SiliconCruiser

I was frantically notified by my TA that the No Upgrade had been removed from my profile, and she immediately put it back on after I told her that it was okay to do so.  Since we require (actually REQUIRE) an ADA room for a motorized wheelchair, we don't need this kind of aggravation.   I was furious for a while until I figured out where it may have happened.  We received a meta-upgrade for a b2b2b cruise and they may have removed it to make it happen and then forgot to set it back.

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Security didn't bat an eye and after clearing the scan, I saw where the wine table would be, but not manned few minutes after 10:00am.  We were boarding at 11:00am and among first on (love that).

We noticed the same thing on an Alaskan cruise in July.  Actually the table wasn't even there.  But after noticing that no one seems to care if you bring back alcohol (of any kind) back from port calls.  In Shanghai (years ago) I brought back some sort of Chinese liquor (120 proof, and godawful tasting) that was left over from a luncheon.  No one batted an eye.  I soon discovered that other than at embarkation, they didn't seem to care about bottles or cans brought back from port calls.  (I have to wonder if anyone would care if they brought on one of those Jim Beam bottles that was in the shape of a gun 🤣.)  But one of the Princess security people freaked out when he saw a knife in the zip-loc that I put all my metal in for the scanners.  Had to explain to him the blade on my Swiss-Army knife was well below the 2.5" maximum but he insisted that he had to confiscate it until the end of the cruise.  He backed off after he saw the knife and I just acted very offended (though I do know that most of them don't really know what they're doing and that is also from one of my employment experiences where I really did have to know.)

2 hours ago, Kay S said:

Hey, you don't suppose he's really FrugalCruiser, Boy Marketer, do you?🤣

It's possible, he seems to fit the age range.

On 10/9/2022 at 6:53 PM, FrugalVoyager said:

 

I am a young marketing executive my self in my 30s and my philosophy as is with many of my colleagues is that the only reason young people don't fill the ships is because they don't want to cruise with old folks, on a boring boat. But as marketers our job is to completely re-emagine the market and define new expectations of what a "cruise is".

 

To do it effectively we need to basically start fresh and clean to attract the masses to so that effectively older people, seniors and anyone not fitting the new image needs to be phased out so the marketers can do their job and get young people to fall in love with the concept of cruising.

 

Yes it will take years to convert the industry but a massive change is needed to save the industry, the seniors will have to find another way to travel and other ways to vacation because cruising is going young hard. Just my insider take based on all the new advertisement assets cruise lines are focusing on, they are smart to do so.

Perhaps you could educate an old/retired marketing guy.  How does disenfranchising your existing consumer demographic (the one that brings in the current income) to seek a new demographic help the company.  Especially when the company is trying to emerge from a 2+ year shutdown.  Your perspective sounds very entry-level, not "executive".  But the term "executive" is often applied to first-line employees (e.g. "Account Executive" instead of "Salesperson")  Your philosophy brings to mind the adage of "Throwing out the baby with the bathwater."

Basically your philosophy of destroying current income flow in the hopes attracting a new revenue source makes no sense to me.  Actually I've seen it before with "brilliant" fresh out of college kids taking the marketing helm in small tech companies as they drive the company straight into the ground.

On 10/9/2022 at 9:06 PM, Kay S said:

Frugal Voyager, aren't you the one who was recently complaining that cruises to Hawaii are too expensive and the cruise lines should lower the prices just for you?  I'm sorry your income as Young Marketing Executive isn't sufficient to cover the cost of a two-week cruise on a main-stream line.  It may be time for the old folks to walk the plank in your fantastical universe, but maybe the cruise lines would like them to keep paying for those Hawaii cruises that they can obviously afford.  Funny thing about us old-timers:  we have money and we spend it.

 

See posts #96 and #98 in the "difference between carnival and princess" thread posted by seagoer1973 on Sept 29, 2022 in this Princess forum.

Princess cruises to Hawaii have the lowest per person per day cost (around $50-60 per day).  I don't understand his "wisdom"

1 hour ago, Kay S said:

But the 60+ demographic is not what they are trying to attract.  They hope to replace them with young people.  I think that's the whole point of the show.

But the 60+ (way plus) is the demographic that identified with the "Love Boat".  Perhaps someone in Hollywood needs to create a new idea based upon one of the party lines (like Carnival) rather than trying restore an antiquated story line from a half a century ago. 

What's next?  A remake of Ozzie and Harriet?  Or maybe a new version of "Your Show of Shows"?

19 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Maybe because inside and window cabins (balcony cabins did not exist) did not have a bed for two people.

