Coupe

21 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

My suggestion is to not pass judgement on *any* cruise line based on a single sailing.  Keep in mind that *many* people only decide to post when they have something negative that they wish to rant about.  (Not always...but it's really pretty common with online forums.)  What constitutes a "negative experience" might very well be someone else's positive experience.  And...keep in mind that a bad experience can be strongly impacted by the way it is expressed or described to others...and especially in "print" without the advantage of tonal inflections and expressions.

 

I'm not trying to say that all of these negative posts are "off base" by any means...everybody has there own expectations of what makes up a great cruise and they may very well be different from yours.

This is true. I have sailed 18 times and found that every cruise line and every ship has it's own personality. 

The app still doesn't work for me. It signs me out as soon as I try to go to personal info. I checked our dining reservations for our cruise and it has been changed from four people to two. I am pretty good with technology. I know I did it correctly. I called Princess and they told me that the dinner reservations are full. I'm not happy with Princess or their failing app.

I chatted with a Holland agent online about this subject. They weren't very helpful but very polite.

• [Chinchin] Welcome to Holland America Line. Chat service is available in English only. Please hold while we connect you to the next available agent...
• [Chinchin] Thank you for contacting Holland America Line Chat. I hope you're doing great. My name is Chin. How can I make your day better? 
• [Chinchin] I just want to check if the chat is still connected? 
•  WE WERE LOOKING AT EXCURSIONS for our cruise. We are looking specifically at Cherbourg and an excursion to Normandy. They are sold out but there is a waiting list. Does this mean you will be adding more groups or that we have to hope that someone cancels their excursion?
• [Chinchin] hi, Patrick. 
• ] Hi Chinchin
• ] That means, you will be on the waitlist and yes, slots will depend if someone cancelled their reservation. Also, it is first come first serve basis.
• [] Do they ever add on another excursion if the waiting list is big enough?
• [Chinchin] I canno guarantee that since waitlist is a not guaranteed slot. 
•  I'm not asking for a guarantee at this time, only wondering if it ever happens.
• [Chinchin] It's not guaranteed. 
• [Chinchin] Aside from this, is there something else I can assist you with? 
• [ Not at this time, thank you.
• [Chinchin] I am delighted to be of assistance. I wish you a wonderful day! Thank you for chatting with us on Holland America Line Chat. Stay Safe!

3 minutes ago, nyc12345 said:

 

It shouldn't have mattered, since the passport does not really separate your first and middle name. 

It makes it impossible to sign into your cruise on Medallion. It does make a difference.You're right - it shouldn't.

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Glad you got it fixed!  Just out of curiosity...was it just a spelling issue?

No, Her first name is Sue and middle name Ellen. They had it listed as one name Sue Ellen. There was no place that it showed that so I'm not sure why it happened and why it was so hard to change.

Thank's for your responses. After seven calls we finally got someone to transfer us to a customer service area where they could fix the problem. The people that answered the phone did not know how to do it and  they needed to pass it upstairs. They should have told us on the first call that they didn't know what they were doing. FINALLY,  it was corrected so it matches our travel documents. It wasn't the travel agent's mistake. It was ll Princess.

So, Princess has the wrong name listed on their website when she logs in and on the Medallion app. She cannot connect to the cruise we have booked because the name is wrong. We have called Princess six times to get it changed and they either can't or won't do it. They gave her an extension to call and it was not a working extension. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks for everyone's help.

Another question - Do I need to go to the restaurant to book it or will I be able to book it on the app when I am on the Ship? I've been on some ships where there are customer service reps near the entrance who are taking reservations. Does this happen on Royal?

I have tried to prebook Chops on Wonder for an upcoming cruise. I have a specialty dinner that came with my cruise package. I can't book on the app without paying for the dinner. Royal says I can't book until I get onboard - is this true to your experience?

46 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You can look on the app at next itinerary the same as yours to see - likely nights 2 and 6.

Unlikely.

Thank you

What are the formal nights on Wonder? Will they be affected by a holiday such as Valentine's Day?

Where do you catch the train from London to Southhampton ?

Where do you catch the train in London? Can you tKe a cab?

Does Princess offer transportation to the airport at the end of the cruise? If so what do they charge and are there reasons not to book with them?

How many people have died from getting COVID on a cruise ship?

3 hours ago, travelhound said:

Yup, if the cruise lines are going to impose these ridiculous protocols, they should be paying for this.

Yep, if it costs $129 per person to test then that's almost $260 that we won't have t spend on the cruise. Maybe better to just end the testing now.

4 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Call your insurance company and ask if they will cover it.  Some still do.

I'm wondering if Medicare still covers the test. I haven't been able to find the info online.

16 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Maybe call the pharmacy and ask what the out of pocket price is before you schedule a test?  You can just push the option  to talk to the pharmacist.

Let us know.

$129 per person!

23 minutes ago, Coupe said:

I just checked on the Walgreenns site regarding covid testing. You now have to pay if it is not medically necessary.

Does anyone know what the cost is for a non-medically needed covid teat at Walgreens? It's impossible to get past their robot answering machine.

I just checked on the Walgreenns site regarding covid testing. You now have to pay if it is not medically necessary.

Is there any problem using American Dollars in Canada?

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Those who deliberately mischaracterize cruise ships as being Petri Dishes are only showing their ignorance.  Most of these people are speaking about Norovirus or Covid-19 being spread on cruise ships.

 

A Petri Dish is manufactured to deliberately culture bacteria.  A cruise ship is not built for the purpose of culturing germs.  A virus (such as Noro or Covid) cannot survive in a Petri Dish, viruses need a living organism's cells in order to survive and propagate.  So, a Petri Dish or a cruise ship would be an environment where Noro or Covid would not survive.  It is people who spread viruses not cruise ships.  Bashing the cruise industry by spreading misnomers does no one any good.  Calling cruise ships Petri Dishes only serves to confuse people who don't know any better.

The Noro virus was named after a high school in Norwalk, Ohio. Any place people gather- viruses are possible. 

1 minute ago, edgee said:

I am entering Canada, spending 6 days at Whistler and then going on a cruise. I asked the question perfectly and was told that I had to do an Arrivecan once to enter the country and again for the cruise. Perhaps I am a slightly unusual situation in that I am spending more than 72 hours in Canada before my cruise, but that is what I was very clearly told.  I am not traveling until mid July...perhaps they will end all of this instead of renewing it on June 30. I will re visit the situation at that time.

Well, yeah, the 72 hour rule.. You're making it sound like your schedule is everyone's. You are not helping people by not explaining the.  If you are just flying into Canada and then getting on your cruise you do not need to do two. 

13 hours ago, edgee said:

 

I called the Arrivecan number 833-283-7403...and was connected promptly to a very polite agent who verified that you MUST do two arrivecans if you are cruising. One to fly to Canada and one to cruise. If you wish clarification yourself, call the number and ask.

This is true. One if you are cruising into Canada and one if you are flying into Canada. You only need one to enter Canada. You do not need both.

 

Berardi Immigration Law

1 day ago

Hello! Are you entering Canada to join this cruise? You will need to input your travel information and other requested information into the ArriveCAN app every time you enter Canada. Safe travels!

 

It is only for when you are entering Canada. You most likely did not ask the question correctly.