PescadoAmarillo

4 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I was getting that notification as well last week so didn’t finalize it.  I just went back in yesterday and bingo!  I got it shipped to my home.  I have found that if there is an issue in the app, I wait a couple of days and it all gets solved.  

Thank you.  I checked again yesterday (based on what I read here) and it just states that the medallion order was already placed. So far, I can see nothing that contradicts what we saw weeks ago that states it would be shipped to the port. 

1 hour ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

With the Princess shore exc. being so expensive, do you think it's better to go with another company for the Great Barrier Reef tour?  Or is this one that is better to go with Princess?

 

If anyone reading this is planning to take the Kuranda Railway, it's suffered a lot of damage due to ex-tropical cyclone Jasper and will be completely closed until late April.  

There are so many thing that can’t happen on that tour that I would definitely book through Princess. 

24 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Back in 2013 it was $10 round trip for the shuttle and $3.50 NZ for the one way tram trip (just checked my notes from the trip 🙂 ).  I'm sure it's higher now but definitely a better deal to DIY even if you have to pay for the shuttle.

I must be thinking of a different shuttle then. I just checked my blog to see if I misremembered, but no, in 2019 the one I am thinking of, between the port and the CBD, was definitely free. 

5 hours ago, Thrak said:

(My apologies to @PescadoAmarillo for any mangling of the reality related to your past posting.)

Your recollection was perfect,  The funny thing is that one of our traveling companions was a retired high school math teacher. We were both perplexed by Princess accounting, but converted it our own way and got very close to same answer. 

14 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

All except the tram and the Princess shuttle were free. 

Is this shuttle the one guests are required to take to get out of the port area?  About a 10 minute ride to two stops in downtown Wellington?  If so, that used to be free. Do you recall what you were charged?

We've done exactly the route you described and it was a lovely (and inexpensive) day. There was even a cable car museum at the top of the Wellington cable car, and the roses were in bloom in the botanical gardens. We very much enjoyed it all. 

Plus package here, green lane and the only option is ship to port. Don’t know what’s up with up that, but not surprised. At all. 

57 minutes ago, Yehootu said:

We will be on a B2B cruise starting with a 10day Queensland, followed by a 30day Transpacific that ends in Vancouver. When does the folio switch from AUD to USD? I'll have Princess gift cards to put onto my account and would like to have them credited in USD. I know I can just wait till long gone from Australia/NZ and I'm sure folio will be in USD. Any idea if folio will close out after first cruise due to conversion to USD on the second? We're covered in that our CC doesn't charge for international fees.

They will not close out your folio after the Queensland portion, but they will convert it all to $US using a method only they can understand.  This is a good thing because credit card usage in Australia incurs a roughly 1.5% merchant fee (regardless of whether your credit card has an international usage fee). Do hold on to your gift cards until you start the transpacific portion. 

Also important to note is that Paxlovid comes in two dosages, one of them for patients with moderate kidney impairment. https://www.paxlovidhcp.com/moderate-renal-impairment  A ship’s doctor may not be aware of your personal health history, or may be too conservative in their approach to prescribing Paxlovid (if they even have it on board).

It’s a good discussion to have with your primary care provider. All mine has to do is hear that I am going on a cruise and she’s sending in a scrip for Paxlovid, which, unless I was getting really sick in the first five days, I would unlikely take again, but it’s like my rescue inhaler. Better to have it than not. As @Cruise Raider mentioned, the price has gone up significantly ($1396).  If your doctor is willing to prescribe it on an anticipatory basis, and you have good insurance, it’s probably best to get it before you travel. 

4 minutes ago, jwattle said:

It's based on what each person paid for the "cruise fare" portion (not air, taxes, port fees, etc.).

And it’s a bit more complicated by the fact that (based on our past experience when a cruise was cancelled due to a ship wreck).  If one used FCCs to pay for part of that cruise fare, the 50% only applies to the portion of cruise fare paid with “new money”. If FCCs were used to pay for the entire fare, then 50% of nothing is nothing. 

12 hours ago, nho9504 said:

 

You think Princess rate is high?  Holland America charges $29.99 a day and there is NO pay as you go feature.  Oh, there is also ZERO discount even if you are 5 star Mariner...

Then Princess should charge $29.99 per day, if their WiFi is, as they claim, the best at sea. Maybe even $39.99 per day!
 

Oh, and Princess should, at the same time, honor their promised Captains Circle benefits by reducing the price for Princess Plus and Premium by 50% of that daily WiFi rate for Platinum and Elite cruisers. 
 

And then we can talk about further reducing the price for Princess Plus and Premium for Elites by $5 per day for forgoing the minibar setup. ($70 value, 7 day cruise, 2 people in cabin). What’s that you say?  Some cruises are 15 or 30 days long? Yeah, it’s kind of like the two free casual dining meals per cruise, isn’t it, only in reverse. 

