Oak City Man

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Alfredos?  Yes!!  The Crown Grill ... we've been hard pressed into getting a 6:00 or 6:30 there, too.  They seem to have gone to only allowing reservations for the same two basic traditional dining times:  5:00 PM or 7:30 PM.  

There was nothing available in between ... even if you were the first one there to make a reservation ... at least not on the ships I've been on.  

 

This is not my experience.  Last September we were on Regal and I walked up and asked for a table at CG without a reservation.  The MD made a show of how busy they were. I said no problem and started to leave.  He stopped me and left.  He came back a few minutes later and seated us at a table for 2.  In fact, the table next to us was empty as well and remained so till the end of our meal.  So maybe they were not so busy after all.

This seems to be ship and even time specific.  This was probably the third time I have gotten a table at a specialty restaurant without a reservation.  Once we went to Sabatini's on a formal night around  6-6:30 and the place was half empty.

1 hour ago, Bdnclc said:

This one is a free upgrade I received notification late yesterday.  So today either calling back to say no or keeping.  Only issue was tub and how forward the cabin is.  Never had a mini suite before.  

After booking a mini-suite, the wife and I have found it hard to go back to a balcony.  The extra space and larger bathroom is very nice.  I would jump on it.

1 hour ago, justafem said:

We choose any time.  Never know if we're going to be hungry early or late.  Never know if we're going to see an early show or late.  Never know if we're going to skip the dining room all together and go specialty or if we'll hit Alfredo's or the buffet.  Also with the platinum lounge, if there are certain items we want to nosh on, it makes dinner later.

 

We are slow eaters, so sharing a table was hard on the rest of the diners as they had to wait or on us as we had to inhale our food. We choose to wait for a 2 top.   If there's a wait, we grab a drink, which takes about the time we have to wait or go window shopping.  Very casual people, so we're willing to go with the flow.  

 

I don't want to be locked into a dining time. 

 

This is what we do as well.  I like the flexibility of ATD.  It sounds like the solution is to go early or late and avoid the 6-7 time frame.  Or just hit Alfredos or Crown Grill, which is our go to on at least one formal night.  No dressing up for us.

As for slow eaters you would have to eat like a sloth to hold up the table on our last cruise on Regal.  The service was quite slow.  Dinner took at least 90 minutes.  One night it was 2 hours.

My wife uses a CPAP.

You can request distilled water in your booking under medical & dietary requirements.  Your steward will place a gallon in your cabin.  No charge.

On our last cruise our steward also brought us an extension cord since the outlet was not close to the bed.

9 minutes ago, geoherb said:

Thanks. I booked the flight through Atlanta. It leaves a little bit later than the one through Charlotte. Both have about an hour layover. I'll get to FLL around 10 and to the ship in time for lunch if everything goes right.

Small world.  I live in the Raleigh area and took the same cruise this past February.  We also connected through ATL and had no issues.  IIRC, we got into FLL between 10 and 11 and took the Princess transfer.  We were on board the ship by 1.

We are  doing a Caribbean cruise out of FLL next February and are also flying in the morning of departure.  I do like to arrive before noon.

I do not agree with the folks who say you must arrive a day early.  If the flight is short and they are multiple daily departures like there are from RDU to FLL, there is little risk to flying in the day of departure.  Now if you are flying cross country arriving early might be a good idea.  It would help with the jet lag if nothing else.

22 minutes ago, Peckishpixie said:

I buy Travelex every time. I like it because it covers your whole vacation, from the time the shuttle picks you up at your door to the time it brings you back home. The agent who I bought it from said "if the car driver gets in an accident backing out of your driveway, we cover it" princess only covers the cruise and the airfare if you book it through easyair

Well, the airfare and the cruise is pretty much the entire trip for us.  I'm not sure what you mean by "shuttle".  

BTW, I hope you realize the agent was "selling" you a policy.  What would you expect her to say?  I suppose what the agent was referring to about the car getting in an accident is trip delay coverage.  Princess also covers this, as do most (all?) vacation insurance policies.

I also just checked, Princess is cheaper than Travelex for my next cruise.  So if you prefer Travelex go right ahead.  Just do not act like the Princess coverage is somehow inferior.  It's actually quite similar.