 

There was a couch which turned into a bed at night and a fold out bed from the wall perpendicular to that first bed.

 

 

Looks like a crew cabin.

It has become common knowledge that Princess is less than responsive to inquires, and once they've got all your money, they no longer have a need to be responsive to you. Perhaps this situation may change if they are able to get out of their economic straits, but there is the possibility that this may be their new business model.  Experienced Princess customers may remember that Princess was not terribly responsive (or truthful) to consumer inquiries even back in the pre-pandemic days, but that was no reflection on the service level of the exploited crew-staff.

4 hours ago, scottca075 said:

I think attitudes towards Formal Night are different, depending on the cruise destination, and Hawaii definitely lends itself towards more casual. I have not taken long pants on vacation to Maui or Kauai in 20 years probably. Oahu is the only place I wear long pants or a suit, but 90% of my Oahu trips are business trips.

I used to take a tux on every cruise and wore it on every formal night.  At some point, I realized that I was in the minority and sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb.  After a business suit, blazer and slacks, I'm going with the majority with "business casual".    Also, I heard that Aloha shirt and slacks (even khakis) were considered appropriate business wear in Hawaii.

On 10/6/2022 at 4:24 PM, pasta1 said:

Are sneakers allowed in the main dining at dinner?

Yes. But I wear black walking shoes on formal nights. 😉

If you don't have mobility issues, the blue bus is the most convenient and least costly.  If you need wheelchair accessible transportation, they you'll either the Princess Excursion that is ADA accessible or a cab (be aware of cab drivers that may tell you that the only way to guarantee a ride back is if you have them wait during your visit; these drivers tend to be college kids running whatever hustle they can to take the most money back to school.)  You can also take the city bus (they're all wheelchair accessible) but it is about 1.1 miles from the bus stop to the glacier.

I'd probably hang onto it until one of those years when I needed to find every tax deduction I could find or when the company goes Chap 7-BU.

On 9/30/2022 at 8:41 AM, Zeno said:

How many formal nights on a 14 day cruise?  Is formal wear mandatory or suggested on formal nights?  My husband simply will Not dress formally - nice pants, nice shirt and tie - no problem.  What alternative dining possibilities that are not formal on formal nights would be available

Thx

I used to always wear a tuxedo, but then I realized that standing out in the crowd.

I started wearing a dark business suit (with tie.)   Still stood out like the proverbial sore thumb.

I went to the traditional blue blazer, dress shirt, tie, with gray slacks ... still a little out of place.

I then went to a blazer, dress shirt, tie, and khaki slacks ... a little better but still stood out.

On my last cruise, I brought a blazer, dress shirt, tie, slacks, fancy polo shirt, but just wore the blazer, and polo shirt with slacks.  The next formal night I just wore the dress shirt with slacks.  Thank goodness the tie didn't take up too much space.

12 minutes ago, CruisingFromLA said:

Any issues bringing the smaller bottles? Out of Long Beach for Carnival, I have been able to bring 4 of the mini bottles (187ml), which equal to 1 regular size bottle (750 ml).

It sez you can bring two bottles up to 750ml.  That being said to satisfy 'the rules quoters', they are pretty lax after the embarkation port.  The x-ray machines and mag operators are all Princess security and they only seem to be looking for weapons.  I've seen many passengers taking 750 ml bottles of liquor, beer, wine, in various quantities in their carry-ons (backpacks) or other packaging. As I recall the only ones stopped were those bringing alcohol openly in fancy bags, and those who declared them.  On our last cruise I didn't even see the alcohol table when we returned to the ship on port calls (but alcohol is pretty expensive in Alaska.)

DRO was previously known as the Maitre D.  High ranking officer on the ship in charge of all restaurant operations.  As I recall, it is not customary to tip any officer who is pictured on the officer's board.  It would be like offering to tip the captain, or the highest paid officer on the ship, the director of hotel operations.

13 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Hmmm. I just checked with Mr. Google and he says if the merchant displays a sign noting that a surcharge is assessed...it's legal. There is a certain class of merchants that it's not, but I didn't care enough to figure out what that class entails.

Credit card surcharges may not be assessed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas, regardless of what Google says.

32 minutes ago, spongecakenibbler said:

We have brought our $20 travel steamer on every Princess cruise and have never had an issue. You'll notice it is not explicitly listed in the prohibited items. We just returned from a twelve-day cruise on Emerald yesterday afternoon. It was in our checked luggage and kept in plain sight of the stewards throughout the cruise. It saved me a lot of hassle, wrinkles, and long trips to the hot laundromat. 

