jlabs03

On 4/28/2024 at 2:40 PM, karatemom2 said:

 
Another vote for BlackBerry, pricier than some other options, but very reasonable for a private car service and super professional and reliable. We have then booked for both our arrival and departure this summer. 

I have also used Blackberry cars and will be using them again this June.

7 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I spent about 1 hour over the phone with princess's overseas customer support who had a very hard time understanding the problem to begin with. Then after many rounds of back and forth, she finally understood what was the issue and said the reason for it happening was the travel agent used a different email in the original booking than the email i registered with. She then said she merged the two and problem was solved. it would take 24 hours to have it updated in the system. I waited 24 hours and logged in. Problem is still there! i created another account using the other email she mentioned and logged into that one, again exactly the same thing. My reservation is nowhere to be found!

Did you check the captain circle number on the reservation and compare that to the captain circle when you log into Princess online?  If they are not the same your booking will not show up in your account.  Making a new account just gave you another Captain Circle number so it would not show up on the new account either because the Captain Circle numbers will not match.

On 3/7/2024 at 7:29 PM, mattR said:

That doesn't sound like a free cruise to me it sounds like a potential expensive cruise? If the slot machine pays out 95% then the cruise still costs $2700.

My first sailing on Princess was December of 2023 and I got a bounce back offer for a free balcony and $600 FP, I had about 12,000 points and lost about $5000, the slots were pretty tight but I did have some big wins but no hand pays, I did cycle the money through to increase my points to get comps.  I used the bounce back offer for my upcoming British Isles cruise and it saved me $8,000, so I am ahead of the game already. I travel with my teenage daughter so I am paying both fares.   I have since gotten additional free balcony offers on my account, which I can use for up to 3 cruises.  I have a 7 day Alaskan cruise in August (free saved me about $4,000), a 16 day Hawaiian cruise in December (free saved me about $5,500), and a June 2025 cruise to the eastern Caribbean (free and saved me $3500).  I always have budget for my gambling and I enjoy it.

15 hours ago, tandc2019 said:

Forgive me if this has been asked. I skimmed a few pages looking for the question. 

 

Is there any way to use some of these? I booked our next trip with our new PCC and she never asked for any codes. When I was originally looking online, I went through most of the checkout process without hitting confirm so I could get pricing and I never saw a spot to apply codes.

 

Maybe these are just to identify the promos and perks you were given? Any help is appreciated.

You cannot ask for the codes they show up on your reservation so you know which promotions/offers your booking received and which free at sea you opted for.  

You should read through the Haven thread, it helped me a lot.

MDR (Savor and/or Taste, one or both should be open) and I believe the Local is open.

I was on this itinerary in May. If you do not have mobility issues then these are to good excursions.  In Puerto Plata, which ended up being Amber Cove for us but basically the same port, we did the Damajagua Waterfalls.  This is were you slide down waterfalls.  This was one our of favorite excursion ever.  It is quite a hike to get to the falls but they stop you every 5 minutes to give you a rest. In Tortola we did the Virgin Gorda and Baths.  This is basically a beach day but you get to walk and climb through really cool rock formations on your way to the beach. On GSC we rented a Silver Cove Ocean Cabana.  It was nice and private.  For most of the day it was only me and my daughter in the water in our area, which had waves (the Lagoon did not have any waves). I always like Cabanas since they give you a place to drop your stuff and guaranteed shade.  I know there are other Cabanas not in Silver Cove that are cheaper or if you do not want to be away from the action.  Silver Cove is a private area for only Silver Cove guests and they cart you to the area since it is on one end of the island.

On 7/1/2022 at 11:12 AM, RocketMan275 said:

Us too.  We've booked an aft haven on deck 12 the first week in Mar 2023.

We are the second week of March.

Just now, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Deck 13 has the smallest aft-facing balconies and you still enjoyed lounging. Imagine being on a huge balcony such as deck 9 or 12.

In March 2023 I have an Aft Haven on deck 12 on the Breakaway so I will get to see the differences.  

I was on the Breakaway (sister ship) in May in Aft Haven. We loved it.  I spent so much time just lounging on my Balcony.  I do not mind walking and we were on deck 13 so it was only a couple decks up, it took less than 5 minutes to get to the Haven area. 

59 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Although changing frequently, the current policy is to offer 100% of the difference in FCC.  But the criteria to qualify for anything after final payment isn't very flexible - PCCs can't do anything other than put in a request for an upgrade or fcc.

I was told the new policy is a one time 25% of difference for FCC after final payment when I called three weeks ago and that is subject to additional conditions. Also for an upgrade you must pay something to upgrade. If you do upgrade they do it while you are on the phone right then and there. 

NCL went back to their pre-covid policy. 

