Jersey42

For whatever it's worth, we are past the halfway point of our Caribbean Princess cruise and the internet speed remains excellent. Not like home, but as good as I have seen on a cruise. I have take a few measurements and I have seen download speeds between 2 and 3.7 Mbps. I'm sure it has gone lower at times, but it has never been a problem.

Duplicate post

Two of each item in my picture above.

Maybe this has been posted before, but the minibar setup we got yesterday on the Caribbean Princess was different from anything we have received in the past. Same quantity, just different items. Cognac was Bacardi rum, different brands of scotch (Chivas) and gin (Bombay). Six oz cans of club soda instead of Perrier. Also small cans of tonic.

Yes, I visited the internet Cafe soon after we boarded. It was pretty much take it or leave it. He said "you are getting a great deal at 50% off". I didn't say you did it last time, but I did explain the app wouldn't let me sign up pre cruise. Passenger services desk may help, but it is not worth the hassle to me for a one week cruise. As someone else mentioned, the internet has been great so far. It was like that in February on the Sky for the first few days too. After that it was terrible. The Medallion App has been awful. Hanging all the time and just not working. I deleted and reinstalled it last night. So far that has solved all of the problems.

Caribbean Princess July 2.

I'm on the Caribbean Princess and just visited the internet Cafe. They would not honor the pre cruise pricing even though I explained the Medallion App would not take my credit card when I tried earlier in the week. They honored the 50% elite discount

Unfortunately, unless I am totally misinformed, the answer is pretty much NO. Travel insurance is normally reimbursement only, with the exception of the GeoBlue network being discussed. Now, if I were in that situation I would definitely call the insurance company and plead my case. You have nothing to lose. Perhaps a provider might take a deposit and bill the balance if the insurance company could provide something to show medical coverage up to $X. But I am only speculating and I would not count on it. If you have the time, you might want to pose this question to your safari company and their insurer. I am sure they have run into this before. I would be curious if they give you any good insights.

I guess I misunderstood your question. I thought you wanted to know if a travel insurance company would wire the money to pay for the medical expenses upfront. I answered that one. So what are you actually asking? From the wording of your question, I had a feeling that you thought "primary" meant the insurance company would pay the provider directly. Sorry for my misunderstanding. I also agree the OP's situation was a nightmare. But I am not sure if there is a good solution in a "no credit card" situation. The OP talked about it a little bit in post #8, with no good answer besides carrying lots of cash. I just saw @Suzanne123's post. Perhaps that might work for your trip, depending on the situation, especially if you have the time to get to one of GeoBlue's providers.

A policy that pays medical claims as "primary" means that you do not have to file with other insurance first before they will pay. A "secondary" policy means it will only considering covering amounts not paid by the primary policy. With most travel insurance policies, you have to pay upfront and gather records and receipts, then file with the insurance company for reimbursement. GeoBlue (medical and evacuation) is one company that says they will pay the provider directly if you use one of their (limited) network of worldwide providers. Chances are you will not go to a network doctor in an emergency. Maybe there are other insurance companies that offer networks as well, but I have not run across one. Most people recommend carrying a credit card with a large unused limit. Of course, that didn't do the OP much good in his case.

We are heading out on the Caribbean Princess on Saturday. This will be our sixth cruise on this ship. The first was on it's maiden voyage in 2004. And one was a Canada/New England cruise. From the beginning, it was not our favorite ship, primarily because it had a layout very similar to the Golden Princess (and Star and Grand) but it added an extra passenger deck without adding more public space. So it always felt more crowded than it's smaller siblings. Unfortunately, two of the smaller versions of this ship are gone and I expect the other one to be gone in the not so distant future. Plus, we will probably never see another Princess ship of that size again. We have still cruised the Caribbean Princess more than any other ship, and unless something crazy happens next week, we won't hesitate to sail on it again.

Pre-cruise prices on day 1 is what we experienced a few month's ago. I will let you know what happens on our next trip in a few days. It is not a big deal for our short upcoming cruise, but it will make a bigger difference for a future 28 day voyage where we will have oodles of OBCs. Unlike many of the posters on this thread, we don't get Princess Plus as it is not a good value for us.

