cruising deacon

11 hours ago, Mike & Zen said:

Exactly, that's why I posted the link to the official Government of Canada ArriveCAN website that contains the official information regarding this change.  Here, let me help you find it.

 

Click on the first link which will take you to the Government of Canada ArriveCAN website.  Scroll down about half-way until you read,  "Use ArriveCAN to submit:",  next click on the third link down that shows  "Quarantine Plan",  click on that, and it will show the text and more that I copied and pasted.

 

Starting April 25, 2022, the following people will no longer be required to provide quarantine plans when travelling to Canada:

1. fully vaccinated travellers
2. children aged 5-11 (who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent/guardian)
3. those with a medical contraindication to COVID-19 vaccination.

And if you still have trouble finding it or believing it, call ArriveCAN help, like I did to verify it before posting.  And go to the Covid testing forum where you'll read where I said I called ArriveCAN and you can read the conversation I had with the ArriveCAN agent.

 

Here is the toll free number for ArriveCAN help:  1-833-283-7403

 

Mike,     as usual you are being so nice to these people

Eventually CC members will accept this.

We got off of the Discovery on April 10

We were never in our lives so happy to get off a ship

As far as we are concerned nothing went right:

FOOD     MDR - poor choices, food was dry and no taste, did not return after 4 nights

Crown Grill - Meat (filet) was as dry as a bone - NOT WORTH $58

last 2 nights had pizza and hamburgers (even Princess didn't mess them up)

Entertainment was the poorest of all:

Only one production show - Rock Opera   -we walked out

others were impressionist, piano player, male vocalist, female vocalist - walked out on all of them

Most of them were performers in the lounges   BEST ONE OF ALL was a magician who also sang

OTHER GUESTS       We were virtually the only ones EVER wearing a mask

the other guests actually gave us strange looks, one guest even challenged us about wearing them saying how stupid we were

CREW    -    98% were happy to see us and cordial        store workers were as crabby as ever

OVERALL         HAPPY TO GET OFF THGE SHIP

2 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

Now I'm totally dreading boarding the Ruby next Saturday and spending 14 days on board a rust bucket.

If you feel so bad, I'll happily except a generous check from the deacon so I can afford to sail only on freshly painted ships.

 

Honestly, how a few rust stains lessen one's cruise is beyond me.

Then instead of a check Ill send you my prayers

I was on the Discovery in Ensenada on Saturday, April 10 and saw your Ruby sailing in about 2 pm.

I have sailed on her 12 times, but it was a sad day when I actually saw the condition that the Ruby is in.

I actually felt sorry for all of the passengers, I have never seen so much rust on the hull of ANY cruise ship except those being scrapped. What a bleak picture for Princess to present, it would tell people that they are really down on their luck, and can't even afford a little paint.

Thanks for posting.......I am sailing on the next cruise (4/3/22) and have appreciated all of the info that has been posted.  If you could, please post the evening dinner menu (MDR) each day so that I plan on which nights we want to eat at a specialty restaurant.         thanks again

does anyone know if berth 50 has brick and mortar facilities or is it a popup tent situation the same as 46?

I have been having the same issue now for several days.

Princess says its my computer, but strangely I am not having any issues with any other sites.

It seems to work OK for the first cruise that I search for, then it has the problem with the next search.

If I open a NEW tab, then I can use it for one more search, etc.

I use that method to get through all of my searches, what a pain.

Like everything else at Princess, especially since covid, NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK RIGHT, not the web based system, not Medallion, and not the employees.

Just noticed today the Discovery Princess inaugural cruise on March 27, 2022 says "Currently Not Available".

Does anyone know what's up?  I am currently booked on it, so this doesn't look good. 

Princess just took possession of the ship earlier this week from the builder after 'sea trials' and it is currently sailing to Cyprus.

we have sailed to Alaska 14 times, our favorite place to cruise.  We have sailed in different years during ALL of the available months (5), our last 7 have been in May, because we feel it is the most scenic with lots of snow on the mountains and waterfalls flowing their best.  It is a personal choice, but we will always sail to Alaska in May from now on.  I hope you enjoy it.

29 minutes ago, paul929207 said:

If cruise lines will require everyone to be vaccinated and boosted by January, would they need to announce the requirement by now?

