richart

Astro Flyer, thank you! It is a Princess OBC so I will check as you suggest.

Looking on the app to find out if the on board credit I was promised was credited to my account. Anyone know where to find that in the app? To me the app seems not very intuitive.

The speed has improved greatly since 1492.

Hopefully someone can give you a better answer than I since I have yet to embark out of Vancouver, I have read the following on posts on this board: 1. Porters are available at curbside. 2. Baggage drop off is on Level P2. 3. Princess used Level D4 (Convention Center) for baggage drop off during one passenger's cruise.

From what I've been reading you are absolutely correct. The shuffling from baggage check, to cruise line check in to U.S. customs all on different levels seems confusing and slow. The hotel will check our bags for us and I have ordered our Princess medallions so that will speed up checking in with the cruise line. Now if U.S. Customs at the cruise port has a Global Entry lane, that will speed things up even more...maybe. Regardless, it is what it is and we are there to have a good time so we're not going to let any issues at embarkation dampen our spirits. Departure time is supposed to be 3:45 pm so we plan to have lunch and start the check in process about 1:00 to 1:30 pm. Hopefully by then the lines will have died down, our bags may be in our cabin, and we will be ready to enjoy the week.

I finally had a response from Princess today after sending an email to their customer service a week ago. Hira acknowledged the problem with their website in not providing a way to pay the surcharge or providing any instructions on how to do so. However all their seats for this excursion are booked and they are not able to manually add a surcharge to guarantee the excursion. Following three phone calls from them the final result was they offered to keep the excursion booked and would call me if there were a cancellation and they would also provide an on board credit of $400. In the end I accepted the $400 credit and asked them to cancel the excursion and refund my payment. Hira was very understanding and apologetic throughout the process and took the time to make inquiries with their excursion department in an attempt to resolve the problem. In the meanwhile I was able to find an excursion of the same type direct with Coastal Helicopters in Juneau and was able to book the trip with them.

Yes, I have in fact. But most of the experiences are dated so was looking to find out how things went this past summer.

Who knows? Nothing in the Princess FAQ, telephone customer service seemed unsure and just said to pay when onboard, and an email to customer service goes unanswered.

What was your experience in 2023 embarking from Canada Place? I've read horror stories about how badly run the process is and the extensive time spent in line. We are cruising the first weekend of May 2024...looks like there will be two large ships in port...about 6500 passengers. We are staying at the Pan Pacific which should help because we can have hotel staff handle the luggage and we can walk to the terminal. While not handicapped my wife does have some orthopedic issues which cause problems when standing for extended periods. My initial thought is stay in the hotel until check out time, go somewhere within walking distance for lunch, and then head to the cruise terminal. Maybe the lines will have diminished by then. Anyway, I would really like to hear about your experience this past cruising season out of Canada Place.

Thank you! Good alternative.

NavyVeteran, thanks for your response. This cruise leaves Vancouver on Saturday, at sea on Sunday and is in Juneau on Monday. The Shore Excursion FAQ had no information at all. As you mention there is no way to book a third ticket online. I called Princess and the operator told me I could pay the surcharge when I am onboard. Still sounds a little squirrely to me since you would think that is something the tour operator would want to know up front. I'll wait until I'm onboard on Saturday and visit the shore excursion desk and see if I can get this straightened out. If I can't that will give me time to cancel. I hope everything works out because this is our 50th anniversary trip and my wife really wants to walk on a glacier. So far the communications I have had with Princess are not very satisfactory. I hope the cruise turns out better.

A while back I paid for the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour and Guided Walk for my wife and I. Recently while reviewing the excursion details I noticed something that I missed before. It is a weight surcharge for those weighing over 250 lbs which I do. The description seems to indicate that maybe I should have reserved an extra seat but I can't do that now because the excursion is sold out. And I didn't see anything at all where you could reserve an 'extra surcharge ticket'. On their crazy website the link for the Alaska Cruisetours FAQ just takes me back to the same spot. Has anyone taken this excursion and faced this situation before that may can shed more light for me? Special Notes: Weight surcharge ($200) may apply on this flight. Due to weight and balance limitations, as well as passenger safety and comfort, the helicopter companies have advised that guests weighing 250 lbs. or more (fully clothed) will be assessed the weight surcharge to reserve adequate space onboard the helicopter. Guests weighing 250 lbs. or more should reserve an extra surcharge ticket and, once onboard, go to the Tour Office to have the ticket charge adjusted down to the surcharge amount. Refer to the FAQ section for important information about flightseeing.

LOL! I hope your final flight to the Pearly Gates doesn't get cancelled/changed.

Thanks Miss G. I was looking at the YEG airport site and it is very small compared to ATL which is which is our home airport. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. If things do go awry we'll be OK since we have an extra day built into our schedule "just in case".

Thanks for your input. Unfortunately Delta/Westjet is doing away with their morning nonstop from ATL to YVR which is what we had booked. They rebooked us for the connecting llight in YEG. I guess I must have gotten a really good deal on the original flight, because to rebook different flights with one connection is going to cost me 50% more than what I originally paid. We have an extra day built into our schedule so if something does happen, we should be OK. We are flying on Thursday and our cruise does not embark until Saturday.