Flyinby

On 8/27/2022 at 6:48 PM, ldtr said:

Have done 5 Princess cruises since the restart and am currently on HAL.

 

I have found some benefits to medallion. Faster boarding, ability to place food and drink orders just about anywhere, ability to find where other members of your group are on the ship have been pretty useful.

 

Not a fan of the new dining scheduling system.

 

On the other hand HAL seems to be getting back to pre covid operations faster compared to some of the minor glitches on Princess.

 

You did not say what class cabins you tend to book, but cost per day tends to be substantially higher on Viking for most cabin classes and as such they are more inclusive.

Thanks.  I expect it will work OK and have its benefits, though I think they've WAY over-hyped it.  Not a problem though as long as it works.

For this cruise we've booked some junior suites and some deluxe balcony, but yes, Viking is definitely more expensive.  14 people/6 cabins would have been pricey with Viking, and since Princess has been fine in the past that's what we chose...plus they offered the destination we wanted in this case.  I'm not particularly cruise-brand loyal though, so when I saw the apparent changes in Princess I wondered if they were making major changes, and the ones they listed didn't sound all that exciting.  But maybe it's just the "new guy" hyping his pet project.  So far we've never had a cruise (or land trip) we didn't thoroughly enjoy, so I expect this will be the same, despite some previous answers here. 8^)

On 8/28/2022 at 3:55 PM, c-boy said:

it appears that he is looking for reasons to leave, and asking us to usher him out the door. 

 

  

Thanks for the well-thought-out and informative reply.  That's what makes these boards so useful.  Even if you didn't bother reading my post.

On 8/28/2022 at 3:01 AM, MissP22 said:

Your main complaint seems to be with the Medallion system. Why not use the Medallion for the things you do like and ignore the rest? No one is forcing you to use it to gamble, make purchases or reserve a DR time.

Other than an ID for embarking and disembarkation it becomes transparent once aboard.

This is what I was curious about, and it's good to hear.  If it works well for a room key and embark/disembark, that's what matters, despite the hype.

We've been on several Princess cruises and enjoyed them...prior to that we did several Carnival cruises which we also enjoyed, but the less "party-like" atmosphere on Princess was more to our liking.  Last Princess cruise was Nov. 2019 Panama Canal.

I booked a December 10-day Mexico cruise this year for our family, 14 total, and in getting things set up I've noticed some changes...the so-called "Medallion" being the elephant in the room.  While not needing a card to get into the room is nice, I see nothing else useful there; getting 7% back from onshore purchases made from a merchant who had to raise his prices 20% to make up for the 17% Princess charges him?  No thanks.  And having to give my credit card info to a firm I never heard of, to enable this silly medallion, does not particularly thrill me.  Setting up dining now seems like one could spend half the cruise time scheduling times for what?  Before, we had early or late, and if we didn't want to bother or it didn't fit our schedule, we just ate at the buffet...simple and it worked fine.

Now I look at a recent Princess Circle, with the new president raving about all the "great" changes coming, "MedallionClass" being one of them.  Whooppee, sports betting, just what I never wanted.  And you can gamble from your room, wow, wonderful (not).  And maybe someone from a show cast will say happy something or other to one of us and surprise us, can hardly wait.  And we can always watch the new "Love Boat II" reality show soon, that's about as exciting as nothing I can think of.  So is Princess turning into Carnival, only more so?

I'd have been many times more excited if they announced they were quitting being such cheapskates with drinking water, and no longer charging us for the bottle conveniently left in the room, or to carry on an excursion.  Or eliminating formal night, though I don't begrudge them having it as some folks really like them.

So perhaps I'm spoiled...we did a Viking trip this spring and really enjoyed it, besides things like water being freely handed out, coffee, drinks with dinner, sparkling water, wine, beer or whatever included, wi-fi for all.  No onboard gambling, and never missed it.

As I said, I did enjoy our several Princess Cruises before, so am withholding judgment until after this family cruise, but the things I've seen don't look good, if this is the way they're headed.  They've hyped that silly Medallion so much (I think it's the president's pet project) that it monopolizes everying from magazines to discussion boards, and what a waste of everyone's time in figuring out how to use it.  I actually liked the Princes app for onboard use before, it wasn't confusing and worked well.

So we'll see, but I think their leadership is leading them the wrong way, and hopefully they'll figure it out before I write them off and head for other cruise lines.

On 7/19/2022 at 6:18 PM, HockeyRules13 said:

Hello, All!