If you love smaller ships, HAL is definitely a better choice. It you really enjoy production shows, Princess is. Live music?  Definitely HAL. Educated, informed destination specialists and enrichment speakers?  Princess. Food and dining ease?  HAL, all the way. Longer, more interesting itineraries?  HAL. Crews are about even. Years ago, HAL crews seemed stiffer, but that’s changed quite a bit. We’ve found them to be as welcoming as on Princess (where they are nearly always great). 
 

I would cruise solely HAL;  DH likes Princess. So we cruise more on Princess but are always watching for HAL cruises that might work for us. 

It’s really not a madhouse. I would liken it to being in a busy airport terminal. But we learned that no one (except us, apparently) adheres to the suggested arrival time. Looking back at my blog, I see that we were told to arrive at 10am. When we got there, the earliest bus departure time available was 11:30am and we got to the ship about 1:30pm,

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2018/10/day-3-embarkation-in-sapphire-princess.html

The ship is doing a three-day cruise (Princess calls it a Seacation). These short cruises to nowhere tend to be booze cruises, and, given the holiday timeframe, I’m sure that’s what this one will be, too. 

@Bimmer09, I’ve enjoyed your entire review. Thank you for taking the time to keep notes, write and post pics!

Your complaint resolution skills are desperately needed at the Subway I was at today. “Man that blows”. I’m dying here. 🤣

43 minutes ago, Bwana Tom said:

Does anybody know where the 3-days came from for the crew to get recognized for the comments left? I can't understand the "logic" behind such a thing, but I frequently find logic missing not only on Princess, but seemingly throughout the country. 

I think the original poster of this info was @CruiseRaider, so perhaps he/she knows, but it was confirmed by several others so maybe they’ll be able to answer this, also. 
 

Whatever the reason, it’s an excuse and could be changed…if Princess had the desire and motivation to change it. I’d love to see Princess to acknowledge that their crews are the primary reason that guests return and allow us to recognize them individually. It’s one thing to have a three day cut off for crew feedback (ridiculous) but even worse to not tell guests about it, so that they continue to use their resources to give individual credit when the crew member will never benefit from it. 
 

They used to have the ‘You made a difference’ cards at Guest Services and the advantage of them is that they more or less limited the space (and therefore the time required) to say good things. Have they replaced them with another form? 

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I do agree it is a tedious process and I do wonder if they get back many completed ones?  Another thing I do not like is they give a pretty short timespan to complete it in and when I get back home, often busy catching up on things.

Exactly, and it’s even worse than that, as crew members with specific mentions don’t get them unless they’re made in the first three days after the cruise, which I guess means disembarkation day and the two subsequent days. 

I don’t think this is a “gotcha”. You booked under a fare code that offered an airfare promotion. If you change that fare code, you’re going to lose that promotion. This happens all the time, sometimes with additional OBC, sometimes with premium dining…whatever. As others have said, you can easily check the current EZ air fare by searching for your cruise on the Princess website and choosing CRUISE DETAILS and FLIGHT QUOTES. Then you can decide if it’s worth asking your TA to refare. 

11 minutes ago, tothemall&beyond said:

My husband and I agree that we would definitely do another Hurtigruten cruise again -- especially in winter when the ships are not full. 

We had a tiny (and I mean, tiny) inside cabin and yet we were still happy as clams. The cabin was well-designed with more than ample storage for all we had with us for our month-long trip through wintry Scandinavia. The heated bathroom floor was a very nice plus - especially for drying our snowy gloves, scarves, hats, wool socks. So was the reasonably priced self-service laundry. 

The food was plentiful and excellent, even if sometimes a bit unusual. But isn't that part of what travel is about - experiencing new and different things?

The Coastal Experience Team (excursions, port lectures, etc.) was comprised of 3 young men who were very knowledgable, multi-lingual, friendly, entertaining. The dining room staff (who also clean the cabins in slower winter season) was amazing -- all of them. The crew is well paid and well treated (they work 22 days on/22 days off with commutation transportation paid by Hurtigruten) -- and it shows in how they interact with each other and with passengers.

FYI -- Hurtigruten gave us FREE unlimited wifi for one device pp, FREE unlimited brewed coffee/tea (and even happily put a tea kettle in our cabin upon our request). The steward even provided us with coffee/tea/hot cocoa/sugar and mugs. And there are NO automatic gratuities added nor even expected; nor are there any port charges/taxes. All is included. And, yes, they still have the NL Promise:

Northern Lights Promise on Select Norwegian Coastal Voyages

• Sail the Norwegian coast with us during the auroral season between October 1 and March 31 on a voyage of 11 days or more.

• If the Northern Lights do not occur within sight of your ship during your voyage, we will give you a 6-day southbound or 7-day northbound Original Coastal Express Classic Voyage FREE OF CHARGE*.