2 cruise lines have already announced this, and it will start around January 14 - Cunard and P&O

Very few cabins are allocated by Princess (this job falls to the Yield Department) for those type of 14 day cruises (which are also sold as 2-7 day cruises).  They think VERY FEW PEOPLE will be booking the 14 cruise option.  Here is what I do: I book the 14 day cruise with a balcony room that is offered to me, then I contact the YEILD DEPARTMENT at Princess to change my booking to the cabin I really want (after checking that the cabin is AVAILABLE on both 7 day portions).  I have done this many times (mostly Alaska) and it hasn't failed me yet.

I email the request to :       customerrelations@princesscruises.com

following is a sample of my most recent request.

Please forward this message to the Yield Department.

My wife and I are both Captains Circle Elite members and are currently booked on the Grand Princess for 14 days in May of 2022.  When I booked this cruise last week I was a bit taken back by the lack of understanding with both of your representatives which I talked with.  I booked (2XXXXX) a 14 day cruise on voyage A212A, northbound/southbound Alaska.  The Stateroom selection for such a booking was ‘extremely limited’, although if you wanted to book either of the 7 day portions of that same voyage, there were MANY choices to book.

The stateroom I was allocated is C738, category BD.  I had asked the Princess representative if there was any chance to get it switched to C714 (also a DB), and they said no.  Therefore I am asking you to change my allocated cabin from C738 to C714 on booking 2XXXXX.  As of this writing, that stateroom was available on both of the 7 day portions of my booking.

I have had similar issues in past years with booking these 14 day cruises to Alaska, but I always was able to get the issue resolved when making the booking through your department. 

Booking #:                    2XXXXX

Cruise Info:                  A212A / Alaska Northbound/Southbound

Stateroom:                   Requesting    C714   be assigned

Departing:                    May 11, 2022  from Vancouver

 Thank you for your prompt attention,

 NAME etc.

After Princess did this to me recently (second unwanted move was on the day I had them move me to something I could live with) I cancelled the cruise.

I received that email yesterday, I went into email this morning to take the survey (it would not have been a good report) and it said my time to reply to the survey had expired.  So much for telling Princess what I really think of them.

I ALWAYS get statements like that in writing from Princess, if they won't give it to me I don't bite on what they are offering.   Just a warning, it has been my experience with Princess that there are times when they won't even accept the written statement - SO BEWARE.

I am thinking about using EZair now on my May 22 cruise, since I think the cruise is still iffy and don't want to really buy the tickets through the airline this far out.  The price on EZair is close to the price by the airline, but this way I don't have to pay for them until February.

My questions :  do you know if I do it now are my flights really booked , or does Princess not really book them until some time later, like 90 or 45 days before the flight?             And when in the timeline between now and May do I really know that I have the flights with a confirmation etc?

By the way, the Grand does have center stairs.

3 hours ago, JBJ48 said:

Wanted to be close to Lido deck.  Spend more time on Lido and other ship areas then in cabin.  According to the deck plans I saw for the Grand, the cabins and balcony on 12 and 10 were the same, 168sq.ft/46sq.ft.

JBJ48 - First thing---do what you want to do, I was just trying to be helpful

              Second thing---take whatever you read or hear from Princess with a grain of salt, no matter what they tell you, all decks on balconies are not the same

              The balconies on decks 11 & 12 (Baha and Aloha) are identical, they are both under cover from the weather and are the 46 sq ft variety  (approx 5 feet deep and the width of the cabin).  The balconies on deck 10 (Caribe) are approx 9-10 feet deep and the width of the cabin, with the closest half of the balcony to your room being under cover (it is the floor of the balcony of the cabin above yours on deck 11.  The outer 5 feet of those balconies are exposed to the weather, but overall it is twice as big as the Aloha balconies.  The balconies on deck 9 (Dolphin) are the same size as the Caribe balconies, but they are all Mini-Suites.

                I would also suggest that you read cr8tiv1's reply re:issues being under the Lido deck.  I know you have not been on an Alaska cruise before, and you mentioned spending a lot of time on the Lido deck on other cruises, believe me an Alaska cruise IS NOT the same as being in the Caribbean.  Only the bravest of souls are hanging around outside on the Lido deck near the pools, the air temp and winds when sailing are not conducive to sunbathing.  At least on your own deck you can see the scenic beauty of Alaska while having the balcony dividers to break the wind.  Depending where you are on the Aloha deck, look on the Lido deck plans and see what may be above you, with the exception of the front part of the ship, 80% of Lido deck would have chairs and tables overhead (either around the pools or in the Horizon Court).  That is the issue with being under the Lido deck.

AGAIN THOUGH, YOU DO WHATEVER 'YOU' WANT , I will say this, you made the right choice in taking the land portion first and the cruise part second.