Yes, I clicked on the camera icons of the few potential sideways cabins that had one. When I click, it tells me it is a members only feature. The public site does let you see a thumbnail of one picture, but unfortunately most of those pics don't give me a clue if it is a sideways cabin. The few that do look to be non-sideways, but I can't be positive. I now see the one pertinent YouTube video (E728) that I missed earlier. This cabin looks to have a non sideways orientation. From the way the original question was asked. I am guessing that @moodyb1 went through the deck plans and couldn't tell either. Several people have given advice on how to figure out the answer to the question. I am still stumped, but based on E728, I am guessing that most, if not all of the cabins are not sideways. Am I missing something obvious here?

If you see any wrong information, please post corrections. Or, just copy and paste the table in a new post and make the corrections there. SHIP CRUISE DIRECTOR ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR Caribbean Princess Gary Golding Martyn Moss Coral Princess Kevin Tugwell Crown Princess Jody Miles Kelvin Joy Diamond Princess Discovery Princess DuVaul Gamble Frenchie Desbuquois Emerald Princess Fernando Cunha Enchanted Princess Matt Barnard Marissa Wurms Grand Princess Corinne Steel Island Princess Olivia Guthrie Majestic Princess Armando Merin Dan P??? Regal Princess Dan France Neil Rose Royal Princess Natalie Costa Ron Goodman Ruby Princess Tim Donovan Sapphire Princess Sky Princess Paul Chandler-Burns Matt Thompson

The problem is, the plans do not show the location of the door. And most of the cabins that could be sideways have both a short and long wall on a hallway. In the examples below B714, B717, B726 and B729 are not sideways. But what about the others?

As others have said, the OP's voyage is not a violation. LA to Ft. Lauderdale via the Panama Canal would not be a violation of the PVSA as long as it stops in a "distant" foreign port. Typical qualifying ports for LA to Ft. Lauderdale via the Panama Canal are anywhere in South America such as Cartagena, or any of the three "ABC" (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) islands.

Did you get 50% off of the onboard price, or 50% off of the discounted pre-cruise rate? In February, I got 50% off of the pre-cruise rate when I asked the internet manager. Not sure if this was a one time goodwill gesture or if this is normal practice. I guess I will find out on Saturday.

Just saw this after I submitted my response. Freedom cover less items and fewer dollar amounts than Preferred (or Reserve). I believe the limitations I mentioned above are the same for the Freedom card. It's all about your situation and risk tolerance. The benefit amounts are in the big print. The limitations are in the fine print. As @Babr just said, be sure to read the guide to benefits, especially regarding pre-existing conditions, trip interruption benefits and covered reasons. FYI - Here is the Chase definition of a pre-existing condition: Pre-Existing Condition – illness, disease or accidental injury of You, Your Traveling Companion, Your Immediate Family Member or the Immediate Family Member of Your Traveling Companion, for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the initial deposit or booking date (whichever occurs first) of a Trip; the taking of prescription drugs or medication for a controlled condition throughout this sixty (60) day period will not be considered to be a treatment of illness or disease; . . .

@Suzanne123 pointed you in the right direction. Here are some more thoughts. Pre existing conditions are not covered for cancellation or interruption. There is a 60 day lookback period. Unlike many insurance plans, pre-existing condition coverage is excluded not only for you and your traveling companion, but also for non-traveling family members. Trip Interruption coverage is more limited than many insurance plans such as no return transportation home or hotel costs. Covered reasons for cancellation and interruption may be more limited than what you find in a typical insurance plan. Very limited medical coverage. Here is the guide to benefits. https://static.chasecdn.com/content/services/structured-document/document.en.pdf/card/benefits-center/product-benefits-guide-pdf/BGC10979_SapphirePreferred_VisaSignature.pdf You can look up the other benefits which are pretty good as long as the pre-existing conditions clause does not bite you. We sometime purchase a separate plan when the trip is expensive and pre-existing conditions might be an issue. Chase Sapphire Reserve is another card that offers more benefits at a much higher annual fee. The pre-existing conditions clause is the same.

