SiliconCruiser

On 11/12/2019 at 2:55 PM, cruise to live said:

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember that if you were Platinum status, or above, you could drop off your carry on bags to you room early.  Is this still the case, or is my memory failing me again.  Thank you:  Matt

We are currently Platinum, but we have been boarding at 11AM and dropping off our carry-on, when possible, since our very first cruise with Princess (before we even had Gold status.)  We've also always gone to the MDR for lunch every time, even when the crew lied to us and told us that only the buffet was open.

50 minutes ago, pablo222 said:

I think the important part of the posters question was whether they can connect their dvd player to the tv,

not whether most tvs are manufactured with hdmi inputs.

 

The cabin might not have a remote which will allow any 'other' inputs to be selected.

The tv might be locked in hospitality mode, disallowing any remote from changing the input selection.

The tv might be wall mounted in such a way that it is not possible to access the physical inputs.

 

Here is a description of what one poster had to go through on carribbean:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2576428-connecting-your-hdmi-device-to-the-new-oceanview-tvs-on-caribbean-princess/

 

But, I do agree with you, most TVs are manufactured with hdmi inputs.

 

 

 

I was on the Island earlier this year.  While it was probably my worse experience on a Princess ship to date, with leaking sewage and ill-mannered service crew, the TVs in the cabins had remotes and you could switch the input; either from the remote or from the TV itself.  And as noted, access to the inputs could awkward depending upon it's mounted position.

Yes, all the TVs have HDMI input ports.  Pretty hard to find a TY these days that doesn't have them, no matter how cheap they might be.

If there is a grave concern and your provider does not provide low cost service in some of the countries, and you are situated in the U.S., get a Google voice number and make your wi-fi calls from/to the Google voice number.  It is solely on VoIP, just like many business lines these days, and does not rely on your cell carrier nor does it entail any roaming charges.

We were on the Diamond for an Asia cruise (Singapore to someplace near Beijing) a couple of years ago and all of the entertainment was in English.  The comedians didn't always get much attendance; some weren't very good, and there was the language barrier.  You would think that it may language have been may have been an issue with the Asian demographic , but I happen to catch a glimpse at several pages of the passenger roster and it looked like many of those Asian names were actually traveling on U.S. passports, and their nationality was listed as such.

Seems that they're doing the Vows Renewal thing regularly on every cruise that we've been on for the last couple of years (3).  There's no charge to participate, but it would seem that the photo center has found a niche for photo sales.

35 minutes ago, dog said:

 

So, they still have missed port time in "the suite". I've had a few cruises where we missed ports and it was very disappointing, and we were never offered any compensation. Guess that depends on why the ports were missed.

I think you hit the nail on the head.  Missing ports due to weather is considered "act of God" and the cruise line cannot be held accountable and I would doubt that reasonable passengers would argue that point.  On the other hand, mechanical failure is arguably a different matter and in the cases that I have heard of, Princess has stepped up to offer reasonable compensation for the inconvenienced passengers.  What may have been offered from the letter that was posted was most likely generated from the ship, within company guidelines, rather than through guidance from the corporate level.

It would seem that these days, "business attire" is acceptable for formal nights.  Of course these days, formal business attire may not even include a tie.  Add to that, variances to the rule, like in Hawaii where Aloha shirts are considered formal business attire.  And it really seems to depend on the host/hostess at the door of the particular dining room.  And it should be noted that in some countries, a dark suit with a bow time is considered formal wear (they do not wear tuxedos). 

On our last cruise (Baltic), I left my tux at home (for the first time) and just packed a blazer.  I still felt a little overdressed, wearing a tie.  I think I may leave the tie in the cabin, or just not bring one on the next cruise.  I was refused entry on one of the non-formal nights because I was wearing shorts, but again it seem to depend upon who was at the door.

On 9/12/2019 at 3:52 PM, Aggie83 said:

Don't forget to add the 18% tip to each drink. The beverage package factors in the tip.

18% is also added to the price of all of the beverage packages, except those cruises originating from Australia.

4 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

I don't think the word "crew" means what you think it means. "Crew" on a ship, as I understand it, are the non-management workers, e.g. your cabin steward, the dining room and other food venues waiters, cooks, etc.. The management positions on a ship are the officers. And as you will find on a ship, officers and crew have very different privileges.

 

So almost certainly, it was not the crew offering any compensation. I very much doubt it was even the officers, and not even the Captain. My expectation was that the compensation offered was discussed at length with Princess management before anything was communicated to the public. Ships do not operate in a vacuum. While the captain is legally the master, a captain wishing to stay employed by a cruise line does not just make his or her own decisions on things that are best discussed with corporate.

