happy42cruise

Google is a wonderful aid - Azipod® propulsion is a gearless steerable propulsion system where the electric drive motor is housed within a pod outside the ship hull.

Just a side note but I had purchased 5 Princess gift cards then wanted to buy some other gift cards BUT AARP said I had reached my monthly limit so be aware there is a limit of 5 gift cards period not just per company.

Since you are on this trip for an extended time I would also get to know the excursions staff & ask them for any advice they may have since they deal with accessible issues on a regular basis. Good luck & have a wonderful time!

I am also not a fan of fish but the menu at Catch by Rudi had other things available that looked interesting so you might see if he likes anything on it before you move it off the list.

They do but they are generic - at least for the ones we have from Pride mobility.

The only issue I have had adding them was that not all the guest services people were trained (or had access) to add them so they had to get the person who was able to do it & it takes some time to input them. I was adding a lot. They have to type in all the numbers manually - no scan code. They are very handy to use.

We have both a scooter & an electric wheelchair for my husband. He can also walk short distances but not very far. He prefers the wheelchair because it is more maneuverable. I have a cushion that he uses on both seats for comfort. If your scooter arms raise up you can still pull up to the table. I would let him drive up to the table, put it in manual mode, raise the arms & push him closer to the table. Actually that's for both of them, it's the arms that get in the way at the table. The more you use the wheelchair the better you will become at driving it. With the wheelchair he can turn around in some of the elevators if we're alone. Both work so whichever you choose you'll be fine. I've found that the glass elevators midship tend to be ignored by most people who rush the doors so I tend to watch them & get in to hold it for my husband to get in. If you're blocking the door & point to the person on a device people back off. The accessible cabins are roomier than regular cabins with wider doors. Have a great time!

AND that is why people put things on their device to make it stand out from the crowd. Many of them are identical so it is easy to take the wrong one. If it's a rental it will probably be returned to the company but if it's one you own make sure something shows it's yours. You can put something on the seat back (pillow case, sweater, etc.) or stencil it. Even just tie a scarf on it somewhere. I also put a luggage tag on it with our last name & phone #.

It always surprises me how inconsiderate some people are about the elevators. I'm always with my husband. When an elevator comes I go to it & hold the door for him to motor over on his electric wheelchair & enter (& most people will wait for him to enter but if they do try to enter I point to him & they wait). I also watch the floor indicators to try to position us close to one heading the right direction. I've found the 2 glass elevators in the middle of the ship get ignored more often by the able bodied elevator rushers. In the buffet we've found there are employees that will help you carry your plate or take the chair away from the table if you want to stay in your wheelchair. We've never noticed anyone get irritated that he's taking up a seat anywhere & I just move his device out of the way. I usually get his food for him in the buffet (which also stakes our claim to a table). I would also say that you have as much right to a comfortable chair as anyone else on the ship & getting out of your wheelchair is great. You need to change positions & moving to a different seat is a good way to do it. Anyone that would get irritated about you moving to a chair can just lump it! They don't understand the challenges you face & the effort it is for you to do what they take for granted so too bad for them if you take up a seat. Now I will say if it is crowded & you feel like sitting in your chair so someone can sit in a chair you could graciously offer to move back to it but you do have a right to the chair too. If you are leaving your device on the ship to shop or go to the pool you will be fine (at least you should be unless a rude drunk or kid tries to joy ride but I would doubt that) but we've not done it. Off the ship I probably wouldn't leave it unattended. I will say the electric wheelchair we have maneuvers really well & fits most places we go so you might be able to stay in it to shop, not so much the pool though 😁. You will have a great time, the wheelchair is easier than a walker or scooter & you don't need to apologize for anything! Good for you getting out & enjoying life!

It's my Hubby's favorite.

If you don't get an answer about the pods I'd just bring both. I read that the sky suite color is different - white. Recently on "TxTeach79's LIVE Regal return to Princess Solo Thanksgiving - 11/19/23" on post #564 he posted the cabin door screen & now just shows first name & last initial. Not sure if all ships are updated.

