Beav1279

@Saint Greg Looking forward to another of your detailed live reviews! I'm finally going to Alaska next summer so I'll be following along on which excursions you enjoy the most!

Exactly what @lasvegascruisingenjoying said! If you fly in early enough, I suggest getting to Galveston and enjoy the town.

Our local PBS station has a show called Texas Daytripper. He goes to a town and spends a whole day - activities and food. One of the towns on the north side of Houston is Conroe. https://thedaytripper.com/daytrips/conroe-tx/

Check out some other areas too!

Got these on amazon and they worked great... especially for swimming, beach, hot weather.. it doesn't get too sweaty on your wrist. They do fit an adults wrist perfectly even though it says kids. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZTMNCB6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

1 hour ago, cml4958 said:

My dog is supervised at all times when outside. 

 

And I'm done with this. 

Please ignore marci22 and the unwanted opinions they keep spewing at you. You have done everything you could to make it right with your neighbor - it's no one else's business - especially strangers on the internet. marci22 seems to have forgotten that this tribe is here to support and care for each other - not to offer unkind, unwanted "advice". 

@sid_9169 I know you've been talking about finding something else to do, job-wise. I've heard really good things about Merit America. It's online training in tech-related fields. They don't charge anything upfront and you don't start paying until you've landed a job making $50k or more. The whole training costs around $7k. Way less than college! You might check it out while you're convalescing after surgery. https://meritamerica.org/ 

1 hour ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

I have to wait until the annual shareholders meeting in April for our cruised booked in October 2024.

I did receive shareholder OBC for our two cruises coming up this September.  

Why? I got OBC approved for a June 2024 cruise back in May.

9 minutes ago, canes20 said:

 

Looks like you may be about to get sued. If they take any money know, it may not help them in the future if they want to pursue any type of lawsuit.

I'm thinking the same thing... if he takes any money right now, it would affect his ability to sue you for more in the future. Do you have a lawyer? If so, ask your lawyer to write a quick letter on his stationary stating what the payment is for and have the lawyer mail it to him.

In June, we had Priority debarkation off the Panorama with FTTF (on a Saturday). However, we did not carry off our bags. So we were off the ship but had to wait about 20 minutes in the port before we could collect our bags. We got into a Lyft at 10:44 AM and arrived at LAX at 11:29 AM.

I do not see how you could make a 10:30 AM flight - even if you were the 1st person off the ship.

You no longer get to arrive when you want - you will need to check in online about 2 weeks ahead of your cruise and get an arrival time. Once you arrive, you will be checked in with everyone but then directed to the Priority boarding area. Once the ship is cleared for boarding, they will let Platinum, Diamond, suites, and weddings board, then call for FTTF. 

Your room is not guaranteed to be ready when you board but you can drop your bags off in your room. (This has been my experience - others have said they were told no... so I guess it depends on the ship?)
You have a dedicated line at Guest Services, priority tender boarding, and priority debarkation.

The price has gone up but my husband and I feel it is worth it to us to get on the ship early and have that dedicated Guest Services line. 

27 minutes ago, Stowaway LFC said:

Yes definitely take deep breaths and cough to keep your lungs cleared out.  Recommended at least every two hours while awake. Also having a small pillow to hold up snug against the surgical site to splint it before coughing helps prevent pain from coughing.  

I'll 2nd this recommendation! My husband had hernia surgery a few years back and having a small pillow to hug against his belly when he needed to cough was so helpful.

Remember that Princess Plus drinks also cover specialty coffees. I enjoyed grabbing a latte from the International Cafe each morning.

2 hours ago, wemjam said:

Yes, you do.  FTTF has an area they can wait and they get to get off before general debarkation.  It works like Embarkation.  They allow Diamond and Platinum to disembark and then FTTF and each has their own "special" waiting area they can wait.  You get a letter in your room the day before debarkation that explains it all.

Correct. We were on the Panorama in June and met in the theater and were escorted off.

32 minutes ago, lennythenose said:

Same story here. I’d never even looked at Princess cruises until I saw a really great offer out of Galveston last Spring. Now we are booked for 2025 on the Sun Rome -Athens. And in a suite😀(big splurge for our 25th Anniversary).  