Carnival and RCL are 90 days for 5 or more day cruises.

I sailed on Carnival in October, December, and March.  October and December we were not at double occupancy but in March we where at max capacity on the Vista and had almost 5000 passengers aboard, typical spring break crowds. Based on other posts March and April have been sailing at or near max capacities (due to spring breaks) so I cannot image they would go backwards and restrict the numbers again in May.

I have used the emed test 3 times and will be using as long as testing is required. It is super easy.  I never had to wait for a proctor. The entire thing takes about 20 minutes, 15 minutes is waiting for the test. While waiting for the test you do not need to stay in view of the camera only your test does. I have used my phone twice and my iPad once and never had an issue. My daughter was 14 so I have her under my account and I had to do her test and show my ID. You can also submit the emed to your insurance and they may pay part or all of the cost. 

I just upgraded to a Haven 2 bedroom family villa for less than what I had bid. This is for my July cruise. I recommend people check the actual current prices because this is the second cruise in 2022 that I upgraded to the Haven for less than my bid. 

Another thing to consider if one of these cruises is a Cozumel plus, this will give you more time in Cozumel. Many excursions take you to the mainland and can be 8 hours but if it is not Cozumel plus then you have less options for excursions.  I have been to Jamaica once and that was enough but Grand Turk is beautiful.  I would do the Vista for the itinerary, since I really like Belize and go to Turquoise Bay all-inclusive. 

Your original perks stay the same as when you booked. You still only have one specialty dining if that is what you booked under.  The upgrade is for the room only and not the perks.

11 hours ago, Ralphinsc said:

 

You are welcome. I wanted to make sure that I caught the music and the noise in the review, even if it didn't make for the best video. It worked fine for us, but it definitely is not everyone's cup of tea. We likewise decided against the Ocean cabanas because they are so far away from everything else and we really did not like the water quality in Amber Cove as compared to most other Caribbean ports. 

These are the reasons why I originally booked the poolside cabana but for us the quiet is worth the walk.

Thanks for the review and the video. I had the poolside cabana booked but was on the fence because I was worried about the noise. Based on your video I switched our cabana to the ocean cabana. 

As others have stated the balcony doors have an additional lock that is pretty high up. The doors are pretty heavy and take effort to open even for an adult.  

2 hours ago, cruzn4abruzn said:

 

sorry to beat a dead horse with a stick but you would say 11296 is not obstructed either?  i booked it because it is an angled balcony but then read in red in my paperwork last night that it is an enclosed balcony.  someone sent me a pic of the epic enclosed balcony and all it was was a glorified window room!!!  OMG NOOOO!  so it scared me.  could you kindly help please?  thanking you in advance.

We will be in 11896 in July, which is in the same position but on the other side of the ship.  These balconies are not enclosed just angled which can obstruct your view because it is hard to see around the other side.

There are certain promotions that require the person who had the code and booked it to sail otherwise no one can sail and/or they will be charged the current rate.   I would call Carnival and ask about the rate code it was booked under and about  the terms and conditions.

Here is a section form one of my casino offers terms and conditions.

8 hours ago, planaholic said:

the question is, can you use 2 devices on it and how would it know if I logged onto it as well?

You use your folio number and birthdate to log into the wifi (or whoever has the wifi linked to their account).  If it is already connected it asks if you would like to disconnect the other device and if you do not click the button to disconnect the other device you cannot login on a second device.

I will be doing my first Haven in May on the Breakaway.  It will probably be my only one unless I find another excellent deal or get upgraded.  I agree with those that say if this is your only haven experience look at the ships that have a Haven proper on newer ships to get the full experience (The Epic, Breakaway and Breakaway plus ships).

I will be in the aft facing penthouse, so I will not be in the Haven proper, but I wanted a separate bedroom and living room since it is me and my 15 year old.  Now she has her own room to sleep in and her own bathroom and will not disturb me when she gets back late.  I am ok with walking to the Haven area from the back of the ship, from my research this is peoples biggest issue with rooms not in the Haven proper.  If you want to walk out your door and have all of Haven right there you should look at the rooms in the Haven proper.  If you do not mind walking to the Haven area then you can get some bigger rooms and better balconies for equivalent prices.  

I upgraded from balcony to haven forward facing penthouse after final payment. It changed my promotion to the one that was currently being offered. The only differences were internet changed from 250 minutes for one to 150 minutes for two, so they refunded me the money I already paid for unlimited because there is a price difference, and I get double latitude points (which I am happy to take). About 2 weeks ago I checked prices again and the Haven aft penthouse was the same price so I called and they told me it usually does not work because you have to pay something to upgrade but it worked and they upgraded me and kept the same promotion from my original upgrade. It may have worked because I previous upgraded after final payment but who knows.