Cruise Raider

Good to know. Mine were during the height of the pandemic so it may be different now but it seems like mine were reloaded in about 6 weeks. Everything was slowed down at that point in time.

I do remember seeing ships over there from time to time but don’t know which ones were over there. oh .. and I probably won’t be jumping to cruise on the Crown, either … it’s probably my least favorite ship on which I’ve cruised.

I would do as @PacnGoNow suggested and call the hotel. Ask there if they are on the up and up. I wouldn't blame Princess as it is easy to copy a logo and use it fraudulently, if that is what is happening. Next, contact your credit card company to see what they can do to help you. If they need to reissue you a new credit card, they will let you know.

I've seen it before on my cruises. I believe there is even a clause in the contract that extra taxes, port and government fees can be passed along to the passengers when they are increased. There's probably a threshold where they will need to contact you to make sure it is ok with you. As others have said, I've seen reductions as well on my folio as well due to those fees being overestimated.

I've never had any trouble upgrading (and sending in more money) after final payment. The problem seems to only occur when you are looking to get money back. If they try to tell you it is only for 'new bookings', then ask them what it would cost you to cancel, pay the penalties and rebook. They've always just refared it for me. LOL! I'm sure there has been some eye rolling going on from the other end of the phone. Now, I have a really good travel planner down at Princess so I never have to go down that road anymore.

I'm not sure if the OJ is fresh squeezed but yes, the juices and specialty coffees are included in the Plus package.

I had good luck during the height of pandemic when calling Princess Cruises Gift Card Customer Service @1-833-907-3079. It seems they know everything about the gift cards and may even be able to check to see where the balance currently sits. They even answered the phone without waiting on hold forever. BTW, yes .. mine were reloaded back to the gift cards. If you've tossed the numbers and the pins, they should also be able to issue you new cards. Fingers crossed for you ... bon voyage. PS .... I think they are also only available on weekdays but who knows, someone might be there on a Saturday.

Princess doesn't appear to 'upgrade' passengers based on a phone call or a bidding process. You may receive a complimentary upgrade (usually to a cabin that hasn't sold), you may receive an email for an upsell offer or you can always just book an upgraded cabin at the going rate.

I believe he/she has to go to another area to get retrieve your order instead of just getting the food from the room service pantry.

I've always thought that tipping the porters at the terminal should be $5 per large bag and $2 - $3 for each small bag given to the porters. I believe this info came from a Trip Advisor tipping guide I used to have. Perhaps the ones that turn around and comment about people being cheap is from learned behavior ... they may try to guilt people into tipping more. However, that seems sufficient to go by this standard. I've not ever had one of the porters be rude in the past. They always thanked me and off they went.

I usually only drink wine so that would be three bottles all to myself. I would be blotto if I did that. haha

Just of note, it’s not an ‘all you can drink package’ but limited at 15 alcoholic drinks and no sharing with others is allowed. But, it is hard to reach that limit within a 24 hour period.

No, I think you are safe looks like the Crown will be coming to SF the following month (October 2023). Well, anything can happen but this is what it looks like at this point.

And don’t forget that Princess also is home porting a ship in San Diego. That will be my first choice over LA. I’ve sailed on the Crown a few times when she was newer, one of which was plagued by problems. Seems like one can still have a great cruise on her but she has so many issues. I wish we could get one of the newer Royal class ships here for several years. Celebrity probably won’t put a ship here in SF, as they just couldn’t fill the ships without just about giving them away in the past.

The Ruby is headed to Galveston in December of this year. In the meantime, we are getting the Royal here. I wish she would stay. I love the Royal class ships. But, Carnival is also home porting one of their ships in SF (at least for now) so, it makes sense that they don't want to leave one of their larger ships here in SF. The Embarcadero is such a mess when there are two ships in port at the same time.

I believe it’s true. Looks like the schedules for the America’s are also posted for 2023 and 2024 on this forum. So, the Crown appears to be coming on a cruise from Vancouver to SF on or around October 19, 2023 and will stay in SF for awhile. I’ve really loved the Ruby being here and am so excited about the Royal being here this Sept. Oh well. I’ll probably book on the Crown when she gets here, although, she’s not my all time favorite ship in the Princess fleet. I might find myself heading down to LA a bit more often, even though San Francisco is so very close.

Looks like she will be in SF in mid to late October 2023.

But even if they are over that amount, you only pay the difference. That’s my understanding of it.

It is definitely per pizza. Well worth it if you like pizza. One pizza will easily feed two people.

I believe the point being made here is that you could never use room service for drinks from the package without being charged but now you can. I love that I can order a glass of wine while I am getting ready for dinner without sending my DH out to retrieve it for me to ensure it is covered under the PLUS package.

The whole pizzas, even on ships without GiGis or Alfredo’s, for $3 each are far superior to what you can get at ‘slice’ up on the pool deck. They will bring them with the condiments you order in little ramekins, as well. We ordered salads and 3 pizzas for our group while on the Vista Lounge while watching the NBA finals. Figure it will be about 45 minutes from time of order to receive it. Also, a tip for the delivery is customary. So fabulous! We had pizza leftover and had it for breakfast in the cabin the next morning. Still great!

I went through a few of these bangles before I figured out the solution. The large seemed to unclamp very easily and the medium pinched my skin when trying to secure it. I ended up getting the large and just slightly bent the metal to make the clasp more secure. BTW, they kept exchanging it for me until I got the right fit. It is now perfect. I also use one of the silicone ones for going to the pool and other outdoor activities. Both work perfectly now.

I can report that it is larger cabin. It is very comfortable in size and your cabin door is near the elevator vestibule so you will always be able to quickly peek your head out for a view of the weather. Be aware it is directly across from the elevators, though (on the Infinity) so you don't want to open it if someone is changing in the cabin. We thought it would be noisy but there were never any issues with that.

We were on the Ruby last month and stopped at Prince Rupert instead of Victoria for the day. It was actually a very welcomed stop for us as we've been to Victoria many times in the past. It might be disappointing for those that have never gone to Victoria as there is so much to do and see there. But, we made the best of our time in Prince Rupert and actually enjoyed the stop there. We are returning again this month and planning on walking the Rushbrook Trail while there. It look beautiful. If we have time, we will also stop in the museum in town. It's very small but something we still want to do. Also, check out the Sunken Gardens. It's such a beautiful place, but is also small. There are some excursions there that might be of interest but think they are very pricey, especially when compared to ones you can do in Victoria.

I’d rather cruise more often in a less expensive room than in a huge room less often. that’s just me. You should do fine with family and I would also suggest being close to the public decks. The time we actually spend in the cabin during waking hours is so little … but, it’s just the two of us. For three, I think I might look for an oceanview with n inside right across the hall. But, if that’s not affordable, I’d still with the original plan. You should still be able o get out on deck or t the public areas just one deck down.