Okay, for the sake of your definition, it was the Guest Services Supervisor who informed us that we were not obligated to accept their offer of compensation, but it was all they could offer on the ship.  The Guest Services Director made no mention of this option.  And if the ship's offer was not accepted and resolved by the end of the cruise, the matter would be escalated to the corporate level for resolution.  In the case cited with the Island this time, it is only a 5 day cruise.  $100 may be reasonable compensation to someone who perhaps paid $400-500 for an inside stateroom, but it would probably be an insult to someone who booked a full suite.  And it is pretty clear that there are specific limitations and guidelines as to what can be offered to passengers on the ship.  Also, while a letter may have a facsimile of the captain's signature, realistically it is more likely a form letter with the amounts plugged in, by guest services.

There are probably some offers of compensation that are directed at the corporate level.  One particular case that am familiar with involved a mechanical failure on the Grand while it was on a 15 Day Hawaiian cruise from San Francisco.  It necessitated the termination of the remainder of the cruise; passengers received air transportation back to San Francisco (wonder if they had to charter a bunch of planes or if they just used scheduled flights), a full refund of their passage, and a 50% credit on a future cruise.

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

1.  Please cite the law or contract that provides this.

2.  If you refuse to use the OBC [to preserve your bargaining power], you are likely to end up $100 worse off.

1.  I believe it is one of the legal principles of jurisprudence referred to as "Implied warranty of merchantability" and "Implied warranty of fitness."

Regardless of that, Princess corporate does make an effort to establish a fair settlement.  But I can only speak about that from my actual experience (and yes, it was on the Island.)

2.  I believe that "refundable" OBC means that they will send you a check for the balance if you don't use it.  At least that has been my experience where we did not use the portion of our OBC that was designated "refundable".  Princess does issue "refundable" OBC regularly as refunds for taxes and port fees that have been collected but not used.

It should be noted that passengers are not obligated to accept the minuscule offerings from the Princess crews, they may opt to extend their dissatisfaction for the abuse (and yeah, that is how I would describe any offering from the crew of the Island) and carry their dissatisfaction to the corporate level. All any passenger needs to do is to refuse the insult (offering) from the ship crew ( they will say that they are limited to what they can offer, and some are quite honest about it.)

I'd have to add my vote to the roster of dissatisfied customers on the Island.  We had a horrible experience on that ship during a Panama Canal cruise, that pretty much corroborates all of the other complaints about the Island that have been listed on earlier postings.  The worst issue was the surly level of customer service that one encounters on that ship; it is literally unbelievable. This is an issue that can be remedied with training, though it may potentially have something to do with the reduced staff to passenger ratio. 

The increased pax density could probably also explain the dining congestion that passengers encounter in the dining rooms.  Coupled with inedible slop in the Horizon Court during dinner, it does not contribute to a happy crowd.

The other factor was the smell of sewage in the aft section that passengers are still complaining about 6 months later.  Perhaps the addition of the all the rooms was more than the ship was designed to handle. or there were some engineering oversight with the remodeling.  One would have to think that if this issue has not been remedied, there probably have not be enough complaints that have cost Princess enough to make it worthwhile to address.

In any case, it is not likely that we would think of sailing on this ship again.  It almost drove me away from Princess entirely.

We do deal with the contracted travel agent from the largest membership big box store in the U.S. and have always received upsell offers directly from Princess.  We're not likely to get a move-over offer though, since we specifically need an ADA accessible room.

59 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

I didn't notice the name and cabin number thing. Our door opening worked fine but as the cruise went on you had to get closer and closer for it to open.  By the end of the cruise you had to stand there for a second or two before it opened.   Hopefully they got it worked out. I was there in February so I'm sure they did.  Guess I'll just have to go on a cruise again to find out.

There is a battery in  the door (looked like a 18650 3.7v).  Ours had to be replaced on the Regal, mid-voyage, because a low battery warning was sent to their maintenance personnel.

21 hours ago, Madio said:

Am I understanding you correctly?  The Star is being sold in two years?  Why, and to whom? 

It's kind of being sold, but more accurately being transferred to the P&O Australia brand of Carnival.  I believe that is scheduled for 2021.  Before going to Australia, the Star will replace the Grand (reported to be going to Singapore,) as the home ported ship in San Francisco.  Both the Grand and the Star are Grand Class vessels.  Additionally, Carnival will add the Carnival Miracle, in 2020, as a home ported ship in San Francisco (probably to attract the affluent younger high-tech demographic that is now a significant part of the San Francisco culture.)

As I recall it was a cursory inspection in San Francisco at the dock.  You probably won't even notice it.  You can expect more of a delay fighting the crowds getting off the ship and the incoming traffic boarding for the next cattle call.  I'd say give yourself an hour buffer after your disembarkation time if it is after 8:30; more if it is before.  Traffic on the Embarcadero going to Pier 27 and leaving it will be your greatest obstacle.

6 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Only when under orders on official duty.  Not for personal travel.

