HikaruTsuki

The fact that Elite and Platinum passengers are offered 50% off internet but no discounted rate from Plus makes little sense to me. I hope such a benefit (discounted Plus package) becomes an option one day. It would be a cost-effective way to keep passengers loyal to their line.

I once wanted to change rooms (due to a dramatic price reduction). I left a voice mail with my Princess rep, and did a dummy-booking to hold the cabin I wanted. She called me back first-thing the next morning--due to the new booking and NOT my voicemail. Looks like the reps prioritize new bookings from their assigned members over checking their messages.

Effective 20Feb2023, passengers can upgrade to Plus on the first day of their trip as confirmed by Princess.

100% to checking daily!! I was able to upgrade from an interior to a premium balcony for just $300 more for 11 days!

Most whale watching industries have a set amount of time you spend with whales. The rest is travelling to them, and the return. So if one tour is 2 hours and another is 3, you're probably getting the same amount of whale time between them. (Source: I worked on a whale watching boat for 7 years in Vancouver. We would get 30-60 min with whales. Depending on where they were, a trip could be anywhere from 3 to 7 hours long.)

The change is due to a new interim order to protect the endangered southern resident killer whales who frequent the waters surrounding Victoria. https://tc.canada.ca/en/interim-order-protection-killer-whale-orcinus-orca-waters-southern-british-columbia I'm really glad to see cruise lines take this seriously and opt to port elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if more itineraries are impacted. If your cruise is currently slated to dock in Victoria, I would be mentally prepared for that to change.

For those wondering why Alaska cruises in 2023 are being redirected to Prince Rupert from Victoria, it is to protect the endangered southern resident killer whales. Victoria is a great port of call, but I am so glad cruises are making this change.

I second the Beverly Hills Iced Tea recommendation. It's so good and I have very fond (albeit hazy) memories of getting absolutely obliterated by them. LOL

Oof. I just got a hold of Princess via their live chat. The rep informed me that if my booking was not paid in full by Dec 14th, my Plus cost will increase to the new amount. I really, really hope he's wrong.

I'm still confused about the wording on the email from Princess regarding keeping our "rate" by paying by December 14th. Are they talking about the rates for individual items (gratuity, wifi, etc) or the packages? I wish they would use consistent wording/language because this confusion is so unnecessary. I've asked my Princess rep so many times and she won't reply to my emails.

My husband and I have been on a low-carb (not true keto) for over 4 years now. At our peak, his weight loss was 135lbs and mine was 55lbs. We've allowed occasional cheat meals in the last year, and been less physically active, so I'm up 5lbs (sitting at 135lbs as of this morning). Overall we're really happy with the low-carb way to get our weight down, but now we're mostly focusing on maintaining. I will say that if you stick to low-carb for many months, you'll see consistent results which is super encouraging. We fast from 8pm to 1pm the next day, and have a lunch of cucumber, a pepperoni stick, a piece of cheese and a hard boiled egg. Dinner is a large serving of veggies (usually zucchini, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower or a salad) and meat. Having done this for so long, I've created all sorts of recipes that really work for us, and the selection of low-carb speciality items has increased so much (like keto bread, hot dog buns, tortilla wraps, etc). Having said all that, when you're deep into keto, your body doesn't retain water the same way it used to. A lot of your initial weight loss is just bloat. So if you plan to eat everything on your cruise, I would say to expect your weight to increase at least 10lbs in a week--and MOST of that will be bloat! From my experience, if I have a carb-binge but avoid sugar, my recovery is pretty quick and any weight gain is minimal. However, carb-binges that include sugar (such as donuts) are MUCH harder to recover from and the weight stubbornly holds on much longer.