23 hours ago, JBJ48 said:

We are seniors (70+), who after being on Carnival "fun ships" thought Princess might be a little more relaxing.  We have a balcony cabin on the Aloha deck (12).  Our tour is OB7 (14 days Off the Beaten Path).  We start 7/20 with an extra night in Fairbanks to recover from a day of flying.  For excursions we were thinking: Upgrading to the Tundra Tour at Denali, Skagway- White Pass Scenic Railway, Juneau- Mendenhall Glacier/Whale Quest, Ketchikan- Totem Bright State Park/Lumberjack Show.  We have been trying to take this trip since the summer of 2019. Booked, re-booked, re-booked, re-booked and now, hopefully we will be going.  Thank you for your response, info and suggestions.

Jeff & Shirley

Why did you choose deck 12 (Aloha)?  If it is because you wanted to be just below the Lido deck then it is just fine.  But...... if you are looking for a quieter setting (not right under the Lido deck) AND would like a balcony that is twice as big.... half covered from the elements and half uncovered....I would suggest moving to deck 10 (Caribe)---{same price}    This is only a suggestion but have cruised to Alaska 13 times and a bigger deck is much nicer since Alaska is a SCENIC CRUISE.

Fortunately our next 4 cruises are all in 2022 starting in January.

I have been trying for weeks to get stuff loaded for our January cruise and have obviously not had the same luck that others have had.  As of yesterday I gave up.  I am hoping that since US cruising starts back tomorrow that this app will be working for me before too long, since I still have some time to get it straight.  I really feel for those who are taking these early Alaska cruises who still have things messed up.  I do pray that they are still accepted on their cruise and not turned away because of this app, they are the real losers in all of this, and Princess doesn't seem to care.

2 hours ago, Imalismom said:

I did a search and could not find the answer.  For experienced Princess cruisers, when does Princess usually announced its Alaska cruises for the next year up?  They currently have 2021 and 2022, but I am looking for 2023.

 

Thanks in advamce,

 

Gale

With the direction they are heading regarding their loyal customers, they may very well be out of business by then.

16 hours ago, Coral said:

You should have no problems getting those 3 things in the dining room.

 

It is possible at the end of the cruise, they maybe out of strawberries but for the most part - you should be able to order these items.

This has not been my experience.  I would say that was the case for my first 20-25 cruises with Princess, but since then (about 5 years ago) when I ask for berries (I tell them any kind of berries) they always give me the same answer: 'We don't have any for guest consumption in the dining room, they are needed in the pastry kitchen.'  Like everything else of late at Princess, going, going, gone down-hill.

That is one of the reasons I cancelled my August booking to Alaska.  It is like shooting at a moving target.  Initially Princess said they would be 'fully vaccinated cruises' then they changed their minds.  Who knows, they may change their mind again tomorrow or whenever THEY want.  I would say there is no guarantees regarding 'walking off the ship on your own' until the very day that you want to get off the ship.  My final payment was due, and there was no way I would give Princess more of my $ and having to live with whatever rules THEY decide to put in place.  I no longer have any confidence in Princess and I definitely don't trust them.  If this is the way they are going to operate after having no business for the last 16 months, how will they be in the future.

After watching the John Chernesky webinar, where Princess was the only line to lie to us about 'ALL VACCINATED CRUISE', I decided that I have ha enough with Princess.  All they do is lie through their teeth and they think we will live with it.  Well I am not going to that.  It was time when my Alaska cruise was due for final payment (60 day before sailing), and I decided to cancel.  Who knows what rules etc. Princess will change before that sailing, at the rate its going there will be a lot of changes with Princess.  I was not about to give them full payment now, not knowing if I will ever get to sail on the cruise with whatever new rules they put in place.  I booked because Princess said it would be a FULLY VACCINATED CRUISE, and of course we know now that this is not the truth.  I am not about to give them any more of my $, they have far too much of my money already.  With 40 cruises with Princess it is hard to give up the perks, but it is time to switch to a different cruise.

20 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

According to the CDC it isn't necessary.  But Princess has not yet published their final rules.  They are going to have a joint TA webinar with reps from Princess, HAL, and Seabourn to discuss the new rules.  Hoping we will find out shortly thereafter what their plans will be.  We are booked on one of the first cruises and are anxiously awaiting this news.

Thanks,    can you post something on this topic when you find out what some of those new rules will be (I don't currently use a TA)

Does anyone really know if vaccinated passengers on these Alaska cruises will have to show a negative covid test prior to boarding?  Of course I understand that all of these things change on a daily basis, but it makes a difference to me today on deciding to book or not.