wallyj

@jsn55, obviously the standalone drink packages above would not be worth purchasing since the ‘plus’ bundle which includes crew appreciation and 1 device WiFi is only $60/day, same for the premier bundle at $80/day.

Yes, the Jan 4, 2024 BA to Santiago sailing was a 16 day with the 4 days Antartica cruising, the itinerary BA to Santiago for the Feb 5 sailing is only 14 days which does NOT do the 4 days Antartica cruising, but does have the Amalia Glacier cruising which the earlier itineraries do not. I have friends currently on the Sapphire who boarded on Dec 1, 2023 and they also booked the Jan 4 segment as it would allow them 2 chances to get to Port Stanley and the 4 days of Antartica scenic cruising both directions.

Nope not an option, you can only buy Plus or Premier or upgrade on Day 1 or 2 of your sailing!

YMMV regarding getting a complimentary flash drive with all your photos. Was on the Emerald last July and August. July cruise provided flash drive, August cruise photo shop said the complimentary drives were out of stock but I could purchase one, so I downloaded all to my iPad for that sailing. Just off the Dec 1 LA to SCL on Sapphire, had Premier pkg. Photo dept said they will not supply a flash drive and suggested I download to my own device. Sapphire still prints most of the photos, so I had lots of printed ones to choose from. Unfortunately, I waited till last night of cruise to try and download all my pictures and the photo gallery was already closed. The APP said I had 27 pictures! I know I should have had at least 150! The photo manager was at the Photo Gallery on disembarkation morning and I shared the APP was missing most of my photos! He said the system was closed but opened it for me, but still could not locate any more of my pictures. I had friends staying on the next sailing and the manager promised he would find my photos and download them to a flash drive to give to my friend. It took them a few days, but my friend said he was given a flash drive that is supposed to have all my photos. I suggest you check to see if all of your photos have be uploaded correctly into the APP, the next day after taking photos, plus you should have a ideal of how many you took the previous night and which backgrounds. I did not check as the Sapphire was printing almost every one and had them on display. Almost all Royal class ship do NOT print pictures for review. You are directed to view on your personal device or go view on one of the monitors at the photo gallery. When you have decided which pictures you want printed, keep in mind you can customize at no extra fee by cropping, rotating, adding filters, borders, etc. Ask the photographers for advice and options, unless you arehappy with the displayed shot.

@Oxo, believe dinner reference was for sailings 4 days or less, where Top 10 usually receive letter invitation to use at a SD.

I think the confusion is you had 2 booking numbers so yes, you received 2 SD each segment. The OP is wanting to know if they booked the cruise as just ONE sailing/voyage would they be entitled to 2 casual each segment? I believe the consensus is NO, your cruise is considered 1 voyage, but @SargassoPirate says supervisor said they would get 2 casual for each segment even though they booked as just 1 voyage, so it is not clear and may be ship dependent?

Yes, it has been reported the old AND new APP is not recognizing SD credits for passengers with Premier. Luckily for me, I was able to make SD reservations without being charged a few weeks ago on the old APP for my upcoming Discovery sailing next month.

I was on the Discovery 4 day sailing after Thanksgiving. AFAIK, On 4 day or less sailings, Princess will usually recognize the top 10 with a letter inviting them and a guest to SD as what was done on this sailing. I was on the Majestic 5 day sailing Vancouver to LA in early October and they had a luncheon. More precisely it is not the top 40, on sailings 5+ days. Princess recognizes the top 20 plus a guest, so usually for a maximum of 40. You can have solo’s traveling who do not have a plus one/guest who qualify for top 20, thus the total at the MTG event will not be 40 passengers. Princess looks at placement on a by cabin basis, so whomever has the highest number of days in that cabin is the qualifier, the other passengers numbers do not matter and will not be relevant to determine placement/ranking. Many times the numbers are the same as couples who always travel together will have the same number, but sometimes one of a couple travels without the other so the numbers do not always match or may travel with someone with very little days or traveled on Princess before the other started. In the rare case of a tie, I believe the tiebreaker is who has the higher number of cruise credits.

I will assume you do not have status(elite) to provide priority, so you will need someone to get in line to get tender tickets, as soon as possible, for your party at the venue the tender tickets are being distributed. It will be in the patter/event listing, announcements on board, where and what time tender tickets will be handed out. Passengers will be lining up at the venue easily 1/2 to 1 hour before they start handing out tender tickets.

Yes, many pictures have been posted showing Alfredo’s/Gigi’s quite empty. As reported earlier, on Majestic you should be able to find no charge pizza in the buffet, limited varieties, or order whole pie for $8.50 in the APP or room service. Without a package, Ocean Now has one time activation fee of about $15 and room service call from your cabin with incur $5 fee each call.