If you see any wrong information, please post corrections. Or, just cut and paste the table in a new post and make the corrections there. SHIP CRUISE DIRECTOR ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR Caribbean Princess Gary Golding Martyn Moss Coral Princess Kevin Tugwell Crown Princess Jody Miles Kelvin Joy Diamond Princess Discovery Princess DuVaul Gamble Frenchie Desbuquois Emerald Princess Fernando Cunha Enchanted Princess Matt Barnard Marissa Wurms Grand Princess Corinne Steel Island Princess Olivia Guthrie Majestic Princess Aaron Mac Dan P??? Regal Princess Dan France Neil Rose Royal Princess Natalie Costa Ron Goodman Ruby Princess Tim Donovan Sapphire Princess Sky Princess Paul Chandler-Burns Matt Thompson

@klfrodo gave you an excellent answer to your question. I'll add - shortly after your deposit typically means 21 days (or less). You did not ask "what CFAR insurance should I buy", but I will offer a few things to think about. If you look at your options at least you can make an informed decision. IF CFAR is important to you, always look at the cruise line plan, in addition to third party plans. For some people, the cruise line plan might be a better option. Here are some things to consider: Cruise line CFAR plans typically offer a 75-100% Future Cruise Credit (FCC). Third party plans typically offer 75% cash back. The FCC usually has time restrictions for booking date or sail date or both. I do not know of any situation where the restriction is less than a year. Is an FCC acceptable, especially if it is a larger amount than the cash? By the way, if you are sailing HAL (90% cash), Oceania (no CFAR) or MSC (no CFAR) their plans work differently. Cruise line plans only give you a credit for the cruise fare. Hotels, air or any other prepaid expenses are not covered. Taxes, fees and pre-booked items are refunded in cash, even without insurance. Do you have any or many non-cruise expenses? Cruise line plans can usually be purchased up until the final payment date, so you have more time. Cruise line plans are usually pretty weak in medical coverage. Most are $25K or less and pay secondary. Do you have other medical coverage, or do you need primary medical coverage? Cruise line plans are usually cheaper than third party CFAR plans. Sometimes you can buy the cruise line plan and a separate (non CFAR) third party plan with a $1 trip cost for less than a third party CFAR plan. This may be more complex than you want to make it, but it gives you the cruise line CFAR benefits and the better medical (and possibly other) benefits of a third party plan. None of this is as simple as it should be, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

On our most recent request (May), the OBC took 24 days from request to posting. We used the email address sbpcl@princesscruises.com. We did not need to follow up. In February, we booked a last minute cruise, so we emailed and followed up with a phone call. They told me the turnaround was about 4 weeks. The found the email request and applied the credits while I was on the phone.

I don't believe so. I asked this question about dining reservations (and wi-fi) a few weeks ago. A few people offered suggestions, but none proved to be helpful. I have since seen other posts that said you could not pre book with OBCs. We ended up paying with a credit card for the one specific restaurant, day and time we wanted for a special occasion. If you book as soon as you get onboard, you probably will get something. But it may be very early or very late, especially for the Crown Grill.

Thanks for the response. Glad you found a plan that works for you. Everyone's situation is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all plan. As you say, it's each person's situation and risk tolerance. I have looked at four different annual plans from Allianz. Unfortunately none of them meet our needs, especially with the medical coverage. I want primary medical coverage so I don't have to make a claim against my Medicare supplement's lifetime $50K maximum for foreign emergency coverage. Plus I think $20K or $50K per trip is too low as medical is my biggest exposure risk. That said, unlike some plans, I like that Allianz has a very reasonable pre-existing conditions waiver. I will continue to look at annual travel plans that I have not seen before. For now, I will keep an annual GeoBlue Trekker medical/evac plan and deal with other risks on a trip by trip basis.

What policy did you purchase? While I have found a good medical/evac policy, I am still searching for a good annual comprehensive policy.