Fairy has landed

[LC1950]

mrs and mrs ... from childhood all I ever wanted to do was visit China. Of course during my childhood it was closed to the world. But I finally visited in 2012 and my goodness, it was fabulous. Yep, not at all like Oz at all (thank goodness). I loved it, so enjoy and even more enjoy your few days in Beijing. Oh and yep, those squatie potties ... was desperate one morning for a waz, went into a new fancy smanchy shopping complex, finally found the dunnies and *pheeeewwww* couldn't even get through the door for the stench! Suggest you pack some Tenna Ladies and do your best to make it back to your hotel as fast as your legs will take you!!!! :eek:

 

That's China ... in some ways they are so far beyond us and yet in other ways ... forget it! :confused: LMFO, I especially loved the signs telling you NOT to put your feet on the seat of a western toilet. And why would anyone want to do that??? ;)

 

Nevertheless - enjoy every moment of your upcoming holiday. I'm sure you'll have the best time! :)

[OzKiwiJJ]

I've seen those signs in public toilets in Sydney. ;) Around Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.

 

Like you, LC1950, I'd always wanted to go to China. DH used to travel a lot for business and in 2005 he did a trip to Beijing and Shanghai so I tagged along. We managed to have some personal time there which was great. The rest of the time I just explored by myself.

Edited September 4, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[mrs and mrs]

Thanks lc,

some good advice.

Well in my opinion it wont be long till they close the doors slightly,but that's another story.

Edited September 4, 2016 by mrs and mrs

[cheznandy]

Thanks, Cheznandy. So it was, I hadn't noticed that. We had a spare FCC each so I booked it. Couldn't quite get the cabin I wanted but got one close by.

 

Glad to give info......especially if saving $$$. Will let you know if I see any price drops:D

 

Not a prob at all, in fact I love it, its easier to learn new stuff than jumping from thread to thread.

So I presume that fcd is forward credit and fcc is forward cruise credit.

We should have done this in feb on dawn, I think if you put a dep down on future cruise you get obc.Is this correct.:)

 

Yes, as Ozkiwi said, same thing.....sometimes it was called FCL...Future Cruise Letter, easy way to deposit, then move around and get OBC.

 

Re your China cruise, we did Beijing to Vancouver via Japan and Alaska in 2013 on the Diamond Princess, best cruise ever. We did 4 days in Beijing prior to the cruise, private guide with about 6 on our rollcall, Great wall, Summer Palace, Tianamin Square etc, then a private transfer to the port of Tianjin. One of our best dinners was at the Black Sesame Kitchen, I had found this restaurant on Trip Advisor, we got a local taxi there, somewhere in the Houtongs in Beijing......then caught the train back. check out the reviews on TA, I believe it is No2 rated, authentic Chinese cooked in an open kitchen in the backs alleys, just great!!

Edited September 4, 2016 by cheznandy

[OzKiwiJJ]

Glad to give info......especially if saving $$$. Will let you know if I see any price drops:D

 

 

Ditto. It would be nice if the price dropped a few hundred dollars more. Our Golden repo cruise earlier this year came in at under $1900 for a 20 night cruise but that was the last of the USD onboard cost repos so the gratuities were additional to that.

 

Anyway if all goes well and we do go on it, I owe you a drink. :D

[cheznandy]

Ditto. It would be nice if the price dropped a few hundred dollars more. Our Golden repo cruise earlier this year came in at under $1900 for a 20 night cruise but that was the last of the USD onboard cost repos so the gratuities were additional to that.

 

Anyway if all goes well and we do go on it, I owe you a drink. :D

 

Not sure which cabins you prefer, think you go inside too;) there are four large insides Aloha mid aft.......but looks like they are sold (we have one)....there are another two midship, A403,A409 sideways cabins, same size. Look smaller on the deck plan but 182 square feet same as other 4.

If we cant get the larger sideways we get aft on Aloha.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Not sure which cabins you prefer, think you go inside too;) there are four large insides Aloha mid aft.......but looks like they are sold (we have one)....there are another two midship, A403,A409 sideways cabins, same size. Look smaller on the deck plan but 182 square feet same as other 4.