I guess the OP's posting got filtered out, but that was pretty much what he said.  The gist of it was that he traveled all over without a passport while he was in the Navy and didn't get a passport until after he had retired.

3 minutes ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

No, actually, it doesn't because it does not indicate the citizenship of the person shown in the photo of the military ID.  We had an active duty navy man and his wife show up at the pier a week or so ago and the only ID that the sailor had was his active duty ID card. He was denied boarding. That was on a Celebrity ship if I remember correctly.

 

Tom

The response was to the individual who did not need a passport to travel the world because he used his ID card.  U.S. military personnel have traveled all over the world with their ID cards and a copy of their orders.   I don't think any U.S. military personnel are given orders to travel via cruise ships.  And the country of their citizenship does not actually matter since U.S. citizenship is not required to join the U.S. military services.

And what is this "we had" stuff, do you work for a cruise ship line?

On 8/21/2019 at 2:36 PM, PaperSniper4 said:

 

Weird that my entire time in the USN, visiting places all over, I never had a passport until I retired. I wonder if it's still the same way.

 

Doug

As I recall, a US military ID serves in lieu of a passport.

21 minutes ago, LoriPhil said:

Because passport data is a field in the Princess personal information section for booked passengers, we assumed it was a Princess requirement. 

You don't have to provide that information, but without it they won't issue you a boarding pass.

1 hour ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

Princess does not require you to have a passport to go on a cruise to Alaska from Alaska at least they don't when sailing out of Seattle. However, with that said, the safest thing to do is to have a passport if you do cruise to Alaska as that will cover you if, for some reason, you have to leave the ship while at a port and fly back to the US. I would be very surprised if you were required to show a passport on a cruise to Alaska when sailing out of San Francisco since the same company does check-in at both of those ports, among others.  As far as complying with laws, The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (Jones Act) has absolutely nothing to do with cruise lines. That law has to do with cargo, not cruises. The law that covers cruises having to go to foreign ports due to non-US registry is the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) of 1886.

 

Tom

I guess they do things differently in Seattle.  I haven't taken a cruise originating in Alaska, but I'd guess they would require it since there is a port call in Canada before it reaches Seattle, or the cruise may terminate in Alaska.  I don't know why you would be surprised at my experiences out of San Francisco unless your experience at that port has been different.  I also had to provide passports for a Hawaii cruise as well.  They not only check that you have it before you enter the terminal, but also when you check in.   Though Princess already had a copy of our passports for a Medallion cruise out of Copenhagen, they still wanted to make sure that it was in our possession when we boarded the ship.

But I'll take your word on PVSA, I should know better than to believe information from Princess.

1 hour ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

Who has "required"  you to provide a passport for a cruise going to Alaska? I suspect it has not been anyone at the pier in Seattle, at least not in the past few years as that is not a requirement for an American citizen and I doubt that anybody at either San Francisco or Los Angeles has either. Perhaps you've been told by your travel agent, if you have gone through them, but if that's the case they have given you incorrect, although perfectly safe, information. You can use a passport, a passport card, a certified copy of a gov. (not hospital issued!) birth certificate and a gov. issued photo ID also.

 

Tom

Princess required it.  As you probably know there are no Princess cruise ships that are of US registry.  As such, to comply with the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (aka Jones Act,) ships are required to stop at a foreign port before returning to the U.S.   For Alaskan cruises, it is usually Victoria or Vancouver.  For Hawaii, it is Ensenada.  And these days, a passport or passport card is required for travel to both Canada and Mexico.  They examine the passport as part of the boarding process and require it to board in San Francisco.  Never sailed out of San Pedro or Long Beach.

The only cruise ship that is not required to make a port call at a foreign port before returning to the U.S. is NCL's MS Pride of America.  It is the only cruise ship in the world that is of American registry, and it only cruises between the Hawaiian islands.

As for incorrect information, Princess is the usually the weak link, and seems that people on these boards are already familiar with the inconsistency of information from their call center.

I'm not sure I fully understand this.  I've been required to provide a passport for every Princess cruise that I have been on, even domestic cruises like those going to Alaska or Hawaii (for the obligatory Jones Act stop outside of the country.)

We take 2-3 cruises a year and have been able to board around 11-11:30 on every Princess ship at every port, including Port Everglades.  As I recall, we've been able to take our carry-on to the cabin every time as well.  If you would like to have lunch in the dining room, get there before 1 or 1:30, it isn't open very long for lunch.  And if you like to sleep in, they close at 9AM for breakfast.  If the crew members tell you that the dining room is not open for lunch when you board the ship, they're usually lying.  They try and steer everyone to the buffet on that first day.

As for bottled water or any non-alcoholic beverages bring whatever you want and as much as you want.  But do be aware that there are grocery stores at just about every port call.