Short answer is No. For a little background info, I believe when Princess celebrated its 50th year(2015?), they created a milestone program where they would recognize your 50th cruise and then every 25 after. That program was eventually revised to be based on number of cruise days starting at 500 and then every 250 days increment. The milestone program was retired around the end of 2022, some were grandfathered if you booked during a certain period before program announced being retired and would be sailing in 2023. Also the loyalty command credit was discontinued with the restart, which awarded OBC based on your number of cruise credits starting at cruise credit 21 with $25 OBC and maxed out at $100 OBC after you completed 51 credits. You would receive the $100 OBC for every cruise afterwards, no matter the length or stateroom booked. Program has been discontinued.

@rj59, I recall a kinda recent thread from the Island where they did do Alfredo’s in Sabatini’s on a sea day, but it was considered Casual dining for a fee like on other ships and was not ‘included’ as in before casual dining was introduced. At one time, I know I did this July 2023 last year, you could order pizza in the APP and it was no charge. As of August 2023 on Emerald, ordering pizza in the APP/Ocean Now shows a fee of $8.50, so that is gone.

Obviously when u purchase the gift card, the balance should be the amount of the gift card($100 or $500). I know both Princess and Carnival have links on their websites to check gift card balances, so if you have a balance left after using to purchase cruise fare, you can verify how much if left if you did not use the full amount. A quick google will also bring the gift card balance links.

Did the same ‘freeze’ happen if you used one of the portals isstrad of your personal device?

@CTGirl74, A passenger with Premier can use one of their SD credits to cover someone without any credits. Example, I have a friend with Premier package, traveling with a friend in a separate cabin with no package. Friend 1 can take friend 2 to a SD using both of his credits. @MoreyCreek, suggest u cancel your CG reservation and just add yourself with suite guests for embarkation CG dinner which you will be able to use your OBC to cover. FYI, as of Dec 1, 2023, Specialty and Casual dining will incur a 18% service charge in addition to whatever the cover charge.

Princess WiFi is one speed, most have reported when it is working, passengers have been able to stream video. Some other cruise lines have a basic and premium plan, not Princess.

Yes, see post #7. Once on board when u open Explore the ship, you will see manage shipmates.

Princess cruises gift cards. You can buy at AARP at a 8% discount and you do not need to have an AARP membership.

@hatchda, if you have Plus or Premier package, I believe you can get just Gelato, any flavors instead of the Premium Sundae monstrosities. Discovery also has the premium Cakes at the Gelato bar, which are included in the packages, unlimited for Premier, 2x day for Plus.

Most last minute booking would occur AFTER final payment date, so if you were to book, you would be required to pay in full at time of booking. Princess within the last year has introduce non refundable deposits, most notably on the lowest lead In category of each cabin type(interior, oceanview, balcony, etc.) Some other promos May state non refundable deposits. Some other cruise lines also charge a lot higher cruise fare if you want to book with a refundable deposit. Princess sort of does as you usually need to book NOT the lowest sub category to get a refundable deposit. Princess like most other cruiselines have many sub categories usually depending on the location of the cabin. So more mid ship interiors are higher priced than those located all the way forward or aft. Cruiselines also offer promos where the deposit is non refundable even when the cruise is months before final payment. When booking, ask if your deposit is refundable and are you eligible for re fare if the price drops before final payment. Because of so many variables, there is no one size fits all or always true.

You will be charged the difference plus the current gratuity amount, currently 18%.

FYI, if you are solo, you will pay double the bid amount.

Princess no longer has ‘traditional’ 1st seating , late seating, fixed time dining where you are assigned a time and table which is yours every night. With any time dining you are able to show up when you want to dine, during operating hours, but be aware you might have a wait, since there are only so many tables. Princess allows you to make ‘reservations’ which theoretically will save you some waiting time, as the restaurants will have 2 lines, reservations and no reservations. Depending on your sailing and when you decide to dine will determine if a reservation will be helpful/recommended or not. Some passengers have reported success in requesting the same table/section for every night, when they have found wait staff to their liking, but YMMV.

Yes, you will be able to sign up on board and there is an ‘entry’ fee. The event should be listed in the patter/event listing and you can ask the casino host if one will be scheduled for your sailing. The casino usually has a list of the various ‘events’ they will be hosting such as poker tournaments and such. Some sailings will have ‘private’ tournaments for people invited by the casino. There will most likely be ‘qualifying’ rounds which determine the high scorers who will ultimately play in the final round where that top score will be awarded the ‘prize’, which in the past was $500.

So far, only on the Majestic Princess. You do get a noodle bar instead which is worth a try and included in your fare. A venue not on any other Royal class ship.