As to what we did...  We tried to take in the local atmosphere of every place we went and walked around every city/town/village (through deep snow in most) that had a stop of at least an hour). A few of the specific things we did: in Bergen pre-cruise (with a rare big snow) we went to the Xmas Market two nights in a row, walked the alleyways of Byrggen and enjoyed afternoon fika chatting with locals in coffee houses. Post cruise in Bergen, we took the Floibanen funicular to the top of Mt. Floyen and even spent part of Boxing Day in a Red Cross Center whose volunteer invited us to come in for coffee and lunch. In Trondheim, I delighted at all the wonderful thrift and antique stores we found just by deviating one block from the "normal" tourist walking route. In Tromso, we enjoyed the spirit of the holiday with locals out and about shopping for gifts and children skating in the small outdoor ice rink that was installed. The two crossings of the Arctic Circle were incredible and very special --  passing the globe (lit up in the darkness) that marks the location. Our northbound crossing took place during a veritable blizzard with hail pelting our faces. Still wouldn't change anything about it. Kirkenes (where the ships turn around from north to south, and vice-versa) was a delightful surprise. Picturesque little town, friendly people, beautiful shops. We did not go to the Ice Hotel nor dog sled, but many people did. We were happy walking just through the streets knee-deep in snow, taking in the holiday lights, sounds and aromas of the homes and shops.

We took one Hurtigruten excursion to Nordkapp (North Cape) and it was truly fabulous. We had enough light both on the drive there and upon arrival to see all the breathtaking scenery and then drove back in a snowstorm. An unforgettable experience.

 

I hope that answers your question. LOL.

You answered it very well, and with the exact kind of information I was curious about. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time!

4 minutes ago, tothemall&beyond said:

We spent ALL of December 2022 in Scandinavia, with more than a third of our trip way up in northern Norway, far above the Arctic Circle (much, much farther than Princess goes), on a small (500 pax) Hurtigruten ship. It was during Polar Night, and we saw the Northern Lights several times. BUT, as others have commented, what you need to know is that they rarely appear to the naked eye as amazing as they appear through the lens of a camera. Even looking through my cell phone, I could see more color and movement than I could without viewing through some sort of lens. And, of course, whether or not you get to see them (or how dramatic they are) depends on many factors solely in the control of "Mother Nature". 

 

We are glad we did it on a small ship that didn't have to go out to sea between ports, keeping us closer to land and amazing sights. Our sailing spanned Christmas, and yet, we never had more than 200 passengers on board. It was awesome! Also, in stark contrast to Princess's hot or miss method for announcing NL, Hurtigruten has an in-cabin PA system on cabin telephones for announcing the NL - which passengers could choose to leave on or turn off. Often, indeed most of the time, the NL appeared very late at night, but judging from the number of people who quickly scrambled up on deck with each announcement, I don't think anyone turned it off in their cabins. 

Thank you for this report. I just booked a first class, refundable flight to Fairbanks and a refundable hotel around the Spring solstice for the sole purpose of seeing the lights. I thought I could look at weather and NL reports in the days ahead of time, to see if sightings looked possible, and go ahead or cancel as a result.
 

I have been weighing this against a Hurtigruten cruise for several months. Based on your experience, would you go the Hurtigruten route again?  Given that it was polar night, what else did you do/see during your month on board? Hurtigruten used to guarantee you’d see the NL or you’d get another cruise at no charge (obviously requiring many out of pocket exoenses, such as transportation) but I’m not sure if they still do that. 

I don’t mind the repetitive breakfast menus.  I generally rotate through the same two or three things for months at a time. But with the one standard lunch menu, I guess chicken korma is a thing of the past. 

On 1/1/2024 at 4:15 PM, charliedalrymple said:

January 1 - PORT CHALMERS / DUNEDIN

 

We followed a designated trail to the "Lady Thorn Dell" and lookout point, past a historic graveyard, and then a wide loop down the hill back and to the dock area.

Were the rhododendrons in bloom?  I love the gardens off of that trail. 

10 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Well, you Michigan fans must be feeling quite happy at the moment. 😊😊

It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

The 26 glaxiers are not right next to each other. The tour boat also goes into Blackstone Bay, and its glaciers are even more beautiful than those in College Fiord. Only you can decide if it’s right for you, but having hiked in Whittier and taken the glacier tour, I’d chose the glacier tour at least once every few years, and certainly for the first and/or only time I’d be in Whittier.

2 hours ago, Coral said:

Do you realize that there will be individuals on cruise ship excursions through Princess also on this excursion. Also those on cruise tours through Princess who will be on this boat. These individuals will also be getting on the ship that day.

This. The 26 glacier boat is next to the cruise ship. There is just one 26 glacier tour per day. There is zero risk of not making the ship. If you book the 26 glacier tour through the train, they will know you are coming for that boat. Seems pretty risk free to me.

59 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

You can always watch it online

 I am home wearing maize and blue from neck to toe and I feel your pain. Try this:

https://www.thestreameast.to/v2/

It’s finicky and you have to keep going back to your original tab (ignore the pop ups, and don’t sign in/up for anything, you may have hit the arrow key a few times), but the game WILL be shown online. I use this website to watch (a lot of) games that aren’t shown locally.