I've booked a group of 21 people for the March 5, 2023, BKB on the Havila Polaris. Looks like it is on schedule for delivery to Havila this fall. The ships look amazing and I'm excited to be one of the first to sail on it. I'm anxious to see a review of Havila to see if it is living up to expectations. 

 

I'll be happy to give a review, but since we're on the Feb. 14-25 round trip (Capella), it may not be much in advance of your trip.  The ships do look great, we're really looking forward to it.

A very late but huge "thanks" for your detailed reply, which I missed earlier.  It will be a great help in what we can expect, assuming all goes well, and the tips on the train ride are great.

With the ups and downs Havila has had with their ships, I was somewhat concerned, but fortunately we booked so far ahead it seems to have worked itself out.  With a bit over 6 months to go, we have some extra time to stock up on warm clothes and layers, after reading your post.  Kind of exciting to be on the new/newer ships also...I know the Capella is their "oldest" one, but they look great, at least on the website.

Re the northern lights not being quite as vivid as photos show them, I didn't know that, but when I used to go each year to Yosemite for the moonbow, it was the same situation.  The photos were far more vivid than we'd see with the naked eye, but now, in the memories, the bright vivid moonbow in the photos are what we 'remember' seeing.

Thanks again for your great response and the tips on the trip...we're looking forward to it!

13 hours ago, Moondogy said:

Not defending or saying everything is hunkey dorey with this company, but from what I see the main thing for this to come about is for the new off shoreside transaction. I for one will not use the off shore part due to what I have read about how much they charge the vendors. There was a thread from a vendor/CC member in Alaska that showed the pamphlets they got from Princess when this was rolled out.  Here is a link to the thread.

Cruisers: Please do NOT use MedallionPay

 

Thanks much for the link.  I never intended to use MedallionPay anyway, unless the few purchases we do make on the ship had to go through it.  Their 7% "cash back" offer is so flawed it's ridiculous if you do the math, which most of its "victims" won't bother doing.

My credit card processor charges me roughly 3% for processing credit card payments.  Princess is charging the shore merchants who use MedallionPay nearly 18%.  So if they accept MedallionPay for a $100 item...say a lunch somewhere...the merchant gets only $82, versus $97 if you pay by credit card or $100 if by cash.  So what do they do?  Either raise prices to be able to afford Princess's silly payment system, or suck up the loss of the $15.  Or tell Princess to put its medallion where the sun don't shine.

Will they get more customers by accepting MedallionPay, another gimmicky and unnecessary payment method?  They may get a few, but how many won't they get by the higher prices they have to charge to compensate for MedallionPay?  Hard to say.

If the lure of getting the 7% "cash back" appeals to you, remember you have to spend it on the ship or at one of their lodges etc.  If you've ever noticed, the price of small items onboard is often 3-4X the cost it would be from a normal store.  So you take your hard-earned $7 "cash back" from the $100 lunch to the ship and buy a $3 item onboard for $10.  Using MedallionPay, of course, for which the merchant pays Princess $1.80, and you get another 70 cent credit to spend onboard.  Somebody's coming out way ahead, and it's not you, and it's not the merchant.

If this sounds like a good deal to you, go for it, but the only ones making out ahead are Princess and the Radiqal group who devised this silly scheme.  Everyone else loses, unless you consider paying a substantial fee for being able to wave a silly medallion at someone to pay, worth it.

If few people use it, it will probably flop...software companies flop all the time, and this one has developed something that nobody really needs or wants, and Princess has taken the bait of thinking they can make a lot more money from their customers without them actually realizing it's costing them more. 

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

Radiqal is NOT the casino. Despite the word Gaming in its name.  It is something to do with Princess’s software system.

 

I reluctantly checked that box a year ago, and never was charged by Radiqal, only by Princess.  Including casino charges.

 

One would think Princess would explain it when insisting you authorize it.  I had clicked the 'i' next to the authorization, thinking I'd get information as to why I'd want to authorize Radiqal to do anything, and there was nothing about it.  That's when I decided not to complete the process, at least for the time being.  Had the 'i' popped up a note that said 'Radiqal is the software company for the Medallion app and its payment system' I may have just gone ahead.

I did find some info; 8 employees now, and they write software for casinos and related (bar, drinks, chips, etc.). Not exactly the image of "rock solid company" but not a cause for alarm either.  And the Medallion app is nothing to brag about, but I suppose most software now goes through beta testing on the public.

