.  Totally appreciate it!  CHEERS!

17 minutes ago, LovetheSea said:

When we get to the Port of Seattle you basically hand them your luggage and take your carry-ons with you. But after you cruise your luggage is in a huge room with thousands of bags . You have to find your luggage, find a porter with a cart, and he will go with you to customs and out to the pick up. My son is picking us up. We live 1 hr North of Seattle .That is the Porter I want to tip.

I think I will tip $10 for two bags unless he is with us for a long time and then I will tip him more 🙂 We are seniors and both have mobility problems. Not supposed to lift heavy things. I know my suitcase will be 50 pds. Cant wait. Only one week now!

Thanks.  I think $10 for 2 bags is good.  We now have the luggage with the wheels that move any which way and I can easily move 2 myself.  We have gotten the porter at times though to take us to the shuttle pickup area.

18 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Yes.

Great!  That will make it easy.  Thanks for letting me know.

3 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

As mentioned earlier on this thread, the porters have no involvement in actually getting your luggage on the ship.

 

DON

  Yes, I do know that.  I was being sarcastic.  LOL  Sorry for the confusion.  We tip them just to make sure it gets on the cart!

That is very good news if you can stay on board if you get covid and continue onto your remaining B2B2Bs!  I haven't heard that recently.  We just talked with our doctor and he said that there is no way to avoid getting the new covid as it spreads so easily unless you wear an N95 mask and it is fitted and smell tested.  We were told this by multiple health care people.  So, why do we have to quarantine outside of our rooms?  That is our fear to be honest.  We are doing multiple B2Bs in a suite and do not want to have to move all our stuff and be separated.  

While talking about porters, we are looking to drive this time and leave our car at a lot by the pier.  Can we drop off our bags at the ship first and then leave and park the car at the lot?  Didn't know if that is allowed.  Thanks.

On 8/6/2022 at 12:45 PM, WatchHill said:

Not all luggage fits through the scanners. Standardsized suit cases, like the ones se check in for a flight, will not go through. Tried it a few times and was sent to the back of the line.

 

The tipping at USA ports is one more reson I prefer leaving from Southampton UK.

 

Dacy

What size did you try to check?  I am thinking of packing a medium sized bag, bigger than carryon but smaller than a really large bag.  I wanted to get a head start on cleaning the room and setting things up.  Last cruise we didn't get our luggage until after we came back from dinner, and that was like 9:30 p.m.   Oh, and yes I tipped porters $5 a bag!