You can order afternoon tea in your suite. No need to go down to the dining room.

That recently changed. It's been commented about on other threads (I can't remember which ones).

I suggest you try the chat feature if it's available if you can't put it on hold.

In my opinion some of the food issues may be due to the many businesses that closed due to the pandemic. Many suppliers are just not there any longer so they are having to source from new vendors who may not have the same quality and prices. We have always found more than enough food available if we were hungry and many options. If something we're served is not the way we requested it or we don't care for it the staff is always gracious about replacing it. I don't really think they have taken away that many Elite perks. Also, Princess just built 2 new mega ships and they need to recoup all the money they have spent while not having passengers. I'm also not a fan of some of the changes they've made but we have enjoyed the cruises we've taken since the restart and plan on taking more. I think it's short sighted to no longer recommend Princess, all of the cruise lines are making changes but try the others until you find what fits you best.

The $329 sounds like the hotel AND transfer packages through Princess: "Cruise Plus hotel packages offer numerous benefits when you book through Princess. A Princess representative meets you at the airport and pier, transporting you to and from your hotel. The package includes the cost of your hotel stay, transportation, baggage handling, and the services of a Princess Representative making for a seamless travel experience. Hotels are selected for their incredible locations and excellent service." So they cancelled what you had booked. I have also read that the charge is per person so it tends to be much more expensive than booking directly with the hotel & making your own transfer arrangements. Hopefully that helps explain why your hotel reservation was cancelled.

My husband has used a scooter & a wheelchair on our cruises, we prefer to sit on the lower level in the theater so he sits in his device next to me on the end of the aisle. We make sure we are not obstructing anything and we've never had a problem.

Plaid may have been formed in 2013 but that is not the app I was referring to. Stockperks was started 2 years ago & frankly many of us do not use our phones to access our stock portfolios especially when data breaches are reported all the time. I see no reason to use an app that I don't want to use and which could open my account to possible problems just to receive the small amount of OBC that in the past decades I was able to get by fax, email, or snail mail. Offering it as an option would be fine but trying to force us to use an unproven app that we don't want to use is very insulting.

You can be upgraded up to embarkation. Have you looked recently at your bid to see if it says pending or cancelled?

I can't answer how HAL compares but I can tell you the differences between a mini-suite, reserve mini-suite, & a full suite: Mini is a slightly larger room with separate seating area with coffee table and a sofa bed, balcony, two flat-panel satellite TVs. Reserve mini-suite (formerly known as Club Class), you’ll enjoy everything from a prime mini-suite location and in-room wine set-up to the expedited seating in our exclusive Reserve Dining area. Full suite you still have access to the Reserve dining area, canapes nightly on request, one time bar set up, private breakfast at specialty restaurant each morning, dinner on embarkation night at a specialty restaurant, upgraded robes, complimentary laundry, priority embark & debark, and it goes on and on. Google Princess suite benefits for a complete list (it's a whole lot of perks). Compare the cost for Reserve mini vs Full suite before you decide. Sometimes they are priced very close to each other.

I don't know how long this will continue to work but today I emailed my request to the Princess address sbpcl@princesscruises dot com & within minutes the email confirmation arrived with the OBC posted. It came before the automatic email saying up to 21 days. I have already sent a protest letter as I have no intention of using an app on my phone to transmit my financial information to a site that was only started 2 years ago by a husband and wife. If they had offered this as an option that would have been ok, but not as the only avenue to request the promised OBC.

One more advantage that hasn't been mentioned is "Same Day Late Arrival Protection – If, on the day of travel, you miss your cruise embarkation due to an airline delay or service disruption, Princess will work with the airline to provide flights to the next appropriate port at no cost to you."

I agree, I was just pointing out that not everyone does. I even have the plastic sleeves to protect them in case of rain!

Cancellations happen! We had to cancel a week before our Alaska cruise so our Suite became available. You can even get an upgrade on embarkation day. We've had that happen too.

I always print my luggage tags BUT other posters have said if you don't they will write out tags for you when you get to the pier, I like to have everything tagged so it arrives in our room asap.