The whole Medallion thing seems like a big waste...a lot of unnecessary changes for nothing.  I was fine with the card we used, and have no desire to wave my Medallion around ashore to charge things to my Princess account, it's all pretty much a waste of time and effort (if it ain't broke, don't fix it...).  But this whole thing is aside from the initial point of the thread...they should have never included that in the "must do" list without an explanation of what it is, expecting people to just say "oh sure, I'll give Roadykill or Raddycull or whatever access to my credit card if Princess wants me to!"

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

My post has everything to do with what you posted. You’re just not seeing it through your anger. How do you know that Harding does not have access to your information? Did you check a box notifying Princess that you do not authorize it to share your information with the shops on board? No, you did not because there is no such option. You have chosen one particular windmill to tilt at. But that’s fine. Enjoy your cruise. And if an unauthorized charge appears on your card from Radiqal, please come back and give us a report. But I’m betting that your molehill will not grow into a mountain. Done here. 

Anger?  I wasn't angry, though a bit irked at not being able to complete the checklist without  including some unexplained item I'm supposed to sign that releases my credit card info to someone I never heard of and don't, as far as I know, plan to do any business with.  

Apparently, according to your logic, once I click the box, even without Radiqal on there, you think Princess can just share all the CC numbers and info anywhere they choose.   If that were the case (it isn't) why would they need another authorization for Radiqal?  (answer) Because Radiqal wants to be able to charge things to my credit card without having to go through Princess (end of answer).  I don't want them to, and I have no reason that I know of to want to give them my credit card info.

If Radiqal is indeed the operator of the casino, it could be that Princess doesn't want to have to bill customers that run up a large gambling debt on the ship, so they'd prefer to let the casino operator bill them for it through their credit card. (just a wild guess)

Seems like there are others here who aren't thrilled about sharing their CC number with some outfit nobody knows anything about for reasons that no one seems to know; they don't seem angry either, maybe just sensible.

14 minutes ago, 2 cruises a year said:

 @Flyinby, by any chance did you book Princess Premier?  I have not cruised since Princess Premier came in, maybe that is why I've never seen it.

No Premier, just the regular booking for the rooms.  If it doesn't show up for everyone, maybe just certain cruises or depending on laws where the customer resides (?)  This is for the Mexico cruise from California.

4 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Do you have any intention of doing business with Harding. Or Park West?  
How is Princess supposed to know in advance which companies you intend to do business with?  Should there be a long list of check boxes for every vendor?

Please re-read my reply.  Your question has nothing to do with anything I said, nor did I authorize Harding or Park West to store my credit card info for future use. Nor did Princess ask me to. 

13 hours ago, brisalta said:

I managed to register my credit card with Princess without registering with Radiqal.

By the way I did some research with regards to Radiqal and it appears to be a 9 person outfit located in a state not known for software or banking expertise.

That's good to hear, could you explain how you did it?  I thought of calling them, but reading some accounts elsewhere of people who called only to find nobody knew anything, wasn't optimistic.  I'm sure others would like to know how you were able to do so.

15 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Seems like a bit of an overreaction. When you register your card, you are allowing charges to be run through Harding even if you never intend to step foot in a shop and Park West even if you never intend to buy art at an art auction.  I’m not sure why Radiqal requires a separate authorization since it is not a direct to consumer company, but I don’t see it being any different than turning your card information over to any of the other third-party vendors on board.

If I wanted to use the casino, I would have no problem using my card with Princess, Radiqal or whoiever runs the casino.  Registering a card to save for future use is a different thing.  The card information is then stored on their servers, and a data breach, as most have seen, is a possibility even with large companies.  But I should be able to choose which companies I want to allow to store my credit card information...most online transactions will have a checkbox so even business you're dealing with will have to be authorized to save the info for any future use.

I have no interest in ever doing business with Radiqal, so why would I want them storing my credit card info for future use?  If there is a reason Princess is requiring it, they should explain it clearly, which they don't do in the least.  It would have been simple to have two checkboxes, and give us the option of choosing who we want to give our credit card info.  Instead, it's someone we never heard of, self-described as a "gaming" enterprise, expecting us to just say "sure, go ahead! when we may have no interest in gaming or anything else from the casino.

Over-reacting?  Sort of, but if no one says anything, how will they realize it's a stupid move on their part?  Regardless, I'll complete the current cruise whether I have to register it or not, in order to not disappoint those in my family who are going.  But if I have to do that and register with Radiqal, I probably won't book any more cruises with Princess, which will be their loss, miniscule as it may be.  It's just a stupid move on their part, which could be corrected easily by the webdude putting in a second checkbox that's optional.