We're looking at the Med for 2025, too! Barcelona to Athens. BTW, I love your username 😉 

You may not "check-in" ahead of regular guests but you will be getting on the ship before them. That part of FTTF is great but the ability to drop off your carry-on in your room right away and the dedicated Guest Services line makes the $ totally worth it!

@Saint Greg Princess drink package does start about 5:30ish - as soon as the ship is in International waters. They do give you a $25 OBC to "cover" drinks until then. DH and I never even thought about cruising on Princess, but couldn't pass up the cheap fairs out of Galveston on the Ruby this past spring and now we booked Regal for Spring '24. Looking forward to getting your thoughts on the Regal!

12 hours ago, TaraLynne said:

Thank you! I don't remember seeing a QR code above the phone but then...I didn't know what to look for. I asked some other cruisers throughout the week and they didn't know either so apparently this isn't well known? Weird.

I would have had no idea if I hadn't been sitting at the desk one day and noticed the QR code. I'm assuming most people don't know about it because each morning when I ordered, it was up to my room in less than 20 minutes.

There is a QR code on the wall right above the desk where the stateroom phone is located. It pulls up the breakfast menu on your phone. Then you use the room phone to call room service and order what you want. There isn't a way to order ahead anymore. The included menu is pastries, cereal, yogurt, juice, and coffee. 

12 hours ago, 80sGal said:

Not to hijack the thread, but are Deck 9 cabins spared from the soot problems?  They appear to have a ceiling over them from Lido above.  Just wondering as we are booked for 2024.  Thx! 

Being covered probably saves you from the soot problem - I'd double-check reviews for those cabins just in case.

2 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

I have thought about this. BUT ... what happens if you die before paying it off? Do they put a lien on your home or bank accounts? 

I had to ask my SIL this question. Here is what she said:

If you have a medical bill balance when you pass away, they will attempt to collect it from your spouse or immediate family member. However, most family members do not pay them. If the collection agency has the ability, it can show up on your credit but medical bills barely affect your credit score.

When my MIL passed, my SIL settled her bill with the nursing home the next week. Then a month later, she started getting more bills. She has completely ignored them and so far, there has not been any negative posts to her credit report. (BTW, my MIL was private pay for over $6000/mo for almost a year, so we feel like they got plenty of money from her.)

According to the Carnival Casino players group on the site "that shall not be named", there is a Let It Ride table on most Carnival ships.

@edspec You are walking quite the fence here - on one side, you've got plenty on your plate and you don't really need to add more, but on the other side, you have the chance to learn, grow, and make some extra cash. You're already $300 in... and you've enjoyed the start of the program. It seems to me that you feel (or felt at the time) that this would be worthwhile - go with your instinct, which sounds like you want to complete the program. It was only after the fact that you were doubting your decision.

2 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Just another average Monday here at the 'ol salt mine, meaning laziness with a side of urine on the floor... Two weeks from today I have my surgery, which I'm almost as afraid of the bill as I am the procedure itself... I'm really not looking forward to going deep into debt by having this done, but the alternative at this point is having my small intestine come all the way through my abdominal wall... 

My SIL worked in medical billing for the majority of her career. As long as you set up a payment plan with the billing agency, you're all good - doesn't matter the amount. Tell them you can pay $20/month and they'll be happy. 

3 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

We had the same experience with our June Alaska cruise out of SF.  We were on board nearly an hour early.

Do you happen to know if there is Faster to the Fun available in SF? I've seen conflicting information...

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

On to other matters - I have been soliciting opinions from friends regarding what to do about my Virgin cruise in December, They have not been giving me the answer I want, so I figured the Tribe will validate me . Lol. Final payment is due next week. This is for me, solo, in a balcony on Valiant Lady for just under $1800 CAD. I know I won't ever get that deal again (or at least not anytime soon) - currently the price is around $4k! My hesitation is that flights to Miami are runnins over $700CAD roundtrip, plus a couple of nights in a hotel and food/drink there and that's adding another $2k give ir take. So, do I go for it or do I cancel?

Sometimes, it's just too hard to pass on a good deal! Yes, the other costs associated with it up the total cost, but you'll have a wonderful time and it will end up being money well spent! I say go for it!