bluesea777

November in Europe ... Escape is a better ship as Viva is good for warm weather. Our son, his gf and some friends are on Escape in Nov!

One thing we didn't like while on Viva and will not go on Viva or Prima, and possibly the Aqua, again .... The bars on the Viva carry limited alcohol and can only serve drinks that are on the menu pertaining to the bar. Several drinks are pre-mixed and are often too sweet. We asked for several martinis (that we have had many times before on other NCL ships) from various bars but were refused as they did not carry the liquor needed for the martinis. Cosmopolitan was pre-mixed (and tasted too sweet). The so-called Sail & Sustain cocktails are so sweet and were quite undrinkable to us. Viva is a lovely ship with very nice regular balcony rooms, great restaurants, etc, but the bars were not for us (and we do not even drink a lot). Cut-backs.

That was not with NCL, right? Your signature said you were with RCL to Caribbean, not NCL.

Coral’s sister Island is currently in dry dock in Palermo.

About 30 mins after I got the above reply email, I received an email from a CVP!! Thank you!

No joy .... it automatically changed from /en-us to /en-int - no sign of Live Chat icon. At the beginning (as I remembered) when I was registering, the country Bermuda immediately popped up and remained shaded meaning I wasn't able to change it. It's the IP address ... IRONICALLY, Princess registers her ships in Bermuda, yet we cannot have the Live Chat icon popped up for us to use. In the meantime I got a CVP ...

Thanks, I've just fired off an email. Now we wait to hear from them, if ever ... 😶 P.S. Just received the auto reply ..... Dear Valued Princess Guest, Thank you for your patience with us while we respond to your request. Our Onboard & Post Cruise Contacts team are extremely busy and have very high volumes at the moment, which means it’s taking longer than we’d like to get back to you with a full response. 😶😶

My husband (I'm hearing impaired) called that number - spent a good 30 mins trying to get them to understand about the no Live Chat icon appearing, not hearing from Princess after I twice requested for a CVP to be assigned to me, etc. They said they'd forward our issues to Princess and we should be hearing from them in an hour .... this was 4.5 hours ago! And by the way, they're in the Philippines ..... 😶

Looks like this IS the issue that we are in Bermuda! Can you please email me (ammcghee at ibl dot bm) as I would like to ask a favour ... can you refer me to your CVP or if they're too busy (too many cleients) perhaps they can refer one to me? I'm hearing impaired and my husband called the Princess number and he spent a good 30 mins with the people at other end. Also I went online and requested a CVP twice, and they never got back to me. I'm mystified and also a bit frustrated. We are Diamond with NCL and I have my own PPC with NCL and I use the NCL's chat several times. We are looking into booking 2 more cruises with Princess but I'm very reluctant to book further cruises because of the Live Chat and no CVP issues. Many thanks. Ann-Mary.

Thank you! I am logged in but I do not see that gold/brown icon at all. I'm on PC using Edge. I'll have to try my iPad. P.S. I love reading your reviews!!

No help .... I am already logged in and can see the one cruise that we booked, but .... I do not see Live Chat anywhere. May I see yours? So I have an idea as to what it looks like. Thanks.

Hello all, we booked our first Princess Cruise two months ago via online. We booked it with old Premier package and now I'm trying to have it upgraded/changed to the new Premier. I cannot find the Live/Online Chat (icon or whatever) anywhere - either on my PC or iPhone. I have read that people has been using it but not me. Is it because we're rookies? Can you please advise? Also I would like to be assigned to a PVP - can you please advise on how I can get one? TIA!

The shutter button has to be on the right side of phone when you take the landscape photos. Perhaps you can invest in one of these - I use it a LOT when travelling, in tour buses, on boat trips, and LOVE this dongle!! I just hold phone up in one hand and click on the remote in my other hand. Works so beautifully. Amazon.com: Wireless Camera Remote Shutter for Smartphones (2 Pack), zttopo Wireless Phone Camera Remote Control Compatible with iPhone/Android Cell Phone - Create Amazing Photos and Selfies, Wrist Strap Included : Cell Phones & Accessories BEAUTIFUL photos of Quebec City and the JOY!

If it were us, we'd be happy with the new itinerary: FULL day in Tortola and not having to go to Bermuda - in mid-December. If Bermuda is still on itinerary, chances are: seas might be rough, and if there are high surf and high winds surrounding Bermuda the ship will NOT come here. Also, it's mid-December - short days, cool, and the sea will be too cold to swim in. We've had ships by-pass Bermuda due to high surf and/or high winds during the winter. Enjoy the full day in Tortola!

Remember the minimum euro note is 5 euro. The 1 and 2 euros are coins, and it makes harder (or impossible) for the crew to exchange euro coins. Therefore, stick with paper notes. I remember seeing somewhere that the $2 US notes aren't as easy to exchange in foreign banks as the other notes.

One thing I’d do though is to change the cruise month away from July to either Apr/May/early June or Oct/Nov.

Escape is going to have a tight time sailing between New York to Miami after dropping pax off in NYC - only one full sea day. This means Escape will arrive in Miami late, so please wait until the 21-day mark when you check in online and you’ll know what the checkin times are.

We are non-Americans and are real foodies … we will not go to chain restaurants in the states or have pizzas in the US either. We love the food in most restaurants here in Bermuda and in Europe, and in most specialty restaurants on ships. Palomar on Viva is one of our faves and also Onda on various ships.

Last cruise I won a $200 Effy voucher …. nice …. then I read the small print …. went to the store …. the minimum price in store was over $1K …. so being kind I was, I passed the gift bag to a lady who would appreciate it more.

@JSar You’re on the Dec 20 cruise, right? (We are on Dec 2 Gem out of Miami and the ship doesn’t depart until 5:00) If yes, your ship is going to be a very full (more than double occupancy) because it’s a 14 day double holiday cruise. So perhaps you may want to delay getting to the port until noon, when all the early arrivals (like 9:30 onward) have boarded the ship and crowds in the terminal have dispersed. Plus, the rooms will not be ready until 2pm and you don’t want to lug your carry-ons around the crowded ship for so long. And be forewarned, there are many families with kids … but you’ll enjoy the holiday cruise!! (Been there done that a few times).

I do not see 10 pm. Encore leaves Miami at 4 pm for the Caribbean, and at 5:30 pm for the Panama Canal.

Correct year but wrong month .... There's a gap Feb 19 to Mar 14, 2025 = dry dock time. Breakaway does an eastbound TA Feb 7-19 from Miami to Southampton, and her next cruise is Mar 14-28 from Southampton to Barcelona.

BUT ... it is highly advisable to obtain passports for overseas travel, in case things go wrong (examples are: falling ill or be involved in accident and need to be hospitalized ashore, miss the ship, be kicked off ship, ship gets into trouble that require passengers be flown back to the US) and you're stuck in a foreign country and need to travel back to the USA. Passport books, not passport cards.

You must have an ESTA, regardless. There is no such thing as transit ESTA. Visa Waiver Program (state.gov)

I read somewhere in the CC that Bonaire is building 2nd dock, perhaps that is why they’re limiting the ships … maybe the tender dock isn’t available???