Thanks for the info.  Really seems presumptuous of Princess to assume we won't mind them adding that in to the requirements.  I'll probably just authorize it for this cruise, since I don't want to disappoint the rest of the family (14 of us on this trip) by canceling.  Too bad though, our last two Princess cruises in 2019 were very nice (Panama Canal and Alaska), and I doubt if I'll continue to book them if they pull stuff like this.  There are too many choices to put up with such things, and no good reason to require people who aren't going to gamble to authorize their credit card for something that has nothing to do with the cruise, other than it being present on the ship.

Kind of like a hotel sneaking in a credit card authorization for a brothel when you check in, "just in case" 8^).  Anyway, I'll "vote with my feet" if they continue to do it.

I was dutifully going through the "must do" list in the Medallion app, when I got to adding a credit card for onboard charges.  Filled it all out, then came to the part where it says I authorize Carnival/Princess to store my card info.  Right below is another authorization for "Radiqual Gaming" to store my info, and I can't do anything without also authorizing that.

For one thing, I never heard of Radiqual Gaming and have no interest in anything to do with the casino onboard other than walk through to get somewhere else.  Any charge made from gaming will not be from me, and why would I want some unknown gambling outfit to store my credit card data?  Security breaches happen fairly often and there's no point in giving that info to even an honest company that I have no use for.

I guess I could just ignore it and figure nothing will happen, but it really irks me that I can't just authorize the card for shipboard charges without some gaming outfit horning in.  Frankly, I prefer ships without casinos, but hate to cancel a planned 6-cabin family trip for something so ridiculous.  Anybody else find this so annoying, or found a solution.  I guess I can just show up at the departure and tell them I refuse to authorize gaming charges, but who wants the hassle on departure day?

We haven't been there yet, but are booked for Feb. 14 round trip on the Capella.  I was considering the panoramic view rooms, but was not sure that the forward view would be to our liking, since it looks like the side view is somewhat limited.  So we ended up opting for the suite with balcony.  While I don't expect we'll be lounging around on the balcony, I think we'll use it...maybe bundled up, but cruising Norway ports in winter sounds exciting, and if we get cold looking at the sights there's always inside.

But of course that's just speculation...the panorama room view may be great.

On 6/23/2022 at 1:12 PM, PeterGavin said:

Capella to return to service on June 28th.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27745-havila-capella-resumes-service.html

Thanks for the updates. Looking forward to our February 2023 coastal round trip and was a little concerned, but it looks like their persistence is going to be productive.

5 hours ago, twototravel said:

@Flyinby Have you heard anything about the other ships, specifically Castor? I'm booked on that ship in Sept.

Havila's homepage says she's "on her way" with some nice photos of the interior...looks great.  Hope you'll post some info about your experiences on your trip.  We're not booked until February (Capella) but seeing the photos gets me even more excited for the trip.

Good news!  Back in action, at least for 6 months which gives them time to work out the financing and insurance:

Havila Voyages has received a dispensation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to operate Havila Capella for 6 months. The company will now continue to work with insurance of the ship.

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/havilavoyages/pressreleases/havila-capella-has-been-granted-a-dispensation-to-sail-3177616

Also some nice photos of the new Castor on their homepage.

On 4/13/2022 at 1:22 PM, hallasm said:

The passenger ship Havila Capella has been “detained” in Bergen due to the sanctions and its connections to Russian company GTLK - more in Norway Today and World Today News
 

This is a shame, just shows again how much and how widespread the damage the actions of a single individual can do when in a position of power. 

We have a round trip northern lights trip booked on Havila Capella in mid February, so hopefully they can work out something with their non-Russian financing and get back in action.  We only have a comparatively small deposit down, so not too worried there, and if worse comes to worse, we can book with Hurtigruten.  But we've been excited about the new ships with Havila, so no plans to "jump ship" unless it gets late in the year with no resolution.  Minor problem compared to what some are suffering from the actions of this, well, .........fill in the blank.  Best of luck to Havila, we're rooting for you.

Went back and forth between Hurtigruten and Havila, finally decided to give the new guys a chance and booked with Havila for the round trip coastal on the Capella Feb. 14 2023.  The prices seem good and we liked the choice of cabins, and Havila has been good at responding to questions.

So we are thinking of flying to Oslo and taking the train to Bergen...possibly also returning by train to Oslo for the flight back, but that's unknown right now.  Is it worth taking this train in mid-winter?  The photos look like it is, but that brings another question: should we get off in Myrdal and take the Flam railway to Flam, perhaps spend a night there, then back to Myrdal to re-board the Bergen train?