If we cant get the larger sideways we get aft on Aloha.

 

I like being a bit lower and as close to mid ships as I can get, DH is a bit sensitive to motion. We've booked an IB mid-aft on Caribe deck - all the IAs were booked out on that deck.

[cheznandy]

I like being a bit lower and as close to mid ships as I can get, DH is a bit sensitive to motion. We've booked an IB mid-aft on Caribe deck - all the IAs were booked out on that deck.

 

Sounds good:)

 

If you haven't been on Diamond/Sapphire and do anytime dining you will love the 4 anytime restaurants, small and intimate with different decor.

We loved Sapphire for the International cafe/Alfredo's in the Atrium. Didn't miss it on the Diamond as we had cruised on it twice before the Sapphire, love those ships, more tonnage and less decks and passengers than other grand class, nice wide promenade too. Will look forward to comparing them to the Emerald in November.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Sounds good:)

 

If you haven't been on Diamond/Sapphire and do anytime dining you will love the 4 anytime restaurants, small and intimate with different decor.

We loved Sapphire for the International cafe/Alfredo's in the Atrium. Didn't miss it on the Diamond as we had cruised on it twice before the Sapphire, love those ships, more tonnage and less decks and passengers than other grand class, nice wide promenade too. Will look forward to comparing them to the Emerald in November.

 

We usually choose late traditional dining. We like having the same waiters each night, and dining at the same time.

 

I'm looking forward to trying the Izumi Japanese Baths.

[NSWP]

FCC & FCD are the same thing. Sometimes it's called a Future Cruise Credit and sometimes a Future Cruise Deposit.

 

Yes, buy them onboard your next cruise. $100pp each. They are valid for two years and if not used you get the money refunded to your credit card.

 

You get OBC depending on the length of the cruise. We've got $125pp for our Sun cruise.

 

The real beauty of them is you can book a cruise anytime, and if you cancel before final payment the FCC deposit just goes back on your account. I did that with our Royal Princess cruise so I could book it again through a US TA and get the Sip and Sail. So the FCC went back on our account and I've just used it to book the Diamond cruise. Also if the price drops before final payment Princess will honour that price drop - but you have to do the work checking the prices, then call them when you see a lower price.

 

If you think you're going to keep on cruising with Princess I suggest buying two FCCs each on your Golden cruise. There will be a form in your cabin, all you have to do is fill it in and pop it in the Future Cruises box - deck 6 I think.

Re the FCC forms, you can also download them from Princess site, then just leave them with future cruise sales on board, or get the forms from the said desk.

[NSWP]

I loved visiting china except for one aspect - Squat toilets. When you are wearing jeans, it is near impossible.:eek:

Watch those those TIGHT jeans Mic, a man can damage himself. LOL.

[MicCanberra]

Watch those those TIGHT jeans Mic, a man can damage himself. LOL.

 

Tell me about it.:eek:

[OzKiwiJJ]

Well, the upsell fairy just landed in my inbox, offering me an upsell to a balcony cabin for a mere $1299pp ($64.95pp per day). :eek:

 

ROTFLMAO! It does work out cheaper than the current price of the balcony cabins - it's half the difference between what we paid for our inside cabin and the balcony price. But, no, sorry Princess, try some other sucker. :rolleyes:

 

Now if they'd offered it for $299pp I might have been tempted.

[mrs and mrs]

Well, the upsell fairy just landed in my inbox, offering me an upsell to a balcony cabin for a mere $1299pp ($64.95pp per day). :eek:

 

ROTFLMAO! It does work out cheaper than the current price of the balcony cabins - it's half the difference between what we paid for our inside cabin and the balcony price. But, no, sorry Princess, try some other sucker. :rolleyes:

 

Now if they'd offered it for $299pp I might have been tempted.

 

Now you can see, why we jumped at it,(inexperience).

Hers how wonderful you guys are.

Woke 6 am, checked emails, got up-sell.

Screamed at Linda.

Went straight to these boards, cause I know someone's up and about.

Went for it.

Started getting answers.

Reversed decision.