It's not listed as a prohibited item on their web site.  But it appears that they have other lists of prohibited items that includes irons and clothes steamers.

 Just part of the inconsistencies with Princess.

I took one on many cruises, but then on one of the cruises to took it and gave it back to me when we were leaving the ship.

On 9/26/2022 at 6:24 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

The cooks (chefs may be giving most of them too much credit) are primarily Indian (not bring racist, it's just a fact) and are always cooking dishes from places they've never been, except perhaps as a crew member working on a ship.

 

For example, I saw Louisiana White Bean Salad on the Regal this summer. I'm originally from Louisiana and there ain't nobody there that eats white beans in a salad.

Yes, you being presumptuous.  The fact of the matter is that you'll find the menus to be the same across all of the Princess ships.  It has nothing to do with the national origin of the line cooks that prepare the dishes, which are done under the direction of the executive chef (you'll find his/her picture on the board with the other staff officers) and the Food and Beverage Director (formerly Maitre d).  After a few cruises, you can even determine the number of the cruise day depending on the offerings on the menu.

13 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Although ten states ban such surcharges, I believe that 40 states do not.  If I was charged a credit card surcharge in CA (which bans them), I would rejoice because of the class action lawsuit I would threaten (and file).

They're mom&pop businesses that don't even speak English for the most part.  By the time you are able to get your class organized, they'll have shuttered the business and opened up under a different fictitious name and maybe have different names as registered owners.

I forgot.

I have an ATM card from my credit union that does not charge an exchange fee, and in most cases do not charge a transaction fee.  If I'm in one of the Asian countries, I just go to an ATM and draw out whatever currency I might need.  But even in Asia, there are many businesses that will accept credit cards.

I used to bring and wear my tux on every cruise.  Then at some point (I believe it was on a European cruise,) I realized that I was in the minority and felt strangely out of place.  On my next cruise I brought my black funeral suit (only suit I still own,) and wore it with a white shirt and colorful tie (not the black one.)  That lasted one cruise.  I then graduated to a blazer with a couple of dress pants (I brought a tie but didn't always wear it.)  I'm now going to vary between dress shirts and polo shirts (I have one or two that costs more than a tuxedo) with the blazer or maybe just a dress shirt and slacks (depending upon the weather, I may skip the blazer.

At a horrible exchange rate.  Usually you can also do this at the dock ... also at a miserable exchange rate.  We usually just bring it home, because we know we'll use it again at some point, and we use credit cards whenever possible.  A lot of European countries are on a path towards a cashless economy, with a preference towards plastic.  When we were in Denmark and Sweden, there were many businesses that clearly noted that they were cashless (even a 7-11.) 

My most shameful example was when we were in Tallinn, Estonia when I handed a pharmacy clerk two €20 notes for a purchase.  Poor lady had to scramble to every cash register to find enough for the change.

However in Asia (also Asian businesses in the U.S) currency is the preferred method of payment.  I've even seen Asian businesses in the U.S. charging outrageous surcharges for credit cards.  Yes, I know that surcharges for credit cards are not legal, but they feel that they do not have to obey U.S. laws.

1 hour ago, NownZen said:

It would have been a lot better if any of the developers had ever been on a cruise ship to see what both the passengers and crew deal with. There are too many little odd things in the app. Screen usage is appalling. About 80% is wasted. Scroll, scroll and scroll some more. Useless ship graphics at the top, too big a listings. It is sufficiently bad that the Patter is our only source of information.

Human factors has been an element in software design since the 80's in the U.S.  Applications that do not take this into account are generally a dead giveaway.  I had to deal with type of software design (yes it was off-shore) on one of my jobs and the developers never took into account a human factor.  A lot of lost time because of this; cheaper is seldom better, you get what you pay for, and sometimes you pay a lot more because you're trying to skimp on costs.

On 9/27/2022 at 5:32 PM, sfpd3000 said:

I was almost in shock seeing chili on the menu again on day 3, but I'm assuming that this is the menu from day 1

I think that may have been the menu for Day 1 of their second leg.  The menus tend to repeat themselves.  We had the same Day 1 menu on the Ruby going to Alaska in July.  Matter of fact I'm starting to be able to know the day of the cruise by what is on the dinner menu.

On 7/20/2022 at 6:28 PM, NoWhiners said:

Completely true. If I had written software like this when I was working, I would have been shown the door.

I have a feeling that their software development is contracted off-shore, and possibly with little supervision.