Also, for a couple of older folks, both physically capable but not looking for strenuous winter activities, how much time should we spend in Oslo and in Bergen?  2-3 full days, or is that better left to a future visit with more late-springlike weather?  Any things we shouldn't miss?  Or should?  I imagine we'll return in the near future for a late spring or fall visit, so we don't have to see things that may be better experienced then.

Looking forward to the Havila coastal voyage...the small, less-touristy towns, winter scenery, a few yet-to-be-determined excursions, and of course, hopefully the northern lights in person.  We're likely to give Hurtigruten a try in some other future trips, and if this one falls through we will probably do a coastal with them, but it seems kind of exciting with Havila just getting going, to (we hope) be a part of it.

Many thanks to Hallasm and Grayjay, and my sincere apologies to the OP for the hijacking...I noticed it this morning when I looked in and saw the original subject line.  I'll be posting more questions in a proper thread, as this sounds like an interesting and enjoyable venture, the more I hear about it.  What a great resource this CruiseCritic site and board is.

Thanks also to the OP for your experience...it led me to investigating other options, and while I haven't written Hurtigruten off, Havila is sounding pretty appealing (if they can get their ships in service, at least...8^)

17 hours ago, hallasm said:

I would not call it a cruise - rather a voyage along the Norwegian coast and in fact local public transport of cars and cargo.  A very beautiful trip and good chances to see the northern lights.

There are 34 ports stops along the coast between Bergen and Kirkenes, but the vast majority are very short with no opportunity to go ashore - others are at night.  There is a long stop 2 to 3 hours every day - study the timetable carefully - it is the same for all the daily departure with a fixed schedule (note different according to the season).
 The route is operated  by Hurtigruten (7 departures) and Havila Voyages (4 departures) - these are two different companies but the same timetable.
 Also note that it can be even very cold during winter at at outer deck to view the Northern Lights.
 I myself have had travel canceled with Hurtigruten and got my money back without any problems, which is the case for the vast majority - I was in contact with the office in Norway, however there may be differences in how the different offices handle refunds.
I would also encourage you to compare prices in NOK on the Norwegian web page and USD on the US - there can be big differences in price for the same trip but also be aware of differences between terms and conditions.

I gathered from the description that it wasn't a Bingo and pool party cruise, and that's fine with us, but it's still somewhat puzzling after reading the itineraries.  They do offer excursions pretty much every day, and I'm assuming you don't get off the ship and catch the next day's ship when leaving.  For example, in Havila's round trip description, they offer a tour (Alesund port) from 9:45AM to 20:00, so the ship would have to be docked (I'd hope) until after that.  With their website still being developed, the information is somewhat limited.

The main thing to us is that it's not just a stop-n-go for the 12 days.  While it will be cold, we would want to be able to get enough time to see more than the dockside souvenir shop if we disembark, in at least some of the towns.  The reason for going at this time, beside the winter scenery, is the possibility of northern lights, and if we can't at least visit the towns along the way, maybe another northern lights option would be better, and we take this trip in warmer weather..late spring or autumn.

Are the ships and cabins themselves warm and comfortable?  Having dinner wearing down jackets or waking to a cold room is not what I'd prefer, if there are alternatives.  We'll of course have all the recommended clothing, but not eager to walk around inside the ship in a down parka.

Thanks for the information, and any thoughts from others with experience on these voyages are appreciated.

Thanks for posting your experience.  I looked in here because we were planning to do the coastal round trip next February for a (hopeful) northern lights experience), and wanted to find out about personal experiences, comfort, meals, etc.  

I usually like to hear the "other side of the story", but it sounds like I should look around a bit before trusting them with my deposit.  Seems to me if your original booking was canceled for whatever reason, you should have the option of a refund without penalties.

Too bad, this sounds like an interesting cruise with lots of stops and excellent chance at northern lights, but now I'm not so sure...

9 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Mahalo. I looked again and we are only there from 0630 to 1300. Not very long.

Aloha, Yehootu, that's a pretty short visit for a tender port, but if you have the urge to get off the ship and go in early, it's still feasible, you could just stay on the bus for the two-hour roundtrip.  Or get off for a half or one hour at a couple of the stops.  It's a decent all-around tour of the city without getting off at all.

Off the subject, on the last trip we were on deck 12, which was the "Aloha" deck, so every time we arrived in the elevator, the elevator voice greeted us with an "Aloha", which we thought was nice...