We just did a Canada cruise RT out of NYC last month.  Customs in Canada consisted of filling out a form and leaving it for the steward.  It took maybe five minutes.

Coming back, NYC was our first US port.   When we disembarked we showed our passport to an agent and walked on.  It was all quite simple.  There wasn't any "fuss" at all.

I always pre-order a case of water for the room.  It's cheaper.  Goes in the fridge and is always available.  This must be done pre-cruise though.

I have bought from Princess on our cruises.  We have reached Ruby status which grants the platinum policy for the price of the standard one. This kind of makes it a no brainer.  BTW, this is the only Ruby benefit worth anything.

 Buying from Princess is easier than searching on your own.  If you go with a third party be sure to read the fine print.  If you travel a lot, I have heard of polices that cover all trips for a year.

I have never had to file a claim, so I can't comment on the process.  

24 minutes ago, skynight said:

  Dining normally takes between 90 minutes and two hours. Rule of thumb, the larger the table the longer it takes. Tables for two are usually quicker. It's hard to comment on dining times and what people enjoy or do not enjoy. Our experience and our preference is Anytime Dining. This gives us the flexibility to plan our dining around the evening activities and not the other way around.

On our last cruise (Island in February) every dinner in the MDR was at least 90 minutes.  The one time we got a table for two it took two hours.  We do anytime dining as well for the flexibility.

However, the long dining times makes it difficult to make shows.  We are on Regal starting Saturday.  If the buffet is as good as people say I could see us blowing off the MDR some nights.  There are better things to do than sit for 90-120 minutes waiting to eat a meal that is good, but not great. 

8 hours ago, fiftyguy said:

Thanks for the really helpful answer. I guess that’s how you got to 20,000+ posts.

Well, you have over a 1,000 posts yourself.  You were given an honest, if a bit facetious, answer.  It was also true.  The "best" anything is subjective.  The ship is not moving all that fast.  Walk around a find a place you like.

On 8/26/2019 at 1:29 PM, debkaysmith said:

 I can't think of any Princess ship that doesn't beat a hot humid day doing yardwork in my backyard!! 

Like the hippie said, "It's all relative man".

While hurricanes can and do form in October, September is the peak time for them.  For example, the National Hurricane Center is currently tracking one tropical storm and four (4) disturbances.

2 hours ago, pablo222 said:

 

Do you think the people posting about difficulties installing / using the App(s) are lying?

 

That it was easy for you doesn't mean it was easy for everyone.

 

Personally, I assume they are truthful, and mostly seeking help, rather than complaining.

 

 

 

Way to jump to the conclusion you want to reach.  My point was simply that many people (most?) have not had problems.  Yet some posters are insisting the app is fatally flawed.   

And, in fact, quite a few posters are complaining.  I imagine there were similar sentiments expressed when cruise cards were first introduced.  

Look up the tour on TripAdvisor.  First, you will get some reviews.  Second, there will be a link to the tour operator's web site.  You can also book Viator through TripAdvisor.  In my experience the pricing is similar, if not identical.

There is always a risk when booking on your own.  On our last cruise we showed up for a  tour and the local operator could not find our reservation.  It all got worked out quickly enough, however.  Which turned out to be a bad thing as the tour was awful.

I try to avoid booking through Princess, but I have had some good experiences.  On our Alaskan cruise we did a whale watching excursion through Princess and it was the highlight of the whole trip.  There were only 12 people on our small boat and the guide was excellent.

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

What phone & model are you using?

iPhone X

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

If something is not working correctly with the number of problems listed in this and other threads, then it has not been designed properly.

 

Technology such as this should be easy for the user to use. The many posts of frustration indicate that this software is very user unfriendly, even when working properly.

 

And even when working properly, it appears more time is spent working with the application pre-cruise than possibly can be saved at check-in if you have not done this in advance.

A few disgruntled posters on CC represent a tiny fraction of the number of people using the app.  And some of these posters obviously do not like the change and are using any and every chance to bash it.

I had almost no issues downloading and setting up the app.  (There are numerous posts to that effect too.)  Quite frankly, I found the software easy to use.  I will see how it actually works on a ship in a week.  

