BrandiGreg

Also, as there is no Captains Circle Party, each past passenger gets a free drink coupon. And, I have heard, if you are one of the top 3 most travelled, you get a specialty restaurant voucher. They do have the platinum/elite lounge however, and free laundry (if you can put it in right away!)

Another consideration, if you get OBC for stockholder, military, FCC, etc is that it may be better to break up, for example, a 28 day cruise into two b2B 14 day segments (if that is possible...if they are offered as separate cruises). Then you get the max OBC for each segment, instead of just for the 28 day cruise. That may earn you more OBC. Also, perks like free internet, mini-bar setup, loyalty credit, cruise credits, etc may be worth your while splitting it up. Figure it out each way to see what works best in your situation.

We did a B2B Alaska inside passage Vancouver to Whittier then retraced the route back to Vancouver. All we needed was a RT flight to Vancouver. (however, I will avoid embarking on a cruise in Vancouver in the future, as it is the poorest embarkation port we have ever had)

We have been on 27 Princess cruises, and never has a buy 1 get 1 beer or any other alcohol special been mentioned in the Patter. If so, I would jump at it. We have just done the buckets, which also applies to Dos Equis as well and perhaps other beers.

Excellent and thoughtful synopsis! I have bookmarked it to consult in planning our TA and N. Europe cruise in April/May on the Regal.

As a recently retired ICU RN, nurse educator and hospital emergency management coordinator having taught classes on bioterrorism and infection control, I can tell you will some degree of certainty that there are no known strains of ebola virus whose transmission is increased by sitting in an airplane. It is transmitted via contact with body fluids, which is not ordinarily something that occurs between strangers on airplanes. Likewise with sharing a cruise ship with an infected person. This is not norovirus nor the flu.

News today said nurses and other healthcare professionals were not fully covered. They were complaining that their necks were exposed.

Ordinary protocol does not require all of the body to be covered, just the more likely places (like hands) or mucus membranes (eyes, mouth) in case fluid was splashed or spewed in your direction. Just because some fluid from the patient lands on your intact skin, like neck, does not mean it will go into your body. Even if it lands on your hands, you just wash it off. It does not travel through intact skin, nor does it float in the air.

Not good as an "investment" but a great time to buy the minimum if you want the stock for the OBC, etc. If I had been on the fence about this one I'd jump on it now.

Depending on the frequency and length of your Princess or Carnival cruises, it is one of the best investments of your money you can find these days. You get $100 a year in dividends even if you don't cruise at all (about a 3% return on your money automatically, no matter the stock price). You will not lose one penny IF you never sell it. Even if it goes down to half its current price, it still will generate money for you each time you cruise.

We always do tux and formal dresses on formal nights, but then again that is one of our favorite experiences when we cruise. In our normal lives, we never have the occasion to dress up, so it is special for us. We enjoy seeing the other passengers all dressed up as well, especially when they wear dress wear from their native country (ie Scotland, Japan, some African nations, etc). And of course, a toddler in a tux is one of the cutest sights ever!

Yes, the official name by Princess is "Moveover Offer". The one we got last year was for a substitute cruise 12 months later, valued four times what our cancelled cruise was, change from an inside to a balcony and all of our cruise fare refunded as cabin credit on the second cruise (just as good as a cash refund, in my opinion), and no additional charge for increase in insurance or port fees/taxes. This was from a counter offer I presented to them. Your results may differ. Good luck!

In our experience, San Pedro is one of the easiest embarkation ports there is. Consistently efficient, courteous, and prompt.

After roughly 250 sailing days on Princess, neither I nor my spouse have ever ordered anything from room service. We are always so full from ordinary meals that we have not had the occasion to want to eat in the cabin. I suppose if we fell ill, this would be a good option for us. Some people love it though.

The cruise starts in 43 days. Hmmm.....one would think Princess would email you with verification and perhaps some kind of reference number or something. I may have to call them Monday.

We are US passport holders doing an Australian cruise next month, for which Princess says they will be automatically obtaining our necessary Australian Visas. And I understand it is not a piece of paper, but is electronically attached to our passports. However, we are flying into Australia 18 days prior to the cruise. At what point will we have our Visas attached? How can we verify that the Visa has been attached to our passport before we fly off to Australia? Thanks

We agree with all of the posters: we like the crab quiche with salsa appetizer, green lipped mussels with wine sauce, shrimp diabolo, rack of lamb. For dessert, if you want something light, try any of the sorbets: made on board and interesting flavors. Of course, lobster tail and its huge partner shrimp are very yummy...order at least two!