All turned to crap.

Got out of jail.

Lived and learned.

Started this thread and learning more and more.

Your all right you lot.:):)

[OzKiwiJJ]

Must admit I squealed a little ... until I saw the ridiculous price. ;)

 

At least your offer was almost tempting - $25pp per day against $64.95pp per day. :(

 

Anyway that "saving" will be put to good use. It's only $1200 for both of us to book the Sanctuary for the whole cruise and there we get super-comfy sun-loungers, better views, great service, and a scrummy afternoon tea every day (which fills in the gap between lunch and the late dinner sitting).

[LC1950]

LOL OzKiwiJJ ... I see your $1299 P/P upgrade to a balcony and raise you $800 only, from a balcony to a FULL SUITE ... did you hear that? $800 only - FULL SUITE???? Oh yes, and that's moving cruises from a 5 dayer to Tassie sailing from Mlbn/Mlbn (my home port) to a 14 day Pacific Islands round trip Syd/Syd!!!!!

 

I refused. Yes, I was tempted but ... we were both working back then and could only get a week off work. The fact that we'd have to buy return flights to Sydney plus hotel accommodation for 1 night and then the number one cruncher .... the offer came through (by phone) at 3PM the day before the Island cruise departure! Helloo Princess, I'm at work, how the hell could I get organised enough to cruise tomorrow at 3PM in the afternoon? So I knocked them back. Absolutely enjoyed my Tassie cruise as booked and have never heard from the "fairy" again. :D

 

Maybe there's a story in there for all of us? :rolleyes: ;)

[OzKiwiJJ]

That's a move-over offer though, not an upsell.

 

Now $800 for a suite and I might have been tempted, but not $1299 for a balcony. I've had a balcony on Sun Princess and, although nice, we hardly used it. Also I find the balcony furniture really uncomfortable - and I even took blow-up cushions on that cruise.

[MicCanberra]

Must admit I squealed a little ... until I saw the ridiculous price. ;)

 

At least your offer was almost tempting - $25pp per day against $64.95pp per day. :(

 

Anyway that "saving" will be put to good use. It's only $1200 for both of us to book the Sanctuary for the whole cruise and there we get super-comfy sun-loungers, better views, great service, and a scrummy afternoon tea every day (which fills in the gap between lunch and the late dinner sitting).

 

LOL, I think sometimes they are just hoping for a sucker to bite.:D

[LC1950]

LMFO ... move over/upsell, phuuuut what the hell would I know? Have to say I felt quite good saying "thank you, but NO thank you". :cool:

 

Right, I'll go on my merry way now. Life is full of interesting possibilities, isn't it?

[Bpos]

On our second cruise with Princess, we booked a mini suite at the last moment - Sydney to Singapore, 19 nights on Diamond, a couple of days later got an email to advise upgrade to Penthouse Suite, at no cost.

 

When I posted my joy and happiness on our roll call, got severely attacked by others who demanded to know how come we we upgraded with no history with Princess - needless to say we had a ball but did not go to the meet and greet to put up with people who thought they were more deserving.

 

But must say our upcoming cruise on Solstice in a suite provides a lot more bang for the buck than Princess suite. No free drinks etc etc but the free laundry was great.

[OzKiwiJJ]

LMFO ... move over/upsell, phuuuut what the hell would I know? Have to say I felt quite good saying "thank you, but NO thank you". :cool:

 

Right, I'll go on my merry way now. Life is full of interesting possibilities, isn't it?

 

I'm not even bothering to contact them, that "upsell" isn't worth the time I would waste on a phone call.

 

It was a shame you couldn't take advantage of the move-over offer though but even if you didn't have to work, getting packed and ready to go overnight would be very difficult. However a move-over offer should be offering incentive to move to another cruise as they have oversold the original, but in your case you would have had to pay extra? That, the different itinerary, and the short notice, aren't really much of an incentive, IMHO.

 

I've read of some amazing upsells and move-overs on the main Princess forum. Princess must think us Aussies are dumb or something - just because we live in a different part of the world doesn't mean we're not connected to the rest of the world online, taking note of what is happening.