The bottom line is the medallions are not going away.  This is the future and not just for cruising.  I use my smartphone to show by boarding pass at the airport.  I use my smartphone to gain admission to hockey games.  I use my smartphone to pay for purchases at the drug store. All with no issues. 

Good to know...

On 9/6/2019 at 8:52 PM, yarramar said:

Yes you can. Set it as a hotspot, connect your computer to it then sign in to your ship account. 

 

What prevents using your phone as a hot spot? 

30 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

I would like to offer this suggestion to people who have future Medallion Class cruises booked.  There is no rush to download the software and set up your information.  I would suggest that you don't even consider it until after final payment is made, and, heck, I see no reason to do it until about 45 days before embarkation.  It is obvious that there are problems with the software.  The longer you wait to download, the better the software is going to be.  I was frustrated by some things.  The good news, however, is that I was only grazed in the arm by a couple arrows--none were buried in my back.  I am sure that a month from now, six months from now, a year from now, that software is going to be much more elegant, easier to use, and will have fewer bugs.

All apps are periodically updated to fix bugs and add features. So any problems will get ironed out even if you download it now.  I agree there is no real need to do it a year ahead of time, but some people find it hard to wait.  

Personally, I had little trouble downloading the app and entering the data. The only problem I encountered was something to do with having my log-in match the one at Princess.com.  All told it what pretty easy for me and my wife to become "Ocean Ready".  I also learned a long time ago that when something is not working right its usually because I screwed something up.  For those having issues, maybe asking a friend or relative who is tech savvy for help could be a solution.

3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

SargassoPirate;  you probably are correct; however, if you worked for the Gov't you would not have been fired.  Take the Affordable Care Act.  That program crashed on day one and the cost to fix it was more than you can imagine.  Have faith it will improve with time.  Software patches or whatever.  I think once the Sky and Enchanted both roll out; then Princess can find out what works well on those ships and how to patch or fix it on their other ships. I scratch my head and wonder; how can Disneyworld use their magic bands to open you room door, buy food at all their dining facilities, and in the gift shops;  they don't have wiring all over.  They use satellites.

Agree.  Anytime a new system is rolled out there will be bugs to work out.  I'm sure some have had issues.  Others I suspect just don't like change.  At any rate the disgruntled are more likely to be heard from than the satisfied.

My DW and I are doing our first Medallion cruise in 11 days.  So far I have had no issues.  Setting up Ocean Ready was a breeze.  We received our medallions last week.  We'll see how it goes.

TripAdvisor has a wealth of information on just about any location.  It's one of my go to sites when researching travel.  Here a link to their page on the tour you are asking about.  

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g154976-d11452951-Peggy_s_Cove_Day_Trip_from_Halifax-Halifax_Halifax_Regional_Municipality_Nova_Scot.html

Once again, I was referring to the actual cabin itself, not perks.  I was replying to a poster that was insisting there was little difference between a balcony and a mini suite IN TERMS OF THE CABIN ITSELF.

As for the perks, I agree with laktex.  The benefits are clearly explained in the Princess promotional material as well as on its website.  If someone does a minimum amount of research they will quickly find this information.  

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Yet they still ask what suite benefits come with a mini.  🤔

 

This is on them.  Do a little homework.  It's not hard.

3 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

How do you know this?

I'm making a logical dedication.  It's pretty obvious that a mini suite is not the same thing as a suite.  "Mini" implies a lower level of accommodation. A quick look at the cabin layout will clear any up any questions on the matter.  Note I said "most", not all.  

I was mainly taking issue with the hairsplitting by the poster who insisted that a mini suite should be called a premium balcony.  A term Princes already uses for balcony cabins in desirable locations.   

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

My point here is that a mini is not a suite as the name implies.  Yes, it is larger.  Yes, it has 2 televisions, Yes, it has a bathtub.  Yes, it has more room.   But the CC Mini-Suite does not come with any suite perks except priority boarding and 2 splits of wine.  The configuration is that of a balcony (with the added living room area).  In my opinion, it is just a glorified balcony and the name should reflect that (such as deluxe balcony, expanded balcony, premium balcony.  

 

Okay, I'm stepping down off of my soap box.

So your point is that a mini suite is not the same as a suite.  Good thing they are named differently.   I also think most people are aware of the differences.