ldubs

I've also read the negative comments about the renovations to Island Princess. Based on our experience, I would not hesitate to go Island Princess again. Island Princess is among the smaller ships in the Princess fleet but still contains all the bells and whistles. It is a lot larger than Windstar Star Legend. If you like really small ships, that could be a difference. Additionally Windstar is considered an upscale line compared to Princess. Not having been on Windstar I can't really comment. The Island Princess itinerary is more varied and includes a couple sea days. The larger ship will provide a variety of options to enjoy sea days. For the Windstar Itinerary, the two days in Livorno are a nice feature if you want multiple excursions from that port (like Lucca, Florence, Pisa). And, like you say, you would get to see Barcelona without having to get a hotel there. The Windstar embark/disembark ports are more convenient travel points, at least for me. That could make a difference if you are traveling just for the cruise. To me a big difference between the two is the ship size and what will likely be two different on-board experiences. I like the larger ship experience for the more varied and vibrant atmosphere. Many others prefer the small ship experience. No help I'm afraid.

The issue is not the location of the call center. It is the poor training provided to the customer facing staff. Other than overblown linguistic issues, the results would be no better if the call center were populated with untrained people somewhere in America.

I think you are failing to recognize the customer service component of this. Why it would be an issue is beyond me, unless one needs to have an issue that is.

It is easy to get angry with the customer facing people at the other end of the phone. Let's not forget it is Princess management who is not providing the needed training and who should be blamed for these kinds of mess-ups.

Just call them jumpers then all is good. 😀

If they had sequins then it is all good. 😆

I suspect we are witnessing the rough transition from a full staffed customer relations/reservations desk and one done primarily via Apps or website tools. Sadly, customers shouldn't suffer with catastrophic mistakes like the OP's.

It was a big running gag with Jack Benny. I'm 72 and still think of being a kid when I think of him. I had just watched a video of Jack Benny getting caught up on his age on the "You Bet Your Life" show (Groucho Marx). Pretty funny stuff.

We have made a late-morning flight out of SeaTac but it was a dicey thing. I think you made a good choice. Now you can take your time during disembarkation. Have a leisurely morning and plenty of time to make the flight. Enjoy!

On our most recent Alaska cruise, it seemed polo shirts were the norm. Whatever the case, any of the old school concerns about being underdressed no longer apply. Dress neatly and there will be much happiness!

Looks like you will be catching a short regional domestic flight. I sure wouldn't waste any time. Additionally, I would consider a taxi over a shuttle bus. Our experience at the Seattle pier with a cruise line shuttle was not good. To be fair it was so long ago it is really no longer valid.

All I know is I have a ton of T shirts with Cozumel printed on them! Haha.

Thanks. It seems coverage parts are different in our two countries. In my country, homeowners insurance coverage wording is fairly standardized. I'll preface my following comments with I agree completely one should always check with their insurer. Here, if a contractor caused a covered loss, the insurer would remedy the loss with the policyholder, then the insurer has subrogation rights against the contractor. Additionally, even if the OP's TA problem were considered covered under the policy for theft, which I doubt, a relatively low internal limit would apply. I just don't think a typical American homeowners insurance policy would respond to a situation like the OP experienced.

The Jack Benny number!

2*2*2*3*7 = 168!