Well, we think the scenery is beautiful and there is a lot to do and see. In the summer, our choices are flying overseas (Europe mostly) or Alaska. Sometimes it is Europe, sometimes it is Alaska. In the winter our choices are South America, Australia, or the Caribbean. We head to the Caribbean - drive down and spend the winter, including doing some cruising because we love cruising. It doesn't matter so much where the ship goes, as long as we are on the ship....

 

OK, port choices are a bit oversimplified, but I think you get the idea. Alaska and the Caribbean are the simplest options for those of us in North America.

Don't forget Hawaii and Mexico. Those are simple options as well, especially for us in California.

In addition to "I get seasick", one hears all kinds of reasons people stay away from cruises:

1. I will be bored to death. I don't enjoy bingo and shuffleboard.

2. Piracy on the seas.

3. The engine will fail and we will be stuck at sea sleeping on decks and no toilets.

4. Norovirus.

5. I get claustrophobic in those little cabins.

6. People fall overboard and are never found.

7. I will get too fat.

8. They won't have anything I like to eat.

9. I don't like to be herded like cattle.

10. Too many drunks.

 

any others?

You summed it up very nicely. It is frequently the "argument" I give to my friends and relatives who say "how can you afford to go on cruises on your small pension and social security". Like the other poster said, once you figure in the OBC for FCC and Shareholder and Military (if applicable) and, if you are Elite, free mini-bar, free canapes, free laundry, and (after 20 cruises) free loyalty OBC (small, but counts), the value is even greater. Plus if you win a free luggage tag at Trivia, all the better (LOL).... Go for an inside cabin, and you really get a deal.

[quote name='ggprincess2004']I really doubt they will make any changes that impact Ruby, Platinum and the existing Elite levels. The Elite level is so full, I think they need to go to a category above Elite, and/or be more public concerning the additional benefits that are given as one hits milestones beyond elite.[/quote]
Yes, I agree they should have a level higher than Elite. There will be too much ill will created if they changed the rules for those who have not yet reached Elite to sea days instead of cruises, unless they grandfather past cruisers in by letting them continue with the old rules. I suggest a new level at 300 sea days, call it Diamond Level and make the cards hologram looking. Perks could be choices among specialty restaurant passes, free port tour of choice, drink coupons, portrait credit, casino credit, or some others. Continue with the loyalty cabin credit that they currently have for after 20 cruises.

If you don't think you can consume all the mini-bar set up, call room service and exchange it for a bottle of wine for that night, or for two coffee cards to use the 30 punches on future cruises.

In most cabins, the sole electrical outlet in the room in not close to the bedside table, so pack an extension cord to run across the room (unless you use the small battery fans).

We got a great moveover offer last year (our only offer in 24 Princess cruises). Three days before our TransAtlantic 15 day cruise, inside cabin we were able to negotiate a 28-day Round Australia balcony cabin ($13,000) for this year, with all $3,000 of our original fare refunded as cabin credit. No additional fee for port charges, taxes or insurance. They also offered to refund our cancelled airfare, but it was non-refundable but it was only $400 each. Not a bad tradeoff, and being retired we have total flexibility now for such deals.....would probably take another if offered!:D

Most of the time we book a guarantee and we get an email when our cabin is assigned (updated booking confirmation). So we don't have to check the website. By the way, we have never been assigned a "bad" cabin...but I guess we are not picky. Usually what makes a cabin "bad" is being placed next to noisy people who like to slam the door each time they come and go.:eek:

I know the 8 day Mexican cruise on the Golden is a chartered cruise by an organization called Atlantis Events, and is advertised as an "all-gay" cruise, and I think one has to go thru their website to reserve it. The prices are usually higher than what Princess normally charges, so I imagine there is a financial incentive to allow itineraries to be chartered. I doubt if individuals charter a cruise for their buddies, but for sure I want to have that kind of friend!

Would a screen grab work for you?

I tried a screen shot/screen grab, but my name appears nowhere on any document except the quarterly statement, and even then it appears only on the first page. So, what I did was fax that first page along with page 5 which shows the CCL stock holding, and hoping that quarterly statement, even though dated June 30, will work. I have not had this problem in the past, because my shareholder benefit requests have always been shortly after the quarterly statements came out.

We use Scottrade, so I'm not familiar with your options, but I can tell you how we did it. We went to the 'positions' page, where you can see what the stock is currently doing. I just printed that out, it has the date and my husband name at the top. I just blacked out the other info and faxed the page in. We had the obc the next morning.

The problem is that ETrade positions and other online views do NOT have my name on them. That is the problem, they want my name on the page.